Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Do alternative litter materials affect performance, welfare and immune response of broiler chicks?

Two hundred, one-day-old Cobb broilers were utilized as a part of this analysis. Chicks were examined and weighed on the entry day then, arbitrarily appointed to five litter treatments (20 birds per pen) with two duplicates for every treatment. The litter treatment consists of five different litter types: Wood shavings (WS), Ground rice straw, Ground rice straw + sand, Ground corn stalks straw, and Rice hulls. Behavioral perception was done twice per day, two days a week for six sequential weeks. Body weight (BW) and Feed intake rate per pen were measured each week, from which body weight gain (BWG) and feed conversion ratio (FCR) were calculated. At 42 days of age, welfare indices were measured including fear, stress, fluctuating asymmetry, plumage score, leg health and abnormalities. In addition, some carcass traits, litter quality were surveyed. Immune response against Newcastle diseased virus was determined at 21 and 29 days of age. Mortalities were recorded for every treatment. Our data cleared that birds reared on various litter components exhibited non-significant changes in feeding, drinking, standing, preening and scratching behaviors. While, birds reared on Rice hulls exhibited a significantly higher walking behavior and significantly lowered sitting and dust bathing behaviors. Bedding types had no obvious effect over BW, BWG, FCR and mortality percentages. Welfare indices were not affected by the type of litter substances. The type of the litter did not affect moisture content and compactness score of litter. In contrary, cleanliness score of the litter was worst in Ground rice straw compared to wood shavings. In addition, immune response against Newcastle diseased viruses not affected with types of litter. It concluded that, bedding types affect behaviors of broiler chicks. Ground rice straw, Ground rice straw + sand, Rice hulls and Ground corn stalks straw could be used as alternative bedding materials to wood shavings without affect on birds performance, welfare, health and immune response.
Strategic implications of voluntary disclosure and the application of the legitimacy theory

A broad and in-depth review of voluntary disclosure, as the consequential reflection of corporate governance, provides alternative explanations for some the research results discussed in the traditional literature. With regard to the implications of the information asymmetry and the agency theory on voluntary disclosure, we see that the correlation of such is not absolute. In this paper, our understanding in the subject matter is deepened, as we evaluate the various dimensions of corporate disclosure both from a theoretical and an empirical point of view. We discuss the strategic effects as well as the incentives behind corporate disclosure while mirroring the disclosure theory to the legitimacy theory in real life business settings. As we discuss the potential conflicts and drawbacks that researchers and practitioners may have encountered in their previous research, we have discovered that many fundamental research questions related to voluntary disclosure have, in fact, remain unanswered as a result of mixed interpretations. Finally, we propose directions for future research, and subsequently open new research arena to be tested by further research.
The Use of Complementary Medications by Cancer Patients Attending an Outpatient Pain and Symptom Clinic

Complementary medications appear to be gaining popularity among cancer patients. When we surveyed 143 advanced cancer patients attending an outpatient pain and symptom clinic at a regional cancer centre as to their use of complementary medications and nutritional supplements, we found 37% (53/143) to be making use of complementary medications. Users tended to be younger (mean age 53.3 years) and have a preference for purchase from health stores, with 61% of complementary medications being bought there. Health store staff were the primary recommenders for both men and women and especially for those over 60 years of age. Of the 197 complementary medications purchased, 78 (39.6%) were herbs, 67 (32.5%) were vitamins, 13 (6.6%) were minerals, 21 (10.7%) were other medications including shark cartilage, and 21 (10.7%) could not be identified. Both anticancer effect and the promotion of well-being were prominent among the stated reasons for using these medications.
Recombinant human TSH increases the efficacy of a fixed activity of radioiodine for treatment of multinodular goitre

Context: High doses of 131I are usually needed in the treatment of multinodular goitre (MNG) for effective thyroid volume (TV) reduction. Recombinant human thyroid‐stimulating hormone (rhTSH) is an adjuvant to enhance 131I uptake, allowing a decrease in radiation activity and enhancing 131I efficacy.
König Kaiser Sigismund, der deutsche Orden und Polen-Litauen. Stationen einer problembeladenen Beziehung

Having failed in his attempt to seize power over Poland as over Hungary in claiming the inheritance of Louis the Great, Sigismund of Luxemburg pursued an ambivalent policy towards his Northern neighbour, a scheme in which he also endeavoured to integrate the Teutonic Order. Diplomatic activity alternated with military threats, long-term peace agreements, arbitration decisions, pawnage and subsidization, but none of these proceedings led to a permanent settlement in the tenuous relations between the Teutonic Order, which had been humiliated in the Battle of Tannenberg in 1410, Sigismund, who had by then ascended to the German kingship, and Poland-Lithuania. Neither could the conflict be solved at the Council of Constance. On 6 January 1420, the Situation was even aggravated unintentionally by Sigismund, when he announced in Breslau an arbitration decision that largely confirmed the legal concept of the Teutonic Order. Preoccupied with his own fight for the Bohemian crown against the Hussites and their Polish allies, Sigismund was unable to lend military support to the Teutonic Order in its war with Poland-Lithuania, which broke out in the summer of 1422; after the Treaty of Melno, the Order was too weak to be used as a means of exerting political or military pressure on Wladyslaw Jagiello any longer. Sigismund's plan to move the Teutonic Knights to the banat of Severin to defend the Eastern border of Hungary against the Ottomans proved unsuccessful, too, as did his initiative to break up the Polish-Lithuanian union by granting the crown to Witold, the grand duke of Lithuania. The "Perpetual Peace" concluded between the Teutonic Order and Poland-Lithuania on 31 December 1435 in spite of the Emperor's protest then fully revealed Sigismund's political failure: In the long course of his reign, he had not managed to implement the constitutional Subordination of the Teutonic Order to the Holy Roman Empire, to consolidate his declining power and then to play the Order off against the Jagiellonians even more effectively, nor had he succeeded in establishing dynastic relations to the royal house of Poland to alleviate their rivalry. The variety and complexity of his duties, his limited financial resources, his weak position within the Empire and his unrehability, never outweighed by his good intentions and political far-sightedness, rendered King/Emperor Sigismund unable to preserve the Teutonic Order from a further decline in power or to prevent the sons and grandsons of his long-time rival Wladyslaw Jagiello from successfully extending their reign over Hungary and Bohemia.
Softened food reduces weight loss in the streptozotocin-induced male mouse model of diabetic nephropathy

The streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic mouse is a widely used model of diabetes and diabetic nephropathy (DN). However, it is a well-known issue that this model is challenged by high weight loss, which despite supportive measures often results in high euthanization rates. To overcome these issues, we hypothesized that supplementing STZ-induced diabetic mice with water-softened chow in addition to normal chow would reduce weight loss, lower the need for supportive treatment, and reduce the number of mice reaching the humane endpoint of 20% weight loss. In a 15 week STZ-induced DN study we demonstrated that diabetic male mice receiving softened chow had reduced acute weight loss following STZ treatment (p = 0.045) and additionally fewer mice were euthanized due to weight loss. By supplementing the diabetic mice with softened chow, no mice reached 20% weight loss whereas 37.5% of the mice without this supplement reached this humane endpoint (p = 0.0027). Excretion of corticosterone metabolites in faeces was reduced in diabetic mice on softened chow (p = 0.0007), suggesting lower levels of general stress. Finally, it was demonstrated that the water-softened chow supplement did not significantly affect the induction of key disease parameters, i.e. %HbA1C and albuminuria nor result in abnormal teeth wear. In conclusion, supplementation of softened food is refining the STZ-induced diabetic mouse model significantly by reducing stress, weight loss and the number of animals sacrificed due to humane endpoints, while maintaining the key phenotypes of diabetes and nephropathy.
Evaluation of Reliability and Validity of Spanish Version of the End-Stage Renal Disease Symptom Checklist–Transplantation Module

Background. Although health-related quality of life (HRQoL) of patients with a renal transplantation is an important variable, it has received little attention and only a few Spanish validated measurement instruments are available. The aim of this study was to assess the psychometric properties of the Spanish version of the End Stage Renal Disease Symptom Checklist–Transplantation Module (ESRD-SCL), a specific questionnaire for measuring HRQoL of kidney transplant patients. Methods. This prospective study to validate the ESRD-SCL included 307 patients who received a first kidney transplant. Patients filled out the ESRD-SCL, the EuroQol-5D and the Short Form-36 Health Survey at pretransplant, after 3 months, 6 months, and 1 year of follow-up. A complete set of sociodemographic and clinical data was also collected. Results. Mean age of patients was 51.6 years (SD±12) and 59.2% were men. A total of 24% had suffered initial allograft dysfunction and 18% had acute rejection. A six-dimensional factorial structure could be discerned. These dimensions were different from the original questionnaire and explained 56.07% of the variance. Internal consistency was good (Cronbach &agr; = 0.91 for the overall score and 0.60–0.86 for dimensions). A statistically significant moderate correlation was observed between the Short Form-36 and EuroQol-5D with the ESRD-SCL dimensions and with some of the clinical and sociodemographic variables. Conclusions. The Spanish version of the ESRD-SCL is a useful, user-friendly instrument for measuring the HRQoL related to the side effects on immunosuppression treatment of renal transplant patients more accurately.
Reliability for Sparsely Connected Consecutive-$k$ Systems

We introduce the system of consecutive failures with sparse d which is a natural extension of consecutive-k systems. Then a series of generalizations of consecutive-k systems are discussed, such as consecutive-k-out-n:F systems with sparse d, M consecutive-k-out-of-n:F systems with sparse d, and (n, f, k) :F systems with sparse d. We present the formulation for the system reliability of these generalized consecutive-k systems with various component settings in terms of the finite Markov chain imbedding idea, along with two numerical examples.
Allograft Reconstruction of the Anterior and Posterior Cruciate Ligaments After Traumatic Knee Dislocation

Seven patients (average age, 26.3 years) with traumatic knee dislocations were retrospectively evaluated more than 2 years (average, 51 months) after having fresh- frozen allograft anterior and posterior cruciate ligament reconstructions. All patients were treated consecutively at an average of 9.6 days after injury. Two patients had arterial injuries and three patients had or developed common peroneal nerve palsy. Five patients had 20 additional injuries. All patients were enlisted in an early, aggressive physical therapy regimen with early pro tected weightbearing. Four patients required a manipu lation under anesthesia for arthrofibrosis at an average of 16.8 weeks postoperatively (range, 6 to 33 weeks). At followup, only one patient had significant pain, three patients had rare or occasional giving way, and all seven were able to return to school or to the workplace. The functional grading was excellent in three patients, good in three patients, and fair in one patient. No patient had a significant flexion contracture; the average flexion arc was 118° (range, 105° to 135°). Knee dislocation is a very traumatic injury, often resulting in a painful, dys functional knee. Anterior and posterior cruciate liga ment reconstructions in young, active patients can minimize pain and optimize functional outcome. Arthrofibrosis is a common occurrence in these pa tients, and manipulation under anesthesia is frequently required.
Full-field digital versus screen-film mammography: comparative accuracy in concurrent screening cohorts.

OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study was to compare the diagnostic accuracy of digital mammography with that of screen-film mammography in concurrent cohorts participating in the same population-based screening program. MATERIALS AND METHODS In a retrospective study covering 2004-2005, we compared digital with screen-film mammography in two concurrent screening cohorts of women 50-69 years old participating in a screening program operated from mobile units. Each cohort had 14,385 participants matched by age and interpreting radiologist from all participants consecutively registered. We compared recall and cancer detection rates. RESULTS The recall rate was higher for digital mammography (4.56% vs 3.96%, p = 0.01), particularly when clustered microcalcifications were the only finding (1.05% vs 0.41%, p = 10(-6)) and for younger women (50-59 vs 60-69 years, 5.12% vs 4.17%, p = 0.009). The higher recall rate for digital mammography was mainly evident at incidence screening. The recall rate due to poor technical quality was lower with digital mammography (0.27% vs 0.50%, p = 0.002), possibly because real-time feedback was available. The detection rate was higher for digital mammography (0.72% vs 0.58%, p = 0.14), particularly for cancers depicted as clustered microcalcifications (0.26% vs 0.12%, p = 0.007), in younger (50-59 years) women (0.63% vs 0.42%, p = 0.09), and in denser breasts (1.09% vs 0.53%, p = 0.24). No significant difference was observed in positive predictive value on recall for digital mammography or screen-film mammography. Early cancer (pTis, pT1mic, pT1a) was more frequent in cancer detected with digital mammography than in that detected with screen-film mammography (41.3% vs 27.3%, p = 0.06). CONCLUSION Digital mammography may be more effective than screen-film mammography in contemporary screening practice in mobile units. The data indicate that digital mammography depicts more tumors than does screen-film mammography, especially lesions seen as microcalcifications. The potential association with improved outcome warrants further study.
Synthesis, Secretion, Degradation, and Fate of Ameloblastin During the Matrix Formation Stage of the Rat Incisor as Shown by Immunocytochemistry and Immunochemistry Using Region-specific Antibodies

Rat ameloblastin is a recently cloned tooth-specific enamel matrix protein containing 422 amino acid residues. We investigated the expression of this protein during the matrix formation stage of the rat incisor immunohistochemically and immunochemically, using anti-synthetic peptide antibodies that recognize residues 27–47 (Nt), 98–107 (M-1), 224–232 (M-2), 386–399 (M-3), and 406–419 (Ct) of ameloblastin. Immunohistochemical preparations using antibodies Nt and M-1 stained the Golgi apparatus and secretory granules of the secretory ameloblast and the entire thickness of the enamel matrix. Only M-1 intensely stained the peripheral region of the enamel rods. Immunostained protein bands were observed near 65, 55, and below 22 kD. Immunohistochemical preparations using antibodies M-2 and Ct stained the Golgi apparatus and secretory granules of the ameloblast and the immature enamel adjacent to the secretion sites, but not deeper enamel layers. Immunostaining using M-2 and Ct revealed protein bands near 65 and 40–56 kD, and 65, 55, 48, 36, and 25 kD, respectively. M-3 stained the cis side of the Golgi apparatus but not the enamel matrix. This antibody recognized a protein band near 55 kD, but none larger. After brefeldin A treatment, immunoreaction of the 55-kD protein band intensified, and dilated cisternae of rER of the secretory ameloblast contained immunoreactive material irrespective of the antibodies used. These data indicate that ameloblastin is synthesized as a 55-kD core protein and then is post-translationally modified with O-linked oligosaccharides to become the 65-kD secretory form. Initial cleavages of the 65-kD protein generate N-terminal polypeptides, some of which concentrate in the prism sheath, and C-terminal polypeptides, which are rapidly degraded and lost from the enamel matrix soon after secretion.
Unintended Consequences of Sanctions for Human Rights: Conflict Minerals and Infant Mortality

Are victims of human rights abuses better off with or without economic sanctions targeted at their perpetrators? We study this question in the context of a US human rights policy, the conflict-minerals section of the 2010 Dodd-Frank Act. By discouraging companies from sourcing tin, tungsten, and tantalum from the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, the policy has acted as a de facto boycott on mineral purchases that may finance warlords and armed militias. We estimate the policy’s impact on the mortality of children born before 2013 and find that it increased the probability of infant deaths in villages near the policy-targeted mines by at least 143 percent. We find suggestive evidence that the legislation-induced boycott did so by reducing mothers’ consumption of infant health care goods and services.
Scoliosis may increase the risk of recurrence of lumbar disc herniation after microdiscectomy.

OBJECT The aim of this paper was to investigate the risk of recurrence of lumbar disc herniation (LDH) in patients with scoliosis who underwent microdiscectomy. METHODS A series of consecutive patients who underwent microdiscectomy for LDH was retrospectively reviewed. The inclusion criteria were young adults younger than 40 years who received microdiscectomy for symptomatic 1-level LDH. An exclusion criterion was any previous spinal surgery, including fusion or correction of scoliosis. The patients were divided into 2 groups: those with scoliosis and those without scoliosis. The demographic data in the 2 groups were similar. All medical records and clinical and radiological evaluations were reviewed. RESULTS A total of 58 patients who underwent 1-level microdiscectomy for LDH were analyzed. During the mean follow-up of 24.6 months, 6 patients (10.3%) experienced a recurrence of LDH with variable symptoms. The recurrence rate was significantly higher among the scoliosis group than the nonscoliosis group (33.3% vs. 2.3%, p = 0.001). Furthermore, the recurrence-free interval in the scoliosis group was short. CONCLUSIONS Young adults (< 40 years) with uncorrected scoliosis are at higher risk of recurrent LDH after microdiscectomy.
Genetically Programmed Selective Islet β-Cell Loss in Diabetic Subjects With Wolfram's Syndrome

Insulin-producing (5-cells were selectively absent from the islets of Langerhans in postmortem specimens from two patients with Wolfram's syndrome. In families with multiple cases of this syndrome, we found a very high concordance rate (r = .910, P < .001) among siblings for age at onset of diabetes mellitus. Taken together with the lack of markers for an autoimmune process, these findings suggest that diabetes mellitus in this syndrome results from genetically programmed selective p-cell death.
Effects of government spending shocks in China, Japan, and Korea

ABSTRACT This study investigates the effects of government spending shocks on various key macro variables in China, Korea, and Japan using structural VAR models. The main empirical findings are as follows. Government spending multipliers of all three countries are far larger than 1 in recent years. The effectiveness of fiscal expansion has not changed markedly in China but substantially increased in Korea (after the Asian financial crisis) and Japan (during zero lower bound period). Increases in the effectiveness of fiscal expansion are associated with changes in the monetary and exchange rate policy regimes and institutions of these countries. Among the three countries, the government spending multiplier is relatively large in China but relatively small in Japan in recent years. Although the effects on exchange rate and trade balance vary across countries and sample periods, real exchange rate tends to depreciate, whereas trade balance tends to improve under flexible exchange rate regimes. Some empirical findings are consistent with standard theory, but others are not. Abbreviations: NK: New Keynesian VAR: Vector Autoregressive ZLB: Zero Lower Bound
Isophoric sparse arrays: A synthesis procedure for circularly symmetric shaped beams

Because of their potential interest in satellite communications, the problem of synthesizing shaped beams by means of isophoric sparse arrays is dealt with. After briefly recalling some useful recent results, a synthesis strategy is proposed and discussed. Preliminary results, which confirm the interest of the proposed architecture and the effectiveness of the developed tools, are also shown.
Ownership Structure, Institutional Organization and Measured X-Efficiency

Efficiency measurement has become a very popular field in applied economics in recent years, and with this interest there has been a large intellectual investment in refining the empirical methods available to researchers in the area. ' In this paper, we relate these developments to Harvey Leibenstein's original 1966 insight into the psychological ideas underlying the notion that economic agents may not achieve maximal efficiency in their productive decisions and behavior. Of course, it is always possible to argue that apparent inefficiency only arises from a failure of the observer to realize what it is that is being maximized. However, we shall evade this easy escape route into nonfalsifiable hypothesizing and instead shall take at face value the fact that too many empirical studies have come up with substantial measures of inefficiency for us to ignore its importance for normative economics.