Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
On the relationship between bank market concentration and stability of financial institutions: Evidence from the Italian banking sector

This paper explores the relationship between bank market concentration and financial stability of financial institutions relying on highly territorially disaggregated data taken at municipality level in Italy between 2001 and 2012. Firstly, we test the existence of a U-shaped relationship between market concentration and financial stability. Secondly, we estimate the impact of the level of concentration of the banking system and other explanatory variables, such as size, level of capitalization and credit insolvency of financial institutions, on a proxy of risk taking behavior such as the banking ‘‘stability inefficiency’’ derived simultaneously from the estimation of a stability stochastic frontier. The paper concludes that the inefficiency of financial stability is U-shaped relationship with respect to the measure of market concentration. Boosting market power increases bank failure in very concentrated markets while leads to higher financial stability in already competitive markets. Bank size is an essential factor in explaining this relationship as the effect of size on the inefficiency of stability is an inverse U-shaped as a function of the market share indicator; results also suggest that high, low and average concentration levels do not change the positive effects that the level of capitalization has on the stability inefficiency.
STUDY ON HYDROGEN PRODUCTION OYF BIO-OIL CATALYTIC REFORMING BY CHARCOAL CATALYST

In this study Charcoal was used as a primary bio-oil steam reforming catalyst. The performance of the catalyst was investigated. The dynamic parameters of the first order dynamic equation were calculated. The stability of charcoal was also examined. The results indicated that first, when reforming temperatures were lower than 700 °C, the bio-oil contents in the outlet dry gas were very high. This indicated unsuitability for further catalytic reforming over a metal catalyst. Second, the catalytic activity of charcoal became very significant under high temperature conditions (≥ 800 °C); thus, the apparent activation energy of the first order kinetic rate constant is 56.98 kJ/mol, and the pre-exponential factor is 1.58 × 10s. Third, the bio-oil contents in the outlet dry gas varied from a decrease to a slight increase in the first 2 h under a catalytic reforming temperature of 900 °C, a WHSV (weight hourly space velocity) of 2.6 h, a bio-oil feeding rate of 47.02 g/h, and a S/B (mass steam-to-bio-oil) ratio of 2. Overall, the charcoal exhibited an excellent bio-oil removal rate (conversion > 99.6%) and the bio-oil contents in the outlet dry gas were lower than 1.89 g/Nm, hence signifying suitability for further reforming over metal catalysts.
Determination of the Physicochemical Changes in the Different Vegetable Oils after Fat-Product Interaction During Frying Process

Determination of changes in physicochemical properties of different vegetable oils (sunflower, corn, hazelnut, palm, and olive oils) was aimed after the frying process with different frying material used (potato and pepper). The increase in free fatty acid content, peroxide value, viscosity and polar compound formation of oils was observed, while the reduction of the polyunsaturated fatty acid content of oils was detected with the increase of frying time. The minimum increase of free fatty acid content was determined in sunflower oil (for fried pepper %0.23; for fried potato %0.22), while the best result of peroxide values for both of frying samples was found in olive oil (for fried pepper 2.49 meq O2/kg; for fried potato 4.11 meq O2/kg oil). The highest increase of total polar compound was also ascertained in sunflower oil (for fried pepper%4.50; for fried potato %5.00). The increase of frying time caused a decrease of L* and a* values of oils except for olive oil and increase of b* values. The effect of frying oil or material and frying process time on physicochemical properties of oils was found statistically significant (p<0.01).
The provision and effects of company training: A brief review of the literature

This paper reviews recent empirical research on economic benefits of company-provided training in search for answers to questions such as: What kinds of training do companies provide? Who is trained? How intensively? For what reason? Do trained employees experience an earnings advantage over non-trained? Does training enhance employability, mobility, and promotion? Do companies, and the society at large, benefit from these investments? Despite growing interest in these questions, our current knowledge on the economic role of company-provided training demands great cautiousness in drawing policy implications concerning the crucial questions of inequality of access to company training and training market failures, among others.
Extrapleural pneumonectomies for pleural mesothelioma

ABSTRACT Introduction: Malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) is a fatal malignancy for which there is no definitive cure. The most effective multimodality treatment in prolonging survival is still matter of debate. Surgery remains one of the cornerstones in the multimodality therapy for MPM. Extra-pleural pneumonectomy and pleurectomy/decortication are the two main curative-intent procedures; however, the superiority of one technique over the other is still debated. This review aims to assess short- and long-term results of extrapleural pneumonectomy for MPM. Areas covered: This article focuses on the role of extrapleural pneumonectomy in MPM. A systematic review was performed by using electronic databases to identify studies that included patients treated by this procedure for MPM. Endpoints included overall survival, disease-free survival, recurrence rate, perioperative mortality, and morbidity. Expert commentary: This paper offers an overview of the results that are currently obtained in patients undergoing extrapleural pneumonectomy for MPM. The benefit of surgical treatments in MPM is still debated and its primary goal should be the achievement of a macroscopic complete resection. Several alternative multimodality protocols exist, with specific advantages and drawbacks; therefore, individualization of care for each patient is fundamental. The complexity of the surgical treatment mandates that patients be referred to specialized centers.
The Influence of the Social Context on Motivation towards the Practice of Physical Activity and the Intention to be Physically Active

According to WHO data, only around 20% of adolescents participate in physical activity (PA) during their free time. The social context can act as a support for adolescents to do PA, given the effect that both parents, friends and teachers have on young people’s behaviour owing to the large amount of time and influence they have on them. Therefore, the aim of this study is to analyse the role of the social context on adolescents’ motivation to practise PA and their intention to be physically active. This study involved the participation of students in compulsory and post-compulsory secondary education. Several statistical analyses were performed, including three confirmatory factorial analyses of the scales and a structural equations model that explains the causal relationships between the variables. The results showed how support for autonomy in the social context positively predicts autonomous motivation, whereas the psychological control of the social context negatively predicts it. Autonomous motivation positively predicted intent, attitude, behavioural control and subjective norms, and consequently, the practice of physical activity. In short, the study showed how the three validated scales have adequate goodness-of-fit indices while the structural equations model demonstrated the influence of the social context on the student’s motivational processes and the adoption of active life habits.
Single Point Diamond Turning of Calcium Fluoride Optics

This paper aims to develop a cost-effective diamond turning process to obtain nanosmooth CaF2 optics. Diamond tool wear was also carried out through a number of cutting trials. Three CaF2 specimens (diameter of 50 mm and thickness of 5 mm, crystal orientation of (111)) were diamond turned on an ultra precision lathe (Moore Nanotech 350UPL) by a number of facing cuts. In the cutting trials feed rate varied from 1 μm/rev to 10 μm/rev. White spirit mist was used as the coolant. Cutting forces were measured by a dynamometer (Kistler BA9256). Surface roughness of the CaF2 optics and tool flank wear were measured by a white light interferometer (Zygo Newview 5000) and a scanning electron microscope (FEI Quanta 3D FEG), respectively. It was found that using a feed rate of 1 μm/rev surface roughness Ra of 2 nm could be obtained. When the ratio of the normal cutting force to the tangential cutting force was lower than 1 tool wear would initiate. In diamond turning of calcium fluoride abrasive wear was the main tool wear mechanism. Using white spirit mist as thecoolant could avoid generation of thermal type brittle fracture on the machined CaF2 surfaces.
Abnormal Plasticity and Epigenesis in Epileptic Seizures of an EL Mouse

C l i n M e d International Library Citation: Suzuki J (2016) Abnormal Plasticity and Epigenesis in Epileptic Seizures of an EL Mouse. Int J Neurol Neurother 3:059. doi.org/10.23937/2378-3001/3/6/1059 Received: November 08, 2016: Accepted: November 28, 2016: Published: November 30, 2016 Copyright: © 2016 Suzuki J. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. Suzuki. Int J Neurol Neurother 2016, 3:059
Evaluation of protocols for rRNA depletion-based RNA sequencing of nanogram inputs of mammalian total RNA

Next generation RNA-sequencing (RNA-seq) is a flexible approach that can be applied to a range of applications including global quantification of transcript expression, the characterization of RNA structure such as splicing patterns and profiling of expressed mutations. Many RNA-seq protocols require up to microgram levels of total RNA input amounts to generate high quality data, and thus remain impractical for the limited starting material amounts typically obtained from rare cell populations, such as those from early developmental stages or from laser micro-dissected clinical samples. Here, we present an assessment of the contemporary ribosomal RNA depletion-based protocols, and identify those that are suitable for inputs as low as 1–10 ng of intact total RNA and 100–500 ng of partially degraded RNA from formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissues.
The Iraqi Journal of Veterinary Medicine, 41(2):1-6

1 Department of Anatomy and Histology, College of Veterinary Medicine, 2 Department of Basic Sciences, College of Nursing, Baghdad University, Iraq. E-mail: hadafs@yahoo.com Received: 8/6/2016 Accepted: 8/1/2017 Summary The study was carried out to evaluate histological changes induced by Aluminum chloride in Wistar rats. Forty rats were uniformly divided into two different groups: The control group were given distilled water during period of experiment and the first group were given oral daily dose of Aluminium chloride (37 mg\kg B.W). After 60 days of treatment rats were sacrificed. Liver, kidney and spleen were processed and stained with Haematoxylin and Eosin the lesions of these organs were characterized by degeneration, necrosis, and congestion which meant that Aluminum chloride was nephrotoxic as well as hepatotoxic in nature. Microscopic examination results showed that Aluminum chloride exposure was harmful to the histological structure of liver, kidney and spleen.
Nearly Complete Genome Sequence of an Echovirus 30 Strain from a Cluster of Aseptic Meningitis Cases in California, September 2017

We report the nearly complete genome sequence of a human enterovirus, a strain of echovirus 30, obtained from a cerebrospinal fluid specimen from a teenaged patient with aseptic meningitis in September 2017. ABSTRACT We report the nearly complete genome sequence of a human enterovirus, a strain of echovirus 30, obtained from a cerebrospinal fluid specimen from a teenaged patient with aseptic meningitis in September 2017.
BEECH TREE DENSITY ESTIMATION USING SENTINEL-2 DATA (CASE STUDY: KHYROUD FOREST)

Abstract. Obtaining information about forest attributes is essential for planning, monitoring, and management of forests. Due to the time and cost consuming of Tree Density (TD) using field measurements especially in the vast and remote areas, remote sensing techniques have gained more attention in scientific community. Khyroud forest, a part of Hyrcanian forest of Iran, with a high species biodiversity and growing volume stock plays an important role in carbon storage. The aim of this study was to assess the capability of Sentinel-2 data for estimating the tree density in the Khyroud forest. 65 square sample plots with an area of 2025 m2 were measured. In each sample plot, trees with diameter at the breast height (DBH) higher than 7.5-cm were recorded. The quality of Sentinel-2 data in terms of geometric correction and cloud effect were investigated. Different processing approaches such as vegetation indices and Tasseled Cap transformation on spectral bands in combination with an empirical approach were implemented. Also, some of biophysical variables were computed. To assess the model performance, the data were randomly divided into parts, 70% of sample plots were used for modelling and 30% for validation. The results showed that the SVR algorithm (linear kernel) with a relative RMSE of 23.09% and a R2 of 0.526 gained the highest performance for tree density estimation.
The effect of growth regulators on two different in vitro- cultured explants of Carapa guianensis

Carapa guianensis Aubl. (Meliaceae), known locally as andiroba, is a multi-use species from Amazonia. Andiroba oil is considered an important natural product in the Brazilian market, and international demand is increasing due to its cosmetic and pharmaceutical potential. C. guianensis trees produce seed irregularly over different harvest periods, leading to inconsistent oil production and difficulties with supply. No management plans or protocols have been developed for in vitro or clonal production of Carapa seedlings and the maintenance of genetic resources. The objective of this study was to assess the effect of growth regulators on explants (young leaves, old leaves and apical buds). Explants consisting of leaf segments 1 cm on a side were cultivated in MS medium with and without growth regulators. Evaluation was based on fresh and dry weight of the explants after 20 days. In the media with 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (5, 15, 35 or 45 µM), changes were observed in weight and explant appearance (callus). Bud breakage and development of shoots were achieved using 5 µM of 6-benzylaminopurine. Overall, the results showed that 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid stimulates callus formation on andiroba foliar explants, while 6-benzylaminopurine was superior to thidiazuron for the initial development of shoots. Key words: Growth regulators, Carapa guianensis, in vitro, tissue culture, organogenesis.
Time-dependent partition-free approach in resonant tunneling systems

An extended Keldysh formalism, well suited to properly take into account the initial correlations, is used in order to deal with the time-dependent current response of a resonant tunneling system. We use a partition-free approach by Cini in which the whole system is in equilibrium before an external bias is switched on. No fictitious partitions are used. Despite a more involved formulation, this partition-free approach has many appealing features being much closer to what is experimentally done. In particular, besides the steady-state responses one can also calculate physical dynamical responses. In the noninteracting case we clarify under what circumstances a steady-state current develops and compare our result with the one obtained in the partitioned scheme. We prove a theorem of asymptotic equivalence between the two schemes for arbitrary time-dependent disturbances. We also show that the steady-state current is independent of the history of the external perturbation (memory-loss theorem). In the so-called wide-band limit an analytic result for the time-dependent current is obtained. In the interacting case we work out the lesser Green function in terms of the self-energy and we recover a well-known result in the long-time limit. In order to overcome the complications arising from a self-energy which is nonlocal in time we propose an exact nonequilibrium Green-function approach based on time-dependent density-functional theory. The equations are no more difficult than an ordinary mean-field treatment. We show how the scattering-state scheme by Lang follows from our formulation. An exact formula for the steady-state current of an arbitrary interacting resonant tunneling system is obtained. As an example the time-dependent current response is calculated in the random-phase approximation.
A Combination of Factors Related to Smoking Behavior, Attractive Product Characteristics, and Socio-Cognitive Factors are Important to Distinguish a Dual User from an Exclusive E-Cigarette User

Although total cessation of nicotine and tobacco products would be most beneficial to improve public health, exclusive e-cigarette use has potential health benefits for smokers compared to cigarette smoking. This study investigated differences between dual users and exclusive e-cigarette users provide information to optimize health communication about smoking and vaping. A cross-sectional survey (n = 116) among 80 current, adult dual users and 36 current, adult-exclusive e-cigarette users was conducted in the Netherlands. The questionnaire assessed four clusters of factors: (1) Past and current smoking and vaping behavior, (2) product characteristics used, (3) attractiveness and reasons related to cigarettes and e-cigarettes, and (4) socio-cognitive factors regarding smoking, vaping, and not smoking or vaping. We used random forest—a machine learning algorithm—to identify distinguishing features between dual users and e-cigarette users. We are able to discern a dual user from an exclusive e-cigarette user with 86.2% accuracy based on seven factors: Social ties with other smokers, quantity of tobacco cigarettes smoked in the past (e-cigarette users) or currently (dual users), self-efficacy to not vape and smoke, unattractiveness of cigarettes, attitude towards e-cigarettes, barriers: accessibility of e-cigarettes, and intention to quit vaping (A). This combination of features provides information on how to improve health communication about smoking and vaping.
The Impact of Paliperidone Palmitate on Hospitalization in Patients with Schizophrenia: A Retrospective Mirror-image Study

Objective Whether long-acting injectable antipsychotics (LAI) are superior to oral antipsychotics remains a controversial question, and results vary depending on the study design. Our study was performed to compare outcomes of oral anti-psychotics and paliperidone palmitate (PP) in clinical practice by investigating the numbers of admissions and bed days. Methods We performed a retrospective observational mirror-image study at a single medical center, reviewing medical charts to obtain the clinical data. Forty-six patients with a diagnosis of schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder who had received at least two doses of PP were included in the analysis. The Wilcoxon signed-rank test was used to compare the numbers of bed days and admissions 1 year before starting PP with those numbers at 1 year after. Results The mean number of admissions fell from 0.83 to 0.17 per patient (p < 0.0002), and the median fell from 1 to 0. The mean number of bed days decreased significantly, from 24.85 to 8.74 days (p < 0.006). The outcomes remained similar in sensitivity analyses set up with different mirror points. Conclusion Our results indicate that initiating PP reduced the mean numbers of hospital admissions and bed days compared with prior oral medication. LAIs may thus be cost effective in practice; its use bringing about cost reductions greater than its purchase cost.
Preservation Effect of Crude Fig Fruit Filtrate (Ficus carica L) Added In to Tris Egg Yolk Based Extender on Capacitating, Acrosome and Fertility of Half Blood Boer Buck Spermatozoa

This research was conducted to know the effect of additional crude filtratet of fig fruit (CF3) into tris egg yolk (TEY) based extender on sperm progressively motile, plasma membrane integrity, incapacitation, intact acrosome and fertility of half blooded Boer buck liquid semen. Ten ejaculates were collected by artificial vagina every four days. The collected semen was divided into four aliquots in accordance to the treatments extender (0%, 4%, 5% and % CF3 in TEY based extender, v/v, respectively). The overall percentage of progressively motile sperm were significantly higher (P<0.05) in TEY + 6% CF3 as compared to control and 4% CF3 but was not significantly different as compared to 5% CF3. The overall percentages of sperm with intact plasma membrane was significantly higher (P<0.05) in TEY based extender + 6% CF3 as compared to the control, 4% and 5% CF3. The percentage difference between the incapacitated spermatozoa were significantly higher (P<0.05) for both in 5% and 6% CF3 since 0 to 96 hours stored at 5°C as compared to control and 4%. The difference between the overall mean percentages of spermatozoa with intact acrosome in TEY based extender incorporated with 5% and 6% CF3 were significantly higher (P<0.05) than control and 4% CF3. Pregnancy rates to AI using only preserved semen at 5°C for 96 hours, extended in TEY based extender + 6% CF3 was 44.68%. It is concluded that additional CF3 into TEY based extender increased preservation ability of extender in liquid form of buck semen up to 96 hours at 5°C in TEY + 6% CF3.
Knowledge and Practice Regarding Management of Women Victims of Domestic of Violence among Health Workers at Bwindi Communnity Hospital Anyango

Generally achieved through proper nutrition, moderate-vigorous physical exercise, and sufficient rest; Physical fitness is a general state of health and well-being and, more specifically, the ability to perform aspects of sports, occupations and daily activities. The goal of this study was to examine the relationship between diet, physical activity and anthropometric indicators [Weight (Wt.), Height (Ht.), Body Mass Index (BMI), Waist, Hip, circumferences (WC, HC) and Waist-Hip ratio (WHR)]. Three hundred and seventy five young adults with a mean age of 21.61 ± 2.168 years were conveniently selected. International physical activity questionnaire and food frequency questionnaire were used to collect information on their physical activity level and dietary intake respectively, following which selected anthropometric indices (Wt, Ht, BMI, WC, HC and WHR) were measured. Statistical measure of association (correlation) and differences in mean were obtained for variables using the spearman rank and one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) respectively. Results revealed a higher dietary intake in males than females with a statistically insignificant association between BMI, HC, WC and dietary intake. However, there was a positive significant association between dietary intake and WHR, BMI and dietary intake. Result also saw a negative association between HC, WC and physical activity. This was statistically insignificant. Maneuverability of Dietary intake and physical activity may elicit positive physiological effect.