Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Uptake and elimination of perfluorinated phosphonic acids in the rat

The mono‐ and di‐substituted perfluorinated phosphonic acids (mono‐PFPAs and di‐PFPAs) are high production volume fluorinated surfactants. Mono‐PFPAs have been observed in Canadian surface waters and wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) effluent. The first observation of the di‐PFPAs in the environment is reported here, with the observation of the C6/C6 and C6/C8 di‐PFPAs in the National Institute for Standards and Technology (NIST) WWTP sludge standard reference material (SRM) 2781. To characterize the risk associated with human exposure to the mono‐PFPAs and di‐PFPAs, we determined uptake and elimination parameters in the rat. After oral gavage all of the mono‐PFPA and di‐PFPA congeners were observed in the blood of the dosed animals. Half‐lives after intraperitoneal dosing ranged from 0.96 ± 0.11 to 2.8 ± 0.5 days for the mono‐PFPAs and 1.8 ± 0.1 to 9.3 ± 1.5 days for the di‐PFPAs. These half‐lives are of similar magnitude to those for perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS, 8 to 30 days in male rats) and perfluorooctanoate (PFOA, 6 days in male rats and 1 hour in female rats). Both PFOS and PFOA have human half‐lives on the order of years, and so the mono‐PFPAs and di‐PFPAs may also have significant lifetimes in the human body. The analysis of paired whole blood and plasma samples demonstrated that the mono‐PFPAs may bind to blood cells underestimating their concentration in plasma and sera samples. The biological fate of the mono‐PFPAs and di‐PFPAs determined here suggest there is the potential for human exposure and that if exposure does occur, they may be long‐lived in the body. Environ. Toxicol. Chem. 2010;29:1319–1329. © 2010 SETAC
What Affects the Revisit Intention of Chinese Tourists to Macao?

ABSTRACT The impacts of gambling behavior and accommodation arrangement on the revisit intention of Chinese tourists have been largely ignored in a gambling destination. Hence, to comprehensively understand the aforementioned factors on the revisit intention of Chinese tourists to Macao, the present study adopted a three-step hierarchical regression analysis. The major findings showed that compared with the impact of customer satisfaction, gambling behavior (e.g. gambling budget) has a greater impact on the revisit intention of Chinese tourists to Macao.
Estimation Window Strategies for Value-at-Risk and Expected Shortfall Forecasting

Compared with the large number of value-at-risk (VaR) and expected shortfall (ES) forecasting models proposed in the literature, few contributions have been made to address the question of which estimation window strategy is preferable for forecasting these risk measures. To fill this gap, we apply different estimation window strategies to a set of simple parametric, semiparametric and nonparametric industry-standard risk models. Analyzing daily return data on constituents of the German Deutscher Aktienindex (DAX), we evaluate forecasts by backtesting the unconditional coverage and independent and identically distributed properties of VaR violations, the ES forecasting accuracy and the conditional predictive ability. We thereby demonstrate that the selection of the estimation window strategy leads to significant performance differences. The results indicate that forecast combinations are the preferable estimation window strategy.
In Vitro Translation of Autographa californica Nuclear Polyhedrosis Virus Early and Late mRNAs

A preliminary translational map of the Autographa californica genome was constructed. Eighteen viral DNA restriction fragments were either purified from agarose gels or obtained from pBR322 recombinant DNA plasmids to locate specific gene products. The DNAs were immobilized on nitrocellulose filters and used to select viral mRNAs isolated from RNA obtained from the cytoplasm of infected Spodoptera frugiperda cells at 21 h postinfection. The fragment-specific mRNAs were translated in vitro in the presence of l-[3H]leucine by using a rabbit reticulocyte lysate system and analyzed on sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gels. The approximate locations of 19 A. californica nuclear polyhedrosis virus (AcMNPV) gene products were mapped. The genes for mRNAs present late in viral infection were mapped to DNA fragments that represent nearly the entire genome. The molecular weights of many of these proteins were similar to those present in purified AcMNPV extracellular virus and to proteins being made in infected cells at 18 to 21 h postinfection. Cytoplasmic RNA was isolated at 4 h postinfection from infected cells, a time early in the viral infection cycle, and hybridized to AcMNPV DNA immobilized on nitrocellulose filters. AcMNPV-specific early RNA was translated in vitro into at least six polypeptides, the most abundant having a molecular weight of 39,000. Viral polypeptides were detected in cells pulse-labeled with l-[3H]leucine at 3 to 6 h postinfection, with molecular weights similar to those of polypeptides made in vitro from early AcMNPV mRNA.
Corporate debt in Latin America and its macroeconomic implications

Abstract This article provides an empirical analysis of nonfinancial corporate debt in six large Latin American countries (Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, and Peru), distinguishing between bond-issuing and nonbond-issuing firms, and assessing the debt’s macroeconomic implications. The paper uses a sample of 2,241 firms listed on the stock markets of their respective countries, comprising 34 sectors of economic activity for the period 2009–2016. On the basis of liquidity, leverage, and profitability indicators, it shows that bond-issuing firms are in a worse financial position relative to nonbond-issuing firms. Using Minsky’s hedge/speculative/Ponzi taxonomy for financial fragility, we argue that there is a larger share of firms that are in a speculative or Ponzi position relative to the hedge category. Also, the share of hedge bond-issuing firms declines over time. Finally, the article presents the results of estimating a nonlinear threshold econometric model, which demonstrates that beyond a leverage threshold, firms’ investment contracts while they increase their liquidity positions. This has important macroeconomic implications since the listed and, in particular, bond-issuing firms (which tend to operate under high leverage levels) represent a significant share of assets and investment. This finding could account, in part, for the retrenchment in investment that the sample of countries included in the paper have experienced in the period under study and highlights the need to incorporate the international bond market in the analyses of monetary transmission mechanisms.
Cyclopolymerizable Monomers for Use in Dental Resin Composites

The simple reaction of conventional monofunctional acrylate monomers with paraformaldehyde has yielded a new class of difunctional monomers. The unique proximity of the double bonds within these compounds allows a facile cyclopolymerization to incorporate a cyclic ether structure into the polymer backbone. The external position of the acrylate esters means that these pendant groups can be varied for alteration of the physical properties of the monomers and the corresponding polymers. A series of the new monomers has been prepared and polymerized under dilute solution and bulk conditions to yield non-crosslinked and crosslinked polymers, respectively. The polymers exhibited high degrees of conversion and significantly reduced polymerization shrinkage, compared with polymers obtained from conventional diacrylate or dimethacrylate monomers. These properties appear to be a direct result of an efficient cyclopolymerization process. The combination of improved conversion to polymer with less contraction makes these monomers ideal candidates for use in dental resin composites. A preliminary evaluation of their potential in this application has shown that with suitable ester functionality, they can be formulated to provide composites with excellent mechanical strength properties.
The Political Debate on Basic Income and Welfare Reform in Spain

Two factors have boosted the debate on Basic Income (BI) in Spain in recent years: on the one hand, the combination of welfare budget cuts and growing poverty rates has spread claims for a radical reform of Spanish welfare policies; on the other hand, the emergence of Podemos as a new key actor in the Spanish political arena has generated a vivid discussion on BI and income guarantee proposals. By reviewing the political debates on these proposals, I will argue that economic feasibility concerns and implementation problems are closely related to their political feasibility. Significantly, the radical rejection of ‘means-testing’ by BI defenders fails to grasp the different types and degrees of conditions that an income guarantee system may establish. The main lesson from the Spanish experience is that BI supporters should be ready to compromise and accept generous means-tested guaranteed income programs as stepping-stones.
Detecting Suboptimal Cognitive Effort: Classification Accuracy of the Conner's Continuous Performance Test-II, Brief Test of Attention, and Trail Making Test

Many cognitive measures have been studied for their ability to detect suboptimal cognitive effort; however, attention measures have not been extensively researched. The current study evaluated the classification accuracy of commonly used attention/concentration measures, the Brief Test of Attention (BTA), Trail Making Test (TMT), and the Conners’ Continuous Performance Test (CPT-II). Participants included 413 consecutive patients who completed a comprehensive neuropsychological evaluation. Participants were separated into two groups, identified as either unbiased responders or biased responders as determined by performance on the TOMM. Based on Mann-Whitney U results, the two groups differed significantly on all attentional measures. Classification accuracy of the BTA (.83), CPT-II omission errors (OE; .76) and TMT B (.75) were acceptable; however, classification accuracy of CPT-II commission errors (CE; .64) and TMT A (.62) were poor. When variables were combined in different combinations, sensitivity did not significantly increase. Results indicated for optimal cut-off scores, sensitivity ranged from 48% to 64% when specificity was at least 85%. Given that sensitivity rates were not adequate, there remains a need to utilize highly sensitive measures in addition to these embedded measures. Results were discussed within the context of research promoting the need for multiple measures of cognitive effort.
Effect of Ramadan fasting on some biochemical and haematological parameters in Tunisian youth soccer players undertaking their usual training and competition schedule

Abstract Competitive Muslim athletes often have to train and compete during the holy month of Ramadan when they abstain from food and drink from sunrise to sunset. In this study, we investigated the effect of Ramadan fasting on some biochemical and haematological parameters in 78 Tunisian junior male soccer players aged 16–19 years who continued their usual schedule of daily training and weekly competition. The study population was divided into four groups based on the time of day of sampling (am or pm) and on whether they were fasting (48 players: 28 am and 20 pm) or non-fasting (30 players: 14 am and 16 pm). Resting venous blood samples were collected approximately 3 weeks before Ramadan, after 2 and 4 weeks of Ramadan, and 3 weeks after the end of Ramadan. Some small, but statistically significant, modifications were observed in circulating concentrations of haemoglobin, ferritin, transferrin, creatinine and cortisol, but the mean values for all variables were always within the reference ranges. The minor changes observed during Ramadan may be explained by changes in patterns of food consumption, activity patterns and by hypohydration. The results suggest that the combination of the changes in eating time and frequency during Ramadan fasting, together with the continuation of normal training load, has no marked effect on the blood profiles of these adolescent athletes.
A tale of two regions: geopolitics, identities, narratives, and conflict in Kharkiv and the Donbas

Abstract In 2014 Russia occupied and then annexed the Ukrainian region of Crimea, and subsequently incited and later directly supported a rebellion in southeastern Ukraine, ostensibly in both cases to protect the Russian-speaking population. Although the Crimean gambit was quickly resolved in Russia’s favor, at least on the ground, the fighting in the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine continues with huge loss of life, well over 2 million internally displaced persons, and massive damage to infrastructure. On the other hand, in the neighboring Kharkiv region, the population remained loyal to the Ukrainian state and Russian incitements to rebellion were rebuffed. This paper delves deeper into the mindset of the residents of eastern Ukraine to ascertain why support for Russia differs between these two regions. It focuses on the identities, memories, and narratives of the main groups of residents inhabiting the Donbas and Kharkiv Oblast. Then it compares the attributes of these main groups to each other to illustrate their differences. It characterizes the geopolitical narratives promoted by Russia to generate support for its actions to re-construct the Russian geostrategic area of control and demonstrates where and with which group these emotive narratives were successful and where and why they failed.
Emotional experiences of caregivers of patients with a ventricular assist device.

CONTEXT Little is known about the stresses experienced by caregivers of patients discharged home with a ventricular assist device. OBJECTIVE To describe the lived experience of caregivers of patients who were discharged home with a ventricular assist device. DESIGN The study used a phenomenological framework to conduct semistructured interviews guided by 2 psychologists using a focus group setting. PARTICIPANTS Interviews of 13 caregivers of 9 patients discharged to home with a ventricular assist device between March 2004 and June 2007 were recorded, transcribed, and analyzed. RESULTS Four themes emerged during the interviews: anxiety, initially exhibited as profound shock; loss of a loved one, of their lives, of freedom and independence; burden, both the physical burden and the burden of responsibility; and finally coping through faith, acceptance, empathy, and social support. CONCLUSION Caregivers of patients discharged home with a ventricular assist device experienced significant pressures that changed over the duration of support with the ventricular assist device. Caregivers described their coping mechanisms in dealing with shock, loss, and burden. Understanding the fluctuating needs of caregivers will enable teams to provide interventions based on the situation. Future care guidelines should address the significant stresses placed on caregivers of recipients of a ventricular assist device.
Predicting the Distribution of the Atlantic Salmon Spot Price Using Quantile Regression

The growth in salmon farming production has outperformed the average growth in aquaculture production during the last decades. Alongside this growth, the industry has strengthened its presence in the capital markets. However, the salmon price has become increasingly volatile, imposing uncertainty and additional costs across the entire value chain. This motivates the development of more accurate price distribution prediction models. Such models can support operational and financial considerations that are subject to price uncertainty, such as harvest timing, futures hedging, and investments. This study aims to provide a framework for predicting the distribution of the Atlantic salmon spot price, and to identify the most important exogenous drivers in this respect. The spot price is represented by the NASDAQ Salmon Index (NQSALMON), denoted in USD. We build on a database of 25 carefully selected explanatory variables, and design a 1to 12-month ahead quantile regression prediction model for the spot price. Each of the twelve months to be predicted are appointed a designated submodel, which is independent of the other submodels. Moreover, each submodel utilises eight explanatory variables that are selected from the database using a novel genetic algorithm-assisted variable selection approach. There are several encouraging results from this study. First, the approach with a genetic algorithm for variable selection in quantile regression quickly finds submodels with favourable goodness-of-fit. Generally, the 2to 7-month submodels explain slightly more variation in the NQSALMON distribution compared to the 8to 12-month submodels. Regarding model specification, the regressions provide the correct unconditional coverage; however, the exceedances at quantiles are often clustered. This might be the result of unexplained, non-linear effects and higher-order statistical moments. However, the quantile regression equation specification error test (QRESET) suggests that linear quantile regression in most cases is a sound functional form for the given data. Finally, the results indicate that exogenous variables such as standing biomass, feed consumption, and prices of alternative proteins are important predictors of the future spot price of Atlantic salmon.
Exploring the relation between corporate reporting and corporate governance effectiveness

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationship between corporate governance effectiveness and information transparency. Hence, this paper seeks to extend prior information transparency research. ,This study uses a sample of 28 non-financial listed Tunisian companies and covers an eight-year period from 2006 to 2013. To test the hypotheses of this research, a simultaneous equation system model was applied. ,The results obtained show that, for the Tunisians companies, corporate governance practices have a significant positive effect on information transparency. The current study also provides evidence that pertinent information can improve corporate governance index. ,The findings may be of interest to the academic researchers, practitioners and regulators who are interested in discovering the quality of corporate governance practices in Tunisian context. ,The findings of this study can help Tunisian regulators in creating corporate governance disclosure requirements. The findings also provide the African business community insights concerning the quality of corporate governance and of corporate reporting. ,This research helps also to inform regulators about the benefits of disclosure more information to investors and to the firm. For instance, how the information can be a source of transparency and stability in the firms what and favors the social environment of the firms. ,This paper extends the existing literature by examining the causal relationship between corporate governance and information transparency.
To patent or not to patent: That is the question. Intellectual property protection in family firms

This study examines family firms’ propensity to protect their intellectual property through patents. Building on the mixed gamble logic of the behavioral agency model, we theorize that family ownership has a U-shaped relationship with firm propensity to patent. Specifically, we argue that family firms’ desire to prevent losses of current socioemotional wealth (SEW) inhibits their propensity to patent until a threshold level of family ownership, beyond which the family’s SEW is secured and a greater focus on prospective financial gains attainable through patents is possible. We also suggest that environmental munificence moderates this nonlinear relationship such that a low-munificent environment accentuates the potentially detrimental (beneficial) effects of low-to-medium (medium-to-high) levels of family ownership on patents. We test our hypotheses on a sample of 4,198 small- and medium-sized family firms.
Bat White-Nose Syndrome: An Emerging Fungal Pathogen?

White-nose syndrome (WNS) is a condition associated with an unprecedented bat mortality event in the northeastern United States. Since the winter of 2006*2007, bat declines exceeding 75% have been observed at surveyed hibernacula. Affected bats often present with visually striking white fungal growth on their muzzles, ears, and/or wing membranes. Direct microscopy and culture analyses demonstrated that the skin of WNS-affected bats is colonized by a psychro-philic fungus that is phylogenetically related to Geomyces spp. but with a conidial morphology distinct from characterized members of this genus. This report characterizes the cutaneous fungal infection associated with WNS.
Lactococcus lactis produces short‐chain quinones that cross‐feed Group B Streptococcus to activate respiration growth

Quinones are essential components of the respiration chain that shuttle electrons between oxidoreductases. We characterized the quinones synthesized by Lactococcus lactis, a fermenting bacterium that activates aerobic respiration when a haem source is provided. Two distinct subgroups were characterized: Menaquinones (MK) MK‐8 to MK‐10, considered as hallmarks of L. lactis, are produced throughout growth. MK‐3 and demethylMK‐3 [(D)MK‐3] are newly identified and are present only late in growth. Production of (D)MK‐3 was conditional on the carbon sugar and on the presence of carbon catabolite regulator gene ccpA. Electron flux driven by both (D)MK fractions was shared between the quinol oxidase and extracellular acceptors O2, iron and, with remarkable efficiency, copper. Purified (D)MK‐3, but not MK‐8–10, complemented a menB defect in L. lactis. We previously showed that a respiratory metabolism is activated in Group B Streptococcus (GBS) by exogenous haem and MK, and that this activity is implicated in virulence. Here we show that growing lactococci donate (D)MK to GBS to activate respiration and stimulate growth of this opportunist pathogen. We propose that conditions favouring (D)MK production in dense microbial ecosystems, as present in the intestinal tract, could favour implantation of (D)MK‐scavengers like GBS within the complex.
Position in bed is associated with left or right location in benign paroxysmal positional vertigo of the posterior semicircular canal.

PURPOSE To determine if position during bedrest is related to the canal affected in posterior canal benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV). MATERIALS AND METHODS Fifty-five individuals with posterior canal BPPV were investigated. Diagnosis was established if a consistent clinical history was found with vertigo and induced positional nystagmus elicited on the Dix-Hallpike test (DHT). Preference for left or right position during bed rest was determined before performing the DHT. All patients were treated by a single particle repositioning procedure, and relapses were investigated at the seventh and 30 days posttreatment. RESULTS Forty-five individuals always slept on the same side (29 on the right, 16 on the left side), and 10 patients preferred to change sides during bed rest. Among those patients able to maintain a constant position during bed rest, 27 and 18 presented a positive DHT on the right and left sides, respectively. The canal affected was found to be significantly associated with side during bed rest (relative risk = 2.75; P = 0.01, Fisher exact test). DHT was negative in 86% of patients at 30 days. No differences were found between individuals who presented a constant position in bed and those who changed positions. CONCLUSIONS Lateral supine position during bed rest is associated with the canal affected in BPPV. We speculate that gravity might facilitate the deposition of particulate material on the posterior semicircular near the ampulla canal during bed rest.