Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Bovine mastitis: epidemiology, treatment and control

Abstract Extract Mastitis (inflammation of the mammary gland commonly associated with bacterial infection) is a highly prevalent and costly disease for the dairy industry. The epidemiology of mastitis, milking techniques, and diagnostic and control methodologies differ in New Zealand compared with overseas production systems, due to the milking of large herds with low labour inputs per cow in a predominantly pasture-based, seasonal-calving management system (Woolford 1986). The high prevalence of Strptococcus uberis in dairy cows in New Zealand has focused research on this pathogen. This review highlights the contributions of New Zealand researchers in understanding the epidemiology, bacteriology and control of mastitis that occurs in New Zealand dairy herds.
Status syndrome: a challenge to medicine.

THE POOR HAVE POOR HEALTH. AT FIRST BLUSH THAT is neither new nor surprising. Perhaps it should be more surprising than it is. In rich countries, such as the United States, the nature of poverty has changed—people do not die from lack of clean water and sanitary facilities or from famine—and yet, persistently, those at the bottom of the socioeconomic scale have worse health than those above them in the hierarchy. Even more challenging is that socioeconomic differences in health are not confined to poor health for those at the bottom and good health for everyone else. Rather, there is a social gradient in health in individuals who are not poor: the higher the social position, the better the health. I have labeled this “the status syndrome. ” When we first drew attention to the phenomenon of the social gradient in coronary heart disease (CHD) in the Whitehall study of British Civil Servants, it seemed a quirky observation that flew in the face of conventional wisdom. In the 1970s, it was widely accepted that CHD was a disease of affluence caused by stress and affluent lifestyle. Yet the Whitehall study showed that individuals second from the top of the occupational hierarchy had higher CHD mortality rates than those above them, and those third from the top had higher rates still. Moreover, this social gradient in mortality was seen not only for CHD, but for most of the major causes of death. It turned out that civil servants in the London area of Whitehall, far from representing an atypical postimperial backwater, were typical of the developed world. The phenomenon of the social gradient in health has been observed worldwide and has, at last, become a vigorous area of research. This article draws on the research of the Londonbased group and argues that what researchers have learned about causes of illnesses and death and what society could do about them has great relevance to health in the United States and other rich nations. Conventional explanations for noncommunicable disease—lack of access to medical care, unhealthy lifestyles—at best only partially explain the status syndrome. Rather, the lower individuals are in the social hierarchy, the less likely it is that their fundamental human needs for autonomy and to be integrated into society will be met. Failure to meet these needs leads to metabolic and endocrine changes that in turn lead to increased risk of disease.
Government Interventions - Restoring or Destroying Financial Stability in the Long-Run?

Recent government interventions in the banking sector have raised a considerable controversy among the academicians, politicians and policymakers. One of the reasons is an increasing concern about long-run effects of government banks' bailouts. The existing academic literature is very mute with this respect. This paper closes the gap and investigates the effect of various bailout strategies on long-term banking sector stability. Investigating the behavior of bailed banks versus non-bailed competitors it also identifies the sources of these effects. Our results show that government interventions destabilize banking sectors in the long-run. Especially, public guarantees, nationalization of private institutions as well as creation of asset management companies (AMCs) (also so-called "The Troubled Asset Relief Funds" or "Bad Banks") increase the risk-taking of bailed institutions several years afterwards. We show that these effects are related to lack of appropriate restructuring changes in the bailed institutions what does not allow them to restore their operating performance. This in turn is a result of state ownership and diminished market control.
Is There an International Trade-Venue Clientele Effect for Canadian Shares Cross-Listed in the United States?

This paper extends the work by Amihud and Mendelson (1986) and Atkins and Dyl (1997a) that in equilibrium assets with higher spreads are held in portfolios with the same or expected longer holding periods. The paper examines whether or not investors have the same holding periods for the Canadian cross-listed share trades executed in the U.S. trade venues relative to the same-firm share trades executed in the TSE, and whether or not any differences are associated with the size of their relative effective half-spreads. The results support the trade-venue clientele hypothesis for the Canadian cross-listed shares whose trades are executed in the TSE and the AMEX, the TSE and NASDAQ, and the TSE and NYSE, primarily for the period after the TSE decimalization on April 15, 1996. Holding periods (effective half-spreads) for share trades executed in the U.S. trade venues significantly decreased over time relative to investor holding periods (effective spreads) for the same-firm share trades executed in the TSE. This suggests that the TSE has consistently lost its share of executed order flow (share turnover) relative to the U.S. primary trade venues, and that this loss is associated with increased relative trade costs in the TSE.
Spline Collocation for Nonlinear Fredholm Integral Equations

The collocation method based on cubic B-spline, is developed to approximate the solution of second kind nonlinear Fredholm integral equations. First of all, we collocate the solution by B-spline collocation method then the Newton-Cotes formula use to approximate the integrand. Convergence analysis has been investigated and proved that the quadrature rule is third order convergent. The presented method is tested with four examples, and the errors in the solution are compared with the existing methods [1, 2, 3, 4] to verify the accuracy and convergent nature of proposed methods. The RMS errors in the solutions are tabulated in table 3 which shows that our method can be applied for large values of n, but the maximum n which has been used by the existing methods are only n = 10, moreover our method is accurate and stable for different values of n.
Central Bank Transparency and Banking Lending Rates: Australian Evidence

In the past fifteen years central banks have been taking steps towards greater monetary policy transparency. This paper uses a vector error correction model (VECM) to investigate the role transparency has had on changing the dynamics of the credit channel of the Australian monetary policy transmission mechanism. The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) lifted all interest rate restrictions in 1986, and then started to announce changes in the cash rate in January 1990 giving the financial system a clearly defined indication of its monetary policy stance. Furthermore, the RBA formalised its inflation targeting operating objective in 1996. This paper gives a clear indication of how a more transparent framework has affected the setting of bank lending rates over three distinct periods. Our results show that responsiveness of bank lending rates to monetary policy changes improved in each period corresponding to an innovation in monetary policy transparency. Moreover, Anticipation effects in banking lending rates are evident only in the period after the RBA formalised its inflation targeting operating objective in 1996. This suggests that Banks only changed lending rates once they had learnt that the RBA was communicating a credible commitment to change the path of future short-term interest rates. However, other results show that price discrimination has been evident between the business and household sectors. To our knowledge, this analysis is the first study that looks at the issue of central bank transparency on bank lending rates. JEL classification: C32, E43, E52, E58
An Analytical Method for Quantifying the Electrical Space Heating Component of a Cold Load Pick Up

After an extendfed cold weathler outage on a distribution circuit sumnplying a high satulration o-electrical sn-ace heating, large transient overcurrents persist for several hours because of the undiversified heating load . In this paper, the electrical space heating component of enduring demand is chlaracterized by a smooth curve. Expressions are derived for tlhe parameters of the curve in terms of the outage conditions and a statistical description of the residences. A method is suggested for using this characterization to deternine the effects of a cold load pick-up on the distribution circulit components.
Secreted phospholipase A2 enzymes as therapeutic targets

Homology cloning through in silico database search analysis has led to the definition of ten structurally-related mammalian secreted phospholipase A2 (sPLA2) enzyme forms at present, each expressed in a species-, genotype- and cell-type-specific manner and with different enzymatic properties. These studies have shown that models based on the premise that there is only one PLA2 drug target are now inadequate. Type IIA sPLA2 remains the most advanced clinical target, with rationally designed inhibitors in Phase II clinical trials. However, progress in our understanding of the functional role of the ten secreted enzymes in phospholipid (PL) metabolism and in eicosanoid-mediated disorders, together with their emerging activity-independent and receptor-mediated functions, is likely to significantly impact on current and future drug development efforts.
A Leontief-type Model of Ownership Structures. Methodology and Implications

A simple algebraic model of a property structure leading to Leontief's input-output scheme is developed and used to eliminate indirect ownership relations and evaluate the final distribution of national property among individual owners. A concept of transparency of an ownership structure is defined. Implications of non-transparency for general equilibrium theory, profit distribution and decision making are discussed.
Cardiovascular responses to endurance training in children: effect of gender

Background The aim of the present study was to determine in healthy children the effect of a well‐controlled endurance training programme on cardiac function at maximal exercise and to define whether gender affects the training‐induced cardiovascular response. The contribution of factors potentially involved in those adaptations such as cardiac dimensions and diastolic and systolic function was also investigated.
Effects of diet on phosphorus digestion in dairy cattle

Two studies were conducted to evaluate the effects of diet on phosphorus (P) digestion in dairy cattle. The objective of the first study was to evaluate the effects of forage and non-fiber carbohydrate (NFC) content on total P (TP) and inositol phosphatesP (IPs-P) digestion. Samples of feed, duodenal digesta and feces from a previously conducted study were analyzed for TP and IPs-P. In this study, eight lactating Holstein cows were fed diets containing either 60 or 35% forage and either 30 or 40% NFC in a 2 × 2 factorial with replicated 4 × 4 Latin square design. Dietary TP content (% DM) was 0.35, 0.36, 0.36, 0.36 and dietary IPs-P content (%DM) was 0.08, 0.13, 0.06, 0.11 for diets with forage: NFC ratio 35:30, 35:40, 60:30, and 60:40, respectively. Increasing dietary forage content decreased IPs-P and TP intake, fecal TP excretion, and total tract IPs-P digestibility (72.4 vs. 61.4%). Fecal IPs-P excretion tended to decrease as increasing forage content. Duodenal IPs-P and TP flow and apparent TP digestibility were unaffected by forage content. Increasing dietary NFC content increased IPs-P and TP intake, duodenal IPs-P flow, fecal IPs-P excretion, total tract IPs-P digestibility (61.4 vs. 72.4%), and apparent TP digestibility (32.8 vs. 41.6%). Dietary forage and NFC content affected IPs-P and TP digestion. The second study was to evaluate the effects of increasing dietary beet pulp (BP) content to replace high moisture corn (HMC) on ruminal and post-ruminal digestion of TP and IPs-P. Eight lactating Holstein cows were fed diets containing 0, 6.1, 12.1 or 24.3% BP in a replicated 4 × 4 Latin square design. Samples of rumen contents, duodenal digesta, and feces from this previously conducted study were analyzed for TP and IPs-P content. Linear and quadratic effects of BP content were analyzed using Proc Mixed of SAS. Dietary TP and IPs-P content were reduced linearly with increasing BP (0.59, 0.58, 0.57, 0.56% TP and 0.15, 0.14, 0.13, 0.11% IPsP). Intake, ruminal content, and rumen pool size of TP decreased with increasing BP content. Digestion of TP and duodenal flow and fecal excretion of IPs-P and TP were not affected. With increasing dietary BP content, IPs-P intake was reduced, ruminal IPs-P
Private Equity in Clean Technology: An Exploratory Study of the Finance-Innovation-Policy Nexus

The role of technological innovation in mitigating climate change has received growing interest in recent years. However, extant literature has neglected a more holistic view on equity financing and the indirect effects of innovation and financial policy on financing innovation through private equity (PE) and venture capital (VC). In this paper, we emphasize the importance of this understudied aspect through a comparative case study of private equity and venture capital for clean technologies in the United States and Germany. We find that systemic interdependencies between institutional investors, PE/ VC and policy makers influence the conditions for innovation – the “finance-innovation-policy nexus”. Adverse effects of policies affecting financial markets, in particular institutional investors, have to be taken into account to effectively mobilize private investments for (cleantech) innovation.
The demise of the bank branch manager : the depersonalisation and disembedding of modern British banking

This thesis looked at the development of the role of the bank branch manager since the 1960s with the purpose of shedding light on the nature, drivers and impact of the transformation of British branch banking in this period. The analysis was based on interviews with former branch managers and revealed that the role of the branch manager as a skilled, authoritative and autonomous craftsman balancing the needs of customers, staff and the bank was increasingly coming under threat from the late 1970s onwards. The branch manager lost a great deal of authority and responsibility for customer outcomes through the introduction of credit scoring and through the removal of business lending from branches. Further, the introduction and intensification of targets reduced his or her discretion and autonomy. Although it is implicit in much of the literature, the original contribution of this thesis lies in its conceptualisation of the depersonalisation, the move from case-to-case judgements to rule-bound impersonal decisions, and the disembedding of banking, the detachment of service provision from social networks, by drawing on Weber, Granovetter, Giddens and Luhmann. Importantly, the agency of branch managers as gatekeepers, which lies at the intersection of skill, authority and autonomy, is central in making services embedded and personalised. It is argued that the progressive liberalisation of financial markets had a dual impact on banking and the role of the bank branch manager. First, it led to the depersonalisation of banking and the disembedding of the bank branch from local communities and customers. Second, financial liberalisation deskilled and disempowered the bank branch manager. The demise of the traditional bank branch manager through these dynamics changed the role of branches from originators of financial services to retail outlets for centrally branded, designed and controlled products.
Challenges in conducting mHealth research with underserved populations: Lessons learned

Previous studies have recognized the potential of mobile technology to improve health outcomes among underserved populations, but the challenges in conducting research into the use of mobile technology to improve health (mHealth) are not well understood. This manuscript identifies some of the most important challenges in conducting mHealth research with a sample of urban American Indian and Alaska Native mothers. We examined these challenges through an existing partnership with a community health agency. We conducted community consultations and a process monitoring phase for a pilot trial aimed at measuring the effect of a brief counselling session on participants’ adherence to use of a mobile app. We identify generalizable challenges in administrative, technological, and logistical domains that will be useful foreknowledge to other investigators planning to conduct mHealth research with underserved populations.
In Vitro Assessment of Mouse Uterine and Fetoplacental Vascular Function

Adequate blood flow provision through alterations in maternal vascular function is essential during pregnancy for optimal fetal development. Abnormal uterine vasculature adaptation, resulting in aberrant blood flow to the placenta, has been implicated as a possible cause of fetal growth restriction (FGR). Our study aimed to develop strategies to evaluate murine vascular function in pregnancy using wire myography. Main uterine artery loop and branch vessels isolated from near-term pregnant mice showed significant contraction to phenylephrine (PE). Endothelial-dependent relaxation was noted with acetylcholine (ACH). U46619 elicited significant contraction of umbilical arteries and veins, but relaxation was only demonstrable with the nitric oxide (NO) donor sodium nitroprusside (SNP). In conclusion, our data suggest that murine uteroplacental and fetoplacental arteries show distinct responses to vasoactive agents. Furthermore, this study indicates that wire myography represents a robust technique for the assessment of murine uteroplacental and fetoplacental vascular function, which will aid evaluation of mouse genetic models of FGR.
The impact of government-linked investment companies in Malaysia on the performance and earnings-management of their portfolio companies

Research into the impact of government ownership on the financial performance and earnings-management of listed companies typically makes the assumption that the government is a monolithic entity and fails to consider that government ownership rights are usually administered by different types of government organisations. This thesis comprises two empirical studies to investigate whether the existence of different government investment organizations in Malaysia (called government-linked investment companies or GLICs,) which have differing objectives and control structures, also have different results in terms of performance and earnings-management. The portfolio companies that GLICs manage are known as government-linked companies (GLCs). The first empirical project explores the impact of GLC ownership structure (relating to the different group of GLCs, GLICs ownership concentration in GLCs, the existence of golden-share provisions and the presence of senior civil servants and of politicians on the boards of directors of GLCs) in terms of corporate performance as measured by accounting and market data. Using panel data of GLCs listed on the Main Board of Bursa Malaysia between 2004 and 2008, we provide evidence that in Malaysia the impact of government ownership on the financial performance of government-controlled listed companies varies depending on the type of organization managing the government’s ownership stakes. In the second empirical project, we investigate the impact of ownership structure (ownership types, blockholders and managerial ownership) on earnings-management practices of listed companies on the Main Board of Bursa Malaysia. This involved 2696 firm-year observations between 2004 and 2008. We provide evidence that firms in our sample indeed managed their reported earnings upward; firms controlled by private blockholders engage in earnings-management practices at a higher magnitude than GLCs controlled by government blockholders. Between the GLCs, we found no evidence of the impact of different GLICs had on GLCs earnings-management practices. This research is of interest to policy makers such as government, GLICs or regulators. In addition, the findings from both empirical projects are of potential interest to portfolio investment companies and minority or foreign investors who might either benefit from the presence of blockholders or might be exploited by their power to pursue self-interested objectives rather than shareholders’ value.
Interaction between SO and submicron 2 atmospheric particles

Ž . In the atmosphere, oxidation of sulfur dioxide SO to sulfate may occur in the gas phase, in 2 cloud or fog droplets, or in the aerosol phase on the surface or inside aerosol particles. While aerosol phase reactions have been studied in the case of supermicron sea-salt and crustal particles, very few investigations regarding submicron particles are available. In this paper, the importance of aerosol phase sulfate production to the dynamics of submicron particle populations was examined. The investigation was based on model simulations and theoretical evaluations regarding potential SO oxidation reactions. None of the relatively well-quantified aqueous phase reactions 2 Ž . was rapid enough to make small nuclei grow to cloud condensation nuclei CCN size within the particle lifetime in the lower troposphere. This is consistent with the few observations showing that the smallest atmospheric particles are enriched in organics rather than sulfate. The amount of submicron particulate matter could be enhanced significantly by certain aerosol phase reactions, but this is likely to require a particle population having a pH close to 7. Aerosol phase reactions could partly explain the apparently too low SO -to-sulfate conversion rates predicted by several 2 chemical transport models over polluted regions. In addition to the bulk aerosol phase, SO -to2 sulfate conversion might involve physical adsorption of SO or a compound reacting with it by the 2 particle surface, or it could take place in a liquid surface layer that usually covers atmospheric particles. Reactions involving physical adsorption seem to have negligible influence on the ) Corresponding author. Tel. : q358-9-1929-5501; fax: q358-9-1929-5403. Ž . E-mail address: veli-matti.kerminen@fmi.fi V. -M. Kerminen . 0169-8095r00r$ see front matter q 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved. Ž . PII: S0169-8095 00 00038-7 ( ) V. -M. Kerminen et al.rAtmospheric Research 54 2000 41–57 42 dynamics of submicron atmospheric particle populations. Aerosol phase reactions worth future investigation are those occurring in particle surface layers and those occurring in cloud interstitial particles. q 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.
Cytopathological features of matrix-producing carcinoma of the breast

Matrix producing carcinoma (MPC) of the breast is a very rare subtype of metaplastic carcinoma with heterelogous elements, which comprises <0.1% of invasive breast carcinomas. There are very few reports describing the cytological features of MPC. In this article, we aimed to discuss cytological, histopathological and immunohistochemical features of this rare entity in a 59-year-old woman.