Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Genetic associations for pathogen-specific clinical mastitis and patterns of peaks in somatic cell count

Genetic associations were estimated between pathogen-specific cases of clinical mastitis (CM), lactational average somatic cell score (LACSCS), and patterns of peaks in somatic cell count (SCC) which were based on deviations from the typical lactation curve for SCC. The dataset contained test-day records on SCC in 94 781 lactations of 25 416 cows of different parities. Out of these 94 781 lactations, 41 828 lactations had recordings on occurrence of pathogen-specific CM and on SCC, and 52 953 lactations had recordings on SCC only. A total of 5 324 lactations with cases of CM were recorded. Analysed pathogens were Staphylococcus aureus , coagulase negative staphylococci, Escherichia coli , Streptococcus dysgalactiae , Streptococcus uberis , and culture-negative samples. Pattern definitions were based on three or five consecutive test-day recordings of SCC. They differentiated between short or longer periods of increased SCC, and also between lactations with and without recovery. Occurrence of pathogen-specific CM and presence of patterns of peaks in SCC were both scored as binary traits. Variance components for sire, maternal grandsire, and permanent animal effects were estimated using AS-REML. The estimated heritability for overall CM was 0·04, and similar heritabilities for pathogen-specific CM were estimated. Heritabilities for the patterns of peaks in SCC ranged from 0·01 to 0·06. Heritabilities for LACSCS were 0·07 to 0·08. Genetic correlations with patterns of peaks in SCC differed for each pathogen. Generally, genetic correlations between pathogen-specific CM and patterns of peaks in SCC were stronger than the correlations with LACSCS. This suggests that genetic selection purely on diminishing presence of peaks in SCC would decrease the incidence of pathogen-specific CM more effectively than selecting purely on lower LACSCS.
Is the world of venture capital investors turning flat? Perspectives of radical strategic changes in high-technology new-ventures

High-technology new ventures (HTNVs) usually operate in a dynamic environment, with high levels of uncertainty; therefore they often require radical changes in strategy. The perspective of venture capital investors (VCs) – the main source of funding for HTNVs – towards radical changes in strategy (RSC) is therefore crucial to the understanding causes of radical strategic change in these new ventures. This paper examines the effect of cultural differences on the approach of VCs to RSC. A mixed-method methodology of semi-structured interviews was employed to compare Israeli with non-Israeli investor groups. Most of the investors agreed that radical strategic changes are likely to occur in new ventures, but they did not consider them to be favourable events. While previous research suggested that cultural differences should be expected, our findings surprisingly indicated limited cross-cultural differences among the VCs. Unlike the non-Israeli investors, the Israeli investors deemed RSC events to be influenced significantly more by internal causes than by external ones. Based on the findings, we conclude that VCs from different developed countries share fairly similar views of RSC in HTNVs. A possible explanation of this lack of difference might be the comparatively small VC community and globalization of the high-technology venture markets.
Radiocarbon Calibration by Means of Mass Spectrometric 230Th/234U and 14C Ages of Corals: An Updated Database Including Samples from Barbados, Mururoa and Tahiti

As first shown by Bard et al. (1990a), high-precision 230Th-234U ages can be used successfully to calibrate the radiocarbon time scale beyond the high-precision tree-ring calibration that now reaches 11,900 cal bp (Kromer and Spurk 1998). Using mass spectrometric techniques, we measured 14C and 230Th ages on new samples collected from boreholes drilled off the islands of Tahiti and Mururoa (French Polynesia) in order to complement the database previously obtained on Barbados corals (Bard et al. 1990a, 1993).
Effect of milk urea content on characteristics of matured Reblochon cheeses

Deux lots de 14 vaches laitieres de type Montbeliardes ont recu au cours de l'hiver, selon un dispositif experimental croise, deux regimes a base de foin avec un niveau d'apports azotes normal (C) ou eleve (S) obtenu en substituant 2,5 kg de tourteau de soja a 2,5 kg de cereales dans la ration. A huit reprises, des reblochons ont ete realises dans des conditions technologiques controlees et identiques d'une fabrication a l'autre, a partir de trois laits differents : lait des animaux recevant le regime C, lait des animaux recevant le regime S et lait C dans lequel 0,25 g/L d'uree a ete ajoute (lait AU). Le regime S a provoque une augmentation de la teneur du lait en uree, qui est passee de 0,24 g/L (regime C) a 0,49 g/L et une legere deterioration du taux proteique et de l'aptitude a la coagulation. Comparativement aux fromages C, les fromages S ont ete significativement moins fermes, moins pâteux, moins plâtreux, plus cremeux, moins acides et plus doux. Les fromages AU se rapprochent des fromages S en ce qui concerne leur composition chimique et leur texture et des fromages C en ce qui concerne leur gout. Quelle que soit l'origine de l'uree dans le lait, les laits les plus riches en uree presentent une acidification plus lente au cours des premieres heures suivant le moulage, qui peut expliquer en partie les differences de composition chimique et de texture observees sur les fromages affines.
In Vitro Shoot Regeneration and Microcorm Development in Crocus vernus (L.) Hill

AnefficientmethodhasbeendevelopedforIn vitro regenerationofshootandmicrocormfromcormexpla ntsof� Crocus vernus . �Cormswerecutinto�0.5�1.0�cmlongsegmentsand� culturedontheSHmediumsupplementedwith�0.5,�1. 0,� 2.0,�or�4.0�mgL �1� 2�isopentyladenine�(2�iP),�N 6 �benzyladenine�(BA),� andN 6 �furfuryladenine�(kinetin,�Kin)�aloneor� combinationwith�0.5�or�1.0�mgL �1� α�naphthaleneaceticacid�(NAA)�forshootregenerat ion. �Ofthethreecytokininstested,� BAwasfoundtobethemosteffectivecytokininfor
Seroprevalence of Paediatric Malaria Infections in Two Hospitals in Kano State, Nigeria.

A study of Seroprevalence of malaria infections in Wudil and Gaya General Hospitals, Kano State, Nigeria was conducted between April and July 2013. Blood smears were obtained from 229 children (102 from Wudil General Hospital and 127 from Gaya General Hospital) who comprised of 62 males and 40 females; and 79 males and 48 females from Wudil and Gaya General Hospitals respectively. These were screened for the presence of malaria parasites using thick and thin Giemsa stained blood films method as well as test kits procedure specific for P. falciparum . Results obtained showed that children aged 1-3 years had the highest (85.4% and 46.6%) prevalence of malaria infections than other age groups at both hospitals respectively). The difference in prevalence of malaria infections with regards to age groups was not statistically significant (P>0.05). Males seem to be mostly infected (85.5% and 33.9%) with plasmodium parasite than their female counterpart (60.0% and 20.8%) at both hospitals respectively; and these were found to be statistically significant (P<0.05). Wudil General Hospital, Kano had the highest (75.5%) prevalence rate of paediatric malaria than Gaya General Hospital, Kano (41.7%). P. falciparum was found to be significantly predominant among the species recorded (P<0.05). The study revealed that malaria is a major public health problem among the children aged 1-10 years in both villages. Hence, complete mobilization and health education in order to reduce man-vector contact as well as reduce frequent self medication and prophylaxis is advocated among others in the study areas.
Rigid triarylamine-based efficient DSSC sensitizers with high molar extinction coefficients

Five metal-free organic dyes (DIA1–DIA5) based on rigid triarylamine donors have been synthesized and their photophysical/electrochemical properties, theoretical calculations and dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC) performances have been investigated. All the five dyes showed a high molar extinction coefficient (5.0 × 104–8.1 × 104 M−1 cm−1). Electrochemical measurement data indicates that the HOMO and LUMO energy levels can be conveniently tuned by alternating the π-spacer moiety. Among the five dyes, DIA3 showed the best photovoltaic performance, which was greatly increased to 8.09% by an optimized condition under standard global AM 1.5 solar light condition. The results show that the dyes based on this rigid donor are promising candidates for the improvement of the performance of DSSCs.
Investigating suitable test locations and mega-environments for evaluating spring wheat in Brazil

Wheat breeders aim to identify environments that will allow greater discrimination among wheat genotypes. This study assessed the effects of genotype, environmental factors and genotype-environment interactions on the identification and validation of mega-environments and essential test locations in various wheat-growing regions. The grain yield of wheat genotypes was evaluated at 14 locations in Brazil in 2009, 2010, and 2011. GGE biplot analysis was used to visualize the genotype x location patterns and interrelationships between test locations. The results showed that complex genotype-environment interactions occurred, suggesting that the response over three years was not well defined relative to the possible formation of distinct mega-environments. Several test sites were highly correlated, indicating that some sites could be discarded. Wheat breeders in Brazil require an assessment strategy for the development of cultivars that are stable over a wide range of environments, although this requirement may limit the gains in productivity expected from the breeding process. Given limited resources, multi-environment trials should include the use of discriminant-effective and representative locations or essential test sites rather than extensive trials in locations with similar characteristics that are related to one or more aspects relevant to the aims of the breeding initiative and enterprise.
Effect of testosterone on immunocompetence, parasite load, and metabolism in the common wall lizard (Podarcis muralis)

Testosterone can benefit individual fitness by increasing ornament colour, aggressiveness, and sperm quality, but it can also impose both metabolic and immunological costs. However, evidence that testosterone causes immuno suppression in freely living populations is scant. We studied the effects of testosterone on one component of the immune system (i.e., the cell-mediated response to phytohaemagglutinin), parasite load, and metabolic rate in the common wall lizard, Podarcis muralis (Laurenti, 1768). For analyses of immunocompetence and parasitism, male lizards were implanted at the end of the breeding season with either empty or testosterone implants and were returned to their site of capture for 5–6 weeks before recapture. For analyses of the effects of testosterone on metabolic rate, male lizards were captured and implanted before hibernation and were held in the laboratory for 1 week prior to calorimetry. Experimental treatment with testosterone decreased the cell-mediated response to the T-cell mitog.
Impact of Crop Rotations and Soil Amendments on Long-Term No-Tilled Soybean Yield

1 Considering that current stratospheric CO2 levels are at 852 Gt C, with increases of approximately 4.3 Gt C yr–1 (Lal et al., 1998), alongside increased concerns of soil erosion, it is no coincidence that implementation of no-tillage has increased (West and Post, 2002). In 2012 alone, the area of no-till soybean in Tennessee was 78.9% of the total area planted (NASS, 2012). Soybean production worldwide also continues to increase, with 31 million ha planted in the United States (NASS, 2004). Consequently, implementation of management practices that conserve soil resources and promote C storage while improving yield is of upmost importance. Specifi cally, no-tillage resulted in less disruption of benefi cial soil microbial populations, improved soil tilth due to greater aggregation, and increased soil fertility due to greater cation exchange capacity, (Franzluebbers, 2005; Lal, 2006). All of these benefi ts will potentially result in maximizing crop yield, which is a priority for producers. No-till crop yield is generally equal to or better than crop yield grown with conventional tillage (Tyler et al., 1983; Hussain et al., 1999). Vyn et al. (2000) observed that soybean yield in no-till systems were initially lower than those grown with conventional tillage; however, over a 25-yr period, yield reductions were not signifi cant. Soil aeration and infi ltration may be reduced in no-tillage systems (Dick et al., 1991), but may be augmented by increased cropping sequence diversity, cover crops, and poultry litter (Tisdall and Oades, 1980). Stabilization of soil aggregates by the use of soil amendments (or poultry litter and cover crops) can increase water-holding capacity of soils, and thus positively impact crop growth (Watts and Torbert, 2011). In a study by Kabir and Koide (2000), winter wheat increased soil aggregation compared to a winter fallow control. Stable soil aggregates are also reportedly increased in corn–soybean rotations that include vetch and rye (Secale cereal L.) compared to winter fallows (Villamil et al., 2006). Increased water-holding capacity and soil aggregation is not a benefi t exclusive to winter cover crops, since manure applications reportedly improve soil aggregation when compared to soils receiving no compost (Whalen et al., 2003). Impact of Crop Rotations and Soil Amendments on Long-Term No-Tilled Soybean Yield
2 CORPORATE BOARD PRACTICES INTERNATIONAL PRIVATE BENEFITS OF CONTROL : NEW EVIDENCE

The 1998 Asian Financial Crisis and more recent corporate scandals in the U.S. have triggered an increased attention of researchers and policy makers on the agency problem between controlling shareholders and minority investors. One respect of this problem is the private benefits of control.In this paper, we investigate the relationship between investor protection and private benefits of control. We find consistent evidence with Dyck and Zingales (2004) that the degree of investor protection still matters in curbing private control benefits for the more recent period 1999-2007. More importantly, we find that private benefits of control have decreased significantly over time. Finally, our results show weak evidence of differential decreases in the value of control for weak and strong investor protection countries.
Validation of a Cognitive Screening Battery to Predict Fitness-to-Drive in Individuals with Multiple Sclerosis: A Preliminary Report

In a previous study, the authors identified five cognitive tests that together predicted the outcome of a comprehensive driving evaluation of 44 individuals with multiple sclerosis (age = 46 ± 11 years, 84% females) with 91% accuracy, 70% sensitivity, and 97% specificity. In this study, the authors sought to validate the predictive accuracy of the five tests in a different cohort of individuals with multiple sclerosis. Sixty-three participants (age = 49 ± 9 years, 89% females) were administered the five cognitive tests. Participants were also administered a standardized practical on-road driving test. Performance on the road test was judged by completing a 16-item checklist of very important driving skills. A raw score of 45 or more out of 50 maximum points was classified as “pass” and below 45 as “fail”. Performance on the five cognitive tests was used to predict the pass/fail outcome of the on-road test. Study results showed that all five variables each had significant association with the on-road test raw score. The five tests together explained 44% of the variance of the pass/fail classification. Participants’ “pass” or “fail” performance on the road test was predicted with 83% accuracy, 67% sensitivity, and 85% specificity. The short battery of five tests appears to be a valid predictor of fitness-to-drive of individuals with multiple sclerosis and more accurate at predicting individuals who will pass the on-road evaluation (85% specificity) than those who will fail (67% sensitivity).
Do the initial land endowments lift people out of chronic and transient poverty? Evidence from central and Northern Mozambique

This study aims at assessing the most prevalent type of poverty in rural Mozambique, and if the causes of chronic and transitory poverty are similar to recommended policy, strategies to address each of them caused by different factors. This paper concludes that, most poverty is transient (66%) than chronic (34%), unlike in earlier studies where the determinants of chronic and transient poverty are not necessarily similar. However, it is recommended to prioritize addressing the chronic poverty given its damaging and long-lasting effects. Also, it is believed that by addressing chronic poverty some synergies can be generated, which allow tackling of the transient poverty as well. The most important set of variables for transient poverty are the household landholdings, head’s age, family and hired labor, land quality, and livestock. All these covariates tend to increase the transient poverty, except the family labor which is likely to decrease it. The same variables are important to chronic poverty, in addition to education especially in men, where the number of members with self-employment and widowed household heads has a negative effect on chronic poverty. Policies aimed at reducing chronic poverty should concentrate more on improving household characteristics such as investing in education, agricultural reform that encourages landholding expansion and energy such as human power or animal traction for farming while reducing transient poverty would call for policies oriented at allowing economically active families to earn income for their livelihoods. Key words: Chronic, transient, poverty, Mozambique, panel data.
Individual Performances and the Interaction Between Arid Land Plants Affected by the Growth Season Water Pulses

Understanding the effects of rainfall pattern on the plant interactions is a prerequisite for anticipating the effects of climate change on communities and ecosystems. Effects of a change in growth-season rainfall pattern were tested on individual performances, and the interaction between arid land plants. Simulated rain events were applied either as two rains of 20 mm, or as four rains of 10 mm, on natural vegetation of steppe rangelands in Nasr-Abad, Yazd, Iran. Phenotype responses were assessed by measuring the density of annuals and current year growth of perennials. Facilitation effects were assessed by comparing density of annuals in open space and within the subcanopy of perennials. Competition between perennials was tested using target-neighbor designs. Effects of rain size were more significant than rain frequency. There were linear increases in performances of both annuals and perennials, as the magnitude of pulse sizes increased linearly from zero (control), to 10 and 20 ml per event. Larger rain events led to a shift in relationships between annual and perennials from facilitation to no interactions, and a change in the interaction between perennial plants from no relationship to the competition. Accordingly, arid land plant communities showed some potential to buffer the short time effects of climate change, which may occur as variations in the intra-annual rainfall pattern.
Precipitation Distribution in Tropical Cyclones Using the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) Microwave Imager: A Global Perspective

TRMM microwave imager rain estimates are used to quantify the spatial distribution of rainfall in tropical cyclones (TCs) over the global oceans. A total of 260 TCs were observed worldwide from 1 January 1998‐31 December 2000, providing 2121 instantaneous TC precipitation observations. To examine the relationship between the storm intensity, its geographical location, and the rainfall distribution, the dataset is stratified into three intensity groups and six oceanic basins. The three intensity classes used in this study are tropical storms (TSs) with winds ,33 m s21, category 1‐2 hurricane-strength systems (CAT12) with winds from 34‐48 m s21, and category 3‐5 systems (CAT35) with winds . 49 m s21. The axisymmetric component of the TC rainfall is represented by the radial distribution of the azimuthal mean rainfall rates ( R). The mean rainfall distribution is computed using 10-km annuli from the storm center to a 500-km radius. The azimuthal mean rain rates vary with storm intensity and from basin to basin. The maximum R is about 12 mm h21 for CAT35, but decreases to 7m m h 21 for CAT12, and to 3 mm h21 for TS. The radius from the storm center of the maximum rainfall decreases with increasing storm intensity, from 50 km for TS to 35 km for CAT35 systems. The asymmetric component is determined by the first-order Fourier decomposition in a coordinate system relative to the storm motion. The asymmetry in TC rainfall varies significantly with both storm intensity and geographic locations. For the global average of all TCs, the maximum rainfall is located in the front quadrants. The location of the maximum rainfall shifts from the front-left quadrant for TS to the front-right for CAT35. The amplitude of the asymmetry varies with intensity as well; TS shows a larger asymmetry than CAT12 and CAT35. These global TC rainfall distributions and variability observed in various ocean basins should help to improve TC rainfall forecasting worldwide.
Economic Freedom: Theory First, Empiricism After

The aim of this paper is to argue in favor of theoretically well-founded empirical examinations on how economic freedom affects economic performance, which is not the case, as we argue, in most of the huge empirical literature developed after the construction of various indexes of economic freedom. In this spirit we develop a concept of economic freedom based on Hayek (1960): absence of coercion except for state coercion to enforce known general rules. Trying to formulate Hayek’s ideas on a less abstract level, as a step further we propose a categorization of government actions, which gives us some guidance about which government actions hurt and which do not hurt economic freedom. Our concept of economic freedom allows us to conceptualize the measurement of economic freedom in a different way from the indexes of economic freedom.
Linguistic constraints on intrasentential code-switching: A study of Spanish/Hebrew bilingualism

ABSTRACT In recent years, research has increasingly pointed toward the universality of three linguistic constraints on code-switching: (1) an equivalence of structure constraint, (2) a size-of-constituent constraint, and (3) a free morpheme constraint. The evidence derived from this study challenges the universality of the first two of these constraints, and argues instead that their claim to universality is largely a function of the coincidental relative similarity in the syntactic structure of Spanish and English, the two languages upon which most code-switching studies have been based. The present study breaks out of the Spanish-English mold and draws upon data from a language contact situation in which the two languages are syntactically very different from each other, namely, Spanish and Hebrew. The evidence presented also challenges the frequently made assertion that type of code-switching, namely, intra- versus intersentential code-switching, is correlated with degree of bilingualism of the speaker. Finally, the evidence suggests that intrasentential code-switching ability cannot, as some have argued, universally be considered a measure of bilingualism nor a mark of the balanced bilingual. (Code-switching, Spanish, Hebrew, bilingualism, syntactic constraints)