Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Integrated weed management in lentil (Lens culinaris) in calcareous alluvial soils of Bihar

A field experiment was conducted during the winter (rabi) season of 201213 and 201314, to study the effect of integrated weed management on weeds, nutrient removal and seed yield of lentil (Lens culinaris Medikus) on calcareous alluvial soils of Bihar. The experiment was laid out in a randomized block design comprising of nine weed control treatments with four replications. The results revealed that lesser weed density, weed dry matter, higher weed control efficiency and lower weed index were observed under integrated weed management (IWM) practices of pendimethalin 300 g/ha as pre-emergence (PRE) + hand weeding (HW) at 40 days after sowing (DAS) and with ready mixed application of pendimethalin 205 g/ha + imazethapyr 14 g/ha as PRE. Higher crop growth, seed yield and yield attributing characters were found with the integrated treatment of pendimethalin 300 g/ha as PRE + HW at 40 DAS and pendimethalin 205 g/ha + imazethapyr 14 g/ha as PRE. The higher net returns and benefit: cost ratio was acquired with pendimethalin 205 g/ha + imazethapyr 14 g/ha as PRE.
Perceived parental beliefs about the causes of success in sport: relationship to athletes' achievement goals and personal beliefs

This study examined the relationship between perceived parental beliefs and young athletes' achievement goal orientations and personal beliefs about the causes of success in sport. Participants were 183 male and female athletes, 11–18 years old, involved in team sports. Athletes completed the Task and Ego Orientation in Sport Questionnaire, the Beliefs about the Causes of Sport Success Questionnaire, and two modified versions of the latter inventory to assess their perceptions of their parents' beliefs. Canonical correlation analysis revealed that perceived parental beliefs were related to goal orientations and personal beliefs in a conceptually coherent fashion. Thus, the perceived parental belief that effort leads to success in sport was related to athletes' task orientation and personal belief that effort causes sport success. In contrast, the perceived parental beliefs that superior ability, external factors, and using deceptive tactics are precursors to success in sport corresponded to athletes' ego orientation and the same personal beliefs. The findings are discussed in terms of their implications for understanding the socialization experiences of young athletes.
Online signature verification system with anti-forgery provision based on segmentation and structure learning of HMM

Inspired by forensic experts working on authentication of oriental characters like Chinese and Japanese who usually rely on distinguishing detailed features of individual strokes such as dots and straight lines, our new HMM model consisted of many sub-models each represents an individual stroke of a signature. Furthermore, 3 models were compared in 2 steps using a hierarchical manner. First, original user was distinguished from data corpus consisted of random forgeries; Secondly, original user was distinguished from skilled forgeries.
Baseline CSF/Serum-Ratio of Apolipoprotein E and Rate of Differential Decline in Alzheimer's Disease.

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVE Apolipoprotein E (ApoE) has an active part in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and plasma level alterations have been reported in AD patients. In search of a biomarker potentially predictive of cognitive, functional, or motor decline, we analyzed the CSF to serum ratios of ApoE levels (CSF/serum ApoE) in AD patients in this regard. METHODS Subjects with newly diagnosed AD were followed within a longitudinal observational study (rpAD study). Annual neuropsychological testing and physical examination were performed. Multiple regression analyses were used to determine possible associations of the ApoE CSF/serum concentration ratios and velocity of decline on a variety of cognitive, functional and motor scales (MMSE, iADL, bADL, GDS, UPDRSIII) adjusted for relevant co-variables. RESULTS CSF/serum ratios of ApoE levels were associated with progression on the UPDRSIII (change of UPDRSIII slope [pt/yr] per unit of ApoE CSF/serum = -0.06, p < 0.01) and instrumental ADL scale (change of iADL slope [pt/yr] per unit of ApoE CSF/serum = 0.01, p = 0.01) ("the lower the ratio, the faster the deterioration" and vice versa). Secondarily, higher age at onset was associated with faster UPDRSIII progression, antidepressant use with faster iADL decline, and better baseline function with more rapid decline on either MMSE, iADL, or GDS scale. CONCLUSION Here, CSF/serum ApoE at time of AD diagnosis was shown to be inversely associated with medium-term functional and motor progression. Whether this ratio qualifies for the use as a predictive biomarker must be validated in larger cohort studies over the long term.
Employee Fitness Programs: Exploring Relationships between Perceived Organizational Support toward Employee Fitness and Organizational Sustainability Performance

This study investigates the influence of employee fitness programs on organizational sustainability performance from the perspective of organizational support as perceived by employees. Organizational sustainability performance was specified as a second-order factor, which was affected by three first-order factors: financial performance, social performance, and environmental performance. A snowball sampling method was employed to conduct an online survey of working adults in Shanghai to test the proposed hypotheses. Results show that perceived organizational support toward employee fitness has a positive and significant effect on organizational sustainability performance, and the positive effect is mediated by job satisfaction and organizational commitment. This study also provides theoretical and managerial implications.
Endogamy among the Dogon of Boni, Mali

Summary This paper examines factors influencing endogamy in a Dogon population in Mali. Situated in Boni district, this population of about 5000 individuals is distributed over fifteen villages located on four independent massifs. This population is strongly endogamous (only 4% of all marriages are contracted with neighbouring ethnic groups), and each massif shows high endogamy. The roles of lineage, residence in the same village, and geographical distance in mating choice are examined. These different factors are successively analysed using log-linear statistical models and the results offer a more precise interpretation of endogamy in this population.
The morphological and biochemical effects of glibornuride on rat liver in experimental diabetes

Glibornuride is a sulphonylurea derivative used as an oral hypoglycaemic drug in diabetics. The aim of this study was to examine the histological, ultrastructural and biochemical effects of glibornuride in streptozotocin (STZ)-treated rats. The animals were rendered diabetic by intraperitoneal injection of 65 mg/kg STZ. Fourteen days later, glibornuride was given at 5 mg/kg by gavage, daily for 28 days, to one STZ-diabetic and one control group. In the STZ-diabetic group, remarkable degenerative changes were observed. On the other hand, in the STZ-diabetic group given glibornuride, the degenerative changes decreased. In the STZ-diabetic group, blood glucose levels, serum aspartate transaminase activity, and total lipid levels increased, whereas the blood glutathione levels decreased. In contrast, in the STZ-diabetic group given glibornuride blood glucose levels, serum aspartate transaminase activity and total lipid levels decreased and blood glutathione levels increased. Significant changes in total protein levels in the serum were not observed in any group. As a conclusion, we can say that glibornuride has a protective effect against the hepatotoxicity produced by STZ-diabetes.
Applicability of Near-Infrared Spectroscopy to Measure Cerebral Autoregulation Noninvasively in Neonates: A Validation Study in Piglets

Impaired cerebral autoregulation (CA) is common and is associated with brain damage in sick neonates. Frequency analysis using spontaneous changes in arterial blood pressure (ABP) and cerebral near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) has been used to measure CA in several clinical studies. Coherence of the NIRS and ABP signals (i.e. correlation in the frequency domain) detects impairment of CA, whereas gain (i.e. magnitude of ABP variability passing from systemic to cerebral circulation) estimates the degree of this impairment. So far, however, this method has not been validated. In 12 newborn piglets, we compared NIRS-derived measures of CA with a conventional measure of CA: cerebral blood flow was measured by laser Doppler flowmetry, and changes in ABP were induced by inflating a thoracic aorta balloon. CA capacity was calculated as %ΔCVR/%ΔABP (i.e. percentage of full autoregulatory capacity), where CVR (i.e. cerebral vascular resistance) was estimated as ABP/Doppler flux. Correlation between coherence and CA capacity (r = −0.34, n = 24, p > 0.05) and between gain and CA capacity (r = −0.11, n = 24, p > 0.05) was limited. As expected, however, gain was significantly associated with CA capacity in measurements with significant coherence (r = −0.55, n = 15, p = 0.03). In conclusion, our data validate frequency analysis for estimation of CA in clinical research. Low precision, however, hampers its clinical application.
Carbon trading thickness and market efficiency in a socialist market economy

ABSTRACT Unlike the European Union emission trade system (EU ETS), China’s pilot ETSs implemented diversified policy designs instead of using a uniform framework. Variance ratio test is used to evaluate the Efficient Market Hypothesis (EMH) in China’s carbon trading markets. The results of two versions of variance ratio tests indicate that the carbon trading market in Hubei is considered weak form efficient, and the socialist market economy does not necessarily lead to market inefficiency in carbon trading markets. Thin trading activities generate market frictions and bias the Efficient Market Hypothesis (EMH) tests.
TMT’s Attention towards Financial Goals and Innovation Investment: Evidence from China

Will the top managers’ attention to financial goals such as profit targets, operating expenses or debt payback schedule affect the firm’s innovation investment? The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between the attention that the top management team (TMT) allocate on financial goals and R&D investment in Chinese firms. The roles of ownership type and company size as moderating effects in the relationship were also analyzed. This study used a panel dataset of 484 firms listed on the Shanghai Stock Exchange from 2010 to 2014. The results show that TMT’s attention to monetary objectives was negatively related to the R&D investment. In the state-owned and large-scale enterprises, the negative relationship between the TMT’s financial orientation and R&D investment is weak compared to that in private companies and smaller enterprises, respectively. Several conclusions have been drawn. First, the attention paid by TMT to financial goals significantly affects the innovation investment of the company. Specifically, when executives press the importance of monetary targets, they reduce innovation investment, given that the effects of firm-specific characteristics are controlled. Second, corporate ownership significantly moderates the relationship. Given the same degree of attention bias toward financial targets, compared with those in private companies, executives in state-owned companies tend to be more willing to invest in corporate innovation activities. Third, as the size of the company increases, the company’s comprehensive strength and ability to resist risks would increase, which in turn raises the willingness to undertake high-cost and long-term-to-realize-benefit innovation activities, thus alleviating the effect of TMT’s pressure on financial performance.
Appetite Suppressant Activity of Supplemental Dietary Amino Acids and Subsequent Compensatory Growth of Broilers 1

This study was conducted to take advantage of the appetite-suppressant effect of excessive dietary amino acids in reducing feed intake and, in turn, restricting the early rapid growth of broilers to minimize metabolic disorders. Dietary amino acids were supplemented to a basal diet to yield a total of 1.57, 2.57, and 3.57% His; 2.7, 4.3, and 5.9% Lys; 1.36, 2.16, and 2.96% Met; 2.8, 3.8, and 4.8% Thr; and 1.27, 2.27, and 3.27% Trp and were fed to 408 chicks from 4 to 11 d of age. Fifteen dietary treatments of His, Lys, Met, Thr, and Trp were compared to the basal diet. Feed consumption was measured daily. Body weight measurements were taken at 0, 4, 7, 11, 14, and 21 d. At 21 d, pectoralis major and minor muscles, liver, and abdominal fat pad were weighed. (
“We All Have Stories”: Black Muslim Immigrants’ Experience With the Police

Understanding the relationships between immigrants and refugees and the police is a critical research task with implications for both community–police partnerships and the effectiveness of law enforcement efforts. This study contributes to such an understanding by examining perceptions of police and police interactions among Somali immigrants and refugees (both first and second generation) in three communities in the United States and Canada. This article presents in-depth analyses of qualitative interview data and draws upon multiple theoretical perspectives, specifically procedural justice and minority group threat theory. These perspectives have been employed to account for police–minority relationships in other works and we extend their application to a new group. We find that despite some evidence of positive interactions with police, current policing could do more to establish community trust and implement principles of procedural justice with Somalis in the United States and Canada. This article also finds support for the minority group threat theory in that study participants perceive that they experience harsher and more frequent policing due to their multiple marginalized statuses (Black, immigrant, and Muslim). Implications for both Somali immigrants/refugees and law enforcement are discussed.
Institutional determinants of protest responses in stated preference studies

In stated preference surveys, institutional context is often found to be an important determinant of protest responses. However, the very same institutional context does not change within one survey, enabling no strong conclusion about its effect on the protest behavior. Moreover, although the importance of the institutional context on the choice of a payment vehicle has been suspected, no study is specifically devoted to the way their interaction affects the protest rate. This paper tries to fill these gaps by relying on meta-data on stated preference studies for environmental goods along with institutional variables at the country level. Results show that institutional variables are significant determinants of the protest rates, but there is no significant evidence to suggest that the choice of a payment vehicle affects differently the probability of protesting depending on the institutional context.
Changes in muscle strength, relaxation rate and fatiguability during the human menstrual cycle.

1. The effect of the different phases of the menstrual cycle on skeletal muscle strength, contractile properties and fatiguability was investigated in ten young, healthy females. Results were compared with a similar group on the combined (non‐phasic) oral contraceptive pill (OC). Cycle phases were divided into the early and mid‐follicular, mid‐cycle (ovulatory) and mid‐ and late luteal. Cycle phases were estimated from the first day of the menstrual bleed. 2. Subjects were studied weekly through two complete cycles. Measurements included quadriceps and handgrip maximum voluntary isometric force and the relaxation times, force‐frequency relationship and fatigue index of the quadriceps during percutaneous stimulation at a range of frequencies from 1 to 100 Hz. 3. In the women not taking the OC there was a significant increase of about 11% in quadriceps and handgrip strength at mid‐cycle compared with both the follicular and luteal phases. Accompanying the increases in strength there was a significant slowing of relaxation and increase in fatiguability at mid‐cycle. No changes in any parameter were found in the women taking the OC. 4. The changes in muscle function at mid‐cycle may be due to the increase in oestrogen that occurs prior to ovulation.
Prevention of antibiotic-nonsusceptible Streptococcus pneumoniae with conjugate vaccines.

BACKGROUND Streptococcus pneumoniae (pneumococcus) caused approximately 44000 US invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD) cases in 2008. Antibiotic nonsusceptibility complicates IPD treatment. Using penicillin susceptibility breakpoints adopted in 2008, we evaluated antibiotic-nonsusceptible IPD trends in light of the introductions of a 7-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV7) in 2000 and a 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV13) in 2010. METHODS IPD cases were defined by isolation of pneumococcus from a normally sterile site in individuals residing in Active Bacterial Core surveillance (ABCs) areas during 1998-2008. Pneumococci were serotyped and tested for antibiotic susceptibility using broth microdilution. RESULTS During 1998-2008, ABCs identified 43198 IPD cases. Penicillin-nonsusceptible strains caused 6%-14% of IPD cases, depending on age. Between 1998-1999 and 2008, penicillin-nonsusceptible IPD rates declined 64% for children aged <5 years (12.1-4.4 cases per 100000), and 45% for adults aged ≥65 (4.8-2.6 cases per 100000). Rates of IPD nonsusceptible to multiple antibiotics mirrored these trends. During 2007-2008, serotypes in PCV13 but not PCV7 caused 78%-97% of penicillin-nonsusceptible IPD, depending on age. CONCLUSIONS Antibiotic-nonsusceptible IPD rates remain below pre-PCV7 rates for children <5 and adults ≥65 years old. PCV13 vaccines hold promise for further nonsusceptibility reductions.
Reminiscence: A Nonformal Technique for Improving Cognitive Functioning in the Aged

This study investigated the effect of a structured reminiscent intervention program upon cognitive functioning of the elderly. The sample consisted of 105 volunteers residing in a public housing complex in central Pennsylvania. Using an experimental design, the volunteers were randomly assigned to one of three treatment groups. One group was given learning tasks to be performed using material from their past personal lives. A second group was asked to perform operations on new material and a control group was pre and posttested but given no treatment. It was found that females in the reminiscent group significantly improved scores of cognitive functioning as measured by the Raven Standard Progressive Matrices. Secondly, compared with the control group, both the reminiscent and new material groups improved performance as a result of the planned learning activities. Both findings suggest that attempts to stimulate cognitive functioning in older people are worth undertaking, and that memories can provide the material for such activities.
Discrimination of tuberculous from carcinomatous pleural effusion by biochemical markers: adenosine deaminase, lysozyme, fibronectin and carcinoembryonic antigen.

We measured adenosine deaminase (ADA), lysozyme, fibronectin and carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) in the pleural fluid of tuberculous and carcinomatous pleural effusion in order to discriminate these two groups. Tuberculous pleural effusion had significantly higher levels of ADA and lysozyme than did carcinomatous effusion. When ADA activity of more than 33 IU/l is considered, diagnostic tests of tuberculous effusions showed a sensitivity of 100%, specificity of 95% and accuracy of 96%. A pleural fluid/serum ADA ratio (pl-ADA/s-ADA) above 1.1 was found in 100% of tuberculous and in 53% of carcinomatous effusions (sensitivity 100%, specificity 47%, diagnostic accuracy 70%). A lysozyme level above 12 micrograms/ml, selected as the discriminating limit, was found in 100% of tuberculous and in 17% of carcinomatous effusions (sensitivity 100%, specificity 83%, diagnostic accuracy 88%). Pleural fluid/serum lysozyme ratio (PL/SL) was also valuable in the discrimination of these two groups. When the cut-off level of 1.2 was considered, diagnostic tests of tuberculous effusions showed a sensitivity of 100%, specificity of 88% and accuracy of 93%, respectively. The mean fibronectin concentration in pleural fluid with tuberculous effusion was significantly higher than that in carcinomatous effusion, but there was a marked overlap between these two groups. On the other hand, CEA was significantly higher in carcinomatous effusions than in tuberculous effusions. At a cut-off level of 5 ng/ml, 53% of patients with carcinomatous effusion showed elevated pleural fluid CEA levels, while none of the tuberculous effusion did (sensitivity 53%, specificity 100%, diagnostic accuracy 65%). (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Obesity, Brain Natriuretic Peptide Levels and Mortality in Patients Hospitalized With Heart Failure and Preserved Left Ventricular Systolic Function

Background:An inverse relationship between brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) levels and body mass index (BMI) has been described for patients with left ventricular (LV) systolic dysfunction. In this study, the association of BMI, BNP levels and mortality in patients hospitalized for heart failure with preserved LV systolic function (HFpLVF) was investigated. Methods:One hundred fifty consecutive patients (98% men) who were hospitalized with HFpLVF and had BNP levels measured on admission were analyzed. Patients were divided into categories of BMI: normal (BMI < 25 kg/m2), overweight (BMI 25–29.9 kg/m2) and obese (BMI ≥ 30 kg/m2). Relevant clinical and echocardiographic characteristics and all-cause mortality were obtained through chart review. Results:BNP levels were significantly lower in obese (median = 227 pg/mL) and overweight (median = 396 pg/mL) patients compared with those with normal BMI (median = 608 pg/mL, P = 0.003). Higher BMI predicted BNP levels of <100 pg/mL. Compared with patients with normal BMI, overweight and obese patients had a significantly lower risk of total mortality, even after adjusting for other clinical characteristics, including log-transformed BNP levels, atrial fibrillation, the use of beta-blockers at discharge, age, hemoglobin levels and the presence of pulmonary congestion on admission. Higher BNP levels also independently predicted mortality. Conclusions:An inverse relationship between BMI and BNP levels exists in patients hospitalized with HFpLVF. Higher BMI is associated with lower mortality, whereas higher BNP levels predict higher mortality in male patients with HFpLVF. These findings should be confirmed in a larger multicenter setting.