Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Isolation, identification and drug resistance patterns of methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus from mastitic cows milk from selected dairy farms in and around Kombolcha, Ethiopia

A cross sectional study was conducted between January and May 2015 in and around Kombolcha town, Eastern Amhara, to identify methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus and their resistance to antimicrobials and also to identify risk factors associated with the occurrence of dairy cow mastitis. A total of 150 dairy cows were included during the study period. A total of 600 quarters were examined to detect clinical and subclinical mastitis by physical examinations of udder and milk and California mastitis test, respectively. The prevalence of mastitis was 56%. Age, milking hygiene, parity, and floor system had significant (p<0.05) effect on the prevalence of mastitis. S. aureus was isolated at a rate of 11 (73.3%) and 29 (42%) in clinical and subclinical mastitis, respectively. The result showed the occurrence of S. aureus in clinical mastitis was found to be significantly higher than subclinical mastitis (p=0.028). The present study showed that S. aureus was resistant to penicillin G (100%), amoxicillin (100%), cefoxitin (42.7%) and tetracycline (77.4%) however all the isolates were found to be totally (100%) susceptible to the gentamycin. 45.3% of the isolates were found to be multidrug resistant. Antimicrobial resistance is due to repeated therapeutic use of drugs. Regular antimicrobial sensitivity testing helps to select effective antibiotics that ultimately reduce the development of resistance towards commonly used antibiotics. In conclusion, Mastitis caused by S. aureus is one of the major problems of dairy cows in milk production in the study area. Key words: Antimicrobials, Mastitic cows, Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, prevalence, risk factors.
Some lessons from using zinc-salt treatments to protect dairy cows against facial eczema

A trial at AgResearch Ruakura, evaluating two different methods of administering zinc (Zn) salts to protect cows from facial eczema, was carried out in lactating dairy cows to study the variation in concentrations of blood Zn. The treatments were: continuous supply of zinc sulphate (ZnSO4) through water troughs (n = 10 cows), versus daily oral drenching with zinc oxide (ZnO) (n = 10 cows). Responses in daily milk yields, and concentrations of Zn in blood were recorded twice weekly over four weeks for each cow. The ZnSO4 trough treatment took ten days for blood Zn concentrations to equilibrate, after which the sampling-day average ranged from 20–26 μmol/L. Between-cow repeatability was 0.42 ± 0.15. The daily ZnO treated cows equilibrated after drenching for three days. Average blood Zn concentrations then ranged from 24–29 μmol/L. Between-cow repeatability was 0.44 ± 0.17. Daily milk yields did not differ significantly between treatments. Target ranges for blood Zn concentrations to provide protection against facial eczema in lactating dairy cows of 18–34 μmol/L were published 26 years ago. These may need to be re-assessed, with changes in breed composition and increases in milk yield over that time within the national herd.
Civil servants’ commitment to change – a factor of success regarding the reform of public budgeting and accounting in the State of Brandenburg?

This study investigates the reform of the public budgeting and accounting system (Doppik) in Brandenburg. On the one hand, this thesis aims to identify the key variables shaping employees’ commitment to change and, on the other hand, to examine the extent employees’ commitment to change influences the implementation process of the reform. The results of this study show that the commitment of civil servants towards the Doppik is primarily determined by the content, but also by the context of the reform. Moreover, it is revealed for the case of Brandenburg that civil servants’ affective commitment to change has a significant positive influence on the perceived success of the reform implementation. The results of the study are not only of high scientific importance, but also of practical relevance. The recommendations developed in this study offer grounded guidelines on how to successfully implement the Doppik on local level in Brandenburg.
Distributional Analysis of the Gender Wage Gap

Suggested Citation: Gallego Granados, Patricia; Geyer, Johannes (2014) : From Gross Wages to Net Household Income: a Distributional Analysis of the Gender Wage Gap, Beiträge zur Jahrestagung des Vereins für Socialpolitik 2014: Evidenzbasierte Wirtschaftspolitik Session: Inequality, No. A17-V1, ZBW Deutsche Zentralbibliothek für Wirtschaftswissenschaften, Leibniz-Informationszentrum Wirtschaft, Kiel und Hamburg
From northern Europe to Ethiopia: long-distance migration of Common Cranes (Grus grus)

The majority of Common Cranes (Grus grus) breeding in northern Europe are short- to medium-distance migrants that overwinter in southern Europe, northern Africa, and the Middle East. However, some individuals migrate longer distances to as far as Ethiopia. Using data from 18 satellite-tracked juvenile Common Cranes, we assessed (1) the length and landscape composition of the migratory routes used and (2) the behaviour of neighbouring Finnish and Estonian (500 km apart in the north-south direction) sub-populations. Our results show that Common Cranes mainly use the East European flyway to reach the wintering grounds in Ethiopia, yet some individual cranes may alternatively use the Baltic-Hungarian migration route. Neither duration nor the number of stopovers used influenced the flight distances of the cranes. Further, 7–19 days of refuelling enabled the cranes to cover long flight distances, from 2,420 to 5,110 km in 6–15 days, without the need for settling down at potential stopovers on the route.
ASSESSING THERMO-HYDRODYNAMIC-CHEMICAL PROCESSES AT THE DIXIE VALLEY GEOTHERMAL AREA: A REACTIVE TRANSPORT MODELING APPROACH

A 2D reactive transport model of the Dixie Valley, Nevada, geothermal area was developed to assess fluid flow pathways and fluid rock interaction processes. Setting up the model included specification of the mineralogy of the different rock units, the formulation of the corresponding mineral dissolution and precipitation reactions, the explicit definition of two major normal faults and the specification of a dual continuum domain along the uppermost 1 km of one of these normal faults. The model was run using a range of permeabilities for the dual continuum fault, whereas bulk rock fluid flow and thermal parameters were defined according to a previous flow simulation study performed by others. Model results were tested against available field data such as chemical analysis of thermal springs, isotherms inferred from geothermal wells, and results of the previous modeling study. Moreover, simulated chemical compositions for the geothermal spring were combined with multicomponent geothermometry to assess whether the model reflects the observation that geothermal springs often are out of chemical equilibrium. Simulation results reveal that a minimum permeability of 10 m for the spring-feeding fracture is needed to preserve the geochemical signature of the reservoir. The simulations also suggest that the presence of such small-scale spring-feeding fractures having an elevated permeability can significantly alter the shallow fluid flow regime of geothermal systems.
Geographic Dispersion and IPO Survival

Using a text-based measure of geographic dispersion in 10-K form to proxy the firm’s spatial distribution of business interests across the U.S. states, we reveal strong evidence that dispersed firms experience high failure risks in post-offering periods. The effect is more pronounced in a soft information environment (e.g., severer information asymmetry), which confirms that information channel has determinate power on manager’s decisions which related to firm performance among geographically diversified firms. Moreover, we find that the post-IPO failure risk is greater if firms have a high similarity of geographic dispersion compared to their industrial competitors; and is lower if firm’s dispersed business interests are closely correlated with the local shocks. Further, the study documents that both firms headquarter size and location are equally important to contribute to longer survival times for IPO firms. The results are robust to various alternative tests.
WST 49.3 DP03 CORR

First results are presented of a large-scale GIS-based nutrient transport modelling for the 1985–1999 period in the Estonian part of the transboundary drainage basin of Lake Peipsi (Estonian)/Chudskoe (Russian), one of the largest lakes in Europe, shared by Russia and Estonia. Although the lake is relatively undisturbed by human pollution, it is vulnerable for eutrophication by increased river loads, as shown in the past, when the north-eastern part of the former Soviet Union suffered from intensive agriculture. The collapse of the Soviet Union caused a dramatic decline in fertilizer application rates and widespread abandonment of agricultural land. Although concentration measurements and modelling results indicate a general decrease in nutrient loads, modelling is complicated by the transfer of nutrients from diffuse emissions, which is strongly governed by retention and assumed periodic release from storages within the river basin, like the root zone, tile drains, ditches, channels, bed sediments, floodplains and lakes. Modelling diffuse emission contribution to river loads can be improved by better knowledge about the spatial and temporal distribution of this retention and release within the drainage basin.
Injuries in karate trainers and their connection to former active karate training

PURPOSE: Karate has usually been considered as one of the most dangerous sports due to the frequency of possible injuries, but the recent studies prove opposite (Antekolović, LJ., M., Wertheimer, V., 2016). Previous studies have mostly been focused on active athletes’ injuries, while the ones occurring in former athletes and trainers have been neglected. The aim of this study was to determine prevalence of injuries of the locomotor system in karate trainers that are no longer actively included in training karate and link it to previous active karate training. This study also compared opinions of trainers and opinions of doctors about correlation between present injuries and previous active karate training. METHODS: The sample of study consisted of 152 karate trainers (F=17 / M=125) (mean: 40.20. min: 19, max: 64) who have voluntarily decided to participate in the study. 90% of the respondents have trained karate for more than 10 years. With the aim of collecting data and anamnesis, a questionnaire was conducted and given to the trainers to fill out on their own. RESULTS: Results show that a large number of trainers link their current injuries with previous active karate training, especially skeletal (76,92%) and muscular (60%) injuries, while the percentage of axial skeleton injuries is somewhat smaller (40,91%). Injuries prevalence of current age injuries and injuries gained throughout active karate training show statistically significant difference (p<0.05). A large percentage of doctors confirm their patients’ (karate trainers) opinions that present injuries are connected to previous active karate training (r=0.90, p<0.05) especially when it comes to joint injuries (57,69%), while the percentage is lower in muscular (40%) and axial skeleton (31,82%) injuries. CONCLUSION: Based on the results of this study, it can be concluded that after ending their active karate training career, trainers have smaller risk of injuries, which can be linked to the absence of competitions where injuries mostly occur. Results also show that high percentage of trainers (52,79%) link their present injuries with previous active karate training, while at the same time a high percentage of doctors (40,71%) share their opinion.
Progesterone and betahydroxybutyrate in line measurements for a better description and understanding of Holstein cows fertility in field conditions

PLF devices allow to follow up large populations of animals in a non-invasive way over long periods of time and under field conditions. The objective of this work was to describe the ovarian activity and metabolic status during the postpartum period in dairy cows and their impact on further fertility in commercial herds. Data from 760 cows housed in 21 French farms were collected over the first 140 days postpartum (dpp). Milk progesterone was assayed on average every 2.7 days from 20 to 140 dpp whereas BHB was assayed every 34 days during the first 21 dpp. Date and success of artificial insemination (AI) were recorded. Overall, 22.9% (174/760) cows resumed cyclicity (progesterone > 5 ng/ml) after 45 dpp (prolonged anovulatory interval postpartum), ovulation was delayed (follicular phase > 14 days) in 27.9% (212/760), luteolysis was delayed (a luteal phase > 20 days) for 26.1% of the cows (199/760) whereas 34.3% (261/760) suffered from an early luteolysis (a short luteal phase < 10 days). A total of 74.3% (565/760) cows showed at least one atypical pattern of cyclicity. The prevalence of biochemical ketosis (BHB> 0.15 mmol/L) is higher in cows with at least one cyclicity abnormality (p-value=0.02). In cows without any atypical pattern, a shortening in calving to first insemination interval (83.2 dpp vs 97.1 dpp; p-value<0.001) and calving to conception interval (120.7 dpp vs 143.6 dpp; p-value<0.001) were observed. Atypical patterns of ovarian activity are thus of high frequency in Holstein cows, associated to metabolic issues and significantly impact on fertility.
A SCALE TO EVALUATE CHILDREN’S MOTIVATION TO LEARN IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

Given the need to discover children’s motivation to learn in Mexico, the Scale of Intrinsic versus Extrinsic Orientation in the Classroom, developed by Harter (1981), was adopted. The participants were 173 students in the second, fourth, and sixth grades of public school. The results showed that the scale has moderate internal consistency; factorial analysis identified three principal factors. The scale permitted evaluating children’s general motivation to learn while discovering the motives and perceptions of their skills in schoolwork. Continued work on the validity of the instrument’s construction is required, including the formulation of questions in which intrinsic motivation is not contrary to the children’s perceived relevance of the teacher’s opinion.
Assessment of Bacterial Loads in Clogged Drainage Systems in Urban City for the Remediation of Petroleum Polluted Soil

The use of bacterial loads in clogged drainage systems for the bioremediation of petroleum hydrocarbon contaminated soil was investigated. Soil samples were contaminated with diesel, engine oil and petrol. The contaminated soil samples were inoculated with cultured bacteria isolated from clogged drainage systems and monitored for 56 days. Results obtained indicate that effective biodegradation process occurred in a neutral to slightly alkaline condition (pH 7.0 – 8.0) and temperature range of 27 to 29 o C. Pseudomonas, Micrococcus, Acinetobacter, Bacillus cereus and Providencia species actively participated in the bioremediation process. The results on day 56 showed that the biodegradation of diesel, engine oil and petrol by the active bacteria were in the following order: Pseudomonas (92.39, 94.67 and 92.43%) > Micrococcus (88.29, 71.45 and 90.4%) > Acinetobacter (88.11, 31.0 and 87.8%) > Bacillus cereus (86.91, 28.37 and 87.73%) > Providencia (29.64, 28.25 and 87.67%). This biodegradation was found to be statistically highly significant at 95% confidence interval (p<0.05). It is concluded that bacterial loads found in clogged drainage systems have the potential to biodegrade petroleum products, especially if the bacterial loads consist ofthe active bacteria (Pseudomonas, Micrococcus, Acinetobacter, Bacillus cereus and Providencia).
Revisiting the Drivers of Natural Gas Prices. A replication study of Brown & Yücel (The Energy Journal, 2008)

This paper replicates the analysis in the paper 'What Drives Natural Gas Prices? " by Stephen P.A. Brown and Mine K. Yucel. The replication confirms the results of that analysis: a long-run relationship existed between natural-gas prices and crude-oil prices during the period from June 1997 to June 2007. This relationship was primarily driven by crude-oil prices, as natural-gas prices adjusted to deviations from the long-run relationship. Controlling for exogenous covariates related to weather, seasonality, and supply disruptions strengthen the price relationship between these two commodities. When the sample is expanded to include data generated as recently as June 2017, evidence of the long-run relationship disappears completely. I posit that this results from increased U.S. natural-supply associated with the 'shale revolution'.
PROLONGED DISPERSION OF QT AND QTC IN THALASSEMIA MAJOR PATIENTS

Thalassemia major patients require repeated transfusions of packed cell and their lysis lead to iron deposition especially in the cardiac walls such as septum and posterior wall, so make thickening and cause cardiac disorders. In this case-control study, our object was to appoint if QT and QTC and Te dispersions were predictors of cardiac disorders in thalassemia major patients or not. 34 thalassemic patients who had no cardiac sign or symptom and 34 normal subjects between 16-18 years old of age were referred for evaluation of their QT, QTC, and Te dispersions in their ECGs. All standard 12-lead ECGs were obtained from them and were digitized by a single observer blinded to the assigned groups. As references, QT and Te were measured and QTC was calculated by Bazett,s formula.Results showed highly significant differences in QT and QTC dispersions between thalassemic patients and control group (P-value = 0.004 and 0.001 respectively); but it was moderate for Te (P-value = 0.086). About the means of QT, QTC and Te, there were highly significant differences between two groups too (P-value = 0.001, 0.000, and 0.000 respectively). QT and QTC dispersions are significantly higher in thalassemic patients than normal persons and may be predictors of cardiac disorders such as arrhythmias or sudden death in thalassemic patients in future.
An Investigation of the Effect of Hypermedia on Improving EFL Learners' Spelling

Spelling; EFL learners This study was an attempt to investigate the effect of using Tell Me More software on improving EFL students' spelling skill. The spelling improvement of students exposed to multimedia English lessons was compared with the spelling improvement of students not exposed to multimedia lessons. Thirty-four EFL students from two classes sharing a similar social and educational background chosen by a background questionnaire and a language proficiency test took part in the research. Then seventeen students in each class at the elementary level of proficiency were randomly assigned into either experimental or control group. Next, the two classes were administered a spelling test. For a period of four weeks in eight sessions the educational software Tell Me More was offered to the experimental group. After eight sessions both groups were retested through a spelling test to examine the effect of software on users' functions and its influence on the spelling ability of the participants in the experimental group. The findings indicated an important increase in the learning outcomes of experimental group from pretest to posttest in which their scores were significantly higher than those of the control group. In addition, the participants in the experimental group perceived using hypermedia as a useful tool for language learning, particularly spelling skill.
Awareness in Huntington’s Disease Manuscript 1 Executive impairment is associated with unawareness of neuropsychiatric symptoms in premanifest and early Huntington’s disease

Objective: Unawareness of neuropsychiatric symptoms appears to be common in Huntington’s disease (HD), but the clinical correlates of unawareness are unclear. Identifying predictors of unawareness is important for improving diagnosis of neuropsychiatric symptoms, and cognitive impairment, specifically executive impairment, may be a potential important predictor of unawareness. The authors examined whether unawareness of neuropsychiatric symptoms is more common in early HD compared to premanifest HD, and whether executive task performance was associated with awareness, independent of demographic, motor or mood variables. Method: 132 gene-positive participants (60 premanifest and 72 early diagnosed) from the multicentre TRACK-HD study were included. Participants and their informants completed selfand informant-versions of the Frontal Systems Behavior Scale, which measures executive dysfunction, apathy, and disinhibition symptoms. Awareness was measured as the discrepancy between selfand informant-reports across premanifest and early HD groups. Participants’ executive task performance was then assessed as a predictor of unawareness across the whole group. Results: Premanifest participants reported higher levels of executive dysfunction, apathy and disinhibition than their informants, whereas early HD participants reported less executive dysfunction and apathy than their informants, indicating that unawareness is more common after diagnosis. Impaired executive task performance was related to unawareness of executive dysfunction and apathy, independent of demographic, motor and mood variables. Conclusions: Executive impairment is a useful early predictor of unawareness of neuropsychiatric symptoms in HD. Clinicians should closely monitor HD patients with executive impairment for unawareness, and consider this when assessing neuropsychiatric symptoms in HD and providing education to patients and families. Awareness in Huntington’s Disease Manuscript 4
Two-dimensional physical modelling of soil displacements above trapdoors

Bhandari A and Han J (2018) Two-dimensional physical modelling of soil displacements above trapdoors. Geotechnical Research 5(2): 68–80, https://doi.org/10.1680/jgere.18. 00002 Research Article Paper 1800002 Received 23/12/2017; Accepted 19/02/2018 Published online 09/03/2018 Published with permission by the ICE under the CC-BY 4.0 license. (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)
Responses of ready-to-eat salad vegetable mixes prepared with different lettuce varieties to 1-methylcyclopropene (1-MCP) post-cutting treatment

A post-cutting treatment of 1-methylcyclopropene (1-MCP) was applied to ready-to eat salad vegetable mixes (RTE-SVM) consisting of lettuce, carrots and cucumber to determine its potential in maintaining the storage quality. The responses of different varieties of lettuce were also compared. Minimally-processed lettuce (Corelle, Romaine, and Iceberg varieties), Japanese cucumber, and carrots were prepared and packed in PET trays then sealed with PVC cling wrap film. 1-MCP gas was injected in the packs to have a final concentration of 1ppm and 3ppm inside the RTE-SVM packs. The packs were stored in a cold room (5-8°C) until they became unacceptable as a whole, but the shelf life and limit of marketability of the packs were set when the packs reached an average VQR of 6 (Fair, moderate defects). Headspace gas analyses (oxygen, carbon dioxide, and ethylene) and visual evaluation (visual quality rating, lettuce wilting and yellowing, carrots discoloration, and cucumber water-soaking) were performed. The RTE-SVM prepared with Corelle lettuce has the best response to the 1-MCP treatment, having the highest average VQR, lowest incidence of wilting and yellowing and carrots discoloration when treated with 3 ppm 1-MCP. The RTE-SVM packs prepared with Iceberg and Romaine lettuce, on the other hand, can be treated with 1ppm 1-MCP to reduce the incidence of lettuce wilting and yellowing and carrots discoloration in the packs. Furthermore, it was determined that the RTE-SVM prepared with Corelle, Romaine, and Iceberg lettuce can be stored for 8, 10, and 5 days, respectively, at 5-8°C before reaching the limit of marketability.