Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Efficacy of fetal cardiac axis evaluation in the first trimester as a screening tool for congenital heart defect or aneuploidy

Objective To prove the efficacy of determining the abnormal fetal cardiac axis for screening congenital heart defects (CHDs) and predicting fetal aneuploidy at 11.0 to 13.6 weeks of pregnancy. Methods This retrospective study was performed at a single high-risk pregnancy center. The fetal cardiac axis was evaluated between 11.0 and 13.6 weeks of gestation in 142 fetuses. The cardiac axis in a 4-chamber view was measured as the angle between the line tracing the long axis of the heart and the line bisecting the thorax in the anteroposterior direction. A CHD was confirmed based on the second- to third-trimester fetal status or postnatal imaging. Aneuploidy was diagnosed using chorionic villus sampling, amniocentesis, or genetic testing after birth. Fisher's exact test was performed to assess the association between the fetal cardiac axis and the abnormal fetal status. A 2-way contingence table analysis was performed to confirm the efficacy of the fetal cardiac axis as a screening tool. Results Among the 142 fetuses, 10 had a CHD while 17 had aneuploidy. The abnormal fetal cardiac axis was significantly associated with CHDs (P=0.013) and aneuploidy (P=0.010). None of the fetuses with CHDs or aneuploidy had an isolated abnormal cardiac axis alone without other sonographic findings. The sensitivity of the fetal cardiac axis was 50.0% for CHDs and 41.2% for aneuploidy. Conclusion The fetal cardiac axis can be an additional helpful tool for prenatal screening of CHDs and aneuploidy in the first trimester.
Evaluation of two aqueous plant extracts in protection of wheat against phytopathogen fungus, Helminthosporium rostratum

In the field and greenhouses, chemical fungicides is the most commonly tool used for controlling fungal disease. Although chemical usage has been very effective in controlling fungal plant diseases, some major problems threaten to limit the continued use of fungicides. In the present research, extracts of Ziziphus and Rumex plants were chosen based on both traditional usages suggestive of antifungal activity. In addition, toxic fungal constituents of higher plants are generally thermo-labile, therefore, an aqueous extract was preferred for prevention any adverse effects. Phytochemicals of both plant extracts were detected by using HPLC, various phenolic and flavonoids compounds were detected. Ziziphus and Rumex extract concentrations that inhibited 50% of fungal growth (IC50) were 25 and 50 mg/ml, respectively. In vivo, results of morphological parameters of plant growth revealed that aqueous of tested plant extracts had allelopathy effects on seed germination. Increasing of plant roots length was appeared in the case of Ziziphus coated seed (either uninfected or infected). Both Ziziphus and Rumex aqueous extracts had positive synergistic effect where shoot lengths significantly increased. Dry weight of wheat spike significantly increased in Ziziphus and Rumex extracts treatments. Total proteins content of wheat plant were higher in all treatments than infected wheat plant with H. rostratum, on contrary, proline content. The results serve and support the new trend in biological control, where the aqueous extracts of Rumex and Ziziphus plants clearly reduced the effectiveness of fungal infection and improved all growth parameters of wheat seedlings (especially in the case of tri-treatments).
Monetary Policy, Self-Fulfilling Expectations and the U.S. Business Cycle

I estimate a medium-scale New-Keynesian model and relax the conventional assumption that the central bank adopted an active monetary policy by pursuing inflation and output stability over the entire post-war period. Even after accounting for a rich structure, I find that monetary policy was passive prior to the Volcker disinflation. Sunspot shocks did not represent quantitatively relevant sources of volatility. By contrast, such passive interest rate policy accommodated fundamental productivity and cost shocks that de-anchored inflation expectations, propagated via self-fulfilling inflation expectations and constituted the primary sources of the run-up in inflation from the 1960s through the late 1970s.
Macroeconomic imbalances and institutional reforms in EMU1

The paper summarises the channels and mechanisms which led to the emergence of macroeconomic imbalances in EMU before, in and after the crisis of 2008/09. It focuses on the role of the specific institutional setting of EMU in these developments and outlines the key reforms which are necessary to eliminate the imbalances and prevent them from re-emerging.
Ideology of Affluence: Rich Americans' Explanations for Inequality and Attitudes toward Redistribution

As economic inequality increases, so does the importance of understanding affluent perspectives on the problem. We examine whether affluent Americans are more likely than others to hold individuals responsible for economic outcomes, and if such beliefs are associated with their attitudes toward redistribution. We conducted a novel survey that oversampled the top 5% of the U.S. income and wealth distributions. We elicited views about why some people achieve more success than others (intelligence, hard work, family wealth, luck) as well as why people vary in success-linked traits (their choices, environments, genes). Affluent Americans were more likely than others to tie economic outcomes to intelligence and hard work, and the top 1% were unique in emphasizing both choices and genes as causes of those traits. This individualization of economic outcomes was more strongly associated with economic conservatism among the affluent than others, suggesting it may justify their greater opposition to redistribution. Running head: Ideology of Affluence
Classification of Visual Target Detection during Guided Search using EEG Source Localization

Introduction: It is becoming increasingly common to use experimental paradigms that utilize synchronous eyetracking and electroencephalographic (EEG) measures to explore the neural processes underlying visual search. In these paradigms, fixation related potentials (FRPs) are used to quantify early and late components of visual processing following the onset of a fixation. However, FRPs often contain a mixture of bottom up (e.g. sensory input from the stimulus) and top down (e.g. saccade planning) processes in addition to electrooculography (EoG) artifacts and unrelated neural activity. In this study we sought to isolate the neural sources of target detection in the presence of eye movements and concurrent task demands.
Epidemic responses under uncertainty

Significance How forcefully should policymakers react to a pandemic given uncertainty about the infectivity and severity of a new disease or variant? Some policymakers argued that more uncertainty should lead to prioritizing the economic costs of lockdowns, rather than the public health costs of the disease’s uncertain spread. In this paper, we embed a macroeconomic SIR model in a robust control framework and show that, on the contrary, uncertainty about the disease should lead to a more decisive response to the initial outbreak. Intuitively, uncertainty over the exponential growth rate of the disease means that it is optimal for policymakers to prioritize avoiding worst-case scenarios where the disease is highly contagious, spreading rapidly, and exceedingly lethal.
The Cost of Power Outages on Enterprise Performance in Kenya

The literature argues that inadequacies in the power sector in many developing countries especially sub-Saharan Africa constrains economic growth and development. While it is widely acknowledged that Kenya has a high number of outages, there is limited evidence on how these outages affect firm performance. Thus, the study investigates the effect of power outages on firm performance using World Bank Enterprise Survey data for 2018. We employ instrumental variable regression to overcome endogeneity as well as causality effect between power outages and enterprise profitability. The results show a negative and significant relationship between power outages and firm profitability. On the other hand, we report a positive relationship between efficiency levels, energy utilization and firm profits. The study recommends that the government should invest heavily in electricity generation, and address inefficiency within the power sector to ensure a reliable supply of electricity, and enhance enterprise performance.
Some effects of diet on beef meat and fat attributes

Abstract Steers were fed for nine weeks on either ryegrass/clover pasture or maize (six animals per group), to evaluate the effects of diet on attributes of meat and fat. Feed intake was restricted in the grain‐fed group with the intention of producing equivalent growth rates in the two treatment groups, but this resulted in significantly slower weight gain, reduced carcass weight, and reduced subcutaneous and intramuscular fat. Nevertheless, the glycolytic potential (an estimate of pre‐slaughter glycogen) in the M. longissimus dorsi lumborum was approximately 20% higher (P < 0.05) in the grain‐fed cattle, while the ultimate pH of the meat was equivalent for both groups. The results suggest that grain‐based diets can increase muscle glycogen concentrations independent of the higher calorific intake normally associated with grain diets, probably in response to changes in rumen fatty acid production. Compared with grain diet, pasture diet resulted in significantly higher (P < 0.01) muscle tocopherol content.
The human data processor as a system component. Bits and pieces of a model

Copies to Du ring recent ye a r s t h o i > y i r; t e m s e n p; i . 1 e e r designing control room s f o r i ri d m >1 r i a 1 proc e t * J ; plants has been faced with complex human factors problems. In conventional control rooms the arrangement of meters, recorders,and control keys on the control desk, and the choice of properly designed knobs and dials are the chief objectives for human factors con;-; i dera t Ion • The advent of computer-control led display systems with the variety of mod e s f o r d; \ t a c o n d i t i o ni r i /'; a n d p r e s e n t a t i o n a v a i i a b 1 e to s u p p o r t, t \ i e o p e r a to r s c a. 1 1 s for an int e g r a t e d systerns d e s i g n . The format ling and e n c o d i n g of di . i p I ca y s s h o i x I (i b e p r o p e r 1 y m a t c h e d to the characteristics of human mental data processing, and close interaction ir, needed between sy s terns eng i ne e ring ex pert i se a nd p sy cho1o gy. For information and results from another professional a rea to be i d e n 11 f i e d and d i g e s t e (i a ri i n t e r disciplinary working hypothesis or reference fr a m e i s n e e d e d, a nd t he p r e se n t rep ort de s c r i b e s such a preliminary mode] aiming at the support of futures reading, discussions, and experiments. Using as reference the tasks of process operators, the report d i sour.ses the role of the c e p t i v o ge n e r a 1 i z; * t i o n r,, d y n; i m i c m o d e 11 ing a n d m o t o r coord i na t i ve fun c t i o n s of s u b c o n s c i o u s data p r o c e s s ing,a nd of t he dif fere nt t y p e s o f me n t a1 modeli; and procedures used in conscious data pro-
Populational variation in the leaf oil terpene composition of western red cedar, Thuja plicata

Intra- and inter-populational variations in the leaf oil terpene composition of western red cedar from 29 different collection sites from most of its natural range were investigated. This cedar species has one of the lowest degrees of variability found thus far in northern North American conifer species. No significant difference was found between coastal and interior populations and only slight divergence was recorded in outlying ones.
The effect of gap size on growth and species composition of 15-year-old regrowth in mixed blackbutt forests

Summary In north-eastern New South Wales (NSW) the Regional Forest Agreement process has transferred more than 400 000 ha of state forests to national park, and restricted silviculture to ‘single tree selection’ and a light form of ‘Australian group selection’. While these silvicultural systems are theoretically well suited to ecologically sustainable forest management, there is concern that in their current form they are not achieving adequate regeneration or optimising the growth of that regeneration. This is of particular concern for mixed-species blackbutt forest, for which there is no quantitative research concerning the growth and composition of regeneration within group-selection gaps. We address this issue by: (1) quantifying the effect of gap size, and other gap characteristics including distance from gap edge, on the growth of regeneration; and (2) assessing the effect of gap size on the composition of regeneration. We use the answers to these questions to recommend a gap size for group selection silviculture in mixed-species blackbutt forests in north-eastern NSW. We measured attributes describing the growth and composition of regeneration in nine circular group-selection gaps in mixed—species blackbutt forest near Coffs Harbour and Wauchope. These gaps contained 14.5–15.5-y-old regeneration and provided three replicates of small (0.27–0.3 ha), medium (0.45–0.67 ha) and large (0.93–0.97 ha) gaps. ANOVA testing indicated significantly (P < 0.05) lower height, diameter and volume growth of dominant blackbutt stems up to five metres from gap edge. Outside this zone growth remained fairly constant, indicating dominant blackbutt trees were susceptible to suppression only in close proximity to gap edges. Multiple regression analysis confirmed the relatively short distance from gap edges over which suppression occurred, with distance to closest gap edge explaining a small proportion of the variation in the models fitted for tree—and plot-level growth. The origin of blackbutt regeneration within gaps was a significant effect in tree-level growth models, with planted stems having increased diameter and volume growth compared with stems regenerated from natural seedfall. Gap size had no significant effect on the composition of regeneration. We conclude that for the range of gaps tested, 1-ha gaps are optimal for growth because they minimise the proportion of gap within 5 m of the retained forest edge, without altering composition. Larger gaps have also been shown to have operational and economic benefits compared with smaller gaps.
THE TREND IN THE EARNING MANAGEMENTS IN RELATION TO THE IMPROVEMENTS IN ACCOUNTING STANDARDS

This paper studies the temporal trend of earnings management over the last decade in a sample of German listed companies. To get this purpose, we analyse discretionary accruals of firms yielded from 2001 to 2010 applying the Seemingly Unrelated Regression (SUR) methodology and highlighting the mandatory character of IFRS from 2005 on. Our results indicate that as companies have incentives to adopt IFRS, the level of earnings management decreases for a certain period of time. However, we find no evidence about higher financial reporting quality in mandatory IFRS adopters after IFRS adoption.
Isolation and presumptive characterization of probiotic lactic acid bacteria from yoghurt

Probiotics, as functional food components, are recognized as safe microorganisms of viable single or mixed cultures with claimed health promoting effects on their host by improving the properties of the indigenous intestinal microflora. In the present study, a total of ten probiotic lactic acid bacteria were isolated comprising Lactobacillus acidophilus , Lactobacillus brevis , Bifidobacterium sp. and Streptococcus thermophilus . According to morphological, physiological, and biochemical assays, all the isolates were gram positive, endospore negative, catalase negative, non-motile, and possessed bile salt hydrolase activity characteristic to probiotic bacteria. Carbohydrate fermentation profiles ensured the presumptive identification. Importantly, the isolates were resistant to artificial gastric juice environment at pH 2.2, and their resistance decreased after 24 h of incubation at 37°C. Moreover, bile salt tolerance was observed not only at 0.05, 0.1, 0.15, and 0.3% artificial bile from 0 to 4 h of incubation at 37°C, but also started multiplication after 16 h. The best phenol tolerance found at 0.1 to 0.2% phenol, very low at 0.3 and 0.4% phenol after 12 and 24 h of incubation, respectively. They also possessed excellent tolerance against 1 to 7% NaCl. Because of being probiotic potentiality, the best isolates can be used for probiotic product development in future.
Migratory patterns and contribution of stocking to the population of European eel in Lithuanian waters as indicated by otolith Sr:Ca ratios.

Otolith Sr:Ca ratios were examined to evaluate the contribution of the stocked eel Anguilla anguilla elvers, which have been stocked in Lithuanian waters and mixed with naturally recruited eels for several decades, to the native eel population. Stocked eels were identified by the freshwater signature (Sr:Ca ratios 3·23 x 10 -3 ) after the glass eel stage. Of 108 eels analysed, 21 eels had otolith Sr:Ca ratio profiles consistent with stocking while 87 showed patterns of natural recruitment. The ages of naturally recruited eels arriving in Lithuanian fresh waters varied from 1 to 10 years, with a mean ± S.D. age of 5.2 ± 2·1 years. Eels from the inland Lake Baluosai were all freshwater residents of stocked origin. Stocked eels, however, accounted for only 20% of the eels from the Curonian Lagoon and 2% of eels sampled in Baltic coastal waters. This finding does not support the hypothesis that the eel fishery in the Curonian Lagoon depends mostly on stocking.
Can Stimulating Demand Drive Costs Down? World War II as a Natural Experiment

U.S. military production during World War II increased at an impressive rate and led to large declines in unit costs. However, the literature has focused on elucidating detailed mechanisms behind this relationship, using small datasets on specific products. Here we take a step back and, looking at an unprecedently large collection of data, we show that both exogenous technological progress and endogenous effects from increasing production experience were important, in roughly similar proportions. The demand for military products was largely exogenous, and the correlation between production, cumulative production, and time was weak, limiting issues of reverse causality and multicollinearity.
POST-TRAUMATIC GROWTH, COPING, AND SOCIAL SUPPORT AMONG DISASTER SURVIVORS IN THE PROVINCE OF YOGYAKARTA, INDONESIA

Natural disasters cause many casualties, physical damage, and loss of properties. The event has a potential to cause traumatic experiences. Traditionally research has examined the negative or pathological effects that trauma may have on individuals, as well as variables that are proposed to influence post-trauma outcomes. In recent years, empirical post-trauma research has broadened its scope to investigate positive changes that may also occur following the experience of traumatic events. This study examines coping and social support variables in relation to levels of post-traumatic growth among disaster survivors. The sample consists of 100 survivors, female 53 (mean = 75,47; SD = 8,248) and male 47 (mean = 74,04 ; SD = 8,917) affected by natural disaster, earthquake 2006 in Bantul district (n = 50) and volcano eruption 2010 in Cangkringan Sleman district (n = 50) in Yogyakarta Province, Indonesia. Data were collected several years after disasters in 2013. The measurement instrument used for data collection has subscales on post-traumatic growth level, coping, and perceived social support. Coping aspects are divided into approach and avoidance coping. Possible predictors to post-traumatic growth were examined by regression analyses. Approach coping confirmed a significant relationship with post-traumatic growth scores. The result shows that approach coping and social support are significant predictors of post-traumatic growth. Implications for this research offer further highlight the needs for addressing approach coping and social support, which are more important than the nature of traumatic event in rehabilitation programme for disaster survivors.
Optical properties of leaves of some species in arid South Australia.

Reflection and transmission spectra were measured for the leaves of a number of species of South Australian arid zone vegetation, over the wavelength range 350- 1350 nm. Spectra were also obtained for several non-arid species for comparison. Coefficients of reflection, transmission, and absorption of solar radiation were calculated from these spectra, and also obtained from direct measurements made with a specially constructed reflecting hemisphere. The coefficients of reflection for the arid zone species covered a wide range of values, and the group as a whole could not be clearly separated from the comparison group on the basis of reflection or absorption coeficients. Of the species in the group, Atriplex vesicaria had the highest coefficient of reflection, and also the lowest coefficient of absorption.
Developing and Testing the Transformative Travel Experience Scale (TTES)

Transformative travel encourages tourists to self-reflect, question their assumptions, and develop a more tolerant worldview. While this form of travel is gaining attention, there is unmet demand for a scale that measures the complex transformative travel experience and potential outcomes. This study focuses on developing the Transformative Travel Experience Scale (TTES). The study applies a well-tested approach based on DeVellis and Podsakoff et al. to reveal that a four-dimensional scale, composed of the dimensions of local residents and culture, self-assurance, disorienting dilemma, and joy, can be successfully used to measure the process and outcomes of transformative travel. From a theoretical perspective, the findings suggest that the disorienting dilemma might occur at different points in time. The Transformative Travel Experience Scale is helpful to organizations that want to capture the positive changes resulting from participation in transformative travel when applying for certifications, awards, and grants.
Determination of phenolic content, antiradical, antioxidant and antimicrobial activities of Turkish pine honey

Pine (Pinus brutia Ten.) honey obtained from Mugla (n=12) and Marmaris (n=8) in the southwest of Turkey were evaluated for total phenolic content by the Folin-Ciocalteu method, for potential antioxidant capacity using phosphomolybdenum assay and by the 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl method for antiradical activity. The results of the study showed that total phenolic content of honey obtained from Mugla and Marmaris ranged from 62.01 and 68.78 mg/100 g honey as gallic acid equivalent, respectively. The antioxidant capacity of honey obtained from Mugla and Marmaris were 16.82 and 22.16 mg ascorbic acid equivalent/g honey, respectively. The antiradical activity of honey samples were assayed in vitro by measuring the inhibition of the scavenging activities of pine honey collected from Mugla and Marmaris which were found to be 44.05 and 57.49%, respectively. Pine honey did not show antimicrobial activity at 5, 10 and 25% concentrations. The samples showed their highest antimicrobial activity against some microo.
Eficiência no uso de nitrogênio e correlação fenotípica em populações tropicais de milho no Tocantins 1

of Moll was possible to differentiate populations for nitrogen use efficiency in environment of low availability of soil N. The characteristics evaluated were influenced by different levels of nitrogen, except for 100 seeds weight. The populations studied differ itself in all characteristics, indicating variability. Moll index was significantly associated with all characteristics studied except for the Fischer index, indicating possible to obtain genotypes efficient in nitrogen use by selection of these characteristics.