Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Comparison of different measuring methods for body temperature in lactating cows under different climatic conditions

The aim of the research described here was to compare different methods of body temperature (BT) measurements in dairy cows. It was hypothesised that reticular temperature (RET) values reflect the physiological status of the animals in an equivalent way to rectal (RT) and vaginal (VT) measurements. RT, VT and RET temperatures of twelve lactating Holstein–Friesian cows were measured over five consecutive days in June and October 2013. While RT and VT were manually measured three times a day, RET was automatically recorded at 10 min intervals using a bolus in the reticulum. For comparison with RT and VT, different RET values were used: single values at the respective recording times (RET-SIN), and mean (RET-MEAN) and median (RET-MED) values of 2 h prior to RT and VT measurements. Overall, body temperatures averaged 38·1 ± 0·6, 38·2 ± 0·4, 38·7 ± 0·9, 38·5 ± 0·7 and 38·7 ± 0·5 °C for RT, VT, RET-SIN, RET-MEAN and RET-MED, respectively. RT and VT were lower than all RET measurements, while RET-SIN and RET-MED were higher than RET-MEAN (P < 0·001). RET-MEAN and RET-MED values were higher in the morning, whereas RT and VT were greatest in the evening (P < 0·001). Overall, records of RT and VT were strongly correlated (r = 0·75; P < 0·001). In contrast to RET-SIN and RET-MEAN, RET-MED was higher correlated to RT and VT. In June, coefficients were higher between all methods than in October. Relation of barn T to RT and VT was stronger when compared to RET measurements. RET-SIN was higher correlated to barn T than RET-MEAN or RET-MED. Correlation between VT and barn T was strongest (r = 0·48; P < 0·001). In summary, RET-MED showed highest correlation with VT and RT. However, single RET measurements (influenced by water or feed intake) can lead to extreme variations and differences to single VT and RT values.
A Study of Factors Affecting Health-Promoting Behaviors to Young-Elderly Adults in Urban and Rural Communities

The purpose of this study was to identify the factors affecting health-promoting behaviors in young-elderly adults in urban and rural communities. The subjects were 202 men and women aged 65–74 years. Multiple regression analysis was performed. The most significant predictor of health-promoting behaviors was health-related behaviors (β = 0.574, P < 0.001) in elderly adults from urban communities, and this model accounted for 63.1% of the variance in health-promoting behaviors (F = 47.661, P < 0.001). The most significant predictor of health-promoting behaviors was perceived benefit (β = 0.738, P < 0.001) in subjects from rural communities, and this model accounted for 66.2% of the variance in health-promoting behaviors (F = 59.168, P < 0.001). Health management personnel should recognize the importance of health management for healthy aging individuals and implement preventive health management policies and nursing interventions actively, with the objective of promoting the performance of healthpromoting behaviors in elderly adults.
Funding Mechanisms for Higher Education: A Marketing Perspective

This paper develops an analytical model to investigate the impact of governmental funding of higher education on educational outcomes including tuition, graduation rates, and enrollment. Assuming that students make an enrollment decision based on tuition, graduation rate, and labor market prospects, we show that push and pull funding strategies are equally effective in lowering net tuition and in increasing enrollment, the expected graduation rate, and social welfare without compromising the academic standards. We also show that a policy change from enrollment-based funding to performance-based funding raises graduation rates but does not necessarily improve the performance of the education system.
Does skeletal muscle carnitine availability influence fuel selection during exercise?

Fat and carbohydrate are the major fuel sources utilised for oxidative, mitochondrial ATP resynthesis during human skeletal muscle contraction. The relative contribution of these two substrates to ATP resynthesis and total energy expenditure during exercise can vary substantially, and is predominantly determined by fuel availability and exercise intensity and duration. For example, the increased ATP demand that occurs with an increase in exercise intensity is met by increases in both fat and carbohydrate oxidation up to an intensity of approximately 60–70 % of maximal oxygen consumption. When exercise intensity increases beyond this workload, skeletal muscle carbohydrate utilisation is accelerated, which results in a reduction and inhibition of the relative and absolute contribution of fat oxidation to total energy expenditure. However, the precise mechanisms regulating muscle fuel selection and underpinning the decline in fat oxidation remain unclear. This brief review will primarily address the theory that a carbohydrate flux-mediated reduction in the availability of muscle carnitine to the mitochondrial enzyme carnitine palmitoyltransferase 1, a rate-limiting step in mitochondrial fat translocation, is a key mechanism for the decline in fat oxidation during high-intensity exercise. This is discussed in relation to recent work in this area investigating fuel metabolism at various exercise intensities and taking advantage of the discovery that skeletal muscle carnitine content can be nutritionally increased in vivo in human subjects.
Interleukin-1- and Type I Interferon-Dependent Enhanced Immunogenicity of an NYVAC-HIV-1 Env-Gag-Pol-Nef Vaccine Vector with Dual Deletions of Type I and Type II Interferon-Binding Proteins

ABSTRACT NYVAC, a highly attenuated, replication-restricted poxvirus, is a safe and immunogenic vaccine vector. Deletion of immune evasion genes from the poxvirus genome is an attractive strategy for improving the immunogenic properties of poxviruses. Using systems biology approaches, we describe herein the enhanced immunological profile of NYVAC vectors expressing the HIV-1 clade C env, gag, pol, and nef genes (NYVAC-C) with single or double deletions of genes encoding type I (ΔB19R) or type II (ΔB8R) interferon (IFN)-binding proteins. Transcriptomic analyses of human monocytes infected with NYVAC-C, NYVAC-C with the B19R deletion (NYVAC-C-ΔB19R), or NYVAC-C with B8R and B19R deletions (NYVAC-C-ΔB8RB19R) revealed a concerted upregulation of innate immune pathways (IFN-stimulated genes [ISGs]) of increasing magnitude with NYVAC-C-ΔB19R and NYVAC-C-ΔB8RB19R than with NYVAC-C. Deletion of B8R and B19R resulted in an enhanced activation of IRF3, IRF7, and STAT1 and the robust production of type I IFNs and of ISGs, whose expression was inhibited by anti-type I IFN antibodies. Interestingly, NYVAC-C-ΔB8RB19R induced the production of much higher levels of proinflammatory cytokines (tumor necrosis factor [TNF], interleukin-6 [IL-6], and IL-8) than NYVAC-C or NYVAC-C-ΔB19R as well as a strong inflammasome response (caspase-1 and IL-1β) in infected monocytes. Top network analyses showed that this broad response mediated by the deletion of B8R and B19R was organized around two upregulated gene expression nodes (TNF and IRF7). Consistent with these findings, monocytes infected with NYVAC-C-ΔB8RB19R induced a stronger type I IFN-dependent and IL-1-dependent allogeneic CD4+ T cell response than monocytes infected with NYVAC-C or NYVAC-C-ΔB19R. Dual deletion of type I and type II IFN immune evasion genes in NYVAC markedly enhanced its immunogenic properties via its induction of the increased expression of type I IFNs and IL-1β and make it an attractive candidate HIV vaccine vector. IMPORTANCE NYVAC is a replication-deficient poxvirus developed as a vaccine vector against HIV. NYVAC expresses several genes known to impair the host immune defenses by interfering with innate immune receptors, cytokines, or interferons. Given the crucial role played by interferons against viruses, we postulated that targeting the type I and type II decoy receptors used by poxvirus to subvert the host innate immune response would be an attractive approach to improve the immunogenicity of NYVAC vectors. Using systems biology approaches, we report that deletion of type I and type II IFN immune evasion genes in NYVAC poxvirus resulted in the robust expression of type I IFNs and interferon-stimulated genes (ISGs), a strong activation of the inflammasome, and upregulated expression of IL-1β and proinflammatory cytokines. Dual deletion of type I and type II IFN immune evasion genes in NYVAC poxvirus improves its immunogenic profile and makes it an attractive candidate HIV vaccine vector.
Hydroxyapatite cement scaffolds with controlled macroporosity : fabrication protocol and mechanical properties

Precipitated hydroxyapatite cement scaffolds with macroporosity of controlled size and shape were successfully built using a solid freeform fabrication process. The negative macroporosity was designed using CAD software and built with an inkjet machine. A slip casting process using a plaster mold was used to precipitate the cement and manufacture samples for mechanical testing. The negative macroporosity was then extracted from the samples using a thermal process. Compression, tension and torsion tests were completed successfully on the precipitated hydroxyapatite cement samples in moist condition. Elastic and strength properties were measured for these three loading cases and compared to the plain hydroxyapatite cement properties reported in a previous study. Homogenization theory was applied to estimate the elastic properties of the manufactured scaffolds. A good correlation was obtained between the experimental data and the theory. r 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.
Linkage between knowledge management and manufacturing performance: a structural equation modeling approach

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to examine the effect of knowledge management (KM) on manufacturing performance and the relationships among three KM measures, namely, knowledge resources, KM processes and KM factors. It also determined a collective set of KM metrics based on these three measures. Design/methodology/approach – Data were collected using questionnaires posted to 700 manufacturing companies in Malaysia from which 206 usable responses were obtained. The analysis and hypotheses testing were implemented using structural equation modeling. Findings – The results showed that the constructs of knowledge resources, KM processes and KM factors have significant and direct effects on manufacturing performance. In terms of covariance, the results also indicated that these three constructs were correlated with each other. Research limitations/implications – The sample over-represented large firms and the study was a cross-sectional approach that collected data at a single point in time. Practical .
Prevalence and correlates of antibiotic sharing in the Philippines: antibiotic misconceptions and community‐level access to non‐medical sources of antibiotics

To identify sociodemographic, knowledge and attitudinal correlates to antibiotic sharing among a community‐based sample of adults (age 18 and older) in a low‐income setting of the Philippines and to explore community‐level data on informal antibiotic distribution in roadside stands (i.e., sari‐sari stands).
Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy for Microbial Fuel CellCharacterization

Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy is an efficient, non-intrusive and semi-quantitative technique to characterize the performance of bio-electrochemical systems such as microbial fuel cells and enzymatic fuel cells. Indeed, quantitative interpretation of the impedance data can be obtained with the help of mechanistic models using meaningful equivalent circuits. The production of maximum power using such systems has been limited by their higher internal resistance. The contribution of several different resistances to the overall internal resistance of the system can be ascertained through the measurement of impedance using EIS, which is greatly required for understanding and engineering of its principle components leading to better enhancement of its performance. EIS has been successfully employed in most of the MFC researches helping in advancement of the field through emergence of many novel MFC designs with greater power generating capacity. In a nutshell, impedance spectroscopy provides a valuable addition to the existing biochemical and spectroscopic techniques to better optimize the electrochemical behavior of the biological system.
Hands-free VoIP solution for embedded platforms in consumer electronics

Hands-free VoIP applications are more and more popular in consumer electronics. Telephony is no longer monopolized by telephones and mobile phones, but it starts to conquer the TV market as well. However, hands-free communication in the combination with environments in which TV receivers are typically used, introduces a lot of problems such as the existence of acoustic echo, presence of significant ambient noise that effects the decrease in signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). Besides the acoustic difficulties, implementing such algorithm to an embedded platform introduces a number of new challenges. These problems and their proposed solutions are presented in this paper.
Adaptive control for power oscillation damping by means of a Thyristor Controlled Series Capacitor (TCSC)

This paper describes an adaptive method for control of a TCSC device for power oscillation damping. The aim is to mitigate power oscillations in power systems with one dominating oscillation mode. To design the controller, a simple generic model of the power system with only a few variables is used. Initially, a fixed-parameter controller which is based on a pole-placement technique is designed. The controller is then implemented in a digital simulator and tested in a four-machine power system. The fixed-parameter controller performs well in most cases but in some contingencies, a performance decay is seen. To improve the controller performance, an adaptive control design has been investigated. The investigated controller is a self-tuning regulator and a recursive least-squares method is used to estimate the system model parameters. An open-loop controller for transient stability improvement and a closed-loop PI-controller for power flow control are also presented. The adaptive controller has been validated with good results by means of simulations of a number of contingencies in different operating conditions of the four-machine system.
Selective Reporting of Adjusted Estimates in Observational Epidemiology Studies: Reasons and Implications for Meta-analyses

For meta-analyses of observational epidemiology studies, unadjusted and adjusted study estimates are often extracted. However, there is evidence of selective reporting of adjusted study estimates. We investigate adjustment reporting bias, examining the reasons why some studies do not contribute an adjusted estimate to a meta-analysis. Ten published meta-analyses were re-analysed to assess evidence of adjustment reporting bias and over 100 primary studies were read to investigate why they did not contribute an adjusted estimate to a meta-analysis. Selective reporting of adjusted estimates may lead to a bias in some meta-analyses when adjusted study estimates are not reported because univariate analyses indicated a non-significant effect. We recommend that unadjusted and adjusted study estimates be extracted for a meta-analysis. If adjusted estimates cannot be obtained, the reasons for this should be investigated and sensitivity analyses could be used to assess the impact of this on the meta-analysis.
Utility Maximization Under Solvency Constraints and Unhedgeable Risks

We consider the utility maximization problem for an investor who faces a solvency or risk constraint in addition to a budget constraint. The investor wishes to maximize her expected utility from terminal wealth subject to a bound on her expected solvency at maturity. We measure solvency using a solvency function applied to the terminal wealth. The motivation for our analysis is an optimal investment problem where the investor faces a random and unhedgeable liability at maturity.
Homocysteine, pharmacogenetics, and neurotoxicity in children with leukemia.

PURPOSE Despite its clinical success, methotrexate (MTX) therapy is associated with toxicities such as seizures, the pathogenesis of which remains unclear. It has been suggested that hyperhomocysteinemia is caused by MTX and is responsible for its neurotoxic effects. The purposes of this study were to explore whether hyperhomocysteinemia was related to MTX administration and toxicity and whether homocysteine or MTX toxicity differed by methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) or reduced folate carrier (RFC) genetic polymorphisms. PATIENTS AND METHODS We studied 53 children with newly diagnosed acute lymphoblastic leukemia who were consecutively treated on a single clinical protocol that included two courses of high-dose MTX (high-dose methotrexate [HDMTX]; 2.5 or 5.0 g/m2 per day) as consolidation therapy. RESULTS The study participants' median plasma homocysteine concentrations at 23 and 44 hours after HDMTX (9.00 micromol/L and 10.12 micromol/L, respectively) were greater than the concentrations immediately before HDMTX (5.77 micromol/L, P <.0001 for both comparisons). Seven days after HDMTX treatment, their plasma concentration returned to baseline. Nine patients experienced seizures, and five patients experienced thrombosis during the first 15 months of therapy, with a tendency for there to be higher plasma homocysteine in patients with seizures across all time points (P =.063) but not in patients with thrombosis (P =.59). We observed no significant differences in plasma or cerebrospinal fluid homocysteine levels or in toxicity based on the MTHFR 677C/T or RFC 80G/A genotypes. CONCLUSION We conclude that homocysteine was transiently elevated after HDMTX and may be related to seizure risk in children with leukemia.
Who Is the Sharp Manager? A First Comprehensive Sectorial Wise Analysis of Mutual Fund Industry of Pakistan

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the risk adjusted performance measures, such as Sharpe, Treynor, Sortino, Jensen’s Alpha and Fama measure. A novelty of this work is using the sectorial wise analysis of the all the available data of mutual fund industry of Pakistan. This study used four categories of Voluntary Pension Fund, ten categories of Open ended mutual fund such as index tracker, income, equity, asset allocation, balanced, capital protected, commodity, money market, fund of fund and fixed aggressive fund, and one category of close ended mutual fund. Study revealed that voluntary pension and closed ended fund out-performed and seem to be more diversified and have ability to generate excess return for compensation of bearing high return. Open ended mutual fund under performed and seems to be poor in diversification and selectivity. This conclusion indicates that mutual fund industry of Pakistan face very extensive problem and the ability of fund managers is question mark.
Calculation of T&D Loss % Based on 11/0.4 KV Substation in a distribution utility

Transmission & distribution (T&D) losses in a distribution Utility is calculated on the basis of 11 KV feeders. These T&D losses based on 11 KV feeder serves different categories of consumers like commercial, domestic, small industries etc. Although the T&D losses% in a particular 11KV feeder is low but some of the 11/. 4 KV Substation or Distribution Transformer (DT) covered in this 11 KV feeder may have high T&D losses. So to identify these high T&D losses DT's and to find T&D losses for these DT's or in a particular category of consumers, a comprehensive study was carried out. This paper deals with presenting the method for identification of T&D losses for a particular category of consumers based on DT metering. A computational MATLAB based program is also developed that directly calculates the T&D losses based on DT.
Different Separation or Experimental Techniques for Clinical Chromatography: Small Review

Liquid chromatography is a widely popular technique in clinical laboratories and clinical applications. People evolved and developed various types of chromatographyfor decades after its initial idea published in 1960s. Mostly people use HPLC-MS, UHPLC techniques to purify antibody, drug isomers and enantiomers. Separating molecules of different sizes by modified HPLC and size exclusion chromatography saved solvent reduction by 90% in new instruments. Decades old thin layer chromatography modified into MALDI-TOF-MS for efficient identification of heredity related bulk amino acids secretion and the diseases associated with it. Single peptide branch is also efficiently isolated from a mixed protein sample with the help of MALDI-TOF-MS. Several Biotech companies e.g., Agilent, Thermo Fisher, GE, Sigma-Aldrich, Shimadzu, PerkinElmer, Dionex, Roche, BD Biosciences, and Illumina are the leading companies in chromatography instrumentation areas. They produced innovative liquid chromatography instruments by merging various modified parameters that reduced experimental time and toxic chemical usage. The target of clinical research or pharmaceutical industry is to reduce enantiomer or isomer separation, peak retention; quicker sample processing and flexibility to analyze most of the biological molecules. Column matrix, Injection volume, injection time, ionization and detectors (3D photo diode array chromatogram) are the key measuring parameters in these updated versions of liquid chromatography instruments. Liquid chromatography combined with mass spectrometry or micro fluidic device helps people to detect single nucleotide polymorphism in DNA or early stage of a disease like cancer.
Stage‐specific alterations of the genome, transcriptome, and proteome during colorectal carcinogenesis

To identify sequential alterations of the genome, transcriptome, and proteome during colorectal cancer progression, we have analyzed tissue samples from 36 patients, including the complete mucosa‐adenoma‐carcinoma sequence from 8 patients. Comparative genomic hybridization (CGH) revealed patterns of stage specific, recurrent genomic imbalances. Gene expression analysis on 9K cDNA arrays identified 58 genes differentially expressed between normal mucosa and adenoma, 116 genes between adenoma and carcinoma, and 158 genes between primary carcinoma and liver metastasis (P < 0.001). Parallel analysis of our samples by CGH and expression profiling revealed a direct correlation of chromosomal copy number changes with chromosome‐specific average gene expression levels. Protein expression was analyzed by two‐dimensional gel electrophoresis and subsequent mass spectrometry. Although there was no direct match of differentially expressed proteins and genes, the majority of them belonged to identical pathways or networks. In conclusion, increasing genomic instability and a recurrent pattern of chromosomal imbalances as well as specific gene and protein expression changes correlate with distinct stages of colorectal cancer progression. Chromosomal aneuploidies directly affect average resident gene expression levels, thereby contributing to a massive deregulation of the cellular transcriptome. The identification of novel genes and proteins might deliver molecular targets for diagnostic and therapeutic interventions. © Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Industry Priorities for Cybersecurity Competencies

With the projected global shortfall of almost 2 million Cybersecurity professionals, it become increasingly critical to promote the development of new Cybersecurity degree programs across the U.S. This raises the question of exactly what should these degree programs prepare students to do? In order to examine this question, this study seeks to identify industry priorities for Cybersecurity competencies based on the Department of Labor's Cybersecurity Industry Model, which creates a tiered set of competencies focusing on the NIST NICE Cybersecurity Workforce Framework categories. The study also seeks to determine if these priorities vary by organizational size or industry.