Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effects of Subsidy on Food Consumption Pattern in Rural and Urban Households of Western Tamil Nadu, India

India is a rapidly growing developing country, but has a larger food-insecure population than all of Sub-Saharan Africa (Krishnamurthy et al., 2014). Given the prevalence of chronic malnutrition, India is engaged in a prolonged debate about increasing expenditures on its national food aid program, the Public Distribution System (PDS). India spent nearly one percent of its gross domestic product on the PDS in 2012 (FAO, 2012), and that amount likely will increase under the National Food Security Act (NFSA) of 2013, which became law in September 2013 (Meade et al., 2013). The Public Distribution System (PDS) is one of the biggest anti-poverty programmes of the Indian government (Khera and Reetika, 2011). The PDS provides assistance to below poverty line (BPL) households in the form of a monthly quota of subsidised goods including rice, wheat, sugar, edible oil and kerosene, though a network of 4.9 lakh fair price shops across the country (Puri and Ragahv, 2012). The primary aim of the programme is to improve the nutritional status International Journal of Current Microbiology and Applied Sciences ISSN: 2319-7706 Volume 6 Number 4 (2017) pp. 2112-2124 Journal homepage: http://www.ijcmas. com
Exploring Managers' Accrual-Related Forecast Bias

In this study, we examine the effect of accrual-based earnings management on the association between managers’ earnings forecast errors and accruals, which we label “managers’ accrual-related forecast bias. ” We build on extensive research which finds that managers engage in accrual-based earnings management to meet or beat earnings benchmarks and report smooth earnings series. We hypothesize that managers bias their subsequent-year forecasts in the direction of accruals management to increase market confidence in the managed earnings numbers. Consistent with our expectations, we find a positive association between managers’ earnings forecast errors and discretionary accruals, but no association between managers’ earnings forecast errors and nondiscretionary accruals. Furthermore, the association between managers’ earnings forecast errors and discretionary accruals is stronger when managers have limited ability to continue managing subsequent-year accruals to support the bias in their forecasts. We also find a substantial decline in managers’ accrual-related forecast bias following the enactment of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (SOX), which restricted managers’ use of accrual-based earnings management. More importantly, we find that the effect of forecasting difficulty on managers’ accrual-related forecast bias occurs only in the pre-SOX period. Overall, our results suggest that, contrary to claims in prior research, managers’ accrual-related forecast bias is not simply a product of forecasting difficulty related to accruals. Rather, at least in some cases, it appears to be intentional.
The Complex of Sphingomonas elodea ATCC 31461 Glucose-1-Phosphate Uridylyltransferase with Glucose-1-Phosphate Reveals a Novel Quaternary Structure, Unique among Nucleoside Diphosphate-Sugar Pyrophosphorylase Members

ABSTRACT Gellan gum is a widely used commercial material, available in many different forms. Its economic importance has led to studies into the biosynthesis of exopolysaccharide gellan gum, which is industrially prepared in high yields using Sphingomonas elodea ATCC 31461. Glucose-1-phosphate uridylyltransferase mediates the reversible conversion of glucose-1-phosphate and UTP into UDP-glucose and pyrophosphate, which is a key step in the biosynthetic pathway of gellan gums. Here we present the X-ray crystal structure of the glucose-1-phosphate uridylyltransferase from S. elodea. The S. elodea enzyme shares strong monomeric similarity with glucose-1-phosphate thymidylyltransferase, several structures of which are known, although the quaternary structures of the active enzymes are rather different. A detailed comparison between S. elodea glucose-1-phosphate uridylyltransferase and available thymidylyltransferases is described and shows remarkable structural similarities, despite the low sequence identities between the two divergent groups of proteins.
BUSINESS STRATEGY, EMPOWERMENT, AND STAKEHOLDER RELATIONS IN TWO COOPERATIVES: AN ORGANIZATIONAL ANALYSIS

This paper examines the distinctive business strategies, people empowerment, and stakeholder relations employed by two selected cooperatives in Pres. Roxas, Cotabato, and Kapatagan, Digos. Using the framework on organizational development process, this study shows how these cooperatives were able to cope with their organizational problems and issues; and what interventions they made to recoup their position and instill renewed hope among their stakeholders. The Green Valley Multi-Purpose Cooperative positioned itself as a primary agri-marketing cooperative in Pres. Roxas, and eventually branched out to other major rice-producing areas in the Cotabato province. Its strong financial condition that allowed it to expand its savings and loans into a banking service was in large part due to the strong relations it had developed with cooperative alliances, and in its innate ability to effectively manage the member’s investments. The Kauswagan Cooperative managed to bolster its vegetable trading after its long operational slump. The coop management’s recognition of their organizational problems and their renewed effort to recover their large collectibles, complemented with the establishment of an internal control system, enabled them to embark on a transparent and sustainable cooperative undertaking.
The determination of glucosamine and galactosamine.

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Opening Hours, Store Quality, and Social Welfare

This paper examines retailer's strategies related to opening hours, store quality, and price. We consider a scenario in which the investment in store quality is more costly for longer opening hours. This scenario is suitable for a case where a retailer invests in quality of service such as concierge service and security service in order to increase customers' convenience during business hours. We show that a retailer with shorter opening hours chooses higher service quality and charges lower prices. We also examine the impact of the liberalized and the regulated opening hours on social welfare. We find that the liberalized opening hours is desirable in view of social welfare because service quality and demand in the liberalized opening hours are greater than those in the regulated opening hours.
A Ka-band Luneburg lens fed by magneto-electric dipole antenna

A Luneburg lens with end-fire magneto-electric (ME) dipole feed is designed in Ka-band for millimeter-wave applications. An impedance bandwidth of wider than 33% for |S11| of less than −10 dB, stable gain of around 19 dBi and symmetrical radiation patterns that are almost identical in two orthogonal planes are achieved by the proposed design.
Can citizen science enhance public understanding of science?

Over the past 20 years, thousands of citizen science projects engaging millions of participants in collecting and/or processing data have sprung up around the world. Here we review documented outcomes from four categories of citizen science projects which are defined by the nature of the activities in which their participants engage – Data Collection, Data Processing, Curriculum-based, and Community Science. We find strong evidence that scientific outcomes of citizen science are well documented, particularly for Data Collection and Data Processing projects. We find limited but growing evidence that citizen science projects achieve participant gains in knowledge about science knowledge and process, increase public awareness of the diversity of scientific research, and provide deeper meaning to participants’ hobbies. We also find some evidence that citizen science can contribute positively to social well-being by influencing the questions that are being addressed and by giving people a voice in local environmental decision making. While not all citizen science projects are intended to achieve a greater degree of public understanding of science, social change, or improved science -society relationships, those projects that do require effort and resources in four main categories: (1) project design, (2) outcomes measurement, (3) engagement of new audiences, and (4) new directions for research.
A study of muscle tissue oxygenation and peripheral microcirculatory dysfunction in cirrhosis using near infrared spectroscopy

Background: The circulatory dysfunction associated with cirrhosis is well described. Reduced systemic vascular resistance and high cardiac output are the main features of the hyperdynamic state, but involvement of the peripheral microcirculation in this process is poorly understood. Near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) has been used to assess muscle tissue oxygenation (StO2) in haemorrhagic and septic shock. Vascular occlusion testing (VOT) can produce dynamic changes in StO2 which represent tissue oxygen extraction, delivery, and hence, surrogate markers of microvascular function.
Evaluation of direct-to-consumer low-volume lab tests in healthy adults.

BACKGROUND. Clinical laboratory tests are now being prescribed and made directly available to consumers through retail outlets in the USA. Concerns with these test have been raised regarding the uncertainty of testing methods used in these venues and a lack of open, scientific validation of the technical accuracy and clinical equivalency of results obtained through these services. METHODS. We conducted a cohort study of 60 healthy adults to compare the uncertainty and accuracy in 22 common clinical lab tests between one company offering blood tests obtained from finger prick (Theranos) and 2 major clinical testing services that require standard venipuncture draws (Quest and LabCorp). Samples were collected in Phoenix, Arizona, at an ambulatory clinic and at retail outlets with point-of-care services. RESULTS. Theranos flagged tests outside their normal range 1.6× more often than other testing services ( P < 0.0001). Of the 22 lab measurements evaluated, 15 (68%) showed significant interservice variability ( P < 0.002). We found nonequivalent lipid panel test results between Theranos and other clinical services. Variability in testing services, sample collection times, and subjects markedly influenced lab results. CONCLUSION. While laboratory practice standards exist to control this variability, […] outlets in the USA. Concerns with these test have been raised regarding the uncertainty of testing methods used in these venues and a lack of open, scientific validation of the technical accuracy and clinical equivalency of results obtained through these services. METHODS. We conducted a cohort study of 60 healthy adults to compare the uncertainty and accuracy in 22 common clinical lab tests between one company offering blood tests obtained from finger prick (Theranos) and 2 major clinical testing services that require standard venipuncture draws (Quest and LabCorp). Samples were collected in Phoenix, Arizona, at an ambulatory clinic and at retail outlets with point-of-care services. RESULTS. Theranos flagged tests outside their normal range 1.6× more often than other testing services ( P < 0.0001). Of the 22 lab measurements evaluated, 15 (68%) showed significant interservice variability ( P < 0.002). We found nonequivalent lipid panel test results between Theranos and other clinical services. Variability in testing services, sample collection times, and subjects markedly influenced lab results. CONCLUSION. While laboratory practice standards exist to control this variability, the disparities between testing services we observed could potentially alter clinical interpretation and health care utilization. Greater transparency and evaluation of testing technologies would increase their utility in personalized health management. and
Metastasis of unknown origin: The role of fine‐needle aspiration cytology

Metastasis of unknown origin (MUO) manifests either as a tumor deposit in an organ, often cervical lymphadenopathy, or as a multiorgan carcinomatosis. As a diagnostic and therapeutic challenge, the definition of its cell type and possibly its origin is imperative, although a limited diagnostic investigation is usually recommended. At Hines VA Hospital, from 1986 to 1994, there were 116 cases with admitting clinical diagnosis of MUO, evaluated by fine‐needle aspiration cytology (FNAC). The ages of patients ranged from 29 to 82 years (mean 56 years). All were male; Caucasians predominated. The FNAC examination with Diff‐Quik and Papanicolaou smears were complemented with special and immunostains in 48 cases (41%) and electron microscopy in 93 cases (80%). The FNAC involved lymph nodes in 57 cases (49%), liver in 27 cases (23%), skin in 22 cases (19%), bone in six cases (5%), lung in three cases (3%), and pleura in one case (1%). The neoplasm was generally cell typed, and there were 60 adenocarcinomas/poorly differentiated carcinomas, 26 small‐cell carcinomas (SCC), 23 squamous‐cell carcinomas (SQCC), and six undifferentiated large‐cell carcinomas. The primary source was defined in 30 cases (26%), consisting of lung in 11 cases, prostate in nine, kidney in four, colon in four, pleura in one, and peritoneum in one. Clinical correlation also supported a lung origin for the SCC, while the majority of the SQCC in upper and middle cervical lymph nodes were considered head‐and‐neck tumors. Our results affirm that FNAC is a viable and simple procedure in MUO investigations. Diagn. Cytopathol. 1998;18:319–322. © 1998 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Mineralocorticoid receptor expression and increased survival following neuronal injury

Glucocorticoids, acting via the mineralocorticoid receptor, are required for granule neuronal survival in the rat dentate gyrus. Whether this mineralocorticoid receptor‐mediated neuroprotective effect has more general applicability is unknown. Here we report increased mineralocorticoid receptor expression in rat hippocampal and cortical neurons exposed in vitro to low levels of staurosporine and in rat hippocampal pyramidal neurons exposed in vivo to hypothermic transient global ischaemia. In both the cell culture system and the in vivo system increased mineralocorticoid receptor expression is associated with increased neuronal survival, and this increase is reversed by mineralocorticoid receptor antagonism. Modulation of mineralocorticoid receptor gene expression may therefore be an important target for reduction of brain injury in conditions caused by cerebral ischaemia including brain damage following cardiac arrest and stroke.
Summarizing Personal Dataspace Based on User Interests

A personal dataspace management system (PDSMS) is a platform to manage personal data with various data types. Facing huge volume of heterogeneous personal data and complex relationships between them, it is better for users to start with a simplified, easy-to-read schema and then explore in depth only the relevant schema elements during formulating queries. Existing approaches of database schema summarization neglect user interests, which is very important in a personal dataspace. We propose a framework for building a concise resource summary based on user interests automatically in PDSMS. Our method builds the initial summary by partitioning schema graph according to its linkage information and selecting representative elements based on a novel measure on schema element typicality. Then, user interested degree for schema node is introduced to measure user interests and the initial summary is refined according to user interests. Finally, we evaluate the quality of our resource summary through a comprehensi.
Tracking of the internal jugular vein in ultrasound images using optical flow

Detection of relative changes in circulating blood volume is important to guide resuscitation and manage variety of medical conditions including sepsis, trauma, dialysis and congestive heart failure. Recent studies have shown that estimates of circulating blood volume can be obtained from ultrasound imagery of the of the internal jugular vein (IJV). However, segmentation and tracking of the IJV is significantly influenced by speckle noise and shadowing which introduce uncertainty in the boundaries of the vessel. In this paper, we investigate the use of optical flow algorithms for segmentation and tracking of the IJV and show that the classical Lucas-Kanade (LK) algorithm provides the best performance among well-known flow tracking algorithms.
The Influence of Institutionally Embedded Ownership on Anglo-American Corporate Governance Migration into Emerging Economy IPO Firms

We argue that the corporate governance of emerging economy IPO firms is influenced by firm-specific institutionally embedded block ownership groups. Applying an extended institutional logic perspective and using a mixed-effects ordered probit model, our findings from 190 IPO-firms from 22 African countries 2000–2016, support the notion that five major block owner categories (corporate, private equity, non-executive, business group, state) exerts very different influence on African firms’ degree of adoption of Anglo-American corporate governance measures. We find that the influence from the various block owner groups is significantly moderated by institutional quality and tribalism, but to different degrees and directions across block owner groups. Our contextually embedded firm-specific results support the criticism of a one-hat-fits-all global and uniform corporate governance model.
Biosorption of anionic textile dyes from aqueous solution by yeast slurry from brewery

This study investigated the biosorption of the anionic textile dyes: Reactive Red 239 (RR239), Reactive Black B (RBB) and Direct Blue 85 (DB85) according to pH, biomass dosage, contact time and dye concentration onto waste beer yeast slurry. The kinetics and isotherm of the removal of dyes were also studied. The equilibrium of biosorption reaction was reached after 30 min for the reactive dyes and after 60 min for the direct dye. Optimum decolorization was observed at pH 2 and 0.63 g/L of biomass dosage. The kinetic data of the three dyes were better described by the pseudo second-order model. The adsorption process followed the Langmuir isotherm model and the biosorption capacity being estimated to be 152.9, 162.7 and 139.2 mg/g for RR239, RBB and DB85, respectively. Our findings indicated that the waste beer yeast slurry was an attractive low-cost biosorbent for the removal of anionic textile dyes from aqueous solution.
The Determinants of Brand Extension’s Success in an Emerging Market: Identifying The Effects of Parent Brand Image, Category Fit And Consumer Characteristics

Brand extension is the use of an established brand name to launch new products. It is one of the most used branding strategies because it gives the new brands faster acceptance. But the brand extension contains risks as well as it has opportunities. The wrong extension could create damaging associations that may be expensive to change. The failure affects the extension strategy as well as the existing brand either through brand dilution or damaging the existing brand image. In sum, “if the judgement is wrong, substantial time and resources are lost and other market opportunities may be missed”. In that scope the success of the brand extension is a crucial issue for a company. Through that, this study aims to identify the key determinants influencing the brand extension’s success in an emerging market. In this study, the data is collected by face-to-face interviews with 453 students. In order to test the research hypothesis structural equation modelling was conducted.
IN VIVO EVALUATION OF BUDESONIDE MICROSPHERES FOR COLON SPECIFIC DRUG DELIVERY

Objective: The aim of the present study was to evaluate the in vivo behaviour of budesonide microspheres for colon targeted delivery. Methods: In vivo therapeutic effect was evaluated using trinitrobenzene sulfonic acid (TNBS) induced colitis in rats. The therapeutic effect was assessed by determining the damage score, clinical activity score, colon/body weight(C/B) ratio and myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity measurement. The data were compared with standard drug 5-aminosalicylic acid (5-ASA). The targeting efficiency of the formulation was assessed by X-ray studies on the rabbit. Results: The study showed that oral administration of budesonide microspheres exerted an affirmative impact on the colonic ulcer healing by decreasing the area of ulceration, reducing the mass of colon by improving the symptoms of colitis. MPO activity decreased significantly after oral administration of microspheres. Histopathological studies carried out also confirmed the result. The X-ray studies revealed that the formulations were able to target the colon. Conclusion : The in vivo study confirmed the ability of budesonide microspheres in targeting the colonic region. Keywords : Budesonide, Colitis, Targeted delivery, Myeloperoxidase, Ulceration, Clinical activity score
A Derivative-Free Algorithm for Inequality Constrained Nonlinear Programming via Smoothing of an linfty Penalty Function

In this paper we consider inequality constrained nonlinear optimization problems where the first order derivatives of the objective function and the constraints cannot be used. Our starting point is the possibility to transform the original constrained problem into an unconstrained or linearly constrained minimization of a nonsmooth exact penalty function. This approach shows two main difficulties: the first one is the nonsmoothness of this class of exact penalty functions which may cause derivative-free codes to converge to nonstationary points of the problem; the second one is the fact that the equivalence between stationary points of the constrained problem and those of the exact penalty function can only be stated when the penalty parameter is smaller than a threshold value which is not known a priori. In this paper we propose a derivative-free algorithm which overcomes the preceding difficulties and produces a sequence of points that admits a subsequence converging to a Karush-Kuhn-Tucker point of the constrained problem. In particular the proposed algorithm is based on a smoothing of the nondifferentiable exact penalty function and includes an updating rule which, after at most a finite number of updates, is able to determine a “right value” for the penalty parameter. Furthermore we present the results obtained on a real world problem concerning the estimation of parameters in an insulin-glucose model of the human body.