Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Catastrophic risks and insurance in farm-level decision making

Keywords: risk perception, risk attitude, catastrophic risk, insurance, farm characteristics, farmer personal characteristics, utility-efficient programming, arable farming, dairy farming Catastrophic risks can cause severe cash flow problems for farmers or even result into their bankruptcy. To cope with catastrophic risks farmers need to apply risk management strategies. Insurance is a frequently used instrument to cover catastrophic risks. The main goal of the research is to analyse the actual farmer’s behaviour (descriptive approach) and to model the impact of catastrophe insurance purchase (prescriptive approach). Concerning insurance decisions to cope with catastrophic risks, the impact of farmer personal and farmer characteristics is important to consider. In this research, the impact of farmer’s personal risk characteristics on catastrophe insurance purchase was mainly addressed. These characteristics are the farmer’s personal risk perception and his risk attitude. The descriptive approach evaluated the impact of farm and farmer personal characteristics on actual insurance purchase in arable farming as well as in dairy farming. The first part of the descriptive analysis focused on the purchase of several general types of insurance (i.e., damage, disability, health and liability insurance and a combination of previous insurance covers). In the second part, more specific insurance covers were analysed (hail, storm, brown rot, hail-fire-storm insurance for buildings, disability insurance, and insurance against epidemic animal disease outbreaks). The results showed that farm and farmer’s personal characteristics (including risk perception and risk attitude) had a significant impact on actual (catastrophe) insurance purchase. In the prescriptive analysis, the decision making problem describing how arable farmers can cope with catastrophic yield risks was modelled. The analysis focused in more detail on risk perception and risk attitude. For this purpose the results obtained from single-crop two-state risk models were compared with the results obtained from multi-crop multi-state models (utility-efficient portfolio approach). The preferred options whether the decisions to insure and not to insure in terms of utility accounted either for farm income or terminal wealth. The analysis showed that if a farmer makes decisions only in terms of an income-based utility function he is more prone to purchase catastrophe insurance. Those decision-makers who perceived that a risk would relatively seldom occur were less inclined to insure and self-insurance would be preferable. However, if insurance decisions are made only on the basis of the single-crop two-state approach, they may differ from portfolio results because of alternative risk reducing options such as a diversification are not taken into account.
Sukuk issuance in Saudi Arabia : recent trends and positive expectations

The objective of this research is to assess the potential for corporate sukuk in Saudi Arabia by examining issuance so far and seeking opinions from market makers as to how this type of financing can be taken forward. The research considers the appropriateness of Sukuk as long-term Shari’a-compliant financing instruments. One objective is to investigate how Sukuk issuers can tap liquid funds and harness them to contribute to the funding of infrastructure and industrial projects.
Genome-wide association studies: powerful tools for improving drug safety and efficacy.

most closely implicated in disease pathology for the individual patient. Such clinical applications may still be many years away, as even in cases where new therapeutics will be developed based on newly discovered risk alleles and their corresponding protein targets, it typically takes at least one decade for a new drug to reach the market. The question then arises, what types of GWAS will be more likely to lead to clinical applications in the foreseeable future? GWAS are still costly, due to the need for large (typically over 1000) patient cohorts and to the fact that recruitment costs are not decreasing (even though genotyping costs continue to fall). A relatively less explored area in GWAS, and one where we feel that clinical applications may arrive much sooner compared with information regarding carrying disease risk alleles, is the study of pharmacogenetics – the genetic contribution to drug response. More specifically, GWAS could be harnessed for improving drug response – both safety and efficacy – for many current medicines. Drugs are often not safe enough: according to a 2006 report by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) adverse drug reactions (ADRs) account for nearly 7% of all hospital admissions in the USA, with even higher frequencies seen in small children and the elderly [4,5]. Similarly, high ADR rates were observed in the UK [6]. While much knowledge has accumulated over the last two decades regarding genetic factors implicated in ADRs, mostly affected by polymorphic alleles of genes coding for drug-metabolizing enzymes (DME) and drug transporters, applying this knowledge in the clinic suffers from several barriers, which include a lack of reliable data on the genetics of drug response [7,8]. GWAS, thanks to their statistical power and lack of presumptions, offer the potential for bridging this knowledge gap through their capacity to scan the entire human genome in very large patient cohorts [9]. We live in an exciting era for genetics! This is a direct consequence of the availability of powerful and affordable genotyping technologies, along with the development of robust computational methods for analyzing large genetic datasets from patient cohorts. Technology has improved to the point where assessment of 1,000,000 SNPs across the human genome is a ‘normal’ task. The present issue of Pharmacogenomics includes a focus on genome-wide association studies (GWAS). The last 3 years have seen an unprecedented number of publications reporting on new GWAS, most of them concerning the discovery of new disease risk alleles [1–3]. Hundreds of recently published GWAS have opened new insights on genetic risk factors for a wide variety of complex human diseases, from diabetes and asthma to multiple sclerosis and several types of cancer. It remains to be seen to what extent this wealth of novel information on disease risk alleles will go toward improving healthcare.
Analysis of Non-Stationary Time-Series Business Data

In time-series analysis of business and economic data (e.g. stock index data; corporate dividend payments; corporate profits; business start-ups; business survival rates) the statistical concept that has received considerable attention and gained much popularity among applied researchers is the one related to non-stationarity. As discussed in a number of econometrics textbooks (see Verbeek, 2000; Charemza & Deadman, 1997 among others), quantitative analysts are generally concerned with the concept of weak stationarity (or covariance stationarity) i.e. the mean, variances and autocovariances of the series are independent of time; that is E(yt)=c remains constant for all t; var(yt)=E(yt-c)2=? 2 remains constant for all t ; and cov(yt, yt+g)=E[(yt-c)(yt+g-c)]=? g remains constant for all t and g? 0. If one or more of these conditions are not fulfilled the time-series is called non-stationary (this is discussed more analytically in Seddighi et al., 2000).
Distinct molecular composition of blood and lymphatic vascular endothelial cell junctions establishes specific functional barriers within the peripheral lymph node

Lymph nodes are strategically localized at the interfaces between the blood and lymphatic vascular system, delivering immune cells and antigens to the lymph node. As cellular junctions of endothelial cells actively regulate vascular permeability and cell traffic, we have investigated their molecular composition by performing an extensive immunofluorescence study for adherens and tight junction molecules, including vascular endothelium (VE)‐cadherin, the vascular claudins 1, 3, 5 and 12, occludin, members of the junctional adhesion molecule family plus endothelial cell‐selective adhesion molecule (ESAM)‐1, platelet endothelial cell adhesion molecule‐1, ZO‐1 and ZO‐2. We found that junctions of high endothelial venules (HEV), which serve as entry site for naive lymphocytes, are unique due to their lack of the endothelial cell‐specific claudin‐5. LYVE‐1+ sinus‐lining endothelial cells form a diffusion barrier for soluble molecules that arrive at the afferent lymph and use claudin‐5 and ESAM‐1 to establish characteristic tight junctions. Analysis of the spatial relationship between the different vascular compartments revealed that HEV extend beyond the paracortex into the medullary sinuses, where they are protected from direct contact with the lymph by sinus‐lining endothelial cells. The specific molecular architecture of cellular junctions present in blood and lymphatic vessel endothelium in peripheral lymph nodes establishes distinct barriers controlling the distribution of antigens and immune cells within this tissue.
A VLSI architecture for real-time gradient guided image filtering

High performance filtering has been in ever increasing demand for a range of applications, especially for real-time image/video processing. Guided image filter is one of the widely used image filters. Among them, the gradient domain guided image filter for edge-preserving smoothing and for mitigating the halo-artifacts problem existed in the current guided image filters is reported recently. Due to its computation complexity and the requirement of global pixel values in the computation, there is no existing VLSI implementation of gradient domain guided image filter. This paper presents such a VLSI architecture incorporated with techniques to reduce computation complexity and increase processing throughput. Subsampling technique is adopted in the design to save computation cost in terms of size and power consumption, without visually hampering the filtering result. Parallel structure is used at the output stage to restore the full image size and to achieve high throughput. Based on the STM 90-nm CMOS technology, the synthesis result shows that the proposed architecture is able to support Full-HD (1920 × 1080) image filtering at a throughput above 60 frame/s, with a design area of 726671. 6μm2 and power consumption of 9.85mW. Compared to the existing design, it can achieve two times higher throughput, and has 11.25% smaller size and 56.3% lower power consumption.
Gowning by attendants and visitors in newborn nurseries for prevention of neonatal morbidity and mortality.

BACKGROUND Overgowns are widely used in newborn nurseries and neonatal intensive care units. It was thought that they may help to prevent the spread of nosocomial infection and serve as a reminder to staff and visitors to wash their hands before contacts with the infant. OBJECTIVES The objective of this review was to assess the effects of the wearing of an overgown by attendants and visitors for the prevention of infection and death in infants in newborn nurseries. SEARCH STRATEGY The standard methods of the Cochrane Collaboration and its Neonatal Review Group were used. We searched the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL, The Cochrane Library, Issue 4, 2002), MEDLINE (1966-January 2003) and CINAHL (1982-January 2003). SELECTION CRITERIA All published trials using random or quasi-random patient allocation, in which overgowns worn by attendants or visitors were compared with no overgowns worn by attendants or visitors. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS The standard methods of the Cochrane Collaboration and its Neonatal Review Group were used. Data extraction and study quality were independently assessed by the two authors. Missing information was sought from three authors but only one responded. Results are expressed as relative risk or mean difference with 95% confidence intervals. MAIN RESULTS Eight trials were included, reporting outcomes for 3,811 infants. Trial quality varied; two were of good quality. Not wearing overgowns was associated with a trend to reduction in the death rate, typical RR 0.84 (95% CI 0.70, 1.02) compared to wearing overgowns, but these results did not reach statistical significance. There was no statistically significant effect of gowning policy on incidence of systemic nosocomial infection, typical RR 1.24 (CI 0.90,1.71). The overall analysis showed no significant effects of gowning policy on the incidence of colonisation, length of stay or handwashing frequency. No trials of visitor gowning were found. REVIEWER'S CONCLUSIONS The evidence from this systematic review and meta analysis does not demonstrate that overgowns are effective in limiting death, infection or bacterial colonisation in infants admitted to newborn nurseries.
Impedance Changes during Epileptic Seizures

Impedance measurements and EEG recordings were made in ventral and dorsal hippocampus, amygdala and from the cortex during epileptic seizures induced in cats by injecting tungstic acid gel into the dorsal hippocampus or basolateral amygdala. Consistent changes in impedance occurred during seizures with an increase in the resistive component and a decrease in the capacitive component. Impedance changes provided focal correlates of the presence of epileptic activity. In regions of the brain where discharges did not spread, or spread only weakly, there were no significant impedance changes, but in regions powerfully involved in the seizures, significant shifts in impedance amounting to 10–12% of baseline were found. A regional specificity is indicated by large and consistent impedance changes in hippocampus on the one hand, particularly in the ventral hippocampus, and on the other by very small changes observed in the amygdala. Impedance changes begin after the onset of the seizure and return toward a baseline after termination of the seizure. This is interpreted to indicate that the observed changes in impedance are a consequence of the ictal events.
WEB PERSONALIZATION AND RECOMMENDATION MODEL FOR TRUST IN ECOMMERCE WEBSITES FROM AN INDIAN PERSPECTIVE

In this era of digital world, Internet has emerged as a key business medium of exchange and more and more electronic transaction are being performed on it. The rise of the Internet has introduced many kinds of virtual worlds where we interact with identities that conceal the individuals behind. This limits our abilities to judge people in the same way as we do in real life, therefore assessing another’s attitude and character has become more difficult. In addition, members in virtual communities can come from anywhere in the world, which considerably lowers the likelihood meeting somebody we already know. It has also been found that although there are many online services providers' with websites in operation for some years, eCommerce has still not achieved its potential. Some websites have been successful in drawing high volumes of traffic; Web users were still reluctant to make purchases from these websites. The trustworthiness of website is increasingly affecting the rate of growth of eCommerce. This problem being faced all over world we study its impact in full deployment of Business-to-Consumer (B2C) e-commerce in India and development of trust on the side of consumer. Consumer’s trust concerns appear to be related to a number of factors, including security, privacy, unfamiliarity, distance in time & space and unreliable information.
Full-length genome of wild-type hepatitis A virus (DL3) isolated in China.

AIM To characterize the genome of an wild-type HAV isolate (DL3) in China. METHODS A stool specimen was collected from hepatitis A patient from Dalian, China. HAV (DL3) was isolated and viral RNA was extracted. The genome of DL3 was amplified by reverse transcription and polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), followed by cloning into pGEM-T vector. The positive colonies were selected and sequenced. The full-length genome of DL3 was analyzed and compared with other wild-type HAV isolates. RESULTS The genome of DL3 was 7 476 nucleotides (nt) in size, containing 732-nt 5'untranslated region (UTR), 6 681-nt open reading frame (ORF) which encoded a polyprotein of 2 227 amino acids (aa), and 63-nt 3'UTR. The base composition was 28.96 % A (2 165), 16.08 % C (1 202), 22.11 % G(1 653) and 32.85% U (2 456). Genomic comparisons with wild-type HAV isolates revealed that DL3 had the highest identity of 97.5 % for nt (185 differences) with AH1, the lowest identity of 85.7 % (1 066 differences) with SLF88. The highest identity of 99.2 % for amino acid (18 differences) appeared among DL3, AH2 and FH3, and the lowest identity of 96.8 % (72 differences) between DL3 and SLF88. Based upon comparisons of the VP1/2A junction and the VP1 amino terminus, DL3 was classified as subgenotype IA. Phylogenetic analysis showed that DL3 was closest to the isolates in Japan. CONCLUSION The sequence comparison and phylogenetic analysis revealed that DL3 is most similar to the isolates in Japan, suggesting the epidemiological link of hepatitis A happened in China and Japan.
Development of the 7-Item Binge-Eating Disorder Screener (BEDS-7).

OBJECTIVE Develop a brief, patient-reported screening tool designed to identify individuals with probable binge-eating disorder (BED) for further evaluation or referral to specialists. METHODS Items were developed on the basis of the DSM-5 diagnostic criteria, existing tools, and input from 3 clinical experts (January 2014). Items were then refined in cognitive debriefing interviews with participants self-reporting BED characteristics (March 2014) and piloted in a multisite, cross-sectional, prospective, noninterventional study consisting of a semistructured diagnostic interview (to diagnose BED) and administration of the pilot Binge-Eating Disorder Screener (BEDS), Binge Eating Scale (BES), and RAND 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey (RAND-36) (June 2014-July 2014). The sensitivity and specificity of classification algorithms (formed from the pilot BEDS item-level responses) in predicting BED diagnosis were evaluated. The final algorithm was selected to minimize false negatives and false positives, while utilizing the fewest number of BEDS items. RESULTS Starting with the initial BEDS item pool (20 items), the 13-item pilot BEDS resulted from the cognitive debriefing interviews (n = 13). Of the 97 participants in the noninterventional study, 16 were diagnosed with BED (10/62 female, 16%; 6/35 male, 17%). Seven BEDS items (BEDS-7) yielded 100% sensitivity and 38.7% specificity. Participants correctly identified (true positives) had poorer BES scores and RAND-36 scores than participants identified as true negatives. CONCLUSIONS Implementation of the brief, patient-reported BEDS-7 in real-world clinical practice is expected to promote better understanding of BED characteristics and help physicians identify patients who may have BED.
Cooperative Spectrum Sensing Optimization in Cognitive Radio Networks

Cognitive radio is being recognized as an intelligent technology due to its ability to rapidly and autonomously adapt operating parameters to changing environments and conditions. In order to reliably and swiftly detect spectrum holes in cognitive radios, spectrum sensing must be used. In this paper, we consider cooperative spectrum sensing in order to optimize the sensing performance. We focus on energy detection for spectrum sensing and find that the optimal fusion rule is the half-voting rule. Next, the optimal detection threshold of energy detection is determined numerically. Finally, we propose a fast spectrum sensing algorithm for a large network which requires fewer than the total number of cognitive radios to perform cooperative spectrum sensing while satisfying a given error bound.
Relationship of body mass index and dyslipidemia in different age groups of male and female population of Peshawar.

BACKGROUND BMI is linearly related to the total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol and triglyceride concentrations and is, however, inversely related with HDL cholesterol, Dyslipidaemia has been recognized to be strongly associated with overweight and obesity and its comorbid conditions. Overweight and obesity is conveniently determined from body mass index (BMI). Present study was conducted in Khyber Medical College, Peshawar to investigate the importance of age in relation to BMI with dyslipidaemia. METHODS The study was conducted in Khyber Medical College Peshawar during a span of period covering from 2008 to 2009. A total of 500 volunteer male and female subjects were included, which were grouped according to age. Lipid profile was obtained against BMI of the subjects, categorized as normal, overweight and obese in different age groups. RESULTS The prevalence of dyslipidaemia was both age and gender dependent. Dyslipidaemia show an increasing trend with age in both male and female subjects. In females, dyslipidaemia shows a gradual increase with age for all BMI categories. However, in males, the trend is different. It has been observed that the percentage of females having dyslipidaemia was less as compared to males in the age between 20 and 59 years. On the other hand, dyslipidaemia shows a dramatic increase in females above the age of 59 years. CONCLUSION There is increase in dyslipidaemia trend in our subjects with increase in BMI and age.
New Method for the Determination of the Half Inhibition Concentration (IC50) of Cholinesterase Inhibitors

A new and simple analytical method is described for the determination of the IC50 values of the inhibitors of the hydrolysis of acetylcholine (ACh) or acetylthiocholine (ATCh) by cholinesterases. The method is based on monitoring the time course of the pH value during the uninhibited and inhibited reaction. It requires only a pH meter with a suitable pH measuring cell and a small thermostated stirred batch reactor. The method has been validated for twelve different types of cholinesterase inhibitors. The determined IC50 values are comparable to those obtained by independent, more complicated, and expensive methods (Ellman´s and pH-stat).
Discovering the Soul of Service

An assembly intended to be used in an electrochemical device comprises a plate and support. The plate has a bend on at least one edge, the peripheral zone of said bend being situated in the support which is obtained by molding one or more moldable materials on said zone. Thus, a face of the support adjacent the zone adjoins a face of said plate, forming a uniform junction surface, these faces being intended to be in contact with a fluid in movement in the electrochemical device, the angle alpha formed by this face of the plate with the extension of the corresponding face of the zone being located outside the plate.
Trade Liberalization, Mergers and Acquisitions, and Intra-Industry Reallocations

This paper presents a Melitz-type model of international trade in final goods and Grossman-Hart-Antras input sourcing by heterogeneous firms. We show how firms self-select into different organizational forms in a continuum of industries with different characteristics. Next, we show how a liberalization of trade leads to short run increases in the number of firm mergers and acquisitions and potentially new gains from trade. Finally, we show how the relative prevalence of integrating firms is increasing in some industries while constant in all others.