Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Banning subtherapeutic antibiotics in U.S. swine production: a simulation of impacts on industry structure

Recent discussions of a subtherapeutic antibiotic ban in U.S. livestock gives rise to much speculation regarding industry impacts. Swine producers are heterogeneous; thus, a ban on subtherapeutic antibiotics could affect producers of different sizes, cost structures, different production systems and management styles differently. The authors combine average cost data with physical production data to simulate the impact of a subtherapeutic antibiotics ban on high, middle, and low-cost producers in different types of swine production operations. Their results suggest that although economies of scale would still be important, the ban would potentially limit or reduce economies of scale in the swine industry. lJEL Codes: L11, Q12, Q13r. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
TRADE, TAXATION, AND GOVERNMENT POLICY IN THE HIGH MIDDLE AGES

The sustained growth in long distance trade in the high Middle Ages, most of that shipped over the seas around Europe, provided a potential source of income for governments. Rulers only rarely had a role in promoting expansion in commerce. By the middle of the fourteenth century, though, they could and often did benefit from the potential for a continuing stream of tax income that levies on commerce might provide. At the end of the Middle Ages governments, urban and royal, relied heavily on taxes on trade. It was not be until the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries that governments developed economic policies directed at promoting overall growth in production but the foundation for any programs that did emerge had their basis in the high medieval growth in trade.
Modelling and forecasting of Tunisia’s health expenditures using artificial neural network and ARDL models -

This paper brings into play artificial neural network (ANN) to forecast yearly Tunisian health expenditures. We also compare the prediction accuracy of ANN with that of autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) model. deals with the modelling of the health expenditures in Tunisia in order to forecast future projections based on socio-economic and demographic variables (gross domestic product-GDP, population ageing , medical density and environmental quality) using artificial neural network (ANN) and the . Thus, the future health expenditures of Tunisia are calculated by means of this model under a scenario. Mean Absolute Percent Error (MAPE) and Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) are used in the comparison of both models. The model that has this low statistic is superior to the other model. In the context, the results obtained revealed an ANN model superior to an ARDL model in health expenditures forecasting. Moreover, the scenario used showed that the future health expenditures of Tunisia would increase in a non proportional way with the GDP. Health would be a luxury good in 2020.
SOUTHERN JOURNAL OF AGRICULTURAL ECONOMICS DECEMBER, 1974 INCOME AND ECONOMIC STATUS OF PEOPLE WITH FARM EARNINGS

Total money income typically is used to indicate the relative economic status of people. A family with total money income below some commonly recognized standard may be deemed to be poor. For example, the official low-income standard is the benchmark used by most analysts to indicate persons in poverty [15]. Historically, the proportion of farm people with low incomes has been greater than that for nonfarm people. In the 1960's, however, the income gap between farm and nonfarm people narrowed due primarily to increased off-farm income [2]. Growth in off-farm income in recent years ranks among several major changes affecting families in the farming sector [3, 5, 7, 8 ,9 ,10,12,13,16] . We recognize that the concept of economic status is multi-dimensional including elements other than current money income. Some of these include aspects of permanent income [4], net worth [18], and the general quality of life [1, 6 ] . Unfortunately, it is often difficult to obtain data sets which contain all these elements in a single observation. Usually the more readily available data were compiled for a specific purpose and not readily amenable to sophisticated analysis. In a recent study a fairly simple technique was developed to appraise the economic position of people reporting farm earnings [7]. The ability to sustain an economic loss of considerable magnitude was incorporated into a method of categorizing families into five groups: affluent, well-off, high middle, low middle, and poor. For example, a person who sustained a relatively laige loss from a farming operation still could have a relatively high economic status although current money income would suggest he was in poverty. The general affluence of the family might be indicated by the fact that they sustained a large loss without a financial catastrophe. Admittedly, this is not an all-inclusive measure of economic status and suffers from many faults involved in other measures. Yet, it provides a useful "yardstick" when information on the family is limited to level and sources of incomes in a single year. In this study, we adopt the focus on loss sustaining ability to analyze the change in economic status among people with farm earnings during the 1960's. In addition, the relative importance of each income source is analyzed among status groups. The results emphasize the importance of off-farm income in helping families move to higher status levels.
Long-Term Immigration Projection Methods: Current Practice and How to Improve it

Assumptions about international migration are an increasingly important component of the demographic projection module. Yet most official immigration projections both in the United States and abroad rely on ad-hoc assumptions based on little theory and virtually no definable methodology. The purpose of the present report is threefold: to assess the state of immigration projection practice; to explore theoretical insights and empirical research about immigration; and to discuss how these insights and research could be used to create a superior projection model. The first chapter describes the current projection methods of leading national and international projection-making agencies, from the U.S. Census Bureau and U.S. Social Security Administration to the United Nations and the World Bank. The second chapter scans the wide array of “theoretical frameworks” that social scientists from a variety of disciplines have proposed to explain international migration flows. It also surveys the growing body of empirical literature on efforts to statistically test the power of these theories in explaining historical trends in international migration. The third chapter describes our proposed framework for a long-term immigration projection model. The model is “driver-based,” meaning that immigration is projected based on observed associations between migration behavior and other conditions, such as multinational trends in population, wages and living standards, trade and capital flows, age distribution, education, urbanization, and market orientation or “globalization. ” We conclude that this approach has the potential to greatly improve long-term projections of net immigration to a major developed country like the United States.
"Critical loss" in the eighth and ninth decades.

Data from the last survivors of the New York State Psychiatric Institute Twin study were examined to determine if the previously identified relationship between "critical loss" and 5-year survivorship still held true for persons in their eighth and ninth decades of life. Twenty-two subjects (age range 83 to 99 years) were tested in 1973 and by 1978, 12 had died, making it possible to retrospectively examine the relationship between survivorship and critical loss. "Critical loss" did not distinguish survivors from decedents, but presence or absence of OBS did distinguish the groups, with seven of eleven decedents and none of eight survivors being so diagnosed. Survivors did not differ significantly from non-survivors in annual rate of decline on any of the three "critical loss" tests (Vocabulary, Similarities, Digit Symbol Substitution), though survivors had higher mean scores on all three tests.
Direct and Ultimate Ownership Structures in the UK: An Intertemporal Perspective Over the Last Decade

In this paper we analyse the evolution of the direct and ultimate ownership structure of a large sample of UK non-financial listed firms over the last decade. Our data show that while "outsider" ownership is relatively stable over time, managerial ownership shows a sharp decreasing trend and it is significantly lower in the presence of a large outside controller. Nonetheless, while average shareholding by executives confirms the decreasing trend, the opposite holds for non-executive directors. In addition, while average board size is rather constant in time, the proportion of non-executives is steadily increasing in time. As far as ultimate ownership is concerned, our data show that the existence of complex ownership structures in the UK is far from being negligible. We document that more than 10 per cent of the firms are owned via a complex structure and the degree of divergence between cash flow and control rights for these firms is around 11 per cent at the 10 per cent cut-off. Our data also suggest that the presence of complex structures is decreasing in time at any cut-off level. In addition, we report a decreasing trend over time of "widely held" firms. Finally, we show preliminary evidence of a negative impact of the divergence between cash flow and control rights on firm value. Copyright Blackwell Publishing Ltd 2005.
Stabilization Policy, Learning-by-Doing, and Economic Growth

This paper shows that fiscal policy, when used for stabilization purposes, can have a positive effect on the economy's growth, on human capital accumulation, and on welfare. The authors introduce stochastic productivity shocks into a model in which productivity is augmented through learning-by-doing. If future benefits of learning-by-doing are not fully internalized by workers, then recessions are periods in which opportunities for acquiring experience are foregone. The authors identify configurations of disturbances and other parameters for which a countercyclical policy maximizes growth and welfare. Copyright 1997 by Royal Economic Society.
Preparation and evaluation of dl-praeruptorin A microemulsion based hydrogel for dermal delivery

Abstract The purpose of the present investigation was to develop and optimize the microemulsion (ME) as a transdermal system for Pd-Ia, a poor water soluble and low bioavailable drug. The pseudo-ternary phase diagrams were constructed for various ME formulations including oleic acid as the oil phase, Cremophor RH40 as the surfactant, ethanol as the cosurfactant, and water. The maximum cumulative amount permeated through rat abdominal skins per unit area in 32 h (Q32), and the maximum flux were evaluated using the Franz diffusion cell in order to optimize the ME formulation. The results indicated that the optimized ME formulation was composed of oleic acid (5%, W/W), Cremophor RH40 (13.33%, W/W), ethanol (26.67%, W/W), and water (55%, W/W); the maximum cumulative amount of Pd-Ia was 354.330 ± 12.006 μg cm−2, the maximum flux was 11.467 ± 0.500 μg cm−2 h−1. ME-gel was administered transdermally to rats. The mean plasma concentration of Pd-Ia following transdermal application of ME-gel could be maintained for 32 h at least and the half-life was evidently prolonged. It shows that the ME-gel could be a promising vehicle for dermal delivery of Pd-Ia.
How to better consider sectoral planning information in regional planning: example afforestation and forest conversion

This paper presents, by means of a case study, an approach for how to make use of sectoral planning information on forestry in regional planning. Exemplary issues addressed in this study were, first, how to evaluate the conversion of existing forests and, second, afforestation on agricultural sites, regarding the impact of these strategies on the provision of ecosystem services at a regional scale. We demonstrate that the conversion scenarios planned by the state forest administration have only a minor impact at the regional scale because the proportion of forests is too small. As a consequence, recommendations for regional planning were to: (a) considerably increase the planned afforestation areas under consideration of the locally suitable future forest ecosystem types; and (b) concentrate preference areas for afforestation along corridors, which augment, at most, the additional benefits provided by connecting the biotopes at the landscape level.
Robustness of mobile robot localization using recurrent convolutional neural network

Mobile robot localization has been considered to be an important task in the field of robotics research. It is known that it is difficult to estimate the self-position in dynamic environments where the positions of objects used as landmarks change. In this paper, we propose a robust method to estimate self-position from the first person view captured by a camera on a robot using Recurrent Convolutional Neural Networks (RCNN), which is a neural network model that has a convolutional architecture known as CNN with recurrent nodes. The RCNN receives images and directly estimates the positions of the robot. Our proposed method is evaluated in simulated environments. Our experiments show that RCNN model can estimate the selfposition of the robot with high accuracy even if some objects move to different positions, that is, it has a robustness against objects obstructing visibility.
Modèle d'Evaluation des Systèmes et Ressources Applicables à la Correction d'Erreurs dans les Documents

L'adoption massive des services dits du Web 2.0 a entraine une augmentation de la quantite d'informations produites. La quantite d'erreurs contenues dans ces informations a quant a elle evolue de facon plus importante. En effet, si dans un processus de production d'information classique les documents etaient issus de professionnels, dans le cadre du Web, ce sont principalement les utilisateurs qui en sont a l'origine avec les imperfections que cela peut entrainer. Il est donc necessaire de prendre en compte ces erreurs dans les systemes amenes a gerer des informations de qualite variable. Notre etat de l'art nous a conduits a identifier des difficultes quant a l’evaluation comparative des strategies de correction d’erreurs au travers des systemes qui les implementent. Cet article presente donc un modele d’evaluation des systemes de correction d’erreurs et des ressources de bas-niveau (mesures de similarite/distance entre chaines de caracteres, dictionnaires, …) sur lesquelles ces systemes s’appuient. Ce modele a ete implemente au sein d’un prototype extensible qui fournit un cadre technique de base pour l’evaluation.
Fingerprint Image Segmentation Based on Boundary Values

A critical step in automatic fingerprint identification system(AFIS) is the accurate segmentation of fingerprint images. The objective of fingerprint segmentation is to extract the region of interest(ROI). We present a method for fingerprint segmentation based on boundary area gray-level values. We also present a modified traditional gradient based segmentation technique. The enhanced segmentation technique is tested on FVC2004 database and results show that our modified method gives better results in all cases.
CACOPHONIES IN THE CONTEMPORARY CHORUS ABOUT CHANGE AT PUBLIC WORKSITES, AS CONTRASTED WITH SOME STRAIGHT-TALK FROM A PLANNED CHANGE PERSPECTIVE

The New Public Management (henceforth NPM) has coalesced into a movement in a short period of time, virtually worldwide. Thus, inter alia, we hear about the allegedly-new focus on the “customers” of public services, which are to be provided by “public intrapreneurs” as well as by cadres of employees at all levels who are “empowered. ” And so on and on—through the conventional organizational litany including cross-training, total quality, performance measurement, and eventuating in strategic planning. These emphases make for a pleasing, even convincing, organizational libretto. If the “chorus” proclaiming the NPM libretto is both ubiquitous as well as insistent, however, the chanting is often loosely-coupled, curiously directed, and at times even contradictory—at times so much so as to alert one's native cunning about what forces are really at work. Hence, the reference here to the “chorus” and also the “cacophonies” this essay detects in NPM's ardent vocalizing. This reflects our judgment that, in equal measure, NPM combines ubiquity, too much of some useful things, unreconciled diversities, and issues at sixes-and-sevens. But this essay also urges that NPM can “walk its talk. ” In effect, several emphases will at once help explain how NPM was all-but-predestined to experience serious shortfalls, as well as prescribe how NPM can rise about these limitations. Particular attention gets directed at appropriate guidelines interaction and structural arrangements. Four emphases relate to these critical-cum-constructive ambitions. In preview, NPM 1. seldom even attempted detailing a useful approach to applications; 2. typically neglected systemic or millieu characteristics within which applications occurred; 3. usually did not specify a useful front-load in designs: i.e., training in values, attitudes, and interaction skills that would facilitate developing a “cultural preparedness” for appropriate applications; and 4. seldom specified supportive structural/managerial arrangements. This essay proposes to do better. This essay takes a direct if dual approach to describing the New Public Management “chorus” and its “cacophonies. ” To begin, introductory attention goes to NPM as a “liberation” of theory and practice beyond the classic conservatisms of Public Administration. Then, four limitations of this NPM “chorus” will be detailed, and this quartet of “cacophonies” also implies ways to enhance NPM applications, as well as urges a stark warning against overselling.
Screening for hypercholesterolemia by use of blood spotted on filter paper.

648 CLINICALCHEMISTRY, Vol.31, No.4, 1985 than did the use of the Dorwart/ Chalmers formula. Nevertheless, the new formula still overestimated the ethanol concentration by an amount that appeared to increase with increasing ethanol concentration. However, the overestimation was not attributable solely to error arising from the calculation of osmolality of plasma. Ethanol concentration was also estimated by the change in measured osmolality before and after the addition of sufficient ethanol to give a concentration of about 50 mmol/L. The calculated ethanol concentration exceeded the measured ethanol concentration for plasma, NaCl, urea, and glucose solutions by 6.6, 6.1, 2.3, and 3.4 mmol/L, respectively (the data were corrected for the volume fraction of the solute in each case). Other workers have added ethanol to plasma and measured the increase in osmolality (1, 7). Although not commented on by the authors, perusal of the results showed that the increase is osmolality was greater than would have been expected by the increase in measured ethanol. The cause of this overestimation of osmolality is not clear. Redetzki et al. (2), in a study of patients who had consumed alcohol, explained the error as being due to the presence of lactic acid and other constituents of alcoholic drinks collectively called fusel oils. Our study was done in vitro, with pure ethanol, and thus neither fusel oils nor metabolic products of ethanol would be a problem. Osmolality is expressed per kilogram of water and concentration is expressed per liter. However, the density of water at room temperature is approximately 0.998, and so the contribution of this factor to the observed differences is negligible. The differences are not likely to be due to an error in measuring ethanol concentration; the mean analytical recovery of added ethanol was 100.4%. At the concentrations used in the present study, ethanol is said (2)to act as an ideal solute with an osmotic coefficient of unity. Possibly ethanol alters the degree of dissociation of NaCl in solution, although this explanation would not explain the small error in estimating ethanol in either the urea or glucose solutions. We conclude that the new formula for calculating plasma osmolality is more nearly accurate for calculating plasma ethanol concentration than the Dorwart/Chalmers formula but, perhaps because ethanol in solution affects the depression of freezing point, use of the osmolal gap still overestimates plasma ethanol concentration.
Involving Suppliers in New Product Development

Organizations have been quick to realize that involving suppliers in new product/process/service development efforts has the potential for significant results. Numerous studies have highlighted the fact that supplier participation in product development projects can help reduce cost, reduce concept to customer development time, improve quality, and provide innovative technologies that can help capture market share. However, not all efforts are successful. Supplier integration is most successful when driven by a formalized process that considers supplier capabilities, level of complexity of the technology, and degree of risk. Leading companies conduct a formal in-depth supplier evaluation and risk assessment prior to supplier involvement on the project team.
Crystal structure and electron transfer kinetics of CueO, a multicopper oxidase required for copper homeostasis in Escherichia coli

CueO (YacK), a multicopper oxidase, is part of the copper-regulatory cue operon in Escherichia coli. The crystal structure of CueO has been determined to 1.4-Å resolution by using multiple anomalous dispersion phasing and an automated building procedure that yielded a nearly complete model without manual intervention. This is the highest resolution multicopper oxidase structure yet determined and provides a particularly clear view of the four coppers at the catalytic center. The overall structure is similar to those of laccase and ascorbate oxidase, but contains an extra 42-residue insert in domain 3 that includes 14 methionines, nine of which lie in a helix that covers the entrance to the type I (T1, blue) copper site. The trinuclear copper cluster has a conformation not previously seen: the Cu-O-Cu binuclear species is nearly linear (Cu-O-Cu bond angle = 170°) and the third (type II) copper lies only 3.1 Å from the bridging oxygen. CueO activity was maximal at pH 6.5 and in the presence of >100 μM Cu(II). Measurements of intermolecular and intramolecular electron transfer with laser flash photolysis in the absence of Cu(II) show that, in addition to the normal reduction of the T1 copper, which occurs with a slow rate (k = 4 × 107 M−1⋅s−1), a second electron transfer process occurs to an unknown site, possibly the trinuclear cluster, with k = 9 × 107 M−1⋅s−1, followed by a slow intramolecular electron transfer to T1 copper (k ∼10 s−1). These results suggest the methionine-rich helix blocks access to the T1 site in the absence of excess copper.