Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Sperm global DNA methylation level: association with semen parameters and genome integrity

Sperm DNA methylation abnormalities have been detected in oligozoospermic men. However, the association between sperm DNA methylation defects, sperm parameters and sperm DNA, and chromatin integrity remains poorly understood. This study was designed to clarify this issue. We recruited a cohort of 92 men (62 normozoospermic and 30 oligoasthenozoospermic) presenting for infertility evaluation during a 1‐year period. Sperm global DNA methylation was evaluated by an ELISA‐like method, DNA fragmentation was evaluated by flow cytometry‐based terminal transferase dUTP nick end‐labeling (TUNEL) assay (reported as DNA fragmentation index or DFI), and sperm denaturation was evaluated by aniline blue staining (reported as sperm denaturation index or SDI, a marker of chromatin compaction). We found a significant positive association between sperm global DNA methylation level and conventional sperm parameters (sperm concentration and motility), supported by the results of methylation analysis on H19‐DMR. We also identified significant inverse relationships between sperm global DNA methylation, and, both DFI and SDI. However, sperm global DNA methylation level was not related to sperm vitality or morphology. Our findings suggest that global sperm DNA methylation levels are related to conventional sperm parameters, as well as, sperm chromatin and DNA integrity.
Special Issue: “History of Marketing Channels Thought: Theory Formation and Identity Confirmation”

The historical roots of marketing stretch back over 100 years to the early conceptualizations of distribution grounded in economics. These core distribution functions still need to be performed today by firms evolving continually to meet the needs of our present and future markets. The technologies themselves have changed from horse and wagon, to motor vehicles, to e-marketing with perhaps future autonomous aircraft “drone”delivery, as each technology has been replaced in turn with a more efficient, more “modern” technology to meet the needs of customers of the time. However, these new technologies must still be focused on the key marketing goal of facilitating exchange. This goal has not changed over the marketing century and is not likely to do so in the future. Throughout this long history, marketing-related organizations and marketing functions (or flows) have been central to theory development. Perhaps one reason for this focus is that it is these organizations executing the marketing functions within marketing channels that service the needs of their customers domestically and internationally. The discipline appears to continue to believe that eliminating a function cripples the channel. But the modern-day marketing “identity crisis” recognized by some scholars does not appear to fully consider the historical development of the discipline. Debates about the nature and scope of marketing, disciplinary boundaries and theoretical bases, and the synergistic relationship between theory and practice seem to lack a foundation in institutional historical memory. Perhaps this is in part the result of a decline in the attention paid to the study of the historical development of the discipline, such as the early—but still important—work of Wroe Alderson and Robert Bartels, who so greatly shaped mainstream modern marketing thought. The purpose of this Special Issue is to consider the history of marketing channels as a lens to focus on where we have been, where we are, and where we might be headed both theoretically and managerially. In this age of e-commerce transforming social media (or perhaps vice versa? ), it would seem helpful to reflect on the past and consider the implications for how theory and practicemay evolve: we are thinking of the past and present as prologue. We see, for instance, how the “old” tools of direct marketing are being applied in fresh new ways to online marketing. Some examples of the research that would be welcomed include the following:
Prognostics and Health Management A Data-Driven Approach to Supporting the F-35 Lightning II

The Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) Program has developed an aggressive vision for and has specified a very stringent set of requirements for a comprehensive Prognostics and Health Management (PHM) system. This vision and the associated specified requirements has resulted in the development of perhaps the most advanced and comprehensive set of diagnostic, prognostic, and health management capabilities yet to be applied to an aviation platform. These PHM capabilities are currently being developed and integrated into the JSF Air System design. This paper will provide a top level overview summary of the current PHM concept, design, and architecture; provide a general capabilities description; and discuss overall program status. Some specific examples of system benefits, design trade-off decisions, and system integration challenges will be discussed. Particular examples of some subsystem prognostic capabilities will also be discussed.
Discounting preferences and response consistency as markers of functional ability in community-dwelling older adults

Introduction: Predictors of functional independence in older adults are in need. Based on findings that delay discounting, probability discounting, and the ability to respond consistently use cognitive abilities and neural systems with central relevance to functional ability, the present study evaluated whether these behavioral economic variables account for variance in everyday functioning in older adults. It was hypothesized that greater preference for immediate/probabilistic rewards and response inconsistency would independently predict decrements in instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs). Method: Participants included 64 community-dwelling older adults (65–85 years; mean age = 76.25 years; 76.60% female). Exclusionary criteria were neurological illness, illiteracy, substance dependence within the past 5 years, score of ≤20 on the Mini-Mental State Examination, and/or presence of dementia. Delay/probability discounting tasks consisted of a series of dichotomous selections between smaller, immediate/guaranteed and larger, delayed/probabilistic monetary values. Area under the curve (AUC) was used to index levels of discounting, while response (in)consistency was based on the percentage of contradictory responses. The Direct Assessment of Functional Status–Revised (DAFS–R) provided a performance-based assessment of IADLs. Hierarchical regression analyses were conducted to determine whether discounting preferences and response consistency accounted for variance in functional ability over and above relevant demographic characteristics. Results: Demographic characteristics accounted for significance variance in IADLs (p = .001, R2 = .237). Probability discounting AUC (p = .014, ΔR2 = .075) and response (in)consistency (p = .046, ΔR2 = .050) each accounted for significant additional variance in functional ability, as did delay discounting response (in)consistency (p = .010, ΔR2 = .081). Delay discounting AUC did not add significantly to the model (p = .861). Conclusions: Discounting preferences and choice consistency hold potential to serve as relatively fast and inexpensive markers of functional decline, likely due to neurocognitive deterioration relevant to both behavioral economic decision making and functional independence.
A new balanced scorecard approximation to enhance performance management systems of Chilean wineries

ABSTRACT The Chilean wine industry faces a growing challenge in terms of the increasing global competition, along with other difficult challenges such as exchange rate fluctuations, higher labor and energy costs and climate change. In light of this, the present paper proposes a new approach to increase competitiveness of Chilean wineries based on findings of the current performance management systems practice in the industry. The methodology encompasses a thorough survey of the industry's management systems, with special emphasis on the balanced scorecard (BSC) and its derivatives. The study finds, upon examining the results, that the ISO 9001 norm and the national code of sustainability of the Chilean wine industry are the two most commonly used and that only 14% of the companies have designed a BSC of some type, offering a unique opportunity to introduce this novel approach focusing on performance and sustainability, incorporating the spatial and temporal dimensions of the industry today.
Translocator Protein-18 kDa (TSPO) Positron Emission Tomography (PET) Imaging and Its Clinical Impact in Neurodegenerative Diseases

In vivo exploration of activated microglia in neurodegenerative diseases is achievable by Positron Emission Tomography (PET) imaging, using dedicated radiopharmaceuticals targeting the translocator protein-18 kDa (TSPO). In this review, we emphasized the major advances made over the last 20 years, thanks to TSPO PET imaging, to define the pathophysiological implication of microglia activation and neuroinflammation in neurodegenerative diseases, including Parkinson’s disease, Huntington’s disease, dementia, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, multiple sclerosis, and also in psychiatric disorders. The extent and upregulation of TSPO as a molecular biomarker of activated microglia in the human brain is now widely documented in these pathologies, but its significance, and especially its protective or deleterious action regarding the disease’s stage, remains under debate. Thus, we exposed new and plausible suggestions to enhance the contribution of TSPO PET imaging for biomedical research by exploring microglia’s role and interactions with other cells in brain parenchyma. Multiplex approaches, associating TSPO PET radiopharmaceuticals with other biomarkers (PET imaging of cellular metabolism, neurotransmission or abnormal protein aggregates, but also other imaging modalities, and peripheral cytokine levels measurement and/or metabolomics analysis) was considered. Finally, the actual clinical impact of TSPO PET imaging as a routine biomarker of neuroinflammation was put into perspective regarding the current development of diagnostic and therapeutic strategies for neurodegenerative diseases.
The Possibility to Use Bacterial Protease and Lipase as Biodetergent

3 Abstract: Detergents are an undetectable source of pollution, which hidden in most of our daily activities. Detergents could cause harmful effects before they are completely degraded. It is wise to reduce the amount of detergents that usually used by invention new bio-friendly formula contains efficient enzymes such as lipase and protease. These two enzymes could be replaced detergents or their gradients in the detergents different formulas. Crude lipase and protease from two Bacillus strains are represent Bacillus licheniformis and Geobacillus sp. show the ability to produce thermophilic protease and lipase investigated in this study. The optimum protease activity at pH 9 was 34 Unit/ml at 70°C for Geobacillus sp. and 46 Unit/ml at 60°C for Bacillus licheniformis. The apparent lipase activity for Geobacillus sp. was 30.4 Unit/ml and 25.86 Unit/ml for Bacillus licheniformis. Lipase or protease that produced from these two Bacillus strains are tested on artificial fat and protein dirt clothes in presence and absence of commercial powder detergent to investigate their cleaning effect. The enzyme activity of each has been determined and the result proved the possibility to use the crude enzymes alone or in combination with the powder detergent in washing purposes. This study opens the way to formulate chemical free detergent.
Preference heterogeneity in contingent behaviour travel cost models with on-site samples: a random parameter vs. a latent class approach.

In this paper, we examine heterogeneity in the trip preferences of recreationists. We apply a random parameters negative binomial model and a latent class negative binomial model to a panel dataset of beach users at a site on the west coast of Ireland, where access across farmland has been restricted. This approach allows us to account for heterogeneity with respect to the impact of the chosen explanatory variables in a contingent behaviour travel cost model of demand where the researcher must also account for the fact that the sample data has been collected on-site. The analysis also develops individual consumer surplus estimates and finds that estimates are systematically affected by both the random parameter and latent class specifications. There is also evidence that accounting for individual heterogeneity improves the statistical fit of the models and provides a more informative description of the drivers of recreationalist trip behaviour.
Effects of photoperiod and temperature on the timing of bud burst in Norway spruce (Picea abies).

We examined the effects of several photoperiod and temperature regimes imposed during the winter-spring period on the timing of bud burst in rooted cuttings of Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) Karst. ) grown in a greenhouse in Finland. The treatments were initiated in November and December after the cuttings had been exposed to natural chilling and freezing events. Irrespective of the treatments applied, time to bud burst decreased with increased duration of previous exposure to natural chilling and freezing events. Fluctuating day/night temperatures and continuous lengthening of the photoperiod hastened bud burst. Shortening the photoperiod delayed bud burst, suggesting that little or no ontogenetic development toward bud burst takes place during mild periods before the winter solstice. In the case of climatic warming, this phenomenon may prevent the premature onset of growth that has been predicted by computer simulations with models that only consider temperature regulation of bud burst.
Investigation of the impact of the oxide thickness and RESET conditions on disturb in HfO2-RRAM integrated in a 65nm CMOS technology

In this work, a comprehensive investigation of disturb in HfO2-Resistive Random Access Memories (RRAM) integrated in an advanced 65nm technology is presented. The effects of the oxide thickness and RESET conditions on disturb immunity of the High-Resistance-State (HRS) are explored. Constant Voltage Stress is applied on a large amount of samples at various temperatures. Data are collected and analyzed on a statistical basis. The SET dependence to the RESET conditions is investigated and correlated to the length of the induced depleted gap along the conductive filament. The conduction mechanism of the HRS is correlated to the failure/SET process of the RRAM device through a voltage acceleration model. It is shown that thicker dielectric oxide and stronger RESET conditions give rise to longer failure times.
Bacteremia due to viridans streptococci that are highly resistant to penicillin: increase among neutropenic patients with cancer.

We prospectively studied 260 episodes of bacteremia that occurred over a 6-year period in neutropenic patients with cancer. Twenty-three episodes were caused by viridans streptococci. Thirteen (57%) of these strains were penicillin-resistant (MICs of penicillin ranged from 0.25 micrograms/mL to 8 micrograms/mL). Ten of the 13 penicillin-resistant strains (77%) were highly resistant to penicillin (MIC, > or = 4 micrograms/mL). Rates of bacteremia due to highly penicillin-resistant viridans streptococci increased significantly from zero episodes per 1,000 admissions in 1987 to 17 episodes per 1,000 admissions in 1992 (P = .003). In a comparison between penicillin-resistant and penicillin-susceptible viridans streptococci bacteremia, the administration of beta-lactam antibiotics during the previous 2 weeks was the only factor significantly associated with penicillin-resistant cases: 9 (69%) of 13 patients with penicillin-resistant bacteremia had received beta-lactams vs. 2 (20%) of 10 patients with penicillin-susceptible bacteremia (P = .036). These findings may have significant clinical implications in the choice of both antimicrobial prophylaxis and empirical antibiotic regimens.
Anatomy of arteries and veins of uterus and ovaries in rhesus monkeys.

The vasculature of uterus and ovaries was studied with the aid of a tissue-clearing technique in 13 rhesus monkeys. The uterine artery and vein formed two closely associated loops from origin to termination of each vessel. The vessels passed mediad toward the uterus, craniad along the lateral surface of the uterus, laterad toward the ovary, and terminated in a prominent anastomosis with the corresponding ovarian vessel ventral to the internal and external iliac vessels. The cranial arm of the uterine vein and the veins from the oviduct and ovary converged to form a prominent uteroovarian vein. The uteroovarian vein consisted of two channels which were interconnected by anastomoses. The initial one-fourth of the ovarian artery was relatively straight, but the remainder was very tortuous or tightly spiraled in both prepubertal and adult monkeys. The spiraled portion of the artery was located between the two channels of the uteroovarian vein. The terminal portion of the ovarian artery was very convoluted and was associated with venous branches from the ovary. The spiraling and convolution; of the ovarian artery and the close apposition of the spirals to the channels of the uteroovarian vein resulted in a large area of surface contact between vessels which contained ovarian arterial blood and vessels which contained uterine and ovarian venous blood. The function of this large area of surface contact is not known. However, it does provide an anatomical basis for the existence of a venoarterial pathway for the passage of substances between the uteroovarian venous blood and ovarian arterial blood.
Idiopathic dystonia among ashkenazi jews: Evidence for autosomal dominant inheritance

We studied families to clarify the mode of inheritance of idiopathic torsion dystonia among the Ashkenazim. Probands had symptoms before 28 years of age, had at least one Ashkenazi grandparent, and were ascertained independently of family history and not referred by another relative. All available first‐ and second‐degree relatives were examined, and videotapes were made. Examination notes and blinded review of videotapes led to rating of dystonia as definite, probable, possible, or absent. We determined rates to illness for first‐and second‐degree relatives and calculated age‐adjusted lifetime risks. The methods of maximun likelihood and likelihood ratio goodness‐of‐fit tests were used to estimate parameters and to test dominant and recessive models of inheritance. We studied 43 probands, 146 (90.1%) of 162 living first‐degree relatives, and 96 (40.2%) of 239 living second‐degree relatives. Nineteen relatives had definite dystonia, and 2 had probable dystonia. Using definite cases only, the age‐adjusted risk for all first‐degree relatives was 15.5percnt; and for all second‐degree relatives 6.5percnt;, with no significant sex differences; parent, offspring, and sibling risks did not differ significantly. The risks were consistent with autosomal dominant inheritance with a penetrance estimated at 29.4% using definite cases only or 32.2percnt; using definite and probable cases. Assuming a disease frequency of 1/15,000, the gene frequency was estimated to be 1/9000.
Towards a Europeanization of wage bargaining? Evidence from the metal sector

European trade unions have attempted to coordinate their bargaining strategies transnationally in order to counter downward pressures on wages. Such coordination is most feasible in broadly integrated and exposed sectors that have to face common competitive constraints on wages. This article investigates collectively negotiated wage increases in the metal sector in Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany. We assume a specific logic of transnational pattern bargaining, with Germany as the ‘anchor’ country. We investigate the emergence of a transnational wage coordination effect before and after institutions for the coordination of wage bargaining were established. Finally, we draw conclusions on prospects for wage bargaining coordination with further integration of Economic and Monetary Union.
The Functional Bases of the Central Place Hierarchy

] T is obvious that urban centers differ, each from others. On the intuitive level one notion of difference is that of classes of urban centers. The wealth of descriptive terms available illustrates this notion: hamlet, village, town, city, metropolis, and the like. The present study is concerned with this problem of the differentiation of centers into broad classes. In particular it provides original and urgent evidence that a system of urban center classes exists of the type identified on an intuitive level above. There are several reasons for producing evidence of a system of classes (hereafter termed the hierarchical classsystem) at this time. A considerable body of theory relating to city size, function, and arrangement has accumulated. One of the implications of this theory is that there exists a hierarchical class-system.1 Ample evidence is available that other implications of this theory are valid, namely, that larger centers are functionally more complex than smaller centers, with this increasing functional complexity being accompanied by increasing size of the urban complementary region,2 and that by virtue of the differential provision of central functions there is interdependence between urban centers in the provision of central goods and services.3 On the other hand there has been no satisfactory evidence provided that would suggest that a hierarchical classsystem of centers does indeed exist. Despite many attempts at the assignment of towns to classes or grades4
Optimal inspection and maintenance policy for the multi-unit series system

The optimal inspection and maintenance policy for the multi-unit series system with economical dependence is investigated in this paper. This system is composed of two kinds of units, which are subjected to the deterioration failure and the Poisson failure respectively. Since costs can be saved when several units are jointly repaired instead of separately, the optimal maintenance model for multi-unit system should not limit itself to a simple juxtaposition of the mono-unit models and lead to the complex problem. To solve this problem, a classical opportunistic maintenance policy is extended to coordinate the maintenance of the two kinds of units and minimize the long-run maintenance cost of the system. To get the multi-threshold control-limit policy, the improved Markov decision approach is presented. Finally, a numerical example is put forward to illustrate the implementation of the model and iteration algorithm.