Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Differential Effects of Experience, Subjective Knowledge, and Objective Knowledge on Sources of Information used in Consumer Wine Purchasing

The decision to consume wine has been associated with variables such as product involvement, variety seeking, demographic characteristics, experience, and sources of information. The purpose of this study was to examine the decision process for wine selection in different situations. Data were collected from a sample of wine consumers in Texas and a total of 632 completed responses were obtained. The questionnaire was designed to determine consumer experience, knowledge, and use of differential sources of information to make a purchase decision on wine purchased in a store for home consumption and wine purchased in a restaurant. The data were analyzed using structural equation modeling. Results indicate that usage experience forms the basis for subjective and objective knowledge. High levels of objective knowledge are related to using impersonal sources of information (wine guides, reviews, and advertising) to make purchasing decisions. An additional finding was that high levels of subjective knowledge are positively related to impersonal sources and the self (one's own preferences) and negatively related to using personal sources (friends, acquaintances, and sales personnel). These results and their implications for wine marketers are discussed.
Animal models of chronic pesticide neurotoxicity

There is a wealth of literature on neurotoxicological outcomes of acute and short-term exposure to pesticides in laboratory animals, but there are relatively few studies of- long-term exposure. Many reports in the literature describing `chronic' exposures to pesticides are, in fact, as short as five days and rarely longer than three months. Furthermore, routes of administration range from subcutaneous to dietary. Doses used in many of the studies produce signs of acute or overt toxicity. In contrast, human symptoms have been reported following exposures that are prolonged and often without obvious toxic effects. A survey of the literature was conducted to identify rodent studies with neurobehavioral and neurophysiological endpoints of pesticide exposures lasting 30 days or longer. This survey indicated that the majority of studies concentrate on cholinesterase inhibitors (organophosphorus and carbamate insecticides). Various neuromotor, cholinergic, physiological, affective and cognitive disorders were reported at doses producing cholinesterase inhibition; however, there were a fewer effects at non-inhibiting doses. Other classes of pesticides produced similar effects, with the exception of cholinergic signs. In many studies, the changes were subtle, which may correspond to the nonspecific changes in psychomotor and cognitive function reported in humans. It appears, then, that the data from animal and human pesticide exposures are generally comparable, but the specific outcomes are influenced by many experimental differences. Future research should concentrate on analogous exposures and outcomes to facilitate interpretation. Human & Experimental Toxicology (2007) 26, 321—331
State Implementation of Federal Environmental Policy: Explaining Leveraging in the Clean Water State Revolving Fund

The Clean Water State Revolving fund (CWSRF) program provides states with significant discretion to design, implement, and administer the program to meet their water quality needs. An important aspect of the program is the decision whether to leverage existing funds to generate additional capital for loans. This article seeks to explain the leveraging decision process, using three models as explanators. We conceive leveraging as a two-stage process—(1) the decision to leverage and (2) the decision of how much to leverage. By employing regression techniques, we find that the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA’s) stated reasons for leveraging—environmental needs and demand for loans—are not significant in the decision to leverage, although needs are significant at the second stage. Likewise, there is limited support for Lester's (1994) “capacity/commitment” model of environmental implementation. A third model employing a larger range of independent variables is the best predictor of both the decision to leverage and the amount of leveraging. Furthermore, the factors important at each stage of the decision process differ substantially, reinforcing our conception of a two-stage decision process.
Comparison of selection by independent culling levels for below-average birth weight and high yearling weight with mass selection for high yearling weight in line 1 Hereford cattle.

Mass selection by independent culling levels (YB subline) for below-average birth weight (BWT) and high yearling weight (YWT) was compared with single-trait mass selection (YW subline) for high YWT in the inbred population of Line 1 Hereford cattle at Miles City, Montana. There were 4.2 generations of selection in YB and YW. Heritability estimates for the base population derived from multiple-trait REML were . 28 and . 31 for direct effects and . 16 and . 06 for maternal effects on BWT and YWT, respectively. Mid-parent cumulative selection differentials for BWT of YB and YW diverged (-2.9 vs 8.2 kg, respectively), as did the associated genetic trends for direct effects (-.014 kg/yr vs .105 kg/yr, respectively). Mid-parent cumulative selection differential for YWT of YB (102.1 kg) was 64% of that attained in YW (160.7 kg). Likewise, response in YWT of YB (.91 kg/yr) was 61% of response attained in YW (1.5 kg/yr). For BWT and YWT, maternal genetic trends were similar across selection lines. Assistance at parturition of first-parity 2-yr-old heifers was consistently less frequent in YB than in YW.
No association of TP53 codon 72 SNP with male infertility: a study in a Chinese population and a meta-analysis

Abstract Genetic polymorphisms may affect human male fertility. Even though TP53 plays a role in spermatogenesis we know little about the association of the functional polymorphism at codon 72 of TP53 with respect to susceptibility to male infertility. We conducted a case-control study to investigate this association in a Chinese population and performed a meta-analysis in different populations to clarify this association. The single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) of TP53 codon 72 (rs1042522 G>C) was genotyped by PCR-RFLP in 83 Chinese male infertility patients and 401 healthy controls. Meta-analysis was performed using the data from four currently available studies. The data from our study were overlayed using the v.9. 0 STATA software package. We observed no association between the TP53 codon 72 polymorphism and male infertility (p = 0.84, OR = 1.04, 95% CI, 0.74–1.45). Meta-analysis confirmed the case-control result that there was no significant association between the codon 72 polymorphism of TP53 and male infertility (Pro vs. Arg; p = 0.31, OR = 0.86, 95% CI, 0.65–1.15; Pro/Pro vs. Arg-carriers; p = 0.65, OR = 0.91, 95% CI, 0.61–1.36; Pro-carriers vs. Arg/Arg: p = 0.15, OR = 0.75, 95% CI, 0.51–1.11). The data presented in this communication supports the view that the codon 72 polymorphism of TP53 may not contribute to male infertility susceptibility in the Chinese population.
Growth Factors and Treatment of Intervertebral Disc Degeneration

Study Design. Literature review. Objective. To review the most recent findings of the effects of growth factors on the intervertebral disc and, further, to discuss trends in the biologic repair of the degenerated intervertebral disc. Summary of Background Data. Since early in 1990, advancements in molecular biology and cell culture technology have enabled researchers to accumulate knowledge about the in vitro actions of growth factors on intervertebral disc cells. More recently, the use of growth factors for the biologic regeneration of the intervertebral disc is of increasing interest to the orthopedic field, and indeed, some preliminary in vivo studies have proven their efficacy. Methods. Based on a literature search conducted using available databases, such as the National Library of Medicine, as well as data presented at scientific conferences held in the past 2 years, primarily in the United States, the current status of biologic therapy for disc degeneration using growth factors was summarized. Results. With increasing evidence to support the feasibility of biologically regenerating intervertebral disc tissues, the clinical application of growth factors has become more plausible. The effects of growth factors on the metabolism of intervertebral disc cells or tissues have been extensively studied using in vitro approaches. More recently, the efficacy of an injection of growth factor protein to reverse disc regeneration has been shown in vivo using a small animal disc degeneration model. The confirmation of those effects and a detailed dose-response study, as well as a long-term safety study, in a large animal model is highly anticipated. Hopefully, the expansion of the clinical use of improved imaging techniques for the early detection of disc degeneration and promising results about the effects of growth factors on intervertebral disc regeneration will benefit the human population in the near future. Conclusions. The results from these in vitro and in vivo studies reviewed here clearly suggest the potential usefulness of growth factor injections as a new approach to restore intervertebral disc degeneration at an early stage.
Tourism and Long-run Economic Growth in Aruba

This study examines the long-run relationship between tourism development and economic growth in a small island destination. Determining whether the nature of the relationship is unidirectional or bidirectional provides insightful information as to policies to be implemented. This information is crucial in a resource-poor environment, such as a small island destination. The study employs an econometric methodology consisting of unit root testing, co-integration analysis, vector error correction modeling and Granger causality testing. Results confirm the reciprocal hypothesis. The policy implication is that resource allocation supporting both the tourism and tourism-related industries could benefit both tourism development and economic growth. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Learning, Local Interaction, and Coordination

This paper discusses the dynamic implications of learning in a large population coordination game, focusing on the structure of the matching process that describes how players meet. As in M. Kandori, G. Mailath, and R. Rob (1992), experimentation and myopia create 'evolutionary' forces that lead players to coordinate on the risk dominant equilibrium. To describe play with finite time horizons, it is necessary to consider the rates at which the dynamic systems converge. In large populations with uniform matching, play is determined largely by historical factors. When players interact with small sets of neighbors, evolutionary forces may determine the outcome. Copyright 1993 by The Econometric Society.
Wages distribution in Poland: The roles of privatization and international trade, 1992‐96

This paper reports an investigation into the changes in the wage distribution in Poland in the first half of the 1990s. We concentrate on the effects of privatization and international trade. We show that the tendency towards increased dispersion in wages halted between 1992 and 1996, despite a rapid expansion in private-sector work. We also show that, during the same period, private-sector workers typically earned less than their statesector counterparts on an hourly basis, and this gap widened. However, if one controls for experience, tenure and size of workplace, then there existed a small positive privatesector premium. On the effects of international trade, we find suggestive circumstantial evidence that the increase in trade with Western Europe raised wages and employment in manufacturing.
A seasonal survey of gastrointestinal parasites in captive wild impala antelope on a game facility south of Lusaka, Zambia

Abstract Faecal samples (n = 1947) from captive wild impala (Aepyceros melampus melampus) were examined over a period of 14 months to determine quantitative seasonal helminth egg excretion patterns and qualitative protozoan oocyst excretion patterns. Geometric mean monthly faecal egg counts (FECs) ranged from 20 to 575 and coprocultures revealed three parasite genera, namely Trichostrongylus, Haemonchus and Strongyloides. Larvae of the Trichostrongylus spp. were most predominant from faecal cultures. No trematode eggs or lungworms were detected and eggs of the cestode Monezia were only seen in two samples during the entire study period. The nematode FECs showed a marked seasonal variation, being higher during the rainy season, moderate during the cool dry season and low during the hot dry season. The rainy season had significantly higher FECs than the dry season (P < 0.01). The percentage of helminth-egg positive faecal samples ranged from 90.6 to 100% in the rainy season and 72.4 to 85.6% in the dry season. Overall mean FECs in unpelleted faeces were significantly higher than in pelleted faeces (P < 0.01). However, the FECs were not significantly different among seasons in unpelleted faeces (P>0.05), but were significantly higher in pelleted faeces in the rainy season than the dry season (P < 0.05). Pellet size had a significant effect on FEC, with smaller pellets having higher FEC (P < 0.05). Strongyloides eggs and coccidia oocysts were only seen during the rainy season. This represents the first documentation of seasonal parasitic infestation in captive wild antelopes in Zambia. Treatment and control strategies for helminths in these captive wild impala are also suggested based on the findings from this study.
Mid-Tarsal and Tarsometatarsal Arthrodesis for Primary Degenerative Osteoarthrosis or Osteoarthrosis after Trauma*

We report the long-term results of arthrodesis of the mid-tarsal and tarsometatarsal joints, performed for osteoarthrosis after dislocation with or without a fracture (seventeen patients [seventeen feet]), for primary degenerative osteoarthrosis (twenty-one patients [twenty-two feet]), or for inflammatory arthritis (two patients [two feet]). All forty patients (forty-one feet) had a severe loss of function because of pain. The average age of the patients who had primary degenerative osteoarthrosis was sixty years (range, twenty-seven to seventy-five years) and that of the patients who had post-traumatic osteoarthrosis was forty years (range, twenty-three to sixty-seven years); the two patients who had inflammatory arthritis were forty-four and seventy years old. Thirty-seven patients (thirty-eight feet; 93 per cent) were satisfied with the results of the procedure after an average duration of follow-up of six years (range, two to seventeen years). Union was achieved after 176 (98 per cent) of the 179 attempted arthrodeses, and only one of the three non-unions necessitated an operative repair. A skin slough developed in two patients, one of whom needed operative débridement. Five patients noted at least one prominent metatarsal head postoperatively, but none of these patients needed débridement because of abnormal callus formation. A stress fracture of the second metatarsal developed in three patients, but all three fractures responded to immobilization of the foot. An incisional neuroma developed in three patients, but none of these patients needed additional treatment. We believe that patients who have a severe loss of function due to osteoarthrosis of the mid-tarsal or tarsometatarsal joints can be managed successfully with tarsometatarsal or mid-tarsal arthrodesis, or both.
Boundaries, Privacy, and Social Media Use in Higher Education: What do Students Think, Want, and Do?

In this study, we examine university students’ beliefs and behaviors related to social media, identity, and boundaries in a higher education context. Findings suggest a complex and at times contradictory relationship between students and social media, in which they enjoy free access to information about and contributed by other people and freely share about themselves in a social or personal context, but are reticent to be active contributors in an academic context. Although students seek information about their instructors online, they do not believe that instructors might reciprocate. In contrast to a common assumption, they do not want to use social media in their coursework and prefer to restrict both their communication with instructors and coursework to private tools and settings.
Auctions versus Posted-Price Selling: The Case of Correlated Private Valuations

Two popular selling methods are compared in a one-period correlated private-values model. The seller of an object has to decide whether to sell it by posting a fixed price or by an auction. Without auctioning costs, an auction (with a reserve price) is always preferable. With positive auctioning costs, the authors find that an auction is still preferable when the distribution of buyers' valuations is sufficiently dispersed or when the object value is sufficiently high. The relations between these and previous results are also discussed.
Fears of Foreign Ownership: The Old Face of Economic Nationalism

This paper examines recent incidences of 'economic patriotism' to determine whether this new wave of protectionism against foreign ownership represents a new breed of mercantilist fervor or a reincarnation of protectionism from years past. By placing the examples in their socioeconomic and historical context, the paper analyzes the future of economic nationalism within the world economy and the global trade system. This paper predicts that the current round of ownership protectionism will remain a transient occurrence that will not prevail over the long term. Economic patriotism may resurface in various countries on an intermittent basis but it will not be a sustainable force.
The sensitivity and specificity of Lassa virus IgM by ELISA as screening tool at early phase of Lassa fever infection

Background: Early diagnosis, prompt treatment, and disease containment are vital measures in the management of Lassa fever (LF), a lethal and contagious arenaviral hemorrhagic disease prevalent in West Africa. Lassa Virus (LAV)-specific Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) test, the gold standard for diagnosis, is unavailable in most centers. Serologic detection of LAV IgM is a more accessible tool and this work was to investigate its adequacy as an early marker for LF. Patients and Methods: A prospective case–control study conducted July 2007-March 2011 in a tertiary referral health center in Nigeria. Blood samples for test and control were evaluated for Lassa specific antigens and IgM using RT-PCR (primers S36+ and LVS 339) and indirect ELISA (Lassa Nucleo-protein (NP)-Antigen) respectively. RT-PCR outcome was used as standard to test for the sensitivity and specificity of IgM. Results: Of the 37 confirmed cases of LF infection by RT-PCR, 21 (57%) were IgM positive. Amongst the 35 confirmed negative cases (control group), eight were IgM positive. The diagnostic sensitivity and specificity of the IgM assay were 57% and 77% respectively. The negative and positive predictive values of the IgM serological assay were 63% and 72%, respectively, while the efficiency of the test was 67%. Conclusion: The specificity and sensitivity of IgM as a screening tool for early detection of LF appear weak and, hence, the need for a reliable LF “rapid screening kit” since RT-PCR is unavailable in most centers. In the interim, “high clinical index of suspicion,” irrespective of IgM status, requires urgent referral to confirmatory centers.
Reduced protein expression of metastasis‐related genes (nm23, KISS1, KAI1 and p53) in lymph node and liver metastases of gastric cancer

Purpose: Metastasis remains an incurable common complication in patients with gastric cancer. A variety of theories have been proposed to explain the inefficiency of the metastatic process. To compare protein expression of metastasis‐related genes (nm23, KISS1, KAI1 and p53) between primary tumours and metastatic tumours may be useful in illustrating these theories.
The Schmitter Problem

H. SCHMITTER describes the following practical background in which the problem arises. The problem of determining bounds for ruin probabilities arises when an insurer decides his reinsurance retentions in order to increase the stability of an account. He may not only choose between various forms of reinsurance (quota share, surplus, excess loss etc.) but he usually combines them in what is called a reinsurance program. When evaluating reinsurance programs he needs to compare their prices and the effectiveness of the protection they offer. The reinsurance price is the difference between the gross (i.e. before reinsurance) and the net (i.e. retained, after reinsurance) expected profit. The effectiveness of the protection, on the other hand, can be measured by the probability of ruin: the lower the probability of ruin of the retained account the more effective the reinsurance program. Computing ruin probabilities is often criticized as being pointless because their absolute values are said to be irrelevant. However, if two reinsurance programs both reduce the expected profit of the ceding company by the same amount the one leading to the smaller probability of ruin is likely to be preferable. The ruin probability depends on the initial reserve (known to the ceding company), the security loading (defined as the expected retained profit, hence a function of the reinsurance program) and on the retained claim amount distribution. In practice, the latter is hardly ever known, apart from the maximum retained claim which is given by an excess loss deductible or a policy limit. At best we have to our disposal estimates of the expected value and the variance. An exact computation of the ruin probability is, therefore, not possible and one has to accept the determination of upper and lower bounds.
Role of Saliva in Caries Models

The crucial role played by the actions of saliva in controlling the equilibrium between de- and remineralization in a cariogenic environment is demonstrated by the effects on caries incidence of salivary dysfunction and by the distribution of sites of caries predilection to those where salivary effects are restricted. However, of the several properties of saliva which may confer protective effects, it is not certain which are most important. A distinction can be made between static protective effects, which act continuously, and dynamic effects, which act during the time-course of the Stephan curve. Evidence implicates salivary buffering and sugar clearance as important dynamic effects of saliva to prevent demineralization; of these, the buffering of plaque acids may predominate. Enhanced remineralization of white spot lesions may also be regarded as dynamic protective effects of saliva. Fluoride in saliva (from dentifrices, ingesta, etc.) may promote remineralization and (especially fluoride in plaque) inhibit demineralization. The design of experiments using caries models must take into account the static and dynamic effects of saliva. Some models admit a full expression of these effects, while others may exclude them, restricting the range of investigations possible. The possibility is raised that protective effects of saliva and therapeutic agents may act cooperatively.
Dissecting the Exporter Wage Gap in Spain

It is well known that exporter rms pay higher wages and are more skill intensive than domestic rms. In this paper we measure and decompose the exporter wage gap into several explanatory components by estimating counterfactual distributions for the Spanish manufacturing sector between 1995 and 2010. We nd that conditional wages are more compressed at exporter rms, dierences