Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Factors Affecting Adoption of Mobile Banking: An Empirical Study in the State of Odisha

The purpose of this paper is to investigate m-banking adoption in Odisha; a service relatively new in the region. This empirical study aims to investigate the factors that influence consumer’s intention to adopt mobile banking by extending the renowned framework of Technology Acceptance Model (TAM). The aim is to gauge awareness level and to identify those factors that inhibit or motivate m-banking usage in Odisha. A self-administrated questionnaire had been developed and distributed in Cuttack and Bhubaneswar. Out of the 300 questionnaires, only 170 useable questionnaires were returned, yielding a response rate of 56.67 percent. Results were subsequently analyzed by using multiple regression and correlation analysis. Factors such as Perceived Usefulness (PU), perceived ease of use (PEOU), Relative Advantages (RA) and Personal Innovativeness (PI) were found positively related with the intention to adopt mobile banking services. As expected, Perceived Risks (PR) was negatively associated with the mobile banking adoption. The study has practical implications for local banks offering mobile banking services in Odisha.
Sodium Dodecyl Sulfate-Stable Proteases in Chloroplasts

Chloroplast subfractions were monitored for sodium dodecyl sulfate-stable proteases. Nine distinct activities in the molecular mass range from 14 to 66 kD have been detected. Five of the proteases associated with thylakoid membranes belong to the serine and cysteine types of proteases. These activities could be preserved and purified by a two-step electrophoresis procedure.
Conversion of chicken muscle to meat and factors affecting chicken meat quality: a review

Chicken meat results from overall biochemical and mechanical changes of the muscles after slaughtering process. The transformation of muscle in meat is a control point in the determinism of meat quality. Several and complex factors can affect poultry meat quality properties. Therefore, genotype, age, sex, type of muscle, structure of muscle fiber, production system, feeding, feed and water withdrawal, transport, slaughter process, post mortem aging time promote a significant difference in parameters of technological, sensorial and nutritional quality of chicken meat. However, differences in meat quality exist between fast and slow growing chicken genotypes. Furthermore, older chickens present a lower ultimate pH, redder breast meat, higher shear force and drip loss, lower yield and more important intramuscular fat. At equivalent age, the male chickens are less fatty than the females, while crude protein content is higher in males than females. Production systems, such as traditional free range and improved farming, promote differences in color, texture, chemical composition and the fatty acid composition of meat, with the higher protein content, the lower fat content and favorable fatty acid profile reported from chicken of free range system. The motory activity of birds in free range results in tough texture and high cooking loss in the meat during heating (80-100°C). Diet composition affects the fatty acid composition and meat flavor. Higher breast meat redness was found in birds that were transported for a shortest distance or not transported than in those after a longer distance.
Mind the dbGAP: the application of data mining to identify biological mechanisms.

Scientists have discovered basic mechanisms of mammalian development and disease through studying diverse animal models and human Mendelian disorders. The recently constructed database of Genotypes and Phenotypes (dbGAP) has made available to the scientific community extensive human genetic data from large, well-characterized phenotypes. Here we discuss how, in our view, the availability of dbGAP data has changed the traditional scientific approach to the identification of the genetic contributors to human disease and traits. Further, dbGAP has created new opportunities to discover genes important for mammalian development and disease traits through the targeted analysis of coding variants and the application of pathway-based approaches.
Poverty and brain development

We have known for a long time that poverty, however defined, is associated with poorer developmental and educational outcomes. It has been assumed that much of this is due to environmental and societal factors, but now we have hard evidence that poverty has a measurable adverse effect on organic brain development. Researchers from six US centres studied 390 children and adolescents aged 4 to 22 years between 2001 and 2007 (Hair N et al. JAMA Pediatrics 2015. doi:10.1001/jamapediatrics.2015.1475). They were chosen to represent a broad spread of American society. Children with any condition that could possibly affect brain growth, including adverse perinatal history, or known behavioural or developmental diagnoses, were excluded. As well as standard measures of cognitive development and academic achievement, they underwent magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) brain scans. Volumes of grey matter specifically in the frontal and temporal lobes were measured. As expected, poverty was associated with lower developmental scores. However there was a striking association between poverty and smaller grey matter volumes, which was greater in the poorest families: up to 10% less in those below the federal poverty level (p<0.05). The authors estimated that up to 20% of the observed poorer performance in the test scores could be explained by this delayed brain maturation. They controlled for possible confounders including birth weight, head size at birth, and, importantly, maternal educational level, and found that the association was maintained. They also measured the volume of the amygdala as a kind of ‘control’ brain region which should not be affected by poverty, and found that this did not show the same differences. Thus the delayed neural growth appeared to affect primarily those areas of the brain most associated with cognitive development and ability to learn. Because this study’s wide exclusion criteria included many disabling conditions that are more common in poor families anyway, the ‘real-life’ effect of poverty is almost certainly greater. An editorial by Joan Luby boldly claims that this and similar studies should be sufficient to change public policy with regard to childhood poverty, asserting that ‘there is perhaps nothing more important that a society must do than foster and protect the brain development of our children’ (doi:10.1001/jamapediatrics.2015.1682). There is plenty of evidence that early interventions to alleviate poverty can improve outcomes, and presumably, brain growth.
Learning online dating preferences from neuroimaging data

What is it about a person that makes you want to approach them? With the rise of online dating websites, for many the ’approach’ has changed from walking across a crowded bar to sliding one’s finger across a cell phone screen to indicate one’s interest in dating. The initial question about how we make these split-second judgments about the desirability of a partner has changed as well, as our judgments are often solely based on photographs with minimal additional information. While studies have shown that our judgments ’on paper’ (from merely looking at the online dating profile of an individual) more often than not fail to predict how much we like them in person (Finkel et al., 2012), millions of online dating users are doing the initial selection of who to contact precisely in this rapid fashion. Since 2000, the population of online dating users has grown significantly. According to unofficial reports, Tinder, a popular dating app, has over 50 million users. Tinder reports that since their launch in 2012 their app has matched more than 12 million people and that theirs users make billions of decisions every day about whether they are interested in potentially meeting someone by swiping right or left. Online dating is changing the dating world, and it is becoming more and more important to understand the specific mechanisms of mate selection that are in place in the unique social environment of online dating websites.
Focused ultrasound cavitation induced injury and localized atherosclerosis plaques of rabbit abdominal arterial endothelium

Early detection and diagnosis of high-risk or vulnerable plaques can reduce the death rate attributable to atherosclerosis. Many attempts to identify atherosclerosis plaques have focused on in vivo imaging techniques. An animal model with foregone plaque sites will be valuable to evaluate the validity of imaging method. Based on the “response-to-injury” hypothesis, lesions in the artery's endothelium might be the main mechanism. Therefore, we try to utilize focused ultrasound (FUS) cavitation to generate localized endothelial lesions instead of traditional balloon injury, and thereby induced localized, size-controlled plaques combined with high cholesterol diet. In this paper, rabbit abdominal aortas were processed by phase-shifted nanodroplets (PSND) enhanced FUS cavitation and balloon injury separately. Evans blue stained endothelial lesions were observed in both balloon and FUS cavitation injury. The injury regions caused by balloon were distributed on the whole vessel wall, while cavitation injuries were just located at US exposure sites. Additionally, the lesions with different sizes can be generated by adjusting US intensity, exposure time, etc. Furthermore, rabbits were developed plaques using high fat feeding, balloon injury plus fat feeding, and cavitation injury plus fat feeding separately. As a result of cavitation injury, the induced plaques were size-controlled and localized at the predictable site, while the plaque induced by balloon injury occurs randomly within the injury region. Therefore, cavitation injury might become an alternative and potential strategy to develop a localized and controllable atherosclerosis model.
Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT)

Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT) is a comprehensive and integrated approach to the delivery of early intervention and treatment services through universal screening for persons with substance use disorders and those at risk. This paper describes research on the components of SBIRT conducted during the past 25 years, including the development of screening tests, clinical trials of brief interventions and implementation research. Beginning in the 1980s, concerted efforts were made in the US and at the World Health Organization to provide an evidence base for alcohol screening and brief intervention in primary health care settings. With the development of reliable and accurate screening tests for alcohol, more than a hundred clinical trials were conducted to evaluate the efficacy and cost effectiveness of alcohol screening and brief intervention in primary care, emergency departments and trauma centers. With the accumulation of positive evidence, implementation research on alcohol SBI was begun in the 1990s, followed by trials of similar methods for other substances (e.g., illicit drugs, tobacco, prescription drugs) and by national demonstration programs in the US and other countries. The results of these efforts demonstrate the cumulative benefit of translational research on health care delivery systems and substance abuse policy. That SBIRT yields short-term improvements in individuals’ health is irrefutable; long-term effects on population health have not yet been demonstrated, but simulation models suggest that the benefits could be substantial.
Diagnostic Utility of the Water Load Test in Children With Chronic Abdominal Pain

Objectives: To compare water load test consumption patterns between children with functional gastrointestinal disorders and healthy control children. Methods: Seventy-one children with recurrent abdominal pain completed the Behavioral Assessment Scale for Children–Self- Report Form and the Questionnaire on Pediatric Gastrointestinal Symptoms during their first visit to a pediatric gastroenterology clinic. Parent- and child-report functional gastrointestinal diagnoses were based on the Questionnaire on Pediatric Gastrointestinal Symptoms scoring criteria, whereas the clinician's diagnosis was based on clinical impression from history and physical examination completed at this visit. Twenty-six healthy children also participated as controls. Statistical comparisons involved Student t tests, whereas receiver operating characteristic curves estimated sensitivity/specificity of the water load test and linear regression determined the amount of variance accounted for in water volume consumption. Results: Children with recurrent abdominal pain, particularly those with a diagnosis of functional dyspepsia, consumed less water than healthy children on the water load test. The water load test demonstrated good specificity, but poor sensitivity, in identifying patients with functional dyspepsia. Clinician evaluation provided the greatest differentiation between functional gastrointestinal disorders on the water load test. Conclusions: The water load test seems to be a poor diagnostic test for functional dyspepsia because of poor sensitivity. However, future research should examine whether the water load test is identifying a subset of children with functional dyspepsia experiencing a specific mechanosensory dysfunction and whether the water load test can predict clinical response to specific therapeutic interventions.
On the role of electron–ion recombination in low vacuum scanning electron microscopy

Here we demonstrate the effects of electron–ion recombination on imaging signals utilized in low vacuum scanning electron microscopes (SEMs). The presented results show that, under normal operating conditions, recombination of ionized gas molecules with secondary electrons (SEs) suppresses a significant fraction of emitted electrons. If the ion flux (and hence the spatial dependence of the SE–ion recombination rate) is laterally inhomogeneous across the imaged region of a specimen, contrast in SE images can be influenced and in some cases (under conditions of high detector field strength and long ionic mean free path) dominated by variations in the recombination rate. Consequently, SE images of features such as topographic asperities can exhibit edge‐darkening, leading to inversion of some topographic contrast. Recognition of the extent and nature of electron–ion recombination is required for a correct understanding of processes occurring in variable pressure SEMs and, subsequently, for models of image formation.
Nutrient digestibility and energy utilisation of diets based on wheat, sorghum or maize by the newly hatched broiler chick

1. Two experiments were conducted to measure changes in nutrient utilisation in the newly hatched broiler chicken. The first experiment determined the nitrogen-corrected apparent metabolisable energy (AMEN) and total tract digestibility of starch and fat in diets based on wheat, sorghum and maize during the first two weeks post-hatch. The second experiment was conducted to confirm the results of Experiment 1 using wheat- and maize-based diets and was of 21 d duration. 2. In both experiments, changes to AMEN with age were similar irrespective of the diet type, declining from d 3 to d 5–9 and then increasing after d 9. 3. In Experiment 1, the total tract digestibility of starch and fat exhibited a pattern similar to that of AMEN. 4. In Experiment 1, cereal effects were significant, with maize- and sorghum-based diets having higher AMEN values than the wheat-based diet. Total tract starch digestibility determined for d 5, 7 and 14 showed no cereal differences. Total tract fat digestibility on d 7 was significantly lower for the wheat- and sorghum-based diets than for the maize-based diet, but no cereal differences were observed on d 5 or 14. 5. In Experiment 2, cereal effects were significant, with the maize-based diet having a higher AMEN than the wheat-based diet. 6. These results showed that nutrient utilisation is compromised during the first week of life of the broiler chick.
Enteral Feeding In Utero Induces Marked Intestinal Structural and Functional Proteome Changes in Pig Fetuses

Intestinal adaptation from parenteral to enteral nutrition is crucial for survival and growth of newborns. Rapid feeding-induced gut maturation occurs immediately after birth in both preterm and term neonates, but it remains unclear whether the responses depend on factors related to birth transition (e.g. bacterial colonization, endocrine, and metabolic changes). We hypothesized that enteral feeding matures the immature intestine, even in fetuses before birth. Hence, control pig fetuses were compared with fetuses fed with milk formula for 24 h in utero. Gel-based proteomics showed that feeding-induced changes in 38 proteins, along with marked increases in intestinal mass and changes in activities of brush border enzymes. Physiological functions of the identified proteins were related to enterocyte apoptosis (e.g. caspase 1) and nutrient metabolism (e.g. citric acid cycle proteins). Many of the differentiated proteins were similar to those identified previously in preterm pigs fed with the same formula after birth, except that effects on proteins related to inflammatory lesions (e.g. heat shock proteins) were absent. Our results show that enteral feeding, independently of the birth transition, induces marked gut maturation and proteome change in the immature intestine. Hence, immediate postnatal feeding-induced gut changes are largely independent of factors related to the birth transition.
Differential lineage restriction of rat retinal progenitor cells in vitro and in vivo

To identify and characterize the lineage potential of rat neural retina progenitor cells (NRPCs) in vitro and engrafted into rats with retinal degeneration, NRPCs were isolated from neural retinas of embryonic day 17 Long Evans rats and cultured in serum‐free or serum‐containing media with fibroblast growth factor 2 and neurotrophin 3. After expansion, cellular differentiation was initiated by the withdrawal of these growth factors. Despite forming primary neurospheres, NRPCs cultured in serum‐free medium survived poorly after passage. In contrast, NRPCs cultured in serum‐containing medium could be expanded for up to 12 passages and differentiated into glial fibrillary acidic protein‐positive glial cells and retina‐specific neurons expressing rhodopsin, S‐antigen, calbindin, recoverin, and calretinin. For in vivo analysis, passage 1 (P1) undifferentiated NRPCs were labeled with bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU), implanted into the subretinal space of Royal College of Surgeons (RCS) rats, and analyzed immunohistochemically 4 weeks postgrafting. The grafted NRPCs showed extensive glial differentiation, irrespective of their topographic localization. A few BrdU‐labeled grafted NRPCs expressed protein kinase C, a marker for bipolar and amacrine interneuron‐specific differentiation. Other retina‐specific or oligodendrocytic differentiation was not detected in the grafted cells. Although NRPCs are capable of self‐renewal and multilineage differentiation in vitro, they developed mostly into glial cells following engraftment into the adult retina. These data suggest that the adult retina retains epigenetic signals that are either restrictive for neuronal differentiation or instructive for glial differentiation. Induction of lineage‐specific cell differentiation of engrafted NRPCs to facilitate retinal repair will likely require initiation of specific differentiation in vitro prior to grafting and/or modification of the host environment concomitantly with NRPC grafting. © 2002 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Saccade dysfunction associated with chronic petrol sniffing and lead encephalopathy

Background: In chronic petrol sniffers, recent exposure to high levels of leaded petrol may give rise to a lead encephalopathy characterised by tremor, chorea, ataxia, hyperreflexia, convulsive seizures, and death. Neurological abnormalities associated with lead encephalopathy involve the cortex, basal ganglia, cerebellum, and brain stem. Objective: To use saccadic eye movement tasks as an experimental tool to determine which CNS changes are associated with chronic petrol sniffing and which with a history of lead encephalopathy, and to what extent these changes are reversible. Methods: Saccade function was assessed in chronic petrol sniffers with a history of lead encephalopathy (encephalopathic sniffers), chronic petrol sniffers who had never suffered lead encephalopathy (chronic sniffers), individuals who had sniffed petrol in the past but had not done so for more than six months (ex-sniffers), and individuals who had never sniffed petrol (non-sniffers). Results: Chronic sniffers showed increased latency of visually guided saccades and antisaccades and increased antisaccade errors which suggested cortical and basal ganglia dysfunction. These abnormalities returned to normal in ex-sniffers. Encephalopathic sniffers showed the same abnormalities as chronic sniffers but with greater severity and additional saccadic signs including dysmetria, gaze evoked nystagmus, and saccade slowing which usually indicate cerebellar and brain stem dysfunction. Conclusions: Chronic petrol abuse is associated with cortical and basal ganglia abnormalities that are at least partially recoverable with abstinence. Additional long term cerebellar and brain stem abnormalities are associated with lead encephalopathy.
Evidence for Attentional Gradient in the Serial Position Memory Curve from Event-related Potentials

The occurrence of primacy versus recency effects in free recall is suggested to reflect either two distinct memory systems, or the operation of a single system that is modulated by allocation of attention and less vulnerable to interference. Behavioral and event-related brain potential (ERPs) measures were used to investigate the encoding substrates of the serial position curve and subsequent recall in young adults. Participants were instructed to remember lists of words consisting of 12 common nouns each presented once every 1.5 sec, with a recall signal following the last word to indicate that all remembered items should be written on paper. This procedure was repeated for 20 different word lists. Both performance and late ERP amplitudes reflected classic recall serial position effects. Greater recall and larger late positive component amplitudes were obtained for the primacy and recency items, with less recall and smaller amplitudes for the middle words. The late positive component was larger for recalled compared to unrecalled primacy items, but it did not differ between memory performance outcomes for the recency items. The close relationship between the enhanced amplitude and primacy retrieval supports the view that this positive component reflects one of a process series related to attentional gradient and encoding of events for storage in memory. Recency effects appear to index operations determined by the anticipation of the last stimulus presentation, which occurred for both recalled and unrecalled memory items. Theoretical implications are discussed.