Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The metabolism of oleic, linoleic and linolenic acids by sheep with reference to their effects on methane production

1. Nine experiments, each with one of six sheep with cannulated rumens given a constant diet of dried grass, were made in which oleic, linoleic or linolenic acid was infused into the rumen and energy and lipid metabolism were measured. One experiment was made in which palmitic acid was given. 2. Judged by changes in the composition of isolated fatty acids, the unsaturated fatty acids were hydrogenated in the rumen. An increase in the excretion of lipid in the faeces occurred when the unsaturated acids were given. The heat of combustion of the faeces increased by 12.6±3.0 kcal/100 kcal fatty acid, of which 94% was accounted for by the additional lipid. 3. Methane production fell when the unsaturated fatty acids were infused, the decreases being 13.8±1.6 kcal CH4;/I00 kcal oleic acid, 14.2±1.5 kcal CH4/100 kcal linoIeic acid and 16.4±1.3 kcal CH4/100 kcal Iinolenic acid. The introduction of a double bond into an n-alkyl acid was calculated to reduce methane production by 0.24±0.09 moles/mole double bond. 4. Because the depression of methane production on infusing the fatty acids exceeded the increase in the heat of combustion of the faeces, the metabolizable energy of the fatty acids was 104.1±5.3% of their heat of combustion. 5. The efficiencies with which the fatty acids were used to promote energy retention were 74.6±5.7% for oleic acid, 79.2±2.0 % for linoleic acid and 82.5±3.0% for linolenic acid. These efficiencies agreed with those noted in experiments by others with rats, horses and pigs given glycerides, but were higher than those noted by others when glycerides were added to the diets of ruminants.
Cumulative Lead Exposure and Cognitive Performance Among Elderly Men

Background: Recent evidence suggests that cumulative lead exposure among adults in nonoccupational settings can adversely affect cognitive function. Which cognitive domains are affected has not been explored in detail. Methods: We used nonlinear spline regressions and linear repeated-measures analysis to assess the association between scores on a battery of cognitive tests over time and both blood and bone lead concentrations in the Normative Aging Study, a cohort of community-dwelling elderly men. Bone lead was measured from 1991 through 1999 with K-shell x-ray fluorescence. A total of 1089 men with a mean (±standard deviation) age of 68.7 (±7.4) years with blood lead measurements, 761 of whom also had valid bone lead measurements, completed at least one of a battery of cognitive tests. Approximately 3.5 years later, 69% of the men had at least one repeat test. Cognitive testing was performed from 1993 through 2001. Results: On a cross-sectional basis, there was little association between blood or bone lead and cognitive test scores. Change in performance over time on virtually all tests worsened as bone lead increased, with the most robust effects on performance and reaction time scores on visuospatial/visuomotor tests. Conclusions: Low-level cumulative exposure to lead in nonoccupational settings may adversely affect cognitive function, particularly in the visuospatial/visuomotor domain.
The changing relation between mortality and level of economic development. 1975.

Summary A very simple technique has been used to shed light on a number of questions about the influence of economic level on national mortality trends and differentials. Scatter-diagrams of the cross-sectional relation between national income per head and life expectancy are developed for three decades during the twentieth, century. The relations established appear to shift systematically during the century. In general, in order to attain a certain life expectancy between 40 and 60 a nation requires an income level almost three times greater in the 1930s than in the 1960s This shift is corroborated by a changing structure of mortality by cause of death for populations at equivalent mortality levels. The magnitude of the shifts, combined with regional income data suggests that some 75–90 per cent of the growth in life expectancy for the world as a whole over these three decades is attributable to factors exogenous to a nation's contemporary level of income Through similar techniques, improved nutrition an.
Does the Bullwhip Matter Economically? A Cross-Sectional Firm-Level Analysis

This paper investigates whether the bullwhip has economic consequences at the firm level. In particular, we examine the relation between the bullwhip and various accounting/financial performance measures including equity returns, cash flows, earnings, and earnings attributes such as earnings quality and earnings persistence, using a large panel of cross-sectional firm-level data. Performance is measured both in terms of first-moment mean effects and second-moment volatility effects. Contrary to the maintained assumption of economics and operations management scholars, our analysis yields results that are inconsistent with the notion that the bullwhip has significant negative economic consequences at the firm level. In particular, we find almost no significant statistical/economic relations between accounting/financial measures of profitability and the bullwhip, both with and without covariate controls.
Does duration on antiretroviral therapy determine health-related quality of life in people living with HIV? A cross-sectional study in a regional referral hospital in Kenya

Objective To measure the extent to which health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in people living with HIV is associated with duration of antiretroviral therapy (ART) after controlling for sociodemographic, clinical, and other therapy-related factors. Design Cross-sectional analysis. Methods A gender-stratified random sample of 421 participants aged 18–64 years was selected from the patients on ART at a health facility in Kenya. Three hundred and ninety two patients participated in the study, representing a 93% response rate. Data on general physical and mental health functioning status were collected using the SF-36 health survey questionnaire. Hierarchical logistic regression analysis was used to predict the SF-36 summary scores. Results In regression analyses, the duration of ART was negatively associated with HRQoL (odds ratio (OR): 0.6, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.45–0.92) after controlling for sociodemographic, clinical, and other therapy-related factors. Patients with chronic diseases or clinical symptoms of acute illness had significantly worse HRQoL (OR: 0.5, 95% CI: 0.30–0.79 and OR: 0.3, 95% CI: 0.16–0.59, respectively). Therapy interruptions, adverse drug reactions, and World Health Organization stage at initiation of therapy were not associated with HRQoL. Conclusion Patients on ART for a relatively longer duration reported poorer HRQoL at the study facility independent of the effect of other therapy-related, clinical, and sociodemographic factors. Program managers and clinicians in the Kenyan health system may need to refocus attention on this subgroup to avert ‘loss to treatment’ that may have negative repercussions on the substantial gains made against the HIV scourge.
Impact of viral hepatitis co-infection on response to antiretroviral therapy and HIV disease progression in the HIV-NAT cohort

Objective: To examine the impact of viral hepatitis co-infection on HIV disease outcomes following commencement of combination antiretroviral therapy in a developing country setting. Methods: HIV RNA suppression, CD4 cell count recovery, and HIV disease progression were examined within a cohort of Thai HIV-infected patients enrolled in eight HIV-NAT randomized controlled trials of antiretroviral therapy (n = 692). Hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) testing was performed on stored serum. Results: Mean age was 32.3 years, 52% were male, 11% had CDC category C HIV disease at baseline, and 22% had received prior antiretroviral therapy. Prevalence of HBV, HCV and HBV/HCV co-infection was 8.7, 7.2 and 0.4%, respectively. Median HIV RNA reductions (log10 copies/ml) were approximately 1.5 for HIV, HIV-HBV, HIV-HCV subgroups from week 4 up to week 48. Mean increases in CD4 cell count were significantly lower among HIV-HBV and HIV-HCV subgroups at week 4 (HIV, 62 × 106 cells/l; HIV-HBV, 29 × 106 cells/l; HIV-HCV, 33 × 106 cells/l), however, by week 48 CD4 cell increases were similar (HIV, 115 × 106 cells/l; HIV-HBV, 113 × 106 cells/l; HIV-HCV, 97 × 106 cells/l). Cox regression analyses showed that HIV-HBV or HIV-HCV co-infection were not associated with a CD4 cell count increase of 100 × 106 cells/l over 48 weeks. Estimated progression to AIDS event or death at week 48 was 3.3% (95% confidence interval, 2.0–5.1%) for HIV, 6.7% (2.5–14.6%) for HIV-HBV, and 8.0% (2.2–20.5%) for HIV-HCV subgroups (P > 0.05). Conclusions: An early delayed CD4 count recovery among HIV/viral hepatitis co-infected patients was not sustained, and was not associated with increased HIV disease progression.
Underdetermined BSS with multichannel complex NMF assuming W-disjoint orthogonality of source

This paper presents a new method for underdetermined Blind Source Separation (BSS), based on a concept called multichannel complex non-negative matrix factorization (NMF). The method assumes (1) that the time-frequency representations of sources have disjoint support (W-disjoint orthogonality of sources), and (2) that each source is modeled as a superposition of components whose amplitudes vary over time coherently across all frequencies (amplitude coherence of frequency components) in order to jointly solve the indeterminacy involved in the frequency domain underdetermined BSS problem. We confirmed experimentally that the present method performed reasonably well in terms of the signal-to-interference ratio when the mixing process was known.
INTEGRATED HETEROGENEOUS SOCIAL NETWORKING SITES

The growth of Social Network Sites (SNSs) have opened the opportunity for researchers to explore a large amount of social and behavioral data. The heterogeneity of SNSs offer more seamless services across SNSs and also offers integrated SNSs. The aim of the system is to integrate the heterogeneous SNSs. The P2P-iSN allows users from heterogeneous SNSs to communicate without involving the SNS they have registered with. In proposed system architecture, Global Relationship Model (GRM) is used to capture the relationship strength, and i-Search, to find the optimal social path with less time between any two users who are meaningfully connected in heterogeneous SNSs. With the P2P-iSN, SNS developers can design more effective user-centric SNS application. All SNS user uses different services of different SNS on a single platform, and maintain relationship globally.
Diagnosis of late‐infantile neuronal ceroid lipofuscinosis: A new sensitive method to assay lysosomal pepstatin‐insensitive proteinase activity in human and animal specimens by capillary electrophoresis

Batten disease, or human late‐infantile neuronal ceroid lipofuscinosis (LINCL) is a familiar progressive degenerative disease affecting children, caused by a deficiency of a lysosomal proteinase (tripeptidyl peptidase I, TPP‐I) and characterized by the accumulation of autofluorescent storage bodies in the brain and other tissues of the body. Current methodology used to diagnose this disease needs to be improved in order to have less invasive techniques with higher resolution and shorter assay time. In this report, we discuss the potential merits of micellar electrokinetic chromatography as an excellent tool that requires minute samples but offers high resolution and a short running time for monitoring TPP‐I activity in human and animal specimens.
Community participation framework for protected area-based tourism planning

ABSTRACT Protected area-based tourism is being used both as a local development and conservation tool in many countries. It has been argued that the benefits local communities receive from protected area-based tourism and support for conservation can be enhanced when local people are actively involved in the tourism planning and protected area management activities. But most studies ignore or rarely articulate the actions required to promote effective community participation in tourism planning. Most participatory tourism development processes have also remained unassessed in terms of ascertaining their effectiveness. It is therefore appropriate for tourism planners to find means of effectively involving local communities in protected area-based tourism planning. Therefore, this paper proposes a framework for effective participation of local communities in tourism planning associated with protected areas. The framework incorporates perspectives and experiences from public participation in both broader tourism planning and general development planning. It has been developed to be used as a tool for effective community participation in tourism planning and any related assessments of the planning process.
Public Sector E-Commerce

E-commerce in the public sector has been defined as any process or transaction conducted by a government organization over a computermediated network that transfers ownership of or rights to use, goods, services, or information (Stowers, 2001). Public sector e-commerce has also been defined as the subset of e-government involving the exchange of money for goods and services purchased over the Internet by citizens and businesses (Reddick, 2005). The main aspect that defines e-commerce is transactions between government and citizens or businesses involving the exchange of money. Therefore, e-commerce is the use of the Internet and the Web to transact business. More formally, e-commerce is digitally enabled commercial transactions between and among organizations and individuals (Reddick, 2004b). Generally speaking, one definition of electronic government or e-government refers to the use of technology, particularly Web-based Internet applications, to enhance the access to and delivery of government information and services to citizens, business, partners, employees, other agencies, and entities (GAO, 2001). E-commerce is a subset of e-government, is more restrictive in that it focuses on government transactions over the Internet. E-commerce is one way for government to reduce transaction costs and hence save budgetary resources, an especially critical function in fiscally restrained governments as witnessed by some of the transactional services offered online.
Nonlinear Pricing with Local Network Effects

This paper presents a model of second-degree price discrimination by a monopolistic seller who offers a menu of price-quantity pair contracts to consumers located in a social network. Network effects are local as consumers' private valuations are increasing in their friends' adoption decisions. When designing the optimal set of contracts, the seller takes into account how these local network effects are generated over the social network. Increased participation generates externalities through a ''market size effect'' (higher participation due to higher valuations) and a ''distribution effect'' (consumers upgrade to a higher quantity contract). Local network effects can induce the seller to offer contracts to some consumer segments at a loss (e.g., by offering a free-of-charge plan). Due to the combination of network effects and asymmetric information a complete market failure can occur, i.e., no output is produced despite some production is socially desirable.
Horizontal Inequities in the Uptake of Hospital Delivery and the Role of Social Determinants in China

Objectives: To measure the horizontal inequity in the uptake of hospital delivery and quantify the contribution of various social determinants of health (SDH) to such inequity in China from 1993-2008 Methods: With four national representative surveys in China conducted in 1993, 1998, 2003 and 2008, we measured horizontal inequity in the uptake of hospital delivery using indirect standardized concentration indices (CIs). By decomposing Cis into components, we explored the contributions of income, health insurance, education, living conditions to such inequities. Oaxaca type decomposition was further used to explain the role for each SDH on the changes of inequities between 1993 and 2008. Results: We found that horizontal inequity in the coverage of hospital delivery approached equal line in the urban areas and shrank by 90% in rural China in 1993-2008. The data also showed that dramatic socioeconomic achievement was made across the 16 years, including education, income, health insurance and living conditions, which contributed substantially to the reduction of the inequities in the uptake of hospital delivery. Income’s contribution was mainly made by its protection effect, while health insurance’s role was mainly played by its equal distributions in the rural areas. Conclusions: The horizontal inequity in the uptake of hospital births vanished in urban China and decreased in the rural. The leading contributors to such inequity were income, health insurance, living conditions and education. Decomposition analysis suggests that more investments are warranted for financial risk protection and targeted demand side subsidies may make a difference. DOI : 10.14302/issn.2381-862X.jwrh-15-801 Corresponding author: Xing Lin Feng, E-Mail: fxl@bjmu.edu. cn; Tel. : +86-10-8280-5394; Fax: +86-10-8280-2481.
Problems of accounting control to ensure innovation in the conditions of financial instability

Важной особенностью инновационной деятельности в России является низкий уровень ее инновационной активности, несмотря на то, что одним из приоритетных направлений экономического развития нашей страны определено формирование благоприятного инновационного климата и повышение инновационной активности бизнеса. Однако научно-исследовательские и опытно-конструкторские работы требуют колоссальных затрат и сопряжены с высоким уровнем риска. В результате, несмотря на признание неизбежности инновационного пути развития для обеспечения экономической устойчивости в условиях финансовой нестабильности, к инновационной деятельности в России относятся настороженно. Главной причиной сложившегося уровня инновационной активности организаций является недостаток эффективных мер государственного стимулирования инновационной деятельности и, как следствие, отсутствие интереса частных инвесторов (в том числе иностранных) к вложению средств в отечественные инновационные проекты. Для эффективного стимулирования инновационной деятельности необходимо наличие соответствующего его уровню контрольного обеспечения, направленного на сохранность вложенных средств и эффективное управление ими. Уточнено содержание информационного обеспечения инновационной деятельности. Предложено выделение обособленного учета затрат на инновационную деятельность, ориентированного не только на обеспечение информацией внешних пользователей (для внешнего мониторинга и анализа), но и внутренних (руководителей организаций) для своевременной оценки эффективности инновационной деятельности, организации внутреннего контроля и принятия управленческих решений. В зависимости от финансовых возможностей хозяйствующих субъектов определены формы интеграции организационных структур и в соответствии с ними выделены способы ведения и учета инновационной деятельности. Обоснована целесообразность использования индивидуальной системы управленческого учета и внутрихозяйственной отчетности. ЭКОНОМИЧЕСКАЯ УСТОЙЧИВОСТЬ; ИННОВАЦИОННАЯ АКТИВНОСТЬ; ФОРМЫ И СПОСОБЫ СТИМУЛИРОВАНИЯ ИННОВАЦИОННОЙ ДЕЯТЕЛЬНОСТИ; ЗАТРАТЫ НА ИННОВАЦИОННУЮ ДЕЯТЕЛЬНОСТЬ; УЧЕТ И КОНТРОЛЬ ЗАТРАТ НА ИННОВАЦИОННУЮ ДЕЯТЕЛЬНОСТЬ.
HIV-1-Specific CD8+ T Cell Responses and Viral Evolution in Women and Infants1

CD8+ T lymphocyte responses play an important role in controlling HIV-1 replication but escape from CD8+ T cell surveillance may limit the effectiveness of these responses. Mother-to-child transmission of CD8+ T cell escape variants may particularly affect CD8+ T cell recognition of infant HIV-1 epitopes. In this study, amino acid sequence variation in HIV-1 gag and nef was examined in five untreated mother-infant pairs to evaluate the potential role of CD8+ T cell responses in the evolution of the viral quasispecies. Several CD8+ T cell escape variants were detected in maternal plasma. Evaluation of infant plasma viruses at 1–3 mo documented heterogeneity of gag and nef gene sequences and mother-to-child transmission of CD8+ T cell escape variants. Infant HLA haplotype and viral fitness appeared to determine the stability of the escape mutants in the infant over time. Changes in CD8+ T cell epitope sequences were detected in infants’ sequential plasma specimens, suggesting that infants are capable of generating virus-specific CD8+ T cell responses that exert selective pressures in vivo. Altogether, these studies document that HIV-1-specific CD8+ T cell responses contribute to the evolution of the viral quasispecies in HIV-1-infected women and their infants and may have important implications for vaccine design.
The effect of LAC doping on deep submicrometer transistor capacitances and its influence on device RF performance

In this paper, we have systematically investigated the effect of lateral asymmetric doping on the MOS transistor capacitances and compared their values with conventional (CON) MOSFETs. Our results show that, in lateral asymmetric channel (LAC) MOSFETs, there is nearly a 10% total gate capacitance reduction in the saturation region at the 100-nm technology node. We also show that this reduction in the gate capacitance contributes toward improvement in f/sub T/, f/sub max/, and RF current gain, along with an improved transconductance in these devices. Our results also show that reduced short-channel effects in LAC devices improve the RF power gain. Finally, we report that the lateral asymmetric channel doping gives rise to a lower drain voltage noise spectral density compared to CON devices, due to the more uniform electric field and electron velocity distributions in the channel.
Application of Artificial Neural Network Techniques in Text Recognition from an Image

In this paper, a model is proposed that works on the concept of recognizing text from an image with the help of neural network. Firstly, the text is extracted from the input image. This is one of the most important tasks of this system. Then this extracted text goes through various pre-processing steps that include binarization, normalization, converting text on gray scale, point detection, edge detection, angular rotation etc. After the pre-processing the text is segmented into various sub sections for better functioning of the system and to maintain the accuracy. Important features of the segmented text are extracted in the process of feature extraction. These features helps to differentiate the characters or segments from one another. Finally, the text is classified and is fed to the neural network for the training purpose. Therefore, neural network learns in an unsupervised manner. In the testing phase, the neural network based on the trained data gives the result as recognized text. In this way, the system works in 2 phases i.e. training phase and testing phase and attains state-of-the-art performance.