Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Seasonal variation in semen quality of Dorper rams using different collection techniques

The aim of the study was to evaluate the seasonal variation in semen quality of Dorper rams using different semen collection techniques. The study was carried out from January 2012 to January 2013. A general management programme for health control was followed, with water being provided ad libitum throughout the trial, and all rams being fed a 2.5 kg maintenance diet per day. Eleven mature Dorper rams, recording a mean body weight of 69.6 ± 9.2 kg and mean age of 18 ± 4.7 months, were used in the trial. A group of six rams were trained for semen collection with the aid of the artificial vagina (AV), while in the remaining five rams, semen was collected using the electro ejaculator (EE). Immediately after collection, ejaculates were evaluated macroscopically and microscopically for semen volume, semen colour, semen pH, semen wave motion, sperm motility, sperm cell concentration, sperm viability and morphology. The results of the trial generally showed that semen in Dorper rams may be collected using the AV or EE methods throughout the year. However, an overall significant better semen quality collected by the AV versus the EE collection method was recorded. Generally, semen of significantly higher quality was recorded in summer, autumn and spring (both collection techniques). The tendency in the current trial was that the EE technique of semen collection was the less reliable method. Consequently the AV is recommended as the more acceptable method of semen collection in the Dorper. Winter is not generally recommended for semen collection, especially when using the EE. Keywords : Artificial vagina, electro-ejaculator, season, semen quality
Health Insurance and the Labor Supply Decisions of Older Workers: Evidence from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs

This paper exploits a major mid-1990s expansion in the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs health care system to provide evidence on two important and interrelated U.S. policy issues: retirement policy and universal health care. Using data from the Current Population Survey, we compare the labor market behavior of older veterans and non-veterans before and after the VA health benefits expansion to test the impact of public health insurance on labor supply. We find that older workers are significantly more likely to stop working or to move from full- to part-time work after receiving access to non-employer based insurance. Older workers are also more likely to leave self-employment, a result inconsistent with "job-lock" effects of employer-based insurance, but consistent with a positive income effect from new access to public insurance. Some relatively disadvantaged subpopulations, however, may increase their labor supply after gaining greater access to public insurance, consistent with complementary positive health effects of health care access for these groups.
SideEye: A Generative Neural Network Based Simulator of Human Peripheral Vision

Foveal vision makes up less than 1% of the visual field. The other 99% is peripheral vision. Precisely what human beings see in the periphery is both obvious and mysterious in that we see it with our own eyes but can't visualize what we see, except in controlled lab experiments. Degradation of information in the periphery is far more complex than what might be mimicked with a radial blur. Rather, behaviorally-validated models hypothesize that peripheral vision measures a large number of local texture statistics in pooling regions that overlap and grow with eccentricity. In this work, we develop a new method for peripheral vision simulation by training a generative neural network on a behaviorally-validated full-field synthesis model. By achieving a 21,000 fold reduction in running time, our approach is the first to combine realism and speed of peripheral vision simulation to a degree that provides a whole new way to approach visual design: through peripheral visualization.
When chasing the offender hurts the victim: Collateral damage from insider legislation

Backers and opponents argue over the pros and cons of legislation forbidding insider trading. At the same time, the lack of reliable empirical data caused by the currently prevailing legal systems inhibits an exhaustive scientific evaluation. We circumvent this problem by resorting to laboratory market data and show that insider legislation has significant negative effects on multiple market dimensions: Under insider legislation, (i) the liquidity and informational efficiency of markets are reduced, while spreads are unaffected, (ii) uninformed traders' losses (before redistribution) are higher due to deteriorating market quality, and (iii) overall welfare suffers due to the lower information content of prices and the cost of enforcement. In summary, insider legislation leads to welfare losses while failing to deliver the expected benefits for uninformed investors.
Thyroid cancer and lymph node metastases

There is considerable controversy about the prognostic implications of lymph node metastases in patients with papillary thyroid cancer and whether patients with papillary thyroid cancer should have a prophylactic or selective central (level VI) neck dissection. Some experts report that a prophylactic ipsilateral neck dissection results in fewer patients having elevated thyroglobulin levels but others do not agree. A comprehensive review of the literature suggests that the presence of macroscopic metastases of papillary thyroid cancer in cervical lymph nodes results in a higher recurrence rate and increased death rate, especially in patients 45 years of age or older, whereas microscopic nodal metastases do not appear to adversely influence survival. Until more information is available we recommend preoperative ultrasonography and a selective ipsilateral neck dissection for patients with papillary thyroid cancer. J. Surg. Oncol. 2011;103:615–618. © 2011 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
IPO Choice for Maritime Companies: Turkish Evidence

Many maritime companies in developed shipping countries have floated their stocks on the stock exchanges. Offering equity shares is a fundamental way of funding with respect to pecking order. However, this has not been implemented in Turkish shipping and capital markets until this year. From this point of view, this study explores the facts behind this situation. Two debates are brought into forward. First is the necessity or availability of capital resources to the firm. Second is the issue of vessel registration and "becoming a publicly-owned company and trading in the stock exchange". It is aimed to explain that the financial markets are extremely indifferent to the shipping industry in Turkey. Since the long term need of capital in the sector could hardly be responded by the capital market funds, the financial institutions do not want to carry this kind of credit risks. However, there may be many different financial instruments in complete markets. Another involvement of this study is to determine the possible way of Initial Public Offering of maritime companies in Turkey.
Effects of correlation and missing data on sample size estimation in longitudinal clinical trials

In longitudinal clinical trials, a common objective is to compare the rates of changes in an outcome variable between two treatment groups. Generalized estimating equation (GEE) has been widely used to examine if the rates of changes are significantly different between treatment groups due to its robustness to misspecification of the true correlation structure and randomly missing data. The sample size formula for repeated outcomes is based on the assumption of missing completely at random and a large sample approximation. A simulation study is conducted to investigate the performance of GEE sample size formula with small sample sizes, damped exponential family of correlation structure and non‐ignorable missing data. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Subsurface imaging of vegetation, climate, and root‐zone moisture interactions

Changes in global climate and land use affect important processes from evapotranspiration and groundwater recharge to carbon storage and biochemical cycling. Near surface soil moisture is pivotal to understand the consequences of these changes. However, the dynamic interactions between vegetation and soil moisture remain largely unresolved because it is difficult to monitor and quantify subsurface hydrologic fluxes at relevant scales. Here we use electrical resistivity to monitor the influence of climate and vegetation on root‐zone moisture, bridging the gap between remotely‐sensed and in‐situ point measurements. Our research quantifies large seasonal differences in root‐zone moisture dynamics for a forest–grassland ecotone. We found large differences in effective rooting depth and moisture distributions for the two vegetation types. Our results highlight the likely impacts of land transformations on groundwater recharge, streamflow, and land‐atmosphere exchanges.
Reconciliation and Interpretation of Big Bend National Park Particulate Sulfur Source Apportionment: Results from the Big Bend Regional Aerosol and Visibility Observational Study—Part I

Abstract The Big Bend Regional Aerosol and Visibility Observational (BRAVO) study was an intensive monitoring study from July through October 1999 followed by extensive assessments to determine the causes and sources of haze in Big Bend National Park, located in Southwestern Texas. Particulate sulfate compounds are the largest contributor of haze at Big Bend, and chemical transport models (CTMs) and receptor models were used to apportion the sulfate concentrations at Big Bend to North American source regions and the Carbón power plants, located 225 km southeast of Big Bend in Mexico. Initial source attribution methods had contributions that varied by a factor of ≥2. The evaluation and comparison of methods identified opposing biases between the CTMs and receptor models, indicating that the ensemble of results bounds the true source attribution results. The reconciliation of these differences led to the development of a hybrid receptor model merging the CTM results and air quality data, which allowed a nearly daily source apportionment of the sulfate at Big Bend during the BRAVO study. The best estimates from the reconciliation process resulted in sulfur dioxide (SO2) emissions from U.S. and Mexican sources contributing ~55% and 38%, respectively, of sulfate at Big Bend. The distribution among U.S. source regions was Texas, 16%; the Eastern United States, 30%; and the Western United States, 9%. The Carbón facilities contributed 19%, making them the largest single contributing facility. Sources in Mexico contributed to the sulfate at Big Bend on most days, whereas contributions from Texas and Eastern U.S. sources were episodic, with their largest contributions during Big Bend sulfate episodes. On the 20% of the days with the highest sulfate concentrations, U.S. and Mexican sources contributed ˜71% and 26% of the sulfate, respectively. However, on the 20% of days with the lowest sulfate concentrations, Mexico contributed 48% compared with 40% for the United States.
Trade liberalization and international production networks: Experience of the Indian automotive sector

This chapter contains the sectoral case study on the Indian automotive sector. The automotive industry in India has thus undergone a transition, from comprising a few auto manufacturers, virtually no auto components makers and only low-quality auto ancillary producers to the league of global auto manufacturers, competitive component manufacturers and emerging ancillary producers. Several studies have revealed that previously the Indian automotive industry was not competitive enough for the global market due to inferior quality, lower labour productivity and high cost of raw materials in India (e.g., Pradosh and others, 2006). However, as in other markets, globalization has made the automotive market very competitive and brought profit margins to a very low level.
Antihypertensive classes, cognitive decline and incidence of dementia: a network meta-analysis

Objectives: Prevention of cognitive decline and dementia with blood pressure lowering treatments has shown inconsistent results. We compared the effects of different classes of antihypertensive drugs on the incidence of dementia, and on cognitive function. Methods: We conducted a systematic review and included 19 randomized trials (18 515 individuals) and 11 studies (831 674 individuals) analysing the effects of antihypertensive treatment on cognition and on the incidence of dementia, respectively, in hypertensive patients without prior cerebrovascular disorders. Network meta-analysis was used for the comparison of antihypertensive classes. Results: Antihypertensive treatment, regardless of the drug class, had benefits on overall cognition [effect size 0.05, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.02–0.07] and all cognitive functions except language. Antihypertensive treatment reduced the risk of all-cause dementia by 9%, with reference to the control group (hazard ratio 0.91, 95% CI 0.89–0.94), when randomized trials and observationnal studies were combined (n = 15). Result was not significant with randomized trials alone (n = 4). Angiotensin II receptor blockers (ARBs) had larger benefits than placebo on overall cognition (adjusted effect size 0.60 ± 0.18, P = 0.02). ARBs were more effective than &bgr;-blockers (0.67 ± 0.18, P = 0.01), diuretics (0.54 ± 0.19, P = 0.04) and angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (0.47 ± 0.17, P = 0.04) in rank. The mean change in blood pressure did not differ significantly between the different antihypertensive drug classes. Conclusion: Our results support the notion that antihypertensive treatment has beneficial effects on cognitive decline and prevention of dementia, and indicate that these effects may differ between drug classes with ARBs possibly being the most effective.
Combinations of the First and Next Generations of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) Fusion Inhibitors Exhibit a Highly Potent Synergistic Effect against Enfuvirtide- Sensitive and -Resistant HIV Type 1 Strains

ABSTRACT T20 (generic name, enfuvirtide; brand name, Fuzeon) is a first-generation human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) fusion inhibitor approved for salvage therapy of HIV-infected patients refractory to current antiretroviral drugs. However, its clinical use is limited because of rapid emergence of T20-resistant viruses in T20-treated patients. Therefore, T1249 and T1144 are being developed as the second- and third-generation HIV fusion inhibitors, respectively, with improved efficacy and drug resistance profiles. Here, we found that combinations of T20 with T1249 and/or T1144 resulted in exceptionally potent synergism (combination index, <0.01) against HIV-1-mediated membrane fusion by 2 to 3 orders of magnitude in dose reduction. Highly potent synergistic antiviral efficacy was also achieved against infection by laboratory-adapted and primary HIV-1 strains, including T20-resistant variants. The mechanism underlying the synergistic effect could be attributed to the fact that T20, T1249, and T1144 all contain different functional domains and have different primary binding sites in gp41. As such, they may work cooperatively to inhibit gp41 six-helix bundle core formation, thereby suppressing virus-cell fusion. Therefore, these findings strongly imply that, rather than replacing T20, combining it with HIV fusion inhibitors of different generations might produce synergistic activity against both T20-sensitive and -resistant HIV-1 strains, suggesting a new therapeutic strategy for the treatment of HIV-1 infection/AIDS.
Infrared absorption spectra, radiative efficiencies, and global warming potentials of perfluorocarbons: Comparison between experiment and theory

[1] Experimentally and theoretically determined infrared spectra are reported for a series of straight-chain perfluorocarbons: C2F6, C3F8, C4F10, C5F12, C6F14, and C8F18. Theoretical spectra were determined using both density functional (DFT) and ab initio methods. Radiative efficiencies (REs) were determined using the method of Pinnock et al. (1995) and combined with atmospheric lifetimes from the literature to determine global warming potentials (GWPs). Theoretically determined absorption cross sections were within 10% of experimentally determined values. Despite being much less computationally expensive, DFT calculations were generally found to perform better than ab initio methods. There is a strong wavenumber dependence of radiative forcing in the region of the fundamental C-F vibration, and small differences in wavelength between band positions determined by theory and experiment have a significant impact on the REs. We apply an empirical correction to the theoretical spectra and then test this correction on a number of branched chain and cyclic perfluoroalkanes. We then compute absorption cross sections, REs, and GWPs for an additional set of perfluoroalkenes.
Evaluation of inflammation and oxidative stress in ankylosing spondylitis: a role for macrophage migration inhibitory factor

Ankylosing spondylitis (AS) is a chronic inflammatory disease mainly affecting the spine and sacroiliac joints. Mediators such as macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) and interleukin-10 (IL-10) are thought to be involved in several inflammatory conditions, including AS. Proinflammatory cytokines regulate the production of oxidative stress markers, such as nitric oxide (NO) and malondialdehyde (MDA). Although oxidative stress and lipid peroxidation have been reported in AS, the association of AS with commonly known oxidative stress markers and cytokines remains uncertain. We have therefore studied whether serum MIF levels are elevated in patients with AS and whether the levels correlate with oxidative stress markers and disease activity parameters. Twenty-five AS patients and 18 healthy controls participated in this study; subjects with hypertension, diabetes, hyperlipidemia, and obesity were excluded. The levels of acute phase reactants, serum levels of glucose, lipids, MIF, IL-10, NO and MDA were studied. Spinal mobility was assessed by the Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Metrology Index (BASMI). Patients were also assessed using with the Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Functional Index and the Bath Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Index. Age and sex distribution were found to be comparable between AS patients and controls (p > 0.05). Acute phase reactants and MIF levels were significantly higher (p < 0.05) and IL-10 levels were significantly lower (<0.001) in the AS patients than in controls. There was a significant correlation between BASMI and MIF levels in AS patients (r = 0.714, p < 0.001). Based on these results, MIF may be involved in the pathogenesis of the chronic inflammation in AS and, consequently, targeting MIF may be beneficial in preventing complications or in initiating early treatment of the disease.
Roles of DNA topoisomerase II isozymes in chemotherapy and secondary malignancies

Drugs that target DNA topoisomerase II (Top2), including etoposide (VP-16), doxorubicin, and mitoxantrone, are among the most effective anticancer drugs in clinical use. However, Top2-based chemotherapy has been associated with higher incidences of secondary malignancies, notably the development of acute myeloid leukemia in VP-16-treated patients. This association is suggestive of a link between carcinogenesis and Top2-mediated DNA damage. We show here that VP-16-induced carcinogenesis involves mainly the β rather than the α isozyme of Top2. In a mouse skin carcinogenesis model, the incidence of VP-16-induced melanomas in the skin of 7,12-dimethylbenz[a]anthracene-treated mice is found to be significantly higher in TOP2β+ than in skin-specific top2β-knockout mice. Furthermore, VP-16-induced DNA sequence rearrangements and double-strand breaks (DSBs) are found to be Top2β-dependent and preventable by cotreatment with a proteasome inhibitor, suggesting the importance of proteasomal degradation of the Top2β-DNA cleavage complexes in VP-16-induced DNA sequence rearrangements. VP-16 cytotoxicity in transformed cells expressing both Top2 isozymes is, however, found to be primarily Top2α-dependent. These results point to the importance of developing Top2α-specific anticancer drugs for effective chemotherapy without the development of treatment-related secondary malignancies.
Benchmarking financial systems in emerging and / or developing countries: financial development index

This paper aims to conduct a comparative analysis of the financial systems evolution in emerging and / or developing after significant financial changes. This comparative analysis was performed by the calcul of a composite financial development indicator on a sample of 52 emerging and / or developing countries in the period between 1996 and 2009 and from16 variables divided into six dimensions such as depth, efficiency, openness, legal, regulatory and macroeconomic stability. The main results are: (1) most countries which have a high degree of financial systems development are the richest one in terms of per capita income countries. Thus, the high-income countries tend to have more active and efficient financial system, and vice versa. (2) A solid institutional environment characterized by a strong legal and regulatory level limits financial systems development. (3) The regional averages show that the financial development level in Africa and the Middle East countries have relatively weaker in term of financial development. In contrary, Asia and emerging Europe economies have the highest financial development level. Latin America has an intermediate regional financial development score.
Clinical, pathological and immunological aspects of periodontal disease

The inflammatory and immune responses during the development and progression of periodontitis are reviewed. Susceptibility to periodontitis may be related to whether plasma cells predominate in the tissues of an individual, or a site, in response to the microbial insult from dental plaque. The tendency for an individual or site to form an extensive plasma cell infiltrate may indicate an inability to defend against periodontopathogenic bacteria and thus a predisposition to periodontitis. Selected pertinent areas of current interest in cellular and humoral immunology are considered within the periodontal context. These topical issues include (a) homing of immune and inflammatory cells to target tissues; (b) the local proliferation and synthetic activity of immune and inflammatory cells; (c) the cytokine profile of the inflammatory and immune cells; and (d) the immunoglobulin subclasses of locally produced antibodies.