Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Responses to Dietary Macronutrient Distribution of Overweight Rats under Restricted Feeding

Changes in protein and amino acid balance after energy-restricted feeding have scarcely been studied, although it has been suggested that protein utilization may depend on the macronutrient composition of the restricted diet. The aim of this study is to investigate the influence of dietary fat quality and content, during an energy-restricted regime, on body composition and protein metabolism. Therefore, diet-induced overweight rats were divided into three dietary groups: one group was fed on a control diet ad libitum (control) and the other two groups were fed energy-restricted diets (about 60% of control group), which provided a standard amount (20%) of fat (SFR), based on olive oil, or a high amount (60%) of saturated fat (HFR), based on coconut oil. Measurements of body weight, body composition, serum biochemical parameters and the assessment of the hepatic and muscular protein response were performed. Similar results were found comparing weight losses and serum parameters in both deprived groups, although the high-fat-restricted rats (HFR group) showed a greater reduction in the subcutaneous fat depot and of total body fat. After both energy-restricted treatments, the serum amino acid concentration was reduced while the urinary amino acid excretion increased. Muscle and liver protein metabolism was affected by energy restriction, which produced a decrease in protein synthesis capacity (RNA content) in both tissues and a higher muscle proteolysis (catepsin activity), more marked in the SFR group, while no changes were found in liver protein breakdown. Hepatic glycogen and glycogenic amino acid were also altered, reaching significant differences in the HFR group. Thus, dietary macronutrient composition during energy restriction seems to be involved in the metabolic adaptative response.
Strategic information management to improve competitiveness

The evolution of information management is described in five steps: 1 paperwork management; 2 centralization of data processing; 3 Information Resources Management IRM; 4 competitive business intelligence; 5 strategic information management. Turning information into profit is one of the challenges today's managers have to respond to.It is hard to underestimate the strategic significance of the new information technology; the leading-edge companies in the information intensive industries worldwide are pursuing successful strategies to exploit information resources and new technologies as a competitive advantage. However, it is important to point out that the ongoing development is related to a growing awareness that technology itself is not enough to gain competitive advantage: stimulation of creativity, creation of corporate wealth and organizational growth, new ways and methods in the management and use of business intelligence, capability to link efficiently information processing technologies, etc.---are all facts which strongly affect the firm's success in using information resources in support of strategic operations.
A qualitative exploration of a consumer's value‐based e‐trust building process

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to develop a value‐based framework for the consumer e‐trust building process.Design/methodology/approach – The data collection procedure consisted of two steps. The first was a brief questionnaire measuring potential informants' personal values. From this pool of potential informants, 30 were recruited for the interviews: five security‐ and five excitement‐minded consumers from three fields of electronic commerce; electronic newspapers, electronic grocery shopping, and electronic healthcare services.Findings – The findings of the study reveal two value‐based external factors in e‐trust building that consumers perceive as risks in e‐commerce, and three value‐based behavioral patterns in e‐trust building that informants adopt to reduce perceived risks and build trust in e‐commerce. Furthermore, findings of the current study suggest that e‐trust building process is different based on individuals' personal values.Research limitations/implications – This study takes into .
Reframing food: understanding trends in consumer food purchasing and implications for agri-food movement mobilization in the northwestern U.S.

This paper examines trends in the attitudes, behaviors, and meanings associated with food consumption in the northwestern United States. Particular attention is focused on the potential of various mobilizing frameworks to inspire individual and collective action to overcome substantial structural barriers to enhancing agri-food system sustainability. Research across the full spectrum of food system participants suggests emerging opportunities to reshape conventional, globally organized market relationships through the development of alternative, place-based food system linkages. However, research also reveals a complex array of motivations for participation in such efforts and key vulnerabilities and obstacles. The results of random sample consumer telephone polls, farmer surveys, and analysis of alternative marketing initiatives conducted over an eightyear period in Washington State indicate steady growth in the numbers of consumers, farmers, non-profits, and institutional food buyers engaged in alternative food distribution and procurement efforts. Nevertheless, despite vast agricultural production capacity and an apparently sympathetic public, only a tiny fraction of the Northwest food supply chain is currently sourced through such channels. This paper investigates (1) the various mobilizing frameworks and tactics employed to build alternative market relationships; (2) the extent to which these new market relationships are embedded in civic and environmental value systems; and (3) the effectiveness of these locally driven strategies in countering globalized market forces.
ABSORBED DOSE IN BIOLOGICAL SPECIMENS IRRADIATED EXTERNALLY WITH COBALT-60 GAMMA RADIATION.

A persistent problem in radiobiology is the need to express the absorbed dose received by externally irradiated biological specimens of a variety of shapes and sizes when only the exposure (formerly called exposure dose) at some reference point can be conveniently measured. In the case of very small specimens or the desirable but less convenient circumstances in which larger specimens are homogeneously irradiated (e.g., reference 1), the application of conversion factors from exposure to absorbed dose taken from such texts as The Report of the International Commission on Radiological Units and Measurements (ICRU) 1959 (2) may be sufficient to describe the average absorbed dose to the specimen. However, when large specimens are inhomogeneously irradiated, neither the average dose nor the variations in absorbed dose within the specimen can be adequately described in this way. This problem is neglected in many radiobiological experiments, but in some cases it has been solved by detailed study of the particular exposure circumstances employed. The purpose of this experimental study is to provide data which can be directly used with sufficient accuracy for most purposes to determine the magnitude and range of the absorbed dose to biological specimens of varying size and shape irradiated with Co60 y-rays. The data may also be applicable, with only minor modifications, to other y-ray sources such as radium and Csl137. In radiobiological experiments the most convenient and widely used method of exposure is to place the specimen at a point in a large beam or field of y-rays so that the specimen is completely irradiated. The exposure rate at the point is most frequently measured in air with a calibrated ionization chamber. The specimen is usually placed with its center at the point of measurement and its long axis perpendicular to the field or beam direction. The information desired includes: (1) the average absorbed dose to the specimen;
Governance Thresholds, Managerial Ownership and Corporate Performance: Evidence from the UK

The paper examines the relationship between managerial share ownership and firm performance for British stock-exchange listed firms. We seek to establish a link between the predictions of agency theory and the corporate control environment using key governance and disclosure thresholds as determinants of the nonlinear relationship between managerial share ownership and performance. We also argue that the use of conventional accounting and market-based performance measures can be problematic in estimating managerial efficiency. The Clean Surplus Accounting Rate of Return is introduced as an alternative performance measure to Tobin’s Q and ROE.Our results indicate that relationships between managerial share ownership and corporate governance outcomes might be linked to key regulatory disclosure thresholds and minority shareholders rights of UK Company Law. We find that shareholder wealth is maximised when equity ownership by executive directors is below the 5% equity threshold of the Association of British Insurers’ dilution limit and sections 376 to 378 of Companies Act 1985 or above the 15% equity threshold of section 110 of Companies Act 1989 and section 127 of Companies Act 1985. Share ownership by executives between 5% and 15% is found to lead to declining firm performance.Our findings confirm the importance of testing thresholds based on corporate governance regulation rather than inductively deriving them from the data. We also show that it is desirable to decompose board ownership into executive and non-executive components. Our results further support the use of the Clean Surplus Accounting Rate of Return as an alternative performance variable.
Left ventricular assist device as destination therapy : Application of the payment-by-results approach for the device reimbursement 58 59 60

FromDisclos burse Receive publi Address 5013 J Thora 0022-52 Copyrig doi:10.1 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 D P R O O F Objective: Value-based methods are increasingly used to reimburse therapeutic innovation, and the payment-byresults approach has been proposed for handling interventions with limited therapeutic evidence. Because most left ventricular assist devices are supported by preliminary efficacy data, we examined the effectiveness data of the HeartMate (Thoratec Corp, Pleasanton, CA) device to explore the application of the payment-byresults approach to these devices and to develop a model for handling reimbursements.
Pulmonary Disease and Age at Immigration among Hispanics. Results from the Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos.

RATIONALE Asthma has been reported to be more prevalent among Hispanics of Puerto Rican heritage than among other Hispanics and among Hispanics born in the United States or who immigrated as children than among those who came as adults; however, direct comparisons across Hispanic groups are lacking. OBJECTIVES To test whether asthma is more prevalent among Hispanics of Puerto Rican heritage than among other Hispanic groups, whether asthma is associated with age of immigration, and whether chronic obstructive pulmonary disease varies by heritage in a large, population-based cohort of Hispanics in the United States. METHODS The Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos researchers recruited a population-based probability sample of 16,415 Hispanics/Latinos, 18-74 years of age, in New York City, Chicago, Miami, and San Diego. Participants self-reported Puerto Rican, Cuban, Dominican, Mexican, Central American, or South American heritage; birthplace; and, if relevant, age at immigration. A respiratory questionnaire and standardized spirometry were performed with post-bronchodilator measures for those with airflow limitation. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS The prevalence of physician-diagnosed asthma among Puerto Ricans (36.5%; 95% confidence interval, 33.6-39.5%) was higher than among other Hispanics (odds ratio, 3.9; 95% confidence interval, 3.3-4.6). Hispanics who were born in the mainland United States or had immigrated as children had a higher asthma prevalence than those who had immigrated as adults (19.6, 19.4, and 14.1%, respectively; P < 0.001). Current asthma, bronchodilator responsiveness, and wheeze followed similar patterns. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease prevalence was higher among Puerto Ricans (14.1%) and Cubans (9.8%) than among other Hispanics (<6.0%), but it did not vary across Hispanic heritages after adjustment for smoking and prior asthma (P = 0.22), by country of birth, or by age at immigration. CONCLUSIONS Asthma was more prevalent among Puerto Ricans, other Hispanics born in the United States, and those who had immigrated as children than among other Hispanics. In contrast, the higher prevalence of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease among Puerto Ricans and Cubans was largely reflective of differential smoking patterns and asthma.
Carbamazepine‐induced eruption historically mimicking mycosis fungoides

Carbamazepine is an important drug used in the management of seizures, trigeminal neuralgia, and chronic pain syndromes. It has been associated with a variety of adverse skin reactions including urticaria, lichenoid eruptions, erythroderma, erythema multiforme, Stevens‐Johnson syndrome, and toxic epidermal necrolysis. A 39‐year‐old white male had been started on carbamazepine for intractable pain which resulted from a right foot crush injury. Approximately 3 months after the start of therapy, the patient had developed a generalized skin eruption following an entire day of sun exposure. Skin biopsies revealed an atypical lymphoid infiltrate in the dermis with collections of the atypical lymphocytes within spongiotic vesicles in the epidermis, suggestive of mycosis fungoides. The patient was treated with systemic prednisone. Subsequent biopsies failed to reveal atypical lymphocytes. Previous reports have described spongiotic eruptions with foci of atypical lymphocytes in contact dermatitis and in patients treated with phenytoin. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first reported case of a carbamazepine‐induced eruption simulating mycosis fungoides histologically.
A Comparative Analysis of Regulatory Strategies in Accounting and their Impact on Corporate Compliance

This thesis analyses whether compliance behaviour in financial reporting may be influenced by differences in regulatory sources and in the design of the regulations themselves. A logistic binomial model is -used to describe the relative odds of full compliance rather than regulatory avoidance by way of partial or creative compliance. The analysis is based on the accounting policies adopted by internationally listed companies registered in Europe where, despite the harmonising impact of the European company law directives, regulatory strategies in accounting continue to be diverse
Effects of Motion Parallax and Perspective Cues on Perceived Size and Distance

In three experiments we examined the relative effectiveness of motion parallax and two perspective cues for the perception of size and distance. The experimental stimuli consisted of two ellipses (a standard and a comparison) and a horizontal line that indicated the horizon. The subject's task was to report the apparent size and distance of the comparison stimulus relative to the standard stimulus. Two perspective cues were given by the relative heights of the two stimuli and the absolute height of the standard stimulus below the horizon. Motion parallax was defined by both the ratio and the difference in angular velocities between the two stimuli on the display. In experiment 1 we examined the effects of the two perspective cues and the motion parallax. In experiment 2 we eliminated the horizon line, and examined the role of the horizon in size and distance perception. In experiment 3 we separately evaluated the effects of motion parallax and the relative height cues. The results from the three experiments showed that the effect of motion parallax and the two perspective cues were different in three ways. First, the relative effectiveness of motion parallax and the two perspective cues differed for size and distance estimates. For size estimates, the motion parallax was more effective than the perspective cues (experiments 1 and 3). For distance estimates, the motion parallax was as effective as the two perspective cues (experiments 1 and 3). Second, the role of the horizon differed for size and distance estimates. The size estimates were strongly affected by the horizon, while the distance estimates were not affected much by the horizon (experiment 2). Third, the effective perspective cues differed for the size estimates and the distance estimates: size estimates were affected by the perspective cues as a combination of the horizon and relative height; distance estimates were affected by the perspective cues as an interaction between the absolute and relative heights without the horizon line.
Mathematical analysis of energy efficiency optimality in multi-user OFDM systems

The strong need and global interests for green communications necessitate the maximum reduction of energy consumption. Hence, one of the major challenges is to optimize the resource allocation and to improve the energy efficiency in an orthogonal frequency division multiple access system. In this paper, we analyze the energy-efficient resource allocation problem mathematically. Our analytical results show that the optimal resource allocation can be achieved by primarily assigning the user with either the best channel gain or the least optimal power. Furthermore, our detailed case studies show that such analytical results are consistent with the best result obtained from the exhaustive search method. This means that the proposed approach can provide quick and better resource allocation. It can be expected that real-time in situ optimal resource allocation can be achieved by extending the current methodology. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Range estimation using adjacent matched filter samples

By jointly considering multiple adjacent matched filter samples, target localization can be more accurate than considering only a single sample. For sub-bin range estimation, a power-weighted centroid is typically the method of choice due to its simplicity. However, centroiding does not consider the correlation between adjacent samples, and is hence sub-optimal. By making assumptions on the structure of the transmitted pulse, a closed-form maximum likelihood estimator (MLE) for range can be found. The derived MLE is compared to centroiding using mean squared error (MSE) as the performance metric. Numerical simulations show that the MLE outperforms centroiding in all practical cases. Detection threshold values based on observed signal-to-noise ratio are provided for several practical false alarm probabilities.
Higher Education in Francophone Africa: What Tools Can Be Used to Support Financially-Sustainable Policies?

The higher education and research sector in the French-speaking countries of Africa has, for more than a decade, been in a state of severe crisis, stemming from an increasing disparity between the requirements vital to providing high quality education and the available resources. The goal of this article is to: i) highlight the factors which have lead to the development of this situation in most countries; ii) identify the conditions for creating a framework to regulate the trends in the higher education and research systems and allow them to be more financially sustainable; and iii) identify ways of increasing funding for this sector as well maintaining its level of quality. The Main tools to support financially-sustainable policies include: i) controlling student inflows into higher education in order to avoid an increase in the student population that will be difficult to manage; ii) targeting student assistance more effectively towards the most disadvantaged and deserving students; iii) limiting the duration of study at the higher education level in order to prevent the number of students from building up in the institutions; iv) guiding students more effectively towards courses that offer better employment prospects; v) trying to promote a higher education private sector through fiscal and non-fiscal incentives; vi) reducing unit education costs; and vii) mobilizing additional self-generated resources.
Optic nerve drusen.

Two case reports, one clinical and the other pathologic, illustrate important features of optic nerve drusen. A clinical subject demonstrates that optic nerve drusen cause visual field defects and central visual loss in childhood. Another case, studied postmortem, illustrates optic atrophy caused by drusen. Optic nerve drusen may originate from coalescing intracellular deposits of glial cells.
Hadoop cluster with FPGA-based hardware accelerators for K-means clustering algorithm

In this paper, the implementation of the K-means clustering algorithm on a Hadoop cluster with FPGA-based hardware accelerators is presented. The proposed design follows MapReduce programming model and uses Hadoop distribution file system (HDFS) for storing large dataset. The proposed FPGA-based hardware accelerator for speed up the K-means clustering algorithm is implemented on Xilinx VC707 evaluation boards (EVBs). There are four computers in the proposed Hadoop cluster, one computer is Master Node, and the other three computers are Slave Nodes. The Slave Nodes communicate with VC707 EVBs through Gigabit Ethernet. The experimental results show that for clustering 125 million three-dimensional input dataset, the proposed design can achieve 4× speedup than the Hadoop cluster without FPGA-based hardware accelerators.
Vertical Integration for Long-Term Sustainability in the Dairy Industry

The purpose of this study is to determine and analyze whether it is feasible for a milk processing facility to vertically integrate by establishing a dairy farm, and to determine the relationships of production variables to milk production costs. The results of this study will be used to help aid in working towards reducing the consumer's retail price for milk by utilizing a vertical integration strategy that involves the direct ownership of a dairy farm by a milk processing plant. Data utilized in this study was taken from the United States Department of Agriculture statistics from the years between 2000-2011, data from a dairy farm, Galliker Dairy Company, and many other sources. The variables for a regression model were national numbers for feed, fuel, animal, labor expenses, and milk production costs. The results suggest that more than just feed, fuel, labor, and animal expenses will affect the milk production costs although there is high correlation between these variables, which could be a result of multicollinearity. Further studies could possibly indicate more data is needed or that there is some way in which to combine the variables. This would indicate and potentially reduce the effects of multicollinearity. A cost benefit analysis will be undertaken in order to determine possible outcomes of vertically integrating a dairy farm and a milk processing plant. Phase two of the planned project will involve the establishment or the addition of artisan cheese facility to be located on the farm. A detailed financial analysis of this project will also be undertaken and then consolidated with the farm financials to evaluate the operating concern. ii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would like to personally thank quite a few people that were key in the completion of my research paper. Carolyn Ganoe for openly sharing her farm's balance sheet. Without having real farm data, I would not have been able to complete this paper as a future business plan. Dr. Ira Altman for picking up my paper and seeing it through to the finish. Former professors in the Cornell University Dairy Science Program for teaching me where to find the resources I would need to find farm data. My friends and family who supported me throughout this project and had faith I would be able to make this project feasible. They helped me through some frustrating number crunching and reassured my work. And finally, my dad is especially one to thank. Without …