Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A conceptual model of medical tourism service supply chain

Purpose: Medical tourism service requires involvement of multiple parties from the service network, however medical tourism is not well studied from a supply chain management perspective. This study suggests a conceptual model of medical tourism service supply chain (MTSSC) to provide a clearer understanding of its nature, and defines its business processes. Design/methodology/approach: Triangulation which makes use of literature review, in-depth interviews, and expert evaluations was applied to develop and validate the suggested model. The proposed model is initialized based on the relevant literature. In-depth interviews were used to refine and finalize the model. Expert evaluations ensure the trustworthiness of the model and the business process definitions. Findings: The proposed model uses a nested process structure rather than a one-dimensional supply chain model, where the assistance company maintains an intermediary role between the patient and all the service providers (e.g. medical institutions, transportation, accommodation). Additionally, the conceptual model identifies seven business processes: service design, service recovery management, customer relationship management, supplier relationship management, demand management, capacity and resource management, and service delivery management. Practical implications: The results provide a better understanding of the MTSSC structure and processes, and a recognition of the MTSSC members. The process definitions give the members an idea about their roles in the service design and delivery in practice. Additionally, a better understanding of the system as a whole leads to better process development and control. MTSSC members may shape their organizations internally and supply chain-wide by considering this conceptual model. Moreover, the model acts as a basis for supply chain collaboration decisions. Originality/value: The conceptual model is built upon the theories and practice of medical tourism services, supply chain management, and service operations management. This study contributes to the theory of medical tourism services management by explaining the MTSSC concepts and business processes, and extends existing knowledge.
Animal Models as a Tool in Systems Pharmacology Research on Parkinson's Disease

Parkinson's disease is a progressive neurodegenerative disease, which is composed of many components, each caused by interplay of a number of genetic and nongenetic causes. This warrants a systems pharmacology approach to the development of novel drug treatments of Parkinson's disease. Animal models of disease are an essential asset in this research. There is no single animal model which reflects all aspects of Parkinson's disease. The available animal models however may reflect specific aspects, making each animal model suitable for specific Parkinson's disease research questions. A combination of models may provide pertinent information on Parkinson’s disease characteristics and treatment effects in the system as a whole. Specifically, an animal model for Parkinson's disease displaying the slow progressive nature of the disease constitutes a basis to obtain the essential biological system-specific information to determine the neuroprotective properties of new drugs, preclinically. In this review we have summarised the currently available animal models of Parkinson’s disease, with their main characterstics, followed by a discussion on the in vivo monitoring technique microdialysis, to obtain information on the target site distribution. Here, the emphasis is on blood-brain barrier (BBB) functionality in Parkinson's disease and the added value of intracerebral microdialysis to assess disease related changes in BBB functionality affecting drug transport into and out of the brain, and the within brain distribution to the target site. Furthermore, to be able to determine the effect of drugs on the Parkinsonian behaviour in animal models, we have summarised the most commonly used behavioural tests used. Finally, the state of the art of mechanism PK-PD modelling is introduced as novel systems pharmacology approach to characterise drug effects in vivo.
Effects of Farrowing Conditions on Behaviour in Multi-suckling Pens for Pigs

This study investigated the effects of housing farrowing sows in either crates (C-sows) or a get-away system (G-sows) until day 11 after farrowing on the subsequent behaviour in multi-suckling pens. Emphases were placed on nursing behaviour patterns of relevance for the piglets' growth and survival in the multi-suckling pens. Ten groups of six sows were used. Behaviour was recorded for 24 h on days 1, 8 and 15 after the introduction to the multi-suckling pen. When the sows had farrowed in the get-away system significantly more nursings were initiated in the multi-suckling pen. Furthermore, the G-sows terminated a significantly smaller percentage of the nursings in the multi-suckling pens and there was significantly less cross-suckling compared with pens with C-sows. G-sows also tended (P = 0.08) to lose fewer piglets in the multi-suckling pens than C-sows. In conclusion, the results suggest that nursing behaviour in multi-suckling pens may be improved when the sows farrow in get-away systems as compared with crates.
Learning to Associate Spoken Words and Visual Objects from Egocentric Video of Parent-infant Social Interaction

Human infants have the remarkable ability to learn the associations between object names and visual objects from inherently ambiguous experiences. Researchers in cognitive science and developmental psychology have built formal models that implement in-principle learning algorithms, and then used pre-selected and pre-cleaned datasets to test the abilities of the models to find statistical regularities in the input data. In contrast to previous modeling approaches, the present study used egocentric video and gaze data collected from infant learners during natural toy play with their parents. This allowed us to capture the learning environment from the perspective of the learner’s own point of view. We then used a Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) model to process sensory data from the infant’s point of view and learn name-object associations from scratch. As the first model that takes raw egocentric video to simulate infant word learning, the present study provides a proof of principle that the problem of early word learning can be solved, using actual visual data perceived by infant learners. Moreover, we conducted simulation experiments to systematically determine how attentional properties of infants’ sensory experiences may affect word learning.
Are shade tolerance, survival, and growth linked? Low light and nitrogen effects on hardwood seedlings

Variation in shade tolerance is a primary mechanism driving succession in northern deciduous forests. However, little is known about interspecific differences in the traits responsible for shade tolerance. Is shade tolerance due to the ability to grow or survive in deep shade, or both? How do plant morphology and photosynthesis relate to growth in shade? Is low light the sole critical stress determining differences in "shade tolerance" or do belowground resources interact with low light to affect growth and survival? In this study we address these questions for seedlings of Betula papyrifera Marsh. , Betula al- leghaniensis Britton, Ostrya virginiana (Mill.) K. Koch, Acer saccharum Marsh. , and Quer- cus rubra L. grown for 2 yr in outdoor shade houses in a complete factorial of low light (2 and 8% open sky) and nitrogen (forest soil and forest soil plus 200 kg N.ha-'.yr-'). For these seedlings we examined effects of light and nitrogen on the interrelationships among survival, growth, and shade tolerance and explored the physiological bases of shade tol- erance by examining the relationship of plant morphology and photosynthesis to growth. Nitrogen amendments did not have a significant effect on any plant trait at either light level. In 8% light, growth and survival were highest for shade-intolerant Betula papyrifera and mid-tolerant Betula alleghaniensis, lower for shade-tolerant Ostrya and Acer, and lowest for disturbance-adapted Quercus. In 2% light, species rankings reversed as Ostrya and Acer had higher growth and survival than the other species. Second-year survival was strongly related to 1st-yr growth (P < 0.001), whereas relationships with 1st-yr plant mass and 1st- yr absolute growth rates were weak. Therefore, survival of shade-tolerant species at 2% light was related to their maintenance of positive growth, whereas intolerant species had growth near zero and high rates of mortality. In both 2 and 8% light photosynthetic rates on mass (but not area) bases and the proportion of the plant in leaves (leaf area ratio and leaf mass ratio) were positively related to growth. Greater rates of growth and survival for shade-tolerant species in very low light, and for intolerant species in higher light, suggest that there is a species-based trade-off between maximizing growth in high light and min- imizing the light compensation point for growth. This trade-off may be an important mech- anism driving forest community dynamics in northern hardwood forests.
Accumulation of organotin compounds in the common whelk Buccinum undatum and the red whelk Neptunea antiqua in association with imposex

Several species of the subclass Prosobranchia are considered to be suitable organisms for monitoring long-term effects of triorganotin (TOT) compounds. This study utilized Buccinum undatum and Neptunea antiqua from the North Sea and the Irish Sea. Morphological alterations in the genital system (imposex phenomena), the histological structure of the gut, and the gonads were studied. TOT concentrations in soft body tissue and shells were determined. Females of both species displayed imposex phenomena (pseudohermaphroditism). The percentage of altered females per station ranged from 0 to 90% in B. undatum and from 0 to 29% in N. antiqua. Imposex index values in B. undatum reached 1.09 near Helgoland and 0.86 in N. antiqua sampled at 25 nautical miles from the Scottish northeast coast. Organotin compounds were detected in the soft bodies of snails from all stations. A chi-square analysis revealed a significant correlation between imposex stages and TOT concentrations in B. undatum but not in N. antiqua. Tributyltin (TBT) in B. undatum ranged from 1.0 to 15.9 ng g-1 wet weight (Irish east coast). TBT concentrations in N. antiqua were higher and ranged from 2.2 to 25.7 ng g-1. In both species, organotin compounds in the shells were below detection limits. Despite high TBT concentrations in soft tissues and the occurrence of imposex (offshore and inshore), female gonads were in good shape and no signs of limited reproductive capacity were found. Histological findings indicate that TBT does not contribute considerably to mortality in the common whelk.
Modelling and analysing evolution of dispersal in populations at expanding range boundaries

Abstract 1. Species would be expected to shift northwards in response to current climate warming, but many are failing to do so because of fragmentation of breeding habitats. Dispersal is important for colonisation and an individual‐based spatially explicit model was developed to investigate impacts of habitat availability on the evolution of dispersal in expanding populations. Model output was compared with field data from the speckled wood butterfly Pararge aegeria, which currently is expanding its range in Britain.
Transcriptome of Arabidopsis leaf senescence

Leaf senescence is a complex developmental process during which essential nutrients are recycled. In order to unravel the biochemical pathways and regulatory mechanisms that underlie this process, it would be valuable to examine the transcriptome associated with leaf senescence. Accordingly, an Arabidopsis thaliana leaf senescence cDNA library with approximately 104 recombinant clones was subjected to large-scale single-pass sequencing. Approximately 6200 expressed sequence tags (ESTs) were obtained, corresponding to 2491 unique genes. These included 134 genes encoding transcription factors and 182 genes whose products are components of signal transduction pathways, such as the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) cascades. A total of 116 of these genes are predicted to be involved in protein turnover, including 75 genes associated with the ubiquitin–proteasome pathway and 35 proteinases. Many of the genes are predicted to encode transporters for ions, amino acids and sugars, consistent with the substantial nutrient recycling during leaf senescence. In addition, this study revealed ESTs for 98 annotated genes for which ESTs did not previously exist and 46 novel transcribed units that have not previously been annotated in the Arabidopsis genome. Approximately one-third of the 2491 genes are predicted to encode proteins with unknown functions. The genes are distributed evenly on the five chromosomes.
Effect of electrical and gaseous stunning on the carcase and meat quality of broilers

Abstract 1. The aim of the experiment was to investigate the effect of gaseous stunning methods on the carcase and meat quality of broilers (dead weight 1.0 to 2.3 kg) in comparison with electrical stunning. 2. Two replicates of broilers (age 54 and 59 d respectively) were stunned in carbon dioxide, in argon or by electric current, and the carcases were plucked either by a mechanical plucker or by hand. 3. Carcase and meat quality were evaluated to determine the effect of these stunning treatments and plucking methods. The quality factors measured included pH at 20 min post‐mortem, ultimate pH, texture and colour of the pectoralis major muscle, and the incidence of carcase appearance defects, cooking loss, broken bones and bruises in the breast and leg muscles. 4. Stunning method had a significant effect on pH at 20 min, ultimate pH, texture and colour of breast meat. Plucking method had a significant effect on the cooking loss and texture. 5. Argon stunning resulted in fewer muscle haemorrhages, a more r.
Is hormesis an evolutionary expectation

1. This paper approaches the phenomenon of hormesis (i.e. stimulatory effects occurring in response to low levels of exposure to agents that are harmful at high levels of exposure) from an evolutionary perspective and addresses three questions related to its occurrence and consequences: (1) Is the occurrence of hormesis to be expected on the basis of evolutionary arguments? (2) Considering selection as a driving force in the evolution of hormesis, is it likely that certain aspects of organism performance have a greater tendency than others to exhibit hormesis? (3) What are the practical implications of hormesis for ecological risk assessment? 2. Several hypotheses are presented to explain the observations of hormesis, and a literature review is used to assess the evidence for hormesis of various fitness-related traits. 3. To avoid statistical artefacts, it is essential that the underlying distribution of traits that appear to show hormesis be examined, particularly as many of them may be expected to deviate from normality. 4. The occurrence of hormesis of individual life-history traits can be explained as an evolutionary adaptation that acts to maintain fitness in a changing environment. 5. As a result of energetic trade-offs among life-history traits, not all traits are likely to exhibit hormesis simultaneously, and therefore overall fitness is not likely to be enhanced at low levels of exposure to toxic agents. Because toxic agents affect different traits in different directions and to different degrees, interpreting the ecological consequences of hormesis of any single trait is not possible without examining it in relation to overall effects on fitness.
II. — Influence du milieu socio-professionnel

Summary. The study of many anthropological traits related to the occupation of the father and of the subject, and to the mental capacities (estimated by the socalled « general level » test), extends and makes more precise Schreider's researches. The conclusions are arrived at are : 1° The brevilign trend of the rural population is corroborated, stature not being shorter than in the workers. A higher stature is found only in middle classes and in top grades ; this is related more with family number than with occupation, because of direct selection pressure. 2° The relation Intellectual Quotient /occupation /stature is also corroborated, I.Q. /stature being partly secondary to I.Q. /occupation. 3° Rural population tend to brachycephaly, urban population and especially middle classes to mesocephaly, without any interference of family composition. 4° In case of social mobility (i.e. difference between occupational level between father and son) one should pay attention to : a) backward or upward social move, with their opposite sequences : shorter or higher stature, brevilign or longilign morphology, smaller or bigger head (and of course I.Q. higher or lower) ; b) urbanisation, with reduction of all bodily and facial dimensions, and me- socephaly, with variable I.Q.
Adoption of Electric Trucks in Freight Transportation

Transportation sector is the largest contributor of global greenhouse gas emissions in the USA. Disruptive technological changes in this sector, such as alternative fuel vehicles, are crucial for emission reduction. We analyze how a cost-minimizing strategic transition plan can be developed for a transportation firm that aims to adopt electric trucks in their fully diesel fleet, over time. We consider the case in which the firm needs to invest in charging infrastructure required to support this transition, as the public charging infrastructure is currently inadequate. The congestion effect at the charging stations, the charging times, and the potential loss of productive driving time due to detours to reach charging stations are explicitly considered. By developing an independence property, we are able to model this problem as a linear integer program without any need to explicitly specify origins and destinations. We illustrate the resulting transition plan with a realistic data set. Our results indicate that a transportation firm that operates with high demand density over a given service region significantly benefits from adoption of electric trucks, while also enjoying substantial carbon emissions savings. High demand density also favors smaller battery capacity with shorter ranges under the optimized charging network capacity, even though larger battery capacity would increase productivity with extended ranges. Our analysis also offers insights for governments and regulators regarding the impact of several influential factors such as carbon cost, content of renewable energy in electricity mix, diesel engine efficiency, and subsidizing the charging infrastructure.
Cryptic variation in the Moroccan high altitude lizard Atlantolacerta andreanskyi (Squamata: Lacertidae)

Abstract Atlantolacerta andreanskyi is a mountain specialist lacertid lizard, restricted to areas above 2400 m of the High Atlas Mountains of Morocco, with apparently no geographic connection between different populations. In a recent molecular study, populations from A. andreanskyi collected across its distribution area were analysed, showing unprecedented levels of genetic differentiation for mitochondrial markers, which were also partially differentiated for nuclear markers. Here we aim to investigate, for the first time, the phenotypic variability of this species, using univariate and multivariate analyses on linear measurements, pholidotic and coloration characters in six populations of A. andreanskyi previously analysed genetically and covering most of its distribution range. The results show that despite the high genetic divergence previously detected, morphological variation among populations was low. Thus, although some genetic lineages could be partially discriminated morphologically at a multivariate level, single diagnostic traits could not be identified, and thus, they can be considered as cryptic lineages. Although the extreme genetic diversity observed supports the existence of six independent entities, more prospecting and analysis of additional populations will be needed to confirm the evolutionary independence of the lineages before their formal description.
Análisis comparativo de aspectos térmicos y resistencias mecánicas de los materiales y los elementos de la construcción con tierra.

espanolSe analizan las caracteristicas termicas y de resistencias mecanicas de materiales y elementos constructivos elaborados con suelos naturales estabilizados. La metodologia parte de la recopilacion bibliografica de fuentes primarias, secundarias e informacion de ensayos propios, sobre la densidad, la conductividad termica y las resistencias a la compresion, a la flexion y al corte correspondientes al adobe, los bloques de tierra comprimida (BTC), la tapia y la quincha, segun diferentes autores. Ademas, se consideraron los valores establecidos por normas argentinas IRAM referidas al acondicionamiento termico de edificios. Se elaboraron comparaciones entre si y con algunos materiales industrializados, tales como los bloques de hormigon, los ladrillos ceramicos huecos y los ladrillos cocidos macizos. A partir de este analisis, se concluyo que la revision bibliografica no es suficiente para obtener una estandarizacion de los valores de conductividad y transmitancia termica de los materiales y los elementos constructivos naturales. Asi mismo, a partir de las comparaciones de valores se pudo observar como se relacionan la densidad de los materiales y la de los morteros, segun las distintas tecnicas, con el comportamiento termico y las resistencias mecanicas. Palabras clave: Adobe; arquitectura sostenible; bahareque; bloque de tierra comprimida-BTC; materiales vernaculos de construccion; propiedades termicas; quincha; resistencia mecanica; tapial EnglishThe thermal characteristics and mechanical resistance of some materials and constructive elements elaborated with stabilized natural soils are analyzed. The methodology took into account the bibliographic compilation of primary and secondary sources and information from own tests, on density, thermal conductivity and resistance to compression, flexion and cutting, corresponding to adobe, BTC, tapia and wattle and daub, according to different authors. In addition, it was considered the values established by Argentine standards IRAM referring to the thermal conditioning of buildings. Comparisons were made with each other and with some industrialized materials such as concrete blocks, hollow ceramic bricks, and solid fired bricks. From this analysis, it was concluded that the literature review is not enough to obtain a standardization conductivity and thermal transmittance values of natural building materials and elements. Furthermore, from the comparisons of values it was possible to observe how the density of materials and mortars, according to the different techniques, are related to thermal behavior and mechanical resistance. Keywords: Adobe; sustainable architecture; bahareque; compressed earth block (BTC); vernacular building materials; thermal properties; quincha; mechanical strength; tapial; wattle; daub