Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Stress Scenario Development: Global Challenges for the Russian Agricultural Sector

This paper defines a stress scenario as a global or national business development leading to the scrapping of established trends as a result of one or several technological breakthroughs, which can combine with a number of events and factors unfavorable for the global or national economy. The paper presents an analysis of technological shifts in the global agricultural sector focused the impact of these development on the Russian economy. Special attention is paid to scenarios involving deviation from conventional trends, when the imbalance between production and consumption becomes particularly acute while the situation in global food markets changes quickly and significantly with serious consequences for the Russian economy. This remains dependent on developed countries, which are major suppliers of vital resources required for the Russian agricultural sector. Six stress scenarios for the Russian agricultural sector, if certain drivers are triggered, were developed. In contrast to conventional forecasts based on the trends formed in recent years, stress scenarios consider the disruption of such trends, which today are recognized by most experts as the most realistic.
Effects of feeding on the plasma disposition kinetics of the anthelmintic albendazole in laying hens

Abstract 1. To optimise the use of albendazole (ABZ) as an anthelmintic in hens, the effects of fasting and type of diet on the plasma kinetics of ABZ and its metabolites were evaluated. 2. Twenty-four hens were distributed into 4 groups: In experiment I the Fed group were fed ad libitum, while the Fasted group was fasted over a 12-h period. In experiment II the Pelleted group was fed with pelleted commercial food, while the Grain group was fed with cereal grains. All the groups were treated with ABZ by oral route. Blood samples were taken and plasma analysed by HPLC. 3. ABZ and its metabolites albendazole-sulphoxide (ABZSO) and albendazole-sulphone (ABZSO2) were recovered in plasma in all the groups. The 12-h fasting period did not modify the disposition kinetics of ABZ in hens. The type of feed affected ABZ kinetics. ABZSO concentration profile was higher and detected for longer in the Grain group compared to the Pelleted group. Statistical differences were not found for AUC0-∞ values, whereas the T1/2for and T1/2el were different between groups. 4. Factors affecting ABZ kinetic behaviour should be taken into account to optimise its use to ensure the sustainability of the limited available anthelmintic therapeutic tools in avian parasite control.
Biocomplexity and fisheries sustainability

A classic example of a sustainable fishery is that targeting sockeye salmon in Bristol Bay, Alaska, where record catches have occurred during the last 20 years. The stock complex is an amalgamation of several hundred discrete spawning populations. Structured within lake systems, individual populations display diverse life history characteristics and local adaptations to the variation in spawning and rearing habitats. This biocomplexity has enabled the aggregate of populations to sustain its productivity despite major changes in climatic conditions affecting the freshwater and marine environments during the last century. Different geographic and life history components that were minor producers during one climatic regime have dominated during others, emphasizing that the biocomplexity of fish stocks is critical for maintaining their resilience to environmental change.
Stan : systeme de transport a apprentissage neuronal. application de la vision omnidirectionnelle a la localisation d'un robot mobile autonome

Ce travail introduit une nouvelle methode d'interpretation de la vision du monde reel et applique cette technique a la navigation d'un robot mobile autonome dans un milieu industriel. Stan, systeme de transport a apprentissage neuronal, a pour objectif d'accroitre a moindre cout, la flexibilite et l'autonomie locale de robots mobiles. Cette proposition s'appuie essentiellement sur deux points. Premierement, le systeme de perception, base sur un systeme de vision omnidirectionnelle, permet de collecter des informations dans toutes les directions autour du robot en une seule prise d'image. Ce systeme consiste en la photographie du reflet de l'environnement sur un miroir conique. L'image obtenue fournit une signature caracteristique de la position dans l'environnement. Cette methode de perception est etudiee a travers deux prototypes: l'un permettant la prise d'une seule image, l'autre realisant la prise d'un couple d'images stereoscopiques. Deuxiemement, notre point de vue revise les developpements actuels des methodes de guidage et de navigation. Il s'appuie sur la reconnaissance des signatures caracteristiques de la position que fournit le systeme de perception afin de calculer la position du vehicule. La methode se decompose en deux etapes: un mode apprentissage ou un operateur enseigne la trajectoire de travail au robot, et, un mode operatoire ou le robot realise une reconnaissance des images recues. Ces deux phases constituent les etapes d'entrainement et d'utilisation de reseaux de neurones a retropropagation du gradient. Ce memoire souligne dans un premier temps la problematique liee a l'utilisation de vehicules autonomes dans un milieu industriel. Ces observations amenent alors la proposition d'une solution originale dont les differents points specifiques sont ensuite abordes a travers une presentation generale du projet stan. Un ensemble de resultats issus de simulations et experimentations permet ensuite la validation de l'idee generale a travers la comparaison de plusieurs architectures neuronales. Un bilan des contributions et des perspectives ouvertes par le projet stan conclut enfin sur l'avancement des travaux
Handling endogeneity and nonnegativity in correlated random effects models: Evidence from ambulatory expenditure

We describe a mixed‐effects model for nonnegative continuous cross‐sectional data in a two‐part modelling framework. A potentially endogenous binary variable is included in the model specification and association between the outcomes is modeled through a (discrete) latent structure. We show how model parameters can be estimated in a finite mixture context, allowing for skewness, multivariate association between random effects and endogeneity. The model behavior is investigated through a large‐scale simulation experiment. The proposed model is computationally parsimonious and seems to produce acceptable results even if the underlying random effects structure follows a continuous parametric (e.g. Gaussian) distribution. The proposed approach is motivated by the analysis of a sample taken from the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey. The analyzed outcome, that is ambulatory health expenditure, is a mixture of zeros and continuous values. The effects of socio‐demographic characteristics on health expenditure are investigated and, as a by‐product of the estimation procedure, two subpopulations (i.e. high and low users) are identified.
Cultural Diversity and Economic Policy. WWWforEurope Working Paper No. 64

This paper discusses policy implications from the empirical results obtained in the preceding tasks and, in particular, from a survey among city representatives and representatives of migrant organisations in 40 European cities. It argues that cultural diversity is a distinct aspect of migration that must be taken into account when designing policies. Moreover, it pleads for integrating migration and innovation policies to better use the economic potentials linked to migration. In order to achieve this goal, local actors should be incorporated into the design and implementation of (future) integration policies to take adequately into account the regional heterogeneity in diversity effects observed.
A Business Enterprise Resilience Model to Address Strategic Disruptions

Resilient business enterprises are able to survive strategic disruptions like technology disruptions and come back as more successful. They succeed because they have resilient characteristics and apply resilience strategies. Based on a case study analysis, this paper builds a business enterprise resilience model that guides the business enterprises to build the resilience capabilities that enable them to survive during strategic disruptions. The proposed model guides the business enterprise to instil in its architecture the design characteristics of resilience that make it ready to respond to disruption. The model uses the resilience strategies of mitigation, adaptation, and transformation and applies them at three enterprise levels; the operating model level, the competitive strategy level, and the business model level. The mitigation strategy moves the operating model to the efficiency frontier. The adaption strategy recovers the enterprise from the impacts of the strategic disruptions. The transformation strategy transforms the enterprise business model totally.
Glycine Residues in the Hydrophobic Core of the GspB Signal Sequence Route Export toward the Accessory Sec Pathway

ABSTRACT The Streptococcus gordonii cell surface glycoprotein GspB mediates high-affinity binding to distinct sialylated carbohydrate structures on human platelets and salivary proteins. GspB is glycosylated in the cytoplasm of S. gordonii and is then transported to the cell surface via a dedicated transport system that includes the accessory Sec components SecA2 and SecY2. The means by which the GspB preprotein is selectively recognized by the accessory Sec system have not been characterized fully. GspB has a 90-residue amino-terminal signal sequence that displays a traditional tripartite structure, with an atypically long amino-terminal (N) region followed by hydrophobic (H) and cleavage regions. In this report, we investigate the relative importance of the N and H regions of the GspB signal peptide for trafficking of the preprotein. The results show that the extended N region does not prevent export by the canonical Sec system. Instead, three glycine residues in the H region not only are necessary for export via the accessory Sec pathway but also interfere with export via the canonical Sec route. Replacement of the H-region glycine residues with helix-promoting residues led to a decrease in the efficiency of SecA2-dependent transport of the preprotein and a simultaneous increase in SecA2-independent translocation. Thus, the hydrophobic core of the GspB signal sequence is responsible primarily for routing towards the accessory Sec system.
Magnitude of and trends in alcohol-related mortality and morbidity among U.S. college students ages 18-24, 1998-2005.

OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to estimate, among college students ages 18-24, the numbers of alcohol-related unintentional injury deaths and other problems over the period from 1998 through 2005. METHOD The analysis integrated data on 18- to 24-year-olds and college students from each of the following data sources: the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Fatality Analysis Reporting System, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Injury Mortality Data, National Coroner Studies, census and college enrollment data, the National Household Survey on Drug Use and Health, and the College Alcohol Study. RESULTS Among college students ages 18-24, alcohol-related unintentional injury deaths increased 3% per 100,000 from 1,440 in 1998 to 1,825 in 2005. From 1999 to 2005, the proportions of college students ages 18-24 who reported consuming five or more drinks on at least one occasion in the past month increased from 41.7% to 44.7%, and the proportions who drove under the influence of alcohol in the past year increased from 26.5% to 28.9%-7% and 9% proportional increases, respectively. The increases occurred among college students ages 21-24, not 18-20. In 2001, 599,000 (10.5%) full-time 4-year college students were injured because of drinking, 696,000 (12%) were hit or assaulted by another drinking college student, and 97,000 (2%) were victims of alcohol-related sexual assault or date rape. A 2005 follow-up of students in schools with the highest proportions of heavy drinkers found no significant changes in the proportions experiencing these events. CONCLUSIONS The persistence of college drinking problems underscores an urgent need to implement prevention and counseling approaches identified through research to reduce alcohol-related harms among college students and other young adults.
Oral controlled release formulation design and drug delivery : theory to practice

Preface. Contributors. 1 Introduction and Overview of Oral Controlled Release Formulation Design (Hong Wen and Kinam Park). 2 Evolution of Oral Controlled Release Dosage Forms (Ping I. Lee and Jian-Xin Li). 3 Biopharmaceutic Consideration and Assessment for Oral Controlled Release (CR) Formulations (Hua Zhang and Jean M. Surian). 4 Preformulation Consideration for Drugs in Oral CR Formulation (Manching Sherry Ku). 5 Polymers in Oral Modified Release Systems (Jiasheng Tu, Yan Shen, Ravichandran Mahalingam, Bhaskara Jasti, and Xiaoling Li). 6 Oral Extended Release Hydrophilic Matrices: Formulation and Design (Xiaoguang Wen, Ali Nokhodchi, and Ali Rajabi-Siahboomi). 7 Coating Systems for Oral Controlled Release Formulations (Linda A. Felton). 8 Fluid Bed Coating and Granulation for CR Delivery (Yue Teng and Zhihui Qiu). 9 Controlled Release using Bilayer Osmotic Tablet Technology: Reducing Theory to Practice (Sheri L Shamblin). 10 Fast Disintegrating Tablets (Seong Hoon Jeong, Jaehwi Lee, and Jong Soo Woo). 11 Buccal Drug Delivery Systems (John D. Smart and Gemma Keegan). 12 Oral Targeted Drug Delivery Systems: Gastric Retention Devices (Hamid Omidian and Kinam Park). 13 Oral Targeted Drug Delivery Systems: Enteric Coating (Wendy Dulin). 14 Orally Administered Drug Delivery Systems to the Colon (Mirela Nadler Milabuer, Yossi Kam and Abraham Rubinstein). 15 Dissolution Testing: In Vitro Characterization of Oral Controlled Release Dosage Forms (Michele Xuemei Guo). 16 Challenges and New Technologies of Oral Controlled Release (Xiaoming Chen, Hong Wen and Kinam Park). 17 Oral Controlled Drug Delivery: Quality By Design (QbD) Approach to Drug Development (Shailesh Singh, Thirunellai G. Venkateshwaran and Stephen P. Simmons). 18 Oral Controlled Release-Based Products for Life Cycle Management (Nipun Davar and Sangita Ghosh). 19 Generic Oral Controlled Release Product Development: Formulation and Process Considerations (Salah U. Ahmed and Venkatesh Naini). 20 The Science and Regulatory Perspectives of Emerging Controlled Release Dosage Forms (Rakhi B. Shah and Mansoor A. Khan). Index.
Self-Reported Functional Status Among the Old-Old

Objectives: To examine differences in functional status among two successive cohorts. Method: The study was a comparative analysis of Jewish respondents aged 75 to 94 from two nationwide random samples: the Cross-Sectional and Longitudinal Aging Study (1989-1992; N = 1,200) and the Survey of Health, Ageing, and Retirement in Europe (2005-2006; N = 379). Self-reported functional limitation and disability were compared by means of logistic regressions and MANCOVA, controlling for age, gender, origin, education, marital status, income, self-rated health, and home care receipt. Results: Reported functional limitation decreased in the later cohort (SHARE-Israel), but activities of daily living (ADL) and instrumental activities of daily living (IADL) disability increased. Receipt of home care moderated these effects. ADL and IADL disability increased among home care–receiving respondents in the later cohort whereas functional limitation decreased among respondents not in receipt of home care. Discussion: The findings suggest that different measures used to assess the disablement process capture different aspects and that contextual factors influence how older people rate their own functional capacity.
Risk factors for surgical site infection following cesarean delivery: a retrospective cohort study.

BACKGROUND The rate of cesarean delivery is increasing in North America. Surgical site infection following this operation can make it difficult to recover, care for a baby and return home. We aimed to determine the incidence of surgical site infection to 30 days following cesarean delivery, associated risk factors and whether risk factors differed for predischarge versus postdischarge infection. METHODS We identified a retrospective cohort in Nova Scotia by linking the provincial perinatal database to hospital admissions and physician billings databases to follow women for 30 days after they had given birth by cesarean delivery between Jan. 1, 1997 and Dec. 31, 2012. Logistic regression with generalized estimating equations was used to determine risk factors for infection. RESULTS A total of 25 123 women had 33 991 cesarean deliveries over the study period. Of the 25 123, 923 had surgical site infections, giving an incidence rate of 2.7% (95% CI 2.54%-2.89%); the incidence decreased over time. Risk factors for infection (adjusted odds ratios ≥ 1.5) were prepregnancy weight 87.0 kg or more, gaining 30.0 kg or more during pregnancy, chorioamnionitis, maternal blood transfusion, anticoagulation therapy, alcohol or drug abuse, second stage of labour before surgery, delivery in 1997-2000 and delivery in a hospital performing 130-1249 cesarean deliveries annually. Women who gave birth earlier in the study period, those who gave birth in a hospital with 130-949 cesarean deliveries per year and those with more than 1 fetus were at a significantly higher risk for surgical site infection before discharge; women who smoked were at significantly higher risk for surgical site infection after discharge. INTERPRETATION Most risk factors are known before delivery, and some are potentially modifiable. Although the incidence of surgical site infection decreased over time, targeted clinical and infection prevention and control interventions could further reduce the burden of illness associated with this health-care-related infection.
Implementation of d-q decoupling and feed-forward current controller for grid connected three phase voltage source converter

This paper presents a vector current controller scheme, which operates according to grid virtual flux orientation for the three phase, 3-wire pulse-width modulated voltage source converter (VSC). The usage of voltage sensors to determine the grid voltage angle for synchronization and the grid voltage magnitude for the controller operation are avoided by applying a virtual flux concept in the proposed control scheme. The virtual flux concept is utilized to obtain the input power equations, which will be used to calculate the reference d (direct) and q (quadrature) axis currents. The estimated grid virtual flux provides a new approach in developing the proposed control structure of three phase VSC by including the d-q axes decoupling and the feed-forward components to enhance the performance of front-end VSC during load and supply voltage disturbances. Computer simulation and laboratory experiment are conducted to verify the operation and performances of the VSC under steady-state and transient conditions. The results indicate VSC utilizing the proposed virtual flux oriented control (VFOC) is able to produce unity power factor operation, low harmonic distortion of input line current, adjustable dc output voltage and fixed switching frequency.
Inhibition of rat vas deferens contractions by flavonoids in‐vitro

Flavonoids are a large heterogeneous group of benzo‐γ‐pyrone derivatives, which are abundantly present in our diet. In this study we investigated the effect of ten flavonoids (quercetin, kaempferol, morin, galangin, rutin, apigenin, flavone, naringenin, hesperitin and silybin) on the contractile response elicited by electrical field stimulation in the rat isolated vas deferens. All flavonoids tested inhibited vas deferens contractions. The relative order of potency of the tested flavonoids was naringenin > hesperitin > morin > kaempferol > apigenin > silybin > flavone > rutin > quercetin > galangin. Analysis of the chemical structures showed that the saturation of C‐2‐C‐3 double bond and the presence of hydroxyl groups on the flavonoidic scaffold play an important role in the activity of flavonoids.
Association of weekend continuity of care with hospital length of stay.

OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study was to evaluate the association of physician continuity of care with length of stay, likelihood of weekend discharge, in-hospital mortality and 30-day readmission. DESIGN A cohort study of hospitalized medical patients. The primary exposure was the weekend usual provider continuity (UPC) over the initial weekend of care. This metric was adapted from an outpatient continuity of care index. Regression models were developed to determine the association between UPC and outcomes. SETTING An academic medical center. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE Length of stay which was calculated as the number of days from the first Saturday of the hospitalization to the day of discharge. RESULTS Of the 3391 patients included in this study, the prevalence of low, moderate and high UPC for the initial weekend of hospitalization was 58.7, 22.3 and 19.1%, respectively. When compared with low continuity of care, both moderate and high continuity of care were associated with reduced length of stay, with adjusted rate ratios of 0.92 (95% CI 0.86-1.00) and 0.64 (95% CI 0.53-0.76), respectively. High continuity of care was associated with likelihood of weekend discharge (adjusted odds ratio 2.84, 95% CI 2.11-3.83) but was not significantly associated with mortality (adjusted odds ratio 0.72, 95% CI 0.29-1.80) or readmission (adjusted odds ratio 0.88, 95% CI 0.68-1.14) when compared with low continuity of care. CONCLUSIONS Increased weekend continuity of care is associated with reduced length of stay. Improvement in weekend cross-coverage and patient handoffs may be useful to improve clinical outcomes.
Conception d'un systeme de transmission numerique a etalement de spectre hybride ds/fh de type rake adapte au canal de diffusion tropospherique - mesures de propagation sur une liaison experimentale a 4,5 ghz

Cette these presente les performances de systemes de transmission a diversite de trajets multiples de type rake, adaptes au canal de diffusion tropospherique. Afin de s'approcher des conditions realistes de propagation, ces simulations s'appuient sur les resultats de campagnes de mesures effectuees sur une liaison experimentale. Le cadre de l'etude est celui des liaisons tropospheriques a courtes distances (< 250 km), faibles debits (< 512 kbits/s) et faible encombrement, a 4. 5 ghz. Le premier chapitre rappelle les phenomenes et les caracteristiques de la propagation par diffusion tropospherique. La particularite de ce mode de propagation reside notamment dans la presence d'un continuum de trajets multiples, et les fortes fluctuations de la bande de coherence. Une liaison experimentale a ete realisee entre brest et monterfil. Le chapitre deux presente les releves de la puissance recue et du module de la reponse impulsionnelle qui ont ete effectues. Les mesures ont mis en evidence la faible vitesse de variation temporelle du canal et son caractere selectif en frequence. Le troisieme chapitre s'interesse aux systemes de transmission robustes vis-a-vis des trajets multiples. Une etude originale de differentes architectures de recepteurs a diversite de trajets de type rake est realisee. Les performances de tels systemes sont developpees, et montrent leur efficacite en presence de trajets multiples. Le dernier chapitre presente la structure et les performances de plusieurs systemes a etalement de spectre hybride ds/fh adaptes au canal de diffusion tropospherique. La combinaison a gain maximal des trajets est effectuee par un filtre rake. Plusieurs strategies d'etalement sont etudiees par simulation, visant a trouver un compromis entre etalement par sequence directe et codage de canal. Enfin, quelques investigations concernant la realisation et la complexite de ces systemes ont ete menees, en vue de l'evaluation du meilleur compromis entre les performances et la complexite.