Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Determinants of Electronic Learning Adoption in Higher Institutions of Learning in Uganda: A Learners’ Perspective

The introduction of electronic learning (EL) has been initiated in Higher Institutions of Learning (HIL) as an attempt to improve on education institutions’ service delivery. By adopting the Technology-Organization-Environment (TOE) framework, this study was aimed at investigating the determinants of the e-learning adoption in HIL where eight TOE factors were examined. The study adopted a quantitative approach, a descriptive research and cross-sectional survey for the research design. A questionnaire was developed based on the eight identified TOE study constructs and administered to a population of 5438 students in three Faculties of Makerere University Business School (MUBS). In regard to data analysis, factor analysis and assessment of reliability and validity of the measurements items was done. Finally, a multiple regression analysis was carried out to evaluate the relationship between the predictor variables and e-learning adoption. The findings of this study imply that the TOE can be used to analyze ELearning adoption in Universities and other HIL as relative advantage, complexity, compatibility, size, competitive intensity and regulatory environment were identified as significant predictors of EL adoption. Whereas top management support and IT/IS knowledge are insignificant predictors in the adoption of EL.
Release bias in accessing medical records in clinical trials: a STAR*D report

Clinical trials often require subjects to sign medical record releases to allow investigators to measure treatment fidelity, off‐protocol care use, and care costs. Little is known, however, if limiting samples to those willing to sign releases impacts external validity. Data came from outpatients with non‐psychotic major depressive disorder who enrolled in the multisite Sequenced Treatment Alternatives to Relieve Depression (STAR*D) study. Differences between those who signed (n = 3116) and who did not sign (n = 925) releases were assessed using logistic regression and two‐part, three‐level log‐transformed regression models, corrected for site clustering and repeated measures. Patients who released records tended to believe care was helpful, were younger, and married. However, release status had little material or consistent associations with patient health outcomes or use of care. With appropriate adjustments to data, requiring patient medical records may pose only minimal challenges to external validity in cost‐outcome studies. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Chronic Doxorubicin Cardiotoxicity Modulates Cardiac Cytochrome P450-Mediated Arachidonic Acid Metabolism in Rats

Doxorubicin [(DOX) Adriamycin] is an effective anticancer agent whose major limiting side effect is cardiotoxicity. This cardiotoxicity is predicted only by the cumulative dose of DOX where the clinical situation involves chronic drug administration. Therefore, we investigate the effect of chronic DOX cardiotoxicity on expression of the cardiac cytochrome P450 (P450) enzymes and arachidonic acid (AA) metabolism in male Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats. The chronic toxicity was induced by multiple intraperitoneal injections for a cumulative dose of 15 mg/kg divided into six injections within 2 weeks. After 14 days of the last injection, the heart, liver, and kidney were harvested, and the expression of different genes was determined by real-time polymerase chain reaction. In addition, microsomal protein from the heart was prepared and incubated with AA. Thereafter, different AA metabolites were analyzed by liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization-mass spectrometry. The chronic DOX cardiotoxicity significantly induced gene expression of hypertrophic markers, apoptotic markers, CYP2E1, CYP4A3, CYP4F1, CYP4F5, and soluble epoxide hydrolase (sEH) enzyme, which was accompanied by an increase in the activity of P450 ω-hydroxylases and sEH. In addition, both the sEH inhibitor, trans-4-[4-(3-adamantan-1-yl-ureido)-cyclohexyloxy]-benzoic acid, and the ω-hydroxylase inhibitor, N-hydroxy-N′-(4-butyl-2-methylphenyl)-formamidine (HET0016), significantly prevented the DOX-mediated induction of the hypertrophic markers in the cardiac-derived H9c2 cells, which further confirms the role of these enzymes in DOX cardiotoxicity. Furthermore, gene expression of P450 and sEH was altered in an organ-specific manner. As a result, the chronic DOX administration leads to an imbalance between P450-mediated cardiotoxic and cardioprotective pathways. Therefore, P450 ω-hydroxylases and sEH might be considered as novel targets to prevent and/or treat DOX cardiotoxicity.
Emotionally focused therapy for couples

This book demonstrates the power of emotional experience in relationships and how this power can be used to reconstruct intimate bonds. In emotionally focused couples therapy, intrapsychic and interpersonal perspectives are combined; interactional positions are assumed to be maintained by strong, primary, emotional responses and by the way interactions are structured and organized. Hence, the goal of emotionally focused therapy is to enable a couple to change the habitual positions they assume in relation to each other and to change the way each partner experiences the relationship.
Cell Adhesion Molecules in Neural Stem Cell and Stem Cell- Based Therapy for Neural Disorders

Neural stem/progenitor cells (NS/PCs), found in both the developing and the adult mamma‐ lian central nervous system (CNS), are a heterogeneous population of multipotent cells with the potential to self-renew by symmetric cell division or to differentiate into neurons, astrocytes and oligodendrocytes through asymmetric cell division (Gage, 2000; Alvarez-Buylla et al., 2001; Temple, 2001; Gotz and Huttner, 2005). NS/PCs have been found in almost all regions of the developing mammalian CNS, including the basal forebrain, cerebral cortex, ganglionic eminence, hippocampus, cerebellum, neural crest and spinal cord (Temple, 2001). Throughout development, NS/PCs give rise to neurons and glial cell populations of the CNS. In the adult CNS, NS/PCs are mainly found in the subventricular zone (SVZ) and subgranular layer (SGL) of hippocampal dentate gyrus (DG) (Goritz and Frisen, 2012). The ependymal cells lining the central canal of spinal cord of the adult mouse could be another potential source of adult NS/ PCs (Meletis et al., 2008). Because neurogenesis and gliogenesis occur during different stages of mammalian brain development, it was long assumed that neurons and glial cells in the CNS were generated from distinct precursor populations, known as early-embryonic, late-embry‐ onic, and adult NS/PCs. However, abundant evidence has since now demonstrated that embryonic and adult NS/PCs are likely lineage-related. Neuroepithelial cells behaving as NS/ PCs during very early developmental stages of the mammalian CNS give rise to radial glial cells around embryonic day 12 (E12). As the progeny of neuroepithelial cells, radial glial cells act as NS/PCs in the fetal and perinatal brain, and develop into astrocyte-like stem cells in the adult brains. Astrocyte-like adult stem cells function as stem cells to generate new nerve cells in the adult mammalian CNS. (Doetsch et al., 1999; Alvarez-Buylla et al., 2001; Merkle et al., 2004; Merkle and Alvarez-Buylla, 2006).
The value of choice: development of a new measurement tool.

BACKGROUND Current policy advocates individual choice across a number of domains, including healthcare provision. AIM To develop a new tool for measuring people's beliefs about the value of choice in the context of healthcare provision. DESIGN OF STUDY Cross-sectional survey. SETTING Four general practices in South East England. METHOD Nine items relating to health and general domains, derived from in-depth interviews with 22 participants, were collated into a questionnaire. This formed the measurement tool called the Choice Questionnaire (ChQ), which was completed by 823 consecutive patients (response rate = 81.2%). RESULTS Principal components analysis resulted in two factors: having choices (for example, 'I like to know all the possible ways in which I could be treated') and making choices (for example, 'I am happy for the doctor to make decisions for me'). These two constructs showed good internal consistency. One item was deleted, resulting in the 8-item ChQ. Beliefs about choice in health and general domains were not discrete. The vast majority of participants endorsed having choices as positive. In contrast, beliefs about the value of making choice were more mixed. A greater endorsement of both these aspects of choice was related to higher educational status. CONCLUSION Results from this study indicate that choice can be usefully conceptualised as consisting of two separate constructs: having choices and making choices. The 8-item ChQ has an interpretable factor structure and has been shown to be reliable. It could be used in research to assess beliefs about the value of choice or in the clinical setting to establish whether a patient would prefer to be provided with options or to be managed in a more paternalistic way.
Hepatitis B Vaccine Responsiveness and Clinical Outcomes in HIV Controllers

Background Hepatitis B virus (HBV) vaccine responsiveness is associated with reduced risk of AIDS or death in HIV-infected individuals. Although HIV controllers (HIC) typically have favorable immunologic and clinical characteristics compared to non-controllers, vaccine responsiveness has not been studied. Methods and Findings In the U.S. Military HIV Natural History Study, HBV vaccine response was defined as antibody to hepatitis B surface antigen (anti-HBs) ≥10 IU/L after last vaccination. For determination of vaccine responsiveness, HIC (n = 44) and treatment-naïve non-controllers (n = 476) were not on highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) when vaccinated while treated non-controllers (n = 284) received all HBV vaccine doses during viral load (VL)-suppressive HAART. Progression to AIDS or death was also compared for all HIC (n = 143) and non-controllers (n = 1566) with documented anti-HBs regardless of the timing of HBV vaccination. Positive vaccine responses were more common in HIC (65.9%) compared to HAART-naïve non-controllers (36.6%; P<0.001), but similar to non-controllers on HAART (59.9%; P = 0.549). Factors associated with vaccine response for HIC compared to HAART-naïve non-controllers include HIC status (OR 2.65, 95% CI 1.23–5.89; P = 0.014), CD4 count at last vaccination (OR 1.28, 1.15–1.45 for every 100 cells/uL; P<0.001), and number of vaccine doses administered (OR 0.56, 0.35–0.88; P = 0.011). When HIC were compared to non-controllers on HAART, only CD4 count at last vaccination was significant (OR 1.23, 1.1–1.38 for every 100 cells/uL; P<0.001). The rate of AIDS or death per 100 person/years for HIC compared to non-controllers was 0.14 (95% CI 0–0.76) versus 0.98 (95% CI 0.74–1.28) for vaccine responders and 0 (95% CI 0–2.22) versus 4.11 (95% CI 3.38–4.96) for non-responders, respectively. Conclusions HIC have improved HBV vaccine responsiveness compared to treatment-naïve non-controllers, but similar to those on VL-suppressive HAART. Progression to AIDS or death can be predicted by HBV vaccine responder status for non-controllers, however these events are rarely observed in HIC.
Role of Baculovirus IE2 and Its RING Finger in Cell Cycle Arrest

ABSTRACT The ie2 gene of Autographa californicanuclear polyhedrosis virus (AcMNPV) is known to transactivate transient expression from viral promoters in a host cell-specific manner. We report that transfection ofSpodoptera frugiperda (SF-21) cells with ie2was sufficient to arrest the cell cycle, resulting in the accumulation of enlarged cells with abnormally high DNA contents. By 72 h posttransfection, more than 50% of ie2-transfected cells had DNA contents greater than 4N. There was no evidence of mitotic spindle formation in these cells, and expression ofie2 appeared to block cell cycle progression in S phase. Several ie2 mutants were analyzed to further define the region of IE2 responsible for arresting the cell cycle. Analysis of these mutants showed that deletion of the RING finger motif eliminated the ability of IE2 to arrest the cell cycle but did not affect its ability to transactivate the ie1 promoter. Moreover, mutation of a single conserved cysteine (C251) of the RING finger motif abolished the ability of IE2 to block cell cycle progression but had no apparent effect on its trans-regulatory activity. In contrast, a mutant of IE2 containing a deletion of residues 94 to 173 was able to block cell division but lacked trans-regulatory activity. Thus, the ability of IE2 to arrest the cell cycle depended on the integrity of the RING finger motif and was distinct from and independent of its ability to trans-activate theie1 promoter. IE2 also arrested the division of cells derived from other insect species, Trichoplusia ni (TN-368 and BTI-TN-5B1-4) and Helicoverpa zea (Hz-AM1).
The relationship between working memory and verbal fluency following traumatic brain injury

The present study sought to determine whether participants with moderate to severe traumatic brain injury (MOD/S TBI) would quantitatively and qualitatively differ from participants with no brain damage (NBD) in phonemic and semantic verbal fluency, and whether the potential differences may be attributed to working memory (WM) and information processing speed. Independent t-test procedures indicated that the MOD/S TBI group was disproportionately impaired on all test measures when compared to an NBD group. However, when Bonferroni adjustments for multiple comparisons were applied, only two results remained statistically significant. First, the MOD/S TBI group differed significantly from the NBD group on the total number of correct words generated for the letter S on the phonemic verbal fluency task, and for the semantic categories of animals and boys' names. Second, the MOD/S TBI group produced a significantly greater number of word recall errors on a measure of WM when compared to participants with NBD. Moreover, a mixed-analysis of variance (ANOVA) procedures suggested that the MOD/S TBI group was impaired in their performance on tasks of information processing speed and WM, when compared to the NBD group, and these differences were correlated with decrements in performance on tasks of verbal fluency, as indicated by the total number of words produced on these tasks.
Statistical Analysis of Multipath Clustering in an Indoor Office Environment

A parametric directional-based MIMO channel model is presented which takes multipath clustering into account. The directional propagation path parameters include azimuth of arrival (AoA), azimuth of departure (AoD), delay, and power. MIMO measurements are carried out in an indoor office environment using the virtual antenna array method with a vector network analyzer. Propagation paths are extracted using a joint 5D ESPRIT algorithm and are automatically clustered with the K-power-means algorithm. This work focuses on the statistical treatment of the propagation parameters within individual clusters (intracluster statistics) and the change in these parameters from one cluster to another (intercluster statistics). Motivated choices for the statistical distributions of the intracluster and intercluster parameters are made. To validate these choices, the parameters' goodness of fit to the proposed distributions is verified using a number of powerful statistical hypothesis tests. Additionally, parameter correlations are calculated and tested for their significance. Building on the concept of multipath clusters, this paper also provides a new notation of the MIMO channel matrix (named FActorization into a BLock-diagonal Expression or FABLE) which more visibly shows the clustered nature of propagation paths.
A proposed nonpathogenic biological indicator for thermal inactivation of Listeria monocytogenes

Listeria innocua M1 was developed as a thermal processing indicator organism for L. monocytogenes by selection of a rifampin- and streptomycin-resistant mutant. zetaD values were 5.6 and 5.8 degrees C, and D (68 degrees C) values were 3.8 and 4.9 s for L. monocytogenes and L. innocua, respectively, in skim milk. The advantages of easy selection, similar heat resistance, and nonpathogenicity make L. innocua M1 appropriate for challenge studies designed to evaluate process lethality with respect to L. monocytogenes.
Spatial characterization of the meltwater field from icebergs in the Weddell Sea

We describe the results from a spatial cyberinfrastructure developed to characterize the meltwater field around individual icebergs and integrate the results with regional- and global-scale data. During the course of the cyberinfrastructure development, it became clear that we were also building an integrated sampling planning capability across multidisciplinary teams that provided greater agility in allocating expedition resources resulting in new scientific insights. The cyberinfrastructure-enabled method is a complement to the conventional methods of hydrographic sampling in which the ship provides a static platform on a station-by-station basis. We adapted a sea-floor mapping method to more rapidly characterize the sea surface geophysically and biologically. By jointly analyzing the multisource, continuously sampled biological, chemical, and physical parameters, using Global Positioning System time as the data fusion key, this surface-mapping method enables us to examine the relationship between the meltwater field of the iceberg to the larger-scale marine ecosystem of the Southern Ocean. Through geospatial data fusion, we are able to combine very fine-scale maps of dynamic processes with more synoptic but lower-resolution data from satellite systems. Our results illustrate the importance of spatial cyberinfrastructure in the overall scientific enterprise and identify key interfaces and sources of error that require improved controls for the development of future Earth observing systems as we move into an era of peta- and exascale, data-intensive computing.
An Empirical Analysis of Factors Affecting Work Life Balance among University Teachers: the case of Pakistan

Balance in work and family life is an emerging challenge for both employees and employers. The present research categorize s selected variables as work and family related factors to study work life balance. This paper analyzes the determinants of work and life imbalance with respect to male and female university teachers . A total of 146 teacher’s responses from both private and public sector universities are included in the study. Statistical analysis reveal s that partner support, colleague support and job resources are positively associated with the work life balance whereas unfair criticism at job is negatively associated with work life balance. Independent sample t-test is used to analyze the e ffect of independent variables on work life balance with respect to male and female university teachers. The variables , partner support, childcare responsibilities, elder dependency, and colleagues support have different e ffect when analysed by male and female university teachers as independent samples.
Ensemble member selection using multi-objective optimization

Both theory and a wealth of empirical studies have established that ensembles are more accurate than single predictive models. Unfortunately, the problem of how to maximize ensemble accuracy is, especially for classification, far from solved. In essence, the key problem is to find a suitable criterion, typically based on training or selection set performance, highly correlated with ensemble accuracy on novel data. Several studies have, however, shown that it is difficult to come up with a single measure, such as ensemble or base classifier selection set accuracy, or some measure based on diversity, that is a good general predictor for ensemble test accuracy. This paper presents a novel technique that for each learning task searches for the most effective combination of given atomic measures, by means of a genetic algorithm. Ensembles built from either neural networks or random forests were empirically evaluated on 30 UCI datasets. The experimental results show that when using the generated combined optimization criteria to rank candidate ensembles, a higher test set accuracy for the top ranked ensemble was achieved, compared to using ensemble accuracy on selection data alone. Furthermore, when creating ensembles from a pool of neural networks, the use of the generated combined criteria was shown to generally outperform the use of estimated ensemble accuracy as the single optimization criterion.
TRACKING THE ONLINE AUDIENCE

This research examines the way online journalists react to new ways of knowing about their audiences. Interviewing 19 online journalists in print, broadcast and net-native media, the research analyses emergent narratives on journalists’ use of tracking data from website servers. The study concludes that competing attitudes are at work in the way journalists react to server data about users and audiences. News and brand values influence journalists towards traditional behaviours, which are shown to form a strong counterweight to market pressure for growth in audience numbers. In addition, a vigorous narrative of change is evident. Online journalists are seen to claim a more reasoned and evidence-based method in choosing what to publish, which is less subject to “instinct” and whim. Tracking data are therefore directly revising the way “news values” are implemented in the respondent sample. Overall, social and organisational context rather than technology alone shape the way these online professionals react to their new tool.
Correlates of employee turnover intentions in oil and gas industry in the UAE

Purpose – This paper aims to develop a framework to understand, predict and control factors affecting employee turnover intentions in the oil and gas industry in the UAE. The oil and gas industry, considered as the backbone of UAE’s economy, has been facing high employee turnover rate. Design/methodology/approach – The paper examined researches conducted in the area of employee turnover intentions and proposed a framework to be used by the practicing managers to retain employees and leverage their potentials for organizational growth. Findings – A framework of employee turnover intentions was developed based on body of research literature which suggests to the interplay of individual-, group-, environmental- and organizational-level variables. Research limitations/implications – The proposed framework on employee turnover intentions is well-suited for usage in the oil and gas industry in the UAE. However, the proposed framework can also be utilized with caution in other industries as well. Practical impli.
A compact 2-D full-wave finite-difference frequency-domain method for general guided wave structures

A compact two-dimensional (2-D) full-wave finite-difference frequency-domain method is proposed for the analysis of dispersion characteristics of a general guided wave structure. Because the longitudinal field components are eliminated in the proposed method, only four transverse field components are involved in the final resulting eigen equation. This feature considerably reduces the required CPU time as compared to the existing approaches by which six field components are comprised. Additionally, unlike other 2-D finite-difference schemes that determine the eigenfrequency for a given propagation constant, the new method finds the propagation constant /spl beta/ for a given k/sub o/ (frequency). The new method has been verified by examining the computed results of a number of typical guided wave structures with the published results. Very good agreement is achieved.