Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Trade, Poverty and Inequality Nexus: The Case of Pakistan

2 Abstract: The paper attempted to see the relationship between trade liberalization and poverty and inequality in Pakistan. For trade liberalization, volume of trade as ratio of GDP, head count ratio for poverty and Gini-coefficient has been used for income inequality. The granger causality technique is applied to time series data for the years 1975-2010. The results indicate that trade liberalization has no significant effect on poverty but poverty has negative effect on trade. However, trade has increased inequality in the country. It explained that gains from trade are not equally distributed among the rich and poor. Trade liberalization may be beneficial for the economy if it leads to a reduction in poverty and income inequality.
Retrograde endopyelotomy using the holmium laser: technical aspects and functional results.

INTRODUCTION Endopyelotomy is considered standard treatment for primary and secondary ureteropelvic junction obstruction. The aim of this study is to report our initial experience with the retrograde endopyelotomy technique. MATERIALS AND METHODS Between January 2000 and April 2003 we submitted to retrograde ureteroscopic holmium laser endopyelotomy 16 patients (9 males and 7 females) aged between 22 and 64 years. Obstruction was primary in 10 cases and secondary due to unsuccessful open pyeloplasty in the remaining six. No patient was affected by coexisting urinary lithiasis. Excretory urography and diuretic renal scintigraphy were performed preoperatively in all patients. Endopyelotomy was carried out using the holmium laser which delivered an energy level of 1.2 Joule at 10-15 Hertz. A double J ureteral stent remained indwelling postoperatively for 6 weeks and a vesical catheter for 24 hours. Average operative time was 75 minutes (range 50-90 minutes). Patients were assessed on follow-up by echotomography of the urinary tract and diuretic renal scintigraphy after 3 months and then at 6-month intervals. RESULTS Patients were assessed on a mean follow-up of 18 months (range 6-41). Outcome was considered successful when symptoms were resolved and renal function improved. Success was obtained in 13 patients. Two patients were submitted to pyeloplasty with positive results and the procedure on one patient was converted to pyeloplasty due to intraoperative haemorrhage. Average postoperative stay was three days (range 1-4). No patient required blood transfusion with postoperative reduction in haematocrit of 0-9%, (mean 3%). Normal daily activity resumed after 3-4 days from discharge. CONCLUSIONS Retrograde endopyelotomy in our initial experience is a safe and efficient technique that gives an excellent percentage of success with reduced complications and good patient compliance. The retrograde compared with the anterograde approach has the advantage of being less invasive, does not require nephrostomal derivation and further reduces hospital stay.
Factors Affecting Teen Involvement in Pennsylvania 4-H Programming

The study reported here determined the factors that affect teen involvement in 4-H programming. The design of the study was descriptive and correlational in nature. Using a purposive sampling procedure, a survey questionnaire was distributed to all (N=214) 4-H members attending the 4-H State Leadership Conference. The major findings of the study aligned of previous research and showed that parents have a great influence on their children's choices within 4-H. Additionally, the results of the study show that the 4-H members are experiencing the opportunity to lead meetings and organize events.
Availability of IPTV services in VANETs using different access network technologies

Vehicular Ad-hoc NETworks (VANETs) are an emerging area of communication that offers a wide variety of possible applications, ranging from safety to entertainment. Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) services as an entertainment application over VANETs are considered to play an important role in the future of intelligent transportation systems and vehicular infotainment systems. Quality of Experience (QoE) has a strong impact when choosing adequate IPTV services for end users. Among QoE measures, TV Channel Availability (CA) is utmost important. In this work, we investigate the channel availability in IPTV services for vehicular users in different access network technologies. We focus on different traffic intensities and various number of TV channels and predict the CA of TV channels and the Channel Blocking Probability (CBP) to be expected. The comprehensive simulation experiments are achieved by means of an own simulation tool which is based on a detailed IPTV user behavior model.
Intestinal efflux transporters and drug absorption.

BACKGROUND The intestinal epithelial membrane expresses ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporters such as P-glycoprotein (P-gp), multi-drug resistance-associated proteins (MRPs) and breast cancer resistance protein (BCRP), in addition to various solute carrier (SLC) transporters. These ABC transporters affect the oral bioavailability of their substrate drugs. OBJECTIVE To review the contribution of ABC efflux transporters such as P-gp, MRP2, MRP3, and BCRP in the intestinal absorption of substrate drugs. METHODS Discussion was made by focusing on the site-specific expression and function of these ABC transporters, and the solubility and permeability of their substrate compounds. RESULTS/CONCLUSION The increase in the solubility and permeability of orally administered drugs could be the key to escape barrier function of ABC transporters, especially P-gp.
Addiction, alienation and assertiveness in Saudi and English drug addicts

Addiction research has been carried out extensively in the social sciences. In particular, attention has been focused on explaining the origins of addiction and developing treatments, spanning a range of drugs, from cannabis to heroin. This thesis will apply the theoretical concepts of alienation and assertiveness to drug use. This is based on the assumption that addiction is influenced by the degree to which a drug user is alienated from self, peers and society. The thesis will contend that if drug users become more assertive, they are less likely to become alienated, hence less likely to become addicted. These assumptions were forged into three hypotheses that were tested on drug users and control groups in the United Kingdom (UK) and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (Saudi), since few studies have investigated comparisons between these countries in this respect. Specifically, the following three hypotheses are researched in this paper: HI: drug addicts will have a higher degree of alienation in comparison with non-addicts; H2: drug addicts will be less assertive than non-addicts; HI cultural differences will be detected between English and Saudi samples. It was found that UK drug users were significantly more alienated than Saudi drug users. Control group comparisons showed that Saudi controls were significantly more alienated than UK controls, leading to the conclusion that cultural differences had a crucial role to play. In terms of assertiveness, it was found that LJK drug users are significantly less assertive than UK controls on certain dimensions of the assertiveness scales. For Saudi samples, no significant differences were observed. Further, it was confirmed that strong cultural differences were detected between the two nationalities, arguably because the concepts of alienation and assertiveness are distinct Western concepts.
Independent component analysis for creative versus non-creative task performance

EEG study on creative thinking was carried out on 108 healthy subjects in terms of test-control approach. As the model of creative thinking we used the task demands an overcoming of a long-term memory stereotype, as the control task was used – long-term memory retrieval condition. Results of different methods of source localization (independent component analysis, equivalent dipole source, the LORETA method) and independent component spectra power analysis are presented in the paper. We revealed significant differences in spectral power in high frequency bands (beta and gamma) of independent components (ICs) attributed to the left parietal, right occipital, left and right temporal cortex zones. Values of spectral power in beta and gamma bands were significantly higher for creative task performance. Obtained results support our previous data [1, 2, 3] and bring us to a new, enlarged data in regard to localization of independent components sources. Key-Words: Creative thinking, EEG, Independent component analysis, LORETA method, ICs spectral power.
Oscillatory Neuronal Synchronization in Primary Visual Cortex as a Correlate of Stimulus Selection

Spike and local field potential activity were recorded simultaneously from multiple sites in primary visual cortex of strabismic cats, while monocular stimulation alternated with dichoptic stimulation, inducing interocular rivalry. During interocular rivalry, there is competition between the two nonfusible stimuli presented to the two eyes, and only one stimulus is selected at any time. We biased this competition in three different ways: (1) we exploited the condition that in strabismic cats there is often one dominant eye that is selected for most of the time. (2) We presented the two stimuli with a temporal offset, which biases competition in favor of the newly appearing stimulus. (3) We presented the two stimuli with highly different contrasts, which biases competition in favor of the stimulus with higher contrast. Whenever competition was biased in favor of the stimulus activating the recorded neurons, gamma-frequency synchronization of the respective responses was enhanced, and vice versa. Firing rates showed some differences between stimulation conditions. However, when present, these changes were inversely related to a competitive advantage of the respective stimulus. We hypothesize that enhanced gamma-frequency synchronization in primary visual cortex is a correlate of stimulus selection. Synchronization is likely to be translated into firing rate changes at later processing stages.
Parent Link: A Correlational Analysis of Students' Perceptions of Parental Engagement and Student Grade Point Average, Attendance, and Attitudes Toward School

Research suggests that parent engagement leads to positive student outcomes, such as academic achievement, attendance and level of motivation. Typically, the definition of parental engagement is dependent on parents, and teachers. Little research focuses on the students’ perceptions of parental support. Students’ perceptions of parental engagement need to be further researched in order to help validate research around parental engagement and its implication on student outcomes. The intent of this quantitative study will be to investigate to what degree a relationship exists between middle school students’ perceptions of parental support and student outcomes, namely student grade point average, attendance, and attitudes toward school. Quantitative research questions and hypotheses will address the relationship between parental engagement and the outcomes of middle school students who attend a public kindergarten through grade 8 public school in a New York City school district. The Student Survey of Family and Community Involvement in the Elementary and Middle Grades survey instrument will be used to measure students’ perceptions of parental engagement and student attitudes toward school. Grade point average and attendance data were collected from Automate the Schools (ATS), a school based system that standardizes and automates the collection and reporting of data for all students in New York City public schools. Degree Type Dissertation Degree Name Doctor of Education (EdD) Department Executive Leadership First Supervisor Ronald Valenti Second Supervisor Pamela Davis Subject Categories Education This dissertation is available at Fisher Digital Publications: http://fisherpub.sjfc. edu/education_etd/205 Parent Link: A Correlational Analysis of Students’ Perceptions of Parental Engagement and Student Grade Point Average, Attendance, and Attitudes Toward School By Georgette Malcolm Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Ed.D. in Executive Leadership Supervised by: Dr. Ronald Valenti Committee Member: Dr. Pamela Davis Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. School of Education St. John Fisher College
Health Information Service Adoption: Case of Telemedicine

Health Information Services deal with repository, retrieval and make use of medical information in order to improve service quality and reduce cost. Medical staff, administrative staff and patients are typical users of such services. Behavior of these adopters is influenced by technology and user characteristics, social and organizational environment. This paper evaluates the determinants of Health Information Service adoption among users and analyzes the relationship of these determinants with the behavior of the users. Moreover, a taxonomy of factors that influence technology usage is provided. According to this taxonomy user and service characteristics, social and intermediary factors like usefulness and ease of use influence health service adoption.
Relationship between Seminal Tumor Necrosis Factor-α and sperm quality in Iraq

Tumor necrosis factor- α(TNF- α) it is a cytokine secreted by macrophage and plays a critical role in sperm quality due to it can induced sperm membrane lipid peroxidation by increasing ROS releasing within spermatozoa. Our results were proved that the sperm vitality becomes exceedingly worse due to elevation of TNF-α level in semen.
Reclaiming Reality: A Critical Introduction to Contemporary Philosophy

Preface 1. Critical Realism, Social Relations and Arguing for Socialism 2. Realism in the Natural Sciences 3. Feyerabend and Bachelard: Two Philosophies of Science 4. Philiosophies as Ideologies of Science: A Contribution to the Critique of Positivism 5. On the Possibility of Social Scientific Knowledge and the Limits of Naturalism 6. Scientific Explanation and Human Emancipation 7. Dialectics, Materialism and Theory of Knowledge 8. Rorty, Realism and the Idea of Freedom 9. What is Critical Realism? Notes
Signature of consciousness in the dynamics of resting-state brain activity

Significance What are the origins of resting-state functional connectivity patterns? One dominating view is that they index ongoing cognitive processes. However, this conclusion is in conflict with studies showing that long-range functional connectivity persists after loss of consciousness, possibly reflecting structural connectivity maps. In this work we respond to this question showing that in fact both sources have a clear and separable contribution to resting-state patterns. We show that under anesthesia, the dominating functional configurations have low information capacity and lack negative correlations. Importantly, they are rigid, tied to the anatomical map. Conversely, wakefulness is characterized by the dynamical exploration of a rich, flexible repertoire of functional configurations. These dynamical properties constitute a signature of consciousness. At rest, the brain is traversed by spontaneous functional connectivity patterns. Two hypotheses have been proposed for their origins: they may reflect a continuous stream of ongoing cognitive processes as well as random fluctuations shaped by a fixed anatomical connectivity matrix. Here we show that both sources contribute to the shaping of resting-state networks, yet with distinct contributions during consciousness and anesthesia. We measured dynamical functional connectivity with functional MRI during the resting state in awake and anesthetized monkeys. Under anesthesia, the more frequent functional connectivity patterns inherit the structure of anatomical connectivity, exhibit fewer small-world properties, and lack negative correlations. Conversely, wakefulness is characterized by the sequential exploration of a richer repertoire of functional configurations, often dissimilar to anatomical structure, and comprising positive and negative correlations among brain regions. These results reconcile theories of consciousness with observations of long-range correlation in the anesthetized brain and show that a rich functional dynamics might constitute a signature of consciousness, with potential clinical implications for the detection of awareness in anesthesia and brain-lesioned patients.
Using the current seasonal cycle to constrain snow albedo feedback in future climate change

Differences in simulations of climate feedbacks are sources of significant divergence in climate models' temperature response to anthropogenic forcing. Snow albedo feedback is particularly critical for climate change prediction in heavily‐populated northern hemisphere land masses. Here we show its strength in current models exhibits a factor‐of‐three spread. These large intermodel variations in feedback strength in climate change are nearly perfectly correlated with comparably large intermodel variations in feedback strength in the context of the seasonal cycle. Moreover, the feedback strength in the real seasonal cycle can be measured and compared to simulated values. These mostly fall outside the range of the observed estimate, suggesting many models have an unrealistic snow albedo feedback in the seasonal cycle context. Because of the tight correlation between simulated feedback strength in the seasonal cycle and climate change, eliminating the model errors in the seasonal cycle will lead directly to a reduction in the spread of feedback strength in climate change. Though this comparison to observations may put the models in an unduly harsh light because of uncertainties in the observed estimate that are difficult to quantify, our results map out a clear strategy for targeted observation of the seasonal cycle to reduce divergence in simulations of climate sensitivity.
Mechanisms of Pathogenesis in Listeria monocytogenes Infection V. Early Imbalance in Host Energy Metabolism During Experimental Listeriosis

Early changes in hepatic carbohydrate metabolism without apparent hepatocyte dysfunction were reported previously in mice infected with Listeria monocytogenes. This study was undertaken to examine possible imbalance in host regulatory mechanisms which might be responsible for these changes. Female CD-1 mice fasted 12 hr prior to the experiments were injected intraperitoneally with 105, 106, or 107Listeria. Control mice received either 109 heat-killed Listeria or 150 μg of Salmonella typhimurium lipopolysaccharide. Hepatic glycogen, adenosine triphosphate (ATP), adenosine diphosphate (ADP), and nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD) (NAD+, NADH, NADP+, and NADPH) levels were assayed periodically. Activities of ATP hydrolyzing enzyme and NAD glycohydrolase were measured at various intervals after infection. Decreases in glycogen occurred as early as 10 hr after infection. Responses in the controls differed from those in infected mice. Hepatic ATP levels decreased as early as 10 hr after infection, with concomitant increases noted in ADP. Hepatic ATP hydrolyzing enzyme activity increased as the infection progressed. Decreases were noted in hepatic NAD levels, with the greatest reduction in the reduced form of NAD. Slight changes were observed after 10 hr, and greater differences were noted 20 hr after infection. The magnitude of these biochemical changes appeared to be dose-dependent. Significant increases in hepatic NAD glycohydrolase activity were noted as the infection progressed. Small but significant increases in serum inorganic phosphate were noted 10 and 20 hr after infection, with a larger increase observed 30 hr after infection. The results indicate impairment of host energy metabolism early in the course of experimental listeriosis.
Does Competition Really Bring Out the Worst? Testosterone, Social Distance and Inter-Male Competition Shape Parochial Altruism in Human Males

Parochial altruism, defined as increased ingroup favoritism and heightened outgroup hostility, is a widespread feature of human societies that affects altruistic cooperation and punishment behavior, particularly in intergroup conflicts. Humans tend to protect fellow group members and fight against outsiders, even at substantial costs for themselves. Testosterone modulates responses to competition and social threat, but its exact role in the context of parochial altruism remains controversial. Here, we investigated how testosterone influences altruistic punishment tendencies in the presence of an intergroup competition. Fifty male soccer fans played an ultimatum game (UG), in which they faced anonymous proposers that could either be a fan of the same soccer team (ingroup) or were fans of other teams (outgroups) that differed in the degree of social distance and enmity to the ingroup. The UG was played in two contexts with varying degrees of intergroup rivalry. Our data show that unfair offers were rejected more frequently than fair proposals and the frequency of altruistic punishment increased with increasing social distance to the outgroups. Adding an intergroup competition led to a further escalation of outgroup hostility and reduced punishment of unfair ingroup members. High testosterone levels were associated with a relatively increased ingroup favoritism and also a change towards enhanced outgroup hostility in the intergroup competition. High testosterone concentrations further predicted increased proposer generosity in interactions with the ingroup. Altogether, a significant relation between testosterone and parochial altruism could be demonstrated, but only in the presence of an intergroup competition. In human males, testosterone may promote group coherence in the face of external threat, even against the urge to selfishly maximize personal reward. In that way, our observation refutes the view that testosterone generally promotes antisocial behaviors and aggressive responses, but underlines its rather specific role in the fine-tuning of male social cognition.
The Role of Syndrome Differentiation in the Clinical Efficacy of Punica Granatum on Patients with Ulcerative Colitis

Background: The present study investigated the difference between therapeutic responses of hot and cold temperament patients (based on traditional Persian medicine) with ulcerative colitis to pomegranate peel extract. Methods: Seventy-eight patients with moderate ulcerative colitis based on Lichtiger Colitis Activity Index (LCAI) criteria were randomized to receive an aqueous extract of the Punica granatum peel (6 gram per day) or placebo for four weeks. They were assessed before and after the intervention in terms of symptoms by LCAI scoring system. The results were compared in two therapeutic groups based on the patient s’ temperament (cold and hot) which were diagnosed based on a previously validated questionnaire. Results: Therapeutic response was significantly higher in patients with hot temperament compared to patients with cold temperament in the P. granatum group (1.91±0.492 vs. -0.500±0.500, P=0.029). Conclusion: This study showed the importance of considering syndrome differentiation and temperament in interpreting the effect of P. granatum peel extract on ulcerative colitis.