Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Student Uptake in Electronic Discussions

Abstract Recent research has provided evidence of the potential benefits of using both synchronous and asynchronous online conversations in face-to-face, mixed-mode, and online classes. However, research has also suggested that these benefits are not inherent just by adopting online discussions into classroom work. In this paper, we draw from a larger literature review to discuss both the positive and negative aspects of electronic conversations. We then present research that showcases the possibilities of online conversations in teacher education methodology classrooms. We conclude with a second research study that addresses the notion of student uptake, highlighting implications for teacher educators who want to successfully implement discussion forums in their curricula.
Reduction of O2 slow component by priming exercise: novel mechanistic insights from time-resolved near-infrared spectroscopy

Novel time‐resolved near‐infrared spectroscopy (TR‐NIRS), with adipose tissue thickness correction, was used to test the hypotheses that heavy priming exercise reduces the V̇O2 slow component (V̇O2SC) (1) by elevating microvascular [Hb] volume at multiple sites within the quadriceps femoris (2) rather than reducing the heterogeneity of muscle deoxygenation kinetics. Twelve subjects completed two 6‐min bouts of heavy work rate exercise, separated by 6 min of unloaded cycling. Priming exercise induced faster overall V̇O2 kinetics consequent to a substantial reduction in the V̇O2SC (0.27 ± 0.12 vs. 0.11 ± 0.09 L·min−1, P < 0.05) with an unchanged primary V̇O2 time constant. An increased baseline for the primed bout [total (Hb + Mb)] (197.5 ± 21.6 vs. 210.7 ± 22.5 μmol L−1, P < 0.01), reflecting increased microvascular [Hb] volume, correlated significantly with the V̇O2SC reduction. At multiple sites within the quadriceps femoris, priming exercise reduced the baseline and slowed the increase in [deoxy (Hb + Mb)]. Changes in the intersite coefficient of variation in the time delay and time constant of [deoxy (Hb + Mb)] during the second bout were not correlated with the V̇O2SC reduction. These results support a mechanistic link between priming exercise‐induced increase in muscle [Hb] volume and the reduced V̇O2SC that serves to speed overall V̇O2 kinetics. However, reduction in the heterogeneity of muscle deoxygenation kinetics does not appear to be an obligatory feature of the priming response.
The Anti-Inflammatory Effect of Algae-Derived Lipid Extracts on Lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-Stimulated Human THP-1 Macrophages

Algae contain a number of anti-inflammatory bioactive compounds such as omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 PUFA) and chlorophyll a, hence as dietary ingredients, their extracts may be effective in chronic inflammation-linked metabolic diseases such as cardiovascular disease. In this study, anti-inflammatory potential of lipid extracts from three red seaweeds (Porphyra dioica, Palmaria palmata and Chondrus crispus) and one microalga (Pavlova lutheri) were assessed in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated human THP-1 macrophages. Extracts contained 34%–42% total fatty acids as n-3 PUFA and 5%–7% crude extract as pigments, including chlorophyll a, β-carotene and fucoxanthin. Pretreatment of the THP-1 cells with lipid extract from P. palmata inhibited production of the pro-inflammatory cytokines interleukin (IL)-6 (p < 0.05) and IL-8 (p < 0.05) while that of P. lutheri inhibited IL-6 (p < 0.01) production. Quantitative gene expression analysis of a panel of 92 genes linked to inflammatory signaling pathway revealed down-regulation of the expression of 14 pro-inflammatory genes (TLR1, TLR2, TLR4, TLR8, TRAF5, TRAF6, TNFSF18, IL6R, IL23, CCR1, CCR4, CCL17, STAT3, MAP3K1) by the lipid extracts. The lipid extracts effectively inhibited the LPS-induced pro-inflammatory signaling pathways mediated via toll-like receptors, chemokines and nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells (NF-κB) signaling molecules. These results suggest that lipid extracts from P. lutheri, P. palmata, P. dioica and C. crispus can inhibit LPS-induced inflammatory pathways in human macrophages. Therefore, algal lipid extracts should be further explored as anti-inflammatory ingredients for chronic inflammation-linked metabolic diseases.
Dependence of Spectral State Transition and Disk Truncation on Viscosity Parameter alpha

A wealth of Galactic accreting X-ray binaries has been observed in both the low/hard and high/soft states. The transition between these two states has often been detected. Observations show that the transition huminosity between these two states is different for different sources, ranging from 1% to 4% of the Eddington luminosity L(Edd). Even for the same source, the transition luminosity at different outbursts call be different. The transition call occur at luminosities from 0.0069 to 0.15 L(Edd). In order to investigate the underlying physics, we study the influence of viscosity parameter alpha on the transition luminosity on the basis of the disk-corona model for black holes. We calculate the mass-evaporation rate for a wide range of viscosity parameters such as 0.1 <= alpha <= 0.9. Fitting the numerical results, we obtain fitting formulae for both the transition accretion rate and the corresponding radius as a function of alpha. We find that the transition luminosity is very sensitive to the value of ce, L/L(Edd) proportional to alpha(2,34). For 0.1 <= alpha <= 0.6, the transition luminosity varies by two orders of magnitude, from 0.001 to 0.2 L(Edd). Comparing with observations, we find that transition luminosity can be fitted by adjusting the value of alpha, and the model-determined values of a are mostly in the range of observationally inferred values. We also investigate the truncation of the disk in the low/hard state for some luminous sources. Our results agree roughly with the observations.
Pedestrians’ adherence to road traffic regulations on the N1 Highway in Accra, Ghana

Introduction Pedestrian behavior and adherence to road traffic regulation is vital in the prevention and control of road traffic accidents (RTA) especially on highways in Ghana. We assessed pedestrians’ adherence to road crossing regulations on the George Walker Bush (N1) Highway in Accra. Methods We conducted a cross sectional study of pedestrians crossing the N1 highway from both sides of the road between 7:00 am and 11:00am. We observed all pedestrians using a checklist and interviewed 413 using a structured questionnaire. We collected data on basic demographics, and pedestrians’ knowledge on road crossing (exposures). Data was, cleaned and analyzed using Epi-info version 3.5. 4. Pearson Chi-square was used to assess differences in proportions for categorical variables. Binary logistic regression was used to test for association between pedestrian choice of route and exposures. Results We observed (n = 1856) pedestrians crossing the road during the study period; 1155 (62.2%) males, 461 (24.8%) did not use the approved route(s). Majority 317(76.8%) were adults between the ages of 20-49, mostly males 265 (56.4%). Most people (92.7%) had at least basic education. AOR for sex (male) was 1.7(1.1-2.6), and regular use of Highway (always) was 0.4(0.2-0.8) at 95% CI. Conclusion One out of every 4pedestrians using the N1 Highway used an unapproved route. Majority of pedestrians who regularly cross the Highway at unapproved routes were males. We recommend vigorous public education and addition of more footbridges.
Essays on hedge fund illiquidity, return predictability, and time-varying risk exposure

This thesis consists of three papers that make independent contributions to the field of financial economics. As such, the papers, Chapter 2, Chapter 3, and Chapter 4, can be read independently of each other. In Chapter 2, we construct a simple measure of the aggregate illiquidity of hedge fund portfolios, and show that it has strong in- and out-of-sample forecasting power for 72 portfolios of international equities, U.S. corporate bonds, and currencies, over the 1994 to 2011 period. The forecasting ability of hedge fund illiquidity for asset returns is, in most cases, greater than, and provides independent information relative to, well-known predictive variables for each of these asset classes. We construct a simple equilibrium model to rationalise our findings and empirically verify auxiliary predictions of the model. In Chapter 3, I analyse the risk-shifting of hedge funds. Since the information on hedge fund holdings is very restricted, researchers have used the variance of returns as a proxy for risk. I propose a new method for measuring the time-varying variance. I use this method to investigate whether equity long-short hedge funds engage in risk-shifting driven by their past performance relative to their peers. I find that hedge funds which have strongly underperformed or outperformed their peers in recent months increase their exposure to the core strategy, i.e. the equity long-short strategy, and to non-core strategies. The risk shifting is mitigated for hedge funds with long redemption periods. Chapter 4 contributes to the equity premium prediction literature. I improve the forecast performance of typical single variable predictive regressions used in the equity premium prediction literature through Bayesian priors derived from consumption-based asset pricing models. To implement these model-based priors, I develop a Bayesian procedure which is rooted in the macroeconometrics literature. I find that the model-based priors can increase the explanatory power, measured by the out-of-sample R 2 , of the single variable predictive regressions by several percentage points.
Gene Expression in the Scleractinian Acropora microphthalma Exposed to High Solar Irradiance Reveals Elements of Photoprotection and Coral Bleaching

Background The success of tropical reef-building corals depends on the metabolic co-operation between the animal host and the photosynthetic performance of endosymbiotic algae residing within its cells. To examine the molecular response of the coral Acropora microphthalma to high levels of solar irradiance, a cDNA library was constructed by PCR-based suppression subtractive hybridisation (PCR-SSH) from mRNA obtained by transplantation of a colony from a depth of 12.7 m to near-surface solar irradiance, during which the coral became noticeably paler from loss of endosymbionts in sun-exposed tissues. Methodology/Principal Findings A novel approach to sequence annotation of the cDNA library gave genetic evidence for a hypothetical biosynthetic pathway branching from the shikimic acid pathway that leads to the formation of 4-deoxygadusol. This metabolite is a potent antioxidant and expected precursor of the UV-protective mycosporine-like amino acids (MAAs), which serve as sunscreens in coral phototrophic symbiosis. Empirical PCR based evidence further upholds the contention that the biosynthesis of these MAA sunscreens is a ‘shared metabolic adaptation’ between the symbiotic partners. Additionally, gene expression induced by enhanced solar irradiance reveals a cellular mechanism of light-induced coral bleaching that invokes a Ca2+-binding synaptotagmin-like regulator of SNARE protein assembly of phagosomal exocytosis, whereby algal partners are lost from the symbiosis. Conclusions/Significance Bioinformatics analyses of DNA sequences obtained by differential gene expression of a coral exposed to high solar irradiance has revealed the identification of putative genes encoding key steps of the MAA biosynthetic pathway. Revealed also by this treatment are genes that implicate exocytosis as a cellular process contributing to a breakdown in the metabolically essential partnership between the coral host and endosymbiotic algae, which manifests as coral bleaching.
eMPF Econometric Model of Public Finance

This paper presents the Econometric Model of Public Finance, eMPF. The model has been developed and maintained at the Polish Ministry of Finance to facilitate forecasting process, especially for the budget and convergence programme purposes, and to deliver scenario analyses. We present the particular blocks of the model and responses to some standard shocks. The eMPF model is a medium size quarterly macroeconometric model of the Polish economy. It was estimated on the seasonally adjusted data on the 1995-2010 sample. The model consists of 352 variables, of which 279 are endogenous and about 40 are explained by stochastic ECM type equations. The long run of the model is theory based and is derived from optimization conditions of the market participants. Microeconomic foundations of the long-run equilibrium impose constraints for dynamics of the model to force it to converge to the steady state. In the short run the model is demand driven with elasticities estimated to reflect historical path of the variables and rigidities in the economy. Taking into account the mix of economic theory and the willingness to fit the equations to the data, the eMPF model belongs to the so-called hybrid models family. There are two sectors identified in the model: the market sector and the general government sector, both summing up to the total economy according to the ESA95 methodology. Within the market sector two additional subsectors are recognised: households and companies, but only part of the institutional accounts is incorporated for these two subsectors. To fulfill the needs of the Ministry of Finance to prepare fiscal policy analyses, the model has quite detailed public finance block.
CzcD Is a Heavy Metal Ion Transporter Involved in Regulation of Heavy Metal Resistance in Ralstonia sp. Strain CH34

ABSTRACT The Czc system of Ralstonia sp. strain CH34 mediates resistance to cobalt, zinc, and cadmium through ion efflux catalyzed by the CzcCB2A cation-proton antiporter. The CzcD protein is involved in the regulation of the Czc system. It is a membrane-bound protein with at least four transmembrane α-helices and is a member of a subfamily of the cation diffusion facilitator (CDF) protein family, which occurs in all three domains of life. The deletion ofczcD in a Ralstonia sp. led to partially constitutive expression of the Czc system due to an increased transcription of the structural czcCBA genes, both in the absence and presence of inducers. The czcD deletion could be fully complemented in trans by CzcD and two other CDF proteins from Saccharomyces cerevisiae, ZRC1p and COT1p. All three proteins mediated a small but significant resistance to cobalt, zinc, and cadmium in Ralstonia, and this resistance was based on a reduced accumulation of the cations. Thus, CzcD appeared to repress the Czc system by an export of the inducing cations.
Some Simple Dynamics of Transition from Command to Market Economy

The recent experience of Eastern European economies- Hungary, Poland and Czechoslovakia - is analysed in terms of two simple models, the first model characterises the planned economy and derives an expression for the monetary overhang. The second model analyses the dynamics of transition in terms of an Aggregate Demand - Aggregate Supply model with price expectations. The simultaneous occurrence of inflation and putput loss is derived. Extensions to cover a more complex scenario are discussed.
Incremental Cholesky Factorization for Least Squares Problems in Robotics

Abstract Online applications in robotics, computer vision, and computer graphics rely on efficiently solving the associated nolinear systems every step. Iteratively solving the non-linear system every step becomes very expensive if the size of the problem grows. This can be mitigated by incrementally updating the linear system and changing the linearization point only if needed. This paper proposes an incremental solution that adapts to the size of the updates while keeping the error of the estimation low. The implementation also differs form the existing ones in the way it exploits the block structure of such problems and offers efficient solutions to manipulate block matrices within incremental nonlinear solvers. In this work, in particular, we focus our effort on testing the method on simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM) applications, but the applicability of the technique remains general. The experimental results show that our implementation outperforms the state of the art SLAM implementations on all tested datasets.
Glycemic control continues to deteriorate after sulfonylureas are added to metformin among patients with type 2 diabetes.

OBJECTIVE To describe the course and predictors of glycemic control among patients with type 2 diabetes after sulfonylureas (SUs) are added to metformin (MF). RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS Patients (n = 2,220) treated with MF monotherapy for >90 days before initiating MF plus SU combination therapy between January 1998 and March 2004 were studied in a retrospective analysis of electronic medical records from U.K. primary care practices using the General Practice Research Database. Median glycoslyated hemoglobin A(1c) (A1C) before and after SU initiation was described, and patient characteristics were evaluated as predictors of time until A1C > or =8.0% or glucose-lowering therapy was intensified (by starting insulin or adding a third oral agent). RESULTS At 6 months post-SU initiation, median A1C resumed deteriorating at a somewhat comparable rate to that observed on MF monotherapy. Higher pre-SU A1C, younger age, female sex, shorter diabetes duration, higher serum creatinine, and being an ex-smoker predicted time until A1C > or =8.0% or glucose-lowering therapy was intensified in various analyses. Median A1C was 9.5% when therapy was intensified. A1C > or =8.0% was estimated to occur in 85% of patients 4 years after SU initiation and in 68% 4 years after initially achieving A1C <7% on MF plus SU therapy. CONCLUSIONS In this population, glycemic control is improved following the addition of SUs to MF, but deterioration resumes as early as 6 months. The high proportion of patients remaining on MF plus SU therapy despite having A1C > or =8.0% suggests that there are significant barriers to starting insulin or adding a third agent when treatment goals are not achieved with this combination.
Efficiency of French Privatizations: A Dynamic Vision

The French privatizations program is one of the principal programs worldwide regarding the volume of equity issues. A reading of the privatization process through the corporate governance theory resulted in the development of a model allowing to take into account, on the one hand, the temporal dimension of the privatization process, and on the other hand, the contextual, organizational, governance and strategic variables that influence this process. After having replicated a certain number of traditional tests, we tested this model on a sample of 19 French privatized firms over a seven-year horizon, which resulted in the following conclusions. The favorable incidence traditionally attributed to privatizations was not truly confirmed for French privatizations, at least for the considered horizon. Privatization induces a significant positive effect on performance for only a small number of firms. The importance of the effect, however, is subordinate to some of the suggested variables.
Estimation of Travelers' Values of Time Using a Stated-Preference Survey with Variable Pricing Options

This study analyzed data from a stated preference survey of Houston travelers faced with numerous mode choices, including value pricing options. The study: (a) examined the possibility of using a genetic algorithm to estimate mode choice models while removing the need of making the IIA assumption, (b) estimated nested logit models, (c) attempted to estimate random parameter logit models, and (d) estimated numerous multinomial logit models. After comparing different specifications and optimization techniques [namely the genetic algorithm and Newton-Raphson method in the econometric software, Limited Dependent (LIMDEP)], the multinomial logit model estimation using LIMDEP was found to be more efficient because of easy estimation and a much lower time requirement for estimation. Hence a multinomial logit model was used for estimating the values of travel time savings (VTTS) and the penalty for changing travel schedule for different groups of travelers. The values estimated for the penalty for changing travel schedule were not statistically significant and were therefore not used. The values estimated for travel time savings were significant and comparable to those obtained in previous studies. It was found that the average VTTS was 39% of the wage rate and was higher for females, noncommuters, households with few vehicles, and the wealthy.
Why are Racial and Ethnic Wage Gaps Larger for Men than for Women? Exploring the Role of Segregation

We examine the possible sources of the larger racial and ethnic wage gaps for men than for women in the U.S. Specifically, using a newly created employer-employee matched data set containing workers in essentially all occupations, industries, and regions, we examine whether these wage differences can be accounted for by differences between men and women in the patterns of racial and ethnic segregation within occupation, industry, establishments, and occupation-establishment cells. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first paper to examine segregation by race and ethnicity at the level of establishment and job cell. Our results indicate that greater segregation between Hispanic men and white men than between Hispanic women and white women accounts for essentially all of the higher Hispanic-white wage gap for men. In addition, our estimates indicate that greater segregation between black and white men than between black and white women accounts for a sizable share (one-third to one-half) of the higher black-white wage gap for men. Our results imply that segregation is an important contributor to the lower wages paid to black and Hispanic men than to white men with similar individual characteristics. Our results also suggest that equal pay types of laws may offer some scope for reducing the black-white wage differential for men the Hispanic-white wage differential for men.
Information Security Management System Standards : A Comparative Study of the Big Five

It cannot be denied that nowadays information is a very important asset for any modern organization. Therefore protecting its security is very important and becoming a top priority for many organizations. Unfortunately there is no single formula that can guarantee 100% of information security. Therefore there is a need for a set of benchmarks or standards to ensure the best security practices are adopted and an adequate level of security is attained. In this paper, authors introduce various information security standards briefly and then provide a comparative study for major information security standards, namely ISO27001, BS 7799, PCIDSS, ITIL and COBIT. The study will provide a picture of the position and specialization of each standard, adoption by countries and their