Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The dynamics and intricacy of budgeting in secondary schools in Lesotho: Case studies of three high schools

Abstract This paper reports on the qualitative study that used in-depth interviews and document reviews on financial management practices in their schools. The participants were school principals of the case study schools. The findings of the study highlighted problems regarding the implementation of the policy – despite the Manual for Principals of Secondary Schools on financial planning and organisation, there are still problems regarding the collection and recording of school fees, budgeting, as well as a lack of administrative support. Findings further suggest that during the process of budgeting, power relations surface where principals play a dominant role in decision making regarding both departmental budgets and the school's main budget. Findings also suggest that lack of policies on the use of fees affects issues of budgeting in these schools. Moreover, most school principals are not provided with sufficient capacity building on financial matters, which cripples them in performing the budgetary tasks. The implications of the study are that there should be adequate capacity building of the principals in regards to budgeting and systems should be put in place regarding policies on how the school fees are to be used.
Assessment of nitric oxide (NO) redox reactions contribution to nitrous oxide (N2O) formation during nitrification using a multispecies metabolic network model

Over the coming decades nitrous oxide (N2O) is expected to become a dominant greenhouse gas and atmospheric ozone depleting substance. In wastewater treatment systems, N2O is majorly produced by nitrifying microbes through biochemical reduction of nitrite (NO2−) and nitric oxide (NO). However it is unknown if the amount of N2O formed is affected by alternative NO redox reactions catalyzed by oxidative nitrite oxidoreductase (NirK), cytochromes (i.e., P460 [CytP460] and 554 [Cyt554]) and flavohemoglobins (Hmp) in ammonia‐ and nitrite‐oxidizing bacteria (AOB and NOB, respectively). In this study, a mathematical model is developed to assess how N2O formation is affected by such alternative nitrogen redox transformations. The developed multispecies metabolic network model captures the nitrogen respiratory pathways inferred from genomes of eight AOB and NOB species. The performance of model variants, obtained as different combinations of active NO redox reactions, was assessed against nine experimental datasets for nitrifying cultures producing N2O at different concentration of electron donor and acceptor. Model predicted metabolic fluxes show that only variants that included NO oxidation to NO2− by CytP460 and Hmp in AOB gave statistically similar estimates to observed production rates of N2O, NO, NO2− and nitrate (NO3−), together with fractions of AOB and NOB species in biomass. Simulations showed that NO oxidation to NO2− decreased N2O formation by 60% without changing culture's NO2− production rate. Model variants including NO reduction to N2O by Cyt554 and cNor in NOB did not improve the accuracy of experimental datasets estimates, suggesting null N2O production by NOB during nitrification. Finally, the analysis shows that in nitrifying cultures transitioning from dissolved oxygen levels above 3.8 ± 0.38 to <1.5 ± 0.8 mg/L, NOB cells can oxidize the NO produced by AOB through reactions catalyzed by oxidative NirK. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2016;113: 1124–1136. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Long-Term Results of Photodynamic Therapy of Polypoidal Choroidal Vasculopathy

Purpose: This study evaluated the results of photodynamic therapy (PDT) for polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy (PCV) 24 months or more after treatment. Methods: The study involved 47 eyes of 47 patients with PCV followed for 24 months or more after the first PDT. Fundus appearance, indocyanine green angiographic findings, and visual acuity (VA) were compared before PDT, and then at 3 months, 12 months, and the final visit after the first PDT. Results: At the final visit, VA was preserved or improved in 37 (79%) of the 47 eyes. Recurrence of polypoidal lesions was noted in 30 eyes (64%). An abnormal branching vascular network persisted in all subjects. In 26 of the 30 eyes exhibited recurrence of polypoidal lesions, which appeared in the periphery of the expanded abnormal branching vascular network. Conclusion: Patients with PCV need to be followed for long periods of time after PDT because of the high incidence of polypoidal lesion recurrence. However, since polypoidal lesions often recur outside the fovea, and thus have little effect on VA, PDT can be expected to exert long-term efficacy in treating PCV.
People Search within an Online Social Network: Large Scale Analysis of Facebook Graph Search Query Logs

Popular online social networks (OSN) generate hundreds of terabytes of new data per day and connect millions of users. To help users cope with the immense scale and influx of new information, OSNs provide a search functionality. However, most of the search engines in OSNs today only support keyword queries and provide basic faceted search capabilities overlooking serendipitous network exploration and search for relationships between OSN entities. This results in siloed information and a limited search space. In 2013 Facebook introduced its innovative Graph Search product with the goal to take the OSN search experience to the next level and facilitate exploration of the Facebook Graph beyond the first degree. In this paper we explore people search on Facebook by analyzing an anonymized social graph, anonymized user profiles, and large scale anonymized query logs generated by users of Facebook Graph Search. We uncover numerous insights about people search across several demographics. We find that named entity and structured queries complement each other across one's duration on Facebook, that females search for people proportionately more than males, and that users submit more queries as they gain more friends. We introduce the concept of a lift predicate and highlight how a graph distance varies with the search goal. Based on these insights, we present a set of design implications to guide the research and development of the OSN search in the future.
Figure–Ground Representation and Its Decay in Primary Visual Cortex

We used fMRI to study figure–ground representation and its decay in primary visual cortex (V1). Human observers viewed a motion-defined figure that gradually became camouflaged by a cluttered background after it stopped moving. V1 showed positive fMRI responses corresponding to the moving figure and negative fMRI responses corresponding to the static background. This positive–negative delineation of V1 “figure” and “background” fMRI responses defined a retinotopically organized figure–ground representation that persisted after the figure stopped moving but eventually decayed. The temporal dynamics of V1 “figure” and “background” fMRI responses differed substantially. Positive “figure” responses continued to increase for several seconds after the figure stopped moving and remained elevated after the figure had disappeared. We propose that the sustained positive V1 “figure” fMRI responses reflected both persistent figure–ground representation and sustained attention to the location of the figure after its disappearance, as did subjects' reports of persistence. The decreasing “background” fMRI responses were relatively shorter-lived and less biased by spatial attention. Our results show that the transition from a vivid figure–ground percept to its disappearance corresponds to the concurrent decay of figure enhancement and background suppression in V1, both of which play a role in form-based perceptual memory.
Regulators of Proliferation and Apoptosis in Carcinoma of the Larynx

Expression of interrelated gene products regulating cell proliferation and apoptosis may be disordered in squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the larynx compared with normal squamous mucosa. Certain of these abnormalities, alone or in combination, may be of prognostic significance in low‐stage carcinomas of the larynx. A retrospective study of archival material was made. Expression of the Bcl‐2 family of apoptosis‐related genes (bcl‐2, bcl‐X, mcl‐1, and bax) and the proliferation‐ and apoptosis‐related genes p53 and cyclin D‐1 were determined in 40 low‐T‐stage laryngeal carcinomas and in uvular epithelium from patients without SCC. Among the antiapoptotic members of the Bcl‐2 family, Bcl‐X and Mcl‐1 showed more intense and widespread staining than Bcl‐2 itself in both normal squamous mucosa and SCC. The well‐ordered expression patterns of Bcl‐2‐related proteins found in normal epithelium were lost in SCC, and patterns of expression varied widely among individual tumors. Also, mean expression levels for Bax and cyclin D‐1 were significantly lower than in normal epithelium (P = .036 and P = .009, respectively), whereas expression of p53 was higher in tumors (P = .034). Expression of Bcl‐X and Mcl‐1 was greater in poorly differentiated than in well‐differentiated tumors (P = .014 and P = .031, respectively). No associations were seen between marker expression patterns and clinical outcome in this group of patients. Bcl‐x and Mcl‐1 appear to be the most abundantly expressed antiapoptotic proteins of the Bcl‐2 family in both normal squamous mucosa and SCC of the larynx. Multiple genes regulating proliferation and apoptosis are expressed abnormally in laryngeal SCC compared with normal epithelium. In particular, loss or measurable decrease in expression of the proapoptotic protein Bax in tumors may contribute to the deranged growth control of SCC. Further study is needed to evaluate the prognostic significance of particular patterns of disordered expression of proteins regulating proliferation and apoptosis in SCC of different head and neck sites.
How Population Structure Shapes Neighborhood Segregation1

This study provides a framework for understanding how population composition conditions the relationship between individuals’ choices about group affiliation and aggregate patterns of social separation or integration. The substantive focus is the role of income inequality in racial residential segregation. The author identifies three population parameters—between-group inequality, within-group inequality, and relative group size—that determine how income inequality between race groups affects racial segregation. She uses data from the Panel Study of Income Dynamics to estimate models of individual-level residential mobility and incorporates these estimates into agent-based models. She then simulates segregation dynamics under alternative assumptions about (1) the relative size of minority groups and (2) the degree of correlation between race and income among individuals. The author finds that income inequality can have offsetting effects at the high and low ends of the income distribution. She demonstrates the empirical relevance of the simulation results using fixed-effects, metro-level regressions applied to 1980–2000 U.S. census data.
Regulation of meiotic entry and gonadal sex differentiation in the human: normal and disrupted signaling

Abstract Meiosis is a unique type of cell division that is performed only by germ cells to form haploid gametes. The switch from mitosis to meiosis exhibits a distinct sex-specific difference in timing, with female germ cells entering meiosis during fetal development and male germ cells at puberty when spermatogenesis is initiated. During early fetal development, bipotential primordial germ cells migrate to the forming gonad where they remain sexually indifferent until the sex-specific differentiation of germ cells is initiated by cues from the somatic cells. This irreversible step in gonadal sex differentiation involves the initiation of meiosis in fetal ovaries and prevention of meiosis in the germ cells of fetal testes. During the last decade, major advances in the understanding of meiosis regulation have been accomplished, with the discovery of retinoic acid as an inducer of meiosis being the most prominent finding. Knowledge about the molecular mechanisms regulating meiosis signaling has mainly been established by studies in rodents, while this has not yet been extensively investigated in humans. In this review, the current knowledge about the regulation of meiosis signaling is summarized and placed in the context of fetal gonad development and germ cell differentiation, with emphasis on results obtained in humans. Furthermore, the consequences of dysregulated meiosis signaling in humans are briefly discussed in the context of selected pathologies, including testicular germ cell cancer and some forms of male infertility.
Cross-Cultural Investigation of a New Set of Scales for the Suicide Opinion Questionnaire

There are a number of alternate ways to score the Suicide Opinion Questionnaire (SOQ). Two methods were compared in this study, a set of eight scales developed by content analysis, and a set of five scales developed by factor analysis; two samples, one from the United States (N=218), and one from Taiwan (N=291) were assessed. On all SOQ scales, significant mean differences were obtained between U.S. and Taiwanese samples. The patterns of intercorrelations suggest that despite their factor analytic genesis, several of the SOQ-F scales correlate significantly with each other as well as with the SOQ-C scales. The results support the cross-cultural applicability and reliability of the SOQ, and suggest that although the SOQ-F scales may represent interesting variables, they are not superior psychometrically to the original content scales.
Alternate-Form Reliability of the PPVT-R for Black Head Start Preschoolers

This study examined the comparability of Forms L and M of the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test-Revised for 30 rural predominantly black Head Start children. Pearson product-moment correlations between Forms L and M ranged from . 58 to . 75 for boys, girls, and total group. t tests indicated no significant differences in mean standard scores between the forms. The 15 girls, however, scored significantly higher than the 15 boys on Form L.
Direct Evidence for Nitric Oxide Production by a Nitric-oxide Synthase-like Protein from Bacillus subtilis *

Nitric-oxide synthases (NOSs) are widely distributed among prokaryotes and eukaryotes and have diverse functions in physiology. Recent genome sequencing revealed NOS-like protein in bacteria, but whether these proteins generate nitric oxide is unknown. We therefore cloned, expressed, and purified a NOS-like protein fromBacillus subtilis (bsNOS) and characterized its catalytic parameters in both multiple and single turnover reactions. bsNOS was dimeric, bound l-Arg and 6R-tetrahydrobiopterin with similar affinity as mammalian NOS, and generated nitrite froml-Arg when incubated with NADPH and a mammalian NOS reductase domain. Stopped-flow analysis showed that ferrous bsNOS reacted with O2 to form a transient heme Fe(II)O2 species in the presence of either Arg or the reaction intermediate N-hydroxy-l-arginine. In the latter case, disappearance of the Fe(II)O2 species was kinetically and quantitatively coupled to formation of a transient heme Fe(III)NO product, which then dissociated to form ferric bsNOS. This behavior mirrors mammalian NOS enzymes and unambiguously shows that bsNOS can generate NO. NO formation required a bound tetrahydropteridine, and the kinetic effects of this cofactor were consistent with it donating an electron to the Fe(II)O2intermediate during the reaction. Dissociation of the heme Fe(III)NO product was much slower in bsNOS than in mammalian NOS. This constrains allowable rates of ferric heme reduction by a protein redox partner and underscores the utility of using a tetrahydropteridine electron donor in bsNOS.
The Effects of Product Involvement and Prior Experience on Chinese Consumers’ Responses to Online Word of Mouth

ABSTRACT The current study examined online word-of-mouth (WOM) communication in a different cultural setting (People's Republic of China). The impact of negative and positive WOM information was tested in relation to message credibility, brand interest, purchase intention, and forwarding intention. Consistent with previous research in Western countries, Chinese participants were found to be more likely to trust and pass along negative product reviews while they tended to develop stronger brand interests and purchase intention for products with positive reviews. Moreover, product involvement and previous WOM experience appeared to have significant effects on participants’ responses to online WOM. Implications of the results and future research directions were also discussed.
N-cadherin relocalization during cardiac trabeculation

Significance The process of trabeculation is central to heart development and maturation, as it allows the increase in muscle mass before the formation of coronaries. This complex process involves a number of morphological changes in a subset of cardiomyocytes, resulting in their delamination from the compact layer. As cardiomyocytes delaminate, they must also remain attached to the compact layer. We identified Erb-b2 receptor tyrosine kinase 2-mediated relocalization of N-cadherin (Cdh2) as a mechanism underlying the formation of cell–cell junctions between trabecular and compact layer cardiomyocytes. Interestingly, we found that blood flow and heart contraction are also essential for the localization of Cdh2 molecules. These studies further our understanding of the complex cell biological processes underlying the maturation of the vertebrate heart. During cardiac trabeculation, cardiomyocytes delaminate from the outermost (compact) layer to form complex muscular structures known as trabeculae. As these cardiomyocytes delaminate, the remodeling of adhesion junctions must be tightly coordinated so cells can extrude from the compact layer while remaining in tight contact with their neighbors. In this study, we examined the distribution of N-cadherin (Cdh2) during cardiac trabeculation in zebrafish. By analyzing the localization of a Cdh2-EGFP fusion protein expressed under the control of the zebrafish cdh2 promoter, we initially observed Cdh2-EGFP expression along the lateral sides of embryonic cardiomyocytes, in an evenly distributed pattern, and with the occasional appearance of punctae. Within a few hours, Cdh2-EGFP distribution on the lateral sides of cardiomyocytes evolves into a clear punctate pattern as Cdh2-EGFP molecules outside the punctae cluster to increase the size of these aggregates. In addition, Cdh2-EGFP molecules also appear on the basal side of cardiomyocytes that remain in the compact layer. Delaminating cardiomyocytes accumulate Cdh2-EGFP on the surface facing the basal side of compact layer cardiomyocytes, thereby allowing tight adhesion between these layers. Importantly, we find that blood flow/cardiac contractility is required for the transition from an even distribution of Cdh2-EGFP to the formation of punctae. Furthermore, using time-lapse imaging of beating hearts in conjunction with a Cdh2 tandem fluorescent protein timer transgenic line, we observed that Cdh2-EGFP molecules appear to move from the lateral to the basal side of cardiomyocytes along the cell membrane, and that Erb-b2 receptor tyrosine kinase 2 (Erbb2) function is required for this relocalization.
Longitudinal changes in physical fitness performance in youth

Using a multilevel latent growth curve modeling (LGCM) approach, this study examined longitudinal change in levels of physical fitness performance over time (i.e. four years) in young adolescents aged from 12–13 years. The sample consisted of 6622 students from 138 secondary schools in Singapore. Initial analyses found between-school variation on fitness test scores with intra-class correlations ranging from 0.02–0.19. Subsequent multilevel growth curve analyses revealed a quadratic trend of the longitudinal data across five stations of performance tests, with significant within-school student variability in change over time. The result of the multilevel LGCM showed that there were strong school effects on all of the physical fitness performances, in addition to inter- and intra-individual differences.
Grammar for Writing? A Critical Review of Empirical Evidence

Governmental concerns about primary children's performance in writing in the Standard Assessment Tasks (SATs) have resulted in the ‘Grammar for Writing’ Initiative. This resource and the associated in-service training is intended to raise standards in the teaching of writing. The article reviews SATs reports, inspection reports and research evidence in order to address the question: to what extent can this development be justified by empirical evidence on the teaching of grammar? It is concluded that the initiative is not supported by research evidence and that changes will need to be made to English curriculum policy and pedagogy if children's writing is to further improve.
Ambiguity and the ‘Mental Eye’ in Pictorial Relief

Photographs of scenes do not determine scenes in the sense that infinitely many different scenes could have given rise to any given photograph. In psychophysical experiments, observers have (at least partially) to resolve these ambiguities. The ambiguities also allow them to vary their response within the space of ‘veridical’ responses. Such variations may well be called ‘the beholder's share’ since they do not depend causally on the available depth cues. We determined the pictorial relief for four observers, four stimuli, and four different tasks. In all cases we addressed issues of reliability (scatter on repeated trials) and consistency (how well the data can be explained via a smooth surface, any surface). All data were converted to depth maps which allows us to compare the relief from the different operationalisations. As expected, pictorial relief can differ greatly either between observers (same stimulus, same task) or between operationalisations (same observer, same stimulus). However, when we factor out the essential ambiguity, these differences almost completely vanish and excellent agreement over tasks and observers pertains. Thus, observers often resolve the ambiguity in idiosyncratic ways, but mutually agree — even over tasks — in so far as their responses are causally dependent on the depth cues. A change of task often induces a change in ‘mental perspective’. In such cases, the observers switch the ‘beholder's share’, which resolves the essential ambiguity through a change in viewpoint of their ‘mental eye’.
Simultaneously Measured Isometric Tension and ATP Hydrolysis in Glycerinated Fibers from Normal and Hypertrophied Rabbit Heart

Adenosinetriphosphatase (ATPase) activity, isometric tension, and sarcomere length of glycerinated fibers from 14 hypertrophied and 18 normal rabbit hearts were measured simultaneously to characterize the altered performance of hypertrophied myocardium. ATPase activity was assessed radiochromatographically, and contributions from mitochondria, sarcolemma, and sarcoplasmic reticulum were excluded. The active length-tension and the active tension-pCa relationships in fibers from hypertrophied myocardium were normal in sharp contrast to the depressed active length-tension curves in corresponding intact papillary muscles. Total ATPase activity associated with contraction at a given developed tension was decreased significantly in fibers from hypertrophied hearts (P <0.001). ATPase activity was diminished in glycerinated myofibrils, actomyosin, and homogenates from hypertrophied hearts as well. On the other hand, the increase in ATPase activity associated with a given increase in developed tension was virtually identical in fibers from hypertrophied and normal hearts. Thus, depressed total ATPase activity in glycerinated fibers from hypertrophied hearts does not appear to impair maintenance of isometric tension.