Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Biochemical changes in blood of type 2 diabetes with and without metabolic syndrome and their association with metabolic syndrome components

Background: Multiple factors are involved in the development and progression of type 2 diabetes mellitus (DMII) to DMII with metabolic syndrome (MetS) and cardiovascular complications. To identify some of these factors, we aim to investigate the changes in erythrocyte membrane Na+/K+-ATPase activity, serum glucose, insulin, lipid profile, hemoglobin A1C (HbA1c), high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), anthropometric measurements, and blood pressure in DMII with and without MetS. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study comprised 155 male subjects distributed into three groups as healthy controls (50 non-DMII volunteers), Group I (50 DMII without MetS), and Group II (55 DMII with MetS). Fasting blood samples were taken for the measurement of glucose, insulin, HbA1c, hs-CRP and lipid profile. Na+/K+-ATPase activity was determined in erythrocyte ghost. Results: Na+/K+-ATPase activity was significantly decreased in DMII groups compared with controls. No significant difference was shown in Na+/K+-ATPase activity between DMII groups. Total ATPase activity, total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol levels were similar in the three groups. Levels of insulin, hs-CRP, triacylglycerols, systolic blood pressure, weight, waist and hip circumference, waist/hip ratio, and body mass index were significantly elevated and high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol significantly decreased only in Group II. Significant differences in serum glucose and hip circumference were seen between the groups. No significant differences in HbA1c levels were observed between DMII groups. Conclusion: Changes in many of the measured risk factors that occurred only in Group II compared with controls and Group I may provide an explanation of how DMII progresses to DMII with MetS and future cardiovascular complications.
Assessment of myocardial perfusion by harmonic power Doppler imaging at rest and during adenosine stress: comparison with (99m)Tc-sestamibi SPECT imaging.

BACKGROUND Harmonic power Doppler imaging (HPDI) is a novel technique for assessing myocardial perfusion by contrast echocardiography in humans. The purpose of this study was to compare myocardial perfusion by HPDI with that obtained by (99m)Tc-sestamibi single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) during rest and pharmacological stress. METHODS AND RESULTS HPDI was performed on 123 patients who were referred for SPECT imaging for known or suspected coronary artery disease. Images were obtained at baseline and during adenosine infusion (0.14 mg. kg(-)(1). min(-)(1)x6 minutes) in 3 apical views. Myocardial perfusion by HPDI was graded for each coronary territory as absent, patchy, or full. The persistence of absent or patchy myocardial perfusion by HPDI between rest and adenosine was interpreted as a fixed defect, whereas any decrease in perfusion grade was interpreted as a reversible defect. Overall concordance between HPDI and SPECT was 83 (81%) of 103 for normal versus abnormal perfusion. Agreement between the 2 methods for each of the 3 coronary territories was 81% (kappa=0.57) for the left anterior descending artery, 76% (kappa=0.52) for the right coronary artery, and 72% (kappa=0.40) for the left circumflex artery. Discrepancies between the 2 techniques were most notable in the circumflex territory, where fixed defects were observed in 33% by HPDI but in only 14% by SPECT (chi(2)=15.8, P=0.0001). CONCLUSIONS This study demonstrates that HPDI can reliably detect myocardial perfusion during pharmacological stress, although there was a significantly higher number of falsely abnormal results in the circumflex territory.
Social Comparisons and their Affective Consequences: The Importance of Comparison Dimension and Individual Difference Variables

In an effort to extend research on the recently proposed notion that upward and downward comparisons do not necessarily lead to particular affective reactions, 151 people with multiple sclerosis were studied. Responses to social comparisons differed as a function of comparison dimension (physical condition vs coping ability). Specifically, downward comparisons led to more reported affect on the physical condition dimension than the coping dimension, a result interpreted in terms of salience, distortability, and controllability of dimensions. Although beliefs about the future course of illness were unrelated to affective consequences from comparisons, a generalized expectancy measure of one's outlook regarding the future was related to negative affective consequences Regarding the ambivalence principle of social comparison, respondents who believed it was more appropriate to make comparisons with others reported a greater number of downward, but not upward, comparisons. Moreover, appropriateness was relate.
Indonesian politics in 2013: the emergence of new leadership?

The rise of Joko Widodo (Jokowi) from small-town mayor to presidential frontrunner asks again whether new, alternative leaders could enter Indonesian politics in the 2014 elections. This article surveys Jokowi's impact on Indonesian politics over the past 12 months, and examines whether his election as Jakarta governor, and his evident popularity, has opened the way for alternative candidates at local level, or if it has changed parties’ calculations for the presidential election. The article concludes by considering whether a new leader could tackle some of the entrenched defects of democracy in Indonesia, given that he or she may have only minority support in the parliament. The article focuses in particular on corrupt law enforcement, the military and the rule of law, and violent religious intolerance.
An Intravaginal Ring That Releases the NNRTI MIV-150 Reduces SHIV Transmission in Macaques

An intravaginal ring loaded with the NNRTI MIV-150 prevents transmission of the HIV/SIV chimera SHIV-RT in macaques. HIV Protection That Has a Ring to It An ounce of prevention is better than a pound of cure. This is especially true for HIV, where no cure exists. Pre-exposure prophylaxis is showing promising results in preventing HIV transmission in early clinical trials, but the means of delivery of active pharmaceutical ingredients remains a major challenge. Singer et al. now show that the non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor MIV-150 delivered by intravaginal rings can protect macaques from simian/HIV (SHIV) infection. For pre-exposure prophylaxis to be successful, individuals must remember and be willing to treat themselves regularly. Intravaginal rings are well tolerated among women and—through sustained release—can help overcome this adherence bottleneck. The authors test the efficacy of MIV-150 when delivered by intravaginal rings made of either ethylene vinyl acetate or silicone. MIV-150 was successfully delivered to vaginal fluids and tissues and protected macaques from SHIV infection. If these studies hold true in people, intravaginal rings containing MIV-150 may help prevent HIV infection. Microbicides may prevent HIV and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in women; however, determining the optimal means of delivery of active pharmaceutical ingredients remains a major challenge. We previously demonstrated that a vaginal gel containing the non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor MIV-150 partially protected macaques from SHIV-RT (simian/HIV reverse transcriptase) infection, and the addition of zinc acetate rendered the gel significantly protective. We test the activity of MIV-150 without the addition of zinc acetate when delivered from either ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA) or silicone intravaginal rings (IVRs). MIV-150 was successfully delivered, because it was detected in vaginal fluids and tissues by radioimmunoassay in pharmacokinetic studies. Moreover, EVA IVRs significantly protected macaques from SHIV-RT infection. Our results demonstrate that MIV-150–containing IVRs have the potential to prevent HIV infection and highlight the possible use of IVRs for delivering drugs that block HIV and other STIs.
Effect of human chorionic gonadotropin on duration of estrous cycle and fertility of normally cycling, nonlactating mares.

The effect of a single dose (3300IU) of human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG) given on Day 1 or 2 of estrus on the duration of estrus and fertility of normally cycling nonlactating mares was studied. 36 mares received HCG 24 hours prior to the first insemination and 36 mares served as controls. During Cycle 1. treated mares had a shorter (p < .01) estrus than did untreated mares. The duration of diestrus was not affected and the duration of the estrous cycle was shortened slightly (18.8 vs 21.4 days). There were only slight differences in Cycle 2 and no differences in Cycle 3. HCG did not affect the pregnancy rate (61.6% vs. 63.9%) during Cycle 1 but more (p < .5) treated mares became pregnant during the 3 cycles studied than did the untreated (94.4% vs. 80.6%).
Personality Types and Coping Strategies as Correlates of Students’ Academic Achievement

This study examined how personality types and coping strategies employed by undergraduate students of Kwara State University could influence the academic achievement of the students. Descriptive survey was adopted for this study. Stratified random sampling was used to select 240 students across the six colleges. An instrument adapted from George Mayer (2001) was used to measure personality types and researcher designed questionnaire titled (Coping strategy questionnaire) was used to measure coping strategies employed by students during stress. A proforma was used to obtain Students present CGPA for 2012/2013 academic session to measure students’ academic achievement. Two research questions were raised and answered with percentage while the research hypotheses were answered with t-test statistical analysis. The findings of the study revealed that students with personality A achieved better academically than students with personality type B. Similarly students that employed problem coping strategies achieved better academically than students that employed emotional coping strategies. In the light of these findings, the researcher therefore recommended that enabling environment should be provided for students and skills that will promote problem coping strategies should be taught directly in the classroom at various institutions. DOI: 10.5901/jesr.2013. v3n5p17
Transferring from face recognition to face attribute prediction through adaptive selection of off-the-shelf CNN representations

This paper addresses the problem of transferring CNNs pre-trained for face recognition to a face attribute prediction task. To transfer an off-the-shelf CNN to a novel task, a typical solution is to fine-tune the network towards the novel task. As demonstrated in the state-of-the-art face attribute prediction approach, fine-tuning the high-level CNN hidden layer by using labeled attribute data leads to significant performance improvements. In this paper, however, we tackle the same problem but through a different approach. Rather than using an end-to-end network, we select face descriptors from off-the-shelf hierarchical CNN representations for recognizing different attributes. Through such an adaptive representation selection, even without any fine-tuning, our results still outperform the state-of-the-art face attribute prediction approach on the latest large-scale dataset for an error rate reduction of more than 20%. Moreover, by using intensive empirical probes, we have identified several key factors that are significant for achieving promising face attribute prediction performance. These results attempt to gain and update our understandings of the nature of CNN features and how they can be better applied to the transferred novel tasks.
The Financing and Provision of Education in Zimbabwe: towards greater equality?

The remarkable educational expansion achieved by most African governments since the 1961 Addis Ababa Conference requires a substantial increase in the flow of resources to continue. It is also needed to improve the quality of education and to maintain the momentum for further educational expansion that has been created by current demographic trends. However, budgetary constraints imposed by sluggish economic recovery indicate that government resources for education are not going to increase substantially and that alternative sources should be explored. To this end, this article reviews recent developments in education in Zimbabwe since independence eight years ago, discusses their implications for the funding of education, critically analyses current government funding policies and practices, and examines their implications on government attempts to equalise educational opportunity. The author argues that while the government has made significant progress in encouraging and stimulating community support f.
‘They might as well be Black’: the racialization of Sa’moan high school students

This article explores the processes of racialization imposed on Sa’moan youth through policy and practice in one urban, US school district and at one high school in particular. Specifically, I use the methodological practices of defamiliarization and counter‐storytelling to examine the contradictory practices of racialization and the simultaneously oppressive and transformative potentials these practices catalyze. The analysis of this process is framed by the Critical Race Theory concepts of colorblindness and Whiteness as property, which powerfully illustrate how this racialization both disrupts and reifies reigning local and national racial norms and hierarchies.
Don't Confuse me with the Facts

The life and death context of a capital risk assessment requires a comprehensive forensic evaluation. Mental health professionals routinely testify regarding future dangerousness in capital proceedings but too often limit assessment to DSM-IV diagnoses and criminal history without integrating empirical and actuarial data from other sources. Given the grave magnitude of a capital risk assessment both for the defendant and society, methodological and conceptual errors of this type must be avoided. This article will describe violence risk-assessment errors made by mental health professionals testifying at capital sentencing. Observed errors include inadequate reliance on base rates, failure to consider context, susceptibility to illusory correlation, failure to define severity of violence, overreliance on clinical interview, misapplication of psychological testing, exaggerated implications of antisocial personality disorder, ignoring the effects of aging, misuse of patterns of behavior, neglect of preventive measures, insufficient data, and failure to express the risk estimate in probabilistic terms.
A Phonological and Phonetic Study of Word‐Level Stress in Chickasaw1

This paper presents results of a phonological and phonetic study of stress in Chickasaw, a Muskogean language spoken in south central Oklahoma. Three degrees of stress are differentiated acoustically, with primary stressed vowels having the highest f 0 and greatest duration and intensity, unstressed vowels having the lowest f 0 and shortest duration and intensity, and secondary stressed vowels displaying intermediate f 0, duration, and intensity values. Vowel quality differences and segmental lenition processes also are diagnostic for stress. The location of stress is phonologically predictable, falling on word‐final syllables, heavy (CVC and CVV) syllables, and on the second in a sequence of light (CV) syllables. Short vowels in nonfinal open syllables are made heavy through a process of rhythmic vowel lengthening. Primary stress is sensitive to a further weight distinction, which treats CVV as heavier than both CV and CVC. In words lacking a CVV syllable, stress falls on the final syllable.
Narrative Picturing: A New Strategy for Qualitative Data Collection

The use of qualitative research designs has been gaining rapid momentum and support across a variety of disciplines. Although methods of data collection and analysis vary within and between perspectives of each discipline, in one way or another, most rely on obtaining some kind of a narrative, as a means for gaining insight into phenomena. This article outlines a strategy that the authors have been developing and have found useful in narrative inquiry. Although as health care professionals they are primarily concerned with uncovering the realm of meanings that individuals create and draw on in health/illness transformations, they believe that the data generated from linking image formation to narrative expression can provide fruitful information. The aim here is to present the background, use, development, and basic steps of what the authors call "narrative picturing," as well as invite critique and stimulate further development.
Chronic Nose-only Inhalation Study in Rats, comparing Room-aged Sidestream Cigarette Smoke and Diesel Engine Exhaust

Nose-only exposure of male and female Wistar rats to a surrogate for environmental tobacco smoke, termed room-aged sidestream smoke (RASS), to diesel engine exhaust (DEE), or to filtered, fresh air (sham) was performed 6 hours/day, 7 days/week for 2 years, followed by a 6-month post-exposure period. The particulate concentrations were 3 and 10 mg/m3. Markers of inflammation in bronchoalveolar lavage showed that DEE (but not RASS) produced a dose-related and persistent inflammatory response. Lung weights were increased markedly in the DEE (but not RASS) groups and did not decrease during the 6-month post-exposure period. Bulky lung DNA adducts increased in the RASS groups, but not in the DEE groups. Cell proliferation in the lungs was unaffected by either experimental treatment. Histopathological responses in the RASS groups were minimal and almost completely reversible; lung tumors were similar in number to those seen in the sham-exposed groups. Rats exposed to DEE showed a panoply of dose-related histopathological responses: largely irreversible and in some cases progressive. Malignant and multiple tumors were seen only in the DEE groups; after 30 months, the tumor incidence (predominantly bronchiolo-alveolar adenomas) was 2% in the sham-exposed groups, 5%in the high RASS groups, and 46% in the high DEE groups (sexes combined). Our results suggest that in rats exposed to DEE, but not to RASS, the following series of events occurs: particle deposition in lungs → lung “overload” → pulmonary inflammation → tumorigenesis, without a significant modifying role of cell proliferation or DNA adduct formation.
‘Are You ‘Avin a Laff?’: A pedagogical response to Bakhtinian carnivalesque in early childhood education

Abstract Rabelaian carnivalesque provided philosopher Mikhail Bakhtin with a means of exploring the significance of humour through an examination of Middle Age peasant culture and the influence of the Renaissance on its legitimacy. This article argues that a similar phenomenon exists in modern educational settings and provides evidence to suggest that very young children are highly capable of working within this genre as a strategic orientation. It is proposed that the role of the early childhood teacher within this ‘underground culture’ is to be a dialogic partner who recognizes their dual horizontal and vertical roles as both insider and outsider: appreciating humour with children but expecting (and celebrating) the child’s position within a distinct culture that necessarily resides outside officialdom. In doing so, the article concludes that teachers will gain deeper appreciation of the important role of humour as a means of positioning the self within institutions characterized by power dynamics that are typically beyond the young child’s control. Moreover, the teacher has greater opportunities to recognize the potential of humour as a form of social mobility and agency on the part of the child.
Emotional and adrenal cortical responses to a new experience. Effect of social environment.

Recent human studies have indicated that elevated adrenocortical hormone levels may occur in novel, ambiguous situations. 1,2 In 2 recent reports, we have pursued these observations by studying catecholamine and corticosteroid excretion in normal volunteers during the first week of hospitalization in a research unit. 3,4 In 6 such groups we have found a tendency toward hormone elevation on admission day followed by a decline during the first week of hospitalization. In several groups, the difference in 17-hydroxycorticosteroid (17-OHCS) excretion between admission day and the end of the first week was quite substantial. The decline in urinary 17-OHCS was an orderly one, proceeding gradually throughout the week. This suggests that novel, ambiguous situations such as hospital admission may be used as an experimental tool in analyzing physiological concomitants of psychological stress. Moreover, such responses present a factor worthy of consideration in interpreting laboratory
Frequency-Independent Approximate Compensation of Mutual Coupling in a Linear Array Antenna

The method of the frequency-independent compensation of the strongest mutual coupling (between the neighbor elements only) in a linear array antenna is suggested and studied. It is shown that in the suggested method both the scheme and the parameters of a decoupling multiport network do not depend on properties of the array elements as well as on frequency. An example of a seven-element array is considered.
Two distinct populations of tectal neurons have unique connections within the retinotectorotundal pathway of the pigeon (Columba livia)

The tectofugal pathway is a massive ascending polysynaptic pathway from the tectum to the thalamus and then to the telencephalon. In birds, the initial component of this pathway is known as the tectorotundal pathway; in mammals, it is known as the tectopulvinar pathway. The avian tectorotundal pathway is highly developed; thus, it provides a particularly appropriate model for exploring the fundamental properties of this system in all amniotes. To further define the connectivity of the tectorotundal projections of the tectofugal pathway, we injected cholera toxin B fragment into various rotundal divisions, the tectobulbar projection, and the ventral supraoptic decussation of the pigeon. We found intense bilateral retrograde labeling of neurons that stratified within layer 13 and, in certain cases, granular staining in layer 5b of the optic tectum. Based on these results, we propose that there are two distinct types of layer 13 neurons that project to the rotundus: 1) type I neurons, which are found in the outer sublamina of layer 13 (closer to layer 12) and which project to the anterior and centralis rotundal divisions, and 2) type II neurons, which are found in the inner sublamina of layer 13 (closer to layer 14) and which project to the posterior and triangularis rotundal divisions. Only the labeling of type I neurons produced the granular dendritic staining in layer 5b. An additional type of tectal neuron was also found that projected to the tectobulbar system. We then injected Phaseolus vulgaris‐leucoagglutinin in the optic tract and found that the retinal axons terminating within tectal layer 5b formed narrow radial arbors (7–10 μm in diameter) that were confined to layer 5b. Based on these results, we propose that these axons are derived from a population of small retinal ganglion cells (4.5–6.0 μm in diameter) that terminate on the distal dendrites of type I neurons.