Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Adaptation to the Impact of Climatic Variations on Agriculture by Rural Farmers in North-Western Nigeria

The impact of climatic variations on crop yields and the adaptation by farmers in north-western Nigeria are examined using the modeling approach and farm surveys. Accordingly, regression models which relate climate data to crop yields were constructed. The results showed that rainfall has a positive relationship with crop yields in the region and explained over 70 percent of the variations in the yields of sorghum, millet and maize, all of which were significant at the 0.05 level. Evaporation also had a significant but inverse relationship with crop yields. Other climatic elements in the experiment provided minimal levels of explanation. The farm surveys found that rural farmers in north-western Nigeria were quite innovative when it comes to adapting to drought. The study concluded that the impact of climatic variations on crop yields in north-western Nigeria can be substantial especially under drought conditions. The need to update farmers’ adaptive strategies is emphasized.
Using Life-Span Models in Industrial-Organizational Psychology: The Theory of Selective Optimization With Compensation

Life-span models and their emphasis on individual differences in aging and development fit perfectly with industrial-organizational (I-O) psychology's underlying theoretical assumptions. Furthermore, certain life-span metatheories can provide an overarching framework from which to understand various I-O research areas. This article attempts to demonstrate how a specific life-span model of successful aging-selective optimization with compensation (SOC)-can be used as a metatheory for 3 specific areas of I-O psychology: work-family conflict, leadership, and organization-level functioning. Finally, methodological issues that researchers should consider when using the SOC model in the I-O arena are also discussed.
From Inclusion to Belonging: A Practical Theology of Community, Disability and Humanness

This article develops a perspective on a practical theology of belonging. It argues that the political rhetoric of inclusion, while possibly necessary, is deeply inadequate to help us understand what disability is and what it really means to be with people who have received this label. We need to shift our thinking from inclusion to belonging and to reframe our practices from politics to love. The article seeks to do three things. Firstly, it highlights that the term disability is a vague and complex concept that, while it might be necessary, requires to be treated with both caution and suspicion. Secondly, the article argues that the idea of including people with disabilities does not go far enough in overcoming the alienation, stigmatization, and exclusion of those whom we choose to name “disabled. ” We need to move from ideas of inclusion to the practices of belonging. Finally, the article engages with the theologies of Jean Vanier and Dietrich Bonhoeffer and suggests that the key to such transformation is not in politics but in Jesus. It is only as we learn how to love one another in and through Jesus and to create communities that embody such Christ-like love that we can begin to understand what it means truly to belong.
Serum concentrations of creatinine , urea , albumin , triglyceride , cholesterol and creatinine clearance , urine protein , systolic and diastolic blood pressure , weight gain , and kidney

Kim HJ, Vaziri ND. Contribution of impaired Nrf2-Keap1 pathway to oxidative stress and inflammation in chronic renal failure. Am J Physiol Renal Physiol 298: F662–F671, 2010. First published December 9, 2009; doi:10.1152/ajprenal.00421. 2009. —Oxidative stress and inflammation are constant features and major mediators of progression of chronic kidney disease (CKD). Nuclear factor erythroid-2-related factor-2 (Nrf2) confers protection against tissue injury by orchestrating antioxidant and detoxification responses to oxidative and electrophilic stress. While sources of oxidative stress and inflammation in the remnant kidney have been extensively characterized, the effect of CKD on Nrf2 activation and expression of its downstream gene products is unknown and was investigated. Subgroups of male Sprague-Dawley rats were subjected to 5/6 nephrectomy or sham operation and observed for 6 or 12 wk. Kidneys were then harvested, and Nrf2 activity and its downstream target gene products (antioxidant and phase II enzymes) were assessed. In addition, key factors involved in promoting inflammation and oxidative stress were studied. In confirmation of earlier studies, rats with chronic renal failure exhibited increased lipid peroxidation, glutathione depletion, NFB activation, mononuclear cell infiltration, and upregulation of monocyte chemoattractant protein-1, NAD(P)H oxidase, cyclooxygenase-2, and 12-lipoxygenase in the remnant kidney pointing to oxidative stress and inflammation. Despite severe oxidative stress and inflammation, remnant kidney tissue Nrf2 activity (nuclear translocation) was mildly reduced at 6 wk and markedly reduced at 12 wk, whereas the Nrf2 repressor Keap1 was upregulated and the products of Nrf2 target genes [catalase, superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase, heme oxygenase-1, NAD(P)H quinone oxidoreductase, and glutamate-cysteine ligase] were reduced or unchanged at 6 wk and significantly diminished at 12 wk. Thus oxidative stress and inflammation in the remnant kidney are compounded by conspicuous impairment of Nrf2 activation and consequent downregulation of the antioxidant enzymes.
Hydroxylation of CYP 11 A 1-Derived Products of Vitamin D 3 Metabolism by Human and Mouse CYP 27 B 1

CYP11A1 can hydroxylate vitamin D3 at carbons 17, 20, 22, and 23, producing a range of secosteroids which are biologically active with respect to their ability to inhibit proliferation and stimulate differentiation of various cell types, including cancer cells. As 1a-hydroxylation of the primary metabolite of CYP11A1 action, 20S-hydroxyvitamin D3 [20(OH)D3], greatly influences its properties, we examined the ability of both human and mouse CYP27B1 to 1a-hydroxylate six secosteroids generated by CYP11A1. Based on their kcat/Km values, all CYP11A1-derived metabolites are poor substrates for CYP27B1 from both species compared with 25-hydroxyvitamin D3. No hydroxylation of metabolites with a 17a-hydroxyl group was observed. 17a,20-Dihydroxyvitamin D3 acted as an inhibitor on human CYP27B1 but not the mouse enzyme. We also tested CYP27B1 activity on 20,24-, 20,25-, and 20,26-dihydroxyvitamin D3, which are products of CYP24A1 or CYP27A1 activity on 20(OH)D3. All three compounds were metabolized with higher catalytic efficiency (kcat/Km) by both mouse and human CYP27B1 than 25-hydroxyvitamin D3. CYP27B1 action on these new dihydroxy derivatives was confirmed to be 1ahydroxylation by mass spectrometry and nuclear magnetic resonance analyses. Both 1,20,25and 1,20,26trihydroxyvitamin D3 were tested for their ability to inhibit melanoma (SKMEL-188) colony formation, and were significantly more active than 20(OH)D3. This study shows that CYP11A1-derived secosteroids are 1ahydroxylated by both human and mouse CYP27B1 with low catalytic efficiency, and that the presence of a 17a-hydroxyl group completely blocks 1a-hydroxylation. In contrast, the secondary metabolites produced by subsequent hydroxylation of 20(OH)D3 at C24, C25, or C26 are very good substrates for
Poor Performance in Mathematics: Is there a basis for a self‐worth explanation for women?

The self‐worth theory of achievement motivation holds that in situations in which poor performance is likely to reveal low ability, certain students (known as self‐worth protective students) intentionally withdraw effort in order to avoid the negative implications of poor performance in terms of damage to self‐worth. In this study, evidence of self‐worth protection was sought where it is perhaps least likely to be seen: in women in mathematics, where the negative effects of stereotype threat are suggested. Links between self‐worth protection and performance on three maths tasks (a computational task, an algebraic task, and the Tower of Hanoi, a game‐like task tapping into mathematical skills yet devoid of mathematical signs and symbols) and a verbal task (a remote associates task) were examined in an intellectually evaluative situation (following failure) and in an intellectually non‐evaluative situation (following success). Relative to low maths self‐worth protective students, high maths self‐worth protective students performed poorly on both mathematical tasks, but not on either the Tower of Hanoi or the remote associates test. Collectively, findings are consistent with the conclusion that a self‐worth explanation can be applied to the poor performance of women in mathematics. Critical eliciting conditions appear to be mathematical signs and symbols and the presence of evaluative threat.
Energy Efficiency of Multiuser Multiantenna Random Cellular Networks With Minimum Distance Constraints

Compared with conventional regular hexagonal cellular models, random cellular network models resemble real cellular networks much more closely. However, most studies of random cellular networks are based on the Poisson point process (PPP) and do not take into account the fact that adjacent base stations (BSs) should be separated with a minimum distance to avoid strong interference among each other. In this paper, based on the hard-core point process (HCPP), we propose a multiuser multiantenna random cellular network model with the aforementioned minimum distance constraint for adjacent BSs. Taking into account the effects of small-scale fading and shadowing, interference and capacity models are derived for the multiuser multiantenna HCPP random cellular networks. Furthermore, a spectrum efficiency model and an energy efficiency model are presented, and based on this, the maximum achievable energy efficiency of the considered multiuser multiantenna HCPP random cellular networks is investigated. Simulation results demonstrate that the energy efficiency of conventional PPP cellular networks is underestimated when the minimum distance between adjacent BSs is ignored.
Optimal Design of ORC Systems with a Low-Temperature Heat Source

A numerical model of subcritical and trans-critical power cycles using a fixed-flowrate low-temperature heat source has been validated and used to calculate the combinations of the maximum cycle pressure (Pev) and the difference between the source temperature and the maximum working fluid temperature (DT) which maximize the thermal efficiency (ηth) or minimize the non-dimensional exergy losses (β), the total thermal conductance of the heat exchangers (UAt) and the turbine size (SP). Optimum combinations of Pev and DT were calculated for each one of these four objective functions for two working fluids (R134a, R141b), three source temperatures and three values of the non-dimensional power output. The ratio of UAt over the net power output (which is a first approximation of the initial cost per kW) shows that R141b is the better working fluid for the conditions under study.
Confronting the Assumptions: Exploring the Nature and Predictors of Black Adolescents' Media Use

Documented as heavy media consumers, Black viewers are often also assumed to be unselective, uncritical, and homogeneous. These assumptions were tested in an exploratory study of the nature and correlates of media use among 139 Black and 82 White students aged 11–14 years. Findings indicate that although Black adolescents may consume more media, these patterns are sometimes selective, and that Black and White youth tend not to differ in levels of perceived realism and media criticism. Several demographic variables appear to play a role in shaping Black adolescents' viewing patterns, as well.
Tacrolimus is an alternative therapeutic option for the treatment of refractory lupus nephritis

We conducted an open-labeled, prospective study to determine the efficacy and safety of tacrolimus as an alternative therapeutic option for those patients with refractory lupus nephritis. The study population comprised one male and eight female patients with diffuse proliferative lupus nephritis. All patients had failed to respond to sufficient intravenous cyclophosphamide therapy with proteinuria of ≥1 g/day and active urinary sediments. Tacrolimus (0.1 mg/kg/day) was administered for 1 year with adjusting drug level (4—10 µg/l). The mean serum creatinine level and spot urine protein creatinine ratio (UPCR) at baseline were 1.39 mg/dl and 2.27, respectively. After the treatment, proteinuria reduced significantly from median UPCR value of 2.19 (range, 1.19—3.34) to 0.44 (range, 0.12—2.13) (p < 0.05). Seven (78%) of the nine patients showed a complete clinical response, which was defined as stabilization in the disease-activity markers and serum creatinine level with reduction of ≥50% in UPCR; two patients showed complete remission with UPCR <0.2. One patient showed treatment failure because of the disease progression. No serious adverse effects were observed during the study. This study demonstrates that tacrolimus can show a significant therapeutic response in cases that are refractory to the standard regimen for diffuse proliferative lupus nephritis.
Benchmarks for electromagnetic scattering from large cavities

Benchmark results for electromagnetic scattering from large cavity structures are very important in developing efficient simulation tools for real cavity design. This paper focuses how to apply our in-house parallel higher order finite element-boundary integral (FE-BI) code to efficiently simulate EM scattering from large cavities. The results obtained can serve as benchmark data with very good accuracy to validate backscattering from full size air intake structure up to X-band.
Dublin's Temple Bar - A case study of culture-led regeneration.

Abstract The Temple Bar project in Dublin has been widely viewed as a model of culture‐led regeneration. However, the outcomes of the project show that many of its original aims, such as the maintenance and enhancement of a diverse range of uses to cater for both the needs of the local population and those of investors, have not been achieved. This would seem to be in part the result of the high priority given to image enhancement at the expense of social objectives.
Clinicopathologic study of forty-four histologically pure supratentorial oligodendrogliomas.

Few studies in recent years have specifically focused on pure oligodendroglial neoplasms. We retrospectively reviewed the clinicopathologic features of 44 patients with supratentorial oligodendroglioma diagnosed over a 19-year period (1974 to 1993). The study group consisted of 44 patients (age range, 8 to 69 years; median, 42 years), including 31 males. Thirty-one initially resected tumors (70%) were low grade and 13 (30%) were high grade (anaplastic). Using the St Anne-Mayo criteria for astrocytic tumors, 19 tumors (43%) were grade 2, 17 (39%) were grade 3, and 8 were (18%) grade 4. Histologic features of the tumors at initial resection included prominent nucleoli (N = 18, 41%), vascular proliferation (N = 9, 20%), necrosis (N = 6, 14%), and microcystic degeneration (N = 23, 52%). Nuclear atypia was graded as mild in 22 tumors (50%), moderate in 18 (41%), and marked in four (9%). The highest mitosis counts ranged from 0 to 10 mitotic figures (MF)/10 high-power fields (HPF) (mean, 2.4). Twelve patients (27%) had four or more MF/10 HPF. Initial surgery included gross total resection in 10 patients, subtotal resection in 16 patients, and biopsy in 14 patients. Thirty-one patients received adjuvant radiotherapy and 15 received chemotherapy. MIB-1 labeling indices ranged from 0 to 42.3 (median, 1.2 [low grade tumor median, 0.5; anaplastic tumor median, 6.2]). p53 immunostaining was observed in 18 of 43 stained tumors (41%). Overall, 5- and 10-year survival rates were 71% and 63%, respectively. The entire group had a median follow-up of 5.2 years. Age greater than 45 years (P = .02), mitosis counts of > or =4 MF/10 HPF (P = .0004), and MIB-1 labeling indices <2 (P = .03) were independent predictors of survival (Kaplan-Meier analysis). MIB-1 labeling indices <2 (P = .0009) was an independent predictor of disease-free survival. Low cell density (P = .04) and low histologic grade (P = .03) show trends with regard to being associated with longer survival. In conclusion, older patients (>45 years) or patients with tumors with an increased rate of cell proliferation generally have a worse prognosis. Although tumors of high histologic grade generally have a worse survival, the correlation was not statistically significant.
What public media reveals about MOOCs: A systematic analysis of news reports

One of the striking differences between massive open online courses ( MOOCs) and previous innovations in the education technology field is the unprecedented interest and involvement of the general public. As MOOCs address pressing problems in higher education and the broader educational practice, awareness of the general public debate around MOOCs is essential. Understanding the public discourse around MOOCs can provide insights into important social and public problems, thus enabling the MOOC research community to better focus their research endeavors. While there have been some reports looking at the state of the MOOC-related research, the analysis of the public debate surrounding MOOCs is still largely missing. In this paper, we present the results of a study that looked at the content of the public discourse related to MOOCs. We identified the most important themes and topics in MOOC-related mainstream JOUR reports. Our results indicate that coverage of MOOCs in public media is rapidly decreasing: by the middle of 2014, it decreased by almost 50% from the highest activity during 2013. In addition, the focus of those discussions is also changing. While the majority of discussions during 2012 and 2013 were focused on MOOC providers, the announcements of their partnerships, and million dollar investments, the current focus of MOOC discourse seems to be moving toward more productive topics focused on the overall position of MOOCs in the global educational landscape. Among different topics that this study discovered, government-related issues and the use of data and analytics are some of the topics that seem to be growing in popularity during the first half of 2014. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Ambient overnight hold of whole blood prior to the manufacture of blood components

Blood services routinely separate whole blood into components that are then stored under different conditions. The storage conditions used for whole blood prior to separation must therefore be a compromise between the needs of the red cells (which benefit from refrigeration) and plasma and platelets (which are better preserved at ambient temperature). For many years, the approach has been to manufacture plasma and platelet components on the day of blood collection, and to refrigerate any unprocessed blood for manufacture into red cell components on the following day. However, this can make it challenging to maintain adequate stocks of all components. The European practice of ‘ambient hold’ of whole blood for up to 24 hours prior to processing allows greater flexibility in blood component manufacture, and the data reviewed suggest there is relatively little impact on the quality of red cell or plasma components, and an improvement in the quality of platelet components.
Listening to Oral Traditions in a Re-searching for Praxis in a Non-western Context

The relevance and appropriateness of western oriented psychology in practice and research is a concern in developing and non-western contexts. It is difficult to address this problem from any alternative position other than the western academic frame if one is situated in a tertiary educational institution in South Africa. In acknowledgement, this article explores the academic context including some local voices from the field in a search for possible congruent research methodologies, which may echo knowledge systems of the traditions of the local context in South Africa and its broader context in the continent. Constraining factors to the development of an appropriate praxis have been suggested to include epistemological issues, western academic hegemony and the perceived elitism of psychology as a discipline. In particular, this article explores the adoption of a narrative literary stance for research in psychology. Literary theory and discussions of the narrative from Bakhtin's writings are drawn on in an attempt to bridge a perceived epistemological divide between local traditional knowledge systems and western academia. From this perspective the oral tradition of Africa is considered at the interface of local and western knowledge around healing /helping traditions.
A precise boundary element method for macromolecular transport properties

A very precise boundary element numerical solution of the exact formulation of the hydrodynamic resistance problem with stick boundary conditions is presented. BEST, the Fortran 77 program developed for this purpose, computes the full transport tensors in the center of resistance or the center of diffusion for an arbitrarily shaped rigid body, including rotation‐translation coupling. The input for this program is a triangulation of the solvent‐defined surface of the molecule of interest, given by Connolly's MSROLL or other suitable triangulator. The triangulation is prepared for BEST by COALESCE, a program that allows user control over the quality and number of triangles to describe the surface. High numerical precision is assured by effectively exact integration of the Oseen tensor over triangular surface elements, and by scaling the hydrodynamic computation to the precise surface area of the molecule. Efficiency of computation is achieved by the use of public domain LAPACK routines that call BLAS Level 3 hardware‐optimized subroutines available for most processors. A protein computation can be done in less than 10 min of CPU time in a modern Pentium IV processor. The present work includes a complete analysis of the sources of error in the numerical work and techniques to eliminate these errors. The operation of BEST is illustrated with applications to ellipsoids of revolution, and Lysozyme, a small protein. The typical numerical accuracy achieved is 0.05% compared to analytical theory. The numerical precision for a protein is better than 1%, much better than experimental errors in these quantities, and more than 10 times better than traditional bead‐based methods. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Comput Chem 9: 1191–1205, 2004
The Evolution of Irish Nationalist Politics

This classic work studies the growth of nationalism in Ireland from the middle of the eighteenth century to modern times. It traces the continuity of tradition from earlier organisations, such as the United Irishmen and the agrarian Ribbonmen of the eighteenth century, through the followers of Daniel O' Connell, the Fenians and the Land League in the nineteenth century to the Irish political parties of today. The dual nature of Irish nationalism is shown in sharp focus. Despite the secular and liberal leanings of many Irish leaders and theoreticians, their followers were frequently sectarian and conservative in social outlook. This book demonstrates how this dual legacy has influenced the politics of modern Ireland. 'This stimulating book is one of the most important and original studies of Irish nationalism and politics to have been written . It will be discussed and cited for many years. ' Michael Gallagher, Irish University Review 'Buy it rather than borrow it, since it calls for re-reading, reflection and discussion. It illuminates both past and present. ' John A. Murphy, The Sunday Tribune 'a lively and original book' L.M. Cullen, The Irish Times