Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
MONETARY POLICY AND ECONOMIC GROWTH OF NIGERIA (1981-2012)

This study examined the impact of monetary policy on the growth of Nigeria economy between the period of 1981 and 2012 with the objective of finding out the impact of various monetary policy instruments (money supply, interest rate, exchange rate and liquidity ratio) in enhancing economic growth of the country within the period considered. To identify the stationarity characteristics of the data employed in the empirical investigation, various advanced econometric techniques like Augmented Dickey Fuller Unit Root Test, Johansen Cointegration Test and Vector Error Correction Mechanism (VECM) were employed and the following information surfaced: None of the variables was stationary at level meaning they all have unit roots. But all the variables became stationary after first difference with the exclusion of money supply. However, all the variables became stationary after second difference. Hence they were integrated of order two. The cointegration result indicated that there is long run relationship among the variable with two cointegrating vectors. The result of the vector error correction mechanism (VECM) test indicates that only exchange rate exerted significant impact on economic growth in Nigeria while other variables did not. Equally, only money supply though statistically insignificant possessed the expected sign while others contradicted expectation. The study concluded that monetary policy did not impact significantly on economic growth of Nigeria within the period under review and that the inability of monetary policies to effectively maximize its policy objective most times is as a result of the shortcomings of the policy instruments used in Nigeria as such limits its contribution to growth. The study recommended among others that Commercial banks and other financial intermediaries must be forced to ensure compliance with the stipulated prudential guidelines.
Development of a low-noise active balun for a dual-polarized planar connected array antenna for ASKAP

We describe the development of a low-noise active balun for a dual-polarized planar connected array antenna operating in the 0.7-1.8GHz frequency range. The device consists of two single-ended low-noise amplifiers (LNAs) operating at ambient temperature with a passive output-side balun. Issues of device characterization, matching and stability are discussed and techniques for measuring the signal and noise parameters are described. The viability of the approach is confirmed by preliminary measurements of noise temperatures less than 60K on a 5 × 4 array.
Fade countermeasure using signal degradation estimation for demand-assignment satellite systems

This paper describes a complete fade countermeasure system, designed for thin route user-oriented and fully meshed satellite networks. The signal degradation due to the residual up-link attenuation after up-power control intervention, plus the down-link attenuation, is compensated for by varying the FEC coding and bit rates of the data. Down and up-link signal degradations are evaluated separately: the former by collecting statistics of quantized levels of the demodulated PSK signal, and the latter by using a narrow band signal level estimator. Measurement times are optimized using a model to evaluate the scintillation variance. The performance evaluation of the whole system in the presence of additive white Gaussian noise (AWGN), shows that very small link power margins can be adopted.
Examining the Academic Motivation of a Diverse Student Population: A Consideration of Methodology

In this article, we review research that has examined the association between race, ethnicity, culture, and student motivation. We begin by describing potential problems regarding how race, ethnicity, and culture are defined in research. Next, we review some of the methods that have been used to examine the associations among race, ethnicity, culture, and several constructs related to academic motivation (e.g., valuing of education, ethnic identity, generational status, and other contextual factors). In this review, we highlight how different methodologies reflect different assumptions, and have led to different conclusions, about these associations. The article concludes with a consideration of future research questions and methodology, including important factors to consider when examining the intersection of race, ethnicity, culture, and academic motivation.
Stochastic Networks in Nanoscale Biophysics : Modeling Enzymatic Reaction of a Single Protein

Advances in nanotechnology enable scientists for the first time to study biological processes on a nanoscale molecule-by-molecule basis. A surprising discovery from recent nanoscale single-molecule biophysics experiments is that biological reactions involving enzymes behave fundamentally differently from what classical theory predicts. In this article we introduce a stochastic network model to explain the experimental puzzles (by modeling enzymatic reactions as a stochastic network connected by different enzyme conformations). Detailed analyses of the model, including analyses of the first-passage-time distributions and goodness of fit, show that the stochastic network model is capable of explaining the experimental surprises. The model is analytically tractable and closely fits experimental data. The biological/chemical meaning of the model is discussed.
Judgments of frequency and recognition memory in a multiple-trace memory model.

The multiple-trace simulation model, MINERVA 2, was applied to a number of phenomena found in experiments on relative and absolute judgments of frequency, and forced-choice and yes-no recognition memory. How the basic model deals with effects of repetition, forgetting, list length, orientation task, selective retrieval, and similarity and how a slightly modified version accounts for effects of contextual variability on frequency judgments were shown. Two new experiments on similarity and recognition memory were presented, together with appropriate simulations; attempts to modify the model to deal with additional phenomena were also described. Questions related to the representation of frequency are addressed, and the model is evaluated and compared with related models of frequency judgments and recognition memory.
The neural basis of conceptual–emotional integration and its role in major depressive disorder

The importance of differentiating between social concepts when appraising actions (e.g., understanding behavior as critical vs. fault-finding) and its contribution to vulnerability to major depressive disorder (MDD) is unknown. We predicted poor integration of differentiated conceptual knowledge when people with MDD appraise their social actions, contributing to their tendency to grossly overgeneralize self-blame (e.g., “I am unlikable rather than critical”). To test this hypothesis, we used a neuropsychological test measuring social conceptual differentiation and its relationship with emotional biases in a remitted MDD and a control group. During fMRI, guilt- and indignation-evoking sentences were presented. As predicted, conceptual overgeneralization was associated with increased emotional intensity when appraising social actions. Interdependence of conceptual overgeneralization and negative emotional biases was stronger in MDD (reproducible in the subgroup without medication) and was associated with overgeneralized self-blame. This high conceptual–emotional interdependence was associated with functional disconnection between the right superior anterior temporal lobe (ATL) and right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (PFC) as well as a septal region across groups when experiencing guilt (SPM8). Strong coupling of conceptual information (ATL) with information about the context of actions and emotions (frontal-subcortical regions) is thus associated with appraisal being less dependent on conceptual overgeneralization, thereby protecting against excessive self-blame.
Volunteering and Subjective Well-Being Among Individuals With Disabilities: A Multivariate Model

The main goal of the study was to evaluate the contribution of volunteering to explaining two indicators of subjective well-being—self-esteem and sense of meaning in life (MIL)—among people with physical disabilities in Israel. The sample included 160 Israeli participants with physical disabilities, of whom 95 had volunteered and 65 had not. The findings revealed that volunteering was both directly and indirectly associated with factors that facilitate the sense of MIL but was not associated with factors that inhibit MIL. Furthermore, volunteering was found to mediate the relationship of economic and family support to self-esteem and to facilitators of MIL. The results point to a sequence of contingencies that facilitate indicators of subjective well-being: when people with disabilities have high levels of economic resources and family support, they are more likely to volunteer; in turn, volunteer activity increases self-esteem and promotes a sense of MIL.
Using an open card sort with children to categorize games in a mobile phone application store

This paper presents a study aimed at better understanding how children categorize different games. The paper reports the results of an open card sort where participants were asked to categorize games from the Google Play Store (formerly the 'Android Marketplace'). The key contribution of the paper is that when compared with existing categories in the Google Play Store, children used categorization criteria much more aligned to the goals of the game rather than more abstract categories currently found in mobile phone application stores. The paper provides examples of existing categories that are not generally used by children and provides new examples of categorization criteria that are used by children to categorize existing games.
Gravitational Runaway and Turbulence Driving in Star-Gas Galactic Disks

Galactic disks consist of both stars and gas. The gas is more dynamically responsive than the stars, and strongly nonlinear structures and velocities can develop in the interstellar medium even while stellar surface density perturbations remain fractionally small. Yet, the stellar component still significantly influences the gas. We use two-dimensional numerical simulations to explore formation of bound condensations and turbulence generation in the gas of two-component galactic disks. We represent the stars with collisionless particles, follow their orbits using a particle-mesh method, and treat the gas as an isothermal, unmagnetized fluid. The two components interact through a combined gravitational potential that accounts for the distinct vertical thickness of each disk. Using stellar parameters typical of mid-disk conditions, we find that models with gaseous Toomre parameter Qg < Qg,crit ~ 1.4 experience gravitational runaway and eventually form bound condensations. This Qg,crit value is nearly the same as previously found for razor-thin, gas-only models, indicating that the destabilizing effect of ``live'' stars offsets the reduced self-gravity of thick disks. This result is also consistent with empirical studies showing that star formation is suppressed when Qg ≳ 1-2. The bound gaseous structures that form have mass 6 × 107 M☉ each, representing superclouds that would subsequently fragment into GMCs. Self-gravity and sheared rotation also interact to drive turbulence in the gas when Qg ≳ Qg,crit. This turbulence is anisotropic, with more power in sheared than compressive motions. The gaseous velocity dispersion is ~0.6 times the thermal speed when Qg ≈ Qg,crit. This suggests that gravity is important in driving interstellar turbulence in many spiral galaxies, since the low efficiency of star formation naturally leads to a state of marginal instability.
Genetic Characterization of West Nile Virus Lineage 2, Greece, 2010

We conducted a complete genome analysis of a West Nile virus detected in Culex pipiens mosquitoes during a severe outbreak of human West Nile disease in Greece 2010. The virus showed closest genetic relationship to the lineage 2 strain that emerged in Hungary in 2004; increased virulence may be associated with amino acid substitution H249P.
Analyzing model checking approach for multi agent system verification

During requirement specification process of software development activities, many existing systems or business process requirements have been captured using natural language or specialized tools such as UML. However, the capturing of informal requirements into formalized properties has not been taken into attention by software developers due to time and budget constraints. It is critical for the informally captured requirements to be formally specified in order to perform system verification. Formal verification checks whether a system model meets the formal specifications while validation checks whether the developed system fulfills its intended purpose. Therefore, in this paper, we present our studies of formal verification of multi agent system using model checking approach. We have utilized model checking tool in order to execute the formal verification procedures based on a particular basic theory to verify certain kind of properties of requirement specifications. We show an example of how model checking tool could support the verification of Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) multi agent online application system and conclude that the propose model checking approach will benefit multi agent system.
Insiders and Outsiders

A large body of literature utilizes a qualitative methodology to study the police in communities of color. Within this literature are discussions of ethical and access issues involved in researching the police, as well as how gender shapes access and interactions with officers. However, there is a scarcity of literature exploring how the race/ethnicity of the researcher influences research with law enforcement. This article involves an exploration of how Latino academics studied what is often described as a secretive population, using ride-alongs and semistructured interviews with police officers in Chicago, IL, and Phoenix, AZ. Our goal was not to become insiders but rather to explain the multiple ways in which being both insiders (e.g., males) and outsiders (e.g., nonpolice) shaped our experiences as Latino researchers. Further, we also describe the strategies we implemented to gain access and to ensure continued access even when observing activities by officers that were ethically and racially questionable. Moreover, we discuss how our Latino background introduced both advantages and disadvantages in the field, and the techniques we devised that ultimately helped us develop rapport with officers. As a result, our research approach allowed us to gather data that reflected multiple perspectives of how officers viewed the communities they policed.
Tumor suppressor berberine binds VASP to inhibit cell migration in basal-like breast cancer

Berberine is a plant-derived compound used in traditional Chinese medicine, which has been shown to inhibit cell proliferation and migration in breast cancer. On the other hand, vasodilator-stimulated phosphoprotein (VASP) promotes actin filament elongation and cell migration. We previously showed that VASP is overexpressed in high-motility breast cancer cells. Here we investigated whether the anti-tumorigenic effects of berberine are mediated by binding VASP in basal-like breast cancer. Our results show that berberine suppresses proliferation and migration of MDA-MB-231 cells as well as tumor growth in MDA-MB-231 nude mouse xenografts. We also show that berberine binds to VASP, inducing changes in its secondary structure and inhibits actin polymerization. Our study reveals the mechanism underlying berberine's inhibition of cell proliferation and migration in basal-like breast cancer, highlighting the use of berberine as a potential adjuvant therapeutic agent.
Short-term cessation of hormone replacement therapy and improvement of mammographic specificity.

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ON THE MIXED SYMMETRY IRREDUCIBLE REPRESENTATIONS OF THE POINCARÉ GROUP IN THE BRST APPROACH

The Lagrangian description of irreducible massless representations of the Poincare group with the corresponding Young tableaux having two rows along with some explicit examples including the notoph and Weyl tensor is given. For this purpose the method of the BRST constructions is adopted to the systems of second-class constraints by the construction of an auxiliary representations of the algebras of constraints in terms of Verma modules.
The positive relationship between flipped and blended learning and student engagement, performance and satisfaction

Flipped and blended learning pedagogies are increasingly being adopted by institutions that see in these novel pedagogies, mechanisms that might contribute to improved student outcomes and, in the case of the institutions, student retention. However, the as yet limited research does not definitively demonstrate the empirical link between flipped and blended learning pedagogies and the desirable student outcomes of engagement, performance and satisfaction. During four semesters, 348 responses were collected and analysed. The findings are that flipped and blended learning do positively influence perceptions of engagement, performance and satisfaction, but that flipped learning mediates the effects of blended learning, underscoring that blended learning pedagogies are delivery mechanisms that do not influence learning. Furthermore, the engagement stimulated by flipped learning pedagogy is inherently satisfying to students independent of their perceptions of performance. These findings contribute to closing the gap between what we believe and what we confirm with respect to flipped learning pedagogies, and provide additional evidence that the financial, cultural and individual investment by education institutions in flipped learning pedagogies will lead to the outcomes sought.
The Representation of Objects in the Brain, and Its Link with Semantic Memory and Language: a Conceptual Theory with the Support of a Neurocomputational Model

A fundamental problem in cognitive neuroscience is how the brain realizes semantic memory. It is generally accepted that semantic memory consists of stored information about the main features of an object, some processing mechanisms which allow a person to retrieve these features from partial cues, and to link them with lexical aspects and words. The final result is a kind of knowledge which is context independent, can be shared with other people and can produce language and thought (Tulving 1972). Many conceptual theories of semantic memory have been proposed in past decades, based on two fundamental pieces of information: the behavior of patients with neurological lesions in specific brain areas, who exhibit deficits in word recognition, and results of more recent neuroimaging studies, putting in evidence which different brain areas participate to semantic tasks. The interested reader can find several excellent review papers on the subject (Martin & Chao 2001; Hart et al. 2007). Just the main fundamental issues, essential for the comprehension of the present chapter, are summarized below. First, most theories agree in assuming that semantic memory is not a localized process, but one which involves a highly distributed representation of features and which engages several different cortical areas, located in the sensory and motor regions of the cortex. This concept may help explaining the existence of patients with category-specific semantic deficits (for instance, patients with impairment in word recognition for living things but no impairment for recognition of non-living objects, or patients with impairment for nouns vs. verbs (Warrington & Shallice 1984; Caramazza & Shelton 1998)). Damasio (Damasio 1989), suggested that semantic representation is fragmented in many motor and sensory features, which must then be integrated in a “convergence zone”. Accordingly, Warrington et al. (Warrington & McCarthy 1987), assumed the presence of multiple channels which separately process sensory and motor aspects of objects; these two main systems would be especially important to identify living and non-living objects, respectively. Several subsequent extensions, improvements or variations of this theory were formulated by various groups (Caramazza et al. 1990; Lauro-Grotto et al. 1997; Humphreys & Forde 2001; Snowden et al. 2004; Gainotti 2006). Nevertheless, all these theories substantially agree in
Comparison of efficiency of ozone and chlorhexidine subgingival irrigation in orthodontic patients for controlling gingival inflammation

Ozone therapy is gaining wider acceptance in dentistry. Its antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory properties have been recognized in periodontal patients. So, the aim of the study was to compare the clinical effects of subgingival irrigation with Ozonated water to Chlorhexidine solution on gingivitis in orthodontic patients and also to correlate the clinical effects with the inflammatory markerlactate dehydrogenase enzyme (LDH) activity in GCF. A doubleblind clinical study was conducted on 30 subjects for 28 days. A split-mouth design was used in this study for subgingival irrigation. Clinical parameters such as plaque index, gingival index, gingival bleeding index, probing pocket depth and LDH enzyme activity were measured at baseline followed by subgingival irrigation with 0.01 mg/l of ozonated water on right maxillary quadrant and 0.02% of chlorhexidine solution on left maxillary quadrants. These parameters were again assessed on 14th and 28th day. Results showed a significant( P<0.01) reduction of all the clinical parameters and GCF levels of LDH enzyme activity after subgingival irrigation with both. However when compared between the ozone and chlorhexidine irrigated side, ozonated water showed a highly significant reduction of clinical parameters and LDH activity. Subgingival ozone irrigation can be an effective method to reduce gingival inflammation in orthodontic patients.