Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Emerging Africa: How the Global Economy's 'Last Frontier' Can Prosper and Matter

A rare and timely intervention from Kingsley Chiedu Moghalu, Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, on development in Africa. To many, Africa is the new frontier. As the West lies battered by financial crisis, Africa is seen as offering limitless opportunities for wealth creation in the march of globalization. But what is Africa to today's Africans? Are its economies truly on the rise? And what is its likely future? In this pioneering book, leading international strategist Kingsley Moghalu challenges conventional wisdoms about Africa's quest for growth. Drawing on philosophy, economics and strategy, he ranges from capitalism to technological innovation, finance to foreign investment, and from human capital to world trade to offer a new vision of transformation. Ultimately he demonstrates how Africa's progress in the twenty-first century will require nothing short of the reinvention of the African mindset. "Africans seriously analyzing Africa's opportunities are all too rare. Kingsley Moghalu writes with insight and authority". (Paul Collier). "Savvy . distinguished". (Mark Malloch-Brown). "Unique in the depth of its insight, the ambition of its scope, and the clarity of its argument. Kingsley Moghalu brings a remarkable intellect and his vast experience to this tour de force on Africa's economic transformation. This is a truly weighty contribution to understanding Africa's developmental dilemma and its quest for a more prosperous future". (Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala). "Insightful and analytical . sheds instructive light on Africa's position in the world. It is a testament to the palpable optimism that encompasses Africa while frankly addressing the myriad challenges that lie ahead for its economic transformation". (Shashi Tharoor). Kingsley Chiedu Moghalu is Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria. He was the Founder and CEO of Sogato Strategies S.A. , a global strategy and risk management consulting firm in Geneva, Switzerland. He has previously worked for the United Nations for 17 years in strategic planning, legal, development finance and executive management. His previous books include Global Justice and Rwanda's Genocide.
Comparative Antibody-Mediated Phagocytosis of Staphylococcus epidermidis Cells Grown in a Biofilm or in the Planktonic State

ABSTRACT Staphylococcus epidermidis is an important cause of nosocomial infections. Virulence is attributable to elaboration of biofilms on medical surfaces that protect the organisms from immune system clearance. Even though leukocytes can penetrate biofilms, they fail to phagocytose and kill bacteria. The properties that make biofilm bacteria resistant to the immune system are not well characterized. In order to better understand the mechanisms of resistance of bacteria in biofilms to the immune system, we evaluated antibody penetration throughout the biofilm and antibody-mediated phagocytic killing of planktonic versus biofilm cells of S. epidermidis by using a rabbit antibody to poly-N-acetylglucosamine (PNAG). These antibodies are opsonic and protect against infection with planktonic cells of PNAG-positive Staphylococcus aureus and S. epidermidis. Antibody to PNAG readily penetrated the biofilm and bound to the same areas in the biofilm as did wheat germ agglutinin, a lectin known to bind to components of staphylococcal biofilms. However, biofilm cells were more resistant to opsonic killing than their planktonic counterparts in spite of producing more PNAG per cell than planktonic cells. Biofilm extracts inhibited opsonic killing mediated by antibody to PNAG, suggesting that the PNAG antigen within the biofilm matrix prevents antibody binding close to the bacterial cell surface, which is needed for efficient opsonic killing. Increased resistance of biofilm cells to opsonic killing mediated by an otherwise protective antibody was due not to a biofilm-specific phenotype but rather to high levels of antigen within the biofilm that prevented bacterial opsonization by the antibody.
The marketing of tourism services using the internet : a resource-based view

Taking a resource-based view of the business, this study attempts to identify the non-technology resources driving the successful use of the Internet for marketing tourism services. If these complementary resources can be identified, they can be used to leverage the use of the Internet for marketing, which in turn will contribute to a sustainable competitive advantage for small tourism businesses. Hypotheses are developed and then tested by making use of a large-scale empirical study. The results indicate that a network of effective alliances, the existence of a product champion in the business, and appreciation by the owner-manager of the broader business implications surrounding the implementation of the Internet for marketing, are important to the successful use of the Internet for the marketing of tourism services. The study makes a contribution to the literature by identifying and measuring the drivers of Internet marketing success, as well as by establishing how resource-based theory provides a valuable approach to consideration of how these factors can be managed.
An Algorithm for image stitching and blending

In many clinical studies, including those of cancer, it is highly desirable to acquire images of whole tumour sections whilst retaining a microscopic resolution. A usual approach to this is to create a composite image by appropriately overlapping individual images acquired at high magnification under a microscope. A mosaic of these images can be accurately formed by applying image registration, overlap removal and blending techniques. We describe an optimised, automated, fast and reliable method for both image joining and blending. These algorithms can be applied to most types of light microscopy imaging. Examples from histology, from in vivo vascular imaging and from fluorescence applications are shown, both in 2D and 3D. The algorithms are robust to the varying image overlap of a manually moved stage, though examples of composite images acquired both with manually-driven and computer-controlled stages are presented. The overlap-removal algorithm is based on the cross-correlation method; this is used to determine and select the best correlation point between any new image and the previous composite image. A complementary image blending algorithm, based on a gradient method, is used to eliminate sharp intensity changes at the image joins, thus gradually blending one image onto the adjacent 'composite'. The details of the algorithm to overcome both intensity discrepancies and geometric misalignments between the stitched images will be presented and illustrated with several examples.
Fuelwood consumption and forest degradation: a household model for domestic energy substitution in rural India.

This paper disusses domestic en- ergy supply and demand in rural India. Links be- tween forest scarcity and household fuel collec- tion are analyzed in a non-separable household model, focusing on substitution of non-commer- cial fuels from the commons and the private do- main. Based on data from villages bordering a protected area, a novel maximum entropy ap- proach is used for estimation. It is found that households respond to forest scarcity and in- creased fuelwood collection time by substituting fuels from private sources for forest fuelwood. However, the magnitude of the response appears insufficient to prevent current fuelwood collection practices from causing serious forest degrada- tion. (JEL Q24)
A New Bulk Built-In Current Sensor-Based Strategy for Dealing with Long-Duration Transient Faults in Deep-Submicron Technologies

Today's deeply-scaled technology-based integrated circuits are highly sensitive to soft error, tending to be even more in the future. In fact, emerging critical issues are related to transient faults that now can be as long as circuits' clock periods. This work presents a novel improved strategy based on bulk built-in current sensors that is able to cope with long-duration transient faults. Our cost-effective approach is a concurrent error detection scheme with recovery procedure, and rather than existing similar strategy, it has faster correction latency and uses less recovery resources.
Human-Robot Formation Control via Visual and Vibrotactile Haptic Feedback

In this paper we present a new visuo-haptic interaction mechanism for human-robot formation control. The formation setup consists of a human leader and multiple follower robots. The mobile robots are equipped only with RGB-D cameras, and they should maintain a desired distance and orientation to the leader at all times. Mechanical limitations common to all the robots limit the possible trajectories that the human can take. In this regard, vibrotactile feedback provided by a haptic bracelet guides the human along trajectories that are feasible for the team by warning her/him when the formation constraints are being violated. Psychophysical tests on the bracelet together with real-world experiments conducted with a team of Pioneer robots show the effectiveness of the proposed visuo-haptic paradigm for the coordination of mixed human-robot teams.
The Enhanced Digital Investigation Process Model

Computer crimes are on the rise and unfortunately less than two percent of the reported cases result in conviction. The process (methodology and approach) one adopts in conducting a digital forensics investigation is immensely crucial to the outcome of such an investigation. Overlooking one step or interchanging any of the steps may lead to incom- plete or inconclusive results hence wrong interpretations and conclusions. A computer crime culprit may walk Scot-free or an innocent suspect may suer negative consequences (both monetary and otherwise) simply on account of a forensics investigation that was inadequate or improperly conducted. In this paper, we present a brief overview of forensic models and propose a new model based on the Integrated Digital Investigation Model.
Proposed Running Head : Origin of Chaos in the Prometheus / Pandora System

We demonstrate that the chaotic orbits of Prometheus and Pandora are due to interactions associated with the 121:118 mean motion resonance. Differential precession splits this resonance into a quartet of components equally spaced in frequency. Libration widths of the individual components exceed the splitting resulting in resonance overlap which causes the chaos. A single degree of freedom model captures the essential features of the chaotic dynamics. Mean motions of Prometheus and Pandora wander chaotically in zones of width 1.8 deg yr−1 and 3.1 deg yr−1, respectively.
Strength distribution of solar magnetic fields in photospheric quiet Sun regions

Context. The magnetic topology of the solar photosphere in its quietest regions is hidden by the difficulties to disentangle magnetic flux through the resolution element from the field strength of unresolved structures. The observation of spectral lines with strong coupling with hyperfine structure, like the observed Mn i line at 553.7 nm, allows such differentiation. Aims. To analyse the distribution of field strengths in the network and intranetwork of the solar photosphere through inversion of the Mn i line at 553.7 nm. Methods. An inversion code for the magnetic field using the principal component analysis (PCA) has been developed. Statistical tests are run on the code to validate it. The code has to draw information from the small-amplitude spectral feature appearing in the core of the Stokes V profile of the observed line for field strengths below a certain threshold, coinciding with lower limit of the Paschen-Back effect in the fine structure of the involved atomic levels. Results. The inversion of the observed profiles, using the circular polarisation (V) and the intensity (I), shows the presence of magnetic fields strengths in a range from 0 to 2 kG, with predominant weak strength values. Mixed regions with mean strength field values of 1130 and 435 Gauss are found associated with the network and intranetwork, respectively. Conclusions. The Mn i line at 553 nm probes the field strength distribution in the quiet sun and shows the predominance of weak, hectoGauss fields in the intranetwork, and strong, kiloGauss fields in the network. It also shows that both network and intranetwork are to be understood at our present spatial resolutions as field distributions, of which we hint at the mean properties.
Comparative Efficacy of Subtype AE Simian-Human Immunodeficiency Virus Priming and Boosting Vaccines in Pigtail Macaques

ABSTRACT Vaccination against AIDS is hampered by great diversity between human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) strains. Heterologous B-subtype-based simian-human immunodeficiency virus (SHIV) DNA prime and poxvirus boost vaccine regimens can induce partial, T-cell-mediated, protective immunity in macaques. We analyzed a set of DNA, recombinant fowlpox viruses (FPV), and vaccinia viruses (VV) expressing subtype AE HIV type 1 (HIV-1) Tat, Rev, and Env proteins and SIV Gag/Pol in 30 pigtail macaques. SIV Gag-specific CD4 and CD8 T-cell responses were induced by sequential DNA/FPV vaccination, although lower FPV doses, VV/FPV vaccination, and DNA vaccines alone were not as consistently immunogenic. The SHIV AE DNA prime, FPV boost regimens were significantly less immunogenic than comparable B-subtype SHIV vaccination. Peak viral load was modestly (0.4 log10 copies/ml) lower among the AE subtype SHIV-immunized animals compared to controls following the virulent B subtype SHIV challenge. Protection from persistent high levels of viremia and CD4 T-cell depletion was less in AE subtype compared to B subtype SHIV-vaccinated macaques. Gag was highly immunodominant over the other AE subtype SHIV vaccine proteins after vaccination, and this immunodominance was exacerbated after challenge. Interestingly, the lower level of priming of immune responses did not blunt postchallenge Gag-specific recall responses, despite more modest protection. These studies suggest priming of T-cell immunity to prevent AIDS in humans is possible, but differences in the immunogenicity of various subtype vaccines and broad cross-subtype protection are substantial hurdles.
A model for the diffuse attenuation coefficient of downwelling irradiance

[1] The diffuse attenuation coefficient for downwelling irradiance (Kd) is an important parameter for ocean studies. For the vast ocean the only feasible means to get fine-scale measurements of Kd is by ocean color remote sensing. At present, values of Kd from remote sensing are estimated using empirical algorithms. Such an approach is insufficient to provide an understanding regarding the variation of Kd and contains large uncertainties in the derived values. In this study a semianalytical model for Kd is developed based on the radiative transfer equation, with values of the model parameters derived from Hydrolight simulations using the averaged particle phase function. The model is further tested with data simulated using significantly different particle phase functions, and the modeled Kd are found matching Hydrolight Kd very well (∼2% average error and ∼12% maximum error). Such a model provides an improved interpretation about the variation of Kd and a basis to more accurately determine Kd (especially using data from remote sensing).
Expression of a preprorelaxin-like gene during squamous differentiation of rabbit tracheobronchial epithelial cells and its suppression by retinoic acid.

Squamous cell differentiation in tracheobronchial epithelial cells is accompanied by many biochemical and molecular changes. One of the molecular changes in rabbit tracheal epithelial (RbTE) cells is the differential expression of a squamous cell-specific mRNA encoded by the complementary DNA SQ10. In this study, we sequenced SQ10 complementary DNA and showed that this gene encodes a preprorelaxin-like protein. The DNA sequence of the coding region of SQ10 has 68% identity with the human preprorelaxin mRNA, whereas the deduced amino acid sequence exhibits 46% identity with human preprorelaxin. An antiserum (pepIV-Ab) was raised against a synthetic 22-amino acid oligopeptide of the protein encoded by SQ10. Immunoblot analysis of cellular extracts of squamous-differentiated cells showed that this antiserum reacted with proteins of 22 and 20 kilodaltons, possibly constituting prepro- and proforms of this protein. These proteins were undetectable in undifferentiated RbTE cells. In agreement with these observations, PepIV-Ab specifically stained the cytosol of squamous-differentiated RbTE cells but failed to stain undifferentiated cells. PepIV-Ab recognized a 20 and 16 kilodalton polypeptide in medium conditioned by squamous-differentiated RbTE cells, indicating that the prorelaxin-like protein is secreted. The amino acid sequences of three peptides that were obtained after tryptic digestion of the secreted 16 kilodalton protein were identical to sequences encoded by SQ10. Retinoids which have been shown to inhibit squamous differentiation suppressed the induction of SQ10 protein as well as mRNA in a concentration-dependent manner. The concentration at which retinoic acid caused a 50% inhibition of SQ10 mRNA levels was approximately 5 nM. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Climate Change and Poverty

Climate Change and Poverty offers a timely new perspective on the 'ecosocial' understanding of the causes, symptoms and solutions to poverty, and applies this to recent developments across a number of areas, including fuel poverty, food poverty, housing, transport and air pollution. This book is available Open Access under CC-BY-NC licence.
Bernstein filter: A new solver for mean curvature regularized models

The mean curvature has been shown a proper regularization in various ill-posed inverse problems in signal processing. Traditional solvers are based on either gradient descent methods or Euler Lagrange Equation. However, it is not clear if this mean curvature regularization term itself is convex or not. In this paper, we first prove that the mean curvature regularization is convex if the dimension of imaging domain is not larger than seven. With this convexity, all optimization methods lead to the same global optimal solution. Based on this convexity and Bernstein theorem, we propose an efficient filter solver, which can implicitly minimize the mean curvature. Our experiments show that this filter is at least two orders of magnitude faster than traditional solvers.
Tonal alignment patterns in Spanish

Abstract Two speakers of Mexican Spanish read a total of 810 declarative sentences containing nine distinct target syllables with an H * accent, under different prosodic conditions (end of intonational phrase, end of intermediate phrase, and phrase-medial position), systematically changing syllabic position in the word and distance in syllables to the next stressed syllable. The data demonstrate that models that represent F 0 peak placement as a fixed proportion of the syllable/rhyme are superseded by models that take into account intrasyllabic segmental durations (e.g., van Santen & Hirschberg 1994). In addition, prosodic factors such as adjacency to word, intonational and intermediate-boundaries, and stress clash, are key components in the prediction of peak location. F 0 peaks before such prosodic units tend to be placed earlier in thier syllables. Long range effects of those prosodic factors are statistically significant, but generally small. An examination of the timing of the entire accent gesture in these prosodic contexts demonstrates that: 1) the location of the start of the F 0 rise is fairly constant (generally at the onset of the accented syllable); 2) the time allocated for the rising gesture is not invariant: syllables with early peaks also have a shorter rise time (i.e., temporal distance between the peak and the previous valley); and 3) the velocity of the accent rise is clearly correlated with peak delay (i.e., temporal distance between the peak and the onset of the syllable): accents with relatively early peaks have a steeper rising slope, and vice versa. Results from the present study represent preliminary evidence that both the segmental composition of the accented syllable and following prosodic context trigger a timing and velocity adjustment on the entire H * accent gesture in Spanish.
Polymorphisms Associated with Both Noncardioembolic Stroke and Coronary Heart Disease: Vienna Stroke Registry

Noncardioembolic stroke and coronary heart disease (CHD) may share genetic predispositions. We tested the hypothesis that genetic variants which are associated with risk of CHD would also be associated with risk of noncardioembolic stroke in 562 cases from the Vienna Stroke Registry and 815 controls. We selected 6 gene variants that had been consistently associated with risk of CHD in 3 studies, including the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities study, and found that 4 of these gene variants were also associated with risk of noncardioembolic stroke. The odds ratios for noncardioembolic stroke were 1.31 (90% CI 1.07–1.60) for rs3900940 in MYH15, 1.24 (90% CI 1.01–1.5) for rs20455 in KIF6, 1.21 (90% CI 0.99–1.49) for rs1010 in VAMP8, and 1.20 (90% CI 0.95–1.50) for rs10757274 on chromosome 9p21.
Art as an Investment: The Market for Modern Prints

Repeat sales of modern prints at auction are used to estimate a semiannual index of prices for the period 1977-92. As in other studies of art as an investment, prints do not compare favorably to traditional financial assets. There is substantial noise in auction prices but little or no support for the proposition that some artists command higher prices in certain countries or that masterpieces outperform the market. One puzzle is the continuing tendency for prices realized at certain auction houses to exceed those realized at others: notably, at Sotheby's relative to Christie's in New York. Copyright 1993 by American Economic Association.
Electrodiagnostic evaluation of carpal tunnel syndrome

Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) is the most common nerve entrapment. Electrodiagnostic (EDX) studies are a valid and reliable means of confirming the diagnosis. This monograph addresses the various EDX techniques used to evaluate the median nerve at the wrist. It also demonstrates the limitations of EDX studies with a focus on the sensitivity and specificity of EDX testing for CTS. The need to use reference values for populations such as diabetics and active workers, where normative values differ from conventional cutoffs used to confirm suspected CTS, is presented. The value of needle electromyography (EMG) is examined. Muscle Nerve, 2011
Construction and evaluation of trellis-coded quantizers for memoryless sources

New constructions of trellis waveform coders, trellis-coded quantizers, and trellis-coded vector quantizers are proposed. The performances of the new quantizers are determined for the memoryless Laplacian, Gaussian, and uniform sources. They are better than (for the Gaussian and Laplacian sources) or equal to (for the uniform source) the best previously published results. >
A hybrid deep model with HOG features for Bangla handwritten numeral classification

Considering the practical significances, handwriting recognition is getting an intense interest to the research community. Through, several studies have been conducted for Bengali handwriting recognition, a robust model for Bengali numerals classification is still due. Therefore, a hybrid model is presented in this paper, which aims to classify the Bengali numerals more precisely. The proposed model bridges hand crafted feature extraction based approaches with the automatically learnt features of Convolutional Neural networks (CNN). It is observed that the proposed model outperforms existing models with lesser epochs. The proposed model is trained and tested with the ISI numeral dataset and also cross-validated with the CAMTERDB numeral dataset. For both scenarios, proposed model shows consistency and demonstrate the maximum accuracy of 99.02% and 99.17%, respectively. For the CMATERDB collection, the proposed model achieves the best accuracy rate reported till date.