Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Rethinking Pastoralism in Africa: Gender. Culture, and the Myth of the Patriarchal Pastoralist

Introduction - gender, culture and the myth of the patriarchal pastoralist, Dorothy I. Hodgson. Part 1 Making culture: gender and material culture in West Pokot, Kenya, Barbara Bianco gender, ethnicity and social aesthetics in Maasai and Okiek beadwork, Corinne Kratz and Donna Pido women and men of the Khoekhoen of Southern Africa, Andrew B. Smith and Lita Webley. Part 2 Domains of power: pastoralism, patriarchy and history among Maasai in Tanganyika, 1890-1940, Dorothy L. Hodgson women's roles in peacemaking in Somali society, Asha Hagi Elmi et al gender, ethnographic myths and community-based conservation in a former Namibian "homeland", Sian Sullivan. Part 3 Social relations: the fertility of houses and herds - producing kinship and gender among Turkana pastoralists, Vigdis Brich-Due exalted mothers - gender aging and postchildbearing experience in a Tuareg community, Susan Rasmussen. Part 4 Negotiating development and modernity: milk selling among Fulani women in northern Burkina Faso, Solveig Buhl and Katherine Homewood development ideologies and local knowledge among Samburu women in northern Kenya, Bilinda Straight pastoral disruption and cultural continuity in a pastoral town, M.I. Aguilar.
Implications of Low Level Human Exposure to Respirable B. Anthracis

A comprehensive literature review and associated new analysis of human exposure to different doses of respirable spores of Bacillus anthracis, and subsequent development, or not, of inhalational anthrax were conducted. The objective of the review was to evaluate actual human data collected at low doses (∼600 respirable particles under 5 microns in diameter per day). The key findings of the paper are: (a) Exposure of individuals to 600 or more spores was common in U.S. textile mills before 1960; (b) If 600 spores were sufficient to induce disease, inhalational anthrax would have been common; (c) Inhalational anthrax was very rarely observed; and (d) Therefore, 600 spores may not be sufficient to induce disease in a healthy individual who is not egregiously predisposed to anthrax, lung disease, or is immuno-compromised. The upper confidence limit for the probability that disease would result from exposure to 600 spores or less is 0.000 000 06. Furthermore, it is not appropriate to characterize 600 or fewer spores as LDx for any value of x, however small. Only nine “adventitious” cases of inhalational anthrax in the U.S. have been documented in the past 107 years for which there are no reasonable prospects of identifying evidenced-based explanations. For risk management, occupational safety, and related public-health concerns, the rarity, not the mystery, of these cases is the key point. The presence of such a small number of unexplained cases is a moot point for risk assessments and planning studies.
TFIIA Plays a Role in the Response to Oxidative Stress

ABSTRACT To characterize the role of the general transcription factor TFIIA in the regulation of gene expression by RNA polymerase II, we examined the transcriptional profiles of TFIIA mutants of Saccharomyces cerevisiae using DNA microarrays. Whole-genome expression profiles were determined for three different mutants with mutations in the gene coding for the small subunit of TFIIA, TOA2. Depending on the particular mutant strain, approximately 11 to 27% of the expressed genes exhibit altered message levels. A search for common motifs in the upstream regions of the pool of genes decreased in all three mutants yielded the binding site for Yap1, the transcription factor that regulates the response to oxidative stress. Consistent with a TFIIA-Yap1 connection, the TFIIA mutants are unable to grow under conditions that require the oxidative stress response. Underexpression of Yap1-regulated genes in the TFIIA mutant strains is not the result of decreased expression of Yap1 protein, since immunoblot analysis indicates similar amounts of Yap1 in the wild-type and mutant strains. In addition, intracellular localization studies indicate that both the wild-type and mutant strains localize Yap1 indistinguishably in response to oxidative stress. As such, the decrease in transcription of Yap1-dependent genes in the TFIIA mutant strains appears to reflect a compromised interaction between Yap1 and TFIIA. This hypothesis is supported by the observations that Yap1 and TFIIA interact both in vivo and in vitro. Taken together, these studies demonstrate a dependence of Yap1 on TFIIA function and highlight a new role for TFIIA in the cellular mechanism of defense against reactive oxygen species.
Marhaba, how may I help you? Effects of Politeness and Culture on Robot Acceptance and Anthropomorphization

How do politeness strategies and cultural aspects affect robot acceptance and anthropomorphization across native speakers of English and Arabic? Previous work in cross-cultural HRI studies has mostly focused on Western and East Asian cultures. In contrast, Middle Eastern attitudes and perceptions of robot assistants are a barely researched topic. We investigated culture-specific determinants of robot acceptance and anthropomorphization by conducting a between-subjects study in Qatar. A total of 92 native speakers of either English or Arabic interacted with a receptionist robot in two different interaction tasks. We further manipulated the robot’s verbal behavior in experimental sub-groups to explore different politeness strategies. Our results suggest that Arab participants perceived the robot more positively and anthropomorphized it more than English speaking participants. In addition, the use of positive politeness strategies and the change of interaction task had an effect on participants’ HRI experience. Our findings complement the existing body of cross-cultural HRI research with a Middle Eastern perspective that will help to inform the design of robots intended for use in cross-cultural, multi-lingual settings.
Extent of Beta Cell Destruction Is Important but Insufficient to Predict the Onset of Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus

Background Type 1 diabetes mellitus is characterized by an inability to produce insulin endogenously. Based on a series of histopathology studies of patients with recent onset of the disease, it is commonly stated that the onset of clinical symptoms corresponds to an 80-95% reduction in beta cell mass. Motivated by the clinical importance of the degree of beta cell destruction at onset, a meta-analysis was used to determine the validity of this common wisdom. Methods and Findings The histopathology results identifying insulin containing islets in patients younger than 20 years of age were extracted from three different studies. The results for 105 patients were stratified by duration of diabetic symptoms and age at onset. Linear regression and a non-parametric bootstrap approach were used to determine the dependence of residual beta cell mass to age at onset. The percentage reduction in beta cell mass was highly correlated (p<0.001) with the age of onset with the greatest reduction in beta cell mass in the youngest patients. As this trend had not been previously observed, an alternative physiology-based model is proposed that captures this age-dependence. Conclusions The severity in beta cell reduction at onset decreased with age where, on average, a 40% reduction in beta cell mass was sufficient to precipitate clinical symptoms at 20 years of age. The observed trend was consistent with a physiology-based model where the threshold for onset is based upon a dynamic balance between insulin-production capacity, which is proportional to beta cell mass, and insulin demand, which is proportional to body weight.
Exploring the Mechanisms of Implementation Intentions: A Preschool Intervention

In childhood, the ability to exhibit self-control, or to adapt behavior to promote goal achievement, is an essential predictor for general life outcomes. Children with strong control abilities develop into adults who are more successful in domains such as health, wealth and academic achievement. One aspect of self-control is the ability to resist temptation in the face of attractive distractions. For this reason, interventions that target improvements in distraction avoidance in young, preschool-aged children may improve self-control. The present study tested the effectiveness of implementation intentions (IIs), or if-then plans used to facilitate goal achievement (Gollwitzer, 1999), to improve the performance on a categorization task by increasing the ability to resist distraction in school-aged and preschool-aged children. Additionally, by measuring the relationship between individual differences in categorization task performance and individual differences in proactive control, the cognitive control mechanisms supporting the effectiveness of IIs were tested. We found no evidence that IIs improved task performance in either age group; thus, the mechanisms underlying IIs remain unresolved. Future projects will be necessary for making strong conclusions about the effectiveness of II interventions in young children and the potential cognitive control mechanisms on which IIs operate.
Myocardial contrast echocardiography is superior to other known modalities for assessing myocardial reperfusion after acute myocardial infarction

Background: Angiographic flow measurements do not define perfusion accurately at a microvascular level, so other techniques which assess flow at a tissue level are to be preferred. Objectives: To compare intravenous myocardial contrast echocardiography (MCE) with other methods of assessing microvascular reperfusion for their ability to predict left ventricular function at one month after acute myocardial infarction. Design: 15 patients underwent primary percutaneous coronary angioplasty for acute myocardial infarction, with restoration of TIMI grade 3 flow. Corrected TIMI frame count (cTFC), myocardial blush grade (MBG), and percentage ST segment resolution at 90 and 180 minutes were recorded. Baseline regional wall motion score index (WMSI) and regional contrast score index (RCSI) were obtained 12–24 hours after the procedure, with a final regional WMSI assessment at one month. Results: Mean (SD) cTFC was 27 (9.4), and ST segment resolution was 69 (22)% at 90 minutes and 77 (20)% at 180 minutes. MBG values were 0 in six patients, 2 in two, and 3 in seven. Baseline regional WMSI, RCSI, and follow up WMSI were 2.7 (0.71), 1.5 (0.71), and 1.6 (0.73), respectively. The correlation coefficient between RCSI and follow up WMSI was 0.82 (p = 0.0012). Peak CK correlated with follow up WMSI (R = 0.80). None of the other reperfusion assessment techniques correlated significantly with follow up WMSI. Multiple regression analysis showed that a perfused hypokinetic or akinetic segment was 50 times more likely to recover function than a non-perfused segment. MCE predicted segmental myocardial recovery with a sensitivity of 88%, a specificity of 74%, and positive and negative predictive values of 83% and 81%, respectively. Conclusions: MCE is currently the best and most accurate measure of reperfusion at a microvascular level and an excellent predictor of left ventricular function at one month following acute myocardial infarction.
Modeling and Characterization of the Implant Intra-Body Communication Based on Capacitive Coupling Using a Transfer Function Method

Implantable devices have important applications in biomedical sensor networks used for biomedical monitoring, diagnosis and treatment, etc. In this paper, an implant intra-body communication (IBC) method based on capacitive coupling has been proposed, and the modeling and characterization of this kind of IBC has been investigated. Firstly, the transfer function of the implant IBC based on capacitive coupling was derived. Secondly, the corresponding parameters of the transfer function are discussed. Finally, both measurements and simulations based on the proposed transfer function were carried out, while some important conclusions have been achieved, which indicate that the achieved transfer function and conclusions are able to help to achieve an implant communication method with the highly desirable characteristics of low power consumption, high data rate, high transmission quality, etc.
Emotion Inferences from Vocal Expression Correlate Across Languages and Cultures

Whereas the perception of emotion from facial expression has been extensively studied cross-culturally, little is known about judges’ ability to infer emotion from vocal cues. This article reports the results from a study conducted in nine countries in Europe, the United States, and Asia on vocal emotion portrayals of anger, sadness, fear, joy, and neutral voice as produced by professional German actors. Data show an overall accuracy of 66% across all emotions and countries. Although accuracy was substantially better than chance, there were sizable differences ranging from 74% in Germany to 52% in Indonesia. However, patterns of confusion were very similar across all countries. These data suggest the existence of similar inference rules from vocal expression across cultures. Generally, accuracy decreased with increasing language dissimilarity from German in spite of the use of language-free speech samples. It is concluded that culture- and language-specific paralinguistic patterns may influence the decoding process.
Expression of Angiotensin Type 1A Receptors in C1 Neurons Restores the Sympathoexcitation to Angiotensin in the Rostral Ventrolateral Medulla of Angiotensin Type 1A Knockout Mice

In adult mice we determined whether expression of angiotensin II (Ang II) type 1A receptors (AT1ARs) in C1 neurons mediates the excitation of the rostral ventrolateral medulla (RVLM) by Ang II. Blood pressure, heart rate, and sympathetic nerve activity were measured in anesthetized, artificially ventilated wild-type (n=15) and AT1AR knockout (AT1A−/−; n=9) mice. Microinjection of Ang II (50 nL of 0.1 to 1.0 mmol/L) into the RVLM induced a dose-related, sympathetically mediated pressor response (maximum of 17±2 mm Hg) in wild-type mice. These microinjections had no effect in AT1A−/− mice. Endogenous AT1Rs occur on catecholaminergic C1 neurons in the RVLM. We induced AT1AR or green fluorescent protein expression in C1 neurons of AT1A−/− mice through bilateral microinjection of replication-deficient lentiviruses, with transgene expression under the control of a phox2 transcription factor binding promoter (PRSx8) (Lv-PRSx8-AT1A, n=10, and Lv-PRSx8-GFP, n=5). Transgene expression was observed in a significant proportion of RVLM C1 neurons. In anesthetized Lv-PRSx8-AT1A injected mice, unilateral RVLM microinjection of Ang II (50 nL of 1 mmol/L) increased blood pressure (17±4 mm Hg) and sympathetic nerve activity (155±32%). No response to Ang II occurred in Lv-PRSx8-GFP microinjected mice. These results show that Ang II–mediated excitation of RVLM neurons in adult mice depends on the AT1AR with little or no effect of type 1B or 2 receptors. Expression of the AT1AR predominantly in C1 catecholamine neurons restores the response to Ang II in the AT1A−/− mouse and demonstrates that these neurons are sympathoexcitatory in the mouse.
The Dynamics of Competing Cascades in Social Media : Applications to Agenda Setting

Agenda setting in online social media is today an intensively competitive space with multiple cascades vying for growth and adoption. We study here the dynamics of competing cascades: how does one cascade rise against another, how can we design effective counter-contagion strategies, and where exactly should they be unleashed? We demonstrate the effectiveness of our model in capturing real agenda setting situations observed on Twitter, and in designing counter contagions in a synthetic setting.
Oil sludge contaminated soil bioremediation via composting using refinery treatment plant sludge and different bulking agents

In bioremediation, oil degrading microorganisms are applied to remediate contaminated soil. Air is an essential factor for activation of degrading microorganisms. Adding some bulky wastes or by-products which enhance the air circulation in the system is one of the economical approaches for aeration. In this study, co-composting of oil sludge contaminated soil from a local refinery plant was studied using dry yard waste (CI) and nonrecyclable paper (CII) as bulking agents. Initially 16 L cubic composters were made using plexiglass. Composters were opened at the top and had number of holes at the bottom and sides. The soil was spiked with petroleum refinery sludge (20%, dry weight basis) and the ratio of contaminated soil to bulking agents and seeding materials was 1:1 (v/v) and 1:0.5 (w/w), respectively. The seeding materials as source of microorganisms was brought from the same refinery plant wastewater treatment facility. The total volume of each mixture was approximately 4.3 kg. The composters were cultivated weekly and water was added occasionally to maintain moisture content. Results show the temperature profile for both composters were built up after initial weeks. Moisture content reached to steady conditions (50% to 60%) in second week and was maintained within the range till the end of experiments. pH showed more fluctuation in CII compared to CI. The maximum reduction of total petroleum hydrocarbon (TPH) was 55% and 56% for CI and CII, respectively over the 14-week study duration. The composting degradation rate kinetics indicates that the TPH concentrations will reach less than 100 mg/kg after 23 weeks of degradation.
“I Wouldn’t Say We Were Treated Equally”: Experiences of Young Adult Stepchildren in the Ghanaian Context

ABSTRACT Stepparent–stepchild relationships can be difficult to develop and research suggests that the quality of these relationships affects stepfamily functioning and child well-being. This qualitative study explored experiences and perceived determinants of stepchild abuse among 16 youths who are stepchildren on the University of Ghana campus. Positive experiences included receipt of material and emotional support and difficult experiences included favoritism, subjection to severe disciplinary measures, and neglect. Impacts of these experiences were reported. Perceived determinants of stepchild abuse included lack of biological relation, personality of stepparent, financial constrain, stepparent’s past experiences, and inheritance. Implications of the findings are discussed.
Clinical Significance of FGF-23 in Patients with CKD

FGF23 is a bone-derived hormone that plays an important role in the regulation of phosphate and 1,25-dihydroxy vitamin D metabolism. FGF23 principally acts in the kidney to induce urinary phosphate excretion and suppress 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D synthesis in the presence of FGF receptor 1 (FGFR1) and its coreceptor Klotho. In patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD), circulating FGF23 levels are progressively increased to compensate for persistent phosphate retention, but this results in reduced renal production of 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D and leads to hypersecretion of parathyroid hormone. Furthermore, FGF23 is associated with vascular dysfunction, atherosclerosis, and left ventricular hypertrophy. This paper summarizes the role of FGF23 in the pathogenesis of mineral, bone, and cadiovascular disorders in CKD.
Designing Non-Verbal Expressions for Appearance-Constrained Robots

In the last few decades, we have witnessed an enormous increase in social robotics. In addition to industrial robots that work in factories, social robots are expected to be employed in a variety of applications such as education, health care, public service, and domestic uses, where communicating and interacting with humans are a necessary. However, a large number of robots currently in use are neither anthropomorphic nor zoomorphic. When we rst encounter such robots, the lack of appropriate mental models and knowledge with regard to these robots can lead to unsmooth or even failed interaction. In addition, such robots are generally constrained in appearance, meaning that they are designed to be functional and lack expressive faces and bodies. Therefore, there is a signi cant challenge in nding e ective ways for these robots to successfully interact with human users. To design e ective expressions for appearance-constrained robots, I probe nonverbal cues include expressive lights, motion, sound, and vibration. I consider the four modalities are particularly suitable for appearance-constrained robot as they do not require human-like features such as face and hand. Besides, because these modalities are neither anthropomorphic nor zoomorphic, they would not cause people’s expectations of the appearance-constrained robots to exceed the real capabilities of the robots and result in a negative HRI experience. However, there is much unknown with regard to how the non-verbal expressions can be implemented to facilitate interactions between robots and humans. Theories and knowledge are needed to form valid assumptions for establishing and formalizing e ective designs. Therefore, to address the challenges mentioned above, I perform a series of studies with a focus on three key research questions: (1) How do people perceive and interpret non-verbal expressions from a robot and what are the in uences of the
Approximability of Combinatorial Problems with Multi-agent Submodular Cost Functions

Abstract— Applications in complex systems such as the Internet have spawned recent interest in studying situations involving multiple agents with their individual cost or utility functions. In this paper, we introduce an algorithmic framework for studying combinatorial problems in the presence of multiple agents with submodular cost functions. We study several fundamental covering problems (Vertex Cover, Shortest Path, Perfect Matching, and Spanning Tree) in this setting and establish tight upper and lower bounds for the approximability of these problems
Fe b 20 08 A Note on the Standard Embedding on Half-Flat Manifolds

It is argued that the ten dimensional solution that corresponds to the compactification of E8 ×E8 heterotic string theory on half-flat manifolds is the product space-time R 1,2 ×Z7 where Z7 is a generalized cylinder with G2 holonomy. Standard embedding on Z7 then implies an embedding on the half-flat manifold which involves the torsionful connection rather than the Levi-Civita connection. This leads to the breakdown of E8 × E8 to E6 × E8, as in the case of the standard embedding on Calabi-Yau manifolds, which agrees with the result derived recently by Gurrieri, Lukas and Micu [1] using a different approach. GreenSchwarz anomaly cancellation is then implemented via the torsionful connection on half-flat manifolds.