Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The impact of human capital development in employment generation in Nigeria

A major development issue in Nigeria is unemployment, despite a plethora of economic policies to guide labour absorption and utilisation in the country. Some major reasons for this unemployment challenges have been hinged on the level of human capital development as well as other socio-economic issues. Using the Auto Regressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) approach, a quantitative analysis of the effect human capital in stimulating employment or otherwise was assessed in Nigeria for the period 1970-2014. It was discovered that the level of human capital was not sufficient to stimulate employment or reduce unemployment in Nigeria. Besides, it was discovered that population growth is really not the challenge for employment in Nigeria especially if human capital can be harnessed productively, and channelled towards viable and rewarding sectors of the economy Keywords : “Population”, “Employment”, “Education”, “Capital”
Relative Performance Evaluation and Related Peer Groups in Executive Compensation Contracts

ABSTRACT: This study examines the explicit use of relative performance evaluation (RPE) in executive compensation contracts and the selection of RPE peers. Using S&P 1500 firms’ first proxy disclosures under the SEC’s 2006 executive compensation disclosure rules, we find that about 25 percent of our sample firms explicitly use RPE in setting executive compensation. We demonstrate that a lack of knowledge of both actual peer-group composition and the link between RPE-based performance targets and future peer performance significantly hinder the traditional implicit test from detecting RPE use. We also find that firms consider both costs and benefits of RPE as an incentive mechanism when deciding to use RPE. Finally, both efficient contracting and rent extraction considerations influence RPE peer selection, with the relative importance of these competing considerations depending on RPE firms’ performance.
Targeted Modification of Mitochondrial ROS Production Converts High Glucose‐Induced Cytotoxicity to Cytoprotection: Effects on Anesthetic Preconditioning

Contradictory reports on the effects of diabetes and hyperglycemia on myocardial infarction range from cytotoxicity to cytoprotection. The study was designed to investigate acute effects of high glucose‐driven changes in mitochondrial metabolism and osmolarity on adaptive mechanisms and resistance to oxidative stress of isolated rat cardiomyocytes. We examined the effects of high glucose on several parameters of mitochondrial bioenergetics, including changes in oxygen consumption, mitochondrial membrane potential, and NAD(P)H fluorometry. Effects of high glucose on the endogenous cytoprotective mechanisms elicited by anesthetic preconditioning (APC) and the mediators of cell injury were also tested. These experiments included real‐time measurements of reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and mitochondrial permeability transition pore (mPTP) opening in single cells by laser scanning fluorescence confocal microscopy, and cell survival assay. High glucose rapidly enhanced mitochondrial energy metabolism, observed by increase in NAD(P)H fluorescence intensity, oxygen consumption, and mitochondrial membrane potential. This substantially elevated production of ROS, accelerated opening of the mPTP, and decreased survival of cells exposed to oxidative stress. Abrogation of high glucose‐induced mitochondrial hyperpolarization with 2,4 dinitrophenol (DNP) significantly, but not completely, attenuated ROS production to a level similar to hyperosmotic mannitol control. DNP treatment reversed high glucose‐induced cytotoxicity to cytoprotection. Hyperosmotic mannitol treatment also induced cytoprotection. High glucose abrogated APC‐induced mitochondrial depolarization, delay in mPTP opening and cytoprotection. In conclusion, high glucose‐induced mitochondrial hyperpolarization abolishes APC and augments cell injury. Attenuation of high glucose‐induced ROS production by eliminating mitochondrial hyperpolarization protects cardiomyocytes. J. Cell. Physiol. 232: 216–224, 2017. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
The serverless trilemma: function composition for serverless computing

The field of serverless computing has recently emerged in support of highly scalable, event-driven applications. A serverless application is a set of stateless functions, along with the events that should trigger their activation. A serverless runtime allocates resources as events arrive, avoiding the need for costly pre-allocated or dedicated hardware. While an attractive economic proposition, serverless computing currently lags behind the state of the art when it comes to function composition. This paper addresses the challenge of programming a composition of functions, where the composition is itself a serverless function. We demonstrate that engineering function composition into a serverless application is possible, but requires a careful evaluation of trade-offs. To help in evaluating these trade-offs, we identify three competing constraints: functions should be considered as black boxes; function composition should obey a substitution principle with respect to synchronous invocation; and invocations should not be double-billed. Furthermore, we argue that, if the serverless runtime is limited to a reactive core, i.e. one that deals only with dispatching functions in response to events, then these constraints form the serverless trilemma. Without specific runtime support, compositions-as-functions must violate at least one of the three constraints. Finally, we demonstrate an extension to the reactive core of an open-source serverless runtime that enables the sequential composition of functions in a trilemma-satisfying way. We conjecture that this technique could be generalized to support other combinations of functions.
Immunological heterogeneity of pregnancy‐associated plasma protein‐A (PAPP‐A). Effects on the radioimmunoassay of PAPP‐A

Summary. Pregnancy‐associated plasma protein‐A (PAPP‐A) is a macromolecular glycoprotein produced by the trophoblast during pregnancy. Because the presence of PAPP‐A in non‐pregnant females is controversial, we re‐evaluated our own radioimmunoassay technique for PAPP‐A in the light of new observations about its immunological heterogeneity. Irrespective of the antibody (Geneva anti‐PAPP‐A or Dako anti‐PAPP‐A) the use of EDTA pregnancy plasma instead of pregnancy scrum as a standard yielded different slopes of the standard curves and estimated significantly different amounts of PAPP‐A in test samples. Moreover, highly purified tracers, isolated from maternal EDTA pregnancy plasma or pregnancy serum also produced significantly different results. So that the use of a tracer purified from EDTA plasma and EDTA pregnancy plasma as a standard will yield measurable levels of PAPP‐A in non‐pregnant female serum whereas the use of a tracer purified from maternal pregnancy serum and maternal pregnancy serum as a standard will not detect PAPP‐A in the same samples. We conclude that, irrespective of the antiserum used, but depending on the biological origin of the tracer and the standard, different results will be obtained. PAPP‐A is clearly immunologically heterogeneous, and the immunorecognition of PAPP‐A will depend on whether or not blood coagulation has taken place.
DNA‐synthesis enzyme activity: A biological tool useful for predicting anti‐metabolic drug sensitivity in breast cancer?

Thymidine kinase (TK) and thymidylate synthase (TS) play a key role in, respectively, the salvage and the de novo DNA synthesis pathways. TS is a crucial target for 5‐fluorouracil(5‐FU) and may also influence methotrexate(MTX) efficiency. Tyrosine kinase(TPK) has been associated with the cytoplasmic domain of growth factor receptors as well as oncoproteins. We investigated whether TK, TS and TPK are predictive factors for drug sensitivity evaluated in terms of relapse‐free improvement in breast‐cancer patients receiving adjuvant chemotherapy. TK, TS and TPK activities were determined in the cytosols of 154 node‐positive primary breast cancers. All patients received 5‐FU containing adjuvant chemotherapy. Measurements were performed using radioenzymatic methods. The levels of TK were correlated with those of TS and TPK. The levels of TS and TPK were less strongly correlated with each other. High TK levels were more often found in larger tumours, and the levels of both TK and TPK were negatively correlated with those of PgR. Patients whose tumours contained high levels of TK had increased risks of relapse and death. TS was not of prognostic value, while a high level of TPK was associated with early death. In Cox analysis, TK and TPK retained their independent prognostic value. While target enzyme activities on the de novo DNA synthesis pathway could determine response to anti‐metabolics mainly inhibiting this pathway, high activities on the alternative salvage pathway could circumvent induced growth inhibition. Int. J. Cancer 74:156‐161, 1997. © 1997 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
miR‐203 inhibits cell proliferation, invasion, and migration of non‐small‐cell lung cancer by downregulating RGS17

Involvement of the RGS17 oncogene in the promotion of non‐small‐cell lung cancer (NSCLC) has been reported, but the regulation mechanism in NSCLC remains unclear. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) negatively regulate gene expression, and their dysregulation has been implicated in tumorigenesis. To understand the role of miRNAs in Regulator of G Protein Signaling 17 (RGS17)‐induced NSCLC, we showed that miR‐203 was downregulated during tumorigenesis, and inhibited the proliferation and invasion of lung cancer cells. We then determined whether miR‐203 regulated NSCLC by targeting RGS17. To characterize the regulatory effect of miR‐203 on RGS17, we used lung cancer cell lines, A549 and Calu‐1, and the constructed miR‐203 and RGS17 overexpression vectors. The CCK8 kit was used to determine cell proliferation, and the Transwell® assay was used to measure cell invasion and migration. RT‐PCR, western blots, and immunofluorescence were used to analyze expression of miR‐203 and RGS17, and the luciferase reporter assay was used to examine the interaction between miR‐203 and RGS17. Nude mice were used to characterize in vivo tumor growth regulation. Expression of miR‐203 inhibited proliferation, invasion, and migration of lung cancer cell lines A549 and Calu‐1 by targeting RGS17. The regulatory effect of miR‐203 was inhibited after overexpression of RGS17. The luciferase reporter assay showed that miR‐203 downregulated RGS17 by direct integration into the 3′‐UTR of RGS17 mRNA. In vivo studies showed that expression of miR‐203 significantly inhibited growth of tumors. Taken together, the results suggested that expression of miR‐203 inhibited tumor growth and metastasis by targeting RGS17.
Understanding Priming Effects in Social Psychology: What is “Social Priming” and How does it Occur?

How incidentally activated social representations affect subsequent thoughts and behaviors has long interested social psychologists. However, such priming effects have recently provoked debate and skepticism. This opening article of the special issue of Social Cognition on understanding priming effects in social psychology identifies two general sources of skepticism: 1) insufficient appreciation for the range of phenomena that involve priming, and 2) insufficient appreciation for the mechanisms through which priming occurs. To improve such appreciation, while previewing the other contributions to the special issue, this article provides a brief history of priming research that details the diverse findings any notion of “social priming” must encompass and reviews developments in understanding what psychological processes explain these findings. Thus, moving beyond debates about the strength of the empirical evidence for priming effects, this special issue examines the theoretical challenges researchers must overcome for further advances in priming research and considers how these challenges can be met.
Etiology and Long‐Term Outcome of Patients Undergoing Pericardiocentesis

Background Pericardial effusions can be caused by a variety of disorders. The frequency of the underlying diseases varies with patient population; therefore, previously reported series are not necessarily representative of other populations. Our purpose was to examine the etiology of pericardial effusions and the survival of patients requiring pericardiocentesis at a tertiary center. Methods and Results We performed a retrospective observational study of 269 consecutive patients who underwent percutaneous pericardiocentesis at our university hospital between 2006 and 2016 and had prospective follow‐up for up to 10 years. The most frequent etiologies were idiopathic (26%), malignancy (25%), and iatrogenicity (20%), whereas bacterial causes were very rare. The most frequent malignancies originated from the lung (53%) or breast (18%). A new cancer was diagnosed with malignant pericardial effusion as the presenting complaint for 9% of patients, whereas the pericardium was the first metastatic site of a known malignancy in 4% of patients. Survival was significantly poorer in malignancy‐related versus non–malignancy‐related effusions (P<0.001) and in cytology‐positive versus cytology‐negative effusions in the overall cohort (P<0.001). Among cancer‐only patients, however, there was no significant difference in long‐term survival between cytology‐positive and ‐negative effusions. Conclusions In this contemporary tertiary‐center cohort, pericardial effusions often represent the primary instance of a new malignancy, underscoring the importance of cytological analyses of noniatrogenic effusions in patients without known cancer, as survival is significantly worse. In cancer patients, however, the presence of pericardial malignant cytology does not appear to affect outcome significantly.
Influence of Polarity Reversal on de‐fibrillation Success with Biphasic Shocks and a Transvenous/Subcutaneous Defibrillator System in a Porcine Animal Model

Clinical studies show that polarity reversal affects de‐fibrillation success in transvenous monophasic defibrillators. Current devices use biphasic shocks for de‐fibrillation. We investigated in a porcine animal model whether polarity reversal influences de‐fibrillation success with biphasic shocks. In nine anesthetized, ventilated pigs, the de‐fibrillation efficacy of biphasic shocks (14.3 ms and 10.8 ms pulse duration) with “initial polarity” (IP, distal electrode = cathode) and “reversed polarity” (RP, distal electrode = anode) delivered via a transvenous/subcutaneous lead system was compared. Voltage and current of each defibrillating pulse were recorded on an oscilloscope and impedance calculated as voltage divided by current. Cumulative de‐fibrillation success was significantly higher for RP than for IP for both pulse durations (55% vs 44%, P = 0.019) for 14.3 ms (57% vs 45%, P < 0.05) and insignificantly higher for 10.8 ms (52% vs 42%, P = n.s.). Impedance was significantly lower with RP at the trailing edge of pulse 1 (IP: 44 ± 8.4 vs RP: 37 ± 9.3 with 14.3 ms, P < 0.001 and IP: 44 ± 6.2 vs RP: 41 ± 7.6 Ω with 10.8 ms, P < 0.001) and the leading edge of pulse 2 (IP: 37 ± 5 vs RP: 35 ± 4.2 Ω with 14.3 ms, P = 0.05 and IP: 37.5 ± 3.7 vs RP: 36 ± 5 Ω with 10.8 ms, P = 0.02). In conclusion, in this animal model, internal de‐fibrillation using the distal coil as anode results in higher de‐fibrillation efficacy than using the distal coil as cathode. Calculated impedances show different courses throughout the shock pulses suggesting differences in current flow during the shock.
Phenotypic susceptibility of HIV-2 to raltegravir: integrase mutations Q148R and N155H confer raltegravir resistance

Objectives:Raltegravir is the first integrase strand transfer inhibitor approved for treating HIV-1 infection. Although emerging data suggest that raltegravir may also be useful for HIV-2 treatment, studies addressing the in-vitro susceptibility of HIV-2 to raltegravir are scarce, and the genetic pathways leading to raltegravir resistance in HIV-2 have not been adequately characterized. Our objectives were to directly compare the susceptibilities of HIV-1 and HIV-2 to raltegravir and to examine the role of mutations in HIV-2 integrase in emergent raltegravir resistance. Materials and methods:Single-cycle and spreading infection assays were used to quantify the sensitivities of wild-type HIV-1 and HIV-2 strains to raltegravir. HIV-2 integrase mutants were constructed by site-directed mutagenesis, and the replication capacities and raltegravir susceptibilities of the resultant variants were analyzed in single-cycle assays. Results:Raltegravir showed comparable activity against wild-type HIV-1 and HIV-2 in both single-cycle and spreading infections, with EC50 values in the low nanomolar range. Amino acid changes Q148R and N155H individually conferred resistance to raltegravir (14-fold and seven-fold, respectively), whereas the Y143C replacement had no statistically significant effect on raltegravir sensitivity. The combination of Q148R with N155H resulted in high-level raltegravir resistance (>1000-fold). In addition, all HIV-2 integrase variants tested showed impairments in replication capacity. Conclusion:Our data support clinical studies of raltegravir for treating HIV-2 infection and show that the Q148R and N155H changes alone are sufficient for raltegravir resistance in HIV-2. Further efforts are needed to improve access to HIV-2-active antiretrovirals, including raltegravir, in resource-limited areas where HIV-2 is endemic.
TLR4 Polymorphisms Mediate Impaired Responses to Respiratory Syncytial Virus and Lipopolysaccharide1

Severe bronchiolitis following respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection occurs in only a small subset of infected infants and the basis for variations in disease severity is not understood. Innate immune responses to RSV are mediated by TLR-4, and the 299Gly and 399Ile alleles of the TLR4 gene have been linked epidemiologically with increased severity of RSV disease in children. We hypothesized that cellular immune responses to RSV mediated by these variant forms of the receptor are defective relative to responses mediated via the common form of the receptor. Human bronchial epithelial cells were transfected with TLR4 constructs encoding the common TLR4 gene sequence (299Asp/399Thr), or the 299Gly or 399Ile alleles, and cytokine responses to in vitro RSV challenge were analyzed in the different transfected cells. Follow-up studies compared RSV-induced responses in PBMC from children expressing these same TLR4 genotypes. Human bronchial epithelial expressing 299Gly or 399Ile displayed normal levels of intracellular TLR4 but failed to efficiently translocate the receptor to the cell surface. This was associated with reduced NF-κB signaling post-TLR4 engagement, reduced production of IFNs, IL-8, IL-10, IL-12p35, IL-18, and CCL8, and the absence of acute-phase TNF-α. These findings were mirrored by blunted PBMC responses to RSV in children expressing the same TLR4 variants. Compromised first-line defense against RSV at the airway-epithelial surface of children expressing these TLR4 variants may thus confer increased susceptibility to severe infections with this virus.
PACS‐1 binding to adaptors is required for acidic cluster motif‐mediated protein traffic

PACS‐1 is a cytosolic protein involved in controlling the correct subcellular localization of integral membrane proteins that contain acidic cluster sorting motifs, such as furin and human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV‐1) Nef. We have now investigated the interaction of PACS‐1 with heterotetrameric adaptor complexes. PACS‐1 associates with both AP‐1 and AP‐3, but not AP‐2, and forms a ternary complex between furin and AP‐1. A short sequence within PACS‐1 that is essential for binding to AP‐1 has been identified. Mutation of this motif yielded a dominant‐negative PACS‐1 molecule that can still bind to acidic cluster motifs on cargo proteins but not to adaptor complexes. Expression of dominant‐negative PACS‐1 causes a mislocalization of both furin and mannose 6‐phosphate receptor from the trans‐Golgi network, but has no effect on the localization of proteins that do not contain acidic cluster sorting motifs. Furthermore, expression of dominant‐negative PACS‐1 inhibits the ability of HIV‐1 Nef to downregulate MHC‐I. These studies demonstrate the requirement for PACS‐1 interactions with adaptor proteins in multiple processes, including secretory granule biogenesis and HIV‐1 pathogenesis.
Teachers' readiness to use computer tablets in inclusive classrooms: Implications for developing innovative pedagogies and Professional Development programmes

Computer tablets in classrooms have gained popularity with students as they fit their lifestyle, and are shown to improve students’ learning experience when used appropriately. The main challenge for teachers is to seamlessly and efficiently employ educational technology - such as the tablet - to enhance student achievement, while simultaneously learning how to utilise it in the most successful way. This research investigated Maltese teachers’ readiness to integrate tablets in their pedagogy prior to the ‘One Tablet per Child’ scheme. This research explored effective technological pedagogies, and how teachers are supporting mixed-ability students in their learning process through the use of tablets. It also investigated professional development programmes, and systems which support teachers in developing pedagogies utilising tablets. A mixed-method research design was adopted. Quantitative data collected involved the use of an online questionnaire from a sample of Year 4 Maltese teachers (n=81). Qualitative data was collected through focus groups (n=13) and individual interviews (n=3) with Year 4 teachers, an Education Officer and an e-Learning teacher. Semi-structured observations (n=14) were carried out in Year 4 classrooms. The epistemology adopted involves pragmatism, and tablet use is explored in light of Systems theory. Results indicate that teachers’ age, years of teaching, training, and ability to use technology has an impact on their readiness to use tablets for teaching. Findings show that tablets help to promote student participation, the development of 21st century skills and personalised learning. Teachers discussed their own professional development through discussions with colleagues, sharing of resources and school-based training. Ways forward for teacher training are discussed, together with consideration of how the role of the Educational Psychologist (EP) can support teachers in developing innovative technological pedagogies to support the teaching-learning process.
Estimating the Number of Species in a Stochastic Abundance Model

Summary. Consider a stochastic abundance model in which the species arrive in the sample according to independent Poisson processes, where the abundance parameters of the processes follow a gamma distribution. We propose a new estimator of the number of species for this model. The estimator takes the form of the number of duplicated species (i.e., species represented by two or more individuals) divided by an estimated duplication fraction. The duplication fraction is estimated from all frequencies including singleton information. The new estimator is closely related to the sample coverage estimator presented by Chao and Lee (1992, Journal of the American Statistical Association87, 210–217). We illustrate the procedure using the Malayan butterfly data discussed by Fisher, Corbet, and Williams (1943, Journal of Animal Ecology12, 42–58) and a 1989 Christmas Bird Count dataset collected in Florida, U.S.A. Simulation studies show that this estimator compares well with maximum likelihood estimators (i.e., empirical Bayes estimators from the Bayesian viewpoint) for which an iterative numerical procedure is needed and may be infeasible.