Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Promoting Local Languages in Ugandan Primary Schools: The Community as Stakeholder

The community is an important stakeholder in language education, and community views are critical for the successful implementation of new language policies. This article reports on a study on multilingual language policies conducted in two primary schools in two communities in eastern Uganda, one rural and one urban, from 2005 through 2006. The study focused on community responses to the new language education policy, which promotes the teaching of local languages in the first four years of schooling, using questionnaires, individual interviews, and focus-group discussions to collect data from the two communities, each linked to a local primary school. The findings show that in both communities, although participants were generally aware of the new local-language policy, they were ambivalent about its implementation in their school. They recognized the importance of local languages in promoting identity and cultural maintenance, but a higher priority was their children's upward mobility and the desire to be part of wider and more international communities. Further, while area languages such as Luganda and regional languages such as Kiswahili were perceived to have some benefits as languages of wider communication, it was English that received unequivocal support from both communities. The study concludes that parents and communities need to be better informed about the pedagogical advantages of instruction in the local language and that communities need convincing evidence that the promotion of local languages will not compromise desires for global citizenship.
Operation of Multi-Pixel Photon Counters Down to Liquid Helium Temperatures

We are investigating the possibility of using Silicon Avalanche Photo Detectors (APD), both in proportional and in Geiger mode, to readout inorganic scintillators operated at cryogenic temperatures. Such detectors, that need to operate close to liquid helium (LHe) temperatures and in a magnetic field of a few Tesla, have been proposed by our group as a way to build an active polarized target to be used for neutrino physics, for the search of axions and CP violation, as suggested by some theoretical papers. In the present work we investigate in some details the performance of Hamamatsu Multi-Pixel Photon Counters (MPPCs) down to LHe temperature to verify the temperature range of usability of these devices.
Ablation of the thyroid remnant and 131I dose in differentiated thyroid cancer.

AIMS To compare the efficacy of remnant ablation following a single low dose (specific activity of 131I administered, 1074-1110 MBq) vs. a single high dose (mostly 2775-3700 MBq) of 131I in patients with differentiated thyroid cancer and to determine whether or not the extent of surgery influences outcome. METHODS Nineteen studies have reported the results of low dose 131I ablation. Of these, 11 met our criteria for a comparative analysis. Two additional cohorts of ours were added and these were analysed in two groups based on the extent of surgery (near-total [NT; Woodhouse1] vs. sub-total [ST; Woodhouse2]). There were 518 low dose and 449 high dose patients in all. RESULTS The average failure of a single low dose was 46 +/- 28% (SD). Meta-analysis revealed a statistically significant advantage for a single high over a single low dose and a pooled reduction in relative risk of failure of the high dose of about 27% (P < 0.01). From this we estimate that for every seven patients treated one more would be ablated given a high rather than a low dose (assuming a low dose failure risk of 50%). Also, a significantly greater proportion of patients are ablated after a single high or low dose, if they underwent near-total as opposed to sub-total thyroidectomy (summary relative risk (RR) 1.4; P < 0.05). CONCLUSION High dose 131I is more efficient than low dose for remnant ablation particularly after less than total thyroidectomy. Results suggest that patients with differentiated thyroid cancer should routinely have a total thyroidectomy followed by high dose 131I (2775-3700MBq) for ablation of the remnant.
The Dairy Industry in Malawi-A Description of the Milk Bulking Groups.

SINDANI, WANANGWA GIFT. The Dairy Industry in MalawiA Description of the Milk Bulking Groups in Malawi. (Under the direction of Dr. Jonathan Allen.) The Malawi dairy industry consists primarily of cattle milk and is only a very small proportion of the live stock subsector and agricultural sector. Small holder farmers are organized into Milk Bulking Groups (MBGs) that gather milk from small holder farmers, store it in cooling tanks, and sell it to processors. There is anecdotal evidence that the milk produced by farmers and subsequently collected by milk processors is of low quality. In addition to the poor quality, milk production is low and the total milk supplied to processing plants only meets about 30% of their total production capacity (Imani, 2004). The objective of this research has been to describe the milk industry focusing in particular on the groups where bulking occurs to identify areas that need to be addressed in order to improve the quality and quantity of milk produced by farmers. Current practices were mapped to desired practices using questionnaires that were administered to farmers, representatives of the bulking centers and participants in a Focus Group Discussion (FGD) in which the MBG participated. The total bacteria count of raw milk, which is an indicator of the hygienic conditions under which milk is produced, was also analyzed. It was determined that in order to improve the quality and quantity of milk, the dairy industry needs to move away from use of low quality breeds, lack of extension workers, poor milk marketing that is characterized by low milk prices, lack or absence of insurance on dairy animals and bulked milk, and frequent electric power failures that affect cooling of milk. The overall bacteria count of raw milk was found to be high, with a mean of 3.4x10 7 cfu/mL for milk collected from farmers and 4.7x10 7 cfu/mL for milk collected from bulking centers. The total bacteria count for milk collected from farmers and bulking centers were not significantly different at the 0.05 level. High bacteria counts indicate that the quality of milk produced by farmers and subsequently collected by processors is of poor quality, which calls for better hygienic measures during production and handling of milk. The Dairy Industry in Malawi-A Description of the Milk Bulking Groups in Malawi by Wanangwa Gift Sindani A thesis submitted to the Graduate Faculty of North Carolina State University in partial fulfillment of the requirement of the Degree of Master of Science
Palatability and feeding behaviour in ruminants. A review

L'appetibilite (ou la palatabilite) designe les caracteristiques de l'aliment qui provoquent la reaction des sens de l'animal. Elle correspond au corollaire de l'appetit de l'animal pour l'aliment. Lorsqu'un seul aliment est disponible, l'appetibilite peut etre evaluee parla vitesse d'ingestion au debut du repas. Lorsque plusieurs aliments sont proposes, leur appetibilite est generalement evaluee par des tests de preference. Mesurer la quantite ingeree pour evaluer l'appetibilite est critiquable car alors les effets postingestifs de l'aliment sont partiellement confondus avec celle-ci. Toutefois il existe des techniques experimentales qui permettent de separer les deux phenomenes. L'etude du comportement permet devaluer la motivation pour l'aliment plutot que son resultat qui est la quantite ingeree. Les procedures de conditionnement operant montrent comment l'animal maintient son choix pour un aliment prefere lorsqu'il devient de plus en plus difficile a obtenir. Les caracteristiques physiques de l'aliment (taille des particules, resistance a la cassure, teneur en matiere seche, hauteur et densite du couvert vegetal.) participent a la reponse des sens. Elles influencent la facilite de prehension et de mastication et les animaux preferent generalement la forme physique des aliments qu'ils peuvent ingerer rapidement. Le gout et l'odeur sont consideres comme des determinants importants de l'appetibilite. Mais les effets des gouts primaires dependent de la technique experimentale utilisee. Neanmoins il semble que le mouton aime le gout du monosodium glutamate et l'odeur de l'acide butyrique, mais n'aime pas l'acide acetique. La plupart des etudes sur l'appetibilite sont realisees a court terme et ne portent que sur quelques minutes ou quelques heures. A long terme (plusieurs jours ou semaines) les preferences alimentaires semblent generalement etre associees a des modifications digestives. Les animaux associent par apprentissage les effets postingestifs de l'aliment avec ses caracteristiques sensorielles. Les ruminants developpent generalement des preferences pour les aliments qui leur permettent d'atteindre rapidement un etat de satiete eleve. Ainsi l'appetibilite mesuree par la reponse des sens provoquee par l'aliment integre sa valeur nutritive. Cependant, pour une valeur nutritive donnee, les proprietes sensorielles de l'aliment en elles-memes peuvent stimuler plus ou moins un comportement alimentaire de nature hedonique. Le role de ce comportement hedonique sur la quantite ingeree peut etre important dans les situations de choix et pour les animaux a faibles niveaux de productions. En premiere approche, la valeur hedonique de l'aliment peut etre assimilee a la difference entre la quantite ingeree observee et celle prevue a partir de sa valeur nutritive.
Modulation of Inositol 1,4,5-Trisphosphate Binding to the Recombinant Ligand-binding Site of the Type-1 Inositol 1,4,5-Trisphosphate Receptor by Ca2+ and Calmodulin*

A recombinant protein (Lbs-1) containing the N-terminal 581 amino acids of the mouse type 1 inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate receptor (IP3R-1), including the complete IP3-binding site, was expressed in the soluble fraction of E. coli. The characteristics of IP3binding to this protein were similar as observed previously for the intact IP3R-1. Ca2+dose-dependently inhibited IP3 binding to Lbs-1 with an IC50 of about 200 nm. This effect represented a decrease in the affinity of Lbs-1 for IP3,because the K d increased from 115 ± 15 nm in the absence to 196 ± 18 nm in the presence of 5 μm Ca2+. The maximal effect of Ca2+ on Lbs-1 (5 μm Ca2+, 42.0 ± 6.4% inhibition) was similar to the maximal inhibition observed for microsomes of insect Sf9 cells expressing full-length IP3R-1 (33.8 ± 10.2%). Conceivably, the two contiguous Ca2+-binding sites (residues 304–450 of mouse IP3R-1) previously found by us (Sienaert, I., Missiaen, L., De Smedt, H., Parys, J.B., Sipma, H., and Casteels, R. (1997) J. Biol. Chem. 272, 25899–25906) mediate the effect of Ca2+ on IP3 binding to IP3R-1. Calmodulin also dose-dependently inhibited IP3 binding to Lbs-1 with an IC50 of about 3 μm. Maximal inhibition (10 μmcalmodulin, 43.1 ± 5.9%) was similar as observed for Sf9-IP3R-1 microsomes (35.8 ± 8.7%). Inhibition by calmodulin occurred independently of Ca2+ and was additive to the inhibitory effect of 5 μmCa2+ (together 74.5 ± 5.1%). These results suggest that the N-terminal ligand-binding region of IP3R-1 contains a calmodulin-binding domain that binds calmodulin independently of Ca2+ and that mediates the inhibition of IP3 binding to IP3R-1.
Shiga toxin-producing E. coli isolated from sheep in Namibia.

INTRODUCTION Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) are an important group of emerging zoonotic pathogens carried in the intestinal tracts of ruminants. They can cause mild diarrhea and fatal disease characterized by hemolytic uremic syndrome, especially in children, the elderly, and immune-compromised individuals. METHODOLOGY The aim of this study was to determine if sheep harbor STEC. Sheep feces (n = 40), brisket wool (n = 40), and 150 meat samples were collected from the flank (n = 35), rump (n = 35), brisket (n = 20), shank (n = 25), diaphragm (n = 10), and neck (n = 25) of slaughter-age sheep at a high-throughput abattoir and tested for STEC using a combination of culture and real-time polymerase chain reaction techniques. RESULTS E. coli O103 (5/40) and O145 (5/40) strains were isolated from the feces and E. coli O157:H7 was isolated from brisket wool (10/40) and flank meat (5/35). The results of this study provide the first report of STEC infections in sheep in Namibia. CONCLUSIONS The results of this study show that sheep, like cattle, can shed STEC strains in their feces, which can contaminate meat and expose humans to infections.
Immunocytochemical Localization of Sex Steroid Hormone Receptors in Normal Human Mammary Gland

The sex steroids, estrogens, progesterone, and androgens, all play a role in mammary development and function. To precisely identify the sites of action of these steroids, we studied the localization of the estrogen receptor α (ERα) and ERβ, the progesterone receptor A (PRA) and PRB, and androgen receptors (AR) in the normal human mammary gland. Immunocytochemical localization of ERα, ERβ, PRA, PRB, and AR was performed with reduction mammoplasty specimens from premenopausal women. ERα, PRA, PRB, and AR were localized mostly to the inner layer of epithelial cells lining acini and intralobular ducts, as well as to myoepithelial cells scattered in the external layer of interlobular ducts. AR was also found in some stromal cells. ERβ staining was more widespread, resulting in epithelial and myoepithelial cells being labeled in acini and ducts as well as stromal cells. These results suggest that all sex steroids can directly act on epithelial cells to modulate development and function of the human mammary gland. Estrogens and androgens can also indirectly influence epithelial cell activity by an action on stromal cells.
Relative Contributions of Product Quality and Service Quality in the Automobile Industry

This paper answers two key research questions: 1) What is the relationship between product quality and service quality on customer satisfaction within an integrated model? 2) What is the relationship between customers' satisfaction and customers' intention to switch brands in the automobile industry? PLS-SEM is a tool used to assess measurement reliability and validity and to estimate the relationships among service quality, product quality, customers' satisfaction, and customers' intention to switch brands. Results show that service quality does not significantly determine customer satisfaction. Instead, product quality significantly influences customer satisfaction. The findings contrast a prior Quality Management Journal study conducted in the mobile phone industry that found that provider service quality is relatively more important than product quality. The results also show that customer satisfaction has a negative effect on customers' intention to switch brands. This research contributes to the ongoing debate surrounding service-dominant (S-D) logic and goods-dominant (G-D) logic of exchanges by empirically supporting the G-D logic in the context of the automobile industry. The study suggests future modification to the traditional quality-satisfaction model based on the type of product.
Credit Defaults, Bank Lending and the Real Economy

This paper examines how the materialization of credit defaults affects the real economy. I estimate a DSGE model including banks, firms and financial frictions using euro area data. The estimation results show that a positive credit default shock, which is identified as an unanticipated increase in credit default losses, complicates monetary policy because output falls while inflation goes up. The monetary authority must choose between stabilizing output and inflation and is therefore less effective. Inflation increases slightly because firms experience besides a demand contraction also a cost-push effect when banks increase the lending rate. Countercyclical capital buffers can in this case complement conventional monetary policy but there is a trade-off: they effectively attenuate macroeconomic fluctuations, but increase the persistence of the slump as banks rebuild their capital more slowly. A bank recapitalization overcomes this trade-off and significantly reduces macroeconomic fluctuations.
CASEOUS LYMPHADENITIS: EPIDEMIOLOGY, DIAGNOSIS, AND CONTROL

Caseous lymphadenitis, caused by Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis, is one of the most important diseases of sheep and goats, causing considerable losses for herd owners. Due to the chronic and generally subclinical nature of infection, control is difficult and prevalence in animals and herds is high. This review describes the principal characteristics of C. pseudotuberculosis, including pathogenesis, epidemiology and principal manifestations of caseous lymphadenitis, as well as management practices, diagnostic tests and vaccination as disease control tools.
Choice of Reference Sequence and Assembler for Alignment of Listeria monocytogenes Short-Read Sequence Data Greatly Influences Rates of Error in SNP Analyses

The wide availability of whole-genome sequencing (WGS) and an abundance of open-source software have made detection of single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in bacterial genomes an increasingly accessible and effective tool for comparative analyses. Thus, ensuring that real nucleotide differences between genomes (i.e., true SNPs) are detected at high rates and that the influences of errors (such as false positive SNPs, ambiguously called sites, and gaps) are mitigated is of utmost importance. The choices researchers make regarding the generation and analysis of WGS data can greatly influence the accuracy of short-read sequence alignments and, therefore, the efficacy of such experiments. We studied the effects of some of these choices, including: i) depth of sequencing coverage, ii) choice of reference-guided short-read sequence assembler, iii) choice of reference genome, and iv) whether to perform read-quality filtering and trimming, on our ability to detect true SNPs and on the frequencies of errors. We performed benchmarking experiments, during which we assembled simulated and real Listeria monocytogenes strain 08-5578 short-read sequence datasets of varying quality with four commonly used assemblers (BWA, MOSAIK, Novoalign, and SMALT), using reference genomes of varying genetic distances, and with or without read pre-processing (i.e., quality filtering and trimming). We found that assemblies of at least 50-fold coverage provided the most accurate results. In addition, MOSAIK yielded the fewest errors when reads were aligned to a nearly identical reference genome, while using SMALT to align reads against a reference sequence that is ∼0.82% distant from 08-5578 at the nucleotide level resulted in the detection of the greatest numbers of true SNPs and the fewest errors. Finally, we show that whether read pre-processing improves SNP detection depends upon the choice of reference sequence and assembler. In total, this study demonstrates that researchers should test a variety of conditions to achieve optimal results.
Patient Factors Predictive of Inadequate Bowel Preparation Using Polyethylene Glycol: A Prospective Study in Korea

Background Inadequate bowel preparation is important because it can result in missed lesions, cancelled procedures, increased procedural time, and a potential increase in complication rates. This prospective study was designed to look at the quality of colon preparation using polyethylene glycol solution and evaluate potential associations between specific patient characteristics and inadequate bowel preparation. Methods A total of 362 patients who were compliant with preparation instructions were enrolled. All colonoscopic examinations were performed by an experienced endoscopist and the quality of the preparation was graded by the endoscopist (excellent to poor). Patient demographic and medical history information was gathered before the procedure. Possible predictors of inadequate colonic preparation were analyzed using univariate statistics and multivariate logistic regression models. Results An inadequate bowel preparation was reported in 28.2% of observed colonoscopies. In multivariate regression analysis, age greater than 60 years [odds ratio (OR) 2.8, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.04-7.4], a history of diabetes (OR 8.6, 95% CI 6.3-19.4), a history of appendectomy (OR 4.6, 95% CI 2.0-10.5), a history of colorectal resection (OR 7.5, 95% CI 3.4-17.6), and a history of hysterectomy (OR 3.4, 95% CI 1.1-10.4) were independent predictors of an inadequate colon preparation. Conclusions This prospective study identified several factors that may predict inadequate polyethylene glycol preparation independent of compliance with preparation instructions and procedure starting time. This result may help to identify patients at an increased risk for inadequate bowel preparation for whom alternative preparation protocols would be beneficial.
Evidence for two serotype G3 subtypes among equine rotaviruses

Ten cultivable equine rotavirus isolates, two of North American, six of British, and two of Irish origin, were compared with standard rotavirus strains and with each other by cross neutralization, neutralization with a panel of monoclonal antibodies (MAbs), hybridization to a simian rotavirus (SA-11) VP7 gene probe, and reaction with rotavirus subgrouping and serotyping MAbs in enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. Six isolates, two of which had previously been serotyped as G3 by other workers, were found to be serotype G3; one was confirmed to be G5, and three were not related to serotypes G1 to G10. The serotype G3 strains were divisible into two subtypes, G3A and G3B, on the basis of cross neutralization. This division was also apparent in reactions with neutralizing VP7-specific MAbs and in the liquid hybridization assay. Two of the isolates were not bound by either subgroup MAb, six were bound by both subgroup I and II MAbs, and two were bound by only the subgroup I MAb. The assays used in this characterization provide a range of epidemiological information for use in future field investigations.
Female Entrepreneurs Who Succeed in Male-Dominated Sectors in Ethiopia

The challenges Ethiopian women face in getting jobs and earning income come from a range of sources. Women start from a more difficult situation than men --without easy access to finance, land, training, education and effective business networks1. The share of women in Ethiopia without education is almost twice that of men, which in turn limits women entrepreneurs’ ability to grow their businesses2. Reducing gender inequalities in education and the labor market could increase annual GDP growth in Ethiopia by around 1.9 percentage points3.