Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Why We Do What We Do: Reflections of Educated Nigerian Immigrants on their Changing Parenting Attitudes and Practices

This study contributes to the limited literature on African immigrants in the United States, by examining the experiences of Nigerian immigrant parents. A qualitative, phenomenological approach was used to extract the meanings underlying parenting practices and attitudes related to raising children in a new environment. Based on in-depth personal interviews with 30 Nigerian immigrant parents, three themes emerged: 1) parents’ socio-cultural adaptation, 2) issues of parent-child interaction, and 3) limited community support for child-rearing. This study provides a knowledge base for relevant human and social service providers to understand the motivations behind Nigerian immigrants’ parenting behaviors, so that there is neither a pathology-focused approach to this group’s practices, nor the assumption of complete assimilation into American parenting ideology and practices.
Yumurtacı damızlık bıldırcın(Coturnix Coturnix japonica) rasyonlarına öğütülmüş üzüm çekirdeği ilavesinin verim ve kuluçka performansı ile yumurta kalitesine etkisi.

Bu calisma, bildircin (Coturnix coturnix japonica) rasyonlarina katilan ogutulmus uzum cekirdeginin yumurta verimi, yem tuketimi, yemden yararlanma, yumurta kalitesi ve kulucka performansina etkisini belirlemek amaciyla yapildi. Toplam 144 adet, 12 haftalik Japon bildircini 3 tekrarli 4 gruba ayrildi. Bildircinlar 8 hafta boyunca temel yeme % 0 (kontrol), 0.5, 1 ve 1.5 oraninda ogutulmus uzum cekirdegi ilave edilen yemlerle beslendi. Calismada yeme ogutulmus uzum cekirdegi ilavesinin (% 0.5, 1 ve 1.5) performans (yem tuketimi, yumurta verimi, yumurta agirligi, yemden yararlanma), yumurta kalitesi (Haugh birimi, yumurta ozgul agirligi, yumurta kabuk kalinligi, yumurta sari rengi) ve kulucka performansina (kulucka randimani, dollu yumurta orani, cikim gucu) etkisi belirlendi. Bildircin yemlerine % 0.5, 1 ve 1.5 oraninda ogutulmus uzum cekirdegi ilavesinin yem tuketimi, yumurta verimi, yumurta agirligini etkilemedigi (p>0.05), % 1 ve 1.5 oraninda ogutulmus uzum cekirdegi ilavesinin ise yemden yararlanma oranini kontrole gore iyilestirdigi belirlendi (p 0.05). Sonuc olarak, bildircin karma yemlerine % 0.5, 1 ve 1.5 oraninda ogutulmus uzum cekirdegi ilavesinin verim ve kulucka performansi ile yumurta kalitesine olumsuz bir etki yapmadigi, yemden yararlanmayi artirdigi belirlendi
Attitudes toward and knowledge of microcomputers used for instruction among commercial high school teachers in korea

The purpose of this study was to examine attitudes toward and knowledge of microcomputers used for instruction among Korean commercial high school teachers. In addition, the study attempted to explore the relationship between commercial high school teachers' attitudes toward and knowledge of microcomputers and to examine some selected variables which may have influenced their attitudes and knowledge. A pilot study established the reliability of the instrument, a modified version of the Microcomputer Questionnaires developed by Floyd and the Minnesota Educational Computing Consortium. The research sample was selected from the five largest urban cities in Korea and consisted of 168 teachers from the seventy-six commercial high schools. The five research questions were tested using t-tests, one-way analyses of variance, followed by Scheffe post-hoc tests, and Pearson Product-Moment correlations. Based on the research findings, the following conclusions were drawn: (1) commercial high school teachers were interested in and had positive attitudes toward the use of microcomputers for instruction; (2) commercial high school teachers had basic knowledge of microcomputers; (3) female teachers had a slightly higher computer literacy level than male teachers; (4) the older age group tended to have more positive attitudes toward the instructional use of microcomputers in comparison with the younger age groups; (5) the results of the study indicated a relationship did not exist between the teachers' attitudes toward and their knowledge of microcomputers, (6) the results of the data showed that the younger teachers had a higher computer literacy level than the older teachers; (7) teachers with computer experience before they taught had a higher score on the knowledge section of the questionnaire than the teachers without computer experience, although there was no significant difference in attitude; and, (8) in-service training or self-training programs helped commercial high school teachers better understand and implement the instructional uses of microcomputers.
Distribution of the spider community in the olive grove agroecosystem (Portugal): potential bioindicators

Spiders are successful natural enemies in different crops. Research on the role of spiders as natural enemies within agroecosystems needs to address the distribution of their communities across different spatial scales, as well as the dominant species. We studied the spatial distribution of the community of spiders of the olive agroecosystem in Northeastern Portugal and investigated potential species that could be used as bioindicators of agricultural management in the olive grove. We found nine functional groups (ambushers, foliage runner hunters, ground hunters, orb‐web builders, sheet web builders, sensing web‐builders, space web builders, stalkers and wandering sheet/tangle weavers) encompassing a community that changed significantly across the horizontal and vertical gradient. We propose Thanatus vulgaris Simon, 1870 as potential bioindicator for the ground of the olive grove central area and Ozyptila pauxilla (Simon, 1870) for the ground of the olive grove peripheral area. Adjacent shrubland areas could play an important role in biological control of pests, allowing the exchange of species and individuals with the olive crop. The role of agrobiont species as indicators of agricultural managements deserves further investigation towards the enhancement of the effectiveness of spiders within low‐impact crop management in arable landscapes.
The Spectroscopic Hertzsprung–Russell Diagram of Hot Massive Stars in the Small Magellanic Cloud

We present a comprehensive stellar atmosphere analysis of 329 O- and B-type stars in the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC) from the RIOTS4 survey. Using spectroscopically derived effective temperature Teff and surface gravities, we find that classical Be stars appear misplaced to low Teff and high luminosity in the spectroscopic Hertzsprung–Russell diagram (sHRD). Together with the most luminous stars in our sample, the stellar masses derived from the sHRD for these objects are systematically larger than those obtained from the conventional Hertzsprung–Russell diagram. This suggests that the well-known, spectroscopic mass-discrepancy problem may be linked to the fact that both groups of stars have outer envelopes that are nearly gravitationally unbound. The non-emission-line stars in our sample mainly appear on the main sequence, allowing a first estimate of the terminal-age main sequence (TAMS) in the SMC, which matches the predicted TAMS between 12 and 40 M⊙ at SMC metallicity. We further find a large underabundance of stars above ∼25 M⊙ near the zero-age main sequence, reminiscent of such earlier findings in the Milky Way and Large Magellanic Cloud.
Antimalarial Efficacy and Toxicological Assessment of Extracts of Some Ghanaian Medicinal Plants

The economic costs associated with morbidity and mortality due to malaria and malaria associated complications in many sub-Saharan countries and other malaria endemic regions of the world are huge. Reports of emergence of parasite resistance to current malaria drugs have complicated malaria treatment and require the development of new therapeutic agents. The folkloric use of medicinal plants for the management of malaria is well documented. This work evaluated the antiplasmodial activities and toxicity of some medicinal plants used to treat malaria and malaria-like symptoms in Ghana. Plant extracts were obtained by cold maceration in 70% ethanol. Antiplasmodial efficacies were assessed in vitro against 3 strains of Plasmodium falciparum strains (FCM, W2, and CAM06) and in vivo via the 4-day suppressive test in Plasmodium berghei infected mice. Cytotoxicity and acute toxicity were assessed in mammalian cells and mice, respectively. All extracts were active against at least one of the Plasmodium falciparum strains in in vitro evaluations with IC50's in the range of 4–116 μg/mL, whereas Bidens pilosa extracts, with a chemosuppression rate of 75%, was the most active plant in the in vivo experiments. All plant extracts displayed very weak to no cytotoxicity against the mammalian cell line used and exhibited very good selectivity towards the Plasmodium parasites. Syzygium guineense and Parinari congensis extracts were the most toxic in the acute toxicity tests. Altogether, the results indicate that the medicinal plants do possess impressive antiplasmodial properties and provide scientific basis for their use in traditional herbal medicine.
Crocodylomorph cranial shape evolution and its relationship with body size and ecology

Crocodylomorpha, which includes living crocodylians and their extinct relatives, has a rich fossil record, extending back for more than 200 million years. Unlike modern semi-aquatic crocodylians, extinct crocodylomorphs exhibited more varied lifestyles, ranging from marine to fully terrestrial forms. This ecological diversity was mirrored by a remarkable morphological disparity, particularly in terms of cranial morphology, which seems to be closely associated with ecological roles in the group. Here, I use geometric morphometrics to comprehensively investigate cranial shape variation and disparity in Crocodylomorpha. I quantitatively assess the relationship between cranial shape and ecology (i.e. terrestrial, aquatic, and semi-aquatic lifestyles), as well as possible allometric shape changes. I also characterise patterns of cranial shape evolution and identify regime shifts. I found a strong link between shape and size, and a significant influence of ecology on the observed shape variation. Terrestrial taxa, particularly notosuchians, have significantly higher disparity, and shifts to more longirostrine regimes are associated with large-bodied aquatic or semi-aquatic species. This demonstrates an intricate relationship between cranial shape, body size and lifestyle in crocodylomorph evolutionary history. Additionally, disparity-through-time analyses were highly sensitive to different phylogenetic hypotheses, suggesting the description of overall patterns among distinct trees. For crocodylomorphs, most results agree in an early peak during the Early Jurassic and another in the middle of the Cretaceous, followed by nearly continuous decline until today. Since only crown-group members survived through the Cenozoic, this decrease in disparity was likely the result of habitat loss, which narrowed down the range of crocodylomorph lifestyles.
Molecular Analysis of Microsatellites Associated with Milk Yield and Composition in Egyptian Buffalo

Milk production traits are economically important for dairy industry. The aim of the present study was to detect QTL responsible for milk yield and composition in the Egyptian buffalo. A total number of 106 purebred Egyptian buffalo cows were genotyped for a set of ten microsatellite markers. Daily milk records analyzed were 33,299; including only records corresponding to the first five lactations with days in milk prolonged from 5 to 290. All markers tested were successfully amplified, showing a considerable degree of polymorphism. Estimates of observed heterozygosity varied from 0.5 for BM6438 to 0.950 for CSSM061. Expected heterozygosity ranged between 0.505 and 0.855 for the same two loci, respectively. Microsatellite BM143 showed significant (P<0.05) effect on average daily milk yield deviation (ADMYD) and protein percent. Also, the last trait was influenced significantly (P<0.05) by the locus CSSM047. Fat yield (kg) was affected by microsatellites BM1443 (P<0.05) and CSSM061 (P<0.01). Marker ETH3 showed marginally significant effects on fat percent and protein yield (kg). The findings obtained may be useful in increasing accuracy of selection and rate of genetic gain in Egyptian buffalo.
Ontogenetic Niche Shifts Within Floodplain Meadow Species

Ontogenetic niche shifts, (ONSs), or changes in niche breadth or position during development, can be a critical component of effective target-species conservation, as long-term survival demands that the intergenerational requirements of species be fully met. However, although ONSs could occur in 80% of animal taxa, previous studies have rarely involved plants, and those that do exist have often been hampered by the lack of long-term, field-based data or appropriate measures. Analysis of the twenty years of botanical and hydrological data collated by the Floodplain Meadow Partnership, in combination with a multi-site, fully factorial planting experiment with two levels of competition, allows the following questions to be addressed; a) are ONSs occurring within floodplain meadow species, including the scarce Fritillaria meleagris, and how can the hydrological regime driving such shifts be quantified? b) Does flooding enhance recruitment within a range of meadow species? and, c) what are the mechanisms underlying flood-related gap creation? Results revealed that occurrence of ONSs varies according to species. Abundance of juvenile fritillaries was correlated with interquartile range in water-table depth prior to parental seed dispersal, suggesting micro-site limitation, with subsequent generations associated with predominantly dry conditions. Further differences in associate species and community membership of juveniles versus flowering adults were detected, which, results suggested, may be due to differential soil profile characteristics or other legacy effects. Seasonal as opposed to annually-derived hydrological variables were of particular relevance to the study of ONSs, and spring of the year before survey identified as the critical period for germination of all the selected species. Whereas flooding enhances recruitment and appears to drive ONSs within both Fritillaria meleagris and Leontodon autumnalis, germination of the obligate hemi-parasite Rhinonathus minor decreased in gaps lacking host species. A correlation between die-back of flood-sensitive grasses following flood-events and increased fritillary juvenile abundance was established.
A flexible pipeline combining bioinformatic correction tools for prokaryotic and eukaryotic metabarcoding

Environmental metabarcoding is an increasingly popular tool for studying biodiversity in marine and terrestrial biomes. As metabarcoding with multiple markers, spanning several branches of the tree of life is becoming more accessible, bioinformatic pipelines need to accommodate both micro- and macro biologists. We built and tested a pipeline based on Illumina read correction with DADA2 allowing analysing metabarcode data from prokaryotic and eukaryotic life compartments. We implemented the option to cluster ASVs into Operational Taxonomic Units (OTUs) with swarm v2, a network-based clustering algorithm, and to further curate the ASVs/OTUs based on sequence similarity and co-occurrence rates using a recently developed algorithm, LULU. Finally, a flexible taxonomic assignment of the Amplicon Sequence Variants (ASVs) was added via the RDP Bayesian classifier or by BLAST. We validate this pipeline with ribosomal and mitochondrial markers using eukaryotic mock communities and 42 deep-sea sediment samples. The comparison of BLAST and the RDP Classifier underlined the potential of the latter to deliver very good assignments, but highlighted the need for a concerted effort to build comprehensive, yet specific databases adapted to the studied communities. The results underline the advantages of clustering and LULU-curation for producing metazoan biodiversity inventories, and show that LULU is an effective tool for filtering metazoan molecular clusters while avoiding arbitrary relative abundance filters. Overall conservative estimates of diversity can be obtained using DADA2 and LULU correction algorithms alone, or in combination with the clustering algorithm swarm v2 (i.e. to obtain ASVs or OTUs), depending on the objective of the study.
Dopamine neuron ensembles signal the content of sensory prediction errors

Dopamine neurons respond to errors in predicting value-neutral sensory information. These data, combined with causal evidence that dopamine transients support sensory-based associative learning, suggest that the dopamine system signals a multidimensional prediction error. Yet such complexity is not evident in individual neuron or average neural activity. How then do downstream areas know what to learn in response to these signals? One possibility is that information about content is contained in the pattern of firing across many dopamine neurons. Consistent with this, here we show that the pattern of firing across a small group of dopamine neurons recorded in rats signals the identity of a mis-predicted sensory event. Further, this same information is reflected in the BOLD response elicited by sensory prediction errors in human midbrain. These data provide evidence that ensembles of dopamine neurons provide highly specific teaching signals, opening new possibilities for how this system might contribute to learning.
The association between caesarean section delivery and later life obesity in 21-24 year olds in an Urban South African birth cohort

Background Obesity is an important public health problem and rates have reached epidemic proportions in many countries. Studies have explored the association between infants delivered by caesarean section and their later life risk of obesity, in many countries outside Africa. As a result of the increasing caesarean section and obesity rates in South Africa, we investigated the association in this country. Methods This was a retrospective analysis of data that were collected from a prospective South African birth cohort (Birth to Twenty Plus), established in 1990. A total of 889 young adults aged 21-24 years were included in the analysis. Multiple logistic regression models were fitted to assess the association between mode of delivery and early adulthood obesity. Results Of the 889 young adults, 106 (11.9%) were obese while 72 (8.1%) were delivered by CS; of which 14 (19.4%) were obese. Caesarean section delivery was significantly associated with obesity in young adults after adjusting for potential confounders like gestational age (at delivery), birth weight, sex, maternal age, parity and education (OR 1.99, 95% CI 1.00–3.94, p=0.049). Conclusion The association of caesarean section with early adulthood obesity should be interpreted with caution because data on certain key confounding factors such as mothers’ pre-pregnancy body mass index and gestational diabetes were not available. Further research from Africa, with larger sample sizes and databases with useful linking of maternal and infant data, should be conducted.
Assessment of Toxigenic Potential and Genetic Relatedness of Aspergillus Flavus Populations From Different Maize Growing Regions in Kenya

XVIII CHAPTER ONE . 1 1.0 GENERAL INTRODUCTION . 1 1.1 Background Information . 1 1.2 Statement of the Problem . 3 1.3 Justification of the Study . 4 1.4 Objectives of the study . 5 1.4. 1 General Objective . 5 1.4. 2 Specific Objectives . 5
Assessment of Refined Functional Carbohydrates as Substitutes of Antibiotic Growth Promoters in Broilers: Effects on Growth Performance, Immune Responses, Intestinal Micro-Flora and Carcass Characteristics

Received: Revised: Accepted: Published online: October 16, 2017 February 08, 2019 February 10, 2019 March 22, 2019 The objective was to evaluate yeast based prebiotics, in solid and liquid forms separately, as replacement of antibiotic growth promoters in broiler chickens. Basal starter (ME: 3000 kcal/kg; CP: 22%) and finisher (ME: 3200 kcal/kg; CP: 20%) diets were formulated to serve as control (CONT). Basal diet was fortified with either Zinc Bacitracin 10% (ZNBC) or Enramycin 4% (ENRA) at 500 and 250 g/ton, respectively; while solid prebiotics were supplemented at 50 (SP50) or 100 g/ton (SP100). Liquid form of prebiotics was given at 0.5 (LP 0.5) or 1.0 ml per liter (LP1.0) in drinking water. Starter and finisher diets were fed to six replicates of 12 broiler chicks each, from day 1-21 and 22-35, respectively. Total feed consumption of broilers on diets containing prebiotics was higher (P<0.05) than those given control diet during starter (1183 vs 1178 g/bird). In finisher phase, birds given diets supplemented with prebiotics had higher feed intake than those given antibiotics (2241 vs 1996 g/bird). Weight gain (1883 vs 1532 and 1604 g/bird), feed conversion ratio (FCR; 1.83 vs 2.08 and 2.11) and European Production Index (EPI; 291 vs 181 and 205) were better in prebiotics fed birds than on antibiotics or control during overall period. Inclusion of antibiotics and prebiotics in broiler diet resulted in lower Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Salmonella Spp. count than in control group (0.24 and 1.16 vs 1.53 10 CFU/g and 0.15 and 0.42 vs 1.03 10 CFU/g, respectively). Dressing percentage was better (59.6 vs 57.9%; P<0.05) in birds given prebiotics than those on antibiotics. In conclusion, refined functional carbohydrate may be used as an alternative to antibiotics in broilers. Furthermore, liquid prebiotics seemed more effective than solid prebiotics in enhancing the growth performance during starter phase. ©2019 PVJ. All rights reserved
Combination of Aerobic Exercise and Continuous Environmental Enrichment Improves Adult Male Rats’ Spatial Memory: Study on Hippocampal Insulin Like Growth Factor 1 (IGF-1) and Fibroblast Growth Factor 2 (FGF-2) Expression

BACKGROUND: Memory declines with the progression of age through the neurodegeneration process. Aerobic exercise and environmental enrichment can delay neurodegeneration by improving neuroplasticity via expression of insulin like growth factor 1 (IGF-1), fibroblast growth factor 2 (FGF-2) and other proteins. Combination treatment of aerobic exercise and continuous environmental enrichment and their effect on the expression of IGF-1 and FGF-2 which were expected to improve memory function has not been studied previously. Thus, this study aimed to observe it.METHODS: This is an experimental research using 24 male Wistar rats (Rattus norvegicus, 300-400 g, age 7-8 months) divided randomly into 4 groups: control (C), aerobic exercise (A), continuous (EE), and combination of aerobic exercise and continuous environmental enrichment (A-EE). At the end of an 8-week treatment, rats were sacrificed, and an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) examination was performed to assess hippocampal IGF-1 and FGF-2 levels.RESULTS: In the 8th week, A-EE group showed the best improvement in rats’ spatial memory (47.84±10.6 %) followed by EE group (45.03±4.1 %), A group (38.61±3.8 %), and C group (22.76±7.12 %). However, A-EE group’s hippocampal IGF-1 (16.21±7.56 ng/mg protein) and FGF-2 (1.29±0.57 ng/mg protein) expression were not higher than other groups.CONCLUSION: Improvement in memory function in the combination group is a result of induction of various growth factors’ expression in the hippocampus, including IGF-1 and FGF-2, but the primary pathway of memory function improvement may be from other growth factors.KEYWORDS: spatial memory, aerobic exercise, environmental enrichment, hippocampus, IGF-1, FGF-2