Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Tackling food insecurity using respondents’ views towards national food security: A call for stakeholders’ action in Teaching, research, and practice.

A nation that cannot feed her teaming population cannot boost of complete success and development in our present time and future. The issue of food security has been critical in many parts of the world including Nigeria and her communities. Food security is the ability for individuals to obtain sufficient/adequate food on a day-to-day basis. The purpose of this study was to bring to light the unavoidable role of all stakeholders in teaching, research, and practice towards sustaining national food security as a public health concern. Quantitative and qualitative research designs were employed through the use of researcher administered questionnaire and field observations to elicit responses from 120 respondents. Data generated were coded and analyzed using Scientific Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version-20 and results are presented descriptively in tables, simple percentages, and graphs. The study findings and results show that possible causes of food insecurity included; flood 10 (8.3%), poor planning 13 (10.8%), poor government policies 13 (10.8%), poor agricultural programs 20 (16.7%), poor attitude to agricultural practice 17 (14.2%), climate change/weather fluctuations 14 (11.7%), seasonal variations of farm produce 15 (12.5%), and poor storage system for farm produce 18 (15.0%) . Based on these findings, the following are recommended: improvement in agricultural programs, surveillance/preparedness, positive government policies/planning, encourage individuals towards farming, providing proper storage systems for farm produce to make all kinds of farm produce available at all seasons, and government/NGOs investing in farmers as this will encourage/motivate farmers and bring out their technological skills toward effective farming.
Implementation and control of Switched Boost Inverer for DC nanogrid applications

Switched boost inverter (SBI) is a single stage power converter that can supply both dc and ac loads simultaneously. Unlike the traditional buck type voltage source inverter (VSI), the SBI can produce an ac output voltage that is either greater or less than the available dc input voltage. Also, the SBI exhibits better EMI noise immunity when compared to the VSI. These features make the SBI suitable for microgrid and nanogrid applications. In this paper, the SBI is proposed as a power electronic interface in DC nanogrid. The structure and advantages of the proposed SBI based DC nanogrid are discussed in detail. A closed loop control system is also designed for the SBI supplying both DC and AC loads using Synchronous Reference Frame (SRF) approach, and it is implemented in digital domain using Texas Instruments TMS320F28335 Digital Signal Processor (DSP). The control system of SBI has been experimentally validated using a 0.5 kW experimental prototype of SBI supplying both DC and AC loads, and the relevant experimental results are presented in the paper. The experimental results show that the DSP based control system shows excellent performance under the steady state as well as during the transients in either DC or AC loads in the system. The low cross regulation of the control system has also been verified for a step change in either DC or AC load of SBI. These experimental results confirm the suitability of the SBI and its closed loop control strategy for DC nanogrid applications.
Advancing and Evaluating IRT Model Data Fit Indices in Organizational Research

Item response theory (IRT) models have a number of advantages for developing and evaluating scales in organizational research. However, these advantages can be obtained only when the IRT model used to estimate the parameters fits the data well. Therefore, examining IRT model fit is important before drawing conclusions from the data. To test model fit, a wide range of indices are available in the IRT literature and have demonstrated utility in past research. Nevertheless, the performance of many of these indices for detecting misfit has not been directly compared in simulations. The current study evaluates a number of these indices to determine their utility for detecting various types of misfit in both dominance and ideal point IRT models. Results indicate that some indices are more effective than others but that none of the indices accurately detected misfit due to multidimensionality in the data. The implications of these results for future organizational research are discussed.
Ultrasound Evaluation of the Uterine Scar After Cesarean Delivery: A Randomized Controlled Trial of One- and Two-Layer Closure

OBJECTIVE: To survey the uterine scar thickness by ultrasonography in women randomly assigned to one- or two-layer hysterotomy closure after primary cesarean delivery. METHODS: This was a randomized, blinded trial of uterine scar closure with ultrasonographic follow-up. Thirty consecutive patients undergoing primary cesarean delivery were enrolled and randomly assigned to one- or two-layer closure of the hysterotomy. Ultrasound surveillance of the uterine scar thickness was performed at baseline (before surgery) and 48 hours, 2 weeks, and 6 weeks post partum. RESULTS: Patient compliance with the postpartum surveillance protocol was 90%, and the uterine scar was visualized in 99% of attempted ultrasonographic examinations. There were no differences between groups at baseline or at any of the follow-up evaluations. An initial 5- to 6-fold increase in uterine scar thickness was observed, followed by a gradual decrease with the 6-week measurements still thicker than baseline. Repeated measures analysis of variance showed significant variation across time points starting either at baseline (P<.001) or at 48 hour postoperatively (P<.001), but this variation did not depend on closure type (P=.79 for all visits and P=.81 beginning with 48-hour postoperative time point). CONCLUSION: The process of uterine scar remodeling can be successfully monitored by ultrasonography. Uterine scar thickness diminishes progressively after both one- or two-layer closure but does not vary with mode of hysterotomy closure. The uterine scar thickness remains increased even at 6 weeks post partum, suggesting that the process of uterine scar remodeling extends beyond the traditional postpartum period. CLINCAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov, www.clinicaltrials. gov, NCT00224250 LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: I
Resource Optimization in Crop Livestock Integrated Production System among Small-Scale Cotton Farmers in Southern Mali

Crop and livestock enterprise combinations among small-scale farmers were studied in southern Mali with the purpose of determining the most profitable combination of crop and livestock enterprises. Primary data was collected from four categories of farmers which are types A, B, C and D. This classification of farmers was done by research and it was based on the level of agricultural equipment (plough and cart) and number of oxen. Therefore, data was collected from 171 randomly selected farmers using a semi-structured questionnaire. This study is based on profit maximization using a linear programming (LP) model through total gross margin of the major crops and livestock enterprises. Results showed that small-scale cotton farmers were do not efficiently utilize their current resources. If present level of resources were efficiently optimized, the results showed that farmers could increase their profit by 104.80%, 54.35%, 23.01% and 19.52% for types A, B, C and D in Southern Mali respectively. Further, the results revealed that resources such as labor, land and number of animals could be the major constraints if the resources were well optimized. The study also showed that the most profitable combination of crop and livestock enterprises is cotton / maize / rice / cattle /sheep / donkey for small-scale cotton farmers in Southern Mali.
Do increases in markers of vagal activity imply protection from sudden death? The case of scopolamine.

BACKGROUND Low-dose scopolamine increases heart rate variability (HRV) in patients with a prior myocardial infarction (MI). This observation, combined with the evidence that elevated cardiac vagal activity during acute myocardial ischemia is antifibrillatory, has generated the hypothesis that scopolamine might be protective after MI. We tested low-dose scopolamine in a clinically relevant experimental preparation for sudden death in which other vagomimetic interventions are effective. METHODS AND RESULTS Nineteen mongrel dogs that survived an anterior MI were used in the study. Occurrence or lack of ventricular fibrillation (VF) due to acute myocardial ischemia during submaximal exercise identified dogs at high and low risk for sudden death. Dose-response curves performed in 12 dogs at high (n = 6) and low (n = 6) risk showed that scopolamine at 3 micrograms/kg exerts the greatest effect on HRV. A second group of 7 high-risk dogs were exposed to an exercise-and-ischemia test after treatment with scopolamine (3 micrograms/kg i.v.). Scopolamine increased the standard deviation of RR intervals by 41%, increased the high-frequency band of spectral analysis by 48%, and decreased resting heart rate by 14%. Despite the increase in markers of vagal activity, VF recurred during the exercise-and-ischemia test in 6 dogs (86%). CONCLUSIONS The significant increase in HRV induced by acute scopolamine did not result in a decreased risk for VF due to acute myocardial ischemia in association with sympathetic activation. Caution must be applied when extrapolating the potential antifibrillatory activity of an intervention from its influence on autonomic markers.
“If You Don’t Hear from Me You Know You Are Doing Fine”

A study of 243 employees of two different hospitality organizations compared the effects of managers’ giving feedback with no comments at all (favorable or unfavorable). The study found that feedback, formally known as contingent reinforcement, improves performance even when that feedback involves negative or corrective comments. Echoing previous studies, this research found a positive relationship between contingent rewards and workers’ effectiveness and satisfaction. Moreover, contingent punishment also had a small positive relationship with effectiveness and satisfaction. Going beyond previous work, however, this study found that managers’ omission of any commentary on good performance has a direct, albeit moderate, negative relationship with workers’ effectiveness and a small, direct negative relationship on satisfaction. These findings point in the direction of the long-established psychological theory of operant conditioning, which suggests that a behavior that is totally ignored will eventually be extinguished. In this case, the behavior that will be lost is good service
Application of nonlinear finite element method in DC steady E-field calculation of composite insulation structure

The DC steady E-field is a state of composite insulation in the converter transformer outlet barrier system. The electrical properties of insulating material are both function of electric stress and temperature, thus, changes of electrical parameters due to temperature gradient will affect the DC steady E-field distribution of composite insulation structure. Based on this, to accurately simulate DC steady E-field of composite insulation structure with temperature gradient, this paper applied nonlinear finite element method to the coupling analysis of these two affecting factors. Firstly, relationship between electrical parameters of insulation materials and temperature, electrical stress was investigated. Then, the DC steady E-field calculation method with nonlinear finite element was proposed and verified by the simple coaxial insulation structure model. Finally, 2D simulation model of barrier system was established to simulate and analyze the DC steady E-field considering nonlinear characteristics of materials. The results show that the results of traditional simulation are quite different from those when considering material nonlinearity. The nonlinear finite element method proposed in this paper and the calculation results provide references for the design of converter transformer outlet barrier system.
Environment‐dependent long‐range structural distortion in a temperature‐sensitive point mutant

Extensive environment‐dependent rearrangement of the helix‐turn‐helix DNA recognition region and adjacent L‐tryptophan binding pocket is reported in the crystal structure of dimeric E. coli trp aporepressor with point mutation Leu75Phe. In one of two subunits, the eight residues immediately C‐terminal to the mutation are shifted forward in helical register by three positions, and the five following residues form an extrahelical loop accommodating the register shift. In contrast, the second subunit has wildtype‐like conformation, as do both subunits in an isomorphous wildtype control structure. Treated together as an ensemble pair, the distorted and wildtype‐like conformations of the mutant apoprotein agree more fully than either conformation alone with previously reported NOE measurements, and account more completely for its diverse biochemical and biophysical properties. The register‐shifted segment Ile79‐Ala80‐Thr81‐Ile82‐Thr83 is helical in both conformations despite low helical propensity, suggesting an important structural role for the steric constraints imposed by β‐branched residues in helical conformation.
The effects of Plant Breeders' Rights on wheat productivity and variety improvement in South Africa

The strengthening of the IPRs for plant varieties provide incentives for breeding companies to invest more resources in plant breeding. The main objective of this paper was to analyze the effects of strengthening wheat variety intellectual protection on wheat productivity and release of new varieties. The strength of IPR systems was measured using an IP protection index, and Plant Breeders' Rights granted for wheat varieties. The empirical analyses were based on correlation and multiple regression analyses. The results showed that strengthening IPR systems in South Africa contribute to improving wheat productivity and increasing the number of wheat varieties released. Furthermore, although the robust coefficients of the other IPR variables are positive, they are statistically insignificant for all scenarios. There is need for more incentives beyond granting PBRs and strengthening of IPR systems to be provided in the whole wheat sector to stimulate increased investments and release of new varieties.
Monitoring Endocrine Function in Males: Using Intra‐Atrial Cannulas to Monitor Plasma Hormonal Dynamics in Toxicology Experiments

Monitoring Endocrine Function in Males: Using an Intra‐Atrial Cannula to Monitor Plasma Hormonal Dynamics in Toxicology Experiments (Patricia A. Fail and Stephanie A. Anderson, Research Triangle Institute, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina). Intra‐atrial cannulation provides assessment of endocrine change within animals. Protocols for permanent tethers used in short‐term 5‐ to 10‐day experiments and permanent vascular access used in long‐term (>10 days) experiments are presented. A protocol for blood processing is also included. Data from a longitudinal endocrine baseline assessment (LEBA) and an endocrine challenge test (ECT) a presented as well.
Revisiting Tradeoffs in Manufacturing Strategy: A Fuzzy Set Approach for Developing a Typology of Competitive Priorities

In this paper, we adapt and extend the core-peripheral perspective of typology proposed by Fiss (2011), and propose a typology structure consisting of three conditions, namely, necessary, core, and peripheral conditions. We develop a structured typology of manufacturing strategy based on Miles and Snow (1978)’s typology of organizational strategy and utilize the newly emerging FsQCA methodology to identify necessary, core, and peripheral conditions in typology. The analysis of 434 Chinese manufacturers shows that configurations of competitive priorities that are consistent with the Miles and Snow (1978)’s typology can lead to excellent organizational outcomes.
Parametric study for an ant algorithm applied to water distribution system optimization

Much research has been carried out on the optimization of water distribution systems (WDSs). Within the last decade, the focus has shifted from the use of traditional optimization methods, such as linear and nonlinear programming, to the use of heuristics derived from nature (HDNs), namely, genetic algorithms, simulated annealing and more recently, ant colony optimization (ACO), an optimization algorithm based on the foraging behavior of ants. HDNs have been seen to perform better than more traditional optimization methods and amongst the HDNs applied to WDS optimization, a recent study found ACO to outperform other HDNs for two well-known case studies. One of the major problems that exists with the use of HDNs, particularly ACO, is that their searching behavior and, hence, performance, is governed by a set of user-selected parameters. Consequently, a large calibration phase is required for successful application to new problems. The aim of this paper is to provide a deeper understanding of ACO parameters and to develop parametric guidelines for the application of ACO to WDS optimization. For the adopted ACO algorithm, called AS/sub i-best/ (as it uses an iteration-best pheromone updating scheme), seven parameters are used: two decision policy control parameters /spl alpha/ and /spl beta/, initial pheromone value /spl tau//sub 0/, pheromone persistence factor /spl rho/, number of ants m, pheromone addition factor Q, and the penalty factor (PEN). Deterministic and semi-deterministic expressions for Q and PEN are developed. For the remaining parameters, a parametric study is performed, from which guidelines for appropriate parameter settings are developed. Based on the use of these heuristics, the performance of AS/sub i-best/ was assessed for two case studies from the literature (the New York Tunnels Problem, and the Hanoi Problem) and an additional larger case study (the Doubled New York Tunnels Problem). The results show that AS/sub i-best/ achieves the best performance presented in the literature, in terms of efficiency and solution quality, for the New York Tunnels Problem. Although AS/sub i-best/ does not perform as well as other algorithms from the literature for the Hanoi Problem (a notably difficult problem), it successfully finds the known least cost solution for the larger Doubled New York Tunnels Problem.
The content of morning time conversations between nursing home staff and residents.

AIM The aim of this paper was to investigate what nursing home staff and residents converse about when they first meet each other in the morning and to investigate who starts the conversation. It is a pilot project about communication in a nursing home in Sweden and a basis for a practice development programme. BACKGROUND Studies in Sweden have shown that nurse assistants working in care of the older people felt they had too little training in how to communicate. Communicative behaviour influences patients, but little is known about the content of morning time communication in nursing homes. METHOD Non-participant observation of 18 staff was carried out using an observation schema. Content analysis was performed. RESULTS The findings were that it was the staff who initiated conversation and chose the content of conversation. The most common topic in morning time conversation was residents' health and sickness. CONCLUSION Staff in nursing homes, both nurses and nurse assistants need to reflect on their interaction with residents and be conscious of their important role because they create the climate on the ward through conversation. Further studies are needed in order to explore residents' opinions of what the content of a good communication could be and also to find out how nurses and other staff members' communication with residents could be improved. Relevance to clinical practice. Staff need more training and knowledge about how to communicate with older people.
Understanding Wedding Preferences of the Millennial Generation

This study examined the wedding preferences of the Millennial generation, specifically Millennial females, by focusing on their preferences for the wedding ceremony and reception venues, food and beverage options, and the most influential sources for wedding detail ideas. The study found that a religious space was the most popular wedding ceremony venue and preferred types of wedding reception venues were a hotel and a banquet hall. Preferred food and beverage purchasing options included traditional sit-down dinner style of reception along with an open bar. The website Pinterest was a key communication and social marketing tool for companies to interact with Millennial women regarding wedding-related information, inspiration, products, and services.
Effects of an oral supplementation of germinated barley foodstuff on serum tumour necrosis factor-α, interleukin-6 and -8 in patients with ulcerative colitis

Background The efficacy of germinated barley foodstuff (GBF) on tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), interleukin-6 (IL-6) and -8 (IL-8) in patients with ulcerative colitis (UC) has not yet been examined. The aim of the present study was to determine the effect of administration of GBF on serum TNF-α, IL-6 and -8 levels in UC patients in remission. Methods Forty-one patients with UC were divided into two groups, namely control and GBF group. Twenty-one patients in the control group received standard treatment while 20 patients in the GBF group received 30 g of GBF daily by oral administration during two months of the study along with standard drug therapy. Results Levels of TNF-α, IL-6 and -8 all decreased in the GBF group compared with baseline during the two-month study, while in the control group all values rose. For IL-6 and -8 this effect was significant, P = 0.034 and 0.013, respectively. Conclusions The results of the present study showed that the consumption of GBF may reduce the level of serum TNF-α, IL-6 and -8 in patients with UC. This investigation was designed as a pilot study and the results may provide a basis for more future clinical trials.
Inflammatory Pseudotumor of the Larynx: Comparison with Orbital Inflammatory Pseudotumor with Clinical Implications

The larynx is an uncommon site of reactive or neoplastic lymphoproliferative disease. Inflammatory pseudotumor of the larynx is a rare benign growth comprised of hyperplastic lymphoid tissue with varying degrees of sclerosis. It is histologically similar to pseudotumors of other anatomic sites, including the orbit, skin, breast, gastrointestinal tract, and lung. The presentation of inflammatory pseudotumors of the larynx ranges from intermittent bouts of hoarseness to airway obstruction and death. Proper diagnosis is often delayed because of the rarity of such lesions in this site. We report a case of pseudotumor of the larynx and review the reported experience with this rare process. Comparison of this lesion to orbital inflammatory pseudotumor suggests pathologic similarity and therefore identifies management options not usually considered.
CHIMERISM AND CYTOTOXIC T LYMPHOCYTE UNRESPONSIVENESS AFTER NEONATAL INJECTION OF SPLEEN CELLS IN MICE EFFECTS OF T CELL DEPLETION AND OF A SEMIALLOGENEIC OR FULLY ALLOGENEIC INOCULUM

Newborn Balb/c mice received a single neonatal injection of either (A/J × Balb/c) F1 hybrid spleen cells, T-cell-depleted (A/J × Balb/c) F1 hybrid spleen cells, or T-cell-depleted fully allogeneic A/J spleen cells. Chimerism was followed longitudinally during the life span by the detection of circulating donor allotype. At sacrifice, the percentage of donor cells in the spleen was measured, and cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) reactivity to the tolerogen was tested. We found that T cell depletion of the semiallogeneic inoculum did not modify its capacity to generate persistent chimerism and CTL tolerance, while T-cell-depleted allogeneic cells were intrinsically deficient both in the induction and in the long-term maintenance of chimerism and CTL unresponsiveness.