Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
FACTORS AFFECTING PROJECT MANAGEMENT CAPACITY AMONG ELECTORAL WORK FORCE IN KENYA

Project Management capacity has been a major challenge in most of the projects in Kenya. Many researchers have tried to highlight the issue, but there is still a huge gap that has not been addressed. This research sought to investigate project management capacity among the electoral work force in Kenya. The research study utilized a case study design with target population being electoral work force within Nairobi County in Kenya. Data was collected from a sample of 39 electoral work force randomly selected from the target population distributed across the constituency. The findings indicated that that majority of the respondent’s rated organization employees having the relevant skills, however there was still a wide gap in relation to management capacity. As a result of the findings above the researcher recommended that Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission needed to put in place a broad research and development department to assist it in studying the local environment and internal environment specific factors which affect project management capacity of its workforce. This is necessary for purposes of creating organizational capacity to manage projects and organizational integration in terms of achieving its mandate through enhancing project planning skills, measuring knowledge on metric performance and having knowledge on risk management.
The role of design in sustainable development of handicraft industries

In the South African handicraft sector, there is scarcely any significant research on the development of designs and product innovation. Extensive work has not been carried out by the producers to re-orient designs, colours and pattern of the product produced to suit the international standards. This study investigated the role of innovative design towards the sustainable development of handicraft industries through a case study of the Western Cape province of South Africa. The research focuses on the possibility of craft design for sustainable development of the handicraft products to aid in the economic development of the local community. The paper present results from a structured interview with producers, enablers, and buyers of handicraft products in the Western Cape province. The conclusion of the paper presents key findings from the structured interviews. These consist of the interventions for craft design for sustainable development and the handicraft product that has the highest potential for future development. Recommendations are provided for design approaches to the handicraft sector’s sustainable development, i.e. reproduction, modification and innovation.
Quantifying subtropical North Pacific gyre mixed layer primary productivity from Seaglider observations of diel oxygen cycles

Using autonomous underwater gliders, we quantified diurnal periodicity in dissolved oxygen, chlorophyll, and temperature in the subtropical North Pacific near the Hawaii Ocean Time‐series (HOT) Station ALOHA during summer 2012. Oxygen optodes provided sufficient stability and precision to quantify diel cycles of average amplitude of 0.6 µmol kg−1. A theoretical diel curve was fit to daily observations to infer an average mixed layer gross primary productivity (GPP) of 1.8 mmol O2 m−3 d−1. Cumulative net community production (NCP) over 110 days was 500 mmol O2 m−2 for the mixed layer, which averaged 57 m in depth. Both GPP and NCP estimates indicated a significant period of below‐average productivity at Station ALOHA in 2012, an observation confirmed by 14C productivity incubations and O2/Ar ratios. Given our success in an oligotrophic gyre where biological signals are small, our diel GPP approach holds promise for remote characterization of productivity across the spectrum of marine environments.
Role of overlapping genetic and environmental factors in the relationship between early adolescent conduct problems and substance use in young adulthood.

AIMS To determine (1) the prospective associations of conduct problems during early adolescence with tobacco, alcohol and cannabis use in young adulthood and (2) to what extent these associations are due to overlapping genetic versus environmental influences. DESIGN A prospective twin study using biometric twin modelling. SETTING Finland. PARTICIPANTS A total of 1847 Finnish twins (943 males and 904 females) were interviewed in early adolescence, 73% of whom (n = 1353, 640 males and 713 females) were retained in young adulthood. MEASUREMENTS Symptom counts of conduct disorder (CD) criteria were obtained from a semi-structured clinical interview in early adolescence [age 14-15 years, mean = 14.2, standard deviation (SD) = 0.15]. Frequency of alcohol, tobacco and cannabis use was obtained from a semi-structured clinical interview in young adulthood (age 19.9-26.6 years, mean = 22.4, SD = 0.7). FINDINGS We found modest to moderate phenotypical correlations (r = 0.16-0.35) between early adolescent CD symptoms and substance use in young adulthood. In males, the phenotypical correlations of CD symptoms with all three substance use variables are explained largely by overlapping genetic influences. In females, overlapping shared environmental influences predominantly explain the phenotypical correlation between CD symptoms and tobacco and cannabis use. CONCLUSIONS Conduct disorder symptoms in early adolescence appear to moderately predict substance use in early adulthood. In males, genetic influences seem to be most important in explaining the relationship between conduct disorder symptoms and substance use whereas in females, shared environmental influences seem to be most important.
Meta-analysis of Theory of Mind (ToM) impairment in bipolar disorder

Background Theory of mind (ToM) dysfunction is prominent in a number of psychiatric disorders, in particular, autism and schizophrenia, and can play a significant role in poor functioning. There is now emerging evidence suggesting that ToM abilities are also impaired in bipolar disorder (BP); however, the relationship between ToM deficits and mood state is not clear. Method We conducted a meta-analysis of ToM studies in BP. Thirty-four studies comparing 1214 patients with BP and 1097 healthy controls were included. BP groups included remitted (18 samples, 545 BP patients), subsyndromal (12 samples, 510 BP patients), and acute (manic and/or depressed) (10 samples, 159 BP patients) patients. Results ToM performance was significantly impaired in BP compared to controls. This impairment was evident across different types of ToM tasks (including affective/cognitive and verbal/visual) and was also evident in strictly euthymic patients with BP (d = 0.50). There were no significant differences between remitted and subsyndromal samples. However, ToM deficit was significantly more severe during acute episodes (d = 1.23). ToM impairment was significantly associated with neurocognitive and particularly with manic symptoms. Conclusion Significant but modest sized ToM dysfunction is evident in remitted and subsyndromal BP. Acute episodes are associated with more robust ToM deficits. Exacerbation of ToM deficits may contribute to the more significant interpersonal problems observed in patients with acute or subsyndromal manic symptoms. There is a need for longitudinal studies comparing the developmental trajectory of ToM deficits across the course of the illness.
Analysts' Technological Expertise

Using U.S. patent citations, we find that the number of analyst following and earnings forecast accuracy are positively related to a firm’s technological links with other firms in the market. The likelihood of an analyst’s coverage and forecast accuracy increase in the firm’s technological links with other firms the analyst covers. Further analysis shows that the positive effects of technological links are more pronounced for firms with higher information production costs, and are driven by both within- and across-industry technological links. Our results suggest that technological expertise allows analysts to exploit the informational complementarities across firms along the technological links.
THE EFFECT OF JOB SATISFACTION ON GENERATION Y EMPLOYEES’ PERFORMANCE WITH MOTIVATION AS THE INTERVENING VARIABLE AT THE GENERAL SECRETARIAT OF THE MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE

In order to achieve an organization’ goal, the employees should provide maximum performance. Instead of only one generation, an organization is usually filled with several generations; one of them is the generation Y. More generations Y start to enter the job world while bringing values different from their previous generation. In order to overcome such problem, human resource development should be prepared soon, in which the excessive number of productive age population can be used to improve the development. Based on the facts above, this research aimed to analyze the effect of Job satisfaction on performance with motivation as the intervening variable. The respondents of this research are the General Secretariat of The Ministry of Agriculture employees who belong to the generation Y with the age range of 23-37 years old. There were 74 employees act as the respondents of this research taken from the accidental sampling method. The method used in this research was Structural Equation Model (SEM) through Partial Least Square (PLS) approach using the application of Smart PLS 2.0. The result of this research obtained that the employees’ job satisfaction positively and significantly affect the employees’ performance through their motivation. Motivation can function as an intervening variable to affect the employees’ job satisfaction on their performance in which the higher the generation Y employees’ job satisfaction, the more increase their motivation which gives positive and direct effect on improving their performance in the Secretariat General of the Ministry of Agriculture.
Serum Levels of IL-6, IL-8, TNF-&agr;, and TGF-&bgr; in Chronic HBV-Infected Patients: Effect of Depression and Anxiety

Objective To assess the effects of depression and anxiety on serum cytokine levels in patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB) infection. Methods In this cross-sectional study, 60 healthy control individuals and 60 patients with CHB participated after filling out standard questionnaires. We examined their serum interleukin (IL)-6, IL-8, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, and TGF-β levels using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) techniques. Results In patients with CHB compared with healthy controls, serum levels of IL-8 were significantly increased, whereas IL-6 and TGF-β levels were significantly decreased. Serum levels of TGF-β were significantly decreased in the patients with CHB who had mild depression, compared with patients with CHB without depression and with moderate and severe depression. Conclusions Downregulation of IL-8 and TGF-β, respectively, is a corresponding mechanism for induction of chronic inflammation in patients with CHB. Depression also seems to induce inflammation via downregulation of TGF-β in these patients.
Farmers' preferences for site-specific extension services: Evidence from a choice experiment in Nigeria

Agricultural extension to improve yields of staple food crops and close the yield gap in Sub-Saharan Africa often entails general recommendations on soil fertility management that are distributed to farmers in a large growing area. Site-specific extension recommendations that are better tailored to the need of individual farmers and fields, and enabled by digital technologies, could potentially bring about yield and productivity improvements. In this paper, we analyze farmers‟ preferences for site-specific nutrient management recommendations provided by an ICT-based extension tool that is being developed for extension services in the maize belt of Nigeria. We use a choice experiment to provide ex-ante insights on the adoption potentials of site-specific advisory services from the perspective of farmers. We control for attribute non-attendance and account for class as well as scale heterogeneity in preferences using different models, and find robust results. We find that farmers have strong preferences to switch from general to ICT-enabled site-specific soil fertility management recommendations which lend credence to the inclusion of digital technologies in agricultural extension. We find heterogeneity in preferences that is correlated with farmers‟ resource endowments and access to services. A first group of farmers are strong potential adopters; they are better-off, less sensitive to risk, and have higher preferences for investing in farm inputs. A second group of farmers are weak potential adopters; they have lower incomes and fewer productive assets, are more sensitive to yield variability, and prefer less capital and labor intensive production techniques. Our empirical findings have implications for the design, targeting and potential uptake of ICT-based extension tools to meet the needs of different farmers.
Programming Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy for Electrical Synchrony: Reaching Beyond Left Bundle Branch Block and Left Ventricular Activation Delay

Background QRS narrowing following cardiac resynchronization therapy with biventricular (BiV) or left ventricular (LV) pacing is likely affected by patient‐specific conduction characteristics (PR, qLV, LV‐paced propagation interval), making a universal programming strategy likely ineffective. We tested these factors using a novel, device‐based algorithm (SyncAV) that automatically adjusts paced atrioventricular delay (default or programmable offset) according to intrinsic atrioventricular conduction. Methods and Results Seventy‐five patients undergoing cardiac resynchronization therapy (age 66±11 years; 65% male; 32% with ischemic cardiomyopathy; LV ejection fraction 28±8%; QRS duration 162±16 ms) with intact atrioventricular conduction (PR interval 194±34, range 128–300 ms), left bundle branch block, and optimized LV lead position were studied at implant. QRS duration (QRSd) reduction was compared for the following pacing configurations: nominal simultaneous BiV (Mode I: paced/sensed atrioventricular delay=140/110 ms), BiV+SyncAV with 50 ms offset (Mode II), BiV+SyncAV with offset that minimized QRSd (Mode III), or LV‐only pacing+SyncAV with 50 ms offset (Mode IV). The intrinsic QRSd (162±16 ms) was reduced to 142±17 ms (−11.8%) by Mode I, 136±14 ms (−15.6%) by Mode IV, and 132±13 ms (−17.8%) by Mode II. Mode III yielded the shortest overall QRSd (123±12 ms, −23.9% [P<0.001 versus all modes]) and was the only configuration without QRSd prolongation in any patient. QRS narrowing occurred regardless of QRSd, PR, or LV‐paced intervals, or underlying ischemic disease. Conclusions Post‐implant electrical optimization in already well‐selected patients with left bundle branch block and optimized LV lead position is facilitated by patient‐tailored BiV pacing adjusted to intrinsic atrioventricular timing using an automatic device–based algorithm.
Are Euro Interest Rates Led by Fed Announcements?

This paper investigates, for the first time, the reactions of markets to the monetary policy decisions of their own Central Bank and to the decisions of the Central Banks of other countries. In particular, using daily interest rates to estimate the impact of the monetary policy announcements of a Central Bank, we analyse the effect of the FED, ECB, and BoE monetary policy announcements on their own markets, and on the others. Surprisingly, we find that while the US rates respond only to FED announcements, and the British rates respond mainly to BoE announcements and marginally to FED announcements, the response of Euro bond rates to the FED announcements is stronger than their response to ECB announcements.
Vascular Endothelial-Specific Dimethylarginine Dimethylaminohydrolase-1–Deficient Mice Reveal That Vascular Endothelium Plays an Important Role in Removing Asymmetric Dimethylarginine

Background— Asymmetrical methylarginines inhibit NO synthase activity and thereby decrease NO production. Dimethylarginine dimethylaminohydrolase 1 (DDAH1) degrades asymmetrical methylarginines. We previously demonstrated that in the heart DDAH1 is predominantly expressed in vascular endothelial cells. Because an earlier study showed that mice with global DDAH1 deficiency experienced embryonic lethality, we speculated that a mouse strain with selective vascular endothelial DDAH1 deficiency (endo-DDAH1−/−) would largely abolish tissue DDAH1 expression in many tissues but possibly avoid embryonic lethality. Methods and Results— By using the LoxP/Cre approach, we generated the endo-DDAH1−/− mice. The endo-DDAH1−/− mice had no apparent defect in growth or development compared with wild-type littermates. DDAH1 expression was greatly reduced in kidney, lung, brain, and liver, indicating that in these organs DDAH1 is distributed mainly in vascular endothelial cells. The endo-DDAH1−/− mice showed a significant increase of asymmetric dimethylarginine concentration in plasma (1.41 &mgr;mol/L in the endo-DDAH1−/− versus 0.69 &mgr;mol/L in the control mice), kidney, lung, and liver, which was associated with significantly increased systolic blood pressure (132 mm Hg versus 113 mm Hg in wild-type). The endo-DDAH1−/− mice also exhibited significantly attenuated acetylcholine-induced NO production and vessel relaxation in isolated aortic rings. Conclusions— Our study demonstrates that DDAH1 is highly expressed in vascular endothelium and that endothelial DDAH1 plays an important role in regulating blood pressure. In the context that asymmetric methylarginines are broadly produced by many type of cells, the strong DDAH1 expression in vascular endothelium demonstrates for the first time that vascular endothelium can be an important site to actively dispose of toxic biochemical molecules produced by other types of cells.
The Relationship between Leadership Traits, Market Orientation and Corporate Culture on Customer’s Retention on Quasi-Government Organizations in The U.S Virgin Islands

This paper examines the relationships between transformational leadership, market orientation and corporate culture in customer retention in quasi-government organizations. The purpose of this research is to identify and examine this synergistic fit that was not researched as a combination in previous literature. In recent years, small business owners have realized the importance of strategic leadership in achieving both shareholders and stakeholders interest. A comparison of quasi-government organizations reveals that, in the U.S. Virgin Islands, market orientation leads to higher customer retention, knowledge competence, enhanced market-based innovations and higher profit margins. A hybrid of the three organizational phenomenon is critical findings of this study. This paper will further examine the three pillows associated profitable organizations: leadership, market orientation, and corporate culture. The findings of this research will have significant implications for strategic business unit’s managers who relies on economic forecast to maximize financial returns in quasi-government agencies.
Reappraising a Controversy: Formation and Role of the Azodication (ABTS2+) in the Laccase-ABTS Catalyzed Breakdown of Lignin

In fermentations of lignocelluloses, redox potentials (If not indicated otherwise, redox potentials in Volt are taken versus Normal Hydrogen Reference Electrodes (NHE). ) E0 of laccases/plant peroxidases by 0.79/0.95 V enable oxidations of phenolic substrates and transformations of synthetic and substrate-derived compounds to radicals that mediate attacks on non-phenolic lignin (models) by 1.5 V. In consecutive one-electron abstractions, the redox mediator 2,2′-azinobis-(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonate) (ABTS) is oxidized by electro- or wet-chemistry to the green cation radical (ABTS•+, 0.68 V) and the red dication (ABTS2+, 1.09 V). The enzyme/ABTS couple generates the stable ABTS•+ whose low E0 cannot explain the couple’s contemporary attack on non-phenolic lignins. This paradoxon indicates the non-confirmed production of the ligninolytic ABTS2+ by the enzymes. During incubations of live sapwood chips in ABTS/H2O2 to prove their constitutive peroxidase, the enzyme catalyzed the formation of the expected green-colored ABTS•+ solution that gradually turned red. Its spectrophotometric absorbance peaks at λ = 515–573 nm resembled those of ABTS2+ at 518–520 nm. It is shown that portions of an ABTS•+ preparation with inactivated enzyme are reduced to ABTS during their abiotic oxidation of low-MW extractives from lignocelluloses to redox mediating radicals. The radicals, in turn, apparently transform the remaining ABTS•+ to red derivatives in the absence of functional oxidoreductases. Ultrafiltration and Liquid-Chromatography suggest the presence of a stable ABTS2+ compound absorbing at 515 nm, red protein/ABTS adducts, and further ABTS moieties. Therefore, ABTS mediated lignin degradations could result from chain reactions of ABTS•+-activated lignocellulose extractives and fissured rather than complete ABTS2+ molecules.
A Harris‐Kesten theorem for confetti percolation

Percolation properties of the dead leaves model, also known as confetti percolation, are considered. More precisely, we prove that the critical probability for confetti percolation with square‐shaped leaves is 1/2. This result is related to a question of Benjamini and Schramm concerning disk‐shaped leaves and can be seen as a variant of the Harris‐Kesten theorem for bond percolation. The proof is based on techniques developed by Bollobás and Riordan to determine the critical probability for Voronoi and Johnson‐Mehl percolation. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Random Struct. Alg. , 47, 361–385, 2015
Surgical management of agenesis of the vulva with atresia ani-et-distal recti in a heifer calf: A case report

Successful surgical intervention of atresia ani-etdistal recti with agenesis of vulva in a heifer calf is reported in this paper. The calf aging 1-day was presented with a history of swelling at the perineal region. In clinical examination, both vulval and anal openings were found absent. Initial surgical operation under sedation and local anesthesia was done to correct these abnormalities. As a result, the calf could urinate, but attempted defecation was not successful. Surgical operation was done again at the anal region to resolve this condition. Post-operatively, tetracycline spray was applied on both surgical wounds immediately after surgery, and repeated twice daily for 10 days. Amoxicillin trihydrate (at 750 mg/kg bwt) and Phenylbutazone (at 400 mg/kg bwt) were administered intramuscularly once, and the treatment was repeated on every alternate day up to 10 days of post-surgery. Finally, the calf was able to urinate and defecate normally, and the surgical wounds healed uneventfully within 14 days. http://dx.doi. org/10.5455/javar.2015. b95
Antecedents of job satisfaction among academic staff at a Saudi government university: Using partial square

Abstract The study at hand explores the antecedents of job satisfaction that affect the degree of job satisfaction experienced by academic staff within a government university in Saudi Arabia. This research centers on the nascent University of Tabuk and endeavors to make a contribution that could provide significance to the body of research, especially in the Middle East. The sample of this study consists of 284 academic contractors at the university under study, namely Tabuk University. Smart-PLS Software analyzed the data, and the study revealed that work environment, administrative process, financial incentive and performance appraisal closely interlink with job satisfaction at Tabuk University, with scientific research and publication having little relation to the predictors of JS.