Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Climatic Variables and Malaria Morbidity in Mutale Local Municipality, South Africa: A 19-Year Data Analysis

The north-eastern parts of South Africa, comprising the Limpopo Province, have recorded a sudden rise in the rate of malaria morbidity and mortality in the 2017 malaria season. The epidemiological profiles of malaria, as well as other vector-borne diseases, are strongly associated with climate and environmental conditions. A retrospective understanding of the relationship between climate and the occurrence of malaria may provide insight into the dynamics of the disease’s transmission and its persistence in the north-eastern region. In this paper, the association between climatic variables and the occurrence of malaria was studied in the Mutale local municipality in South Africa over a period of 19-year. Time series analysis was conducted on monthly climatic variables and monthly malaria cases in the Mutale municipality for the period of 1998–2017. Spearman correlation analysis was performed and the Seasonal Autoregressive Integrated Moving Average (SARIMA) model was developed. Microsoft Excel was used for data cleaning, and statistical software R was used to analyse the data and develop the model. Results show that both climatic variables’ and malaria cases’ time series exhibited seasonal patterns, showing a number of peaks and fluctuations. Spearman correlation analysis indicated that monthly total rainfall, mean minimum temperature, mean maximum temperature, mean average temperature, and mean relative humidity were significantly and positively correlated with monthly malaria cases in the study area. Regression analysis showed that monthly total rainfall and monthly mean minimum temperature (R2 = 0.65), at a two-month lagged effect, are the most significant climatic predictors of malaria transmission in Mutale local municipality. A SARIMA (2,1,2) (1,1,1) model fitted with only malaria cases has a prediction performance of about 51%, and the SARIMAX (2,1,2) (1,1,1) model with climatic variables as exogenous factors has a prediction performance of about 72% in malaria cases. The model gives a close comparison between the predicted and observed number of malaria cases, hence indicating that the model provides an acceptable fit to predict the number of malaria cases in the municipality. To sum up, the association between the climatic variables and malaria cases provides clues to better understand the dynamics of malaria transmission. The lagged effect detected in this study can help in adequate planning for malaria intervention.
Historical price indices and price shocks : Norway 1736–1766 : a macroeconomic and historical approach

In this paper, we use the Laspeyres index to construct a cost of living index (CLI), a wholesale price index (WPI), and a producer price index (PPI) for Norway for the period 1736–1766. We use the newly published database Historiske tollog skipsanløpslister to collect price series on Arendal, Christiania, Drammen, Fredrikstad, and Kristiansand. Our final data set, after necessary refinements and interpolations, consists of price series for 52 commodities. Due to the importance of the cities in this context, the resulting indices are representative for the country as a whole. After constructing the indices, we analyze them using historical findings and economic theory. We use the CLI to analyze the general price level and calculate inflation. From the CLI we identified four major price shocks. The main findings from the analysis is that crop failure and wars have the most substantial impact on national price levels. Towards the end of the period, we find that increased money supply to finance wars caused persistent inflation in the long run. We also analyze the PPI, where we find that substitution effects, regulatory changes, and supply changes are the most important causes of price shocks. Although it is difficult to postulate causal effects between the shocks and historical events, the findings of this thesis still point towards explicit relationships between the events and timing of the price shocks. We believe the revised CLI is more reliable and accurate than Grytten (2004), since the data set used in this thesis is more extensive and accurate. When comparing our CLI with Sweden and Denmark, we find that it reflects historical events better than Grytten (2004), because our index follows the general price development in Scandinavia better and therefore captures the effects of exogenous economic shocks more reliably. We also confirm that erratic inflation was not an uncommon phenomenon for the period, which is in line with previous literature on the topic.
Quality of life before and after heart, lung and liver transplantation.

AIMS To compare the quality of life of heart, lung and liver transplant patients in New Zealand before and after transplantation and in comparison with New Zealand normative data for the general population. METHODS All surviving transplant recipients and patients on the waiting list for a transplant from the Heart and Lung Transplant Unit at Green Lane Hospital and the New Zealand Liver Transplant Unit at Auckland Hospital were invited to participate in this study. 72% of the pre-transplant patients and 75% of the post-transplant patients completed a questionnaire, which included a standardised measure of quality of life - the MOS Short-Form 36 Health Survey (SF-36). RESULTS Post-transplant patients reported significantly higher levels of physical and psychological functioning compared with pre-transplant patients. When compared with New Zealand normative data, post-transplant patients had poorer physical functioning but higher levels of psychological wellbeing and vitality. Time since transplant and the type of organ transplant were generally unrelated to quality of life. CONCLUSIONS These data suggest that patients experience a dramatic improvement in quality of life following transplant, irrespective of the nature of the transplanted organ. These gains appear to be relatively independent of time since transplant.
Are Board Governance Characteristics associated with Ethical Corporate Social Responsibility Disclosures? The Case of the Mandatory Conflict Minerals Reporting Requirement

In accordance with the 2010 Dodd-Frank Act, many firms are required to report on their use of conflict minerals. We hypothesize (1) a positive association between board governance characteristics and timely compliance with the conflict minerals requirement and (2) that board governance characteristics are associated with the likelihood of meeting the minimum requirements of the conflict minerals amendment. We find results consistent with our hypotheses. This research adds to the literature on management reporting behavior and ethics, and extends Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) research by providing evidence on the determinants of meeting a non-environmental mandatory CSR reporting requirement.
Signaling through CD5 Activates a Pathway Involving Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinase, Vav, and Rac1 in Human Mature T Lymphocytes

ABSTRACT CD5 acts as a coreceptor on T lymphocytes and plays an important role in T-cell signaling and T-cell–B-cell interactions. Costimulation of T lymphocytes with anti-CD5 antibodies results in an increase of the intracellular Ca2+ levels, and subsequently in the activation of Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent (CaM) kinase type IV. In the present study, we have characterized the initial signaling pathway induced by anti-CD5 costimulation. The activation of phosphatidylinositol (PI) 3-kinase through tyrosine phosphorylation of its p85 subunit is a proximal event in the CD5-signaling pathway and leads to the activation of the lipid kinase activity of the p110 subunit. The PI 3-kinase inhibitors wortmannin and LY294002 inhibit the CD5-induced response as assessed in interleukin-2 (IL-2) secretion experiments. The expression of an inactivated Rac1 mutant (Rac1 · N17) in T lymphocytes transfected with an IL-2 promoter-driven reporter construct also abrogates the response to CD5 costimulation, while the expression of a constitutively active Rac1 mutant (Rac1-V12) completely replaces the CD5 costimulatory signal. The Rac1-specific guanine nucleotide exchange factor Vav is heavily phosphorylated on tyrosine residues upon CD5 costimulation, which is a prerequisite for its activation. A role for Vav in the CD5-induced signaling pathway is further supported by the findings that the expression of a dominant negative Vav mutant (Vav-C) completely abolishes the response to CD5 costimulation while the expression of a constitutively active Vav mutant [Vav(Δ1–65)] makes the CD5 costimulation signal superfluous. Wortmannin is unable to block the Vav(Δ1–65)- or Rac1 · V12-induced signals, indicating that both Vav and Rac1 function downstream from PI 3-kinase. Vav and Rac1 both act upstream from the CD5-induced activation of CaM kinase IV, since KN-62, an inhibitor of CaM kinases, and a dominant negative CaM kinase IV mutant block the Vav(Δ1–65)-and Rac1 · V12-mediated signals. We propose a model for the CD5-induced signaling pathway in which the PI 3-kinase lipid products, together with tyrosine phosphorylation, activate Vav, resulting in the activation of Rac1 by the Vav-mediated exchange of GDP for GTP.
On Single-Antenna Rayleigh Block-Fading Channels at Finite Blocklength

This article concerns the maximum coding rate at which data can be transmitted over a noncoherent, single-antenna, Rayleigh block-fading channel using an error-correcting code of a given blocklength with a block-error probability not exceeding a given value. A high-SNR normal approximation of the maximum coding rate is presented that becomes accurate as the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and the number of coherence intervals <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$L$ </tex-math></inline-formula> over which we code tend to infinity. Numerical analyses suggest that the approximation is accurate at SNR values above 15dB and when the number of coherence intervals is 10 or more.
Effects of parenteral fish-oil emulsion (Omegaven) on cutaneous wound healing in rats treated with dexamethasone.

BACKGROUND The aim was to assess wound healing when parenteral fish-oil emulsion is given to rats receiving dexamethasone. METHODS For 5 days after skin wounding, group S (control; n = 7) received saline 1 mL/kg intraperitoneal (IP); group D (n = 7), dexamethasone 0.2 mg/kg IP; and group DO (n = 9), dexamethasone 0.2 mg/kg IP plus 1 mL/kg Omegaven (Fresenius Kabi, Austria). Wound specimens were assessed for hydroxyproline level, wound depth, histology (epidermal/dermal regeneration, granulation tissue thickness, and angiogenesis), and expression of transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta) and platelet-derived growth factor-AA (PDGF-AA). RESULTS Compared with D and DO specimens, controls had higher hydroxyproline (p < .01), deeper wounds (p < .05), and better histologic scores (p < .01 angiogenesis; others p < .05). There were no significant differences between the group D and DO means for hydroxyproline level, wound depth, or histologic scores (p > .05 for all). Controls had higher TGF-beta expression scores than the other groups (p < .01 for both) and a higher PDGF-AA expression score than group DO (p < .01). Groups D and DO had statistically similar TGF-beta scores, but group D had a higher PDGF-AA score (2.71 +/- 0.75 vs 1.55 +/- 0.72, respectively; p < .05). CONCLUSIONS According to the parameters we studied, adding parenteral omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids to the nutrition regimen of rats treated with dexamethasone does not seem to have adverse effects on wound healing, and effects on wound healing may not need to be considered when determining if these agents should be supplemented in nutrition support regimens.
THREE ESSAYS ON RETURNS TO EDUCATION, HEALTH AND THE SPATIAL WAGE CURVE IN TURKEY

This dissertation comprises three papers on wage and health returns to education, and spatial wage curve in Turkey. The second and third chapters make use of the exogenous variations generated by the 1997 Eight-Year Compulsory Schooling Law and the accompanying middleschool class openings to estimate economic and health returns to education. The findings suggest that the reform and the intensity of the reform substantially increased the educational attainment. The second chapter investigates the wage returns to education. Results show that one additional year of schooling increases individual wages by around 9 percent. The third chapter examines the causal impact of education on health outcomes and health behavior. The estimates indicate that there is no statistically significant e↵ect of education on health outcomes. The final chapter focuses on the spatial wage curve in Turkey. Results show that individual real wages are more responsive to the adjacent regions’ unemployment rates than the local unemployment rates. Further investigation reveals that the wage curve estimates are sensitive to the use of group-specific regional unemployment rates. THREE ESSAYS ON RETURNS TO EDUCATION, HEALTH AND THE SPATIAL WAGE CURVE IN TURKEY By Haci Mevlut Karatas B.A., Karadeniz Technical University, 2006 B.S., Karadeniz Technical University, 2006 M.A., Syracuse University, 2011
Outer membrane characteristics of Campylobacter jejuni

Outer membranes were isolated from type strains and wild-type isolates of Campylobacter jejuni and Campylobacter coli by sodium lauryl sarcosinate extraction, and the polypeptide complement and lipopolysaccharide (LPS) content were analyzed by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The protein profiles exhibited by membranes from both species were quite similar, but could be distinguished from the type strain of the genus, C. fetus subsp. fetus CIP5396. The sodium dodecyl sulfate electrophoretograms of C. jejuni and C. coli were dominated by a major polypeptide band. In the reference strain C. jejuni VC74, this polypeptide had an apparent molecular weight of 45,000, was heat modifiable, and was shown to be transmembrane by virtue of its peptidoglycan association and surface exposure. Two other proteins with approximate molecular weights of 37,000 and 73,000 were also surface exposed on C. jejuni VC74 and represented potential surface antigens. The LPS of C. jejuni and C. coli was of low molecular weight, suggesting that serotypic differences due to LPS were based on different carbohydrate compositions of core LPS. In contrast, the LPS of C. fetus CIP5396 exhibited O antigen polysaccharide chains of intermediate chain length. Fragments of outer membranes released during growth of C. jejuni VC74 displayed a polypeptide profile which differed from that of sarcosinate-extracted outer membranes. Radiolabeling demonstrated that the proteins exposed on the surface of this released membrane differed from those exposed on the cell surface and would likely contribute to the antigenic complexity of C. jejuni.
Depression and cognitive functioning in alcoholism.

AIMS Studies on cognitive processes in alcoholism have reported changes with respect to executive functions and memory, which have been interpreted within the context of different neuropsychological models. The aims of the present study were to investigate (1) the validity of these models and (2) the influence of depression on cognitive functioning in alcoholism. DESIGN, SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS In the present investigation, patients suffering from alcoholism (Alc; n = 30), patients with depression but without alcoholism (Dep; n = 28) and healthy controls (HC; n = 28) were compared on a neuropsychological test battery. MEASUREMENTS The test battery included measurements of mood, memory and executive functions. The possible cumulative effect of alcohol and depression was analysed by comparison of depressed alcoholic patients (Dalc) and non-depressed alcoholic patients (NDAlc). FINDINGS Group comparisons revealed impairments of alcoholic patients with respect to response inhibition, reasoning and free recall, irrespective of depression. Priming, short-term memory as well as verbal fluency abilities were unaffected. Depressive patients showed verbal fluency as well as free recall deficits. However, there was no difference in performance between depressed and non-depressed alcoholics. CONCLUSIONS The specific pattern of neuropsychological deficits of the alcoholic patients supports the frontal lobe hypothesis. The results of the present investigation suggest that these deficits are not generally exacerbated by comorbid depressive symptoms. Further studies, however, are desirable to investigate the relation between executive deficits and depression in alcoholics with evidence of major depression.
The Multivariate Kyle Model: More is Different

We reconsider the multivariate Kyle model in a risk-neutral setting with a single, perfectly informed rational insider and a rational competitive market maker, setting the price of n correlated securities. We prove the unicity of a symmetric, positive definite solution for the impact matrix and provide insights on its interpretation. We explore its implications from the perspective of empirical market microstructure, and argue that it provides a sensible inference procedure to cure some pathologies encountered in recent attempts to calibrate cross-impact matrices. As an illustration, we determine the empirical cross impact matrix of US. Treasuries, and compare the results with recent alternative calibration methods.
Energy efficient delivery of immersive video centric services

We examine the basic energy tradeoffs between video transport and video processing for services such as multi-view video (MVV) streaming, where multiple media streams are combined and processed to create an immersive and personalized user experience. We analyze and compare the energy efficiency of different architectural options for the location of video processing functions and illustrate how the architecture of choice is influenced by the network topology, the users' view preferences, and the relative transport-processing energy efficiency. We provide an integer linear programming formulation for the energy efficient functional resource allocation problem, which we show it can be solved as a linear program, and an easily implementable algorithm that generates optimal solutions in polynomial time.
The poverty of the ‘middle classing’ of development

Recent decades have witnessed a 'middle classing of development' as global institutions hail the expansion of middle classes in the global South. Although the African continent has lagged behind in this regard, expanding middle classes have nonetheless been proclaimed as drivers of development and progress. However, such generalisation smoothes over the rough edges of history, for the emergence, evolution and character of middle classes have been shaped, historically as well as contemporaneously, by the timing and manner of their incorporation into the global system. In this article, it is demonstrated how the character and present prospects of middle classes in key countries in Southern Africa have been differentially shaped, not only by varying experiences under colonial rule, but also by significantly different policies pursued by the party-states of Angola, Mozambique, Zimbabwe and South Africa.
Emotional response inhibition in children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: neural and behavioural data

Background Although both emotion and response inhibition are thought to be important in attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), little is known about the neural mechanisms that underlie the interaction between these two processes in patients with this disorder. This study aimed at examining how emotional contexts affect inhibitory control in children with ADHD. Method A total of 24 ADHD children and 24 healthy comparison subjects performed a modified go/no-go task during three different emotionally laden contexts: negative, neutral and positive. To explore the timing and the underlying neural substrates of emotion-modulated response inhibition, event-related potentials were measured and further analysed both at the scalp and at the voxel level. Results Patients with ADHD showed greater activation of inhibition-related neural mechanisms (i.e. no-go P3 amplitudes and orbitofrontal cortex activity) to maintain a similar level of performance as healthy comparison subjects, especially during the emotionally arousing contexts (negative and positive). Conclusions This study provides plausible neural mechanisms for the difficulty that ADHD children have in controlling their behaviour in highly emotional situations. Such emotional contexts might increase the need for top-down inhibitory control and put ADHD children at greater risk for impulsive behaviours and emotional dysregulation.
A typology of education and training provisions for low educated adults: categories and definitions

Abstract It is Europe’s ambition to be a strong knowledge based economy. The European Commission recognises the role of lifelong learning in achieving this aim. However, exploring participation rates in post-compulsory learning, it is clear that access to education and training is unequally distributed in society. We know that participation rates vary by socio-economic and socio-demographic groups, as well as by country. However, the role of education and training institutions in facilitating and enabling participation is less well known and deserves further in-depth attention. In order to fill this gap, we scrutinised definitions and categorisations of adult education provisions as published by the leading international organisations in the field of education and training. We paid specific attention to opportunities available for the lowest educated adults in society. Based on our review, we constructed a new typology consisting of seven categories for addition to the knowledge base and use in our own Horizon 2020 project. The categories are: (1) basic skills and basic education, (2) second chance education at upper secondary levels, (3) post-secondary VET, (4) apprenticeships, (5) training that forms part of Active Labour Market Policies, (6) workplace or job-related learning and (7) personal or social learning.
Semi-Automatic 2D-to-3D Conversion Using Disparity Propagation

Estimating 3D information from an image sequence has long been a challenging problem, especially for dynamic scenes. In this paper, a novel semi-automatic 2D-to-3D conversion method is presented to estimate the disparity maps for regular 2D video shots. Our method requires only a few user-scribbles on very sparse key frames, and then other frames of the video are converted to 3D automatically. Multiple objects are first segmented by the input user-scribbles. Then, the initial disparity map is assigned to each key frame with the aid of various preset disparity models for each object. After the disparity assignment step, disparity maps for other frames of the video are obtained through a disparity propagation strategy taking into account both color similarity and motion information. Finally, the 3D video is synthesized according to the type of 3D display device. Our method is verified on different kinds of challenging sequences containing occlusion, textureless regions, color ambiguity, large displacement movements, etc. The experimental results show that our method has better performance than the state-of-the-art 2D-to-3D conversion systems.