Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Linking the Academy and Activism: From constructed subjectivities to participatory, communicative agency.

This thesis presents a narrative that connects discussion of a number of my papers submitted for consideration of the award of PhD by published work with reflections on methods and theory within a critical sociological context. This analysis of my publications is extended by a critical engagement with communicative action theory to consider its relevance for thinking about service user involvement activity in university settings. The thesis explores methodological and theoretical ideas by first narrating the thematic consistency of the portfolio of published work presented for consideration and, second, considering analytic connections with wider critical social theory and emancipatory goals. In part this is accomplished by exploring a scholarly interest in the subjective: tracing in my own papers a development of thought from an affinity for critical post-structuralist concepts of a de-centred subject, as illustrated in my use of Q-methodology as a particular means of accessing forms of subjective expression, through to a current interest in forms of critical social theory, aligned to the Frankfurt School. Despite some acknowledged philosophical tensions, it is argued that there is a consistency of theoretical exposition whereby a line of reasoning via Habermas’s theory of communicative action, focuses on a radical subjectivity which is not antithetical to the aforementioned post-structural accounts. A contribution to original knowledge is demonstrated with respect to theorising social constructions of difference and identity in a mental health context and critical analyses and commentary on the mental health service user/survivor movement. Themes of radicalism and emancipation in research methods and praxis, and their critique, connect with a concluding focus on academic alliances with user movement activists including an analytic reflection on the university as a particular social space which may be amenable to forging effective solidarity.
Why does the environmental influence on group and cluster galaxies extend beyond the virial radius

In the local Universe, galaxies in groups and clusters contain less gas and are less likely to be forming stars than their field counterparts. This effect is not limited to the central group/cluster regions, but is shown by recent observations to persist out to several virial radii. To gain insight into the extent and cause of this large-scale environmental influence, we use a suite of high-resolution cosmological hydrodynamic simulations to analyse galaxies around simulated groups and clusters of a wide range of mass (log10 Mhost/M⊙ = [13.0, 15.2]). In qualitative agreement with the observations, we find a systematic depletion of both hot and cold gas and a decline in the star forming fraction of galaxies as far out as ∼ 5 r200 from the host centre. A substantial fraction of these galaxies are on highly elliptical orbits and are not infalling for the first time (∼ 50 per cent at 2 r200, independent of host mass) or are affected by ‘preprocessing’ (less than 10 per cent of galaxies around groups, increasing to ∼ 50 per cent near a massive cluster), even a combination of these indirect mechanisms does not fully account for the environmental influence, particularly in the case of the hot gas content. Direct ram pressure interaction with an extended gas ‘halo’ surrounding groups and clusters is shown to be sufficiently strong to strip the hot gas atmospheres of infalling galaxies out to ∼ 5 r200. We show that this influence is highly anisotropic, with ram pressure along filaments enhanced by up to a factor of 100 despite significant co-flow of gas and galaxies.
Development of karonda, shatavari and aloevera based blended health drink

The health drink ready to serve (RTS) beverage was prepared from karonda, shatavari and aloevera. The blended RTS was prepared using extracted juices from karonda, shatavari and aloevera in the ratios of 100:0:0, 50:50:0, 50:45:05 and 50:40:10, respectively with two levels ( 15 and 20 %) of final juice content in RTS. The blends were homogenized and filled into 200 ml sterilized glass bottle and pasteurized at 85 °C for 10 minutes, cooled and stored at ambient temperature. The physicochemical and sensory parameters of health drinks were analyzed. Among the different combinations, karonda juice based health drink prepared with 15 per cent juice blend of 50 per cent karonda + 45 per cent shatavari + 5 per cent alovera juice was found highly acceptable with respect to flavour, taste and overall acceptability.
IRT Parameter Estimation With Response Times as Collateral Information

Hierarchical modeling of responses and response times on test items facilitates the use of response times as collateral information in the estimation of the response parameters. In addition to the regular information in the response data, two sources of collateral information are identified: (a) the joint information in the responses and the response times summarized in the estimates of the second-level parameters and (b) the information in the posterior distribution of the response parameters given the response times. The latter is shown to be a natural empirical prior distribution for the estimation of the response parameters. Unlike traditional hierarchical item response theory (IRT) modeling, where the gain in estimation accuracy is typically paid for by an increase in bias, use of this posterior predictive distribution improves both the accuracy and the bias of IRT parameter estimates. In an empirical study, the improvements are demonstrated for the estimation of the person and item parameters in a three-parameter response model.
Fertilizer Microdosing Technology in Sorghum, Millet and Maize Production at Small-Scale Level in Africa: A Review

World population is alarmingly increasing, to feed the growing population, farmers must increase food production. Mineral fertilizer application takes the lion-share on crop productivity. However, due to the high cost of fertilizer, majority of African farmers add smaller than the recommended rate. Therefore, the farmers must adopt a technology that is environmentally friendly and minimizes dose of fertilizer keeping productivity higher than conventional fertilization. Microdosing (small and affordable quantities) fertilizer application produces higher grain yield as compared to control and banding application. Application of 0.3g NPK to 6g of NPK per pocket could increase yield of millet in range of 31.3% to 90.3 %. Similarly, application of 0.3 g NPK to 4 g NPK per pocket could increase yield of sorghum 40.9 % to 83 %. Microdosing fertilizer application is feasible and profitable than conventional fertilizer application. However, fertilizers in Africa are found in 50 kg package, which are not affordable by the poor resource farmers. The availability of fertilizer in affordable package is very crucial in expanding the technology. Moreover, the farmers must have the opportunity to inventory credit like warrantage system so that they borrow money to use it for input cost and store the crops after harvest when the price of the crops are low and resell them when the prices are higher. The use of the microdosing method brings entire changes to the existing fertilizer application methods; hence, there is a need for a strong linkage among researchers, farmers, and policy makers.
The Ponto-Caspian ‘killer shrimp’, Dikerogammarus villosus (Sowinsky, 1894), invades the British Isles

The Ponto-Caspian amphipod Dikerogammarus villosus was found both in the margins and open water areas of Grafham Water, a large reservoir in Cambridgeshire, U.K., in September 2010. Both adults and juveniles were present in large numbers and were most frequent in the boulder/cobble areas dominating the margins of the reservoir. Precopula pairs were also evident, as were egg bearing females.
Flux-limited and classical viscosity solutions for regional control problems

The aim of this paper is to compare two different approaches for regional control problems: the first one is the classical approach, using a standard notion of viscosity solutions, which is developed in a series of works by the three first authors. The second one is more recent and relies on ideas introduced by Monneau and the fourth author for problems set on networks in another series of works, in particular the notion of flux-limited solutions. After describing and even revisiting these two very different points of view in the simplest possible framework, we show how the results of the classical approach can be interpreted in terms of flux-limited solutions. In particular, we give much simpler proofs of three results: the comparison principle in the class of bounded flux-limited solutions of stationary multidimensional Hamilton–Jacobi equations and the identification of the maximal and minimal Ishii’s solutions with flux-limited solutions which were already proved by Monneau and the fourth author, and the identification of the corresponding vanishing viscosity limit, already obtained by Vinh Duc Nguyen and the fourth author.
Osteoarthritis and injury in the knee and hip

YVONNE MARIE GOLIGHTLY: Osteoarthritis and Injury of the Knee a nd Hip (Under the direction of Stephen W. Marshall, PhD) Context: Osteoarthritis (OA) is one of the most common causes of disability in the United States, but effective interventions for this disease are limited. Di fficulty with defining OA, including the lack of sensitive measures of incident OA, hinders the development of successful treatments. Biomarkers of cartilage turnover a nd inflammation may be important, sensitive indicators of OA, but biomarker levels may be influenced by joint injury. Additionally, previous efforts to examine injury a s a risk factor for OA, either with cross-sectional or longitudinal study designs, hav e resulted in a wide range of estimates. Understanding the association between injury and OA and exploring new, sensitive measures of OA have important clinical implica tions for patients who have sustained joint injuries, for those seeking treatment for OA, and for identifying participants for clinical trials of OA. Objectives: This research was conducted in a large, community based sample to: 1) determine whether the biomarkers of cartilage oligomeric matrix protein ( COMP), hyaluronan (HA), high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP), and keratan sulfate (KS) predict incident radiographic OA at the knee and whether their associations vary b y lower extremity injury history, 2) examine the hazard of incident OA of the knee and hip by history of injury, and 3) compare prevalence and hazard estimat es from crosssectional and longitudinal designs.
Typhoid ileal perforation in Shisong, Northwestern Cameroon

Background: The study aims to provide an overview of the spectrum of perforated typhoid fever cases and their outcome that were managed in resource constrained rural mission hospital, Northwestern of Cameroon. Methods: This was a retrospective observational study which was conducted in St Elizabeth Catholic General Hospital, Shisong, Northwestern region of Cameroon over a two year period covering January 2016 and December 2018. The patients included were those admitted and diagnosed of typhoid ileal perforation. Data collected were analyzed using SPSS computer software version 22. Results: During the study period, thirty-eight patients underwent surgery for typhoid ileal perforation. They included 26 (68.43%) males and 12 (31.57%) females with Male to Female ratio of 2.2: 1. Sixty -five percent of cases occurred between the months of July and September. The most common presentations were with abdominal pains (92.11%), and abdominal distention (92.11%). X-ray abdomen revealed pneumo -peritoneum in 26 (68.4%) cases, while ultrasound detected free peritoneal collection in 34 (90%) cases. Perforations were surgically treated depending upon the number of perforations, general health status of patient and degree of fecal contamination. Perforated typhoid still carries dismal prognosis. The mortality was associated with duration of delay in obtaining blood pre - operatively for patients requiring transfusion (p=0.018) and duration of presentation to operation time interval (p=0.026). Conclusion: Typhoid intestinal perforation is still endemic in our setting with dismal prognosis. Urgent public health concerted effort is required with emphasis on preventive measures such as safe drinking water, appropriate sewage disposal, and typhoid vaccination. Educating the populace on early and prompt diagnosis, adequate resuscitation as well as early surgery in patients with typhoid ileal perforation to keep the mortality low.
The Effect of Buyer-supplier Partnership and Information Integration on Supply Chain Performance: An Experience from Chinese Manufacturing Industry

Coordination, collaboration, and cooperation are often used in business term to enhance productivity and performance, in this way the partnership with supplier and information integration always play an important role in supply chain. This study investigates the effect of Buyer-supplier partnership and information integration on supply chain performance. The study also elaborates the development of trust and guanxi between suppliers and buyers for better business environment in supply chains. This study uses structural equation modeling to analyze data collected from 218 Chinese manufacturing industries. The Buyer-supplier relationship significantly affects trust and guanxi, which subsequently influences two elements of information integration, namely, quality information and real-time information. We found that Buyer-supplier partnership and information integration have a significant effect on supply performance. Furthermore, we found that trust and guanxi are pivotal role in sustaining better relationship between supplier and business for long run and growth
Is executive compensation a substitute governance mechanism to debt financing and leasing?

ABSTRACT This study examines whether and how CEO equity incentives relate to financing choices (i.e., debt and leases). Using manually collected CEO compensation and lease data for a sample of large UK firms, we found evidence of a negative relationship between CEO equity incentives and firm leverage. We also found that CEO equity incentives and leases are negatively related. The results are consistent with the theory introduced in this study on the substitutability of executive compensation and firm’s debt/lease financing. Our findings represent fresh empirical evidence and renewed interpretation regarding the relationship between executive equity-based incentives and firm’s financing choices. The substitutability theory we introduced here suggests that firms with greater use of debt and/or leases will implement less equity-based compensation in mitigating the agency cost of equity.
Stability for descriptors of Solanum aethiopicum Shum group (family Solanaceae)

Solanum aethiopicum Shum group is a nutrient-rich and income-generating crop enterprise in various sub-Saharan Africa countries. Despite its importance, the development of its improved varieties has not been prioritized. Until now, no field-based descriptor development reference for the crop is available for testing candidate varieties for distinctiveness, uniformity and stability. The purpose of this study is to identify morphological variables that provide identity of S. aethiopicum Shum group accessions across environments. With ten accessions across three test locations, it was observed that the highly polymorphic morphological variables were majorly vegetative and a few reproductive ones. They include plant height at flowering, plant canopy breadth, plant branching, petiole color, petiole length, leaf blade length, leaf blade width, leaf lobbing, leaf tip angle, flowering time, style length, fruit position, fruit flesh density, fruits per inflorescence and fruit flavor. A static stability analysis, a common selection technique for obtaining consistence in performance of genotypes, showed that accessions varied in their interaction with environments for different descriptors. The most statically stable accessions were 184P and 163P while the least stables were 168P, 148, 141, and 137. The findings indicate the potential for identifying unique and stable varieties of S. aethiopicum Shum group for the processing of official release to farmers. Key words: Polymorphic morphological markers; static stability coefficient; field characterization; Solanum aethiopicum Shum; genotype by environment interaction.
Oscillatory granular segregation in a long drum mixer

Heterogeneous granular mixtures tend to segregate when tumbled in a partially filled, horizontal rotating drum. The dynamical evolution of segregation can, under certain conditions, be oscillatory. Continuum, order parameter-style models of this process posit two coupled fields which oscillate out of phase with one another. Here we examine three candidate fields, the surface concentration, the local streaming angle and the projected concentration of the subsurface core. We find that all these quantities are in phase with one another, in contradiction to a recent order parameter model.
Molecular Epidemiology of High-Risk Human Papilloma Virus Infection in Sexually Active Women at Bobo-Dioulasso University Teaching Hospital

The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of HPV-HR genotypes in the population of sexually active women in Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso. Methods: This study took place at Souro Sanou Teaching Hospital in Bobo-Dioulasso from September to June 2017. A total of 234 women in the gynecological period and also sexually active were enrolled after they gave an individual consent. Swabbing of the endocervical canal was done. From the sample stored at -20°C, the viral DNA was extracted using the “DNA-Sorb-A” kit from SACACE biotechnologies®. Amplification of the PCR of the extracted DNA was made, using the “HPV Genotypes 14 Real-TM Quant” V67-100 FRT kit. Data were analyzed with SPSS software version 17.0 and Epi Info 6. Chi-square and Fisher’s tests were used to compare proportions and averages; a link was significant when p 0.05. Results: The mean age was 30.7 ± 7.3 years (median: 30 years); 84.5% of them were married, 43.5% had a socio-professional activity and 61% were schooled. A total of 20.6% of women were positive for at least one of the following HPV-HR genotypes: HPV 18, 31, 35, 39, 45, 51, 52, 56, 58, 59, 66, and 68. Genotypes the most frequently found were HPV 52 with 11 cases (17.2%) and 66 with 10 cases (15.6%). Conclusion: Our results show a predominance of HPV-HR genotypes not covered by available vaccines. Mapping genotypes are needed to fully understand viral ecology at the national level. But for instance, the nonavalent vaccine, which has a better coverage of the predominant genotypes, is to be promoted.
Comparative assessment of the pattern of anti-hypertensive drugs prescribed in medicine and cardiology outpatient department

Background: Hypertension or high blood pressure is one of the strongest modifiable risk factors for cardiovascular and renal diseases and is a condition that afflicts almost 1 billion people worldwide. The objective of the present study was to compare the prescribing pattern of antihypertensive drugs in patient attending medicine and cardiology OPD. Methods: It was an observational, cross sectional study conducted in the department of pharmacology in collaboration with the medicine and the cardiology department. Results: The present study which was conducted for a period of 6 months in the medicine and cardiology OPD showed unequal distribution of the patients in the medicine and cardiology OPD, with 223 patients attended medicine OPD while 434 patients attended cardiology OPD. Amongst the patients attending medicine OPD, majority of the patients (61.88%) were stage I hypertensive (>140/90 mmHg) according to JNC VII classification whereas majority (69.38%) of those attending cardiology OPD were stage II hypertensive (>160/100). Calcium channel blockers (CCB) were the most commonly prescribed drug in medicine OPD followed by angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors (ACE I) whereas beta blockers (BB) were most commonly prescribed in cardiology OPD followed by ACE I. Conclusions: The study concludes that there is a wide variation in the prescription of the anti-hypertensive drugs among medicine and cardiology OPD. CCBs were most commonly used in medicine OPD whereas beta blockers were preferred in cardiology OPD. Monotherapy was preferred in medicine OPD, whereas combination therapy was preferred by cardiologist. Double and triple drug combination therapies were used more in comparison to monotherapy.
Effect of Microfinance Services on the Financial Empowerment of Youth in Migori County, Kenya

The current global youth population is the largest in history. Of the world’s 3 billion people estimated to be under the age of 25, approximately 1.3 billion are between the ages of 15 and 24. This group is faced with imminent poverty. Attempts to alleviate the youth from this poverty level have been carried out in as many places as are the methods. For example, it is agreed that loans, by increasing family income, can help the youth to accumulate their own capital and invest in employment-generating activities. However, as development takes place, one question that arises is the extent to which credit can be offered to these youths to facilitate their taking advantage of the developing entrepreneurial activities, which in turn can help in efforts to fight poverty among them. This is because poverty among the youth is still prevalent. Under half of the 1.3 billion young people live on less than two dollars a day. This state of affairs is particularly pronounced in developing countries such as Kenya. In response to this the research sought to investigate the effects of microfinance services on the financial empowerment of youth in Migori County in Kenya. Specifically, the researcher sought to determine the effect of micro-finance services on savings by the youths, establish the effect of micro-finance services on investments by youths and ascertain the effect of micro-finance on financial management skills of youths in Migori County. The researcher targeted the 339 microfinance beneficiary youth groups and 513 microfinance beneficiary individual youths who had obtained financing from Kenya Youth Enterprise Development Fund. The study followed a descriptive survey. Random and Purposive sampling approaches were adopted to pick respondents from two clusters. Primary data was obtained using a self administered pretested structured and semi structured questionnaire. Secondary data was obtained from published books, journal articles and reports. Analysis was done using descriptive statistics involving measures of central tendency and dispersion. Chi Square Model was used to establish relative levels of effect. ANOVA was used to compare the effect of micro financing on savings, income levels and investments of the youth between and within groups. The study showed that there is no significant relationship between microfinance services savings or investment among the youth in the Migori County. However, a positive effect was revealed of microfinance services on financial management skills. The study recommends that more training is necessary among the youth to enable them understand the importance of microfinance services. It urges future researchers to investigate the effect of the services on the financial empowerment among the youth over a period of time. These findings will help those articulating youth policy issues and general micro financing practice. It will also excite academicians.