Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Opportunities of Different Generations Participation in Rural Community Activities

The success of rural community vitality and development is based on communication, participation and collaboration among different generations. Theoretical and empirical findings disclose that there is a lack of systematic approach characterising different generations (in this article young and elderly social groups) participation in local activities, not much attention is given to activities which join young and elderly groups whether to maintain young people in rural area or actively include elderly to common activities. Accordingly this article aims to explore participation forms and methods of different generations (youth and elderly) participation in rural community activities. The methodological background of this research is based on theoretical research methods, statistical data analysis and analysis of case of different generations’ participation in Siauliai district municipality rural community activities. The research results disclose that different generations participation in rural community activities are various, but depends on rural areas and rural community‘s specific features. The suggested scheme based on evaluation of different generations’ participation in rural community activities can be adopted to any rural area and rural community, but being aware about the current situation of youth and elderly, also activities which are possible to be implemented in particular rural community.
Validation and Assessment of Pediatric Lead Screener Questions for Primary Prevention of Lead Exposure

Objective. Pediatric lead screener questions have previously been evaluated for their ability to identify children whose blood lead levels (BLLs) are greater than 10 µg/dL. Based on recent policy changes stressing that there is no safe BLL for children, the current study reevaluates the screener questions for their ability to identify children with BLLs less than 2 µg/dL and the validity of the questions in positively identifying those at greater risk for exposure. Method. A total of 202 parents of children enrolled in Head Start programs were administered the pediatric lead screener, questions to validate the screener questions, and children’s BLLs were collected in Summer 2013. Pediatric screener questions were validated against children’s BLL and the more comprehensive questions on lead risk. Results. In predicting BLL greater than 2 µg/dL, the pediatrician screener tool had a sensitivity of 26.3% and specificity of 72.2%. Each of the screener questions had low sensitivities for identifying children with BLLs above 2 µg/dL. The screener questions did not demonstrate adequate validity when compared against a more comprehensive battery of lead exposure risk indicators. The validation questions improved sensitivity to detect children with BLL >2 µg/dL and reduced the number of false positives. Conclusion. The pediatrician screener questions in their current format are not a useful primary prevention tool in identifying children at greater risk for lead exposure and in need of secondary prevention through the receipt of a blood lead test. A revision to the protocol for identifying children at risk could result in better primary and secondary prevention efforts.
Attenuation of muscle deoxygenation precedes EMG threshold in normoxia and hypoxia.

PURPOSE The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between the attenuation point of muscle deoxygenation (APMD) and the EMG threshold (EMGT) during incremental cycling exercise under different fractions of inspired O2 (FIO2). METHODS Nine male subjects performed ramp cycling exercise tests (20 W·min(-1)) to exhaustion under normoxic and hypoxic conditions (FIO2 = 0.12). Pulmonary O2 uptake (VO2), muscle deoxygenation, and EMG activity in the vastus lateralis muscle were simultaneously measured during the tests, and both APMD and EMGT were calculated. RESULTS Hypoxia significantly reduced peak VO2 (VO2peak). At the same absolute exercise intensity and at VO2peak, muscle deoxygenation, but not EMG activity, was significantly greater in hypoxia. VO2 at APMD was significantly decreased in hypoxia (P < 0.01). Similarly, VO2 at EMGT was significantly lower in hypoxia than in normoxia (P < 0.01). In addition, VO2 was lower at APMD than at EMGT under both conditions (P < 0.01). However, the relationships between APMD and EMGT were significant under both normoxic (r = 0.95, P < 0.01) and hypoxic (r = 0.89, P < 0.01) conditions. CONCLUSIONS These results suggest that the attenuation of muscle deoxygenation near VO2peak is related to and precedes changes in neuromuscular activity under normoxic and hypoxic conditions.
Deferoxamine Enhances the Vascular Response of Bone Regeneration in Mandibular Distraction Osteogenesis

Background: Bone regeneration during distraction osteogenesis is intricately associated with an enhanced vascular response. Augmenting this response may offer considerable clinical advantages such as optimizing the quality of regenerate formation, decreasing lengthy consolidation periods, or increasing regenerate size and distance. Using deferoxamine, an angiogenic transcriptional activator, the authors posit that substantial increases in vascular volume beyond the normal response to mechanical distraction can be quantified with micro–computed tomography after vessel perfusion during mandibular distraction osteogenesis. Methods: Two groups of Sprague-Dawley rats (n = 12) underwent external fixator placement, mandibular osteotomy, and 5.1-mm distraction. During distraction, the experimental group (n = 6) was treated with deferoxamine injections into the distraction gap. After consolidation, the animals were perfused and imaged with micro–computed tomography. Vascular radiomorphometrics were calculated and statistical comparison was conducted with the independent samples t test. A value of p ⩽ 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: A 40 percent statistically significant increase in the number of vessels (0.82 vessels/mm versus 1.15 vessels/mm; p < 0.012) and a complementary decrease in the space between vessels (1.18 mm versus 0.86 mm; p < 0.012) were calculated in the experimental regenerate when compared with controls. This robust increase in vascularity could also be readily observed with micro–computed tomographic image reconstruction. Gross examination revealed a denser regenerate in the deferoxamine-injected group that is clearly illustrated with Faxitron radiography. Conclusion: The authors' study quantifies the ability of deferoxamine to augment the vascular response of mandibular distraction osteogenesis and establishes correlations between this therapeutic enrichment and enhanced regenerate formation.
Object-based affordances detection with Convolutional Neural Networks and dense Conditional Random Fields

We present a new method to detect object affordances in real-world scenes using deep Convolutional Neural Networks (CNN), an object detector and dense Conditional Random Fields (CRF). Our system first trains an object detector to generate bounding box candidates from the images. A deep CNN is then used to learn the depth features from these bounding boxes. Finally, these feature maps are post-processed with dense CRF to improve the prediction along class boundaries. The experimental results on our new challenging dataset show that the proposed approach outperforms recent state-of-the-art methods by a substantial margin. Furthermore, from the detected affordances we introduce a grasping method that is robust to noisy data. We demonstrate the effectiveness of our framework on the full-size humanoid robot WALK-MAN using different objects in real-world scenarios.
Caenorhabditis elegans Dosage Compensation Regulates Histone H4 Chromatin State on X Chromosomes

ABSTRACT Dosage compensation equalizes X-linked gene expression between the sexes. This process is achieved in Caenorhabditis elegans by hermaphrodite-specific, dosage compensation complex (DCC)-mediated, 2-fold X chromosome downregulation. How the DCC downregulates gene expression is not known. By analyzing the distribution of histone modifications in nuclei using quantitative fluorescence microscopy, we found that H4K16 acetylation (H4K16ac) is underrepresented and H4K20 monomethylation (H4K20me1) is enriched on hermaphrodite X chromosomes in a DCC-dependent manner. Depletion of H4K16ac also requires the conserved histone deacetylase SIR-2.1, while enrichment of H4K20me1 requires the activities of the histone methyltransferases SET-1 and SET-4. Our data suggest that the mechanism of dosage compensation in C. elegans involves redistribution of chromatin-modifying activities, leading to a depletion of H4K16ac and an enrichment of H4K20me1 on the X chromosomes. These results support conserved roles for histone H4 chromatin modification in worm dosage compensation analogous to those seen in flies, using similar elements and opposing strategies to achieve differential 2-fold changes in X-linked gene expression.
Modeling Statistical Dopant Fluctuations Effect on Threshold Voltage of Scaled JFET Devices

This paper presents a simple mathematical expression to model the effect of statistical dopant fluctuations on threshold voltage (Vth) of junction field-effect transistors (JFETs). The random discrete doping (RDD) in the active device area is used to derive an analytical model to compute the standard deviation, σVth,RDD of the Vth-distribution for any arbitrary channel doping profiles. The model shows that the Vth-variability in JFETs depends on the active device area, channel doping concentration, and the depth of the channel depletion region of the gate/channel pn-junction. The model is applied to compute σVth,RDD for symmetric and asymmetric source/drain double-gate n-channel JFETs. The simulation results show that the model can be used for predicting Vth-variability in JFETs.
Educational systems matter: differences across European countries in how young people with secondary education experience job insecurity

ABSTRACT This article examines the importance of education in creating differences across European countries with regard to how young people experience job insecurity during their transition from school to work. On a theoretical level, two sets of educational system features which influence job insecurity are identified: institutional (stratification, vocational orientation, standardisation) and structural (expansion of education, development of lifelong learning, education spending). On an empirical basis, data from the Labour Force Survey (2009), the European Social Survey Round 5 (2010/2011), the official statistics, and previous research are analysed. The results show that higher vocational prevalence in secondary education is associated with lower levels of early job insecurity. Our findings contrast previous studies which have not yet revealed any effects of standardising input and output on experiencing qualification mismatches. We found that in countries where the standardisation of the output of educational systems is higher, individuals are less likely to be unemployed. However, the standardisation of input is associated with increased job insecurity. Our analysis also revealed that educational expansion has a negative effect on the likelihood of young people to work part-time jobs and that government expenditure on education is negatively associated with early job insecurity.
Morphine exposure and abstinence define specific stages of gene expression in the rat nucleus accumbens

Intermittent exposure to addictive drugs causes long‐lasting changes in responsiveness to these substances due to persistent molecular and cellular alterations within the meso‐corticolimbic system. In this report, we studied the expression profiles of 159 genes in the rat nucleus accumbens during morphine exposure (14 days, 10 mg/kg s.c.) and drug‐abstinence (3 weeks). We used real‐time quantitative PCR to monitor gene expression after establishing its sensitivity and resolution to resolve small changes in expression for genes in various abundance classes. Morphine‐exposure (5 time points) and subsequent abstinence (6 time points) induced phase‐specific temporal gene expression of distinct functional groups of genes, for example, short‐term homeostatic responses. Opiate withdrawal appeared to be a new stimulus in terms of gene expression and mediates a marked wave of gene repression. Prolonged abstinence resulted in persistently changed expression levels of genes involved in neuronal outgrowth and re‐wiring. Our findings substantiate the hypothesis that this new gene program, initiated upon morphine‐withdrawal, may subserve long‐term neuronal plasticity involved in the persistent behavioral consequences of repeated drug‐exposure.
Pannexin-1-Mediated Intracellular Delivery of Muramyl Dipeptide Induces Caspase-1 Activation via Cryopyrin/NLRP3 Independently of Nod21

Muramyl dipeptide (MDP), the microbial activator of nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain 2 (Nod2), induces NF-κB and MAPK activation, leading to the production of multiple anti-bacterial and proinflammatory molecules. In addition, MDP has been implicated in IL-1β secretion through the regulation of caspase-1. However, the mechanisms that mediate caspase-1 activation and IL-1β secretion in response to MDP stimulation remain poorly understood. We show here that fluorescent MDP molecules are internalized in primary macrophages and accumulate in granular structures that colocalize with markers of acidified endosomal compartments. The uptake of MDP was Nod2-independent. Upon ATP stimulation, labeled MDP was rapidly released from acidified vesicles into the cytosol, a process that required functional pannexin-1. Caspase-1 activation induced by MDP and ATP required pannexin-1 and Cryopyrin but was independent of Nod2. Conversely, induction of pro-IL-1β mRNA by MDP stimulation was abolished in Nod2-deficient macrophages but unimpaired in macrophages lacking Cryopyrin. These studies demonstrate a Nod2-independent mechanism mediated through pore-forming pannexin-1 that is required for intracellular delivery of MDP to the cytosol and caspase-1 activation. Furthermore, the work provides evidence for distinct roles of Nod2 and Cryopyrin in the regulation of MDP-induced caspase-1 activation and IL-1β secretion.
The Unexplored Dimension of Private Equity: The Case of Prudential Equity Partners

Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) are the backbone of the private economy worldwide and make a substantial contribution to national socio-economic and entrepreneurial development.Consequently, there is increased interest by policy makers, practitioners, and academics in the nature and behavior of the financial markets that fund small businesses. This article sheds light on what the authors term “private” private equity, an overlooked segment of the industry not captured in the existing classification of PE firms but possibly subsumed in the angel capital category. Private PE shares many of the characteristics of organized, intermediated (institutional) PE but relies on funds from private investors rather than public capital markets via institutions. Private PE often buys into SMEs as long-term investors, rather than buying to restructure and sell.
[Cyclic changes of S100A10 expression in human endometrium].

OBJECTIVE To explore the cyclic changes of S100A10 expression in human endometrium. METHODS The gene and protein expression of S100A10 in human endometrium was examined by real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR), immunohistochemical staining and Western blot. RESULTS S100A10 protein was predominantly expressed in cytoplasm and cytomembrane of luminal and glandular epithelia. The S100A10 protein was continuously expressed from proliferative phase to secretory phase of menstrual cycle. However the expression in the secretory phase was much higher than in the proliferative phase (2.26 ± 0.17, 3.75 ± 0.22, 2.65 ± 0.20 vs 1.17 ± 0.11, 1.32 ± 0.14, both P < 0.05). Specifically, the highest level of S100A10 expression occurred during the mid-secretory phase. Then real-time PCR was used to analyze the mRNA expression of S100A10 in human endometrial samples at various points during the menstrual cycle. And the results confirmed the corresponding changes at the genetic level (0.50 ± 0.05, 1.02 ± 0.10, 0.55 ± 0.05 vs 0.25 ± 0.02, 0.30 ± 0.03, both P < 0.05). CONCLUSION The endometrial expression of S100A10 increases during the window of embryo implantation. It suggests that it may increase the endometrial receptivity of uterine epithelial cells for embryos.
Asymmetric effects of exchange rate movements on traditional and modern services exports: Evidence from a large emerging economy

ABSTRACT The service sector in India has emerged as the ‘new engine of growth’ with an increasing share in output and exports. In this paper we analyse the effect of real exchange rate movements on service exports of India, incorporating goods exports, financial development, FDI inflows, world demand and the role of globalization as drivers. We find that while traditional service exports are negatively and significantly affected by the real exchange rate movements, the modern service exports are negatively but not significantly affected. By applying the asymmetric cointegration approach, the results also confirm the non-existence of any asymmetric relationship between the real exchange rate and service exports in India. Further, the results also show that the supply augmenting and demand-side factors are more dominant than the exchange rate to affect service exports from India.
Vision-based topological mapping and localization by means of local invariant features and map refinement

SUMMARY We propose an appearance-based approach for topological visual mapping and localization using local invariant features. To optimize running times, matchings between the current image and previously visited places are determined using an index based on a set of randomized kd-trees. We use a discrete Bayes filter for predicting loop candidates, whose observation model is a novel approach based on an efficient matching scheme between features. In order to avoid redundant information in the resulting maps, we also present a map refinement framework, which takes into account the visual information stored in the map for refining the final topology of the environment. These refined maps save storage space and improve the execution times of localizations tasks. The approach is validated using image sequences from several environments and compared with the state-of-the-art FAB-MAP 2.0 algorithm.
Designing New Orthogonal High-Order Wavelets for Nonintrusive Load Monitoring

This paper addresses the problem of load identification in nonintrusive monitoring application when using load signatures in transient signals. The study presents a systematic approach to design a set of wavelet filters to be used as matching patterns for load identification in nonintrusive monitoring. The effect of different higher order wavelet filters and the signal length on the classification accuracy are investigated. The concepts of wavelet clustering and wavelet-signal matching are introduced and are developed in this paper. Machine learning classifiers are used to automate the load classification process using co-testing. The introduced concept is evaluated on a real test system and the results of the experimental work have shown that 1.5 cycle may suffice to achieve a 97.25% classification accuracy. Moreover, the results have shown that the proposed approach is effective in detecting loads with more electronic components and not previously categorized in the assembly.
Localization of Cacna1s to ON bipolar dendritic tips requires mGluR6-related cascade elements.

PURPOSE L-type voltage gated calcium channels in retina localize primarily at the presynaptic active zones of photoreceptors and bipolar cells where they modulate glutamate release. However, the pore forming subunit Cacna1s of certain L-type channels is also expressed postsynaptically at the tips of ON bipolar cell dendrites where it colocalizes with mGluR6, but has an unknown function. At these dendritic tips, the components of the mGluR6 signaling cascade cluster together in a macromolecular complex, and each one's localization often depends on that of the others. Thus, we explored if Cacna1s is part of the mGluR6 complex. METHODS We determined Cacna1s expression by PCR using an ON bipolar library, by Western blotting, and by standard immunohistochemistry. RESULTS The PCR amplification confirmed expression of the transcript in ON bipolar cells, and Western blotting showed the expected bands. Immunostaining for Cacna1s was stronger in the dendritic tips of rod bipolar cells than in those of ON cone bipolar cells. This staining severely decreased in mice missing various mGluR6 cascade elements (Grm6(-/-), Gnao1(-/-), Gnb3(-/-), Gng13(-/-), and Trpm1(-/-)). During development, the ratio of the number of Cacna1s puncta to the number of presynaptic ribbons followed a sigmoidal pattern, rising rapidly from P13 to P17. The mGluR6 expression preceded that of Cacna1s and RGS11. CONCLUSIONS Our results show that the localization and stability of Cacna1s depend on the expression of mGluR6 and its cascade components, and they suggest that Cacna1s is part of the mGluR6 complex. We hypothesize that Cacna1s contributes to light adaptation by permeating calcium.
Energy Consumption, Finance and Growth: The Role of Urbanization and Industrialization in South Africa

The paper investigates the relationship between energy consumption, financial development (FD), economic growth, industrialization and urbanization in the case of South Africa for the period of 1970-2014. The study employs Johansen co-integration test and vector error correction model with granger causality test as estimation techniques. The results confirm that there is a long-run equilibrium relationship between these variables in case of South Africa. More so, urbanization, FD, and industrialization are positively correlated to the energy consumption in the long run. The results obtained also shows the long run bi-directional causality between industrialization and energy utilization, FD and energy consumption and also FD and industrialization.