Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Off-Farm Work and Profit Efficiency among Small-Scale Farmers in North-Central Nigeria

The study evaluated profit efficiency within the context of off-farm work participation among small-scale farmers in North-Central Nigeria. The population of the study comprised participants and non-participants in off-farm work. Multistage sampling technique was used to select 360 respondents for the study. Data for the study were obtained from primary source with the aid of standard questionnaire and analysed using descriptive statistics and profit efficiency model. Findings showed that participants and non-participants had average farm sizes of 3.69ha and 3.59ha, incurred average fertiliser costs of N 312.77 and N 246.23 per kg respectively. While farm size significantly (p < 0.01) increased profit for participants and non-participants, average fertiliser cost reduced profit for non-participants. In the diagnostic statistics, sigma squared (σ 2 ) was significant for participants (p < 0.01) and non-participants (p < 0.05). Gamma (γ) was high (0.9870) and significant (p < 0.01) for non-participants indicating high profit inefficiency. Farm family labour significantly (p < 0.05) increased profit inefficiency among participants but reduced profit inefficiency among non-participants. Participants had significantly (p < 0.01) less average profit than non-participants. It was concluded that participation in off-farm could make farm enterprise unattractive and impair food production. Hence, participants in off-farm work should improve farm production cost management in order to shore up their gross farm profit. Keywords : efficiency, farmers, non-participants, North-Central Nigeria, off-farm, participants, profit, stochastic frontier
Tissue selective expression of conditionally‐regulated ROCK by gene targeting to a defined locus

ROCK kinases regulate actin‐myosin structures downstream of Rho GTPases. We generated mice expressing 4‐hydroxytamoxifen (4HT)‐regulated human ROCK II (ROCKII:mER™) under the transcriptional control of the cytokeratin14 (K14) promoter. The K14‐ROCKII:mER™ minigene was recombineered into a novel cloning vector containing the promoter and first exon of the human HPRT gene, and second and third exons of the mouse Hprt gene. Homologous recombination into the Hprt locus, which is deleted for the promoter and first two exons in HM1 embryonic stem cells, reconstitutes a functional Hprt gene, allowing for growth in HAT (hypoxanthine‐aminopterin‐thymidine) medium. K14‐promoter‐driven ROCKII:mER™ expression was restricted to a superficial cell layer in embryoid bodies, with increased ROCK substrate phosphorylation induced by 4HT. ROCKII:mER™‐expressing primary murine keratinocytes responded to 4HT with increased substrate phosphorylation and cytoskeleton rearrangements, indicating that ROCKII:mER™ activity is regulated by 4HT in the target tissue. K14‐ROCKII:mER™ mice will be valuable for examining the role of ROCK in skin development and cancer. genesis 47:440–446, 2009. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Rescue of Calcium-sensing Receptor Mutants by Allosteric Modulators Reveals a Conformational Checkpoint in Receptor Biogenesis*

The calcium-sensing receptor (CaR), a member of G protein-coupled receptor family C, regulates systemic calcium homeostasis by activating Gq- and Gi-linked signaling in the parathyroid, kidney, and intestine. CaR is ubiquitinated by the E3 ligase dorfin and degraded via the endoplasmic reticulum-associated degradation pathway (Huang, Y., Niwa, J., Sobue, G., and Breitwieser, G. E. (2006) J. Biol. Chem. 281, 11610–11617). Here we provide evidence for a conformational or functional checkpoint in CaR biogenesis using two complementary approaches. First we characterized the sensitivity of loss- or gain-of-function CaR mutants to proteasome inhibition by MG132. The stabilization of loss-of-function mutants and insensitivity of gain-of-function mutants to MG132 suggests that receptor sensitivity to calcium influences susceptibility to proteasomal degradation. Second, we used the allosteric activator NPS R-568 and antagonist NPS 2143 to promote the active and inactive conformations of wild type CaR, respectively. Overnight culture in NPS R-568 increased expression of CaR, whereas NPS 2143 had the opposite effect. NPS R-568 and NPS 2143 differentially regulated maturation and cell surface expression of wild type CaR, directly affecting maximal signaling responses. NPS R-568 rescued expression of loss-of-function CaR mutants, increasing plasma membrane expression and ERK1/2 phosphorylation in response to 5 mm Ca2+. Disorders of calcium homeostasis caused by CaR mutations may therefore result from altered receptor biogenesis independent of receptor function, i.e. a protein folding disorder. The allosteric modulators NPS R-568 and NPS 2143 not only alter CaR sensitivity to calcium and hence signaling but also modulate receptor expression.
Late season commercial mosquito trap and host seeking activity evaluation against mosquitoes in a malarious area of the Republic of Korea.

Field trials evaluating selected commercially available mosquito traps variously baited with light, carbon dioxide, and/or octenol were conducted from 18-27 September 2000 in a malarious area near Paekyeon-ri (Tongil-Chon) and Camp Greaves in Paju County, Kyonggi Province, Republic of Korea. The host-seeking activity for common mosquito species, including the primary vector of Japanese encephalitis, Culex tritaeniorhynchus Giles, was determined using hourly aspirator collections from a human and propane lantern-baited Shannon trap during hours when temperatures exceeded 15 degrees C. The total number of mosquitoes and number of each species captured during the test was compared using a block design. Significant differences were observed for the total number of mosquitoes collected, such that, the Mosquito MagnetTM with octenol > Shannon trap > ABC light trap with light and dry ice > Miniature Black Light trap (manufactured by John W. Hock) > or = New Jersey Trap > ABC light trap with light only. Significant differences in numbers collected among traps were noted for several species including: Aedes vexans (Meigen), Anopheles lesteri Baisas and Hu. An. sinensis Weidemann. An. sineroides Yamada, An. yatsushiroensis Miyazaki, Culex pipiens pallens Coquillett L. , Cx. orientalis Edwards and Cx. tritaeniorhynchus. Host-seeking activity for most common species showed a similar bimodal pattern. Results from these field trap evaluations can significantly enhance current vector and disease surveillance efforts especially for the primary vector of Japanese encephalitis, Cx. tritaeniorhynchus.
Enteric Fever Caused by Salmonella enterica Serovars with Reduced Susceptibility of Fluoroquinolones at a Community Based Teaching Hospital of Nepal

Enteric fever continues to be an important public health problem especially in developing countries of the tropical region including Nepal. In this study, we aimed to investigate the incidence of enteric fever associated with Salmonella enterica and determine its antimicrobial susceptibilities to therapeutic antimicrobials in a community based teaching hospital of Nepal. A total of 2,304 blood samples from suspected enteric fever patients attending Manmohan Memorial Teaching Hospital were processed with standard microbiological methods for the isolation and identification of bacterial pathogens. The Salmonella enterica clinical strains were subjected to antimicrobial susceptibility testing by Kirby–Bauer disk diffusion method, and the results were interpreted according to the criteria suggested by the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI). A total of 245 (10.6%) cases of enteric fever associated with Salmonella enterica were confirmed by blood culture. Out of them, 162 (66.1%) were caused by Salmonella Typhi and 83 (33.9%) by Salmonella Paratyphi. On Kirby–Bauer disk diffusion antimicrobial susceptibility testing, Salmonella isolates were highly susceptible to cefixime (100%), ceftriaxone (100%), ampicillin (97.9%), cotrimoxazole (94.6%), azithromycin (96.7%), tetracycline (95.5%), and chloramphenicol (97.5%), respectively. Two hundred twenty-six (92.2%) of Salmonella isolates were nalidixic acid resistant with reduced susceptibility to ciprofloxacin (36.7%) and ofloxacin (54.8%), respectively. Although the rate of MDR Salmonella strains was very low (<5%), their reduced susceptibility to fluoroquinolones has restricted their routine empirical use. Third generation cephalosporins are the safest choice for empirical use but ampicillin, cotrimoxazole, azithromycin, and chloramphenicol can be effective alternatives.
Assessing sedentary behavior with the GENEActiv: introducing the sedentary sphere.

BACKGROUND The Sedentary Sphere is a method for the analysis, identification, and visual presentation of sedentary behaviors from a wrist-worn triaxial accelerometer. PURPOSE This study aimed to introduce the concept of the Sedentary Sphere and to determine the accuracy of posture classification from wrist accelerometer data. METHODS Three samples were used: 1) free living (n = 13, ages 20-60 yr); 2) laboratory based (n = 25, ages 30-65 yr); and 3) hospital inpatients (n = 10, ages 60-90 yr). All participants wore a GENEActiv on their wrist and activPAL on their thigh. The free-living sample wore an additional GENEActiv on the thigh and completed the Multimedia Activity Recall for Children and Adults. The laboratory-based sample wore the monitors while seated at a desk for 7 h, punctuated by 2 min of walking every 20 min. The free-living and inpatient samples wore the monitors for 24 h. Posture was classified from wrist-worn accelerometry using the Sedentary Sphere concept. RESULTS Sitting time did not differ between the wrist GENEActiv and the activPAL in the free-living sample and was correlated in the three samples combined (rho = 0.9, P < 0.001), free-living and inpatient samples (r ≃ 0.8, P < 0.01). Mean intraindividual agreement was 85% ± 7%. In the laboratory-based and inpatient samples, sitting time was underestimated by the wrist GENEActiv by 30 min and 2 h relative to the activPAL, respectively (P < 0.05). Posture classification disagreed during reading while standing, cooking while standing, and brief periods during driving. Posture allocation validity was excellent when the GENEActiv was worn on the thigh, evidenced by the near-perfect agreement with the activPAL (96% ± 3%). CONCLUSIONS The Sedentary Sphere enables determination of the most likely posture from the wrist-worn GENEActiv. Visualizing behaviors on the sphere displays the pattern of wrist movement and positions within that behavior.
Trade union responses to migrant workers from the ‘new Europe’: A three sector comparison in the UK, Norway and Germany

This article compares trade union strategies towards migrant workers from the ‘new Europe’. The analysis focuses on three sectors in the UK, Norway and Germany. We conclude that trade union responses to these migrant workers are shaped by the complex interplay of national industrial relations systems, sectoral dynamics, EU regulation and the agency of individual trade unions.
Anonymity in Group Support Systems Research: A New Conceptualization, Measure, and Contingency Framework

Anonymity is a fundamental concept in group support systems (GSS) research. It is expected to reduce fear of social disapproval and of evaluation, and to lower inhibition and censorship. This is believed to create an environment that improves participation and communication, that promotes more objective and honest evaluation of ideas, and that enhances the productivity of groups and their decision-making process. However, empirical evidence about what are the effects of anonymity in GSS is inconclusive. This paper argues that there are two main reasons for the lack of consistent findings. First is the fact that anonymity has been defined too narrowly as the nonidentification of participants when, in fact, the literature in social psychology suggests that anonymity is multidimensional and subjective in nature. Second is the fact that the effects of anonymity interacts with other situational variables, making its relation to disinhibition complex. This paper argues that one critical situational variable is the importance of social evaluation of group members. A measure of the new conceptualization of anonymity and of the importance of social evaluation is proposed and the results of a preliminary test are presented. A contingency approach for studying the effects of anonymity is presented and the implications for future research and for practice are discussed.
Processing of scotopic increments and decrements

Rod and cone photoreceptors send their signals to ON- and OFF-retinal ganglion cells through different pathways in the primate retina. We hypothesized that increments and decrements of light may be processed differently by the rod-bipolar pathway because of the funneling of the rod signal through the rod bipolar cell. We tested this hypothesis using a psychophysical adaptation paradigm, which has provided evidence that photopic increments and decrements of light are processed by ON- and OFF-pathways in the human visual system. We had observers adapt to either a rapid-on or rapid-off sawtooth waveform, under both photopic and scotopic conditions. We then measured detection thresholds for one cycle of a rapid-on or rapid-off sawtooth stimulus. For photopic stimuli, sawtooth adaptation asymmetrically raised thresholds for test stimuli in a manner that depended on the polarity of the adaptation stimulus. For scotopic stimuli, thresholds were raised, but no significant selective adaptation effect was found. By repeating the photopic condition with sawtooth stimuli which had been filtered using an impulse response function derived for the rod system, we demonstrated that the lack of selective adaptation was not a consequence of the sluggish temporal response of the rod-bipolar pathway. We conclude instead that the reduced effectiveness of sawtooth adaptation is due to channeling of rod photoreceptor signals through the rod bipolar cell before reaching ON- and OFF-ganglion cells.
The Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinase Signaling Pathway Exerts Protective Effects during Sepsis by Controlling C5a-Mediated Activation of Innate Immune Functions1

The PI3K/Akt signaling pathway has been recently suggested to have controversial functions in models of acute and chronic inflammation. Our group and others have reported previously that the complement split product C5a alters neutrophil innate immunity and cell signaling during the onset of sepsis and is involved in PI3K activation. We report in this study that in vivo inhibition of the PI3K pathway resulted in increased mortality in septic mice accompanied by strongly elevated serum levels of TNF-α, IL-6, MCP-1, and IL-10 during sepsis as well as decreased oxidative burst activity in blood phagocytes. PI3K inhibition in vitro resulted in significant increases in TLR-4-mediated generation of various proinflammatory cytokines in neutrophils, whereas the opposite effect was observed in PBMC. Oxidative burst and phagocytosis activity was significantly attenuated in both neutrophils and monocytes when PI3K activation was blocked. In addition, PI3K inhibition resulted in strongly elevated TLR-4-mediated generation of IL-1β and IL-8 in neutrophils when these cells were costimulated with C5a. C5a-induced priming effects on neutrophil and monocyte oxidative burst activity as well as C5a-induced phagocytosis in neutrophils were strongly reduced when PI3K activation was blocked. Our data suggest that the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway controls various C5a-mediated effects on neutrophil and monocyte innate immunity and exerts an overall protective effect during experimental sepsis.
Self- and other-reports of traits from the five-factor model: relations to personality disorder.

The current study used a psychiatric sample (N = 69) to examine: (1) the correspondence between self- and other-reports of general personality, as measured by the Five-Factor Model (FFM; Costa & McCrae, 1990), and personality disorder (PD) traits, as measured by a structured interview, (2) the relations between these two sets of ratings (FFM and PD traits) and consensus ratings of PD and impairment, and (3) the incremental validity of other-rated personality scores. Agreement between raters for the five domains of the FFM ranged from . 23 (agreeableness) to . 71 (openness); for the PD traits agreement ranged from . 37 (avoidant) to . 69 (antisocial). At both the domain and facet level, the personality profiles reflected in the correlations between the FFM scores and PD criteria were consistent across raters with the exception of narcissistic PD. Substantial evidence was found for the incremental validity of other-rated personality scores, with these ratings accounting for an additional 8 to 20% of the overall variance in PD features. The other-rated FFM scores also accounted for more variance in consensus ratings of impairment in the domains of romance, work, and social relations.
Hydrogels in Regenerative Medicine

Hydrogels, due to their unique biocompatibility, flexible methods of synthesis, range of constituents, and desirable physical characteristics, have been the material of choice for many applications in regenerative medicine. They can serve as scaffolds that provide structural integrity to tissue constructs, control drug and protein delivery to tissues and cultures, and serve as adhesives or barriers between tissue and material surfaces. In this work, the properties of hydrogels that are important for tissue engineering applications and the inherent material design constraints and challenges are discussed. Recent research involving several different hydrogels polymerized from a variety of synthetic and natural monomers using typical and novel synthetic methods are highlighted. Finally, special attention is given to the microfabrication techniques that are currently resulting in important advances in the field.
Responses of oyster Crassostrea virginica hemocytes to environmental and clinical isolates of Vibrio parahaemolyticus

Ingestion of bacteria by oysters Crassostrea virginica and bactericidal activity of oyster hemocytes were studied using 4 environmental isolates (shellfish) and 3 clinical isolates (fecal) of Vibrio parahaemolyticus. Clinical isolates (2030, 2062, 2107) were obtained from the feces of patients with gastroenteritis who became ill during the 1998 food poisoning outbreak traced to consumption of raw oysters from Galveston Bay, Texas. This outbreak was the first reported occurrence in the United States of the virulent serotype O3:K6. Environmental isolates were from oysters (1094, 1100), crab (1163) and sardines (ATCC 17802). All isolates possessed the thermolabile direct hemolysin (tlh) gene, whereas only the clinical isolates possessed the thermostable direct hemolysin (tdh) gene, a vir- ulence determinant. On average, environmental isolates were more susceptible than clinical isolates to killing by oyster hemocytes, as determined by an in vitro dye reduction assay. Isolate 2062 was the most susceptible of the clinical isolates; it lacked identifiable capsular material present in the other clinical isolates and displayed the most diffuse colony morphology on nutrient agar plates. When oys- ters were exposed in vivo to mixtures of a clinical (2030) and an environmental (1163) isolate, more clinical than environmental isolates were found in the tissues and hemolymph.
[Determination of HLA-A, -B and -DRB1 polymorphism in brain dead organ donors representative of the Colombian general population, 2007-2014].

INTRODUCTION Genes encoding for human leukocyte antigens (HLA) are highly polymorphic and of great importance in organ transplantation procedures, as determining allelic frequencies in defined populations is taken into account among the scientific criteria for organ allocation. OBJECTIVE The objective of this study was to establish the antigen HLA-A, -B, and -DRB1 haplotype frequencies in organ donors representative of the Colombian population after brain death. MATERIALS AND METHODS We conducted a descriptive retrospective study involving 2,506 cadaveric organ donors including an allelic and haplotype analysis of HLA-A, -B and -DRB1; we also determined the Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium. RESULTS We identified 21, 43 and 15 allelic loci for groups A*, B* and DRB1*, respectively. We detected 1,268 HLA-A, -B and -DR, 409 HLA-A-B, 383 HLA-DR-B, and 218 HLA-A-DR haplotypes. The three loci were found to be in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium between the number of heterozygotes observed and the expected number, with p values of ;0.05. CONCLUSIONS This study provides information on the allelic distribution of HLA class I and II in organ donors from the six regions in which Colombia is structurally divided to provide transplant services.
Molecular analysis in spanish patients with muscle carnitine palmitoyltransferase deficiency

The most common mutation in muscle carnitine palmitoyltransferase II (CPT II) deficiency is a missense mutation that replaces a leucine for a serine residue at amino acid position 113 of the CPT II protein (S113L). We performed molecular analysis in a group of 14 Spanish patients with CPT II deficiency from ten unrelated families. The S113L mutation was observed in 8 of the 14 patients studied. Seven patients were homozygous for the mutation, 1 patient was heterozygous, and 6 patients did not carry the mutation on either allele. Seven healthy relatives belonging to three different families carried the mutation on one allele. One patient carried the missense mutation that replaces a tyrosine for a serine at amino acid position 628 on one allele. Our data indicate that the S113L is also the most common mutation in Spanish patients with CPT II deficiency in muscle, and that further pathogenic mutations remain to be identified. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Muscle Nerve 22: 941–943, 1999
Another look at Voronovskaja type formulas

Abstract. Voronovskaja type formulas are usually established for sequences of positive linear operators, i.e, operators Pn with Pn f > 0 whenever the function f is positive. The aim of this paper is twofold. First, we obtain some general formulas concerning compositions of operators on Banach spaces, without any assumption of positivity. Next, we establish Voronovskaja type formulas for operators which are manifestly nonpositive. Combining these two approaches we recover some known results and obtain new applications. The final section is devoted to inequalities accompanying our formulas.
Characteristics of Demand Structure and Preferences for Wild and Farmed Seafood in Germany: An Application of QUAIDS Modeling with Correction for Sample Selection

ABSTRACT The production of farmed fish is growing rapidly and presents a sustainable and possibly low-cost alternative to wild fish. Thus, we may expect retail prices of farmed to be lower than prices of wild fish and demand to be less elastic. Otherwise, marketing of farmed fish may generate some extra value that justifies higher prices and may exhibit more elastic demand. To test these hypotheses, we employ monthly household scanner panel data for Germany from 2006 to 2010 for six frozen seafood products that include farmed and wild fish. A QUAIDS model is estimated by a consistent two-step procedure to account for censoring of the dependent variable. We find consumers to be price sensitive, particularly with regard to the high-value seafood species salmon and shrimp. This price elastic market implies that the German seafood industry still has the potential for growing revenues if production increases. JEL Codes: C32, C33, D12, Q22.