Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Negotiating narratives: exploring the complexities of Somali boys' and girls' learner identities around notions of "educational help" at home and at school

This study explores how a group of Somali boys and girls who migrated to the UK as refugees and who may require “educational help” negotiated their identities as “possible” learners at home and at school. Lived experiences of educational inequality at the intersection of refugee, gender and Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) are not often considered within research. However, in practice this is found to be a pressing area of concern, including in communication between schools and families. The study takes an in-depth focus and draws on post structuralist, post-colonial, feminist understandings of identities to explore notions of subjectivity, marginalisation, agency and belonging. Using ethical, young-person-centred approaches, I conducted interviews with eighteen young people, six family members and three teachers who were nominated by the young people and I observed a range of lessons chosen by the young people. Narratives co-constructed through these methods are analysed as sites of identity performance and meaning making. The study argues that in order to explore refugee young people’s negotiations of notions of SEND, the ways that these learner identities interwine with English as an Additional Language (EAL), underachievement and disadvantage need to be understood within racialised, classed and gendered discourses about what it means to be a learner. Reflecting on the difficulties of considering this wide range of social and learner categories, the analysis demonstrates that these are nevertheless important processes to understand. Family, religious and school notions of success and failure are shown to collide, conflict and converge, challenging prevailing assumptions about Somali families as resisting “educational help” and highlighting the need for appropriate engagement strategies from schools with families. An exploration of im/possible spaces at home and at school, rather than considering learners as im/possible, is presented as a fruitful way to understand the complexity of these young people’s negotiations.
Evaluation of potential anti-fibrotic effect of oleuropein on bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis in rat

Abstract The etiology of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is not well known, however it is a final response of frequent injuries to endothelial and epithelial cells that cause influx of the inflammatory cells. Bleomycin (BLM), a chemotherapeutic agent that causes lung fibrosis in human patients has been applied extensively in rodent models to inducing IPF. Moreover, oxidative stress and production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) have been involved in the pathogenesis. We aimed to investigate the effect of main olive antioxidant and anti-inflammatory polyphenol constituent, oleuropein (OLE), on BLM-induced fibrosis model. Female Wistar rats were divided into six groups (n = 8). In this study, whereas negative group only received vehicle and treatment groups received OLE (20, 40, and 80 mg kg−1) orally. Also, positive control group received intratracheally (IT), single dose BLM (7.5 U kg−1), prednisolone (10 mg/kg) as standard cure a week before and 3 weeks after IT-BLM. At 21th day of experiment, IL-13, TNF, TGF-β, and PDGF in the bronchoalveolar fluid (BALF), lung content hydroxyproline (HP), and malondialdehyde (MDA) were quantified. Histopathological changes in lungs were investigated too. IL-13, TNF, TGF-β1, PDGF in BALF, lung HP (collagen index), and MDA content in BLM-injected group was significantly higher than the control group (p < .05). In contrast, rats treated with OLE showed obviously lesser contents. Also, the histopathological observation confirms these findings. The results indicate that treatment by OLE may inhibit production of anti-inflammatory cytokines and ROS, and thus could be a useful medicine for managing fingagin disorders.
Molecular characterization of an indigenous minor carp Bangana dero (Cyprinidae: Labeoninae) of Manipur and its relationship with Labeonin fishes of North East India based on mitochondrial 16SrRNA gene sequences

Bangana dero is an economically important indigenous cyprinid fish of Manipur, India having maximum standard length of 40cm. For the taxonomic placement of this species among the Labeonin fishes, molecular characterization is conducted by using mitochondrial 16SrRNA gene sequences. Partial sequences of mito. 16SrRNA gene of fifteen cyprinid species of the sub-family Labeoninae were downloaded from NCBI Genbank. The analysed nucleotide sequence lengths were 538 bp. In a total of 811 characters, 194 were conserved sites (monomorphic) and 347 were variable sites (polymorphic) and out of 347 variable sites, 73 were parsimony informative sites and 274 singleton sites. The nucleotide frequencies are 31.4% (A), 22.57% (T), 24.00% (C) and 21.96% (G). The transition/transversion bias (R) is 2.51. The overall mean distance is 0.083. The dendogram constructed by Neighbour-Joining tree have three clusters which can indicate the taxonomic positions of Bangana dero .
ALLELOPATHIC EFFECTS OF SKELETONEMA COSTATUM (BACILLARIOPHYTA) EXOMETABOLITES ON THE GROWTH OF NANNOCHLOROPSIS OCULATA AND TETRASELMIS CHUII (CHLOROPHYTA)

: Allelopathic activity of exometabolites excreted by different algal species produced the competitive interactions may have led to adaptations enabling bloom-forming phytoplankton to dominate pelagic communities. Therefore, in vitro study was performed on the extracellular products (protein, carbohydrate, polysaccharides, phenolic compounds, alkaloids and fatty acids) during exponential and decline growth phase of the marine diatom Skeletonema costatum on the growth of Nannochloropsis oculata and Tetraselmis chuii . The results showed that the culture filtrate of decline growth phase contains higher protein, carbohydrate, polysaccharides, phenolic compounds and alkaloids than exponential growth phase. The results of fatty acids analysis showed the presence of palmitic acid (48.73 and 23.39 mg.ml -1 ) and linoleic acid (35.29 and 46.48 mg.ml -1 ), respectively during exponential and decline phase. These results suggest that the metabolites released from Sk. costatum in both growth phases would be the target of allelopathic inhibition of the growth of the two tested algae with different degrees. Therefore, future investigations on the characterization of the chemical compounds involved in the allelopathic process is needed to advance the study of the mode of action of phytoplankton allelochemicals in mediating phytoplankton
Analysis of mathematics teachers’ beliefs on mathematics instruction and teaching self-efficiencies within the scope of flow theory

In this study, it was aimed to investigate the beliefs of mathematics teachers about mathematics instruction and their teaching self-efficacy within the scope of flow theory. Participants consists of a total of 228 mathematics teachers engaged in teaching at secondary and high school levels in Turkey; they were determined using the combinations of convenience and purposive sampling. Data from the participants were obtained using The WOrk-reLated Flow inventory (WOLF), The Ohio State Teacher Efficacy Scale (OSTES) and Mathematics Related Belief Scale (MRBS). Results revealed significant positive correlations among Constructivist Beliefs of WOLF, OSTES and MRBS. Furthermore, it was found that mathematics teachers graduated from the Education Faculty had higher MRBS Constructivist Beliefs that the ones graduated from Faculty of Arts and Sciences.
EXISTENCE OF VANCOMYCIN RESISTANCE AMONG METHICILLIN RESISTANT S. aureus RECOVERED FROM ANIMAL AND HUMAN SOURCES IN EGYPT

The increased resistance of vancomycin among methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) has produced a major formidable threat in the therapeutic field. The current study analyzed the vancomycin resistance traits among MRSA isolates recovered from 148 samples of animal and human origins in Sharkia Governorate, Egypt. All staphylococci isolates were examined against 8 antimicrobials and vancomycin minimal inhibitory concentrations (MICs) were then determined among phenotypic vancomycin resistant and intermediate S. aureus . Furthermore, all vancomycin-resistant S. aureus (VRSA) isolates were exposed to PCR analysis of mec A and van genes. Herein, 45 of 86 Staphylococcus spp. were identified as S. aureus , while 41 were coagulase negative staphylococci (CoNS). A higher incidence rate of S. aureus was observed in meat products (58.06%), but majority of CoNS isolates were isolated from milk samples (54.54%) with no statistical differences ( P < 0.05) in the distribution of S. aureus and CoNS among all samples. Oxacillin and amoxicillin-clavulanic acid recorded the highest resistance percentages among S. aureus (93.33 and 88.89%) and CoNS (75.61 and 87.80%), respectively. Multidrug resistance (MDR) was detected in high proportions of S. aureus (64.4%) and CoNS (34.1%). Forty-two of 45 S. aureus isolates were MRSA, of which 14 were vancomycin resistant with MIC values ranged from 32-1024 µg/mL. PCR detection of mec A and van genes in the tested isolates revealed that they were all mec A gene positive, while 10 out of them had van genes. The van B gene was found in 5 isolates with higher MICs (64- 256 μg/mL), while van A gene was detected in 4 isolates with MICs of 128-512 μg/mL and only one isolate harbored both van A and van B genes with MIC value of 1024 μg/mL. According to the upsurge of VRSA prevalence rates, more attentions should be oriented for continuous monitoring of antimicrobial usage with the need for effective drugs against VRSA. Key words: S. aureus ; Antibiogram; VRSA; MRSA; mec A; van genes
YeasTSS: an integrative web database of yeast transcription start sites

The transcription initiation landscape of eukaryotic genes is complex and highly dynamic. In eukaryotes, genes can generate multiple transcript variants that differ in 5’ boundaries due to usages of alternative transcription start sites (TSSs), and the abundance of transcript isoforms are highly variable. Due to a large number and complexity of the TSSs, it is not feasible to depict details of transcript initiation landscape of all genes using text-format genome annotation files. Therefore, it is necessary to provide data visualization of TSSs to represent quantitative TSS maps and the core promoters. In addition, the selection and activity of TSSs are influenced by various factors, such as transcription factors, chromatin remodeling, and histone modifications. Thus, integration and visualization of functional genomic data related to these features could provide a better understanding of the gene promoter architecture and regulatory mechanism of transcription initiation. Yeast species play important roles for the research and human society, yet no database provides visualization and integration of functional genomic data in yeast. Here, we generated quantitative TSS maps for twelve important yeast species, inferred their core promoters, and built a public database, YeasTSS (www.yeastss.org). YeasTSS was designed as a central portal for visualization and integration of the TSS maps, core promoters and functional genomic data related to transcription initiation in yeast. YeasTSS is expected to benefit the research community and public education for improving genome annotation, studies of promoter structure, regulated control of transcription initiation and inferring gene regulatory network.
Anaerobic biodegradation of trichloroethylene with the addition of sugar using activated carbon-fluidized beds

Title of Thesis : Anaerobic Biodegradation of Tri-chloroethylene With the Addition of Sugar Using Activated Carbon Fluidized Beds Suxuan Huang, Doctor of Engineering Science, 1989 Thesis Directed by : Dr. Yeun C. Wu Professor Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering N.J.I.T. Anaerobic biodegradation of trichloroethylene (TCE) was carried out in a two-stage granular activated carbon flui­ dized bed bioreactor. The intermediate products were iden­ tified as: dichloroethylene (DCE), vinyl chloride (VC) , 1,2-dichloroethane (DCA) and chloroethane (CA). Of the three geometric isomers of DCE, the trans-1,2 dichloroethy­ lene (TDCE) was found to be the most predominant species. The production of DCA suggested a diverted reaction sequence from the conventional sequential reductive dechlorination pathway postulated in the past literature. CA was believed to be a product of VC and/or DCA. The co-substrate glucose was implicated for this reaction specificity. Based on our data and on other's work, a modified degradation pathway for TCE in anaerobic environment is postulated. The quantita­ tive production of CA strongly implied a potential for complete mineralization of TCE under reductive conditions. t I The rate constant, k, of TCE biodegrada.tion in this process was found to be 8.7 min-1. The reaction kinetics resembled that of Michaelis-Menten model with the maximum rate, and Michaelis-Menten constant, Km , determined as I 1.63 mg/L-min and 0.11 mg/L, respectively. The kinetic constants for TDCE conversion were: k = 0.3 min-1, Vm = 0.06 mg/L-min and Kj,, = 0.10 mg/L. The material balance performed on one stage of the system revealed that, in the range of influent TCE concen­ tration of 0.02 4.64 mg/L, about 1% of the TCE introduced into the system volatilized to the reactor headspace, a maximum of 2% remained unaltered on the granular activated carbon (GAC) particles, and a maximum of 35% escaped biotra­ nsformation and eluted with the effluent of the first stage. Over 62% of the TCE was biotransformed to the DCEs, about 7 5% of which was further transformed to CA. The percent reduction of TCE from the aqueous phase ranged from 81 to 98% for the first stage and 98 to 100% for the entire sys­ tem. The optimum recycle rate was found to range from 750 to 850 ml/min. With a target effluent TCE concentration of below 20 ug/L and allowing a contact time of one minute, the nutrient feed rate must be < 4 ml/min. A glucose/TCE ratio of greater than 4 seemed to result in the early cleavage of double bond in TDCE and thus lead to the production of CA via DCA rather than VC.
Quality and Sensory Characteristics of Volutharpa ampullacea perryi (False Abalone) Meat during the Boiling Cooking

ABSTRACT Volutharpa ampullacea perryi (false abalone) meats were water cooked at 75–100°C for 5–60 min, and the changes in weight loss, pH, color, in vitro digestibility, texture, microstructure, and sensory characteristics were investigated. The weight rapidly decreased in the initial cooking and decreased slightly with the extension of both heating temperature and time. Obvious differences in color were found compared between the raw and cooked meats with respect to ΔL*, Δa*, and Δb* values. Digestibility was significantly improved with the thermal treatments. Textual properties, such as hardness, springiness, chewiness, and resilience, improved with the increasing of thermal intensity, but reduced with overcooking, and the variations were further confirmed by the scanning electron microscopy analysis. The samples boiled at 90–95°C for 10–15 min and 100°C for 5–10 min acquired better acceptance in the sensory evaluation. The complex relationship among cooking conditions and physicochemical and histological characteristics of meat as well as the consumer perceptions was illuminated by the principal components regression analysis. These results could provide useful information for quality control in V. a. perryi meat cooking.
Revised criteria system for a national assessment of threatened habitats in Germany

The Red List of threatened habitat types in Germany was first published in 1994 and it is updated approximately every ten years. In 2017 the third version was published by the German Federal Agency for Nature Conservation. In the course of the revision, the criteria system was also extended. In doing so, an attempt was made to find a compromise between the consideration of international developments that had taken place and existing national requirements. In particular, short-term developments should become visible through the German Red List status. In addition to ‘National long-term Threat’, the valuation now also includes ‘Current Trend’ and ‘Rarity’. Following the IUCN’s approach, the collapse risk is now represented on the basis of several criteria. However, in contrast to the IUCN procedure, where the worst evaluated criterion is determinative for Red List status, in our procedure all criteria are included in the evaluation. To counteract misleading signal-effects for management decisions, all significant criteria have an influence on the resulting German Red List status (RLG). They are combined in an assessment scheme. In order to map the overall risk of loss, both the long-term threat as a historical reference value and furthermore the current trend must have an influence on RLG. As a result, 65% of habitat types have differing risk of loss.
Evolution of interface binding strengths in simplified model of protein quaternary structure

The self-assembly of proteins into protein quaternary structures is of fundamental importance to many biological processes, and protein misassembly is responsible for a wide range of proteopathic diseases. In recent years, abstract lattice models of protein self-assembly have been used to simulate the evolution and assembly of protein quaternary structure, and to provide a tractable way to study the genotype-phenotype map of such systems. Here we generalize these models by representing the interfaces as mutable binary strings. This simple change enables us to model the evolution of interface strengths, interface symmetry, and deterministic assembly pathways. Using the generalized model we are able to reproduce two important results established for real protein complexes: The first is that protein assembly pathways are under evolutionary selection to minimize misassembly. The second is that the assembly pathway of a complex mirrors its evolutionary history, and that both can be derived from the relative strengths of interfaces. These results demonstrate that the generalized lattice model offers a powerful new framework for the study of protein self-assembly processes and their evolution.
The Effect of Organizational Culture on the Growth of Private Universities in Nigeria

The emergence of private universities may have been an answer to the cries of the thousands of secondary school leavers being produced each year with little or no hope of gaining admission into the inadequate public universities. The purpose of this study is to assess the implications of organizational culture on the growth of private universities in Nigeria. The study was based on survey design and the entire population census of the 79 private universities represents the sample size of the study covered. The investigation relied on secondary data obtained on private universities. The data generated were analyzed using descriptive statistics based on using the central tendency (mean) and frequency. The findings revealed that organizational culture has no effect on the growth of private universities in Nigeria. It also found that sustainability of private universities is high as only 2 universities had closed down operations in the 21years of its existence in Nigeria. The study therefore recommends that organizational culture should be upheld in Nigerian private universities and intending proprietors should be thoroughly briefed on these unique cultures of universities so as to promote sustainability.
Comparing different approaches to assess individual chronotypes in epidemiological studies (SEVERUS-Cohort)

ABSTRACT Assessing individual chronotypes can become relevant for epidemiological studies, for instance when investigating the impact of night-shift work on human’s health. The objective of this study was to explore and compare three different approaches (Self-rating, Munich Chronotype Questionnaire (MCTQ), Perfect Day (PD)) of assessing the chronotype in a group of 48 police officers. We compared the categorical classification of self-rated chronotypes with Mid Sleep Times (MST) on free days from the MCTQ and MST on PDs. Chronotype categories derived from self-rating were only weakly associated with the MST derived from free days (Spearman’s rho = 0.33, p = 0.078) and PDs (rho = 0.26, p = 0.073). We found a positive correlation between the MSTs assessed via MCTQ and PD (Pearson’s r = 0.67, p < 0.001). There were differences in the MST on free days and on PDs between individuals who did and did not use an alarm clock. All three approaches to assess chronotype information have to be used with caution. Concerns of selection and misclassification bias are raised when assessing chronotypes through the MST on free days for those who do not use alarm clocks. Further research is needed to develop sound strategies to assess chronotypes in epidemiological studies.
Getting western: biogeographical analysis of morphological variation, mitochondrial haplotypes and nuclear markers reveals cryptic species and hybrid zones in the Junonia butterflies of the American southwest and Mexico

The American southwest and northern Mexico has a great degree of endemic diversity compared with the rest of North America. The Pleistocene glaciations and the dispersal of species from glacial refuges in this region have been important engines for the production of biodiversity in the region. The New World Junonia are a recent radiation of butterflies that are thought to have spent time in these refuges during periods of glacial advancement. We have reconstructed the plausible movements and the contemporary geographic distributions of the five taxa (J. coenia, J. grisea, J. litoralis, J. nigrosuffusa and J. zonalis) that occur in the American southwest and northern Mexico using phenotypic and genotypic information primarily from specimens preserved in museum collections, supplemented with additional contemporary collections. Evidence of cryptic species and hybridization events were observed using mitochondrial haplotypes, genotypic variation at the nuclear wingless locus, multilocus DNA fingerprinting, patterns of larval host plant use, variation in life‐history traits and morphological characteristics. Based on these lines of evidence, and in spite of low levels of hybridization between them, we argue that all five Junonia taxa are independent evolutionary lineages. Junonia grisea and J. coenia are morphologically very similar, but differences in morphology, life‐history traits, nuclear genotypes and mitochondrial haplotypes suggest that they are a cryptic species pair, thus elevating J. grisea comb.n. to a full species when it had previously been considered to be a subspecies of J. coenia.
Landscape and Dynamics of the Transcriptional Regulatory Network During Natural Killer Cell Differentiation

Natural killer (NK) cells are essential in controlling cancer and infection. However, little is known about the dynamics of the transcriptional regulatory machinery during NK cell differentiation. In this study, we applied assay of transposase accessible chromatin with sequencing (ATAC-seq) technique in a self-developed in vitro NK cell differentiation system. Analysis of ATAC-seq data illustrated two distinct transcription factor (TF) clusters that dynamically regulate NK cell differentiation. Moreover, two TFs from the second cluster, FOSL2 and EGR2, were identified as novel essential TFs that control NK cell maturation and function. Knocking down either of these two TFs significantly impacted NK cell transformation. Finally, we constructed a genome-wide transcriptional regulatory network that provides an understanding of the regulatory dynamics during NK cell differentiation.