Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Disability and political representation: Analysing the obstacles to elected office in the UK

Around one-sixth of the European population have a disability, yet there are few self-declared disabled politicians. Despite scholarly and political interest in the under-representation of various social groups, little attention has been paid to disabled people. This article identifies and analyses the barriers to elected office faced by disabled people by drawing upon interviews with 51 candidates and elected politicians in the United Kingdom. It reveals barriers which occur throughout the political recruitment process, from initial participation to selection and the election campaign. They broadly fall into: (a) a lack of accessibility, including the built environment and documents; (b) a lack of resources to make events and activities accessible; and (c) ableism, including openly expressed prejudices but also a lack of awareness and willingness to make processes inclusive. While people with different impairments encounter some distinct barriers, all of them have similar experiences of obstacles and exclusion which go beyond those faced by people from other under-represented groups seeking elected office.
Behavior of Shallow Strip Anchors in Sand: A Finite Element Study

A finite element analysis of the behavior of shallow strip anchors in sand was performed. The analysis was carried out on rigid strip anchors that are embedded in loose, medium dense and dense sands. The results showed that the failure mode of strip shallow anchors is typical of rigid body movement of the soil comprised between the anchor plate and the ground surface. At ultimate load, the region between the anchor plate and the ground surface reaches plasticity by Mohr-Coulomb’s yield criterion while the small region below the plate is under tension cut-off. The analysis of the anchor capacity using the pullout factor, a dimensionless parameter, showed that the pullout factor is constant for values of the depth ratio H/B less than 5 and increases for larger values. The range of the depth ratios where the failure mode is typical of rigid body movement of the soil lying above the anchor is rather small. For larger values of depth ratio the plastic zone in the sand expands below the anchor and starts spreading widely on the ground surface.
Comparing prophylactic effect of exercise and metformin on cognitive brain functions in rats with type 3 diabetes mellitus

Introduction: Type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) and Alzheimer’s disease (AD) are two major medical conditions that constitute a significant financial burden on most healthcare systems. Due to AD sharing “insulin resistance” mechanistic features with DM, some scientists have proposed “type 3 DM” terminology for it. This study aims to compare the prophylactic effect of exercise and metformin on cognitive brain functions in rats with type 3 DM. Material and methods: Two groups of rats were included in the study: the control group (n = 15) and the streptozotocin-induced type 2 diabetic group (n = 45). The diabetic group was subdivided into three equal subgroups: a sedentary non-treated diabetic group, an exercised group, and a metformin-treated group. We estimated step-down avoidance task latency, serum glucose, insulin, free fatty acids (FFA), cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein (HDL), low-density lipoprotein (LDL) and triglycerides (TG), brain Aβ-42 and glucose, histological changes by toluidine blue, and immunohistochemistry for brain Aβ-42 and tau-positive cells. Results: Serum glucose, FFA, TG, cholesterol, LDL, brain Aβ-42, brain glucose, the number of hippocampal dark and degenerated cells, and brain Aβ-42 and tau-positive cells, were all significantly lower. In contrast, serum insulin and HDL, the number of hippocampal granular cells, and latency of the step-down avoidance task were significantly higher in exercised and metformin-treated groups compared to the diabetic group. There were significantly higher values of serum insulin and brain/plasma glucose ratio and number of brain tau-positive cells in the metformin-treated group than in the exercised group. Conclusions: We can conclude that exercise can be as effective as metformin regarding prophylaxis against the deleterious effects of type 3 DM on cognitive brain functions.
An Ethno -Veterinary Survey of Medicinal Plants Used in Treating Sheep Helminthiases in Koibatek and Mogotio Sub Counties, Baringo County, Kenya

DOI: 10.21276/sjavs.2018. 5.7. 3 Abstract: Ethnobotanical documentation of medicinal plants use is generally an appropriate means of identifying potential sources of new drugs. The present study aimed to investigate and document the use of medicinal plants in the traditional management of sheep helminthiases in Koibatek and Mogotio sub-counties, Baringo County. Fifteen (15) plants were identified through preliminary field surveys in nine administrative units of the two sub-counties. Demographic information on age and sex of informants was collected to check the existing knowledge and attitude on the use of medicinal plants used in treating sheep helminthiases. The results indicated that out of 130 respondents interviewed, 49 out of 83 men and 23 out of 47 female had knowledge on the use of medicinal plants but there was no significant association in the knowledge of medicinal plant with the gender (X 2 =63.33, d.f=48; P=0.068). The findings will offer a major and accessible source of information for livestock farmers and other actors in the livestock industry. It will also provide sustainable and easily affordable herbal medicine for helminthiases treatment.
Multi-Agent Deep Reinforcement Learning-Based Trajectory Planning for Multi-UAV Assisted Mobile Edge Computing

An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV)-aided mobile edge computing (MEC) framework is proposed, where several UAVs having different trajectories fly over the target area and support the user equipments (UEs) on the ground. We aim to jointly optimize the geographical fairness among all the UEs, the fairness of each UAV’ UE-load and the overall energy consumption of UEs. The above optimization problem includes both integer and continues variables and it is challenging to solve. To address the above problem, a multi-agent deep reinforcement learning based trajectory control algorithm is proposed for managing the trajectory of each UAV independently, where the popular Multi-Agent Deep Deterministic Policy Gradient (MADDPG) method is applied. Given the UAVs’ trajectories, a low-complexity approach is introduced for optimizing the offloading decisions of UEs. We show that our proposed solution has considerable performance over other traditional algorithms, both in terms of the fairness for serving UEs, fairness of UE-load at each UAV and energy consumption for all the UEs.
A Deep Learning Approach for Dynamic Balance Sheet Stress Testing

In the aftermath of the financial crisis, supervisory authorities have considerably altered the mode of operation of financial stress testing. Despite these efforts, significant concerns and extensive criticism have been raised by market participants regarding the considered unrealistic methodological assumptions and simplifications. Current stress testing methodologies attempt to simulate the risks underlying a financial institution’s balance sheet by using several satellite models. This renders their integration a really challenging task, leading to significant estimation errors. Moreover, advanced statistical techniques that could potentially capture the non-linear nature of adverse shocks are still ignored. This work aims to address these criticisms and shortcomings by proposing a novel approach based on recent advances in Deep Learning towards a principled method for Dynamic Balance Sheet Stress Testing. Experimental results on a newly collected financial/supervisory dataset, provide strong empirical evidence that our paradigm significantly outperforms traditional approaches; thus, it is capable of more accurately and efficiently simulating real world scenarios.
Supervised ontology and instance matching with MELT

In this paper, we present MELT-ML, a machine learning extension to the Matching and EvaLuation Toolkit (MELT) which facilitates the application of supervised learning for ontology and instance matching. Our contributions are twofold: We present an open source machine learning extension to the matching toolkit as well as two supervised learning use cases demonstrating the capabilities of the new extension.
Maize response to water, salinity and nitrogen levels: soil and plant ions accumulation

In the present study, some nutritional imbalances, specific ion toxicity and yield-ion concentration relationships in maize under water, nitrogen (N) and salinity stresses were assessed. Effect of different levels of irrigation water (I1=1.0ETc+0.25ETc as leaching, I2 =0.75I1 and I3 =0.5I1) as main plot, salinity of irrigation water (S1=0.6, S2= 2.0 and S3=4.0 dS m-1) as sub-plot and N fertilizer rates (N1=0, N2=150 and N3=300 kg N ha-1) as sub-sub-plot on maize (cv SC 704) were investigated in a split-split-plot design with three replications during 2009 and 2010. Results showed that salts accumulated in soil were 28.4% higher in I2 compared with other irrigation treatments. Soil nitrate concentration was statistically higher under I3 and S1 treatments (83% and 10%, respectively) compared with other irrigation and salinity levels. There was no K+ deficiency caused by salinity; however, salinity resulted in statistically lower K+/Na+ compared with no saline conditions. Plants took up 25% higher N in I2 compared with other irrigation levels. Furthermore, N uptake by plants decreased by an average of 18% under salinity condition indicating that higher N application rate above the required level under saline water application put the environment at the risk of groundwater N contamination. Results of this study confirmed the fact that Na+ accumulation in soil was more detrimental than Cl- accumulation for maize irrigated with saline water. Besides, according to threshold values for soil ions, the optimum levels of irrigation and N fertilizer for maize might be lower under saline water application. Furthermore, based on the grain yield reduction coefficient, maize required a higher level of K+ and K+/Na+ under deficit saline water irrigation for avoiding yield losses.
Maternal Health Outcome and Economic Growth in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Dynamic Panel Analysis

 Abstract — Maternal health outcome is one of the major population development challenges in Sub-Saharan Africa. The region has the highest maternal mortality ratio, despite the progressive economic growth in the region during the global economic crisis. It has been hypothesized that increase in economic growth will reduce the level of maternal mortality. The purpose of this study is to investigate the existence of the negative relationship between health outcome proxy by maternal mortality ratio and economic growth in Sub-Saharan Africa. The study used the Pooled Mean Group estimator of ARDL Autoregressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) and the Kao test for cointegration to examine the short-run and long-run relationship between maternal mortality and economic growth. The results of the cointegration test showed the existence of a long-run relationship between the variables considered for the study. The long-run result of the Pooled Mean group estimates confirmed the hypothesis of an inverse relationship between maternal health outcome proxy by maternal mortality ratio and economic growth proxy by Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita. Thus increasing economic growth by investing in the health care systems to reduce pregnancy and childbirth complications will help reduce maternal mortality in the sub-region.
Business Elite as Elected Representatives in Voluntary Organizations in Norway

Little is known about the links between the business sector and civil society in Norway. To address the lack of knowledge, this study focused on members of the business elite who are elected representatives in voluntary organizations. Information about these representatives was obtained from a national survey of Norwegian elites and used to examine to what extent voluntary organizations are integrated into the business community’s network of institutions and organizations outside the corporate world. The analyses demonstrate that voluntary organizations are well placed within this network. Moreover, business leaders who are elected representatives are well-connected. Several of them serve on state boards and have frequent contact with politicians and state administrators. Business leaders who have experienced pronounced social mobility seem to be more attracted to being involved in the governance of voluntary organizations than their colleagues with a more privileged background.
Biochemical Applications of Differential Scanning Calorimetry

Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and the closely related differential thermal analysis (DTA) have been widely employed during the last several decades in the thermodynamic study of processes that are initiated by either an increase or a decrease in temperature. This review focuses on biochemical applications of DSC. Macromolecular and polymolecular structures stabilized by the cooperation of numerous weak forces are important to most biochemical processes. Since such highly cooperative structures undergo conformational or phase transitions upon being heated, significant information concerning these structures can be obtained by DSC. Small molecules cannot be studied by DSC unless they form aggregates showing intermolecular cooperation, as in crystals. This is illustrated in Table 1. Since the enthalpies of chemical processes rarely are as large as 20 cal g-l, it is evident that molecules having molecular weights, or molecular aggregates having aggregate weights, in the thousands of daltons are required to give transitions sufficiently sharp for useful DSC observation. In a scanning calorimeter, one measures the specific heat of a system as a function of the temperature. For a solution, the apparent specific heat of the solute, c2, is given by the expression
Antimicrobial and micronutrient interventions for the management of infants under 6 months of age identified with severe malnutrition: a literature review

Background Infants under 6 months (U6M) contribute a significant proportion of the burden and mortality of severe malnutrition globally. Evidence of underlying aetiology in this population is sparse, but it is known that the group includes ex-preterm and low birthweight (LBW) infants. They represent a unique population given their dependence on breastmilk or a safe, secure alternative. Nutrition agencies and health providers struggle to make programming decisions on which interventions should be provided to this group based upon the 2013 WHO Guidelines for the ‘Management of Severe Acute Malnutrition in Infants and Young Children’ since there are no published interventional trial data focussed on this population. Interim guidance for this group might be informed by evidence of safety and efficacy in adjacent population groups. Methodology A narrative literature review was performed of systematic reviews, meta-analyses and randomised controlled trials of antimicrobial and micronutrient interventions (antibiotics, deworming, vitamin A, vitamin D, iron, zinc, folic acid and oral rehydration solution (ORS) for malnutrition) across the population groups of low birthweight/preterm infants, infants under 6 months, infants and children over 6 months with acute malnutrition or through supplementation to breastfeeding mothers. Outcomes of interest were safety and efficacy, in terms of mortality and morbidity. Results Ninety-four articles were identified for inclusion within this review. None of these studied interventions exclusively in severely malnourished infants U6M. 64% reported on the safety of studied interventions. Significant heterogeneity was identified in definitions of study populations, interventions provided, and outcomes studied. The evidence for efficacy and safety across population groups is reviewed and presented for the interventions listed. Conclusions The direct evidence base for medical interventions for severely malnourished infants U6M is sparse. Our review identifies a specific need for accurate micronutrient profiling and interventional studies of micronutrients and oral fluid management of diarrhoea amongst infants U6M meeting anthropometric criteria for severe malnutrition. Indirect evidence presented in this review may help shape interim policy and programming decisions as well as the future research agenda for the management of infants U6M identified as malnourished.
Panax notoginseng saponins alleviates advanced glycation end product-induced apoptosis by upregulating SIRT1 and antioxidant expression levels in HUVECs

The present study examined whether Panax notoginseng saponins (PNS) alleviated advanced glycation end product (AGE)-induced apoptosis in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). HUVECs were incubated with 300 µg/ml AGEs alone or AGEs and PNS (0.05, 0.5 or 1 mg/ml) for 48 h. The results of the present study demonstrated that PNS effectively promoted cell viability, inhibited apoptosis and suppressed the activity of caspase-3 in AGE-induced HUVECs. The activities of monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 and malondialdehyde were reduced, and superoxide dismutase activity was increased following treatment with PNS. Furthermore, PNS significantly increased the expression of silent information regulator 1 (SIRT1) and transforming growth factor (TGF)-β1 proteins, and suppressed the expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase and cyclooxyggenase-2 proteins in AGE-induced HUVECs. Therefore, the present study demonstrated that PNS reduced AGE-induced apoptosis by upregulating SIRT1 and antioxidants in HUVECs. The present findings suggest that the PNS may as an important pharmacological agent for AGE-induced cardiovascular injury.
SFTPC genetic polymorphisms are associated with tuberculosis susceptibility and clinical phenotype in a Western Chinese Han population

Tuberculosis (TB) is one of the most common infectious diseases globally. The surfactant protein C (SFTPC), which is involved in innate immunity and surfactant function in the lung, may contribute toward the progression of TB. The aim of the present study was to preliminarily investigate the possible association of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the SFTPC gene with TB susceptibility and clinical phenotypes in a Western Chinese Han population. The improved multiplex ligation detection reaction method was used to genotype 6 SNPs in SFTPC, in 900 patients with TB and 1,534 healthy control subjects. It was found that the A allele for rs1124 and the C allele for rs8192313 were associated with increased susceptibility to TB, P=0.024 and P=0.045, respectively. However, these two P-values were not significant following Bonferroni correction. In all samples, the haplotype [CGA], representing three SFTPC variants, was revealed to increase the risk of TB (P=0.001 and P=0.005, following Bonferroni correction). Furthermore, patients with the AA genotype for rs1124 and with the CC genotype for rs8192313 were associated with higher levels of C-reactive protein (P=0.001 and P=0.005, respectively). The results of the present study indicated that the SFTPC SNPs may increase the susceptibility to TB and the immune response of the host to Mycobacterium tuberculosis and may potentially be novel biomarkers for the pathogenesis of TB.
Using environmental (e)DNA sequencing for aquatic biodiversity surveys: a beginner’s guide

Biological surveys are needed to monitor and assess the health of ecosystems and the species within them. However, morphology-based biodiversity surveys can be invasive, time consuming and financially expensive. Recently, environmental (e)DNA sequencing has been demonstrated as a potential alternative to morphological-based surveys because it enables the rapid and inexpensive detection of multiple taxa from DNA present in the environment. Numerous studies have shown that eDNA-based biodiversity surveys can provide considerable information about aquatic ecosystem function and health. Therefore, this molecular method has the potential to improve how current aquatic biological surveys are conducted. Currently, most eDNA literature is aimed at an audience with a moderate to advanced knowledge of DNA sequencing, creating a barrier for many ecologists who lack DNA sequencing expertise but wish to apply such methods to their research. The aim of this review is to provide guidance to non-geneticists regarding sequencing eDNA for aquatic biodiversity surveys and to highlight the requirements that need to be considered before the technique can be effectively incorporated into biomonitoring programs. Specifically, we provide details and recommendations on some of the major principles, from sample collection to bioinformatic analyses. For those areas where specific recommendations cannot be given, we have provided references to suitable literature.
The influence of biological soil crusts on dew deposition and characteristics of soil surface in Gurbantunggut Desert

In desert environments,dew is an important source of moisture for plants,biological soil crusts,invertebrates and small vertebrates. In this paper,measurements were taken to investigate the effects of three different types of biological soil crusts (algae,lichen,moss) and bare sand on dew deposition,dew duration and evaporation pattern in Gurbantunggut Desert. Dew quantities were measured using micro-lysimeters with a diameter of 6 cm and a height of 3.5 cm. The results indicated that the total dew amounts of different soil surface types were significantly different (p 0.01),it increased with the development of biological soil crusts,in the following order:sand algae crust lichen crust moss crust. It can be concluded that the occurrence of biological soil crusts benefited dew deposition. Average daily dew amounts varied along with different soil surfaces. During the period of this study,for each type of crust studied,the maximum amount of dew was several times greater than the minimum. Moss crust was characterized by having the greatest amount of dew at dawn,whereas bare sand yielded the lowest amount of dew,lichen crust and algae crust exhibited intermediate values. Dew deposition began at 20:0022:00 and ended at 8:009:00 the next morning. A continuous dew deposition even after sunrise was also observed. The time course of dew accumulation and drying on different soil surfaces could be divided into two parts:dew amounts increased gradually before sunrise,and after then dew amounts decreased rapidly with higher temperature. Dew deposition was mainly affected by air temperature near the surface,soil temperature,the air relative humidity and the kind of surface. The data,thus,indicated the important effect of biological soil crusts on dew formation and may assist in evaluating the significant ecological role of dew in the arid and semi-arid environments.
Effect of parent-child relationship on physical aggression among adolescents: Global school-based student health survey

Data from the Global School-based Student Health Survey (GSHS) conducted in 2009 consisting of 5192 Pakistani school-going adolescents was used to assess the association between parent-child-relationship and physical-aggression. A multilevel-weighted-cox-proportional-algorithm was performed. The overall prevalence of physical-aggression was 41% of which 27% had a poor parent-child relationship. Male adolescents who have a poor bond with their parents had two times the prevalence of physical-aggression (95% CI: 1.82, 3.00) than those female adolescents with the strong parent-child-bonding. The findings of this study implicated that the poor parental bond and the role of gender as potential factors in physically aggressive adolescents.