Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Prevalence of Cryptosporidium infection in sheep in Iran.

OBJECTIVE Cryptosporidium is an important zoonotic parasite in humans and animals worldwide. This study was conducted to investigate the prevalence of Cryptosporidium infection in Iran. METHODS Fecal samples (n=1.749) were collected randomly in asymptomatic sheep from different rural regions of Iran in 2011 to 2012. All samples were examined by using the cold modified Ziehl-Neelsen staining technique. RESULTS Oocysts of Cryptosporidium was found in 11.3% (198/1749) of samples (9.8 < CI 95% < 12.8). There was a statistical differences among Cryptosporidium infection, age groups (p < 0.0001), and gender (p=0.02). CONCLUSION This study is the first report of Cryptosporidium infection in sheep in different regions of Iran. Therefore, further comprehensive molecular studies in sheep to identify the source of contaminations (animals or humans) and designing control strategies is highly recommended.
Function-based patent retrieval for concept design

In concept design, function of system is usually described with a verb and a noun. The verb describes the operation that the system applies on the object which is represented by the noun. The functional verbs are commonly expanded with its synonyms and antonyms, troponyms and hypernyms to use as design stimuli in engineering problems. To reuse previous design resolution, this paper presents a function based patent retrieval approach in which the initial keywords are represented as “verb + noun”, and then the verbs and nouns are automatically expanded into verb set and noun set using Functional Basis and WordNet. The verb set is not only used as design stimuli, but also used as keywords for patent retrieval. The noun set is used to filter retrieval results. The experiment results indicate that the proposed approach can retrieve more functional relevant patents and facilitate cross-domain patent retrieval.
Expression of Non-acetylatable H2A.Z in Myoblast Cells Blocks Myoblast Differentiation through Disruption of MyoD Expression*

Background: H2A.Z is a histone variant that replaces H2A at strategic locations within the genome. Results: Expression of non-acetylatable H2A.Z blocks myogenic differentiation. Conclusion: H2A.Z acetylation is important for MyoD expression in myoblasts, which in turn is required for myogenesis. Significance: These results demonstrate that expression of a mutant H2A.Z can lead to dysregulation and inhibition of cellular differentiation programs. H2A.Z is a histone H2A variant that is essential for viability in Tetrahymena and Drosophila and also during embryonic development of mice. Although implicated in diverse cellular processes, including transcriptional regulation, chromosome segregation, and heterochromatin formation, its essential function in cells remains unknown. Cellular differentiation is part of the developmental process of multicellular organisms. To elucidate the roles of H2A.Z and H2A.Z acetylation in cellular differentiation, we examined the effects of expressing wild type (WT) or a non-acetylatable form of H2A.Z in the growth and differentiation of the myoblast C2C12 cell line. Ectopic expression of wild type or mutant H2A.Z resulted in distinct phenotypes in the differentiation of the C2C12 cells and the formation of myotubes. Most strikingly, expression of the H2A.Z non-acetylatable mutant (H2A.Z-Ac-mut) resulted in a complete block of myoblast differentiation. We determined that this phenotype is caused by a loss of MyoD expression in the Ac-mut-expressing cells prior to and after induction of differentiation. Moreover, chromatin accessibility assays showed that the promoter region of MyoD is less accessible in the differentiation-defective cells. Altogether, these new findings show that expression of the Ac-mut form of H2A.Z resulted in a dominant phenotype that blocked differentiation due to chromatin changes at the MyoD promoter.
A Reconfigurable and Power-Scalable 10–12 Bit 0.4–44 MS/s Pipelined ADC With 0.35–0.5 pJ/Step in 1.2 V 90 nm Digital CMOS

A pipelined ADC, reconfigurable over bandwidths of 0.2-22 MHz (sampling frequencies of 0.4-44 MS/s) and resolutions of 10-12 bits, is described for applications in multi-standard wireless terminals. Fabricated in a 1.2-V 90-nm digital CMOS technology, this ADC achieves low power (figure-of-merit of FOM=0.35 to 0.5 pJ per A/D conversion step) over its full bandwidth-resolution range. Accordingly, compared to state-of-the-art power-efficient reconfigurable pipelined ADCs, this ADC provides a larger bandwidth-resolution reconfigurability space, while maintaining a highly competitive FOM over this entire space. To achieve such low-power performance in a low-voltage nanometer CMOS process, this work utilizes: (1) a current-scalable frequency-compensation technique to design low-power current-scalable two-stage opamps; (2) a switched-capacitor technique to design dynamic comparators with low input capacitance (input-loading effect); and (3) a low-power digital background gain-calibration technique. The large bandwidth and resolution reconfigurability ranges are achieved using current-scaling and stage-bypass techniques, respectively.
Mentoring of newly qualified teachers in Zambian secondary schools: An introspection of teachers' and headteachers' perspectives in selected Districts of Zambia

vii List of abbreviations and acronyms. ix List of Tables. xviii List of figures. xxi Statistical symbols used. xxii CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION. 1 1.1 Overview. 1 1.2 Background to the study. 1 1.2. 1 Studying mentoring using perception. 4 1.3 Statement of the Problem. 7 1.4 Purpose of the Study . 8 1.5 Objectives of the study. 8 1.6 Research questions of the study. 9 1.7 Significance of the study. 9 1.8 Theoretical Framework. 10 1.9 Assumptions of the study. 14 1.10 Delimitation of the study. 15 1.11 Limitations of the study. 15 1.12 Operational definition of key terms. 16 1.13 Summary. 17 1.14 Organisation of the remaining chapters. 17
Newly Synthesized Transferrin Receptors Can Be Detected in the Endosome before They Appear on the Cell Surface (*)

It is well established that a proportion of newly synthesized lysosomal enzymes and class II major histocompatibility complex antigens are delivered directly to the endocytic pathway from the Golgi complex. Here we show that a significant proportion of newly synthesized transferrin receptors can be detected in endosomes before reaching the cell surface. These newly synthesized transferrin receptors are delivered to the endosome more efficiently than either constitutively secreted soluble proteins or glycophosphatidylinositol-anchored plasma membrane proteins suggesting that their transfer to the endosome is signal-dependent. Identification of a signal-dependent transfer step for proteins like the transferrin receptor operating on the exocytic pathway has important implications for membrane biogenesis, especially in the establishment of cell surface polarity.
Do Job Demands of Chinese Manufacturing Employees Predict Positive or Negative Outcomes? A Test of Competing Hypotheses

Karasek's job demands-control (JDC) model posits that job control can buffer against the harmful effects of demands experienced by employees. A large volume of JDC research has obtained support for the main effects of demands and control, but not the interactive effects. Recent research on the challenge-hindrance stressors framework, however, found that work stressors may not always be deleterious, suggesting alternative hypotheses about the effects of demands and control. The present study therefore examined competing hypotheses concerning the effects of job demands on occupational health outcomes. Using a sample of 316 employees in a Chinese manufacturing company, we found that, consistent with the challenge-hindrance framework, production demands were challenge stressors associated with favourable outcomes (i.e. job satisfaction and psychological well-being). In addition, results showed that the interactive role of job control depended on the nature of outcome variables. Future recommendations and implications of findings are discussed.
Comparison of Detection of Bovine Virus Diarrhea Virus Antigen in Various Types of Tissue and Fluid Samples Collected from Persistently Infected Cattle

Bovine viral diarrhea viruses are economically important pathogens of cattle. Most infections in susceptible animals are acquired from animals persistently infected with the virus. Surveillance programs rely on skin biopsies of persistently infected (PI) cattle to detect the infection. The purpose of this study was to compare antigen capture enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ACE) testing results using different types of samples from PI animals. The intent was to determine comparative detection rates in types of samples that are frequently submitted to diagnostic laboratories for evaluation of cases of unknown etiology or samples that could be easily collected for Bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV) screening. Eight types of samples were collected from 40 PI animals. The sample types were ear notches, serum, nasal swabs, conjunctival swabs, oral swabs, rectal swabs, vaginal/preputial swabs, and a tail skin fold biopsy. Each type of sample (n = 8) for each animal (n = 40) was evaluated with a commercial ACE kit. When using ACE, tail-skin fold and nasal swab samples were 100% sensitive compared with results using ear notches. Sensitivity using other samples was as follows: serum and vaginal/preputial swabs, 92%; conjunctival swabs, 64%; rectal swabs, 10%; oral swabs, 8%. Testing of tail skin fold biopsies, nasal swabs, and ear notch samples resulted in reliable results. In contrast, other sample types were unreliable for diagnosis of persistent infection in calves.
Technical Efficiency of Cricket (A. domesticus and G. bimaculatus) Production: A Cobb-Douglas Stochastic Frontier Approach

Technical efficiency measures the effectiveness of an enterprise given the available resources at disposal and how well it transforms these resources to get maximum output. This study therefore investigated the technical efficiency of cricket, A. domesticus and G. bimaculatus, production at JOOUST cricket farm using parametric approach. Stochastic frontier analysis was used to analyze the data collected from the farm between 2015-2017. Maximum likelihood estimates results indicated that labour, cotton wool and feed had significant effect on the technical efficiency of cricket production at 1% and 5% significant levels respectively. Species had significant positive (P<0.05) contribution to inefficiency while scale of production and experience had significant negative contribution to technical inefficiency at 5% and 1% significant level respectively. Production in the farm was characterized by decreasing returns to scale implying that labour saving technologies combined with proper feeding rates and cheap alternative to inputs such as cotton wool should be considered. In addition, production scale should be expanded to contribute to efficiency through the benefits of economies of scale. However, further research should be done on allocative efficiency to permit a rational and comprehensive economic efficiency conclusion.
Effectual Routine for Trilateral Authentication in Ad-hoc Networks using Multicast Conventions

Ad-hoc networks have mass of applications; though, a dynamic problem regarding their security aspects must be answered in order to realize these applications. Validating the source and ensuring the integrity of the message traffic become an essential constraint for the operation and management of the network. We focus on the security problem of protecting the network connectivity between nodes in ad-hoc network. New nodes start to contribute in the network as guests; they can only become full members with a network signed certificate after their authenticity has been warranted by some other members. In this paper we introduce routine of multicast Protocol for tired authentication between the multilevel of ad-hoc network. In this proposed protocol Central Authority with trilateral authentication for managing key authentication and certification process which leads to increase the security and reliability of the network.
Self-reported cultural competence of public health nurses in a Southeastern U.S. Public health department.

OBJECTIVE Delivery of culturally competent public health nursing that can address health disparities is dependent on competent practice by nurses. Examining public health nurses' (PHNs') cultural competence provides a basis for planning and developing interventions to ensure competent care. Examine the cultural competence of PHNs. DESIGN Descriptive, exploratory study examining the measured cultural competence of PHNs and their perceptions of delivery of culturally competent care. SAMPLE A convenience sample of 31 PHNs participated. MEASUREMENTS Participants completed the Cultural Competence Assessment tool and documented personal experiences and perceptions of culturally competent health care through open-ended questions. RESULTS Most participants reported a moderate level of cultural competence. Cultural awareness and sensitivity scores were higher than scores for culturally competent behaviors. Participation in specific types of cultural competence training was significantly related to higher scores on cultural competence. Participants documented culturally competent care for a diverse clientele and requested additional diversity educational opportunities and interpreter services. CONCLUSIONS The nurses had culturally competent knowledge and attitudes but were unable to fully and consistently enact these in practice. The need for appropriate cultural competence education and interpreter services addressing health disparities, as mandated in the Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services in Health Care standards, is emphasized.
Microbial remediation of explosive waste

Explosives are synthesized globally mainly for military munitions. Nitrate esters, such as GTN and PETN, nitroaromatics like TNP and TNT and nitramines with RDX, HMX and CL20, are the main class of explosives used. Their use has resulted in severe contamination of environment and strategies are now being developed to clean these substances in an economical and eco-friendly manner. The incredible versatility inherited in microbes has rendered these explosives as a part of the biogeochemical cycle. Several microbes catalyze mineralization and/or nonspecific transformation of explosive waste either by aerobic or anaerobic processes. It is likely that ongoing genetic adaptation, with the recruitment of silent sequences into functional catabolic routes and evolution of substrate range by mutations in structural genes, will further enhance the catabolic potential of bacteria toward explosives and ultimately contribute to cleansing the environment of these toxic and recalcitrant chemicals. This review summarizes information on the biodegradation and biotransformation pathways of several important explosives. Isolation, characterization, utilization and manipulation of the major detoxifying enzymes and the molecular basis of degradation are also discussed. This may be useful in developing safer and economic microbiological methods for clean up of soil and water contaminated with such compounds. The necessity of further investigations concerning the microbial metabolism of these substances is also discussed.
LIFE CYCLE OF STEPHANOPRORA URUGUAYENSE (DIGENEA: ECHINOSTOMATIDAE) IN ARGENTINA

The life cycle of Stephanoprora uruguayense Holcman et Olagüe, 1989, was experimentally resolved. In an artificial pond in the Zoological Garden in Buenos Aires City, Argentina, Heleobia parchappei (Hydrobiidae) was found to be releasing large-tailed cercariae with a prepharyngeal body, but lacking collar spines and corpuscles in the excretory system. Metacercariae, which encysted on the gills of naturally and experimentally infected Cnesterodon decemmaculatus (Poecilidae), developed collar spines and corpuscles in the excretory system in 7 days. Sexually mature adults were recovered from chicks and immature adults from mice fed metacercariae from C. decemmaculatus. Eggs shed in chick feces developed to miracidia within 10 days; sporocysts were found on the gills of snails. Stephanoprora uruguayense and S. denticulata from Europe are similar in adult morphology, but can be distinguished by morphological and behavioral features of larvae. Likewise, although S. denticulata and S. paradenticulata from Venezuela are similar to S. uruguayense in adult morphology, they differ considerably in larval morphology and intermediate hosts.
International student identity and the digital environment

International students are part of a larger group of transnational transient migrants who cross national borders for study, work, and humanitarian and lifestyle reasons. Transient migrants carry with them a variety of identities that are not always homogenous because these identities are based on multiple factors such as ethnicity, culture, nationality, gender, sexuality, socioeconomic conditions, personality, personal interests, and more. This chapter proposes that in the digital age, where students spend much of their time online, identity is also moderated by their experiences in the online environment. The authors will outline the impact of transient migration and globalization on identity, and then explore the moderating effects of the digital environment on identity formation. The chapter will conclude with some reflections on the implications of this phenomenon for international education providers.
The Volatility Risk Premium Everywhere

We study the volatility risk premium, where the implied volatility exceeds the realized volatility, in multiple asset classes and countries simultaneously. Extracting the volatility risk premium by means of shorting delta hedged straddles produces economically significant average returns in bonds, credits, commodities, currencies and equity indices. Combining the asset class portfolios in a diversified global volatility risk premium factor results in a Sharpe ratio of 1.45. By studying the returns in the cross section we gain deeper insights about the consistency, commonality and patterns in the characteristics and risks of the volatility risk premium compared to individual asset studies. The volatility risk premium is not explained by common explanations offered in literature, downside risk, volatility risk or factor exposures only partially explain the excess returns. We do find a strong common risk component that the asset class portfolios tend to suffer drawdowns during recessions when volatility rises across all asset classes. We explore the robustness of the strategy and find that the premium can be further enhanced by considering alternative hedging and weighting schemes.
Role of desensitization and subunit expression for kainate receptor–mediated neurotoxicity in murine neocortical cultures

The neurotoxic actions of kainate and domoate were studied in cultured murine neocortical neurons at various days in culture and found to be developmentally regulated involving three components of neurotoxicity: (1) toxicity via indirect activation of N‐methyl‐d‐aspartate (NMDA) receptors, (2) toxicity mediated by α‐amino‐3‐hydroxy‐5‐methyl‐4‐isoxazolepropionate (AMPA) receptors, and (3) toxicity that can be mediated by kainate receptors when desensitization of the receptors is blocked. The indirect action at NMDA receptors was discovered because (5R,10S)‐(+)‐5‐methyl‐10,11‐dihydro‐5H‐dibenzo[a,d]cyclohepten‐5,10‐imine (MK‐801), an NMDA receptor antagonist, was able to block part of the toxicity. The activation of NMDA receptors is most likely a secondary effect resulting from glutamate release upon kainate or domoate stimulation. 1‐(4‐Aminophenyl)‐3‐methylcarbamyl‐4‐methyl‐3,4‐dihydro‐7,8‐ethylenedioxy‐5H‐2,3benzodiazepine (GYKI 53655), a selective AMPA receptor antagonist, abolished the remaining toxicity. These results indicated that kainate‐ and domoate‐mediated toxicity involves both the NMDA and the AMPA receptors. Pretreatment of the cultures with concanavalin A to prevent desensitization of kainate receptors led to an increased neurotoxicity upon stimulation with kainate or domoate. In neurons cultured for 12 days in vitro a small but significant neurotoxic effect was observed when stimulated with agonist in the presence of MK‐801 and GYKI 53655. This indicates that the toxicity is produced by kainate receptors in mature cultures. Examining the subunit expression of the kainate receptor subunits GluR6/7 and KA2 did, however, not reveal any major change during development of the cultures. J. Neurosci. Res. 55:208–217, 1999. © 1999 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Understanding the Average Impact of Microcredit Expansions: A Bayesian Hierarchical Analysis of Seven Randomized Experiments

Despite evidence from multiple randomized evaluations of microcredit, questions about external validity have impeded consensus on the results. I jointly estimate the average effect and the heterogeneity in effects across seven studies using Bayesian hierarchical models. I find the impact on household business and consumption variables is unlikely to be transformative and may be negligible. I find reasonable external validity: true heterogeneity in effects is moderate, and approximately 60 percent of observed heterogeneity is sampling variation. Households with previous business experience have larger but more heterogeneous effects. Economic features of microcredit interventions predict variation in effects better than studies’ evaluation protocols. (JEL D14, G21, I38, O12, O16, P34, P36)
A Novel Complimentary Filter for Tracking Hip Angles During Cycling Using Wireless Inertial Sensors and Dynamic Acceleration Estimation

As wireless motion sensors become more compact and robust, new opportunities emerge to develop wearable measurement technologies for in-field sports analysis. This paper presents a nonlinear complimentary filter for tracking 3-D hip joint angles during cycling using inertial and magnetic measurement systems (IMMSs). The filter utilizes a novel method of dynamic acceleration compensation in the sensor frame based on the assumption of pendulum motion of the thigh around the hip joint center. A dynamic calibration is proposed in which the center of rotation of the thigh IMMS can be estimated during a functional hip movement in standing. Validation results from a gold-standard optical system showed that the filter IMMS tracking is drift-free with mean absolute errors of less than 3° for all IMMS axes combined at low, medium, and high pedaling speeds. Hip angles were also validated using the Vicon biomechanical model for standing and sitting calibration poses as well as true and normalized soft-tissue-artefact (STA). The best mean absolute errors for the sagittal, frontal, and coronal planes were 0.8°, 6.7°, and 2.2°, respectively. Variability due to calibrations and STA ranged from 1.4° to 8.1°. This demonstrates the high accuracies possible for IMMS tracking using algorithms designed for specific sports despite larger errors due to modeling.