Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Experiences of Discrimination and the Impact on the Identity Development of a Group of Incarcerated Adolescents in South Africa

ABSTRACT The purpose of the study was to assess the relationship between discrimination and identity development using a sample of 83 incarcerated male adolescents, aged 15 to 18 years in South Africa. Seventy-seven percent of the respondents were black, 96 percent were in prison for the first time, and the majority (49.4%) were in prison for aggressive offenses, such as murder and robbery. The findings indicate a linear relationship between a lower level of identity development and experiences of discrimination on the basis of physical appearance and behavior of the parental figures and siblings during the critical developmental stage of adolescence. The study concludes that the offending behavior of the incarcerated adolescents could be viewed as a tool of self-destruction due to the negative impact of experiences of discrimination on their level of identity development.
Assessing Attitudes and Preferred Communication Methods toward Forestry from a Statewide Survey of Mississippi Public School Teachers

Forest resources are important economic assets to Mississippi. Therefore, the forestry community needs to maintain viable relationships with key constituency groups such as teachers. The study’s objectives were to use focus groups and mail questionnaires to determine values, attitudes, and educational needs of Mississippi’s public school teachers toward forestry and forest industry. Most teachers had positive or somewhat positive attitudes (70%) toward forest industry. No significant differences were found between prekindergarten through 3rd- and 4th- through 8th-grade teachers (t =0.308, p =0.758), prekindergarten through 3rd- and 9th- through 12th-grade teachers (t = –0.667, p = 0.506), or 4th- through 8th- and 9th-through 12th-grade teachers (t = 0.246, p = 0.806). Preferred communication methods for teachers in general were school visits, educational materials, and partnerships. Preferred topics of interest were the environment, wildlife habitat, and wildlife. This study stresses the importance of tailoring communication and educational activities to address state-specific social and cultural needs of teachers.
Knowledge Gaps, Belief Gaps, and Public Opinion about Health Care Reform

This study tests hypotheses regarding the distribution of beliefs and knowledge about health care reform. The belief gap hypothesis suggests that in an era of political polarization, self-identification as a Democrat or Republican would be a better predictor of knowledge and beliefs about politically contested issues than would one’s educational level. Findings show that gaps in beliefs and knowledge regarding health care reform between Republicans and Democrats grew, and gaps based on educational levels disappeared.
Pharmacokinetics and Acid-suppressive Effects of Esomeprazole in Infants 1–24 Months Old With Symptoms of Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease

Objectives: To evaluate the pharmacokinetics and acid-suppressive effects of esomeprazole in infants with gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). Patients and Methods: In this single-blind, randomized, parallel-group study, 50 infants 1 to 24 months old with symptoms of GERD, and ≥5% of time with intraesophageal pH <4 during 24-hour dual pH monitoring, received oral esomeprazole 0.25 mg/kg (n = 26) or 1 mg/kg (n = 24) once daily for 1 week. Intraesophageal and intragastric pH were recorded at 1 week, and blood samples were taken for pharmacokinetic analysis. Results: At baseline, mean percentages of time with intragastric pH >4 and intraesophageal pH <4 were 30.5% and 11.6%, respectively, in the esomeprazole 0.25 mg/kg group and 28.6% and 12.5% in the esomeprazole 1 mg/kg group. After 1 week of treatment, times with intragastric pH >4 were 47.9% and 69.3% in the esomeprazole 0.25 mg/kg and 1 mg/kg groups, respectively (P < 0.001 vs baseline), and times with intraesophageal pH <4 were 8.4% (P < 0.05 vs baseline) and 5.5% (P < 0.001 vs. baseline), respectively. The mean number of acid reflux episodes of >5 minutes duration decreased from 6 at baseline to 3 and 2 with esomeprazole 0.25 mg/kg and 1 mg/kg, respectively. The geometric mean AUC0–t of esomeprazole were 0.24 and 1.79 μmol · h/L for the 0.25 mg/kg and 1 mg/kg dosages of esomeprazole, respectively. Both esomeprazole dosages were well tolerated. Conclusions: Oral treatment with esomeprazole 0.25 mg/kg and 1 mg/kg was well tolerated and provided dose-related acid suppression, dose-related exposure to esomeprazole, and decreased esophageal acid exposure in infants 1–24 months old with GERD.
C-band 6-bit GaAs monolithic phase shifter

Design, fabrication, and performance of a 6-bit GaAs monolithic phase shifter for use in the 5-6-GHz frequency range are described. The chip includes an analog control bit (0-11°) for phase correction in a closed-loop configuration and five digitally controlled phase bits. A ± 1° phase variation was achieved for the 11.25°, 22.5°, and 45° bits while for the 90° and 180° bits the phase variation was ±6° over 5 to 6 GHz. The return loss was better than 15 dB and insertion-loss flatness was within ± 1 dB over this frequency band. The phase error over a temperature range of 25-80°C and the 5-6-GHz frequency band was less than ± 0.5°, ± 1°, ± 1°, ± 2°, and ± 2° for the 11.25°, 22.5°, 45°, 90°, and 180° bits, respectively, with a maximum of . 8-dB insertion-loss variation.
An Investigation of the Effects of Daily Physical Education in Kindergarten and Elementary Schools

an approach for the balanced development of children and young people. Over the last four decades several trials involving increases in the number of hours of physical education in the school programme have been performed around the world: France, Canada (Lavallee, 1984; Shephard, Jequier, Lavalide, Labarre & Rajic, 1980); Australia (Dwyer, Coonan, Leitel, Hetzel & Baghurst, 1983; Siedentop & Siedentop, 1985; Tinning & Kirk, 1991); Finland (Sarlin, 1992), United States (Carlisle, Cole & Steffen, 1991); Germany and Czechoslovakia (Naul, Parier & Rychtechy, 1990) and Belgium (Pi6ron, 1982). Nevertheless, there have not been as many of these programmes as one might have wished for or, indeed, expected. The reasons are easy to see: they require time, money and availability as well as enthusiasm from teachers, and rigorous organisation and implementation, in order that the research generated be substantial and worthwhile. Thus, implementing DPE and researching its effects on pupils presents a formidable range of potential problems, especially when attempting analysis (e.g. number of subjects, teachers, classes and schools, sampling validity, duration of the programme, and patterns of assessment). The traditional design of comparing experimental to control groups presents a potential weakness if it is not accompanied by precautions to control the environment, subject matter taught and the educational relationships in classrooms.
Analysis of zearalenone and α-zearalenol in 100 foods and medicinal plants determined by HPLC-FLD and positive confirmation by LC-MS-MS.

BACKGROUND Mycotoxins, which may contaminate many foods and medicinal plants, are poisonous to humans. A high-performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection (HPLC-FLD) method was successfully developed for analysing the contamination levels of zearalenone (ZON) and its metabolite α-zearalenol (α-ZOL) in 100 widely consumed foods and medicinal plants in China. Samples were extracted with methanol-water (80:20, v/v), and cleaned up by using an immunoaffinity column. RESULTS The limits of detection of this developed method for ZON and α-ZOL were 4 µg kg(-1) and 2.5 µg kg(-1) , respectively. Recoveries for the samples spiked with three levels (30, 60 and 300 µg kg(-1) for ZON and α-ZOL) ranged from 85.8% to 96.1% with relative standard deviation (RSD) of 2.6-7.1% for ZON, and from 89.9% to 98.7% with RSD of 1.9-9.2% for α-ZOL. Twelve (12%) of these tested samples were contaminated with ZON at levels ranging from 5.3 to 295.8 µg kg(-1). The most contaminated samples were Semen coicis, four of them in a concentration level exceeding 60 µg kg(-1) 'maximum level' (range 68.9-119.6 µg kg(-1)). Positive samples were further confirmed by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. CONCLUSION The results suggest that it is necessary to control ZON contamination in medicinal plants, especially Semen coicis. This is a successful study on the analysis of ZON and α-ZOL in medicinal plants in China by HPLC-FLD. Immunoaffinity clean-up and HPLC-FLD proved to have broad applicability in the field of simultaneously detecting ZON and α-ZOL in foods and medicinal plants and other complicated matrices.
Grammatical relations and relativization in Lunda

This paper describes Lunda grammatical relations and relativization. It shows that grammatical relations such as direct object, second object and obliques are differentiated on the basis of word order and pronominalization. In simple sentences, the subject comes before the verb, whereas the direct object is an unmarked post-verbal NP. The second object follows the direct object without any morphological marking. Obliques objects are marked by locative prefixes and the preposition na-. As regards relativization, this study indicates that Lunda has two types of relative clauses: subject relative clauses and object relative clauses. The structure of subject relative clauses is the same as that of simple clauses. Object relativization falls again into two categories: object relative clauses with 1st and 2nd person subjects and object relative clauses with 3rd person subjects. The explicit subject NP follows the verb in third person object relative clauses. Relativization of locatives follow the pattern of object relativization, while instrumentals and comitatives require resumptive pronouns when relativized.
Polyhydroxylated Steroids from the Bamboo Coral Isis hippuris

In previous studies on the secondary metabolites of the Taiwanese octocoral Isis hippuris, specimens have always been collected at Green Island. In the course of our studies on bioactive compounds from marine organisms, the acetone-solubles of the Taiwanese octocoral I. hippuris collected at Orchid Island have led to the isolation of five new polyoxygenated steroids: hipposterone M–O (1–3), hipposterol G (4) and hippuristeroketal A (5). The structures of these compounds were determined on the basis of their spectroscopic and physical data. The anti-HCMV (human cytomegalovirus) activity of 1–5 and their cytotoxicity against selected cell lines were evaluated. Compound 2 exhibited inhibitory activity against HCMV, with an EC50 value of 6.0 μg/mL.
The submergence and re-emergence of gender in undergraduate accounts of university experience

Gender distinction has been shown to characterise both undergraduate experiences and outcomes. Yet research recounted in this article supports work that shows that young people are often unaware of such trends, subscribing instead to individualist perspectives that foreground equality of opportunity and agency. This article examines the gender continuities and divergences in 64 undergraduate students' accounts of their experiences, and constructions of peers and lecturers, in higher education. Concepts of heteroglossia and monoglossia are applied to gender to explain how students submerged ‘structure’ and inequality in their accounts, but how discourses that presented the genders as distinct (and in which the masculine is elevated over the feminine) nevertheless ‘bubbled up’ in their articulations. The students tended to reject the notion that gender and other structural differences impact their experiences and outcomes; yet their broader discussions frequently reflected (often stereotypical) monoglossic constructions of gender difference. The article concludes with a discussion of the implications of these findings for the sociology of education and for higher-education pedagogy.
Impact of Pregnancy on Zonisamide Pharmacokinetics in Rabbits

Pregnancy is associated with various physiological changes which may lead to significant alterations in the pharmacokinetics of many drugs. The present study was aimed to investigate the potential effects of pregnancy on the pharmacokinetic profile of zonisamide (ZNM) in the rabbit. Seven female rabbits were used in this study. The pregnant and nonpregnant rabbits received ZNM orally at a dose of 10 mg/kg and blood samples were collected from the animals just before receiving the drug and then serially for up to 24 h. The plasma samples were analyzed using tandem mass spectrometric method. Following a single oral dose of ZNM to the rabbits, the mean values of ZNM plasma concentrations at different times were consistently low in pregnant compared to nonpregnant rabbits. The mean values of ZNM's C max and AUC0−∞ were significantly (P < 0.05) decreased, whereas the CL/F exhibited substantial increase (P < 0.05) in pregnant compared to nonpregnant rabbits. T max, t 1/2abs, t 1/2el, MRT, and Vd/F showed no significant differences between the two groups. The present study demonstrates that pregnancy decreased ZNM plasma concentrations in rabbits and that the decrease could be due to decreased extent of gastrointestinal absorption, induced hepatic metabolism, or enhanced renal elimination of the drug.
A Foreigner who Does Not Steal My Job: The Role of Unemployment Risk and Values in Attitudes toward Equal Opportunities 1

Immigration has become systematically politicized and opposed by many individuals. We examine individual attitudes toward equal opportunities for foreigners and Swiss citizens, using cross-sectional data from the Swiss Household Panel. Individuals with low levels of education tend to oppose foreigners, while the opposition by individuals with high levels of education increases with the risk of unemployment. Values and beliefs explain the negative attitudes of individuals with low levels of education, but not the association with the risk of unemployment for individuals with high levels of education. Clearly, both values and economic factors are important for explaining attitudes toward foreigners.
A Contourlet-Based Image Watermarking Resisting to JPEG Compression

A novel image authentication algorithm resisting to JPEG compression is proposed. The authentication water- mark is generated based on the stability of relationship of adjacent Contourlet transform coefficients before and after JPEG. According to the random block mapping, the watermark is embedded into the discrete cosine transform (DCT) co- efficients of other image blocks. The tampering identification matrix is determined by the difference between extracted watermark and reconstructed watermark, and adjacent region comparison is adopted to determine the authenticity of im- age blocks. Experimental results show that the algorithm can achieve blind detection with better resistance to JPEG com- pression, also able to position malicious tampering more accurately.
Design of an auto-removing mechanism based on a PLC control system

This paper has designed a set of industrial raw material automatic discharging devices based on PLC(Programmable Logic Controller). The details of design device were described. Its design is divided into the theory design, the peripheral device structure design, the circuit design, the controller software design, design of mechanism and so on. According to the requirements of actual working condition, we built hardware equipment, complete electrical connections and program, and finally made a physical device. Prototype test demonstrated has precision, stable performance, and high reliability, it can improve production efficiency. These parameters meet the requirements of discharge environment. This design provides reference for similar industrial application situation.
Proximity-based security using ambient radio signals

In this paper, we propose a privacy-preserving proximity-based security strategy for location-based services in wireless networks, without requiring any pre-shared secret, trusted authority or public key infrastructure. More specifically, radio clients build their location tags according to the unique physical features of their ambient radio signals, which cannot be forged by attackers outside the proximity range. The proximity-based authentication and session key generation is based on the public location tag, which incorporates the received signal strength indicator (RSSI), sequence number and MAC address of the ambient radio packets. Meanwhile, as the basis for the session key generation, the secret location tag consisting of the arrival time interval of the ambient packets, is never broadcast, making it robust against eavesdroppers and spoofers. The proximity test utilizes the nonparametric Bayesian method called infinite Gaussian mixture model, and provides range control by selecting different features of various ambient radio sources. The authentication accuracy and key generation rate are evaluated via experiments using laptops in typical indoor environments.
Persistent Hepatitis B Viral Replication in a FVB/N Mouse Model: Impact of Host and Viral Factors

The mechanism underlying the chronicity of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection has long been an interesting question. However, this mechanism remains unclear largely due to the lack of an animal model that can support persistent HBV replication and allow for the investigation of the relevant immune responses. In this study, we used hydrodynamic injection to introduce HBV replicon DNA into the livers of three different mouse strains: BALB/c, C57BL/6, and FVB/N. Interestingly, we found that an HBV clone persistently replicated in the livers of FVB/N mice for up to 50 weeks but was rapidly cleared from the livers of BALB/c and C57BL/6 mice. Flow cytometric analysis and quantitative reverse transcription PCR analysis of the mouse livers indicated that after DNA injection, FVB/N mice had few intrahepatic activated cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) and produced low levels of alanine aminotransferase, interferon (IFN)-γ, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, and the CXCL9 and CXCL10 chemokines. These findings were in sharp contrast with those observed in BALB/c and C57BL/6 mice, reflecting a strong correlation between the degree of liver inflammation and viral clearance. Mutational analysis further demonstrated that a change of Asn-214 to Ser-214 in the HBV surface antigen rendered the persistent HBV clone clearable in FVB/N mice, which was accompanied by increased levels of activated CTL and upregulated expression of IFN-γ, CXCL9, and CXCL10 in the livers. These results indicate that the heterogeneity of the host factors and viral sequences may influence the immune responses against HBV. An inadequate activation of immune or inflammatory responses can lead to persistent HBV replication in vivo.
Prevalence and incidence of multiple sclerosis in Salerno (southern Italy) and its province

Many multiple sclerosis (MS) prevalence studies in Italian northern and central areas, since 1980, have put Italy in a high risk zone; none concerns southern Italy. The MS registry of Salerno Center was reviewed, including the city and 16 towns at different distances (9–149 km) better connected to our Center. Population screened: 259 681 persons (Salerno = 136 678; province = 123 003). Prevalence day was December 31, 2005. Data on 186 patients were collected of which 55 were males, 131 females; crude total prevalence = 71.6263 (62.03–82.303, ranging from 50.1128 (Oliveto Citra) to 431.499 (Controne). Salerno prevalence rate is 70.9697 (57.41–86.583); standardized = 72.02. Incidence rate ranges from 2.38585 (1.6–3.39) (1991–95) to 4.31997 (3.24–5.6) (2001–05). Our data can be underestimated because some patients could have skipped the local center. This emphasizes that the results, except for Sardinia, are comparable to Italian literature data. They confirm that this territory is a high risk area for MS. There is also an indirect indication against a latitude gradient for MS.
An evolutionary dynamic optimization framework for structure change detection of streaming networks

Community detection in complex networks that evolve over time is a challenging task, intensively studied in the last few years. An algorithm designed for this problem should be able to successfully discover if changes occurred in the network, and quickly react by modifying the community structure for reflecting the new network organization. Evolutionary dynamic optimization is a powerful technique to solve time-dependent problems by applying evolutionary algorithms. In this paper we propose to exploit it for time evolving graphs in order to discover changes in community structure and to quickly adapt when such changes occur. The approach uses a population-based model for change detection, and applies two different strategies to adapt to changes. Experimental results on synthetic networks show the very good performances of evolutionary dynamic optimization to deal with this kind of problem.
Antagonistic Interplay between MicroRNA-155 and IL-10 during Lyme Carditis and Arthritis

MicroRNA-155 has been shown to play a role in immune activation and inflammation, and is suppressed by IL-10, an important anti-inflammatory cytokine. The established involvement of IL-10 in the murine model of Borrelia burgdorferi-induced Lyme arthritis and carditis allowed us to assess the interplay between IL-10 and miR-155 in vivo. As reported previously, Mir155 was highly upregulated in joints from infected severely arthritic B6 Il10-/- mice, but not in mildly arthritic B6 mice. In infected hearts, Mir155 was upregulated in both strains, suggesting a role of miR-155 in Lyme carditis. Using B. burgdorferi-infected B6, Mir155-/-, Il10-/-, and Mir155-/- Il10-/- double-knockout (DKO) mice, we found that anti-inflammatory IL-10 and pro-inflammatory miR-155 have opposite and somewhat compensatory effects on myeloid cell activity, cytokine production, and antibody response. Both IL-10 and miR-155 were required for suppression of Lyme carditis. Infected Mir155-/- mice developed moderate/severe carditis, had higher B. burgdorferi numbers, and had reduced Th1 cytokine expression in hearts. In contrast, while Il10-/- and DKO mice also developed severe carditis, hearts had reduced bacterial numbers and elevated Th1 and innate cytokine expression. Surprisingly, miR-155 had little effect on Lyme arthritis. These results show that antagonistic interplay between IL-10 and miR-155 is required to balance host defense and immune activation in vivo, and this balance is particularly important for suppression of Lyme carditis. These results also highlight tissue-specific differences in Lyme arthritis and carditis pathogenesis, and reveal the importance of IL-10-mediated regulation of miR-155 in maintaining healthy immunity.
Refining Our Understanding of Hypercompetition and Hyperturbulence

The lead “Crossroads” essay by Kenneth Aupperle presents a strong case for the relevance of an ancient Greek story for the “new realities” faced by present-day organizations. Aupperle's story of the story of the “March Up Country” is intended to highlight the historical parallels of this remarkable event with current “hypercompetitive” conditions. He identifies some of the critical factors that contributed to the Greek army's successful organizational “reconfiguration” under the “hypercompetitive conditions” of war. Basically, his argument is that, by analogy, Hellenian culture, “was to individual city-states as a contemporary corporation is to its separate departments and strategic business units,” and that the episode offers useful insights into some of the critical ingredients necessary for meeting the challenges of current organizational conditions and circumstances.