Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The role of local labour market conditions and pupil attainment on post-compulsory schooling decisions

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to assess the role of local labour market conditions and pupil educational attainment as primary determinants of the post-compulsory schooling decision. Design/methodology/approach Through the specification of a nested logit model, the restrictive independence of irrelevant alternatives (IIA) assumption inherent in the multinomial logit (MNL) model is relaxed across multiple unordered outcomes. Findings The analysis shows that the factors influencing schooling decisions differ for males and females. For females, on average, the key drivers of the schooling decision are expected wage returns based on youth educational attainment, attitudes to school and parental aspirations, rather than local labour market conditions. For males, higher local unemployment rates encourage greater investment in education. Originality/value The contribution of this paper to the existing literature is threefold. First, a nested logit model is proposed as an alternative to a MNL. The former can formally incorporate the structured and sequential decision-making process that youths may engage with in relation to the post-compulsory schooling decision, as well as relaxing the restrictive IIA assumption inherent in the MNL across multiple unordered outcomes, an issue the authors discuss in more detail in the Methodology section below. Second, the analysis is based on extremely rich socio-economic data from the Longitudinal Study of Young People in England, matched to local labour market data and administrative data from the National Pupil Database and Pupil Level Annual School Census, which provide a broad set of unusually high-quality measures of prior attainment. The authors argue that such high-quality data and an appropriate model specification allows identification of the determinants of the post-compulsory decision in a more detailed manner than many previous analyses. Third, the data have the scale necessary to consider whether the determinants of post-compulsory schooling decisions vary by gender, a particularly important issue given the differential education participation rates of males and females (e.g. in this cohort, females are about 10 percentage points more likely to go on to higher education in the UK than males), and the gendered choices of occupation (see, e.g. Bertrand, 2011). The work will, therefore, provide recent empirical evidence from England on gender differences in the determinants of education choices.
Nonparametric Approach to Evaluation of Economic and Social Development in the EU28 Member States by DEA Efficiency

Data envelopment analysis (DEA) methodology is used in this study for a comparison of the dynamic efficiency of European countries over the last decade. Moreover, efficiency analysis is used to determine where resources are distributed efficiently and/or were used efficiently/inefficiently under factors of competitiveness extracted from factor analysis. DEA measures numerical grades of the efficiency of economic processes within evaluated countries and, therefore, it becomes a suitable tool for setting an efficient/inefficient position of each country. Most importantly, the DEA technique is applied to all (28) European Union (EU) countries to evaluate their technical and technological efficiency within the selected factors of competitiveness based on country competitiveness index in the 2000–2017 reference period. The main aim of the paper is to measure efficiency changes over the reference period and to analyze the level of productivity in individual countries based on the Malmquist productivity index (MPI). Empirical results confirm significant disparities among European countries and selected periods 2000–2007, 2008–2011, and 2012–2017. Finally, the study offers a comprehensive comparison and discussion of results obtained by MPI that indicate the EU countries in which policy-making authorities should aim to stimulate national development and provide more quality of life to the EU citizens.
Isolation, cloning, and expression of three prepro‐GnRH mRNAs in Atlantic croaker brain and pituitary

Three prepro‐gonadotropin‐releasing hormones, seabream GnRH (sbGnRH), chicken GnRH‐II (cGnRH‐II), and salmon GnRH (sGnRH) were isolated by cDNA cloning from the brain of the Atlantic croaker, Micropogonias undulatus. The amino acid sequences of croaker GnRH precursors show greatest similarities to those of the gilthead and red sea breams and European sea bass. In situ hybridization of croaker brain sections revealed more abundant sbGnRH mRNA expression in the preoptic area (POA) than in other brain regions. sbGnRH mRNA expression was also observed in the olfactory bulb (OB; but not in the terminal nerve ganglion cells [TNgc]), ventral telencephalon (vTEL), and anterior hypothalamus. In addition, specific sbGnRH mRNA signals were detected in the pituitary. cGnRH‐II mRNA expression was limited to the midbrain tegmentum. Neuronal elements expressing sGnRH mRNA were detected in the OB including the TNgc, vTEL, and POA, indicating an overlap of the sbGnRH and sGnRH systems in certain ventral forebrain areas. The results of quantitative reverse transcriptase‐polymerase chain reaction of the three GnRH mRNAs in different brain areas and the pituitary are consistent with their localization by in situ hybridization. Interestingly, a few sbGnRH mRNA‐expressing neuronal elements were observed arranged in a row in the anteroventral hypothalamus projecting toward the pituitary. The results provide a morphological basis for a putative role of sbGnRH as the gonadotropin‐releasing hormone. Moreover, localization of sbGnRH mRNA in a teleost pituitary points to sbGnRH synthesis, and its potential role as a local regulator, within the pituitary, similar to the role of GnRH‐I in mammals. J. Comp. Neurol. 488:384–395, 2005. © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
A Method for Multiple Periodic Factor Prediction Problems Using Complex Fuzzy Sets

Multiple periodic factor prediction (MPFP) problems exist widely in multisensor data fusion applications. Development of an effective prediction method should integrate information for multiple periodically changing factors. Because the uncertainty and periodicity coexist in the information used, the prediction method should be able to handle them simultaneously. In this study, complex fuzzy sets are used to represent the information with uncertainty and periodicity. A product-sum aggregation operator (PSAO) is developed for a set of complex fuzzy sets, which is used to integrate information with uncertainty and periodicity, and a PSAO-based prediction (PSAOP) method is then proposed to generate a solution of MPFP problems. This study illustrates the details of the PSAOP method through two real applications in annual sunspot number prediction and bushfire danger rating prediction. Experiments indicate that the proposed PSAOP method effectively handles the uncertainty and periodicity in the information of multiple periodic factors simultaneously and can generate accurate predictions for MPFP problems.
Glycerol Monolaurate Inhibits Virulence Factor Production in Bacillus anthracis

ABSTRACT Anthrax, caused by Bacillus anthracis, has been brought to the public's attention because of the 2001 bioterrorism attacks. However, anthrax is a disease that poses agricultural threats in the United States as well as human populations in Europe, China, Africa, and Australia. Glycerol monolaurate (GML) is a compound that has been shown to inhibit exotoxin production by Staphylococcus aureus and other gram-positive bacteria. Here, we study the effects of GML on growth and toxin production in B. anthracis. The Sterne strain of B. anthracis was grown to post-exponential phase with 0-, 10-, 15-, or 20-μg/ml concentrations of GML and then assayed quantitatively for protective antigen (PA) and lethal factor (LF). After 8 h, GML at concentrations greater than 20 μg/ml was bacteriostatic to growth of the organism. However, a 10-μg/ml concentration of GML was not growth inhibitory, but amounts of PA and LF made were greatly reduced. This effect was not global for all proteins when total secreted protein from culture fluids was examined by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Through quantitative reverse transcription-PCR assays, this toxin-inhibitory effect was shown to occur at the transcriptional level, since amounts of mRNA for pagA (PA), lef (LF), and cya (edema factor) were reduced. Surprisingly, mRNA levels of atxA, a regulator of exotoxin gene expression, rose in the presence of GML. These data will be useful in developing therapeutic tools to treat anthrax disease, whether in animals or humans. These results also suggest that mechanisms of virulence regulation exist independent of atxA.
On the use of SVM for electromagnetic subsurface sensing

In this paper, a classification approach for the real-time identification of “occupation” areas (instead of the detection of each subsurface object) in sub-surface sensing applications is applied. A suitable SVM-based strategy is developed for determining the probability of occurrence of buried targets and to define a “risk map” of the investigation domain. To assess the effectiveness of the proposed approach and to evaluate its robustness, selected numerical results related to a two-dimensional geometry are presented.
Chemical and immunological characterization of the extracellular galactomannan of Aspergillus fumigatus

The galactomannan (GM) produced extracellularly by Aspergillus fumigatus has been purified by a double sequential hydrazine-nitrous acid treatment of the ethanol precipitate of the culture filtrate. Nuclear magnetic resonance and gas-liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis have been performed on intact GM, acid-hydrolyzed GM, and oligomers resulting from the acetolysis of the acid-hydrolyzed GM. Results show that A. fumigatus GM is composed of a linear mannan core with an alpha-(1-2)-linked mannotetraose repeating unit attached via alpha-(1-6) linkage. Side chains composed of an average of 4 to 5 beta-(1-5)-galactofuranose units are linked to C-6 and C-3 positions of alpha-(1-2)-linked mannose units of the mannan. The immunoreactivity of GM and HCl-hydrolyzed GM was studied by use of human sera from aspergillosis patients and an antigalactofuran monoclonal antibody. The alpha-(1-2) (1-6)-mannan core is not antigenic. The immunogenic galactofuran is found amongst several exocellular glycoproteins. According to a direct enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay with GM as the detector antigen, only 26% of the serum samples from aspergilloma patients (all positive by immunodiffusion assays) give optical density values superior to a cutoff estimated as the mean +/- 3 standard deviations of values obtained with control sera.
Preferred side-chain constellations at antiparallel coiled-coil interfaces

Reliable predictive rules that relate protein sequence to structure would facilitate postgenome predictive biology and the engineering and de novo design of peptides and proteins. Through a combination of experiment and analysis of the protein data bank (PDB), we have deciphered and rationalized new rules for helix–helix interfaces of a common protein-folding and association motif, the antiparallel dimeric coiled coil. These interfaces are defined by a specific pattern of interactions among largely hydrophobic side chains often referred to as knobs-into-holes (KIH) packing: a knob from one helix inserts into a hole formed by four residues on the partner. Previous work has focused on lateral interactions within the KIH motif, for example, between an a position on one helix and a d′ position on the other in an antiparallel coiled coil. We show that vertical interactions within the KIH motif, such as a′-a–a′, are energetically important as well. The experimental and database analyses concur regarding preferred vertical combinations, which can be rationalized as leading to favorable side-chain interactions that we call constellations. The findings presented here highlight an unanticipated level of complexity in coiled-coil interactions, and our analysis of a few specific constellations illustrates a general, multipronged approach to addressing this complexity.
Identiﬁcation and characterization of a recombinant metallothionein protein from a marine alga, Fucus vesiculosus

A cDNA library was constructed from macroalgae adapted to prolonged elevated environmental copper levels. To investigate the possible existence of a metallothionein (MT) gene, the library was screened with degenerate probes designed using plant MT cysteine-rich motifs. A gene was identiﬁed (1229 bp) with a putative open reading frame (204 bp) encoding a 67-amino-acid protein exhibiting several characteristic features of MT proteins, including 16 cysteine residues (24 % ) and only one aromatic residue. Although the protein sequence showed high identity with plant and invertebrate MTs, it contained a unique ‘linker’ region (14 amino acid residues) between the two putative metal-binding domains which contained no cysteine residues. This extended linker is larger than the tripeptide found in archetypal vertebrate MTs, but does not conform either with the 40-amino-INTRODUCTION induced by copper exposure and whose encoded protein product binds cadmium and copper.
Understanding the moral economics of occupational engagement

ABSTRACT Occupational science scholars continue to debate the conceptualization of and processes related to occupational engagement. Despite active acknowledgement of the hierarchical and situated nature of occupational engagement, there is a paucity of evidence regarding the social processes that explain the situatedness of occupations and their role in maintaining social hierarchies, and thus, institutions. The aim of this ethnographic study was to better understand social processes related to occupational engagement. Participants included 18 adults with serious mental illness and 16 service-providers. Data collected at two clubhouses in the US via interviews, fieldwork (approximately 600 hours), and document review were analyzed using open and focused coding along with analytic interpretation. Findings helped generate a moral economics of occupations framework, which conceptualizes occupations as tangible assets and highlights their function in establishing and maintaining hierarchies and institutions. The framework highlights the positive association between agency, social capital, and occupational engagement. Research is required to assess transferability of the framework in various institutional settings.
The Rab6 Effector Bicaudal D1 Associates with Chlamydia trachomatis Inclusions in a Biovar-Specific Manner

ABSTRACT Chlamydia species are obligate intracellular bacteria that replicate within a membrane-bound vacuole, the inclusion, which is trafficked to the peri-Golgi region by processes that are dependent on early chlamydial gene expression. Although neither the host nor the chlamydial proteins that regulate the intracellular trafficking have been clearly defined, several enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP)-tagged Rab GTPases, including Rab6, are recruited to Chlamydia trachomatis inclusions. To further characterize the association of Rab6 with C. trachomatis inclusions, we examined the intracellular localization of guanine nucleotide-binding mutants of Rab6 and demonstrated that only active GTP-bound and not inactive GDP-bound EGFP-Rab6 mutants were recruited to the inclusion, suggesting that EGFP-Rab6 interacts with the inclusion via a host Rab6 effector or a chlamydial protein that mimics a Rab6 effector. Using EGFP-tagged fusion proteins, we also demonstrated that the Rab6 effector Bicaudal D1 (BICD1) localized to C. trachomatis inclusions in a biovar-specific manner. In addition, we demonstrated that EGFP-Rab6 and its effector EGFP-BICD1 are recruited to the inclusion in a microtubule- and Golgi apparatus-independent but chlamydial gene expression-dependent mechanism. Finally, in contrast to the Rab6-dependent Golgi apparatus localization of endogenous BICD1, EGFP-BICD1 was recruited to the inclusion by a Rab6-independent mechanism. Collectively, these data demonstrate that neither Rab6 nor BICD1 is trafficked to the inclusion via a Golgi apparatus-localized intermediate, suggesting that each protein is trafficked to the C. trachomatis serovar L2 inclusion by a unique, but as-yet-undefined, mechanism.
Charge Accumulation Characteristics in Proton Beam Irradiated Polymers

The purpose of our research work is to measure the space charge distribution in proton beam irradiated dielectric materials used for spacecraft. Spacecrafts sometimes have a serious damage due to the electro-static discharge accident. It is said that the charge accumulation in dielectric materials irradiated by high energy particles in space environment causes the discharge accident. Therefore, we need to measure the charge distribution in the bulk of dielectric materials. We have been developing a system for measuring internal charge distribution in dielectric materials using pulsed electro-acoustic (PEA) method. Using the system, we tried to measure the charge distribution after proton beam irradiated polyimide (PI) and Tetrafluoroethylene hexafluoropropylene copolymer, Fluorinated ethylene propylene copolymer (FEP) films which have been used as a thermal control layers or an optical solar reflector of the spacecraft. From the result, it is found that positive charges accumulate in bulk of PI and FEP films after irradiation of the proton beams. However, the amounts of accumulated positive charge in PI increase with increase of irradiation time, while those in FEP not increase. Therefore, it is found that the charge accumulation properties strongly depend on the kinds of irradiation materials.
A controlled study of nortriptyline in children and adolescents with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

OBJECTIVES To study the efficacy and tolerability of nortriptyline (NT) in the treatment of pediatric attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). METHODOLOGY Subjects were outpatient children and adolescents with ADHD ascertained from clinical referrals. Subjects were enrolled in a 6-week open study in which NT was titrated to 2 mg/kg/day as tolerated over 2 weeks. Using either a 30 % reduction in the ADHD rating scale or a score of 1 or 2 on the Clinical Global Impression (CGI) scale for ADHD improvement, responders to treatment were then randomized into a 3-week, controlled discontinuation phase. During this phase, subjects either continued on their current dose of NT or were tapered to placebo under double-blind conditions. Subjects were monitored for symptoms of ADHD, oppositionality, anxiety, and depression. RESULTS Of the 35 subjects enrolled in the study, 32 completed the open phase and 23 completed the discontinuation phase. The mean dose of NT was 80 mg (1.8 mg/kg/day), resulting in a serum level of 81 ng/ml. At the conclusion of the open 6-week study, NT was related to a significant reduction in ADHD (p < 0.001) and oppositional symptoms (p < 0.001). At the conclusion of the discontinuation phase, the 12 subjects randomized to NT had significantly lower scores on the DSM-IV ADHD symptom checklist than those 11 subjects randomized to placebo (31 versus 21; t = 2.2; p < 0.04). No significant adverse events were observed, and children were noted to have weight gain during the trial. CONCLUSIONS These data suggest that NT is effective in reducing symptoms not only of ADHD but also of oppositionality. This group of children and adolescents tolerated robust dosing of NT well, with few clinical or cardiovascular adverse events.
The Research of Radiotherapy Treatment Planning System Based on CT Image

Radiotherapy is a very important tumor treatment. And cobalt-60 radiotherapy machine (also known as gamma knife) is a common external beam radiotherapy equipment and is designed mainly for conventional radiotherapy. We develop a software system, which is named radiotherapy treatment planning system, to make gamma knife more precise in radiotherapy. Section II introduces the principle of gamma knife the system works with. Section III expounds the main components of system. It is composed of image pre-processing, dose computation, dose distribution display, three-dimensional reconstruction, and other modules. Section III.B introduces TMR-OAR model the system uses to compute dose distribution. And Section III.D introduces the way of human body data and dose data visualization. Finally, Section III.E shows the evaluation consequence of a treatment plan. The system works well, and achieves the expected results.
Evidence-Based Psychotherapy for Schizophrenia

Many patients with schizophrenia have psychological distress and receive some form of psychotherapy. Several different psychotherapeutic approaches for schizophrenia have been developed and studied. Of these approaches, cognitive behavior therapy has the strongest evidence base and has shown benefit for symptom reduction in outpatients with residual symptoms. In addition to cognitive behavior therapy, other approaches include compliance therapy, personal therapy, acceptance and commitment therapy, and supportive therapy. Although usually studied as distinct approaches, the therapies overlap with each other in their therapeutic elements. As psychotherapy for schizophrenia further evolves, it will likely be informed by other psychosocial interventions used with this clinical population. In particular, techniques of remediating cognitive deficits, teaching behavioral skills, and educating about schizophrenia may be incorporated with psychotherapy. Future research may also consider three different goals of psychotherapy with this population: to provide emotional support, to enhance skills for functional recovery, and to alter the underlying illness process.
An investigation into the minimum accelerometry wear time for reliable estimates of habitual physical activity and definition of a standard measurement day in pre-school children.

The purpose of this study was to determine the number of hours and days of accelerometry data necessary to provide a reliable estimate of habitual physical activity in pre-school children. The impact of a weekend day on reliability estimates was also determined and standard measurement days were defined for weekend and weekdays. Accelerometry data were collected from 112 children (60 males, 52 females, mean (SD) 3.7 (0.7)yr) over 7 d. The Spearman-Brown Prophecy formula (S-B prophecy formula) was used to predict the number of days and hours of data required to achieve an intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) of 0.7. The impact of including a weekend day was evaluated by comparing the reliability coefficient (r) for any 4 d of data with data for 4 d including one weekend day. Our observations indicate that 3 d of accelerometry monitoring, regardless of whether it includes a weekend day, for at least 7 h d−1 offers sufficient reliability to characterise total physical activity and sedentary behaviour of pre-school children. These findings offer an approach that addresses the underlying tension in epidemiologic surveillance studies between the need to maintain acceptable measurement rigour and retention of a representatively meaningful sample size.