Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Transforming Education for Girls in Tanzania and Nigeria: Cross Country Analysis of Endline Research Studies

This cross country summary of the findings from the endline study conducted for the TEGINT project highlights a number of issues of particular pertinence to the community of policy makers, practitioners, and researchers concerned with gender equality, rights and girls’ education. Firstly, the considerable expansion of education provision at primary and junior secondary levels enhances girls’ enrolment, attendance, progression, attainment and empowerment. However, there are regional and locational differences, and the effects of the emergence of private schools on gender equality and girls’ empowerment merits careful scrutiny. It is a matter of concern, that despite the introduction of free primary education, schools continue to charge levies and that the costs of improving education are being passed down to the poorest. Secondly, there are clear indications that girls’ clubs give an important space for girls to learn about their rights and confidence to articulate solutions to their problems. This is the case both when girls in clubs come from higher performing girls in terms of class position and more marginalised girls. Thus girls clubs, widely used in many projects throughout Africa, but not till now well evaluated, appear an important strategy to continue to support. Thirdly, rurality appears as a particular condition of marginalisation, associated with higher levels of gender inequality. This is evident from the lower levels of girls’ empowerment in rural schools, and differences in articulating solutions. Thus particularly engaged interventions are needed with girls in remote areas to support empowerment. Fourthly, while improving teacher qualifications and engagement with gender equality is a necessary condition for enhancing education rights for all children, this is not a standalone intervention, and needs to be supported by other initiatives, possibly associated with teachers’ pay, work conditions and status. Fifthly, an intervention like TEGINT, appears particularly useful in helping to break the silence around gender based violence, however, such an intervention cannot be seen in isolation from work on other aspects of gender inequalities, poverty, and limited social provision. In a country like Tanzania, where there is more legislation and political action around gender equality than in Nigeria, girls, even the poorest, appear more knowledgeable about rights. Gender equality and girls’ education cannot thus be separated from other initiatives on rights, social development and addressing injustice.
Depthmap: a program to perform visibility graph analysis

Here we present Depthmap, a program designed to perform visibility graph analysis of spatial environments. The program allows a user to import a 2D layout in drawing exchange format (DXF), and to ﬁll the open spaces of this layout with a grid of points. The user may then use the program to make a visibility graph representing the visible connections between those point locations. Once the graph has been constructed the user may perform various analyses of the graph, concentrating on those which have previously been found to be useful for spatial description and movement forecasting within the Space Syntax literature. Some measures which have not received so much mainstream attention have also been implemented. In addition to graph analysis, a few sundry tools are also enabled so that the user may make minor adjustments to the graph. Depthmap has been implemented for the Windows 95/98/NT and 2000 platforms.
The Contribution of Lower Oxides of Osmium to the Density of Biological Specimens in Electron Microscopy

Centrifugally stratified eggs of the sand-dollar, Dendraster excentricus, have cytoplasmic structures segregated into distinct layers. Fat droplets, yolk granules, and mitochondria are separated by "hyaline" layers of protoplasm. Aggregations of particles of 150 to 200 A diameter ("heavy bodies") are found near the mitochondrial layer and a concentration gradient of free 150 to 200 A particles corresponds to a similar gradient of basophilia in thick sections. Eggs fixed in buffered osmium-tetroxide at pH 7.4 and embedded in methacrylate were sectioned and floated on a "bleaching" solution of acidified hydrogen peroxide. "Bleached" sections showed a considerable loss in general density and especially a loss in the sharp images of cellular membranes. It was shown that such loss is not due to sublimation of structure in the electron beam. Assuming that the "bleach" acts principally to reoxidize lower oxides of osmium, it was concluded that reduced and bound lower oxides of osmium play a major role in creation of the electron micrograph image, especially in the delineation of phospholipide components of cellular membranes. Particles of 150 to 200 A diameter showed little or no loss in density, but rather a high intrinsic electron density. Refractometric data were presented to substantiate the tentative conclusions.
Probiotic Therapy of the Irritable Bowel Syndrome: Why Is the Evidence Still Poor and What Can Be Done About It?

Background/Aims Despite numerous randomized clinical trials and meta-analyses, there is no increased evidence for the efficacy of probiotics in the treatment of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). We review this evidence, identify and analyse the reasons for this lack of evidence and propose methodological improvements for future studies. Methods Based on a literature search, we identified 56 papers that matched the purpose of our analyses. Twenty-seven studies used multi-species bacterial preparations and 29 used single-strain probiotics. They were analysed regarding patients included, treatment duration, probiotic dosage, and outcome measures. Results Trials in both groups suffered from heterogeneity with respect to probiotic concentration, duration of treatment, and other methodological issues (crossover design and underpowered studies). This heterogeneity did not allow the application of a meta-analytic approach and a systematic review was therefore performed instead. Multi-strain preparations combined 2 to 8 different bacterial subspecies, mostly lactobacilli or bifidobacteria, and used variable lengths of treatments. Overall, more than 50% of trials presented negative outcomes. The majority of the single-strain probiotic trials employing lactobacilli or Saccharomyces were negative, whereas trials employing bifidobacteria showed positive results. Conclusions The heterogeneity of the studies of probiotics in IBS questions the value of meta-analyses. The use of different bacterial strains and different mixtures of these strains, as well as different dosages, are the main contributors to this heterogeneity. Current data provides limited evidence for the efficacy of a small number of single-strain probiotics in IBS (mostly bifidobacteria) and sound studies following strict trial guidelines (Food and Drug Administration and European Medicines Agency guidelines for clinical trials) are needed. We summarised and proposed some methodological issues for future studies in the field.
Constructing a Test Collection with Multi-Intent Queries

Users often issue vague queries; when we cannot predict their intents precisely, a natural solution is to diversify the search results, hoping that some of the results correspond to the intent: This is usually called “result diversification”. Only a few studies have been completed to systematically evaluate approaches on result diversity. Some questions still remain unanswered: 1) As we cannot exhaustively list all intents in an evaluation, how does an incomplete intent set influence evaluation results? 2) Intents are not equally popular; so how can we estimate the probability of each intent? In this paper, we address these questions in building up a test collection for multi-intent queries. The labeling tool that we have developed allows assessors to add new intents while performing relevance assessments. Thus, we can investigate the influence of an incomplete intent set through experiments. Moreover, we propose two simple methods to estimate the probabilities of the underlying intents. Experimental results indicate that the evaluation results are different if we take the probabilities into consideration.
Silences Transcription in Human Prostate Cancer Methylation of the Androgen Receptor Minimal Promoter Updated

Advanced hormone-independent prostate cancer is characterized by a significant loss of androgen receptor (AR) expression in 20–30% of the tumors. The transcriptional block underlying this phenomenon is not known, but we have proposed that methylation of CpG sites in the AR promoter may reversibly inactivate transcription of the AR (D. F. Jarrard et al., Cancer Res.,58: 5310–5314, 1998). In this study, detailed methylation analysis using bisulfite sequencing was performed on a series of AR expression-positive and -negative prostate cancer cells. We found that methylation of several consensus sequences in the AR promoter (from 2131 to 2121 and 144 to 154) are tightly linked to the loss of AR expression in metastatic hormone-independent prostate cancer cell lines. These consensus sites of methylation correlate with the minimal promoter region critical for AR transcription. In human tissues, no methylation was demonstrated in normal or primary prostate cancers that express the AR. Four of 15 tumors obtained from men who had died from hormoneindependent prostate cancer demonstrated a significant loss of AR expression immunohistochemically and two (50%) of these AR-negative tumors contained AR methylation. We conclude that the AR promoter contains specific CpG methylation hot spots that are markers for gene silencing. Furthermore, AR methylation may represent a phenotype important in the development of hormone independence in a subset of advanced prostate cancer in which AR expression is lost. The finding of AR methylation also represents the first report of aberrant methylation on an X-linked gene associated with a somatic male cancer.
questionnaire: a tool for use in physical activity interventions

Objectives —Three studies were undertaken to establish the reliability and validity of the Scottish physical activity questionnaire (SPAQ), developed to aid seven day recall of leisure and occupational physical activity. Methods —To establish reliability, SPAQs (n = 34) were completed on a Monday and the following Wednesday. Thus each questionnaire measured four identical days. To establish concurrent validity, 94 participants completed a SPAQ and an adapted stage of exercise behaviour change questionnaire. Responses to SPAQ were then analysed by stage of exercise behaviour change. In a further study of criterion validity, 30 volunteers wore a Caltrac motion sensor for four consecutive days, after which they completed a SPAQ. Results —In the ﬁrst study, total physical activity had a coe Y cient of repeatability ( R ) of 53 minutes. Occupational physical activity showed a similar variance ( R = 54.6 minutes) but leisure physical activity was more reliable ( R = 29.3 minutes). The main variation in occupational physical activity was found to be walking ( R = 39.8 minutes). In study 2, a one way analysis of variance showed the expected relation between physical activity and stage of exercise behaviour change, conﬁrming the concurrent validity of SPAQ with the stage of exercise behaviour change model. In study 3, several erroneous recordings affected both SPAQ and the Caltrac results (kcal). After relevant corrections had been made, the correlation between the two measurement devices was 0.52 (p<0.05). Conclusions —SPAQ has been shown to be reliable and to hold strong concurrent validity and limited criterion validity. The main limitation in SPAQ appears to be the measurement of occupational walking. It is therefore recommended that further work be conducted to reﬁne the measurement of this physical activity component. It is evident nonetheless that SPAQ can be used with conﬁdence to measure outcomes in physical activity interventions when account is taken of its limitations. ( Br J Sports Med 1999
Nsi1 plays a significant role in the silencing of ribosomal DNA in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

In eukaryotic cells, ribosomal DNA (rDNA) forms the basis of the nucleolus. In Saccharomyces cerevisiae, 100–200 copies of a 9.1-kb rDNA repeat exist as a tandem array on chromosome XII. The stability of this highly repetitive array is maintained through silencing. However, the precise mechanisms that regulate rDNA silencing are poorly understood. Here, we report that S. cerevisiae Ydr026c, which we name NTS1 silencing protein 1 (Nsi1), plays a significant role in rDNA silencing. By studying the subcellular localization of 159 nucleolar proteins, we identified 11 proteins whose localization pattern is similar to that of Net1, a well-established rDNA silencing factor. Among these proteins is Nsi1, which is associated with the NTS1 region of rDNA and is required for rDNA silencing at NTS1. In addition, Nsi1 physically interacts with the known rDNA silencing factors Net1, Sir2 and Fob1. The loss of Nsi1 decreases the association of Sir2 with NTS1 and increases histone acetylation at NTS1. Furthermore, Nsi1 contributes to the longevity of yeast cells. Taken together, our findings suggest that Nsi1 is a new rDNA silencing factor that contributes to rDNA stability and lifespan extension in S. cerevisiae.
VoIP Source Model based on the Hyperexponential Distribution

In this paper we present a statistical analysis of Voice over IP (VoIP) packet streams produced by the G.711 voice coder with voice activity detection (VAD). During telephone conversation, depending whether the interlocutor speaks (ON) or remains silent (OFF), packets are produced or not by a voice coder. As index of dispersion for both ON and OFF times distribution was greater than one, we used hyperexponential distribution for approximation of streams duration. For each stage of the hyperexponential distribution, we tested goodness of our fits using graphical methods, we calculated estimation errors, and performed Kolmogorov-Smirnov test. Obtained results showed that the precise VoIP source model can be based on the five-state Markov process. Keywords—VoIP source modelling, distribution approximation, hyperexponential distribution.
Probabilistic multi-sensor fusion based on signed distance functions

In this paper, we present an approach for the probabilistic fusion of 3D sensor measurements. Our fusion algorithm is based on truncated signed distance functions. It explicitly considers the measurement noise by modeling the surface using random variables. Furthermore, our proposed surface model provides an explicit estimation of the spatial uncertainty. The approach can be implemented on a GPU to achieve a high update performance and enable online updates of the model. The approach was evaluated in simulation and using real sensor data. In our experiments, we confirmed that it accurately estimates surfaces from noisy sensor data and that it provides a corresponding estimate of the uncertainty. We could also show that the approach is able to fuse measurements from sensors with different noise characteristics.
Reusing Resource Coalitions for Efficient Scheduling on the Intercloud

The envisioned intercloud bridging numerous cloud providers offering clients the ability to run their applications on specific configurations unavailable to single clouds poses challenges with respect to selecting the appropriate resources for deploying VMs. Reasons include the large distributed scale and VM performance fluctuations. Reusing previously "successful" resource coalitions may be an alternative to a brute force search employed by many existing scheduling algorithms. The reason for reusing resources is motivated by an implicit trust in previous successful executions that have not experienced VM performance fluctuations described in many research papers on cloud performance. Furthermore, the data deluge coming from services monitoring the load and availability of resources forces a shift in traditional centralized and decentralized resource management by emphasizing the need for edge computing. In this way only meta data is sent to the resource management system for resource matchmaking. In this paper we propose a bottom-up monitoring architecture and a proof-of-concept platform for scheduling applications based on resource coalition reuse. We consider static coalitions and neglect any interference from other coalitions by considering only the historical behavior of a particular coalition and not the overall state of the system in the past and now. We test our prototype on real traces by comparing with a random approach and discuss the results by outlying its benefits as well as some future work on run time coalition adaptation and global influences.
A New socialist world in Latin America

A New Socialist World in Latin America? by Dana Ruth Ramos Dr. John P. Tuman, Examination Committee Chair Chair and Associate Professor of Political Science University of Nevada, Las Vegas During the last decade, the left-turn, or pink tide, in Latin America has caus ed many scholars to seek to explain what has fueled the political gains of lefti st parties in this region. One of the main challenges is to try and define what constitut es a leftist party or a left agenda. There is a wide spectrum when it comes to classifying left -ri ht placement ideologies and the distinction may be based on both economic and social values’ differences. This study will examine a number of competing theories c ncerning left-right placement of three case studies: Bolivia, Venezuela, and Colombia. These three case studies were chosen based on their current left-right ideological pla cement. My original intent was to have five countries that varied on the left-right spectru m but in the essence of time, three case studies were ultimately chosen. Brazil woul d have been a case study to analyze but the indigenous movement in Bolivia has made significant progress and I felt this case study was worth analyzing at a deeper level. Draw ing upon data provided by the Latin American Public Opinion Project (LAPOP) and the case study literature, I examine the influence of socioeconomic and ethnic cleavages, econom ic ideology, and evaluations of economic performance. I found all of the theories were supported by some of the statistical models; however, not all of the variables were applicable in each country case study. In the
Researching young people's sexuality and learning about sex: experience, need, and sex and relationship education

This paper describes findings from an in‐depth case study of young people's sexuality and learning about sex. Focus groups and unstructured interviews were conducted with young women and young men aged 15–16 years in a school in the north of England. Analysis focused on disjunctions between reported sexual behaviour in a park and in a bedsitting room, and the content of school sex and relationship education. Tensions between the accounts are considered for their impact on learning about sex, sexual negotiation, subjectivity and inter‐generational understanding. Despite some negative experiences in sex education, the young people interviewed desired the affirmation and support of adults, and recommend sex and relationship education as the most appropriate vehicle for providing this. The value added outcomes of participation in the study, including consciousness and awareness raising, and the opportunity for reflection and debate and selves as ‘experts’, enhanced young people's view that non‐judgemental and meaningful advice and guidance are possible in formal learning contexts. Implications for future forms of sex and relationship education are discussed.
The democratic deficit and school-based management in Australia

Purpose: The paper seeks to apply the theory of the democratic deficit to school-based management with an emphasis on Australia. This theory was developed to examine managerial restructuring of the Australian Public Service in the 1990s. Given similarities between the use of managerial practices in the public service and government schools, the authors draw on recent literature about school-based management in Australia and apply the democratic deficit theory to it. ----- ----- Design/methodology/approach: This paper is conceptual in focus. The authors analyse literature in terms of the three components of the democratic deficit – i.e. the weakening of accountability, the denial of the roles and values of public employees, and the emergence of a “hollow state” – and in relation to the application of this theory to the Australian Public Service. ----- ----- Findings: A trend towards the three components of the democratic deficit is evident in Australia although, to date, its emergence has not been as extensive as in the UK. The authors argue that the democratic principles on which public schooling in Australia was founded are being eroded by managerial and market practices. ----- ----- Practical implications: These findings provide policy makers and practitioners with another way of examining managerial and market understandings of school-based management and its impact on teachers and on students. It offers suggestions to reorient practices away from those that are exclusively managerial-based towards those that are public-sector based. ----- ----- Originality/value: The value of this paper is that it applies the theory of the democratic deficit to current understandings of school-based management.
Transcription-Associated Breaks in Xeroderma Pigmentosum Group D Cells from Patients with Combined Features of Xeroderma Pigmentosum and Cockayne Syndrome

ABSTRACT Defects in the XPD gene can result in several clinical phenotypes, including xeroderma pigmentosum (XP), trichothiodystrophy, and, less frequently, the combined phenotype of XP and Cockayne syndrome (XP-D/CS). We previously showed that in cells from two XP-D/CS patients, breaks were introduced into cellular DNA on exposure to UV damage, but these breaks were not at the sites of the damage. In the present work, we show that three further XP-D/CS patients show the same peculiar breakage phenomenon. We show that these breaks can be visualized inside the cells by immunofluorescence using antibodies to either γ-H2AX or poly-ADP-ribose and that they can be generated by the introduction of plasmids harboring methylation or oxidative damage as well as by UV photoproducts. Inhibition of RNA polymerase II transcription by four different inhibitors dramatically reduced the number of UV-induced breaks. Furthermore, the breaks were dependent on the nucleotide excision repair (NER) machinery. These data are consistent with our hypothesis that the NER machinery introduces the breaks at sites of transcription initiation. During transcription in UV-irradiated XP-D/CS cells, phosphorylation of the carboxy-terminal domain of RNA polymerase II occurred normally, but the elongating form of the polymerase remained blocked at lesions and was eventually degraded.
How Abundant Is Iron in the Core of the Perseus Cluster?

The analysis of Perseus data collected with the Medium-Energy Concentrator Spectrometer (MECS) on board BeppoSAX shows that the ratio of the flux of the 8 keV line complex (dominated by Fe Kβ emission) to the 6.8 keV line complex (dominated by Fe Kα emission) is significantly larger than predicted by standard thermal emission codes. Moreover, the analysis of spatially resolved spectra shows that the above ratio decreases with increasing cluster radius. We find that, among the various explanations that we consider, the most likely requires the plasma to be optically thick for resonant scattering at the energy of the Fe Kα line. We argue that if this is the case, then measures of the iron abundance made using standard thermal emission codes that assume optically thin emission may significantly underestimate the true iron abundance. In the case of the core of Perseus, we estimate the true abundance to be ~0.9 solar in a circular region with a radius of ~60 kpc and centered on NGC 1275. Finally, we speculate that similar results may hold for the core of other rich clusters.