Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Food Insecure Household Coping Strategies: The Case of a Low Income Neighborhood in South Africa

Food security can be defined as a state in which all people in a household have at all times have both physical and economic access to sufficient food to meet their dietary needs for a productive and healthy life. In the last decade household food insecurity in rural and urban areas has been associated with several negative health and nutrition outcomes. The questions which arise are thus: How do food insecure households in urban areas cope with food insecurity? To what extent do they limit food intake as a coping strategy? A quantitative research method was deployed and a stratified random sample of 300 was used to collect data in Bophelong, a low income neighborhood in South Africa. The Coping Strategies Index (CSI) and Household Food Insecurity Access Scale (HFIAS) were used to measure the food security status of the households. The CSI Raw Score and HFIAS Score was then calculated and the correlation with different coping strategies determined. The study found that households did use coping strategies in order to mitigate shortages of food. Additionally, it revealed that as CSI scores/HFIAS scores increased, the reliance on consumption coping strategies by households increased. This indicates a high level of food insecurity. Spearman’s correlation indicates that food limiting strategies correlated significantly with the cumulative CSI scores and HFIAS scores of households. The study concluded that urbanization and the resultant effects of unemployment, poverty, and ultimately, food insecurity, remain a challenge to policymakers. There may be an urgent need for the development of a more comprehensive food security strategy, focusing on urban as well as rural areas in South Africa. DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2014. v5n13p100
Siesta in healthy adults and coronary mortality in the general population.

BACKGROUND Midday napping (siesta) is common in populations with low coronary mortality, but epidemiological studies have generated conflicting results. We have undertaken an analysis based on a sizable cohort with a high frequency of napping and information on potentially confounding variables including reported comorbidity, physical activity, and diet. METHODS Among participants in a general population cohort (the Greek European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition [EPIC] cohort), 23 681 individuals who at enrollment had no history of coronary heart disease, stroke, or cancer and had complete information on frequency and duration of midday napping, as well as on potentially confounding variables, were followed up for a mean of 6.32 years. Data were modeled through Cox regression, using time to coronary death and treating deaths from other causes as censoring events as outcomes. RESULTS Among men and women, when controlling for potential confounders and using those not taking siesta as a referent category, those taking a siesta of any frequency or duration had a coronary mortality ratio (MR) of 0.66 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.45-0.97). Specifically, those occasionally napping had a 12% lower coronary mortality (MR, 0.88; 95% CI, 0.48-1.60), whereas those systematically napping had a 37% lower coronary mortality (MR, 0.63; 95% CI, 0.42-0.93). Among men, the inverse association was stronger when the analysis was restricted to those who were currently working at enrollment, whereas among women, a similar analysis was not possible because of the small number of deaths. CONCLUSION After controlling for potential confounders, siesta in apparently healthy individuals is inversely associated with coronary mortality, and the association was particularly evident among working men.
Factors determining FDI in Nigeria: Role of emerging economies

This paper investigates the determinants of FDI in Nigeria, which is poor in terms of income but rich in natural resources. This study is an extension of our earlier work (Dinda 2012). Incorporating emerging trade partners of Nigeria in VECM this paper re-examine the factors determining FDI inflow to Nigeria in this globalized era. The economic activity of the emerging trade partners may be good proxy for exogenous factors to Nigerian economic activity. Considering per capita income of trading partners as proxy for their economic activities are incorporated as exogenous variables in this study. Findings clearly ensure that FDI inflow to Nigeria is resource-seeking FDI and market size has no role that contradicts our earlier result and also the existing literature. Short run dynamics as well as causal linkage are also completely different from our earlier paper. China is emerging as a strong trade partner of Nigeria and significantly influences its natural resource outflow while South Africa raises its competitiveness.
Paralleled LED Strings: An Overview of Current-Balancing Techniques

Advances in solid-state lighting technology have made light-emitting diodes (LEDs) become the next generation of light source. High-power LED lamps usually consist of many low-power LED units or modules connected in the form of multiple parallel-connected strings. This article provides an overview of the various current-balancing techniques for paralleled LED strings.
The impact of foreign aid on national income in Ghana: a test for long-run equilibrium

This study sets out to investigate the relationship between foreign aid and national income in Ghana, between 1980 and 2005 using fully modified ordinary least squares (FM-OLS). This is to ascertain whether foreign aid receipts have had significant impact on the level of Ghana's gross national income. The autoregressive distributed lags (ARDL) bounds test and the Johansen cointegrating equations are used to test for the long-run equilibrium. Three different sample periods namely the pre-structural break, post-structural break, and full-period were used in the analysis. The results in the pre-structural break showed a positive and significant relationship between foreign aid and national income with lower aid elasticity. The post-structural break estimate showed a positive but insignificant relationship. On the contrary, the full sample showed a negative and insignificant relationship with lower income elasticity. The study recommends that, long-run aid that seeks to impact on national income or growth should be accompanied by a well-developed strategic plan to forecast, receive and manage a country's foreign aid.
Peripheral Pharmacokinetic Handling and Metabolism of L‐Dopa in the Rat: The Effect of Route of Administration and Carbidopa Pretreatment

Abstract— The effect of carbidopa (L‐α‐methyldopa hydrazine; 25 mg kg−1 i.p.) pretreatment on the pharmacokinetics and peripheral metabolism of orally and intra‐aortically administered L‐3,4‐dihydroxy‐phenylalanine (L‐dopa; 50 mg kg−1) has been examined in rats. Following intra‐aortic (i.a.) administration, plasma levels of the drug declined biexponentially. Pretreatment with carbidopa resulted in higher plasma concentrations after i.a. administration of L‐dopa, but had no effect on the half‐life (t1/2) for its distribution or elimination. Oral L‐dopa gave peak plasma concentrations at 1.5 h and then a log‐linear decline between 1.5 and 6 h. Pretreatment with carbidopa also produced higher plasma concentrations of L‐dopa given orally, and the t1/2 for its elimination tended to be increased compared with values achieved after the drug alone. Pretreatment with carbidopa decreased volume of distribution and total plasma clearance and increased area under the curve (0‐∞) after L‐dopa i.a. and increased AUC0‐∞ after L‐dopa p.o. The fraction of the oral dose absorbed through the gut was not affected. Carbidopa pretreatment enhanced the accumulation of 3‐O‐methyldopa and decreased dopamine levels in plasma after both i.a. and oral administration of L‐dopa. Higher plasma concentrations of 3,4‐dihydroxyphenylacetic acid and homovanillic acid (HVA) were detected in the plasma after i.a. rather than oral administration of L‐dopa and pretreatment with carbidopa greatly reduced these plasma concentrations. However, following oral L‐dopa, only HVA levels were reduced by carbidopa pretreatment. The rat model displays similar peripheral pharmacokinetics and metabolism of L‐dopa to those reported in human studies, and may be used for further investigations into the pharmacokinetic handling of the drug.
Area-Effective and Power-Efficient Fixed-Width Booth Multipliers Using Generalized Probabilistic Estimation Bias

In this paper, a closed form of compensation function for fixed-width Booth multipliers using generalized probabilistic estimation bias (GPEB) is proposed. Based on the probabilistic estimation from the truncation part, the GPEB circuit can be easily built according to the proposed systematic steps. The GPEB fixed-width multipliers with variable-correction outperform the existing compensation circuits in reducing error. An 8 × 8 GPEB Booth multiplier improves more than 88% on the reduction of absolute average error compared with the traditional direct truncation (D-T) multiplier, and more than 32% area savings is obtained in the GPEB Booth multiplier compared with posttrun cation (P-T) Booth multiplier. By the same power consumption, the GPEB Booth multipliers can achieve higher accuracy than the existing works. Besides, considering power efficiency with accuracy, the proposed GPEB Booth multiplier has the most power-efficiency compared with other methods. Furthermore, the GPEB Booth multipliers are implemented in the circuit of two-dimensional discrete cosine transform (DCT). Compared with traditional Booth multiplier's applications, the proposed 2-D DCT cores can reduce about 18% area cost with the penalty of only 0.8 dB peak signal-to-noise ratio (PSNR). Consequently, the Booth multiplier utilizing area-efficiency, power-efficiency, and high-accuracy is achieved using the proposed GPEB.
Competitive structure of Canadian wheat exports in the world market

This article re-examines competitive structure of Canadian wheat exporters for evidence of pricing-to-market by the Canadian Wheat Board (CWB), and extends the extant literature by utilizing a broader range of data over importing countries, which better facilitates the detection of pricing behaviour. Our analysis yields interesting empirical results that contrast with other recent arguments. In particular, we find that the CWB exercises mixed practices having market power in a limited extent, getting premiums with better quality of its wheat in some markets and providing wheat at discounted prices in some other destination countries.
The policy process and business political environmental management strategies in developing nations

This manuscript contributes to the organizations and natural environment literature by combining the policy process model with neo-institutional theory to develop a framework of propositions predicting business political environmental management strategies. This framework advances neo-institutional work that has traditionally portrayed government regulations as easily enforced-explicit-exogenous constraints obeyed by businesses. Our focus on political action and developing countries also advances the organizations and the natural environment literature which has paid little attention to these issues.
Synthesizing styled speech using the Klatt synthesizer

This paper reports the implementation of high-quality synthesis of speech with varying speaking styles using the Klatt (1980) synthesizer. This research is based on previously-reported research that determined that the glottal waveforms of various styles of speech are significantly and identifiably different. Given the parameter tracks that control the synthesis of a normal version of an utterance, those parameters that control known acoustic correlates of speaking style are varied appropriately, relative to normal, to synthesize styled speech. In addition to varying the parameters that control the glottal waveshape, phoneme duration, phoneme intensity, and pitch contour are also varied appropriately. Listening tests that demonstrate that the synthetic speech is perceptibly and appropriately styled, and that the synthetic speech is natural-sounding, were performed, and the results are presented.
The Impact of Socioeconomic Status on Health over the Life-Course

Using data from the PSID, across the life course SES impacts future health outcomes, although the primary influence is education and not an individual’s financial resources in whatever form they are received. That conclusion appears to be robust whether the financial resources are income or wealth or whether the financial resources represent new information such as the largely unanticipated wealth that was a consequence of the recent stock market boom. Finally, this conclusion is robust across new health outcomes that take place across the short and intermediate time frames of up to 15 years in the future.
Testing Time: Can Ethanol-Induced Pulses of Proposed Oscillator Components Phase Shift Rhythms in Arabidopsis?

Circadian rhythms are generated by endogenous central oscillators that respond to input from the environment and regulate rhythmic outputs. In Arabidopsis, more than a dozen components that affect rhythms have been identified and used to propose models of the central oscillator. However, none has been shown to fulfill one of the expected characteristics of an oscillator component: that a pulse of its expression shifts the phase of circadian rhythms. Here we show that a pulse of the proposed oscillator components CIRCADIAN CLOCK ASSOCIATED 1 (CCA1) and LATE ELONGATED HYPOCOTYL (LHY) causes dramatic phase shifts in rhythms of expression of the circadian reporter CAB2::LUC, as well as of the clock-associated genes TIMING OF CAB EXPRESSION 1 (TOC1) and GIGANTEA (GI). These results demonstrate that pulses of either CCA1 or LHY are capable of resetting the circadian clock. In contrast, a pulse of TOC1 expression did not elicit phase shifts. Control of TOC1 protein level is in part posttranscriptional; thus a pulse of TOC1 protein could be induced only at times when it is already high. Our work also shows that the ethanol-inducible system can be useful for achieving relatively short (<8 h) pulses of gene expression in seedlings.
Voter Behavior in Democratizing Nations: Reconsidering the Two-Step Model

A prominent literature on voting behavior during democratic transition in Mexico focuses upon two considerations: voters’ attitudes toward the dominant party and their uncertainty about the consequences of opposition government. These two considerations are said to form the first step of a “two-step” process that voters use to determine which party to support. In this article, I examine the evidence for this argument, using data from both Mexico and Taiwan and conclude that voters in nations with hegemonic parties give greater weight to the public policies of the dominant party than the two-step model argues. These findings have important implications for the opposition’s behavior in trying to complete a transition from a one-party dominant government to a multi-party democracy.
21.5-dBm power-handling 5-GHz transmit/receive CMOS switch realized by voltage division effect of stacked transistor configuration with depletion-layer-extended transistors (DETs)

This paper reports a 21.5-dBm power-handling 5-GHz transmit/receive CMOS switch utilizing the depletion-layer-extended transistor (DET), which possesses high effective substrate resistance and enables the voltage division effect of the stacked transistor configuration to work in the CMOS switch. Furthermore, low insertion losses of 0.95 and 1.44 dB are accomplished at 5 GHz in the transmit and receive modes, respectively, with the benefit of the insertion-loss improvement effects in the DET. At the same time, high isolations of more than 22 dB were obtained at 5 GHz in the transmit and receive modes with the adoption of the shunt/series type circuit.
Nonlinear semantic space based on lexical graph

Distributional semantics approaches such as LSA/LSI, HAL, or Eigenwords provide low-dimensional vector space representations of words, so that similarity between words can be measured. However, they come from the statistics of words derived from natural texts where both lexical and contextual similarities are mixed together — synonyms, antonyms, or context-related word pairs are all close to each other. We present a semantic representation based purely on the lexical relations of synonymy and antonymy. Laplacian Embedding transforms a synonymy/antonymy graph into a space where lexically similar words form distinct semantic branches with antonyms placed at opposite sides from the vector space origin. This approach also discovers highly related words that are either novel or missing from the thesaurus. The structures become more distinct after applying Independent Component Analysis (ICA); each dimension clearly represents distinct semantic content, with a word sense as its emergent property. Finally, a comparison of several semantic vector space representations is provided against human evaluated word similarity scores.
Optimal Competition: A Benchmark for Competition Policy

This paper introduces optimal competition: the best form of competition in an industry that a competition authority can achieve under the information constraint that it cannot observe firms' effciency levels.We show that the optimal competition outcome in an industry becomes more competitive as more money is spent in the industry, as the competition authority puts less weight on producer surplus and more weight on employment.The relation between competition and entry costs is U-shaped.Finally conditions are derived under which Cournot competition is too competitive compared to the optimal competition outcome.
Innovative Methods for Soil DNA Purification Tested in Soils with Widely Differing Characteristics

ABSTRACT Seven methods of soil DNA extraction and purification were tested in a set of 14 soils differing in bedrock, texture, pH, salinity, moisture, organic matter content, and vegetation cover. The methods introduced in this study included pretreatment of soil with CaCO3 or purification of extracted DNA by CaCl2. The performance of innovated methods was compared to that of the commercial kit Mo Bio PowerSoil and the phenol-chloroform-based method of D. N. Miller, J. E. Bryant, E. L. Madsen, and W. C. Ghiorse (Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 65:4715-4724, 1999). This study demonstrated significant differences between the tested methods in terms of DNA yield, PCR performance, and recovered bacterial diversity. The differences in DNA yields were correlated to vegetation cover, soil pH, and clay content. The differences in PCR performances were correlated to vegetation cover and soil pH. The innovative methods improved PCR performance in our set of soils, in particular for forest acidic soils. PCR was successful in 95% of cases by the method using CaCl2 purification and in 93% of cases by the method based on CaCO3 pretreatment, but only in 79% by Mo Bio PowerSoil, for our range of soils. Also, the innovative methods recovered a higher percentage of actinomycete diversity from a subset of three soils. Recommendations include the assessment of soil characteristics prior to selecting the optimal protocol for soil DNA extraction and purification.
Mathematical Difficulties in Nonverbal Learning Disability or Co-Morbid Dyscalculia and Dyslexia

The main goal of the present study was to shed further light on the weaknesses of children with different profiles of mathematical difficulties, testing children with nonverbal learning disability (NLD), co-morbid dyscalculia and dyslexia (D&D), or typical development (TD). Sixteen children with NLD, 15 with D&D, and 16 with TD completed tasks derived from Butterworth (2003) and divided into: a capacity subscale (i.e., a number–dots comparison task, a number comparison task, and a dots comparison task); and an achievement subscale (i.e., mental calculations and arithmetical fact retrieval). Children with NLD were impaired in the dots comparison task, children with D&D in the mental calculation and arithmetical facts.
Effects of Transcranial Electrical Stimulation on Cognition

Alterations of cortical excitability, oscillatory as well as non-oscillatory, are physiological derivates of cognitive processes, such as perception, working memory, learning, and long-term memory formation. Since noninvasive electrical brain stimulation is capable of inducing alterations in the human brain, these stimulation approaches might be attractive tools to modulate cognition. Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) alters spontaneous cortical activity, while transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS) and transcranial random noise stimulation (tRNS) are presumed to induce or interfere with oscillations of cortical networks. Via these mechanisms, the respective stimulation techniques have indeed been shown to modulate cognitive processes in a multitude of studies conducted during the last years. In this review, we will gather knowledge about the potential of noninvasive electrical brain stimulation to study and modify cognitive processes in healthy humans and discuss directions of future research.
What Is Civil Engaged Argument and Why Does Aspiring to It Matter?

To answer the question posed by the title of this article, we sketch what we mean by the concepts of civility and argument and engagement; note the ways in which the rise of partisan media menaces civil engaged argument; and close with analysis of an exchange between a prominent Democrat and Republican that illustrates the importance of common definitions and sources of trusted evidence.
Un bilan des études sur la prime pour l'emploi

La Prime pour l’emploi, creee en mai 2001 par le gouvernement Jospin, modifiee par le gouvernement Raffarin en 2003, vise deux objectifs : augmenter le niveau de vie des familles des « travailleurs pauvres » ; augmenter le gain a la reprise d’activite pour les sans emploi non-qualifies. L’article presente et discute les travaux qui ont etudie les effets de cette prime. Ceux-ci reposent sur des modeles de microsimulation (a offre de travail fixe ou endogene) et non sur des donnees observees. Ils mesurent les effets redistributifs de la prime, son impact sur les incitations a l’emploi ou sur l’offre de travail. Certaines de ces etudes comparent les effets de la mesure a ceux qu’auraient d’autres mesures envisageables. Par construction, la PPE ne beneficie pas aux menages plus pauvres, mais aux deciles 2 a 5 de la population. Elle augmente tres legerement le gain a la reprise d’un emploi, mais peut avoir des effets pervers sur l’incitation au travail de certaines femmes en couple. Globalement, l’effet sur l’offre de travail serait positif, mais tres faible (de 0,2 a 0,4 %). Les etudes disponibles prennent mal en compte les desequilibres actuels du marche du travail ; elle n’analysent pas l’impact de la prime sur la structure des emplois offerts par les entreprises. La conclusion presente les reformes possibles de la PPE qui la feraient evoluer vers une pure subvention a l’emploi peu remunere ou vers une Allocation compensatrice de revenu.