Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Entrepreneurship education in Ghana – the case of the KNUST entrepreneurship clinic

Purpose Entrepreneurship education thrives on the pillars of experiential education. Using the case of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology in Ghana, the purpose of this paper is to examine the entrepreneurship clinic (EC) as a viable pedagogy for the promotion of experiential education in entrepreneurship. Design/methodology/approach The paper relies on insider action research to analyse, within Joplin’s five-step model, the case of the EC at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Ghana. Findings The analysis showed that the KNUST clinic comprises five main activities including preparation, orientation, selection and matching, coaching and monitoring and evaluation. In relation to Joplin’s five-step model, the first three stages of the clinic provide focus for the clinic while the remaining two stages – coaching and monitoring and evaluation – entail activities that are geared towards action, support, feedback and debrief. Through the clinic, thousands of tertiary students have been trained in entrepreneurship and new venture creation; some selected participants have been coached while others have had the opportunity to qualify for business incubation. Research limitations/implications Although the paper discusses some achievements of the clinic in relation to enrolment and fundraising, it does not assess the impact of the clinic on the entrepreneurial competencies, intentions and initiatives of participants, hence, these issues are recommended for future research. Practical implications The paper demonstrates that it is feasible to implement the EC methodology, irrespective of the cost and time implications that are often associated with experiential educational methodologies. However, support from university management, funding raising from internal and external sources and technical support from industry and government agencies are key to the sustainability of clinics. Originality/value The paper adds novelty to the entrepreneurship education literature by bringing to the fore how a university in an emerging African economy is implementing and managing the EC pedagogy.
Robust classification of MR brain images based on fractal dimension analysis

Brain tumor is the abnormal growth of cells or tissues within the brain or surroundings of the brain. MRI is the commonly used modality for the diagnosis of brain tumor. Brain tumor image classification is one of the fundamental problem faced by the clinicians and doctors who worked in this field. In this paper, we proposed a robust method for MR brain image classification based on fractal dimensions (FD). Brain tumor increases the intracranial pressure (ICP) inside the brain and changes the normal structure of the human brain. This structural changes can be effectively characterized by using fractal dimension analysis. Fractal dimension is a commonly used measure to detect the irregularity of a structure. Brain tumor also causes changes in the regular structure of tissues such as gray matter and white matter in the human brain. We analyzed this irregularity for image classification. In the first stage, input MR brain images are preprocessed using mathematical morphology based operations. In the second stage, we extracted the gray matter and white matter of tumored and non-tumored MR brain images separately by using fuzzy c-means clustering method. In the final stage, the fractal dimension of gray matter and white matter is computed. We found that the presence of tumors can cause significant changes in the fractal dimension of gray matter and white matter of the human brain. We used this variation in the fractal dimension for the classification of MR brain images into tumored and non tumored images.
Emotional, behavioral, and cognitive factors that differentiate obsessive-compulsive disorder and other anxiety disorders in youth

Abstract The current study examined specific emotional, behavioral, and cognitive variables that may distinguish obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) from generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), social phobia (SoP), and separation anxiety disorder (SAD) in youth. Youth with OCD (n=26) and other anxiety disorders (ADs; n=31), aged 7–12 years (56.1% males), and their parents participated. The study compared the two anxious groups on levels of emotional, behavioral, and cognitive functioning, as well as impairment associated with the disorder. Results indicated that in comparison to youth with GAD, SoP, or SAD, youth with OCD were found to have poorer emotion regulation skills, as well as greater oppositionality, cognitive problems/inattention, and parent impairment associated with the disorder. The findings suggest that there are unique characteristics of OCD that may differentiate this disorder from other ADs in youth. Potential clinical implications and directions for future research are discussed.
ATTITUDE OF MUSLIM MEN TOWARDS FAMILY PLANNING IN BORNO STATE

Purpose: The aim of this study was to determine those socio-economic variables that have the most impact on attitude towards family planning among married Muslim men in Borno state, Northeast Nigeria. This is because the attitude of husbands is key to the practice of family planning due to their decision making roles in the family set up. Studies have revealed that attitude of males towards family planning in Sub-Saharan Africa is not encouraging. Therefore determining the variables that affect attitude of males towards family planning is important in improving family planning programme success.Methodology: Both qualitative and quantitative techniques were used to collect information for this study. The qualitative technique involved the use of Focus group Discussions. A total of 12 sessions of FGDs were conducted in three purposively selected Local Government areas. For the interview schedule, eight local government areas were randomly selected based on geographic location and cross sectional survey was used to collect the quantitative data. Four villages in each local government area were randomly selected plus the state capital. A total of 475 married Muslim men were interviewed using the systematic random sampling methodFindings: The result of the study showed that the attitude of married Muslim men towards family planning is mainly negative because of the belief that Islam is against family planning. However, people with western education, younger husbands and the Babur/Bura ethnic group have more favourable attitude than other groups. Factors found to be most responsible for negative attitude are religion (96%), rural residency (93%) and low literacy level (92%). However, the most outstanding factor among all sub-groups is socioeconomic insecurity.Unique contribution to theory, practice and policy: Better economic conditions and more education are shown to ameliorate attitude towards FP in spite of religious beliefs as seen in this study. Improving on these two factors and providing health education that is culture and religion specific targeted at males will help in making the males to be more receptive. Messages should include the consequences of closely spaced pregnancy on the mother and child
STATINS REDUCE MACROPHAGE INFLAMMATORY PROTEIN‐1α EXPRESSION IN HUMAN ACTIVATED MONOCYTES

1 3‐Hydroxy‐3‐methylglutaryl coenzyme A (HMG‐CoA) reductase inhibitors (statins) exhibit a wide variety of anti‐atherogenic effects that may be independent of their property to lower plasma cholesterol. 2 In order to systematically investigate these effects at a cellular level, we investigated gene expression in phorbol myristate acetate (PMA)‐activated and non‐activated human THP‐1 monocytes in response to statins using cDNA arrays. 3 Of 588 genes tested, 26 were differentially expressed in the presence of statins. A marked reduction was found for the chemokine macrophage inflammatory protein‐1α (MIP‐1α). The decrease in MIP‐1α mRNA expression after incubation with statins was confirmed by quantitative reverse transcription–polymerase chain reaction in THP‐1 monocytes and human freshly isolated monocytes. Macrophage inflammatory protein‐1α protein in THP‐1 monocytes was reduced from 377 to 299 and 305 pg/mL by 0.1 µmol/L simvastatin and 0.01 µmol/L cerivastatin, respectively. The reduction in MIP‐1α expression by statins was due, at least in part, to transcriptional inhibition of MIP‐1α promoter activity. 4 The CC receptor ligand MIP‐1α is a chemokine that has been implicated in atherosclerotic lesion formation. The present findings suggest that statin‐mediated immunomodulation by inhibiting MIP‐1α could contribute to the beneficial effects of statin therapy independent of lowering plasma cholesterol.
Visitor spending effects: assessing and showcasing America's investment in national parks

ABSTRACT This paper provides an overview of the evolution, future, and global applicability of the U.S. National Park Service's (NPS) visitor spending effects framework and discusses the methods used to effectively communicate the economic return on investment in America's national parks. The 417 parks represent many of America's most iconic destinations: in 2016, they received a record 331 million visits. Competing federal budgetary demands necessitate that, in addition to meeting their mission to preserve unimpaired natural and cultural resources for the enjoyment of the people, parks also assess and showcase their contributions to the economic vitality of their regions and the nation. Key approaches explained include the original Money Generation Model (MGM) from 1990, MGM2 used from 2001, and the visitor spending effects model which replaced MGM2 in 2012. Detailed discussion explains the NPS's visitor use statistics system, the formal program for collecting, compiling, and reporting visitor use data. The NPS is now establishing a formal socioeconomic monitoring (SEM) program to provide a standard visitor survey instrument and a long-term, systematic sampling design for in-park visitor surveys. The pilot SEM survey is discussed, along with the need for international standardization of research methods.
The Application of Structure Equation Modeling Analysis for Assessment and Educational Research

The purpose of this study is discovering and confirmingthe essentialfunction of Structure Equation Modeling (SEM) Analysis for assessment and educational research. The literatures in regards to SEM analysis as method of assessment and educational research will be descriptive analyzed and explored in the light of meta-analysis. The result of the study shown that by using SEM analysis ones get empirical data and clear picture of student’s need and do right assessment and research in education. The empirical data enable scholars and government to set new or revise current education program for the future. Therefore this result should be considered as important data for government, especially Education department to establish curriculum and planning strategy of teaching and learning which is conjunction with reality in the field. It means the education program that been established and will develop really match with real life and needs of student, society and the nation. So SEM analysis is important method for each researchers and scholars to run assessment and educational research now and beyond.
The effect of renewable energy use and economic growth on pollution in the EUROZONE

The aim of this paper is to empirically examine the effect of renewable energy use and economic growth on pollution within EUROZONE from 2005 to 2013 by utilizing Dynamic Panel Generalized Method of Moments approaches. The empirical results reveal that economic growth positively affects environmental pollutants. The use of renewable sources of energy negatively affects pollution. The more the renewable energy we use the less the air pollution. However, energy saving and energy intensity contribute to more air pollution.
Democracy for All: Conceptualizing and Measuring Egalitarian Democracy

Although equality figures prominently in many foundational theories of democracy, liberal and electoral conceptions of democracy have dominated empirical political science research on topics like political regimes, democratization and democratic survival. This paper develops the concept of egalitarian democracy as a regime that provides de facto protection of rights and freedoms equally across the population, distributes resources in a way that enables meaningful political participation for all citizens and fosters an environment in which all individuals and social groups can influence political and governing processes. Using new indicators from the Varieties of Democracy project, the paper develops and presents measures of these important concepts, demonstrates their relationship to existing measures, and illustrates their utility for advancing the study of democracy in ways that more fully embrace the richness of democratic theory.
Meniscal regeneration after resection of the anterior half of the medial meniscus in mice

Various animal studies have indicated that reduced meniscal function significantly exacerbates articular‐cartilage degeneration. Despite the importance of meniscal function for joint homeostasis and prevention of osteoarthritis, the healing process after meniscal injury and the regenerative process after meniscus removal have not been studied in detail. In this study, we examined the process of meniscal regeneration and cartilage degeneration after meniscectomy in mice. The left anterior halves of the medial menisci in male C57Bl/6J mice were resected, and histological assessment of the process of meniscal regeneration was conducted on day 3 and 2, 4, and 6 weeks after the surgical procedure. Extensive macrophagic infiltration into the synovial membrane around the meniscectomized area was observed on day 3. Synovial hyperplasia was detected 2 weeks after the operation. At this stage, synovial tissue was filled with many fibroblastic cells, which underwent chondrocytic differentiation and produced cartilage matrices by 4 weeks after the operation. At 6 weeks, regenerated tissues resembled those of an intact meniscus. The articular cartilage at the interface of the resected meniscus significantly degenerated between 2 and 4 weeks after the surgical procedure, but subtle progression in cartilage degeneration was observed between 4 and 6 weeks. This finding is suggestive of a balance between meniscal regeneration and cartilage homeostasis. © 2016 Orthopaedic Research Society. Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Orthop Res 35:1958–1965, 2017.
Targeting the MEF2-Like Transcription Factor Smp1 by the Stress-Activated Hog1 Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase

ABSTRACT Exposure of Saccharomyces cerevisiae to increases in extracellular osmolarity activates the stress-activated Hog1 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK), which is essential for cell survival upon osmotic stress. Yeast cells respond to osmotic stress by inducing the expression of a very large number of genes, and the Hog1 MAPK plays a critical role in gene transcription upon stress. To understand how Hog1 controls gene expression, we designed a genetic screen to isolate new transcription factors under the control of the MAPK and identified the MEF2-like transcription factor, Smp1, as a target for Hog1. Overexpression of SMP1 induced Hog1-dependent expression of osmoresponsive genes such as STL1, whereas smp1Δ cells were defective in their expression. Consistently, smp1Δ cells displayed reduced viability upon osmotic shock. In vivo coprecipitation and phosphorylation studies showed that Smp1 and Hog1 interact and that Smp1 is phosphorylated upon osmotic stress in a Hog1-dependent manner. Hog1 phosphorylated Smp1 in vitro at the C-terminal region. Phosphorylation of Smp1 by the MAPK is essential for its function, since a mutant allele unable to be phosphorylated by the MAPK displays impaired stress responses. Thus, our data indicate that Smp1 acts downstream of Hog1, controlling a subset of the responses induced by the MAPK. Moreover, Smp1 concentrates in the nucleus during the stationary phase, and the lack of SMP1 results in cells that lose viability in the stationary phase. Localization of Smp1 depends on HOG1, and consistently, hog1Δ cells also lose viability during this growth phase. These data suggest that Smp1 could be mediating a role for the Hog1 MAPK during the stationary phase.
Developmental alterations in the functional properties of excitatory neocortical synapses

In the neocortex, most excitatory, glutamatergic synapses are established during the first 4–5 weeks after birth. During this period profound changes in the properties of synaptic transmission occur. Excitatory postsynaptic potentials (EPSPs) at immature synaptic connections are profoundly and progressively reduced in response to moderate to high frequency (5–100 Hz) stimulation. With maturation, this frequency‐dependent depression becomes progressively weaker and may eventually transform into a weak to moderate EPSP facilitation. In parallel to changes in the short‐term plasticity, a reduction in the synaptic reliability occurs at most glutamatergic neocortical synapses: immature synapses show a high probability of neurotransmitter release as indicated by their low failure rate and small EPSP amplitude variation. This high reliability is reduced in mature synapses, which show considerably higher failure rates and more variable EPSP amplitudes. During early neocortical development synaptic vesicle pools are not yet fully differentiated and their replenishment may be slow, thus resulting in EPSP amplitude depression. The decrease in the probability of neurotransmitter release may be the result of an altered Ca2+ control in the presynaptic terminal with a reduced Ca2+ influx and/or a higher Ca2+ buffering capacity. This may lead to a lower synaptic reliability and a weaker short‐term synaptic depression with maturation.
Liposome Opsonization

Adsorption of serum proteins to the liposomal surface plays a critical role in the clearance of liposomes from the blood circulation. In this review, we will discuss the role of the liposomal opsonins proposed so far in liposome clearance. Additional, related topics that will be addressed are the cell-surface receptors that might be involved in liposome elimination from the blood compartment and the effect of poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) modification on prevention of liposome opsonization.
Adaptive contrast enhancement of two‐dimensional electrophoretic protein gel images facilitates visualization, orientation and alignment

2‐DE is a powerful technique to discriminate post‐translationally modified protein isoforms. However, all steps of 2‐DE preparation and gel‐staining may introduce unwanted artefacts, including inconsistent variation of background intensity over the entire 2‐DE gel image. Background intensity variations limit the accuracy of gel orientation, overlay alignment and spot detection methods. We present a compact and efficient denoising algorithm that adaptively enhances the image contrast and then, through thresholding and median filtering, removes the gray‐scale range covering the background. Applicability of the algorithm is demonstrated on immunoblots, isotope‐labeled gels, and protein‐stained gels. Validation is performed in contexts of (i) automatic gel orientation based on Hough transformation, (ii) overlay alignment based on cross correlation and (iii) spot detection. In gel stains with low background variability, e.g. Sypro Ruby, denoising will lower the spot detection sensitivity. In gel regions with high background levels denoising enhances spot detection. We propose that the denoising algorithm prepares images with high background for further automatic analysis, without requiring manual input on a gel‐to‐gel basis.
Association between Adolescent Chronic Daily Headache and Childhood Adversity: A Community-Based Study

The relationship of chronic daily headache (CDH) and childhood adversity is still controversial. We therefore conducted a survey for CDH (≥15 days/month, average ≥ 2 h/day) among all students in three public schools in Taiwan. The Global Family Environment Scale (GFES), which yields a score according to childhood adverse events in the family, was used to compare childhood adversity between cases of CDH and their age- and sex-matched controls. In total, 4645 students were surveyed and 58 with CDH were identified. Significantly lower GFES scores, indicative of worse childhood adversities, were evident in the CDH group (76.7 ± 19.2), compared with the control group (86.0 ± 8.9, P = 0.001). Physical abuse (10% vs. 0, P = 0.012) and parental divorce (17% vs. 3%, odds ratio = 5.8, P = 0.015) were more frequent in the CDH group. The results indicate that childhood adversitys may contribute to greater risk of the development of CDH in young adolescents.
'Leadership? No, Thanks!' a New Construct: Worries About Leadership

Leadership is considered a key career aspiration. However, in a volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous (VUCA) environment, is such a goal indisputably desirable? Tapping the emotion domain, we propose a new construct, worries about leadership (WAL), defined as the worries people have about the possible negative consequences of assuming a leadership role. Four studies investigated discriminant, convergent and predictive validities of WAL scale using diverse methodologies: survey, lab experiment and naturalistic field study. Findings confirmed theoretically proposed dimensions of WAL: worries about failure, work&#8208;life imbalance, and harm. WAL was found orthogonal to Motivation to Lead (MTL; Chan &amp; Drasgow, 2001) and correlated with neuroticism and prevention focus. Correlation of WAL scores with physiological indices of emotions was insignificant, albeit in the expected direction. WAL predicted leader emergence above and beyond MTL. These findings have significant theoretical and practical implications contributing to more nuanced understanding of leader emergence.
Plastic Pollution Patterns in Offshore, Nearshore and Estuarine Waters: A Case Study from Perth, Western Australia

Plastic pollution in marine surface waters is prone to high spatial and temporal variability. As a result increases in pollution over time are hard to detect. Selecting areas, based on variable oceanographic and climatological drivers, rather than distance-based approaches, is proposed as a means to better understand the dynamics of this confounding variability in coastal environments. A pilot study conducted in Perth metropolitan waters aimed to explore the applicability of this approach, whilst quantifying levels of plastic pollution in an understudied part of the world. Pollution ranged from 950 to 60,000 pieces km-2 and was dominated by fishing line. Offshore concentrations were highest with strongest Leeuwin Current flow in the estuary immediately after rainfall, and increased in the nearshore after estuarine outfall. Results elucidated significant relationships between physical drivers and concentration changes and therefore their roles in increasing or decreasing local plastic pollution. Such observations can form the basis for predicting peak pollution periods and inform targeted mitigation.
Present status of human HIV vaccine development

The AIDS epidemic continues to grow worldwide. UNAIDS and WHO estimate that as of December 2002 some 38.6 million adults and 3.2 million children have been infected with HIV-1, with the largest burden in sub-Saharan Africa and in Asia. This virus has already taken the lives of nearly 25 million adults and children. Intensive chemotherapy has been proven to slow or halt disease progression in most infected individuals. However, these treatments are poorly accessible in developing countries. In addition, the persistence of the viral reservoir permitting the emergence of drug resistance continues being a major obstacle to virus eradication. It is clear that the development of a safe and effective vaccine remains a crucial goal for controlling this epidemic.