Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
e‑Learning Challenges Faced by Universities in Kenya: A
 Literature Review

Some institutions of higher education in Kenya have adopted e‑Learning with the aim of coping with the increased demand for university education and to widen access to university training and education. Though there are advantages that accrue from adopting e‑Learning; its implementation and provision has not been smooth sailing. It has had to contend with certain national, organisational, technical and social challenges that undermine its successful implementation. This paper therefore aims to present a literature review of the challenges faced in the implementation and provision of e‑Learning in universities in Kenya. The scoping review method was used to identify and analyze the literature of the e‑Learning challenges. Some of the challenges revealed include: lack of adequate e‑Learning policies, inadequate Information and Communication Technology (ICT) infrastructure, the ever evolving technologies, lack of technical and pedagogical competencies and training for e‑tutors and e‑learners, lack of an e‑Learning theory to underpin the e‑Learning practice, budgetary constraints and sustainability issues, negative perceptions towards e‑Learning, quality issues, domination of e‑Learning aims by technology and market forces and lack of collaboration among the e‑Learning participants. These challenges need to be addressed to minimise their impact on implementation and delivery of e‑Learning initiatives in institutions of higher education in Kenya. This analysis of the e‑Learning challenges forms the basis for the ongoing research that seeks to explore and establish possible strategies to address some of these challenges.
Karyotypes of Species of Sesbania Scop. (Fabaceae)

The karyotypes of five species of Sesbania were studied. All species had 2n=12 and there was agreement with x=6 for the genus. The majority of chromosomes were metacentric and their length varied from 2.12 to 6. 99μm. Karyotype information is presented for the first time for three species. There are correlations between karyotypes and taxonomic arrangement at subgenus level. Some phylogenetic relationships were discussed. Comparisons of TF% index agreed with the proposals presented in literature.
Role of the Brown Corpus in the History of Corpus Linguistics

The history of corpus linguistics as a field of science is relatively short. Commonly agreed that the first modern computerized corpus was created between 1961 and 64 at Brown University by two linguists Henry Kučera and Nelson Francis. It is no exaggeration to say that the Brown Corpus shaped the modern corpus studies. It served as the model not only for new English language, but also for all modern national corpora, and is still used as the dataset in different kinds of research.
Effect of nonlinear hydrostatic stiffness on response of floating wind turbine

The booming demand for wind energy has pushed the offshore wind turbine into much deeper water. At water depth greater than 60 m the floating wind turbines are considered to be the most economical and feasible alternative to that of the fixed supported offshore wind turbines. The stability of floating platform is one of the major challenges and is primarily achieved through mooring lines and hydrostatic buoyancy of the platform. Based on the assumption of the small displacement of the platform, in most of the studies, the hydrostatic stiffness is considered to vary linearly with the platform position. The present study is focused on the effect of nonlinear hydrostatic stiffness on the response of floating wind turbine. The floating wind turbine is modeled as a multi-body system and the equation of motion is obtained from the principle of conservation of momentum. The effect of hydrostatic nonlinearity is demonstrated through the analysis of OC3-Hywind floating wind turbine model. In the case of small motion, the response for the linear and nonlinear cases is identical. However, for large displacement, the effect of hydrostatic nonlinearity was found to be more pronounced.
On Boolean Automata Networks (de)Composition

Boolean automata networks (BANs) are a generalisation of Boolean cellular automata. In such, any theorem describing the way BANs compute information is a strong tool that can be applied to a wide range of models of computation. In this paper we explore a way of working with BANs which involves adding external inputs to the base model (via modules), and more importantly, a way to link networks together using the above mentioned inputs (via wirings). Our aim is to develop a powerful formalism for BAN (de)composition. We formulate three results: the first one shows that our modules/wirings definition is complete; the second one uses modules/wirings to prove simulation results amongst BANs; the final one expresses the complexity of the relation between modularity and the dynamics of modules.
AUTOMATIC SPEECH RECOGNITION SYSTEM FOR KAZAKH LANGUAGE USING CONNECTIONIST TEMPORAL CLASSIFIER

This scientific report illustrates the performance evaluation of the well-known, recently popular neural network Connectionist Temporal Classifier (CTC) for speech recognition. The CTC contains LSTM layers with 256 cells and Momentum Optimizer with learning rate 0.005 and momentum 0.9. Dataset that we have used has 35 native speakers with 360 utterances. For expanding the size of our dataset with overall performance augmentation techniques has been applied using Adobe Audition software, which output 20 more speakers to our original dataset. The result of our experiment has been evaluated with LER (Label error rate). LER measures the inaccuracy between predicted an actual texts. The output of the experiment reported training LER 0.000 and validation LER 0.5.
Cultivating College Students' Self-Leadership: The Dual Role of Family and School

Intrinsic control and self-management are playing an increasingly indispensable role in personal development. In the meantime, as the core of inner influence, self-leadership tends to be more prominent in the procedure of self-management. And in the process of students' growth, home education and school education are two complementary and critical nurturing roles. The key point of this paper is whether the students’ self-leadership level could be effectively improved through the specific guidance of family and school. Therefore, on the basis of the existing theories, this paper firstly reviews the self-leadership theory in the past three decades, together with its research content. Then this paper analyses the components of self-leadership strategy as well as its shaping effect on behaviors and thought. It is generally accepted that the self-leadership strategy could be divided into three main dimensions which are behavior-focused, natural reward and constructive thought pattern strategies. Finally, this study explores the antecedent influence of parenting styles and leadership education on college students' self-leadership level from a novel perspective via the revised Chinese version of RSLQ and the revised Chinese version of EMBU. Through empirical research and detailed data analysis, this study successfully verifies the dual role of family and school in self-leadership cultivation.
Three-locus analysis in conjunction with strain crosses confirms the existence of reproductively isolated populations in Paramecium jenningsi

Paramecium jenningsi (Diller & Earl, 1958) was formerly considered to be a species with only one syngen (genetic species) based on an inter-strain cross of two strains, cytological analysis, and an investigation of esterases and acid phosphatases. However, the existence of syngens within the species was later suggested by genetic studies, i.e. classical strain crosses of new strains and molecular PCR-based analyses (RAPD, RFLP), as well as by sequencing the H4 gene fragment. This issue still needs to be clarified by the application of molecular markers, genetic tests and cytological preparations. In the present study, we tested 12 strains of P. jenningsi originating from Asia, North America and Africa. Trees reconstructed on the basis of three genome fragments (ITS1-5.8S-ITS2-5’LSU, COI and CytB) show that P. jenningsi is divided into two distinct clusters (PJ1, PJ3) and one branch (PJ2) which correspond to reproductively isolated groups revealed by strain crosses. A study based both on strain crosses and a three-locus comparison gives the opportunity for a more complete identification of the reproductively isolated populations of P. jenningsi and other ciliate species.
Fine-tuning the H-scan for discriminating changes in tissue scatterers

The H-scan approach (‘H’ denoting hue, or Hermite) is a recent matched filter methodology that aims to add information to the traditional ultrasound B-scan. The theory is based on the differences in the echoes produced by different classes of reflectors or scatterers. Matched filters can be created for different types of scatterers, whereby the maximum output indicates a match, and color schemes can be used to indicate the class of scatterer responsible for echoes, providing a visual interpretation of the results. However, within the theory of weak scattering from a variety of shapes, small changes in the size of the inhomogeneous objects will create shifts in the scattering transfer function. In this paper, we argue for a general power law transfer function as the canonical model for transfer functions from most normal soft vascularized tissues, at least over some bandpass spectrum illuminated by the incident pulse. In cases where scatterer size and distributions change, this produces a corresponding shift in center frequency, along with time and frequency domain characteristics of echoes, and these are captured by matched filters to distinguish and visualize in color the major characteristics of scattering types. With this general approach, the H-scan matched filters can be set to elicit more fine grain shifts in scattering types, commensurate with more subtle changes in tissue morphology. Compensation for frequency-dependent attenuation is helpful for avoiding beam softening effects with increasing depths. Examples from phantoms and normal and pathological tissues are provided to demonstrate that the H-scan analysis and displays are sensitive to scatterer size and morphology, and can be adapted to conventional imaging systems.
DISCOVERING POPULAR EVENTS FROM TWEETS

Social events happening in a city can influence and affect a large number of the citizens, directly or indirectly involved. Having a metric to measure the popularity of such events can help in estimating the resources needed for handling them, improving facilities such as public transportation or traffic estimations. This paper reports on the problem of association of Tweet messages to social events in order to discover the popularity of an event. We propose and evaluate a method that computes an association coefficient for an event-tweet pair and discuss the results obtained.
Oral administration of GW788388, a kinase inhibitor of the TGF-β type I and type II receptors, reduces renal fibrosis in db/db mice

Progressive kidney fibrosis precedes end-stage renal failure in up to a third of patients with diabetes mellitus. Elevated intra-renal transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) is thought to underlie disease progression by promoting deposition of extracellular matrix and epithelialmesenchymal transition. GW788388 is a new TGF-β type I receptor inhibitor with a much improved pharmacokinetic profile compared with SB431542. We studied its effect in vitro and found that it inhibited both the TGF-β type I and type II receptor kinase activities, but not that of the related bone morphogenic protein type II receptor. Further, it blocked TGF-β-induced Smad activation and target gene expression, while decreasing epithelialmesenchymal transitions and fibrogenesis. Using db/db mice, which develop diabetic nephropathy, we found that GW788388 given orally for 5 weeks significantly reduced renal fibrosis and decreased the mRNA levels of key mediators of extracellular matrix deposition in kidneys. Our study shows that GW788388 is a potent and selective inhibitor of TGF-β signalling in vitro and renal fibrosis in vivo. Abbreviations ActRII, activin type II Receptor; ALK, activin receptor-like kinase; caALK, constitutively active ALK; β-gal, β-galactosidase; BMP, bone morphogenic protein; BMPRII, BMP type II receptor; BRE, BMP responsive element; COL, collagen; CTGF, connective tissue growth factor; ECM, extracellular matrix; EMT, epithelial to mesenchymal transition; FN, fibronectin; GAPDH, glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase; GW788388, 4-(4-(3-(Pyridin-2-yl)-1H-pyrazol-4-yl) pyridin-2-yl)-N-(tetrahydro-2Hpyran4-yl) benzamide; MMP, matrix metalloproteinase; NMuMG, namru murine mammary gland; PAI-1, plasminogen activator inhibitor 1; PAS, picric acid stain; PSmad, phosphorylated Smad; RCC4, renal cell carcinoma; RT-PCR, reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction; SB431542, 4-(5-benzo(1,3) dioxol5-yl-4-pyridin-2-yl-1H -imidazol-2-yl)-benzamide; Smad, small phenotype and mothers against DPP related protein; α-SMA, α-smooth muscle actin; TGF-β, transforming growth factor-β; TβRII, TGF-β type II receptor; TIMP, Tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase; VHL, von Hippel Lindau.
SPECTROPHOTOMETRIC METHODS FOR DETERMINATION OF QUETIAPINE HEMIFUMARATE IN PHARMACEUTICAL PREPARATIONS USING BROMCRESOL PURPLE AND BROMCRESOL GREEN

Simple and selective extractive spectrophotometric methods for the determination of quetiapine hemifumarate (QF) were developed and validated. The methods were based on the formation of yellow ion-pair complexes between QF and acidic dyes namely bromcresol purple (BCP) and bromcresol green (BCG) at room temperature in phosphate buffer (pH 3.0). The formed complexes were extracted with chloroform and the absorbances were measured at 406.5 nm for BCP and at 416 nm for BCG complexes. The compositions of the ion-pairs were found as 1:1 by mole-ratio method. The reaction conditions such as concentration, pH, color formation time, temperature and chromogen stability were optimized. Good linear relationship was obtained between the absorbance and the concentration of QF in the range of 0.5 20 Hg/mL for both BCP and BCG (r > 0.9974). LOD values were found as 0.12 and 0.16 \ig/mLfor BCP and BCG complexes, respectively. Intra-day precisions were found less than 1 % in the methods. The developed methods were applied successfully to the determination of QF in tablets marketed in Turkey.
Towards self-emancipation in ICT4D research: narratives about respect, traditional leadership and building networks of friendships in rural South Africa

In this paper, the author contends that if the outsider-researcher involved in ICT for development (ICT4D) research and practice really wants to make a difference and honestly address the emancipatory interests of the developing community according to local understanding, assumptions, needs and view of reality, emancipation will have to occur on both sides of the “development divide”. Using critical social theory as a position of enquiry and learning from the enculturation phases of critical ethnographic fieldwork, the paper reflects on ways in which the outsider researcher and practitioner may acquire self-emancipation for ensuring more sustainable ICT4D. The rationale for the paper’s objective is based on the general assumption evident in ICT4D literature that emancipation, empowerment and innovation occur primarily within the developing group, making them the primary focus in development efforts and research, while the outsider is depicted as the “expert” who approaches the developing group in an “appropriate” way in order to do ICT4D and facilitate the development of the “insider”. By presenting three narratives from an ongoing community engagement project in deep rural South African, the author reflects on particular instances where self-emancipation occurred. This paper, therefore, contributes by firstly, putting forward a position for self-reflexivity and self-emancipation in ICT4D work and secondly, by reflecting on confessional stories of self-emancipation. Themes include lessons learnt on building networks of friendships, traditional leadership and respect and the typical people-orientatedness of deep rural South African communities.
Invaders or endemics? Molecular phylogenetics, biogeography and systematics of Dreissena in the Balkans.

Summary 1. Zebra mussels and their relatives (Dreissena spp.) have been well studied in eastern, central and western Europe as well as in North America, because of their invasiveness and economic importance. Much less is known about the biology and biogeography of indigenous (endemic) taxa of Dreissena, in the Balkans. A better knowledge of these taxa could help us (i) understand the factors triggering invasiveness in some taxa and (ii) identify other potentially invasive species. 2. Using a phylogenetic approach (2108 base pairs from three gene fragments), Dreissena spp. from natural lakes in the Balkans were studied to test whether invasive Dreissena populations occur in such lakes on the Balkan Peninsula, whether Dreissena stankovici really is endemic to the ancient Lakes Ohrid and Prespa, and to infer the phylogenetic and biogeographical relationships of Balkan dreissenids. 3. No invasive species of Dreissena, such as Dreissena polymorpha, were recorded. The supposedly ‘endemic’D. stankovici is not restricted to the ancient Lakes Ohrid and Prespa, but is the most widespread and dominant species in the west-central Balkans. Its southern sister taxon, Dreissena blanci, occurs sympatrically with D. stankovici in Lakes Prespa, Mikri Prespa and Pamvotis. Both species are classified into the subgenus Dreissena (Carinodreissena) of which the subgenus Dreissena (Dreissena) (which includes the invasive D. polymorpha) is the sister taxon. Dreissena blanci and D. stankovici are considered to represent distinct species. 4. On a global scale, the two Balkan species have small ranges. An early Pliocene time frame for the divergence of the subgenera Carinodreissena and Dreissena is discussed, as well as potential colonization routes of the most recent common ancestor of Carinodreissena spp. 5. The ambiguous taxonomy of dreissenids in the Balkans is addressed. As nominal D. blanci presbensis from Lake Prespa has nomenclatural priority over D. stankovici, the correct name for the latter taxon should be Dreissena presbensis.
Maternal influences on reproduction in two populations of Columbian ground squirrels

In this study, we examined influences of maternal traits on offspring birth mass, growth rate, and weaning mass for two populations of Columbian ground squirrels (Spermophilus columbianus). We tested relationships between maternal body condition, structural size, change in mass (during gestation, during lactation, and during the entire reproductive period), timing of reproduction, and litter size on offspring traits using path analyses. To assess whether maternal investment in offspring traits extended beyond the period of direct maternal care, we examined associations between offspring traits and overwinter survival of pups. In general, females in better condition raised pups that were heavier at weaning and that had faster growth rates during lactation. Litter size had a negative effect on mass and growth rate, and only litter size had a significant effect on birth mass. For both populations, the average weaning mass of pups within a litter had a positive effect on the number of pups that survived to yearling age. In a population for which birth masses and growth rates were available, pups with faster growth rates survived better to yearling age, whereas birth mass had no effect on the number of surviving offspring in litters. We found substantial maternal influences on offspring growth and size, and evidence that these influences may extend beyond the juvenile period and constitute influences on fitness. The key to arriving at these conclusions was to take the number of offspring into account before testing for maternal effects.
Biologically Active Polypeptides of Anemonia sulcata—and of Other Sea Anemones—Tools in the Study of Exitable Membranes

During the past thirty years sea anemones turned out to be important producer of biologically highly active polypeptides acting on Na+ and K+ ion channels. They are compoused from 27 to 59 aminoacids having molecular weights from 3000 to 7000 Da. All contain six cystein molecules which are interconnected to three sisulfide bridges. Because of their specifique mode of action on nerve cell exitation and on the mammalian heart muscle they became very important tools in neurophysiology and pharmacology. In the present review the research on sea anemone polypeptid toxins is summarized from a historical point of view, focussed on the polypeptides of Anemonia sulcata, Condylactis gigantea and Anthopleura elegantissima.
Occupancy-abundance relationships and spatial distribution: A review

Summary One of the most general patterns in community ecology is the positive relationship between the number of sites or areas in which a species in a taxonomic assemblage occurs regionally and its local abundance. A number of hypotheses have been proposed to explain this interspecific occupancy-abundance relationship, but it has recently been argued that the pattern is most profitably viewed as a consequence of the spatial distribution of the individuals of each species. In this paper we explore the link between spatial distribution and the occupancy-abundance relationship, with particular reference to statistical models that have been suggested to describe the pattern, and discuss its connections with a broad understanding of how organisms are distributed in space. A range of models describe observed occupancy-abundance relationships reasonably well, but are commonly not well differentiated over the range of abundances implicit in such relationships. There is little evidence that species exhibit great commonality in the form of their aggregative behaviour, but this does not matter in terms of the generation of a positive interspecific occupancy-abundance relationship. Eines der allgemeinsten Muster in der Okologie der Lebensgemeinschaften ist die Beziehung zwischen der Anzahl der Standorte oder Gebiete, an oder in denen Arten einer taxonomischen Gruppe vorkommmen, und ihrer lokalen Abundanz. Es wurde eine Anzahl von Hypothesen vorgeschlagen, um diese interspezifische Anwesenheits-Abundanz-Beziehung zu erklaren. In letzter Zeit wurde jedoch angefuhrt, dass dieses Muster mit dem besten Ergebnis als eine Folge der raumlichen Verteilung der Individuen einer jeden Art zu sehen ist. In diesem Review erkunden wir die Verbindung zwischen der raumlichen Verteilung und der Anwesenheits-Abundanz-Beziehung, wobei besonderer Wert auf die statistischen Modelle gelegt wird. Zudem erortern wir in welcher Beziehung sie zu einem breiten Verstandnis der Verteilung der Organismen im Raum steht. Eine Reihe von Modellen beschreibt die Anwesenheits-Abundanz-Beziehung relativ gut; sie sind aber meistens uber den Bereich der Abundanzen, die in diesen Beziehungen vorkommen, nicht ausreichend differenziert. Es gibt nur wenige Beweise dafur, dass die Arten eine grose Gemeinsamkeit in der Form ihres aggregierenden Verhaltens aufweisen. Das spielt jedoch keine Rolle in Beziehung auf die Erzeugung einer positiven interspezifischen Anwesenheits-Abundanz-Beziehung.