Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Political Participation and Voting Behavior in Nigeria: A study of the 2015 General Elections in Benue State. By

The engagement of citizens in public affairs is the benchmark of the liberal democratic system. The availability of participation opportunities and the concomitant enabling processual and institutional pre-requisites, allied with positive political orientations to the political system, make it possible for citizens to choose their leaders at elections and also influence the public policy process, and ultimately, the longevity of the democratic system of government. The thrust of this paper is therefore to empirically study the level of political participation and voting behavior of Nigerian citizens in the 2015 General Elections in Benue State. The paper accordingly aims to among other things investigate the role played by the Independent National Electoral Commission, (INEC), in the mobilization of citizens for the General elections, the factors that induced citizens’ participation as well as the level of conformity of the political behavior of the electorate with electoral guidelines. The paper also seeks to assess the extent to which participation and voting behavior contributed to the credibility and success of the polls. To this end, the study applies the procedural theory of democracy and the standard Socio-Economic model that postulates the factors that intermediate between actors and their ability to participate. A survey methodology has been adopted. The study concludes that effective political participation and the voting behavior of citizens tantamount the effectiveness of the political process and it is thus recommended amongst other things that for political stability to be maintained, the electoral process must be accommodating, and allow for expression of the electoral freedom of the people as well as giving cognizance to the socio-economic wellbeing of the people.
Conditional Random Fields for Code Mixed Entity Recognition

Entity Recognition is an essential part of Information Extraction, where explicitly available information and relations are extracted from the entities within the text. Plethora of information is available in social media in the form of text and due to its nature of free style representation, it introduces much complexity while mining information out of it. This complexity is enhanced more by representing the text in more than one language and the usage of transliterated words. In this work we utilized sequential modeling algorithm with hybrid features to perform the Entity Recognition on the corpus given by CMEE-IL (Code Mixed Entity Extraction Indian Language) organizers. The experimented approach performed great on both the TamilEnglish and Hindi-English tweet corpus by attaining nearly 95% against the training corpus and 45.17%, 31.44% against the testing corpus.
An Investigation into the Evolution of Security Usage in Home Wireless Networks

Wireless networks are an integral part of life for many residential properties. The use of laptops and smartphones has lead to a large increase in the number of wireless networks. The research within this project revealed how residential users were securing their networks, this research mirrored a previous investigation into wireless security from 2009, as well as a comparison with other authors work dating back to 2006 and 2007. These findings were then analyzed and reasons behind the positive trend in encryption utilization were examined.
Error correction in DHSY

In this note, we consider the contradiction between the fact that the best fit for the UK consumption data in Davidson et al. (1978) is obtained using an equation with an intercept but without an error correction term, whereas the equation with error correction and without the intercept has better post-sample forecasting properties than the former equation. This contradiction is explained and the two equations reconciled in a nonlinear framework by applying a smooth transition regression model to the data.
Modal analysis and design a planar elliptical shaped UWB antenna with triple band notch characteristics

A Planer CPW fed UWB monopole antenna with triple band notch characteristics is presented in this paper. Modal analysis of band-notched UWB antennas illustrates the existence of resonant modes linked to the embedded narrowband slot structure (slot modes), whose location within the planar geometry of the monopole determines the effect over the rest of the radiating modes of the wideband structure, and consequently, over the behavior of the antenna. The proposed antenna could potentially minimize frequency interference from many underlying technologies i.e. WLAN, WiMAX and Aeronautical mobile bands. The U slot that is etched out from the radiator results in creating band notch centered at 3.5GHz and 10.5 GHz. The band notch centered at 5.5GHz is obtained by L shape slots etched from the ground plane. The dimensions of proposed antenna are 45 mm × 41 mm × 0.762 mm and the proposed antenna is realized on Taconic substrate with εr= 2.2. The impedance bandwidth of the proposed antenna covers the frequency range from 2.8 GHz to 12 GHz. The simulated gain is 4.93dBi.
On the Benefit of Combining Neural, Statistical and External Features for Fake News Identification

Identifying the veracity of a news article is an interesting problem while automating this process can be a challenging task. Detection of a news article as fake is still an open question as it is contingent on many factors which the current state-of-the-art models fail to incorporate. In this paper, we explore a subtask to fake news identification, and that is stance detection. Given a news article, the task is to determine the relevance of the body and its claim. We present a novel idea that combines the neural, statistical and external features to provide an efficient solution to this problem. We compute the neural embedding from the deep recurrent model, statistical features from the weighted n-gram bag-of-words model and handcrafted external features with the help of feature engineering heuristics. Finally, using deep neural layer all the features are combined, thereby classifying the headline-body news pair as agree, disagree, discuss, or unrelated. We compare our proposed technique with the current state-of-the-art models on the fake news challenge dataset. Through extensive experiments, we find that the proposed model outperforms all the state-of-the-art techniques including the submissions to the fake news challenge.
How language production shapes language form and comprehension

Language production processes can provide insight into how language comprehension works and language typology—why languages tend to have certain characteristics more often than others. Drawing on work in memory retrieval, motor planning, and serial order in action planning, the Production-Distribution-Comprehension (PDC) account links work in the fields of language production, typology, and comprehension: (1) faced with substantial computational burdens of planning and producing utterances, language producers implicitly follow three biases in utterance planning that promote word order choices that reduce these burdens, thereby improving production fluency. (2) These choices, repeated over many utterances and individuals, shape the distributions of utterance forms in language. The claim that language form stems in large degree from producers' attempts to mitigate utterance planning difficulty is contrasted with alternative accounts in which form is driven by language use more broadly, language acquisition processes, or producers' attempts to create language forms that are easily understood by comprehenders. (3) Language perceivers implicitly learn the statistical regularities in their linguistic input, and they use this prior experience to guide comprehension of subsequent language. In particular, they learn to predict the sequential structure of linguistic signals, based on the statistics of previously-encountered input. Thus, key aspects of comprehension behavior are tied to lexico-syntactic statistics in the language, which in turn derive from utterance planning biases promoting production of comparatively easy utterance forms over more difficult ones. This approach contrasts with classic theories in which comprehension behaviors are attributed to innate design features of the language comprehension system and associated working memory. The PDC instead links basic features of comprehension to a different source: production processes that shape language form.
Inhibitory Circuits in Cortical Layer 5

Inhibitory neurons play a fundamental role in cortical computation and behavior. Recent technological advances, such as two photon imaging, targeted in vivo recording, and molecular profiling, have improved our understanding of the function and diversity of cortical interneurons, but for technical reasons most work has been directed towards inhibitory neurons in the superficial cortical layers. Here we review current knowledge specifically on layer 5 (L5) inhibitory microcircuits, which play a critical role in controlling cortical output. We focus on recent work from the well-studied rodent barrel cortex, but also draw on evidence from studies in primary visual cortex and other cortical areas. The diversity of both deep inhibitory neurons and their pyramidal cell targets make this a challenging but essential area of study in cortical computation and sensory processing.
Facilitation of the lordosis reflex of female rats from the ventromedial nucleus of the hypothalamus.

1. Effects of electrical stimulation of hypothalamic ventromedial nucleus (v.m.n.) on the lordosis reflex of female rats were examined in ovariectomized and oestrogen‐primed animals with chronically implanted electrodes. 2. Lordosis triggered either by manual cutaneous stimulation or by male mounting, was facilitated by electrical stimulation of the v.m. n. 3 A gradual increase in lordosis performance followed a relatively long period of stimulation; never less than 15 min and usually about 1 hr of stimulation was necessary for maximum facilitation. Following the termination of stimulation, the performance returned gradually to the control level during a 5‐‐8 hr period. 4. The optimal frequency of stimulation was between 10 and 30 Hz. Threshold for effective facilitation was, on the average, 12.5 microA. 5. Stimulation tended to induce larger facilitation when applied to the lateral side of v.m. n. 6. Pre‐treatment with oestrogen was necessary to obtain facilitation by v.m. n. stimulation. The threshold dosage of oestrogen was 2.5 microgram per animal. 7. Stimulation was effective in adrenalectomized rats, in dexamethasone‐primed animals, and in rats pre‐treated with exogenous progesterone. Thus, adrenal prodesterone release is not required for the v.m. n. facilitation of lordosis. 8. Medial preoptic stimulation with the same parameters suppressed the lordosis reflex. 9. The v.m. n. participates in the control of lordosis by a facilitatory output. The delay before facilitation implies that the v.m. n. is not in the direct reflex‐arc for the execution of lordosis. Rather, a summation or interaction process with an unusually long time course is involved.
The segregation and integration of colour in motion processing revealed by motion after-effects

Analysis of the colour and motion of objects is widely believed to take place within segregated processing pathways in the primate visual system. However, it is apparent that this segregation cannot remain absolute and that there must be some capacity for integration across these sub-modalities. In this study, we have assessed the extent to which colour constitutes a separable entity in human motion processing by measuring the chromatic selectivity of two kinds of after-effect resulting from motion adaptation. First, the traditional motion after-effect, where prolonged inspection of a unidirectional moving stimulus results in illusory motion in the opposite direction, was found to exhibit a high degree of chromatic selectivity. The second type of after-effect, in which motion adaptation induces misperceptions in the spatial position of stationary objects, was completely insensitive to chromatic composition. This dissociation between the chromatic selectivities of these after-effects shows that chromatic inputs remain segregated at early stages of motion analysis, while at higher levels of cortical processing there is integration across chromatic, as well as achromatic inputs, to produce a unified perceptual output.
Activities of Daily Living and Depressive Symptoms in Patients with Subjective Cognitive Decline, Mild Cognitive Impairment, and Alzheimer's Disease.

BACKGROUND Subjective cognitive decline (SCD) may be an early indicator for an increased risk of dementia. The exact definition of SCD remains unclear and has recently become a major research interest. OBJECTIVES To determine impairments in activities of daily living (ADL) and depressive symptoms in elderly individuals with SCD, mild cognitive impairment (MCI), and Alzheimer's disease (AD). METHODS We included 752 consecutive patients suffering from SCD, non-amnestic (naMCI) or amnestic MCI (aMCI), AD, and 343 healthy controls into this prospective cohort study. A neuropsychological test battery, B-ADL and BDI-II was performed. RESULTS SCD patients showed a decreased performance in ADL compared to controls. Performance in ADL declined concurrently with cognitive abilities along the controls-SCD-naMCI-aMCI-AD continuum. Individuals with cognitive complains, no matter if SCD, MCI, or AD patients, reported more often depressive symptoms compared to healthy controls without complaints. Within all five cognitive subgroups, patients with depressive symptoms reported more difficulties in ADL in comparison to patients without depressive symptoms. Adjusting for depressive symptoms, there was no significant group difference between the control versus the SCD group (OR 1.1, CI 0.6-1.7). CONCLUSIONS SCD is a heterogeneous clinical condition. Specific features such as slightly impaired ADL and depressive symptoms are associated with SCD. Clinical markers may serve as an indicator for preclinical AD and in combination with biomarkers guide to an early diagnosis of a progressive neurodegenerative disease.
Tracking the inflammatory response in stroke in vivo by sensing the enzyme myeloperoxidase

Inflammation can extend ischemic brain injury and adversely affect outcome in experimental animal models. A key difficulty in translating animal studies to humans is the lack of a definitive method to confirm and track inflammation in the brain in vivo. Myeloperoxidase (MPO), a key inflammatory enzyme secreted by activated neutrophils and macrophages/microglia, can generate highly reactive oxygen species to cause additional damage in cerebral ischemia. We report here that a functional, enzyme-activatable MRI agent can accurately track the oxidative activity of MPO noninvasively in stroke in living animals. We found that MPO is widely distributed in ischemic tissues, correlates positively with infarct size, and is detected even 3 weeks postinfarction. The peak level of MPO activity, determined by activation of the MPO-sensing agent in vivo and confirmed by MPO activity and quantitative RT-PCR assays, occurred on day 3 after ischemia. Both neutrophils and macrophages/microglia contribute to secrete MPO in the ischemic brain, although neutrophils peak earlier (days 1–3) whereas macrophages/microglia are most abundant later (days 3–7). In contrast to the conventional MRI agent diethylenetriamine-pentatacetate gadolinium, which reports blood–brain barrier disruption, MPO imaging is able to additionally track MPO activity and confirm inflammation on the molecular level in vivo, information that was previously only possible to obtain on ex vivo brain sections and impossible to assess in living human patients. Our findings could allow efficient noninvasive serial screening of therapies targeting inflammation and the use of MPO imaging as an imaging biomarker to risk-stratify patients.
Cell Cycle Regulation of Myosin-V by Calcium/Calmodulin-Dependent Protein Kinase II

Organelle transport by myosin-V is down-regulated during mitosis, presumably by myosin-V phosphorylation. We used mass spectrometry phosphopeptide mapping to show that the tail of myosin-V was phosphorylated in mitotic Xenopus egg extract on a single serine residue localized in the carboxyl-terminal organelle-binding domain. Phosphorylation resulted in the release of the motor from the organelle. The phosphorylation site matched the consensus sequence of calcium/calmodulin–dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII), and inhibitors of CaMKII prevented myosin-V release. The modulation of cargo binding by phosphorylation is likely to represent a general mechanism regulating organelle transport by myosin-V.
A high gain, W-band SiGe LNA with sub-4.0 dB noise figure

This paper presents a W-band LNA implemented in a 90 nm SiGe BiCMOS technology. The LNA achieves a maximum gain of 34 dB and a minimum NF of 3.5 dB at 80 GHz with greater than 25 dB gain and less than 4.5 dB NF over the full W-band. Input and output return losses are greater than 10 dB from 78-149 GHz. The circuit nominally operates from a 1.2 V supply while consuming 15.6 mW of DC power. Due to the low DC resistance presented to the base, the LNA can be operated above BVCEO for an IP1dB of -21 dBm and a PSAT as high as +8.5 dBm. To the authors' best knowledge, this work demonstrates the lowest NF achieved at W-band by an LNA in any silicon-based technology to date.
Association between Obesity and the Prevalence of Allergic Diseases, Atopy, and Bronchial Hyperresponsiveness in Korean Adolescents

Background: Although several mechanisms underlying the asthma-obesity connection have been proposed, debates still remain. This study was to determine whether overweight is associated with a higher prevalence of atopy, asthma symptoms, airway obstruction, bronchial hyperresponsiveness (BHR) or biomarkers of inflammation in a sample of Korean adolescents. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional survey involving questionnaires, skin tests, spirometry and methacholine challenge tests among 717 adolescents from Seoul (South Korea). Overweight status was defined as a BMI greater than the local age- and gender-specific 85th percentile. Results: Overweight subjects more frequently reported ever having wheezing (24.6 vs. 14.0%, p = 0.001) and wheezing in the previous 12 months (11.5 vs. 6.3%, p = 0.02) than normal-weight subjects, especially in boys. Atopy was more common among overweight adolescents than among those of normal weight (61.5 vs. 49.2%, p = 0.002), especially in boys (65.0 vs. 52.8%, p = 0.005). Overweight subjects had higher total WBC counts and eosinophil counts, especially boys. The presence of BHR was more common only among overweight girls (32.8 vs. 18.0%, p = 0.028). Overweight status was a significant risk factor for the presence of atopy (odds ratio = 1.49; 95% CI 1.06–2.10), after adjusting for various confounders by logistic regression analysis. Conclusions: An association was found between overweight status and both atopy and an increased prevalence of wheezing in adolescent Korean boys. These findings suggest that being overweight in puberty may be one of several risk factors responsible for atopy, BHR, and asthma symptoms.
Improving Cache Performance using Victim Tag Stores

Main memory latency has been a major bottleneck for system performance. With increasing memory bandwidth demand due to multiple on-chip cores, effective cache utilization is important. In a system with limited cache space, we would ideally like to prevent an incoming block with low reuse from evicting another block with high reuse. This requires predicting the reuse behavior of the incoming block before inserting into the cache. In this paper, we propose a new, simple mechanism that predicts the reuse behavior of a missed block and decides where to insert the block in the cache based on the prediction. A block predicted to have high reuse is inserted at the most recently used position while a majority of the remaining blocks are inserted at the least recently used position. The key obs ervation behind our prediction mechanism is that if a block with high reuse gets prematurely evicted fr om the cache, it will be accessed soon after eviction. To implement this mechanism, we augment the cache with a Bloom filter that keep tracks of addresses of recently evicted blocks. Missed blocks whose addresses are present in the Bloom filter are predicted to have high reuse. We compare our mechanism to five state-of-the-art cache mana gement mechanisms that use different insertion and replacement policies and show that it provides significant performance improvements.
Increase in Nalidixic Acid Resistance among Non-Typhi Salmonella enterica Isolates in the United States from 1996 to 2003

ABSTRACT Fluoroquinolones commonly are used to treat adult Salmonella infections. Fluoroquinolone treatment has failed for persons infected with nalidixic acid-resistant Salmonella. From 1996 to 2003, state public health laboratories forwarded 12,252 non-Typhi Salmonella enterica isolates to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for antimicrobial susceptibility testing; 203 (1.6%) of the isolates were nalidixic acid resistant, and 14 (7%) of those were ciprofloxacin resistant. Resistance to nalidixic acid significantly increased from 0.4% in 1996 to 2.3% in 2003. All ciprofloxacin-resistant isolates had at least one point mutation in the quinolone resistance determining region (QRDR) of gyrA and did not harbor qnr or have point mutations in the QRDR of gyrB, parC, or parE. Continued surveillance of antimicrobial resistance among non-Typhi S. enterica isolates is needed to mitigate the increasing prevalence of nalidixic acid resistance.
Rarity based guided state space search

State explosion is a common problem when verifying la~ye designs. Partial state exploration using guided techniques has become a subject of wide research. We propose a rarity-based metric for state prioritization and several techniques which use the metric for enhanced state space search. These techniques use latch toggle activity and latch support for partitioning the design. The computation overhead for these techniques is minimal. Coverage results on the large industrial designs show the effectiveness of our approach. K e y w o r d s : Coverage, Functional Verification, Formal Methods, Simulation, BDDs.
Parachute Jumping Induces More Sympathetic Activation Than Cortisol Secretion in First-Time Parachutists

Background: The word “stress” describes the status of the body affected by external or internal forces, or “stressors”, threatening to alter its dynamic balance or homeostasis. The adaptive changes which occur in reply to stressors are either behavioral or physical. Once a given threshold is surpassed, a systemic reaction takes place involving the “stress system” in the brain together with its peripheral components, the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis and autonomic sympathetic. Objectives: Stress induces an activation of the sympathetic nervous system (SNS) and the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether the SNS and the HPA axis would show parallel or divergent stress response patterns in a session of first parachute jump. Patients and Methods: Activation of the SNS was evaluated by dosage of salivary alpha-amylase, galvanic skin responses, and heart rate in seven male novice parachutists. Activation of HPA axis was tested by dosage of cortisol. These variables were measured before and 1 minute and 90 minute after the jump. Results: All variables reached a peak at 1 minute post-jump. Salivary alpha-amylase, galvanic skin responses and heart rate did not return to basal value at 90 minutes post-jump, while cortisol returned to basal value at 90 minutes post-jump. Conclusions: This evidence indicates that parachute jumping is accompanied by a dissociation of SNS and HPA response patterns in novice parachutists, showing a slower recovery in sympathetic activity than in cortisol secretion.