Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
An assessment of the economic importance of the tsetse species of Southern Nigeria and the Southern Cameroons based on their trypanosome infection rates and ecology.

Previous records and new data on infection rates in species of Glossina inhabiting southern Nigeria and the Southern Cameroons are presented, and the probable economic importance of each species is assessed. The trypanosome infection rates were highest in those species of tsetse which fed largely on Bovidae. The rarity of human trypanosomiasis in southern Nigeria and the Southern Cameroons is attributed largely to impersonal man/fly contact; under such conditions a low proportion of infected flies is to be expected. G. palpalis (R.-D.) is not an important vector of sleeping sickness, as it is in northern Nigeria. The incidence of infection in G. palpalis was generally very low; cases of bovine trypanosomiasis do occur in areas where G. palpalis is the only tsetse species present, but it is not considered to be an important vector. Little information is available on G. tachinoides Westw. and G. caliginea Aust. in southern Nigeria; both have probably been at least partly responsible for some of the rare outbreaks of sleeping sickness reported from the south. G. tachinoides may be of some significance as a vector of animal trypanosomiasis. The infection rate in G. longipalpis Wied. at the West African Institute for Trypanosomiasis Research Field Station at Ugbobigha was 21·5 per cent. ; this species is believed to be of major economic importance because its presence must prevent the keeping of cattle in large areas of potential grazing. At least 13 per cent, of examples of G. medicorum Aust. , G. fusca (Wlk.) and G. nigrofusca Newst. were infected in the populations examined, and the first two species are considered to be of economic importance because they penetrate potential grazing areas. G. pallicera Big. , G. tabaniformis Westw. and G. haningtoni Newst. are confined to rain-forest and were found to be lightly infected; they are therefore not considered to be of economic importance, except possibly as a source of infection to cattle on trade routes. No data are available for G. nashi Potts.
Generalisation of regular and irregular morphological patterns

Abstract Both regular inflectional patterns (walk-walked) and irregular ones (swing-swung) can be applied productively to novel words (e.g. wug-wugged; spling -splung). Theories of generative phonology attribute both generalisations to rules; connectionist theories attribute both to analogies in a pattern associator network; hybrid theories attribute regular (fully predictable default) generalisations to a rule and irregular generalisations to a rote memory with pattern-associator properties. In three experiments and three simulations, we observe the process of generalising morphological patterns in humans and two-layer connectionist networks. Replicating Bybee and Moder (1983), we find that people's willingness to generalise from existing irregular verbs to novel ones depends on the global similarity between them (e.g. spling is readily inflectable as splung, but nist is not inflectable as nust). In contrast, generalisability of the regular suffix does not appear to depend on similarity to existing regul.
Envisioning collaborative composing in music education: learning and negotiation of meaning in operabyyou.com

This qualitative instrumental case study examines collaborative composing in the operabyyou.com online music community from the perspective of learning by utilising the concept of a ‘community of practice’ as a heuristic frame. The article suggests that although informal music practices offer important opportunities for people with varied backgrounds to participate in the production of art works, and may thus represent and illustrate important aspects of the community life of the society, they do not necessarily provide ideal models for the music classroom. Based on the analysis of the operabyyou.com community, we discuss conditions for collaborative composing when aiming to design educational settings that support the students' construction of identity and ownership of musical meaning.
Protein repeats: structures, functions, and evolution.

Internal repetition within proteins has been a successful strategem on multiple separate occasions throughout evolution. Such protein repeats possess regular secondary structures and form multirepeat assemblies in three dimensions of diverse sizes and functions. In general, however, internal repetition affords a protein enhanced evolutionary prospects due to an enlargement of its available binding surface area. Constraints on sequence conservation appear to be relatively lax, due to binding functions ensuing from multiple, rather than, single repeats. Considerable sequence divergence as well as the short lengths of sequence repeats mean that repeat detection can be a particularly arduous task. We also consider the conundrum of how multiple repeats, which show strong structural and functional interdependencies, ever evolved from a single repeat ancestor. In this review, we illustrate each of these points by referring to six prolific repeat types (repeats in beta-propellers and beta-trefoils and tetratricopeptide, ankyrin, armadillo/HEAT, and leucine-rich repeats) and in other less-prolific but nonetheless interesting repeats.
Learning and Adaptation for Improving Handwritten Character Recognizers

Writer independent handwriting recognition systems are limited in their accuracy, primarily due the large variations in writing styles of most characters. Samples from a single character class can be thought of as emanating from multiple sources, corresponding to each writing style. This also makes the inter-class boundaries, complex and disconnected in the feature space. Multiple kernel methods have emerged as a potential framework to model such decision boundaries effectively, which can be coupled with maximal margin learning algorithms. We show that formulating the problem in the above framework improves the recognition accuracy. We also propose a mechanism to adapt the resulting classifier by modifying the weights of the support vectors as well as that of the individual kernels. Experimental results are presented on a data set of 16,000 alphabets collected from 470 writers using a digitizing tablet.
Generality of the Negative Suggestion Effect in Objective Tests.

Abstract Previous research has demonstrated that exposure to false information on a true-false test increases individuals' confidence that the information is true when they later encounter a verbatim repetition of the test item (the negative suggestion effect). To investigate the generality of this effect, we had 160 college students read text passages and take an objective test on their material. After a week, they rated the validity of a series of statements, including some that had appeared on the initial test. The results indicated that subjects were more likely to believe that objectively false statements were true if they had appeared on the earlier test. This effect occurred regardless of whether items were repeated verbatim or in paraphrased form, and regardless of whether the initial test employed a true-false or a multiple-choice format. The findings suggest that the negative suggestion effect in actual test use may be widespread.
The Professional Situation and Activities of Swedish Scholars Following Retirement

The present study was aimed at elucidating the professional situation, and the degree to which the universities and the society outside the university utilize the expertise and ability of Swedish emeritus professors. Fifty-two fellows of the Royal Society of Arts and Sciences in Gothenburg were asked about their present activities, attitudes towards the retirement age, and experiences in retirement. It was found that most emeritus professor are continuing with research and consultant activities several years after their formal retirement. Anecdotal data suggest that, to a relatively high degree, the world outside the universities is more eager to make use of their competence than the universities. Strategies for improving the situation of senior scholars are discussed in relation to these findings.
Power-Law Kinetics and Determinant Criteria for the Preclusion of Multistationarity in Networks of Interacting Species

We present determinant criteria for the preclusion of nondegenerate multiple steady states in net- works of interacting species. A network is modeled as a system of ordinary differential equations in which the form of the species formation rate function is restricted by the reactions of the network and how the species influence each reaction. We characterize families of so-called power-law kinet- ics for which the associated species formation rate function is injective within each stoichiometric class and thus the network cannot exhibit multistationarity. The criterion for power-law kinetics is derived from the determinant of the Jacobian of the species formation rate function. Using this characterization, we further derive similar determinant criteria applicable to general sets of kinet- ics. The criteria are conceptually simple, computationally tractable, and easily implemented. Our approach embraces and extends previous work on multistationarity, such as work in relation to chemical reaction networks with dynamics defined by mass-action or noncatalytic kinetics, and also work based on graphical analysis of the interaction graph associated with the system. Further, we interpret the criteria in terms of circuits in the so-called DSR-graph.
A Peptide Mimetic Targeting Trans-Homophilic NCAM Binding Sites Promotes Spatial Learning and Neural Plasticity in the Hippocampus

The key roles played by the neural cell adhesion molecule (NCAM) in plasticity and cognition underscore this membrane protein as a relevant target to develop cognitive-enhancing drugs. However, NCAM is a structurally and functionally complex molecule with multiple domains engaged in a variety of actions, which raise the question as to which NCAM fragment should be targeted. Synthetic NCAM mimetic peptides that mimic NCAM sequences relevant to specific interactions allow identification of the most promising targets within NCAM. Recently, a decapeptide ligand of NCAM—plannexin, which mimics a homophilic trans-binding site in Ig2 and binds to Ig3—was developed as a tool for studying NCAM's trans-interactions. In this study, we investigated plannexin's ability to affect neural plasticity and memory formation. We found that plannexin facilitates neurite outgrowth in primary hippocampal neuronal cultures and improves spatial learning in rats, both under basal conditions and under conditions involving a deficit in a key plasticity-promoting posttranslational modification of NCAM, its polysialylation. We also found that plannexin enhances excitatory synaptic transmission in hippocampal area CA1, where it also increases the number of mushroom spines and the synaptic expression of the AMPAR subunits GluA1 and GluA2. Altogether, these findings provide compelling evidence that plannexin is an important facilitator of synaptic functional, structural and molecular plasticity in the hippocampal CA1 region, highlighting the fragment in NCAM's Ig3 module where plannexin binds as a novel target for the development of cognition-enhancing drugs.
Quality assessment and quality enhancement: eliminating unsatisfactory provision

Based on a detailed analysis of the reports on unsatisfactory education and provision otherwise subject to reassessment, which have been the outcome of the English quality assessment system since 1993. Analysis is based on the full text of the reports and not simply on a scrutiny of the conclusions and recommendations of the assessors. Examines both the original report and that on the subsequent re‐assessment. Wider than any previous analysis, therefore, and able to comment in some detail on the action taken to address assessors’ concerns and to redress problems of quality. Builds on earlier research by focusing on the action taken by higher education institutions to redress problems identified by assessors, and the extent to which the assessment method as operated by HEFCE has been effective in securing improvements in provision. Analyses the action taken by institutions in response to assessors’ judgements of unsatisfactory provision, reviews briefly the extent of unsatisfactory provision and its characteristics by subject and institution type before turning to a consideration of the evidence of remedial action and enhancement.
Graphene nanoelectronics

Graphene, a two-dimensional (2D) material with the highest intrinsic carrier mobility and many desirable physical properties at room temperature, is considered a promising material for ultrahigh speed and low power applications. [1–3] Ultra-thin body enables the ultimately scaled-down device feasibility. (Fig. 1) Here we report the graphene nanoelectronics progress in synthesizing wafer-scale monolayer-controlled graphene and fabricating high-speed graphene FETs (GFET) with the highest value reported cut-off frequency (fT) approaching 100 GHz.
AdpA, a Central Transcriptional Regulator in the A-Factor Regulatory Cascade That Leads to Morphological Development and Secondary Metabolism in Streptomyces griseus

A-factor (2-isocapryloyl-3R-hydroxymethyl-γ-butyrolactone) is a microbial hormone that triggers aerial mycelium formation and secondary metabolism in Streptomyces griseus. A-factor produced in a growth-dependent manner switches on the transcription of adpA encoding a transcriptional activator by binding to the A-factor receptor protein (ArpA), which has bound the adpA promoter, and dissociating the DNA-bound ArpA from the DNA. AdpA then activates a number of genes with various functions required for morphological development and secondary metabolism, forming an AdpA regulon. AdpA, which contains a ThiJ/PfpI/DJ-1-like dimerization domain at its N-terminal portion and an AraC/XylS-type DNA-binding domain at its C-terminal portion, is a representative of a large subfamily of the AraC/XylS family. AdpA binds various positions with respect to the transcriptional start points of the target genes and recruits RNA polymerase to the specific promoter region, and facilitates the isomerization of the RNA polymerase-DNA complex into an open complex competent for transcriptional initiation. The AdpA-binding consensus sequence is 5′-TGGCSNGWWY-3′ (S: G or C; W: A or T; Y: T or C; N: any nucleotide). The DNA-binding specificity of AdpA in conjunction with that of other AraC/XylS family members is also discussed.
Student's charters: an evaluation and reflection

Abstract Contracts and markets are central to the concept of public service that is implicit in the New Public Management. Charters are, essentially, a formal contract between the public service provider and their customers. One such contract is the student charter, which serves as a contract between the educational institution and its students. As such, the charter outlines the experience that the students can expect and thereby seeks to state the institution's expectations and to manage student's expectations. A pilot project that sought to collect a number of charters for different United Kingdom institutions of higher education, and to analyse those charters with a view to both exploring how charters manage student expectations and to identifying some aspects of good practice in the formulation and presentation of charters, is described. The analysis covers: introduction, message, scope and presentation.
A Model of Effective Fieldwork Supervision for Trainee Educational Psychologists

This study seeks to provide current survey data from qualified psychologists about effective supervision, in view of increased fieldwork supervision demands, due to restructured initial professional training. A model of effective fieldwork supervision emerges in which a well‐managed and communicative partnership between trainee psychologist and supervisor is formed, in the context of the psychological service, its partners and clients. The authors anticipate that this may support the supervision needs of qualified colleagues, and speculate upon what additional provisions might be relevant in Years 2 and 3 when trainee psychologists will have a dual role as university students and practitioners within services.
A survey of void handling techniques for geographic routing in wireless networks

Communications voids, where geographic greedy forwarding fails to move a packet further towards its destination, are an important issue for geographic routing in wireless networks. This article presents an overview of the void problem and surveys the currently available void-handling techniques (as of July 2006) for geographic routing. In the survey, we classify these void-handling techniques into six categories, each designed with a different approach, that is, planar-graph-based, geometric, flooding-based, costbased, heuristic, and hybrid. For each category, we present its basic principle and illustrate some classic techniques as well as the latest advances. We also provide a qualitative comparison of these techniques and discuss some possible directions of future research.
Students’ perceptions of written feedback in teacher education: ideally feedback is a continuing two-way communication that encourages progress

A small but growing body of research has investigated students’ perceptions of written feedback in higher education but little attention has been brought to bear on students’ emotional responses to feedback. This paper investigates students’ perceptions of written feedback with particular emphasis on their emotional responses within a teacher education programme in a regional Australian university. Online questionnaires were used to gather qualitative data from cohorts of distance students and on-campus students. The study found that students’ emotions strongly mediated their perceptions of written feedback. The paper concludes that in order to accommodate students’ emotional responses, effective written feedback should be aligned with pedagogies which specifically include the development of rich dialogue within the teaching and learning context.
Model of Sarcomeric Ca2+ Movements, Including ATP Ca2+ Binding and Diffusion, during Activation of Frog Skeletal Muscle

Cannell and Allen (1984. Biophys. J. 45:913–925) introduced the use of a multi-compartment model to estimate the time course of spread of calcium ions (Ca2+) within a half sarcomere of a frog skeletal muscle fiber activated by an action potential. Under the assumption that the sites of sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) Ca2+ release are located radially around each myofibril at the Z line, their model calculated the spread of released Ca2+ both along and into the half sarcomere. During diffusion, Ca2+ was assumed to react with metal-binding sites on parvalbumin (a diffusible Ca2+- and Mg2+-binding protein) as well as with fixed sites on troponin. We have developed a similar model, but with several modifications that reflect current knowledge of the myoplasmic environment and SR Ca2+ release. We use a myoplasmic diffusion constant for free Ca2+ that is twofold smaller and an SR Ca2+ release function in response to an action potential that is threefold briefer than used previously. Additionally, our model includes the effects of Ca2+ and Mg2+ binding by adenosine 5′-triphosphate (ATP) and the diffusion of Ca2+-bound ATP (CaATP). Under the assumption that the total myoplasmic concentration of ATP is 8 mM and that the amplitude of SR Ca2+ release is sufficient to drive the peak change in free [Ca2+] (Δ[Ca2+]) to 18 μM (the approximate spatially averaged value that is observed experimentally), our model calculates that (a) the spatially averaged peak increase in [CaATP] is 64 μM; (b) the peak saturation of troponin with Ca2+ is high along the entire thin filament; and (c) the half-width of Δ[Ca2+] is consistent with that observed experimentally. Without ATP, the calculated half-width of spatially averaged Δ[Ca2+] is abnormally brief, and troponin saturation away from the release sites is markedly reduced. We conclude that Ca2+ binding by ATP and diffusion of CaATP make important contributions to the determination of the amplitude and the time course of Δ[Ca2+].
Genomic analysis of a novel strain of Bacillus nealsonii, isolated from Surti buffalo rumen

Aim: Whole genome sequencing and functional annotation of Bacillus nealsonii strain AAU1, an amylolytic anaerobic spore forming isolate from ruminal contents of buffalo. Methods and Results: Morphologically, the strain was observed as slender Grampositive rods, occurring in pairs. Optimal growth was observed at 40°C (range: 30°C to 45°C) and pH 6.5 (range: 5.5 to 7.5) when cultivated in Hungate’s medium supplemented with starch. The microorganism showed extracellular constitutive amylolytic activity, proving to be capable of utilizing glucose, maltose, mannose, trehalose, dextrin and starch under anaerobic conditions. Sequence analysis revealed a GC content of 35.1 mol%. Comparison of housekeeping gene sequences for RNA polymerase subunit B (rpoB) and gyrase A (gyrA) identified sequence similarity within the Bacillus genus, confirmed by 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity which identified Bacillus nealsonii DSM 15077 as the closest publically available relative. Chemotaxonomic analysis provided conflicting results with straight-chain saturated C16: 0/C16:0 aldehyde, C16:0 DMA, C14:0 and monounsaturated 16:1w7c and 16:1w9c the major fatty acids in contrast to those reported for B. nealsonii DSM15077. Further characterization using AN-Bilog and physiological parameters provided genotypic and phenotypic support for taxonomic classification of isolate AAU1 with published Bacillus species including B. licheniformis, B. subtilis, B. circulans and B. nealsonii. Conclusion: Based on the data presented, isolate is likely to represent a new strain/subspecies, for which the identifier B. nealsonii AAU1 is proposed. Significance and Impact of Study: The strict anaerobic conditions prevailing in the bovine rumen from where AAU1 was isolated may have resulted in genetic polymorphism influencing its metabolic characteristics.
SELPHI: correlation-based identification of kinase-associated networks from global phospho-proteomics data sets

While phospho-proteomics studies have shed light on the dynamics of cellular signaling, they mainly describe global effects and rarely explore mechanistic details, such as kinase/substrate relationships. Tools and databases, such as NetworKIN and PhosphoSitePlus, provide valuable regulatory details on signaling networks but rely on prior knowledge. They therefore provide limited information on less studied kinases and fewer unexpected relationships given that better studied signaling events can mask condition- or cell-specific ‘network wiring’. SELPHI is a web-based tool providing in-depth analysis of phospho-proteomics data that is intuitive and accessible to non-bioinformatics experts. It uses correlation analysis of phospho-sites to extract kinase/phosphatase and phospho-peptide associations, and highlights the potential flow of signaling in the system under study. We illustrate SELPHI via analysis of phospho-proteomics data acquired in the presence of erlotinib—a tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI)—in cancer cells expressing TKI-resistant and -sensitive variants of the Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor. In this data set, SELPHI revealed information overlooked by the reporting study, including the known role of MET and EPHA2 kinases in conferring resistance to erlotinib in TKI sensitive strains. SELPHI can significantly enhance the analysis of phospho-proteomics data contributing to improved understanding of sample-specific signaling networks. SELPHI is freely available via http://llama.mshri. on.ca/SELPHI.