Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A stochastic model for ecological systems with strong nonlinear response to environmental drivers: application to two water-borne diseases

Ecological systems with threshold behaviour show drastic shifts in population abundance or species diversity in response to small variation in critical parameters. Examples of threshold behaviour arise in resource competition theory, epidemiological theory and environmentally driven population dynamics, to name a few. Although expected from theory, thresholds may be difficult to detect in real datasets due to stochasticity, finite population size and confounding effects that soften the observed shifts and introduce variability in the data. Here, we propose a modelling framework for threshold responses to environmental drivers that allows for a flexible treatment of the transition between regimes, including variation in the sharpness of the transition and the variance of the response. The model assumes two underlying stochastic processes whose mixture determines the system's response. For environmentally driven systems, the mixture is a function of an environmental covariate and the response may exhibit strong nonlinearity. When applied to two datasets for water-borne diseases, the model was able to capture the effect of rainfall on the mean number of cases as well as the variance. A quantitative description of this kind of threshold behaviour is of more general application to predict the response of ecosystems and human health to climate change.
Tyranny of the Perceived Majority: Polling in the U.S. News Media Before the Invasion of Iraq

Quantitative and qualitative methods are used to analyze media content about polled support for the invasion of Iraq before it took place. A tendency for journalists to emphasize data suggesting majority support rather than opposition is identified, and an associated perception of a pro-war majority is seen in letters to the editor. Analysis contrasts conceptual and methodological imprecision attending discussions of public opinion with numerical precision in survey data, arguing that a scientific reading of poll results should not be equated with public opinion. A perceived pro-war majority aligned with a pro-war political climate is explained in terms of a distinction between scientific, instrumental, and symbolic readings of polls, the mediated nature of public opinion, and symbolic power.
Beyond Intent: Reentering College to Complete the Degree

This paper proposes a descriptive model illustrating the path of adult problem solving and thinking that leads to reentry, retention, and eventual completion of a college degree. Each stage of the model represents a unique decision point at which action may or may not be taken to achieve the goal of college degree completion. Variables depicting the outcome of each decision point are identified. Intrinsic and extrinsic facilitators and inhibitors to degree completion, theories of motivation, and persistence are explored. The educational program options available to adult learners in the 1990s, the types of choices adults make in the process of reentering higher education, and relevant extant theory contribute to the proposed model. A discussion of implication for policy development that would encourage adult reentry and degree completion is included.
Antitumor efficacy of the cytotoxic RNase, ranpirnase, on A549 human lung cancer xenografts of nude mice.

BACKGROUND The cytotoxic RNase, ranpirnase (ONCONASE, ONC), may have promising therapeutic implication as an alternative for cisplatin for the treatment of lung cancer, due to inhibition of protein synthesis by t-RNA cleavage. MATERIALS AND METHODS A549 and NCI-H1975 human NSCLC cell lines were cultured in the presence and absence of ONC. Cytotoxicity was monitored using a clonogenic assay. Using an inverted phase and fluorescence microscope, we studied whether apoptosis was induced by ONC in gefitinib-induced apoptosis-resistant A549 tumor cells. The therapeutic effectiveness of ONC was studied via single and multiple administrations on A549 human non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), including tumors previously untreatable by cisplatin. ONC-induced changes in ATP levels were also monitored by non-localized phosphorus MR spectroscopy. RESULTS ONC significantly inhibited the cell growth of A549 tumors. Apoptosis was significantly induced by ONC in a dose-dependent manner. In animal studies, multiple small doses of ONC were more effective than one large single dose for the inhibition of tumor growth with reduced side-effects, probably due to the normalization of leaky tumor vessels. ONC in combination with cisplatin significantly reduced tumor growth of A549 tumors. In large tumors, including those unsuccessfully treated with cisplatin, ONC showed inhibition of tumor growth, while a second treatment of cisplatin did not. During monitoring by non-localized phosphorus MR spectroscopy, ATP levels decreased, likely due to ONC-induced inhibition of oxygen consumption (QO2). CONCLUSION ONC significantly inhibited tumor growth of A549 NSCLC cells in both in vitro and in vivo studies. This investigation suggests important potential clinical uses of ONC for the treatment of NSCLC cancer patients.
Co-endemicity of Plasmodium falciparum and Intestinal Helminths Infection in School Age Children in Rural Communities of Kwara State Nigeria

Background Malaria and intestinal helminths co-infection are major public health problems particularly among school age children in Nigeria. However the magnitude and possible interactions of these infections remain poorly understood. This study determined the prevalence, impact and possible interaction of Plasmodium falciparum and intestinal helminths co-infection among school children in rural communities of Kwara State, Nigeria. Methods Blood, urine and stool samples were collected from 1017 primary school pupils of ages 4–15 years. Stool samples were processed using both Kato-Katz and formol-ether concentration techniques and microscopically examined for intestinal helminths infection. Urine samples were analyzed using sedimentation method for Schistosoma haematobium. Plasmodium falciparum was confirmed by microscopy using thick and thin blood films methods and packed cell volume (PCV) was determined using hematocrit reader. Univariate analysis and chi-square statistical tests were used to analyze the data. Results Overall, 61.2% of all school children had at least an infection of either P. falciparum, S. haematobium, or intestinal helminth. S. haematobium accounted for the largest proportion (44.4%) of a single infection followed by P. falciparum (20.6%). The prevalence of malaria and helminth co-infection in the study was 14.4%. Four species of intestinal helminths were recovered from the stool samples and these were hookworm (22.5%), Hymenolepis species (9.8%), Schistosoma mansoni (2.9%) and Enterobius vermicularis (0.6%). The mean densities of P. falciparum in children co-infected with S. haematobium and hookworm were higher compared to those infected with P. falciparum only though not statistically significant (p = 0.062). The age distribution of both S. haematobium (p = 0.049) and hookworm (p = 0.034) infected children were statistically significant with the older age group (10–15 years) recording the highest prevalence of 47.2% and 25% respectively. Children who were infected with S. haematobium (RR = 1.3) and hookworm (RR = 1.4) have equal chances of being infected with P. falciparum as children with no worm infection. On the other hand children infected with Hymenolepis spp. (p<0.0001) are more likely to be infected with P. falciparum than Hymenolepis spp. uninfected children (RR = 2.0) Conclusions These findings suggest that multiple parasitic infections are common in school age children in rural communities of Kwara State Nigeria. The Hymenolepis spp. induced increase susceptibility to P. falciparum could have important consequences on how concurrent infections affect the expression or pathogenesis of these infections.
Influence of the Online Learning Environments and Tools on the Student Achievement and Opinions.

The purpose of this study is to determine the influence of the instructional usage of the online tools on the student success and opinions in Science Education. This study, in which it tried to determine the influence of the instructional usages of the tools on the student achievement and opinions, is designed as an experimental study with the trial model. The working field of the study is composed of the eighth grade students of primary school. The sample of the study is composed of 45 primary school students having computer and internet connection. In this line, the experimental and control groups are formed from the students who are selected randomly among the students between the ranges of 300 - 350 for SBS examination grade range of the academic year of 2008-2009. Some of the findings which are obtained as a result of the study carried out qualitatively and quantitatively are as follows; it was seen that the participants took education in Test-2, that is to say, in blended learning environment between the successes of the Test-1, Test-2 and control groups. It was determined that only the students who took education in the online learning environment had more positive opinions for the online instructional tools.
Motivations for and Satisfaction with Migration

Male and female residents of seven slums in New Delhi, India, four slums in Dhaka, Bangladesh, and four slums in Islamabad, Pakistan, were interviewed about their reasons for migrating to and their satisfaction with their city. Although the single most commonly reported reason for moving was in search of work, significant proportions of migrants gave multiple reasons, and, particularly in Dhaka and Islamabad, many respondents partly attributed their move to fate. Results suggested that the attribution to fate was not due to either religion or poverty, but was related to perceived personal control. More generally, the reasons that respondents gave for migrating to the city were significantly related to their mental and physical health, to their ratings of their home and the city environment, and to their satisfaction with the city.
Morphological and Genetic Evidence for Multiple Evolutionary Distinct Lineages in the Endangered and Commercially Exploited Red Lined Torpedo Barbs Endemic to the Western Ghats of India

Red lined torpedo barbs (RLTBs) (Cyprinidae: Puntius) endemic to the Western Ghats Hotspot of India, are popular and highly priced freshwater aquarium fishes. Two decades of indiscriminate exploitation for the pet trade, restricted range, fragmented populations and continuing decline in quality of habitats has resulted in their ‘Endangered’ listing. Here, we tested whether the isolated RLTB populations demonstrated considerable variation qualifying to be considered as distinct conservation targets. Multivariate morphometric analysis using 24 size-adjusted characters delineated all allopatric populations. Similarly, the species-tree highlighted a phylogeny with 12 distinct RLTB lineages corresponding to each of the different riverine populations. However, coalescence-based methods using mitochondrial DNA markers identified only eight evolutionarily distinct lineages. Divergence time analysis points to recent separation of the populations, owing to the geographical isolation, more than 5 million years ago, after the lineages were split into two ancestral stocks in the Paleocene, on north and south of a major geographical gap in the Western Ghats. Our results revealing the existence of eight evolutionarily distinct RLTB lineages calls for the re-determination of conservation targets for these cryptic and endangered taxa.
Functional illiteracy and neurocognitive deficits among male prisoners: implications for rehabilitation

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to determine the nature of the academic skills deficits in male offenders and their relation to neurocognitive deficits. Design/methodology/approach – In total, 72 Finnish male prisoners were tested with regard to reading, spelling, and mathematical abilities. Findings – Low academic skills, especially reading, were related to poor neurocognitive performance in verbal memory, visual memory, attention, and motor dexterity. The results showed a high number (29-36 percent) of reading and spelling disorders. In all, 15 percent of those with medium to severe problems in academic skills had marked difficulties in mathematics. In total, 88 percent of the participants with at least one problem area in literacy skills had neurocognitive deficits. In the present study, the pervasive neurocognitive deficits, occurring comorbidly with reading and spelling difficulties, seem to refer to a fundamental set of deficits which are only minimally explained by IQ, educational background.
Metabolism, respiratory changes, and water balance of an antelope, the eland.

TAYLOR, c. R. Metabolism, respiratory changes, and water balance of ~12 antelope, the eland. Am. J, Physiol. 217(l) : 3 17-320. 1969. The eland is a large East African antelope which can survive prolonged droughts in hot semideserts without drinking. This ability is partly due to a low respiratory water loss relative to the oxygen consumption at night. Each night the eland has a low body temperature, and as its temperature falls, its respiratory rate decreases while the amount of oxygen extracted from the inspired air increases. For a given rate of oxygen consumption, therefore, the volume of expired air and the amount of water lost through respiratory evaporation decreases. Most of the increased oxygen extraction can be expIained by the fact that tidal volume is greater at the lower respiratory rates, and the dead space therefore makes up a smaller proportion of the tidal volume. The eland is so poorly insulated that it must frequently increase its oxygen consumption at night to keep warm. In experiments at 14 C, a temperature often encountered at night, the oxygen consumption of the eland was 19% higher than at 22 C. Ventilation volume, however, was unchanged. Furthermore, respiratory evaporation was less, since body temperature and therefore the amount of water contained in the saturated expired air decreased. The African zebu steer also increased its oxygen consumption at 14 C (by 28%), but its body temperature was more constant and ventilation volume and respiratory water loss increased. low respiratory rate and larger passages of the eland are not favorable to the operation of this mechanism. Thus, McLean (6) has shown that cattle expire air saturated with water vapor at body temperature and one would expect the eland to be similar to cattle. The second possibility, an increased oxygen extraction from the respiratory air, has been found by Joyce and Blaxter (4) in sheep in the cold. 1 was interested in the possibility of the eland increasing the oxygen extraction from inspired air in colder environments and in possible explanations of how this takes place. For a comparison with the eland I selected local zebu cattle. These cattle are herded in the same hot dry areas which the eland inhabits. They are also thinly furred and increase their metabolism to a similar degree as the eland in order to keep warm at night. However, they will not survive droughts without watering. They are therefore particularly well suited for clarification of the physiological mechanisms that account for the differences in drought resistance.
Systematic network coding for time-division duplexing

We present a systematic network coding approach for time-division duplexing channels. In particular, we study the case of a node transmitting to a single receiver. We show that the use of systematic network coding using XORs can provide the same or close to the same performance in terms of completion time as a random linear network coding scheme that uses a large field size, with the added advantage of requiring fewer and simpler operations during the decoding process. We show that the average computation required to decode using systematic network coding in an erasure channel grows as O(M3Pe3), where M is the number of original packets being coded together, and Pe is the packet erasure probability. This means that systematic network coding requires Pe−3 times fewer operations on average than random linear network coding with the same field size.
Stock Trading Using PE ratio: A Dynamic Bayesian Network Modeling on Behavioral Finance and Fundamental Investment

On a daily investment decision in a security market, the price earnings (PE) ratio is one of the most widely applied methods being used as a firm valuation tool by investment experts. Unfortunately, recent academic developments in financial econometrics and machine learning rarely look at this tool. In practice, fundamental PE ratios are often estimated only by subjective expert opinions. The purpose of this research is to formalize a process of fundamental PE estimation by employing advanced dynamic Bayesian network (DBN) methodology. The estimated PE ratio from our model can be used either as a information support for an expert to make investment decisions, or as an automatic trading system illustrated in experiments. Forward-backward inference and EM parameter estimation algorithms are derived with respect to the proposed DBN structure. Unlike existing works in literatures, the economic interpretation of our DBN model is well-justified by behavioral finance evidences of volatility. A simple but practical trading strategy is invented based on the result of Bayesian inference. Extensive experiments show that our trading strategy equipped with the inferenced PE ratios consistently outperforms standard investment benchmarks.
The relationship between career management and organisational commitment : the moderating effect of openness to experience

Career management has received a significant amount of research attention because of its known effects on important work-related outcomes such as organisational commitment (De Vos, Dewettnick & Buyens, 2007). However, the modern world of work has brought fresh challenges for both individuals and organisations when it comes to the management of careers. Rapid economic, technological and societal change imply that, on the one hand, organisations face the challenge of retaining and motivating talented employees through the judicious use of career management systems. On the other hand, these influences indicate a growing awareness of the individual‟s responsibility for career development. However, the way in which individuals respond to organisational initiatives through their work-related attitudes is not well known. Despite previous research that has successfully investigated the relationship between career management and organisational commitment, the possible role that individual differences may play in this regard has received scant research attention. This research study firstly investigates the direct relationships between career management (i.e., both individually and organisationally driven activities) and affective organisational commitment, and secondly, it aims to explore the role of individual differences in this process by examining the moderating role of personality (in the form of openness to experience) in this relationship. For this purpose, quantitative data were collected by means of a survey questionnaire administered to a South African public sector organisation (N = 311) and analysed with correlation and moderated multiple regression analysis to test the hypothesised relationships. The results indicated that employees‟ perceptions regarding the organisation‟s career management activities influence whether individuals initiate internally or externally oriented career self management activities. Where respondents perceived receiving high levels of organisational career management, they also reported increased organisational commitment. More committed individuals, on their part, were found to be more likely to engage in internally oriented individual career management and less likely to practice career management activities aiming at leaving the organisation. Results showed that openness to experience did not moderate the relationship between organisational career management and commitment. However, openness to experience did moderate the effect
Freeze-Dried Ham Promotes Azoxymethane-Induced Mucin-Depleted Foci and Aberrant Crypt Foci in Rat Colon

Processed and red meat consumption is associated with the risk of colorectal cancer. Meta-analyses have suggested that the risk associated with processed meat is higher. Most processed meats are cured and cooked, which leads to formation of free nitrosyl heme. We speculated that free nitrosyl heme is more toxic than native myoglobin. The promoting effect of a freeze-dried, cooked, cured ham diet was looked for in a 100-day study. Colon carcinogenesis endpoints were aberrant crypt foci and mucin depleted foci (MDF). A second study (14 days) was designed 1) to compare the effect of ham, hemoglobin, and hemin; and 2) to test the effect of sodium chloride, nitrite, and phosphate in diet on early biomarkers associated with heme-induced promotion. In the 100-day study, control and ham-fed rats had 3.5 and 8.5 MDF/colon, respectively (P < 0.0001). Promotion was associated with cytotoxicity and lipid peroxidation. In the short-term study, cytotoxicity and lipid peroxidation of fecal water, and the urinary marker of lipid peroxidation, increased dramatically in ham- and hemin-fed rat. In contrast, the hemoglobin diet, sodium chloride, nitrite, phosphate diet had no effect. Freeze-dried cooked ham can promote colon carcinogenesis in a rodent model. Hemin, but not hemoglobin, mimicked ham effect on early biochemical markers associated with carcinogenesis.
Co-word Maps and Topic Modeling: A Comparison from a User's Perspective

Induced by “big data,” “topic modeling” has become an attractive alternative to mapping cowords in terms of co-occurrences and co-absences using network techniques. We return to the word/document matrix using first a single text with a strong argument (“The Leiden Manifesto”) and then upscale to a sample of moderate size (n = 687) to study the pros and cons of the two approaches in terms of the resulting possibilities for making semantic maps that can serve an argument. The results from co-word mapping (using two different routines) versus topic modeling are significantly uncorrelated. Whereas components in the co-word maps can easily be designated, the coloring of the nodes according to the results of the topic model provides maps that are difficult to interpret. In these samples, the topic models seem to reveal similarities other than semantic ones (e.g., linguistic ones). In other words, topic modeling does not replace coword mapping.
EDLT: An Extended DLT to Enhance Load Balancing in Cloud Computing

In recent years, cloud computing has gained prominence and most companies are applying some kind of cloud computing technology in their company or part of it. Growing number of clients who are willing to use cloud services has made load balancing an eminent challenge in this field. A general approach to load balancing is the application of Divisible Load Theory (DLT). In DLT, the workload is divided among master systems. For their turn, master systems divide the load among their slave systems. This article presents an enhanced technique for load balancing based on DLT. Simulated results indicate that the expanded DLT reduces measurement/report time and shows an improved performance at a lower failure rate.