Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Process And Outcomes Of Gender Bias In Elementary-Schools - A Nigerian Case

More Third World schools have become accessible to women in recent years, yet increasing parity in enrollment rates does not ensure equal educational experiences or opportunities for all children. Girls may achieve access to a variety of educational institutions, but they can still experience inequality through various inschool processes responsible for socialization and the inequitable distribution of knowledge. Eliou's work on the education of girls in the Ivory Coast, Upper Volta, and Senegal suggested that equality for girls is not simply dependent on access but on whether or not schooling is differentiated by gender. ' She posited that girls are not only discriminated against in selection; once access to schooling is achieved, female students are exposed to even greater disadvantages through the differential distribution of knowledge in secondary school. Eliou stated that girls' eagerness to learn, gain qualification, and do creative work is usually stifled in the first cycle of secondary school, where they are relegated to a general education cycle or to technical education emphasizing clerical or home economics skills. The study reported here posits that this differential process is not simply a product of secondary education but may be established during the latter part of elementary school. As the study takes place in one of the better elementary schools in western Nigeria, the fact
Cases of acute gastroenteritis due to calicivirus in outbreaks: clinical differences by age and aetiological agent.

The Caliciviridae family includes norovirus and sapovirus, which both cause acute gastroenteritis (AGE). Currently, norovirus is the most common cause of AGE in all age groups in many countries. We analysed clinical differences in reported cases of acute gastroenteritis caused by caliciviruses (AGC) by age group and agent involved. We conducted a descriptive study of AGE outbreaks reported to the Public Health Agency of Catalonia (Spain) in 2010 and 2011. The odds ratios (ORs) and corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated to estimate the association between clinical symptoms and age. Clinical differences between the <15 years and ≥15 years age groups were statistically significant: children more frequently presented with vomiting (OR, 3.25; 95% CI, 2.56-4.13), abdominal pain (OR, 3.27; 95% CI, 2.60-4.12), fever (OR, 1.51; 95% CI, 1.17-1.96) and nausea (OR, 1.49; 95% CI, 1.19-1.85). Comparing clinical manifestations of sapovirus and norovirus infection in children aged <15 years, cases caused by norovirus more frequently presented with vomiting and fever (p <0.001), and cases caused by sapovirus more frequently presented with diarrhoea (p 0.013). Determination of the clinical differences associated with cases in outbreaks according to the age of the majority of cases and the symptoms most frequently detected may aid decision making and guide aetiological investigations and the adoption of prevention and control measures.
Cellulase, Clostridia, and Ethanol

SUMMARY Biomass conversion to ethanol as a liquid fuel by the thermophilic and anaerobic clostridia offers a potential partial solution to the problem of the world's dependence on petroleum for energy. Coculture of a cellulolytic strain and a saccharolytic strain of Clostridium on agricultural resources, as well as on urban and industrial cellulosic wastes, is a promising approach to an alternate energy source from an economic viewpoint. This review discusses the need for such a process, the cellulases of clostridia, their presence in extracellular complexes or organelles (the cellulosomes), the binding of the cellulosomes to cellulose and to the cell surface, cellulase genetics, regulation of their synthesis, cocultures, ethanol tolerance, and metabolic pathway engineering for maximizing ethanol yield.
Contribution of Guanine Nucleotide Exchange Factor Vav2 to Hyperhomocysteinemic Glomerulosclerosis in Rats

We currently reported that Vav2, a member of the guanine nucleotide exchange factor-Vav subfamily, participates in homocysteine-induced increases in Rac1 activity and consequent activation of NADPH oxidase in rat mesangial cells. However, the physiological relevance of this cellular action of Vav2 remains unknown. The present study tested a hypothesis that Vav2 importantly mediates the injurious action of homocysteine on glomeruli and thereby contributes to the development of glomerulosclerosis during hyperhomocysteinemia. We found that, among Vav members, Vav2 was abundantly expressed in glomeruli. When Vav2 short hairpin RNA was transfected into the kidneys of Sprague-Dawley rats, hyperhomocysteinemia induced by folate-free diet failed to significantly enhance Rac1 activity and increase NADPH-dependent superoxide production. In these rats with silenced renal Vav2 gene, glomerular injury during hyperhomocysteinemia was markedly attenuated compared with those rats only receiving mock vector transfection, as shown by ameliorated albuminuria and extracellular matrix metabolism. In the rat kidneys with transfection of a dominant-active Vav2 variant (onco-Vav2), we found that overexpression of Vav2 led to significant increases in Rac1 activity, superoxide production, and glomerular injury, which was similar to that induced by hyperhomocysteinemia. However, this Vav2 overexpression was unable to further enhance homocysteine-induced glomerular injury. We concluded that Vav2-mediated activation of NADPH oxidase is an important initiating mechanism resulting in hyperhomocysteinemic glomerular injury through enhanced local oxidative stress.
A single soft switched resonant LED driver circuit

This paper presents a single switch soft switched buck-boost resonant converter for LED drive applications. Zero current switching condition results in high efficiency. The proposed circuit provides a constant average output current independent of output voltage which makes it suitable for LED drive applications. The average output current is independent of output voltage and is a function of switching frequency, resonance capacitor and input voltage. Thus in a specific output current the circuit works with a constant frequency and duty cycle, which makes the control circuit very simple. The circuit is suitable for cost sensitive applications due to minimized number of components. Boosting capability makes this converter proper to be connected to photovoltaic cells as the input power source. Simulation results for a 12V/60V converter are presented.
The Efficacy of a Newly Designed, Easy-to-Manufacture Training Simulator for Endoscopic Biopsy of the Stomach

Background/Aims We developed a new endoscopic biopsy training simulator and determined its efficacy for improving the endoscopic biopsy skills of beginners. Methods This biopsy simulator, which presents seven biopsy sites, was constructed using readily available materials. We enrolled 40 participants: 14 residents, 11 first-year clinical fellows, 10 second-year clinical fellows, and five staff members. We recorded the simulation completion time for all participants, and then simulator performance was assessed via a questionnaire using the 7-point Likert scale. Results The mean times for completing the five trials were 417.7±138.8, 145.2±31.5, 112.7±21.9, and 90.5±20.0 seconds for the residents, first-year clinical fellows, second-year clinical fellows, and staff members, respectively. Endoscopists with less experience reported that they found this simulator more useful for improving their biopsy technique (6.8±0.4 in the resident group and 5.7±1.0 in the first-year clinical fellow group). The realism score of the simulator for endoscopic handling was 6.4±0.5 in the staff group. Conclusions This new, easy-to-manufacture endoscopic biopsy simulator is useful for biopsy training for beginner endoscopists and shows good efficacy and realism.
The HipHop compiler for PHP

Scripting languages are widely used to quickly accomplish a variety of tasks because of the high productivity they enable. Among other reasons, this increased productivity results from a combination of extensive libraries, fast development cycle, dynamic typing, and polymorphism. The dynamic features of scripting languages are traditionally associated with interpreters, which is the approach used to implement most scripting languages. Although easy to implement, interpreters are generally slow, which makes scripting languages prohibitive for implementing large, CPU-intensive applications. This efficiency problem is particularly important for PHP given that it is the most commonly used language for server-side web development. This paper presents the design, implementation, and an evaluation of the HipHop compiler for PHP. HipHop goes against the standard practice and implements a very dynamic language through static compilation. After describing the most challenging PHP features to support through static compilation, this paper presents HipHop's design and techniques that support almost all PHP features. We then present a thorough evaluation of HipHop running both standard benchmarks and the Facebook web site. Overall, our experiments demonstrate that HipHop is about 5.5x faster than standard, interpreted PHP engines. As a result, HipHop has reduced the number of servers needed to run Facebook and other web sites by a factor between 4 and 6, thus drastically cutting operating costs.
Direct lineage reprogramming via pioneer factors; a detour through developmental gene regulatory networks

Although many approaches have been employed to generate defined fate in vitro, the resultant cells often appear developmentally immature or incompletely specified, limiting their utility. Growing evidence suggests that current methods of direct lineage conversion may rely on the transition through a developmental intermediate. Here, I hypothesize that complete conversion between cell fates is more probable and feasible via reversion to a developmentally immature state. I posit that this is due to the role of pioneer transcription factors in engaging silent, unmarked chromatin and activating hierarchical gene regulatory networks responsible for embryonic patterning. Understanding these developmental contexts will be essential for the precise engineering of cell identity. Summary: This Hypothesis explores pioneer transcription factor-driven direct lineage reprogramming between mature cell states, proposing that this depends on reversion to a developmentally immature state.
A Comparison of Reward‐Contingent Neuronal Activity in Monkey Orbitofrontal Cortex and Ventral Striatum

Abstract: We have investigated how neuronal activity in the orbitofrontal‐ventral striatal circuit is related to reward‐directed behavior by comparing activity in these two regions during a visually guided reward schedule task. When a set of visual cues provides information about reward contingency, that is, about whether or not a trial will be rewarded, significant subpopulations of neurons in both orbitofrontal cortex and ventral striatum encode this information. Orbitofrontal and ventral striatal neurons also differentiate between rewarding and non‐rewarding trial outcomes, whether or not those outcomes were predicted. The size of the neuronal subpopulation encoding reward contingency is twice as large in orbitofrontal cortex (50% of neurons) as in ventral striatum (26%). Reward‐contingency‐dependent activity also appears earlier during a trial in orbitofrontal cortex than in ventral striatum. The peak reward‐contingency representation in orbitofrontal cortex (31% of neurons), occurs during the wait period, a period of high anticipation prior to any action. The peak ventral striatal representation of reward contingency (18%) occurs during the go period, a time of action. We speculate that signals from orbitofrontal cortex bias ventral striatal activity, and that a flow of reward‐contingency information from orbitofrontal cortex to ventral striatum serves to guide actions toward rewards.
Climate variability has a stabilizing effect on the coexistence of prairie grasses

How expected increases in climate variability will affect species diversity depends on the role of such variability in regulating the coexistence of competing species. Despite theory linking temporal environmental fluctuations with the maintenance of diversity, the importance of climate variability for stabilizing coexistence remains unknown because of a lack of appropriate long-term observations. Here, we analyze three decades of demographic data from a Kansas prairie to demonstrate that interannual climate variability promotes the coexistence of three common grass species. Specifically, we show that (i) the dynamics of the three species satisfy all requirements of “storage effect” theory based on recruitment variability with overlapping generations, (ii) climate variables are correlated with interannual variation in species performance, and (iii) temporal variability increases low-density growth rates, buffering these species against competitive exclusion. Given that environmental fluctuations are ubiquitous in natural systems, our results suggest that coexistence based on the storage effect may be underappreciated and could provide an important alternative to recent neutral theories of diversity. Field evidence for positive effects of variability on coexistence also emphasizes the need to consider changes in both climate means and variances when forecasting the effects of global change on species diversity.
ZEROS OF SPARSE POLYNOMIALS OVER LOCAL FIELDS OF CHARACTERISTIC p

Let K be F_q((T)), or more generally any field of characteristic p equipped with a valuation having a finite residue field of q elements. Then a polynomial f(x) in K[x] having k+1 nonzero coefficients has at most q^k distinct zeros in K. We also obtain the best possible bound for the number of zeros of degree at most d over K.
In-House Transactions in the Real Estate Brokerage Industry : Matching Outcome or Strategic Promotion ? ∗

This paper examines to what extent agents’ strategic incentives explain in-house transactions for which buyers and sellers are represented by the same brokerage. We construct an agentintermediated search model that predicts both strategically-promoted and matching-based in-house transactions. Taking these predictions to home transaction data, we find that agents are more likely to promote internal listings when they are financially rewarded and such effect becomes weaker when consumers are more aware of agents’ incentives. We further develop a structural model and find that about one third of in-house transactions are explained by agents’ strategic promotion, causing significant utility loss for homebuyers.
Calcium-Dependent Protein Kinases from Arabidopsis Show Substrate Specificity Differences in an Analysis of 103 Substrates

The identification of substrates represents a critical challenge for understanding any protein kinase-based signal transduction pathway. In Arabidopsis, there are more than 1000 different protein kinases, 34 of which belong to a family of Ca2+-dependent protein kinases (CPKs). While CPKs are implicated in regulating diverse aspects of plant biology, from ion transport to transcription, relatively little is known about isoform-specific differences in substrate specificity, or the number of phosphorylation targets. Here, in vitro kinase assays were used to compare phosphorylation targets of four CPKs from Arabidopsis (CPK1, 10, 16, and 34). Significant differences in substrate specificity for each kinase were revealed by assays using 103 different substrates. For example CPK16 phosphorylated Serine 109 in a peptide from the stress-regulated protein, Di19-2 with KM ∼70 μM, but this site was not phosphorylated significantly by CPKs 1, 10, or 34. In contrast, CPKs 1, 10, and 34 phosphorylated 93 other peptide substrates not recognized by CPK16. Examples of substrate specificity differences among all four CPKs were verified by kinetic analyses. To test the correlation between in vivo phosphorylation events and in vitro kinase activities, assays were performed with 274 synthetic peptides that contained phosphorylation sites previously mapped in proteins isolated from plants (in vivo-mapped sites). Of these, 74 (27%) were found to be phosphorylated by at least one of the four CPKs tested. This 27% success rate validates a robust strategy for linking the activities of specific kinases, such as CPKs, to the thousands of in planta phosphorylation sites that are being uncovered by emerging technologies.
Research on Functional Description, Operation and Organizational Model of a Loosely Coupled System

The Loosely Coupled system is a way for organizing one system, which has been widely used in various fields. Based on the characteristics of Loosely Coupled system, a Mathematical definition for the resource function of Loosely Coupled system is put forward with the set and mapping theory, and the three kinds relations between resource functions, i.e. "equal to", "similar to" and "contain", are formally described to support the system automatic finding a proper function for replacing the function not obtainable but much in need. The two basic function computing relations "concatenation plus" and "parallel plus" are defined in mathematics to make a semi-ring structure for the set of functions which can evaluate the capability of the Loosely Coupled system. An organization model for the resource function is defined with building the "similar to" equivalence class and the "contain" partially ordered set, which supports the functions replacing and the resources binding.
Disease surveillance in mixed livestock and game areas around Lake Mburo National Park in Uganda

Lake Mburo National Park is surrounded by cattle ranches. Wild animals are common within the ranches with impala Aepyceros melampus and zebra Equus burchelli being the most numerous. The population sizes of impala (t = 0.4584) and zebra (t = 0.714) at the study sites on the ranches and inside the national park were not significantly different (p > 0.05). The predominant cattle breed is the Ankole Sanga breed. The attitude of the ranchers towards mixed game and livestock ranching was favourable provided transmission of diseases from wild animals to their livestock was controlled and the ban on consumptive utilisation of wildlife be lifted. Tick-borne diseases and brucellosis were identified as the major diseases requiring immediate attention in the area. Theileriosis, especially East Coast Fever (ECF) is a predominant tick-borne disease in the area. Ankole cattle were shown to have evolved endemic stability to tick-borne diseases. Livestock pose a risk of transmitting brucellosis to wild animals with a prevalence of 30.8% in cattle and an even higher rate in goats. Blackquarter was shown to be endemic in the area, affecting cattle, impala and eland Taurotragus oryx. Closely related wild ruminants could act as a source of helminth infection to domestic ruminants.
Vitamin Supplementation Normalizes Total Plasma Homocysteine Concentration but Not Plasma Homocysteine Redox Status in Patients with Acute Coronary Syndromes and Hyperhomocysteinemia

Abstract Despite the growing evidence that elevated total homocysteine (tHcy) in plasma is a cardiovascular risk factor, the mechanism underlying the vascular injury is still unknown. Studies are difficult due to the fact that little is known about the formation of different homocysteine species in vivo. In the present study we have investigated the different fractions of tHcy in 21 patients with acute coronary syndromes and elevated concentration of plasma tHcy. A subgroup of the patients (n=16) was investigated before and after a 3 months study period with or without vitamin supplementation (folic acid 5 mg, pyridoxine 40 mg and cyanocobalamin 1 mg once daily). A major finding is that these patients had a lowered ratio (0.95%) between the concentration of reduced homocysteine (HcyH) and tHcy compared to controls (1.38%). A low ratio HcyH/tHcy in plasma in combination with elevated plasma tHcy concentrations might reflect increased oxidative activity or decreased reducing capacity in plasma from the patients. Another main finding in the present study is that, although vitamin supplementation of these patients normalized plasma tHcy, the ratio between HcyH and tHcy did not normalize. Since substantial evidence indicates that progression of arteriosclerosis is related to enhanced oxidant activity, the premature vascular disease associated with increased plasma tHcy concentration might be due to increased oxidative activity and the elevated plasma tHcy concentration may only reflect the increased oxidative stress.
OF SACCADE-RELATED EEG : COMPARISON OF ENSEMBLE AVERAGING METHOD AND INDEPENDENT COMPONENT ANALYSIS

Electroencephalogram (EEG) related to fast eye movement (saccade), has been the subject of application oriented research by our group toward developing a brain-computer interface(BCI). Our goal is to develop novel BCI based on eye movements system employing EEG signals on-line. Most of the analysis of the saccade-related EEG data has been performed using ensemble averaging approaches. However, ensemble averaging is not suitable for BCI. In order to process raw EEG data in real time, we performed saccade-realted EEG experiments and processed data by using the non-conventional Fast ICA with Reference signal (FICAR). Using the FICAR algorithm, we was able to extract successfully a desired independent components(IC) which are correlated with a reference signal. Visually guided saccade tasks were performed and the EEG signal generated in the saccade was recorded. The EEG processing was performed in three stages: PCA preprocessing and noise reduction, extraction of the desired IC using Wiener filter with reference signal, and post-processing using higher order statistics Fast ICA based on maximization of kurtosis. Form the experimental results and analysis we found that using FICAR it is possible to extract form raw EEG data the saccade-related ICs and to predict saccade in advance by 4[ms] before real movements of eyes occurs. For single trail EEG data we have successfully extracted the desire ICs with recognition rate 72%.
Conversations With God

The role of religiosity and spirituality in the process of adjustment to disability is of increasing interest to rehabilitation professionals. Beginning with the Kubler-Ross models of grief and adjustment to disability and terminal illness, a number of stage models have included spiritual and religious interactions as a part of the adjustment process. These models, and even more recent models, point to a stage of bargaining with God for improvement or a cure through contingent prayerful interactions. However, little empirical evidence exists to support this stage as a part of adjustment to disability. Eighty-one current and previous consumers of state–federal vocational rehabilitation (VR) services in a southwestern state participated in an online survey to examine prayer content and explore the extent of bargaining with God. Research findings revealed that although prayer requests related to disability are frequent, bargaining is not applicable to many individuals with acquired disabilities. Quantitative and qualitative analysis revealed significant findings relevant to practitioners, researchers, and educators within the field of VR.