Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Correlated Denominators in Multiple Regression and Change Analyses

Sociological and demographic research often uses variables computed as ratios. When the denominators are highly correlated, or identical, and the ratios are used in correlation or regression analysis, a statistical dependency is formed. Interpre tations and inferences may be difficult to make and misleading. This article has two basic purposes. The first is to show how this problem expands from bivariate correlation and regression to partial correlation and multiple regression. The second purpose is to review advantages and disadvantages of selected alternative change models, focusing on path analysis and the problem of correlated denomi nators in change and path analyses. It is suggested that, when an identical denomi nator exists, it can be used as an independent control variable in standard least- squares regression equations constructed from the numerators. When, however, the denominators are highly correlated but not identical, as is found in most cross- sectional research and is virtually inescapable in longitudinal research, the use of residual analysis is suggested as a solution to the problem of correlated denomi nators.
Component Latent Trait Models for Paragraph Comprehension Tests

The cognitive characteristics of paragraph compre hension items were studied by comparing models that deal with two general processing stages: text represen tation and response decision. The models that were compared included the prepositional structure of the text (Kintsch & van Dijk, 1978), various counts of surface structure variables and word frequency (Drum et al., 1981), a taxonomy of levels of text questions (Anderson, 1972), and some new models that combine features of these models. Calibrations from the linear logistic latent trait model allowed evaluation of the impact of the cognitive variables on item responses. The results indicate that successful prediction of item difficulty is obtained from models with wide represen tation of both text and decision processing. This sug gests that items can be screened for processing diffi culty prior to being administered to examinees. However, the results also have important implications for test validity in that the two processing stages in volve two different ability dimensions.
The prognostic analogue of the propensity score

The propensity score collapses the covariates of an observational study into a single measure summarizing their joint association with treatment conditions; prognostic scores summarize covariates' association with potential responses. As with propensity scores, stratification on prognostic scores brings to uncontrolled studies a concrete and desirable form of balance, a balance that is more familiar as an objective of experimental control. Like propensity scores, prognostic scores can reduce the dimension of the covariate, yet causal inferences conditional on them are as valid as are inferences conditional only on the unreduced covariate. As a method of adjustment unto itself, prognostic scoring has limitations not shared with propensity scoring, but it holds promise as a complement to the propensity score, particularly in certain designs for which unassisted propensity adjustment is difficult or infeasible. Copyright 2008, Oxford University Press.
Factors Influencing Household Livelihood Diversification: The Case of Kebri Dahar District, Korahey Zone of Somali Region, Ethiopia

In Ethiopia, livelihood diversification has become a major source of income for rural communities. This study was carried out in rural kebeles in the Kebri Dahar district, and it focuses on livelihood diversification strategies and the factors that affect livelihood diversification. The collected types of data were from primary and secondary sources based on a qualitative and quantitative basis. Multistage sampling techniques were employed in selecting the representative households of 119 respondents. Furthermore, multinomial logistic regressions were used to analyze and achieve the objective. Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 20 was used to analyze the collected data. The results revealed that 33.6%, 3.30%, 10.1%, and 52.9% of the respondents participated in the on-farm, off-farm, nonfarm, and combinations of livelihood activities, respectively. The descriptive statistics showed that 52.9% of the respondents diversified their livelihoods and 47.1% did not. The multinomial logistic regression shows that being male-headed as well as the increased age of HH head were found to be significant at a 1% significance level in three livelihood activities which positively and negatively influenced livelihood diversification. Livelihood diversification has a positive impact on security in the study area. Thus, it should be promoted not only by the government and nongovernmental organizations but also by individuals who are interested in livelihood diversification since it implies food security.
The Plane-Wave Detection Problem

The plane-wave detection problem is: to estimate the incidence angle and waveform of a transient plane traveling wave, from samples recorded at a linear array of receivers. This simple problem shares several important mathematical features with other inverse problems of wave propagation, and is of interest in its own right as a model problem in ocean acoustic signal analysis. Straightforward formulation as a non-linear least-squares problem yields a non-convex objective for which the minima are not stably dependent on the data. In contrast, an infeasible point formulation, in which the signal at each receiver is explained to some extent independently, proves to yield a smooth convex optimization problem with stable optima. Numerical experiments illustrate the theoretical results about the infeasible point approach, differential semblance optimization.
How to ‘measure’ ideas. Introducing the method of cognitive mapping to the domain of ideational policy studies

ABSTRACT Decades of study have greatly improved our understanding of the role of ideas in policy-making. General knowledge accumulation, however, has been slow, which may be caused by the limited availability of methods designed to study ideas. This article introduces the method of cognitive mapping (CM) and argues its value for ideational policy sciences. It starts with an overview of the methodological debate in the literature and methods in use, culminating in five requirements a method to analyze ideas should fulfil. Subsequently, the CM technique is introduced. Using a map of the Dutch Prime Minister Rutte and Central Bank Governor Knot, the article shows CM to fulfil four of the requirements as it helps to distinguish different forms of beliefs separately from their impact on policy and other relevant variables. Finally, a probability probe shows that CM-based expectations match Dutch governmental policies quite accurately, attesting to the validity of the method.
Characterization of Probiotic Properties of Lacticaseibacillus paracasei L2 Isolated from a Traditional Fermented Food “Lben”

Lben is a dairy fermented food that is largely consumed in Tunisia for its numerous health benefits that are related to the existence of probiotics. Lactic Acid Bacteria (LAB) are well known for their beneficial probiotic properties for humans, especially when administered in adequate amounts. The aim of this study was to isolate and investigate the probiotics properties of Lacticaseibacillus paracasei L2 from Lben. The isolated strain was identified by 16S r-RNA gene sequences and MALDI- TOF MS. To evaluate the probiotic potential of the isolated bacterium, in vitro tests were performed, including adhesion ability to HCT-116 cells, survival in acid and bile salt conditions, lysozyme resistance, biofilm formation, hemolytic activity, antioxidant activity, and antimicrobial activity. Our results revealed that the selected Lacticaseibacillus paracasei L2 strain expressed a high adherence to HCT-116 cells (45.03%), survived under acidic conditions (pH3), and showed a resistance to bile salts. The strain was considered as safe (α-hemolysis). L. paracasei L2 showed a high biofilm-formation ability (OD 570 > 1.7) after 24 h of incubation. It also demonstrated an important antioxidant activity in the range of 85.31% for the intact cells. However, an antimicrobial activity against pathogens, namely Staphylococcus aureus, was detected with an IZ that was above 19 mm. In conjunction with the results obtained and the technological properties of Lacticaseibacillus paracasei L2 (proteolytic property, autolytic activity, acidifying activity, and EPS production), this strain may be used as a probiotic for manufacturing fermented foods.
Fluorescent image formation in the fibre-optical confocal scanning microscope

Abstract Reported in this paper are theoretical studies on two-dimensional and three-dimensional image formation with fluorescent objects in a fibre-optical confocal scanning microscope. An effective point spread function is introduced to derive the two- and three-dimensional optical transfer functions. It is found that, unlike confocal fluorescence microscopes with a finite circular detector, there is no missing cone of spatial frequencies, and no negative tail in the transfer function. The effect of the system parameters on the optical sectioning property is also investigated.
Electrostrictive effects in antiferroelectric perovskites

Electrostrictive terms have been introduced into the simple Kittel free‐energy function for antiferroelectrics. An additional coefficient W is found to be required to take account of the interaction with the sublattice polarizations, and Q and W values have been calculated from experimental data for typical antiferroelectric perovskites PbZrO3 and Pb(Mg1/2W1/2)O3. Consideration of several ferro‐ and antiferroelectric perovskites suggests that the magnitude of Q is not affected strongly by ferro‐ or antiferroelectricity, but that it does depend quite strongly upon any disorder in the cation arrangement. An empirical rule that the product of the electrostrictive Q coefficient and the Curie Weiss constant C is almost the same for all ferro‐ and antiferroelectric perovskites is proposed (QhC = 3.1±0.4×103 m4 C−2 K). A very simple ’’rattling ion’’ model is shown to give a simple intuitive explanation of the observed results.
A generalized LPV system analysis and control synthesis framework

In this paper, a new approach for linear parameter-varying (LPV) system analysis and control synthesis is proposed. This unified framework combines two seemingly diversified methods in systematic gain-scheduling, LPV control theory, and extends the applicability of full block S -procedure to a general class of LPV systems. An example is used to demonstrate the proposed general LPV design approach, and to show its relative merits compared to other systematic gain-scheduling control techniques.
Genetic diversity and relationship among North East Hill (NEH) goats

Genetic diversity and relationship among three goat populations i.e. Singharey, Sikkim Black goat and Long hair Nagaland goat also known as Sumi-Ne of North eastern hill region. Fifty blood samples were studied from each population and tested with a battery of 25 and satellite markers. Number of alleles observed was 116 (Sumi- Ne), 182 (Singharey) and 124 (Sikkim Black). Average numbers of alleles observed were 5. 04Â±0.38 (Sumi-Ne), 7.91 Â±0.57 (Singharey) and 5. 39Â±0.30 (Sikkim black goats) and average effective numbers were 2.57 Â±0.28, 3. 49Â±0.32 and 2. 77Â±1.68, respectively. Singharey had relatively more private alleles but with comparatively lower frequency. The average observed and expected heterozygosity was 0. 34Â±0.04 and 0. 49Â±0.05 in Nagaland goats, 0. 50Â±0.04 and 0. 64Â±0.03 in Singharey and 0. 42Â±0.33 and 0.57Â±0.40 in Sikkim black goats. Average FIS, FIT, FST were 0. 27Â±0.04, 0. 39Â±0.03, 0. 15Â±0.03, respectively. All the three populations showed absence of bottleneck (reduction in effective population size. Analysis of molecular variance revealed that 39% of the total genetic diversity existed among the individuals within populations and only 18% of the total genetic diversity accounted for differences among populations. Sumi-Ne showed similar genetic distance (0.636) from the Singharey and Sikkim Black goat, whereas, Singharey and Sikkim Black were genetically close. Compared to other Indian goat breeds, all the three NEH populations were far distanced from Berari, Black Bengal, Bundelkhandi, Ganjam, Jharkhand Black, Konkan Kanyal and Kutchi. In the neighbour joining diagram the three goat populations were plotted separately. Considering the geographical and genetic identity of NEH goats, conservation and improvement programmes may be formulated accordingly.
Acetylcholine Esterase Gene Expression in Salivary Glands of Albino Rats after Treatment with amitriptyline or/and Ashwagandha

Acetylcholinesterase is required as an enzyme to counteract the effects of acetylcholine. The aim of the study is to assess how amitriptyline and Ashwagandha affect the acetylcholinesterase gene in rat salivary glands. Forty healthy albino rats were divided randomly into four equal groups: Group I (control) received distilled water for 30 days. Group II received amitriptyline (10mg/kg) for 30 days. Group III received ashwagandha watery root extract (200mg/kg) orally for 30 days and Group IV received the combination of amitriptyline orally and ashwagandha root extract orally for 30 days. Rats in each group were sacrificed after day 30 and salivary glands were dissected for measurement of the acetylcholinesterase gene using a Polymerase Chain Reaction technique (PCR). Acetylcholinesterase gene measurements reveal an increase in groups treated with amitriptyline alone (1.55±0.11) and in the group treated with a combination of amitriptyline with Ashwagandha (1.92±0.16), in comparison with the control group. There were no discernible differences between the Ashwagandha treated group (1.073± 0.25) compared to the control group (0.76±0.19). In conclusion , Amitriptyline alone and, when combined with Ashwagandha cause transcription of the acetylcholinesterase gene. ـــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــــ
The primary depositional structures of the Upper Bima Member from Fufore and environs, Yola Arm of the Upper Benue Trough, Northeastern Nigeria: implications for paleoenvironment

Primary depositional structures are important parameters that can provide the means of unraveling the processes and process responses in sedimentary depositional settings. This paper is aimed at determining the paleoenvironment of the Upper Bima Member in Fufore and environs using the primary depositional structures. This research was carried out in two phases which involved fieldwork that dealt with logging the outcrops sections and desk work whereby the logged sections and other field data are digitized, remodeled and analyzed using relevant computer programs. The result of the study shows that the Upper Bima Member is composed of five lithofacies succession; trough cross-bedded sandstone facies (St), planar cross-bedded sandstone facies (Sp), horizontal bedded sandstone facies (Sh), ripple cross-laminated sandstone facies (Sr), and mudstone facies (Fm). These lithofacies gave rise to two facies associations; sand dominated and fine-grained facies dominated facies association. The cross-stratified facies show an overall paleocurrent trend in the NW direction. These facies succession represent both shallow perennial and ephemeral sand-bed in a braided river depositional environment.
Impact of COVID-19 on Sexual and Gender Minority Communities: Focus Group Discussions

Background: People who identify as sexual and gender minorities (SGM) experienced disproportionate economic and mental health issues related to COVID-19 when compared to the general population. The purpose of this study was to better understand how COVID-19 has impacted the SGM community and ways to address vaccine hesitancy. Methods: Three focus groups were conducted with 21 members of the SGM community between 5 November and 10 December 2020. A thematic analysis using the reflexive approach was applied to the transcripts of the focus groups. Results: Four themes emerged: (1) Impact of COVID-19 on the Community, (2) Perceptions of Contact Tracing and Testing, (3) Perceptions of a Potential COVID-19 Vaccine, and (4) Decreasing Vaccine Hesitancy. The most relevant subthemes were that social isolation led to anxiety, stress, and fear in the SGM community during COVID-19; resilience and adaptation were positive outcomes of the pandemic; histories of medical racism contributed to hesitancy to get tested; and specific messaging from trusted messengers may be needed to encourage SGM communities to get vaccinated. These findings support other COVID-19 research on the SGM community during the start of the pandemic. Conclusions: This study provides insight into the impact of the early stages of COVID-19 on the SGM community, highlighting the unique hurdles faced by SGM individuals with regard to contact tracing and vaccine hesitancy.
Plasmonic holography: obtaining wide angle, broadband, and high efficiency

We develop a new approach for obtaining wide-angle, broadband and efficient reflection holography by utilizing coupled dipole-patch nano-antenna cells to impose an arbitrary phase profile on of the reflected light. The holograms were projected at angles of 45° and 20° with respect to the impinging light with efficiencies ranging between 40%-50% over an optical bandwidth exceeding 180nm. Excellent agreement with the theoretical predictions was found at a wide spectral range. The demonstration of such reflectarrays opens new avenues towards expanding the limits of large angle holography.
H-mode threshold and confinement in helium and deuterium in ASDEX Upgrade

In 2008, experiments have been carried out in ASDEX Upgrade to compare H-mode power threshold and confinement time in helium and deuterium. A scan in magnetic field and a wide density variation indicate that the threshold power in the two gases is very similar. The density dependence of the threshold exhibits a clear minimum. Confinement in helium is about 30% lower than in deuterium, mainly due to the reduction in the ion density caused by Z = 2 in helium.
Thermoelectric figure of merit and maximum power factor in III–V semiconductor nanowires

The relative contributions of electronic and lattice effects to figure of merit enhancement are studied, for nanowires made of InSb, InAs, GaAs, and InP, as a function of nanowire thickness. The main thermoelectric magnitudes are computed in the bulk and nanowire cases by the exact solution of the Boltzmann transport equation. The lattice thermal conductivity is obtained by a full dispersions transmission function approach, using interatomic potentials for the system. An upper limit to the maximum power factor is obtained for narrow thickness. InSb nanowires stand out as the best choice for thermoelectric applications among the four compounds considered, while GaAs and InP are not expected to be suitable for practical applications.
IDEAL TYPES AND HISTORICAL EXPLANATION*

I Originally written to meet a problem which arose in the course of Professor K. R. Popper's seminar at the London School of Economics on 'The Philosophy of History. ' I owe a very great debt to Professor Popper's teachings and criticisms. A much altered and expanded version was read to the Oxford Social Studies Association on 23rd November 1951, where it was subjected to some pertinent criticism from which the present version has, I hope, benefited. 2 The formal structure of a prediction is, of course, the same as that of a fullfledged explanation. In both cases we have: (a) initial conditions; (b) universal statements ; and (c) deductive consequences of (a) plus (b). We explain a given event (c) by detecting (a) and by postulating and applying (b); and we predict a future event (c) by inferring it from some given (a) and postulated (b). Nevertheless, I think that in social science explanation and prediction should be considered separately, for two reasons. First, as Professor G. C. Hempel has pointed out in a most illuminating discussion of this problem (see his 'The Function of General Laws in History' in Readings in Philosophical Analysis, ed. H. Feigl and W. Sellars, New York, 1949, pp. 462-5) in history we often have to be content (and in fact are content) with what he calls an explanation sketch, i.e. a somewhat vague and incomplete indication of (a) and (b) from which (c) is not strictly deducible. And if we go back to a time when (a) but not (c) has occurred, this partial sketch of (a) and (b) will not allow us to predict (c). For example, we may be satisfied by the explanation that Smith insulted Jones because Jones had angered him, although we should not be prepared to admit that ifJones angers Smith in the future, Smith will necessarily react by insulting Jones. Secondly, even the social scientist who can provide afull-fledged explanation of a past event will run into difficulties if he tries to predict similar events, because they will occur in a system which is not isolated from the influence of factors which he cannot ascertain beforehand. The Astronomer Royal can prepare a Nautical Almanac for 1953 because he is predicting the movements of bodies in a system isolated from extraneous influences, but the Chancellor of the Exchequer cannot prepare an Economic Almanac for 1953 because, even if he possessed sufficient knowledge to explain completely the 1951 levels of prices, production, investment, exports, etc., his * Received 15. i. 52
Numerical model of vagus nerve electrical stimulation

Purpose – The electric stimulation of the vagus nerve is used to obtain therapeutic results in epilepsy, depression and Alzheimer diseases. The purpose of this paper is to show numerical model of stimulation, focusing on the mathematical approach to modeling a phenomenon of neural cells activation and its propagation in the nerve.Design/methodology/approach – The paper presents a model based on the bidomain theory. It uses two continuous, averaged domains which depict the intra‐ and extra‐cellular domains and are connected with the membrane ionic currents. The numerical model uses 3D cylindrical model approximating the anatomical shape of the neck. The simulator is based on a time domain finite element method.Findings – The presented approach allows to model the discrete behaviour of the membrane potential in the macroscopic, realistic model of the nerve. The validation of the parameters with the velocity of activation propagations suggests the strong disscussion on physical interpretation to the bidomain.
Implementation of discrete‐time fuzzy integral sliding‐mode control for DC‐AC inverters

Abstract In this paper, a discrete‐time fuzzy integral sliding‐mode control (DTFISMC) is developed to allow DC‐AC inverters to obtain low‐distortion output voltage. Discrete integral sliding‐mode control achieves zero steady‐state errors, and the fuzzy controller is devoted to the estimation of system uncertainties. Experiments demonstrate the applicability of the proposed controller.
An in‐frame pseudoexon activation caused by a novel deep‐intronic variant in the dysferlin gene

The precise detection and interpretation of pathogenic DYSF variants are sometimes challenging, largely due to rare deep‐intronic splice‐altering variants. Here, we report on the genetic diagnosis of a male patient with dysferlinopathy. He remained genetically unsolved after routine exonic detection approaches that only detected a novel heterozygous frameshift variant (c.407dup, p.Thr137Tyrfs*11) in DYSF exon 5. Via muscle‐derived DYSF mRNA studies, we identified a novel deep‐intronic DYSF variant in the other allele (c.1397 + 649C > T), which causing in‐frame alterations in DYSF mRNA and protein structure and confirmed his genetic diagnosis of dysferlinopathy. Our study emphasizes the potential role of undetected deep‐intronic splice‐altering variants in monogenic diseases.