Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
African intellectuals in the belly of the beast: Migration, identity and the politics of African intellectuals in the North

Abstract This paper examines the ‘double consciousness’ of black African intellectual migrants in the North. It argues that the migrant is forced to come to terms with Africanité for the first time in the North. This condition of Africanite is particularly poignant for intellectual migrant who must negotiate new identities that can no longer depend on the security of nationality and ethnicity. This dilemma of being — not exactly African but not Afro-European or African-American — is the peculiar challenge of migrant African scholars. The resolution of this identity crisis is a political act that manifests itself in the lives and work of academics producing three ‘types’ of migrant intellectuals: the comprador intelligentsia, the postcolonial critics and the progressive exiles. This paper examines each of these categories and argues that we can best understand the crisis by drawing on W.E. B. DuBois' (1903) theory of ‘double consciousness. ’ It is a particular sensation, this double consciousness, this sense of always looking at one's self through the eyes of others… [O]ne ever feels his twoness…two souls, two thoughts, two unreconciled strivings; two warring ideals in one dark body whose dogged strength alone keeps it from being torn asunder. The history of the American Negro is the history of this strife, this longing to attain self-conscious manhood, to merge his double self into a better and truer self. In this merging he wishes neither of the other selves to be lost. He would not Africanize America, for America has too much to teach the world and Africa. He would not bleach his Negro soul in a flood of white Americanism, for he knows that Negro blood has a message for the world. (W.E.B. DuBois, The Souls of Black Folk, 1903)
Law as the articulation of the state in Western Germany: A German tradition seen from a British perspective

The main purpose of this paper is to consider why in the Federal Republic of Germany legal categories are still so important in expressing what is understood by ‘the State’. This discussion is not, however, pursued solely in terms of concepts and traditions derived from German legal and political experience. Nor is the matter looked at just within the German context. There is in addition an attempt to look at the problem of law and the state in the Federal Republic against the background both of English legal theories and of contemporary arguments in Britain about constitutional issues. Thus what is offered is also a modest exercise in comparative political analysis.
A Novel Semantic Web Service based Approach for making the Immunization Programme more Effective in Rural Tamil Nadu

Semantic Web plays a vital role in healthcare domain. Immunization is one among the effective methods of preventing childhood diseases. The objective of the current work is to evaluate the immunization coverage of children in a specific rural area in the state of Tamil Nadu, India and to strengthen immunization services based on the study findings. It is expected that this can be achieved through the development of a semantic web services framework that would be deployed to provide healthcare delivery services effectively for rural Indian communities. General Terms Semantic Web, Web Services
Cascading models of learning to provide insight into workplace delivery of basic skills

Abstract This article reports on a period of work experience undertaken by one of the authors currently studying for a BA degree in Post-Compulsory Education. In an attempt at co-authorship the university course leader has annotated the report produced by the student in part assessment for the degree programme. The aim is to present the perspective of the student and lecturer to illustrate the benefit of staff development opportunities for those working in the area of Adult Basic Skills. The article provides evidence of how ‘joined up’ approaches to Continuing Professional Development (CPD) can have benefits for the student as a practitioner and a course participant whilst also providing new insights for academics and in so doing support progress towards government policy directives. In providing a reflective account of a period of work experience spent observing workplace delivery of Basic Skills, the student author comments on the benefits gained when basic skills tutors meet the challenges of working in a business environment. For the university lecturer the research report provides insight into the reality of workplace delivery and has informed strategy planning in the university.
Fast verification of an ID-based signature scheme for broadcast authentication inwireless sensor networks

Broadcast authentication is a fundamental security ser- vice in wireless sensor networks (WSNs). Recently, sev- eral public-key-based schemes have been proposed to achieve immediate broadcast authentication with signifi- cantly improved security strength. While the public-key- based schemes obviate the security vulnerability inherent to symmetric-key-based μTESLA-like schemes, their signature verification is time-consuming. Thus, speeding up signa- ture verification is a problem of considerable practical im- portance, especially in resource-constrained environments. This paper presents an accelerated verification of vBNN- IBS, a pairing-free identity-based signature with reduced signature size. A quantitative analysis demonstrates that the accelerated vBNN-IBS reduces 38.62% energy consump- tion in a 4×4 grid-basedWSN and runs 66%faster than the traditional signature verification method. It also allows the total energy consumption to be reduced by up to 23.25% and 25.14% compared to, respectively, IMBAS [1] and EIBAS [13] ID-based broadcast authentication schemes.
Modeling Activity-Dependent Plasticity in BCM Spiking Neural Networks With Application to Human Behavior Recognition

Spiking neural networks (SNNs) are considered to be computationally more powerful than conventional NNs. However, the capability of SNNs in solving complex real-world problems remains to be demonstrated. In this paper, we propose a substantial extension of the Bienenstock, Cooper, and Munro (BCM) SNN model, in which the plasticity parameters are regulated by a gene regulatory network (GRN). Meanwhile, the dynamics of the GRN is dependent on the activation levels of the BCM neurons. We term the whole model “GRN-BCM. ” To demonstrate its computational power, we first compare the GRN-BCM with a standard BCM, a hidden Markov model, and a reservoir computing model on a complex time series classification problem. Simulation results indicate that the GRN-BCM significantly outperforms the compared models. The GRN-BCM is then applied to two widely used datasets for human behavior recognition. Comparative results on the two datasets suggest that the GRN-BCM is very promising for human behavior recognition, although the current experiments are still limited to the scenarios in which only one object is moving in the considered video sequences.
THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN INTERNET ADDICTION AND ANXIETY IN THE UNIVERSITIES STUDENTS

The present study was conducted in order to investigate not only the prevalence of internet addiction among the girls and boys students in the universities students, but also the relationship between internet addictions with anxiety. Participants were 330 students who randomly selected from universities students. The Questionnaires of internet addiction and anxiety scale were used as instruments for data collection in this study. The data were analyzed using mean, standard deviation, T-test and regression analysis. The results of this study demonstrated that prevalence of internet addiction among boys' students in student universities was more than girls and in science and engineering students was more than art and humanity students. There was a significant difference in four groups in anxieties . The result of regression analysis showed that anxiety, sex and could significantly predict internet addiction.
Effects of biotic interactions on modeled species' distribution can be masked by environmental gradients

Abstract A fundamental goal of ecology is to understand the determinants of species' distributions (i.e., the set of locations where a species is present). Competition among species (i.e., interactions among species that harms each of the species involved) is common in nature and it would be tremendously useful to quantify its effects on species' distributions. An approach to studying the large‐scale effects of competition or other biotic interactions is to fit species' distributions models (SDMs) and assess the effect of competitors on the distribution and abundance of the species of interest. It is often difficult to validate the accuracy of this approach with available data. Here, we simulate virtual species that experience competition. In these simulated datasets, we can unambiguously identify the effects that competition has on a species' distribution. We then fit SDMs to the simulated datasets and test whether we can use the outputs of the SDMs to infer the true effect of competition in each simulated dataset. In our simulations, the abiotic environment influenced the effects of competition. Thus, our SDMs often inferred that the abiotic environment was a strong predictor of species abundance, even when the species' distribution was strongly affected by competition. The severity of this problem depended on whether the competitor excluded the focal species from highly suitable sites or marginally suitable sites. Our results highlight how correlations between biotic interactions and the abiotic environment make it difficult to infer the effects of competition using SDMs.
Building a corpus of printed latin american and caribbean literature for the analysis of search outcomes on digital platforms and digital libraries

The aim of the present paper is to study the role of the digital publishing industry in the context of the transposition into digital format of titles of a Latin American and Caribbean literary corpus. The main conclusions are articulated in the design of a corpus comprising titles and authors that Harold Bloom labels as a Latin American segment of the Western canon [1], in addition to those segments provided by feminist, queer, postcolonial, and/or decolonization critical theories; and, on the other hand, some of the strategies devised by major e-book retailers and digital libraries in order to offer transposed literature in digital format.
Efficacy of intraoperative dexmedetomidine infusion on emergence agitation and quality of recovery after nasal surgery.

BACKGROUND Emergence agitation is common after nasal surgery. We investigated the effects of intraoperative dexmedetomidine infusion on emergence agitation and quality of recovery after nasal surgery in adult patients. METHODS One hundred patients undergoing nasal surgery were randomized into two groups. The dexmedetomidine group (Group D, n=50) received dexmedetomidine infusion at a rate of 0.4 μg kg(-1) h(-1) from induction of anaesthesia until extubation, while the control group (Group C, n=50) received volume-matched normal saline infusion as placebo. Propofol (1.5-2 mg kg(-1)) and fentanyl (1 μg kg(-1)) were used for induction of anaesthesia, and desflurane was used for maintenance of anaesthesia. The incidence of agitation, haemodynamic parameters, and recovery characteristics were evaluated during emergence. A 40-item quality-of-recovery questionnaire (QoR-40) was provided to patients 24 h after surgery. RESULTS The incidence of agitation was lower in Group D than Group C (28 vs 52%, P=0.014). Mean arterial pressure and heart rate were more stable in Group D than in Group C during emergence (P<0.05). Time to extubation, bispectral index, and respiratory rate at extubation were similar between the groups. Global QoR-40 score at 24 h after surgery was higher in Group D (median [range], 183 [146 -198]) compared with Group C (178 [133-196]) (P=0.041). CONCLUSIONS Intraoperative infusion of dexmedetomidine provided smooth and haemodynamically stable emergence. It also improved quality of recovery after nasal surgery.
Promises and Obstacles for the Blockade of CD40–CD40L Interactions in Allotransplantation

Although clinical trials using anti-CD40L mAb have been halted, blockade of CD40–CD40L interactions has given promising results in rodent and nonhuman primate models. Recently, new insights into the consequences of blocking CD40–CD40L interactions have led to the possibility of overcoming the thromboembolic complications previously associated with this strategy and may pave the way for successful tolerance induction. This mini review will address the issues relating to CD40–CD40L blockade in allotransplantation.
ProFusion*: Intelligent Fusion from Multiple, Distributed Search Engines

The explosive growth of the World Wide Web, and the resulting information overload, has led to a mini-explosion in World Wide Web search engines. This mini-explosion, in turn, led to the development of ProFusion, a meta search engine. Educators, like other users, do not have the time to evaluate multiple search engines to knowledgeably select the best for their uses. Nor do they have the time to submit each query to multiple search engines and wade through the resulting flood of good information, duplicated information, irrelevant information, and missing documents. ProFusion sends user queries to multiple underlying search engines in parallel, retrieves and merges the resulting URLs. It identifies and removes duplicates and creates one relevance-ranked list. If desired, the actual documents can be pre-fetched to remove yet more duplicates and broken links. ProFusion's performance has been compared to the individual search engines and other meta searchers, demonstrating its ability to retrieve more relevant information and present fewer duplicates pages. The system can automatically analyze queries to identify its topic(s) and, based on that analysis, select the most appropriate search engines for the query.
Functional Circuitry of the Retinal Ganglion Cell's Nonlinear Receptive Field

A retinal ganglion cell commonly expresses two spatially overlapping receptive field mechanisms. One is the familiar “center/surround,” which sums excitation and inhibition across a region somewhat broader than the ganglion cell's dendritic field. This mechanism responds to a drifting grating by modulating firing at the drift frequency (linear response). Less familiar is the “nonlinear” mechanism, which sums the rectified output of many small subunits that extend for millimeters beyond the dendritic field. This mechanism responds to a contrast-reversing grating by modulating firing at twice the reversal frequency (nonlinear response). We investigated this nonlinear mechanism by presenting visual stimuli to the intact guinea pig retina in vitro while recording intracellularly from large brisk and sluggish ganglion cells. A contrast-reversing grating modulated the membrane potential (in addition to the firing rate) at twice the reversal frequency. This response was initially hyperpolarizing for some cells (either ON or OFF center) and initially depolarizing for others. Experiments in which responses to bars were summed in-phase or out-of-phase suggested that the single class of bipolar cells (either ON or OFF) that drives the center/surround response also drives the nonlinear response. Consistent with this, nonlinear responses persisted in OFF ganglion cells when ON bipolar cell responses were blocked by l-AP-4. Nonlinear responses evoked from millimeters beyond the ganglion cell were eliminated by tetrodotoxin. Thus, to relay the response from distant regions of the receptive field requires a spiking interneuron. Nonlinear responses from different regions of the receptive field added linearly.
Gonadotropin-releasing hormone antagonists versus standard androgen suppression therapy for advanced prostate cancer A systematic review with meta-analysis

Objectives To evaluate efficacy and safety of gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) antagonists compared to standard androgen suppression therapy for advanced prostate cancer. Setting The international review team included methodologists of the German Cochrane Centre and clinical experts. Participants We searched CENTRAL, MEDLINE, Web of Science, EMBASE, trial registries and conference books for randomised controlled trials (RCT) for effectiveness data analysis, and randomised or non-randomised controlled studies (non-RCT) for safety data analysis (March 2015). Two authors independently screened identified articles, extracted data, evaluated risk of bias and rated quality of evidence according to GRADE. Results 13 studies (10 RCTs, 3 non-RCTs) were included. No study reported cancer-specific survival or clinical progression. There were no differences in overall mortality (RR 1.35, 95% CI 0.63 to 2.93), treatment failure (RR 0.91, 95% CI 0.70 to 1.17) or prostate-specific antigen progression (RR 0.83, 95% CI 0.64 to 1.06). While there was no difference in quality of life related to urinary symptoms, improved quality of life regarding prostate symptoms, measured with the International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS), with the use of GnRH antagonists compared with the use of standard androgen suppression therapy (mean score difference −0.40, 95% CI −0.94 to 0.14, and −1.84, 95% CI −3.00 to −0.69, respectively) was found. Quality of evidence for all assessed outcomes was rated low according to GRADE. The risk for injection-site events was increased, but cardiovascular events may occur less often by using GnRH antagonist. Available evidence is hampered by risk of bias, selective reporting and limited follow-up. Conclusions There is currently insufficient evidence to make firm conclusive statements on the efficacy of GnRH antagonist compared to standard androgen suppression therapy for advanced prostate cancer. There is need for further high-quality research on GnRH antagonists with long-term follow-up. Trial registration number CRD42012002751.
Effect of adrenalectomy on miniature inhibitory postsynaptic currents in the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus.

Within the rat paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus two types of neurons have been distinguished based on morphological appearance, i.e., parvocellular and magnocellular neurons. The parvocellular neurons play a key role in regulating the activity of the hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal axis, which is activated, e.g., after stress exposure. These neurons receive humoral negative feedback via the adrenal hormone corticosterone but also neuronal inhibitory input, either directly or transsynaptically relayed via GABAergic interneurons. In the present study we examined to what extent the neuronal GABAergic input is influenced by the humoral signal. To this end, miniature inhibitory postsynaptic currents (mIPSCs) were recorded in parvo- and magnocellular neurons of adrenalectomized rats, which lack corticosterone, and in sham-operated controls. Under visual control neurons in coronal slices containing the paraventricular nucleus were designated as putative parvocellular or magnocellular neurons: the former were located in the medial part of the nucleus and displayed a small fusiform soma; the latter were mostly located in the lateral part and were recognized by their large round soma. Compared with putative magnocellular neurons, parvocellular neurons generally exhibited a lower membrane capacitance, lower mIPSC frequency, and smaller mIPSC amplitude. Following adrenalectomy, the mIPSC frequency was significantly enhanced in parvo- but not magnocellular neurons. Other properties of the cells were not affected. In a second series of experiments we examined whether the increase in mIPSC frequency was due to the absence of corticosterone or caused by other effects related to adrenalectomy. The data support the former explanation since implantation of a corticosterone releasing pellet after adrenalectomy fully prevented the change in mIPSC frequency. We conclude that, in the absence of humoral negative feedback, local GABAergic input of parvocellular neurons in the paraventricular nucleus is enhanced. This may provide a compensatory mechanism necessary for maintaining controllable network activity.
A pilot study of cognitive therapy in bipolar disorders

Background. The efficacy and effectiveness of cognitive therapy (CT) is well established for unipolar disorders, but little is known about its utility in bipolar disorders. This study aimed to explore the feasibility and efficacy of using CT as an adjunct to usual psychiatric treatment in this patient population. Method. Subjects referred by general adult psychiatrists were assessed by and independent rater and then randomly allocated to immediate CT (N=21) or 6-month waiting-list control, which was then followed by CT (N=21). Observer and self-ratings of symptoms and functioning were undertaken immediately prior to CT, after a 6-month course of CT and a further 6-months later. Data on relapse and hospitalization rates in the 18 months before and after commencing CT were also collected. Results. At 6-month follow-up, subjects allocated to CT showed statistically significantly greater improvements in symptoms and functioning as measured on the Beck Depression Inventory, the Internal State Scale, and the Global Assessment of Functioning than those in the waiting-list control group. In the 29 patients who eventually received CT, relapse rates in the 18 months after commencing CT showed a 60% reduction in comparison with the 18 months prior to commencing CT. Seventy per cent of subjects who commenced therapy viewed CT as highly acceptable. Conclusion. Although the results of this study are encouraging, the use of CT in subjects with bipolar disorders is more complex than in unipolar disorders and requires a high level of therapist expertise. The therapy may prove to be particularly useful in the treatment of bipolar depression.
, Seiji Protein Kinase C Protein Kinase A as Another Mediator of Ischemic Preconditioning Independent of

Hiroko Okuda, Hiroaki Shimokawa, Hitonobu Tomoike, Masatsugu Hori and Masafumi Takashima, Tomi Fukushima, Akiko Ogai, Yoshiro Shinozaki, Masashi Fujita, Akio Hirata, Shoji Sanada, Hiroshi Asanuma, Osamu Tsukamoto, Tetsuo Minamino, Koichi Node, Seiji Protein Kinase C Protein Kinase A as Another Mediator of Ischemic Preconditioning Independent of Print ISSN: 0009-7322. Online ISSN: 1524-4539 Copyright © 2004 American Heart Association, Inc. All rights reserved. is published by the American Heart Association, 7272 Greenville Avenue, Dallas, TX 75231 Circulation doi: 10.1161/01.CIR. 0000133390.12306. C7 2004;110:51-57; originally published online June 21, 2004; Circulation. http://circ.ahajournals. org/content/110/1/51 World Wide Web at: The online version of this article, along with updated information and services, is located on the
Snake-like active wheel robot ACM-R4.1 with joint torque sensor and limiter

In order to inspect inside narrow and unstructured environments, the snake-like robots should have ruggedness of the structure and at the same time function to detect the contact of the body to the environments. This paper proposes a snake-like active wheel robot named “ACM-R4.1” with torque sensor and torque limiter on each of the joints. Introduced torque sensor is composed of 2 thin ring plates holding steel balls in the oval cavities in between and a rubber ring producing compressing force of the thin ring plates in the narrow gap of a joint. Applied torque of the joint produces small sliding motion of the ball inside oval cavities and thus measurement of the small displacement of these plates enable to detect the applied torque. Overload-protection to the joint actuator is made by the sliding motion of the rubber which acts after the ball motion in the cavities and they hit the end of cavities. We made theoretical consideration of design of the torque sensor and did torque measurement experiments by using constructed snake-like active wheel robot ACM-R4.1. We also demonstrated the terrain adaptive motion of ACM-R4.1 by using the torque sensors.