Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Moving for Opportunities? Examining the Public School Attendance and Reading Achievement of Migrant Students in Beijing.

Moving for Opportunities? Examining the Public School Attendance and Reading Achievement of Migrant Students in Beijing by Feng Deng Chair: Joanne F. Carlisle Since the early 1990s, privately-run migrant schools have been established to provide affordable education for children of migrant workers who encountered difficulties in receiving compulsory education in urban areas due to China’s household registration system. Recent policies promulgated by China’s government have gradually eliminated the institutional and economic barriers to equal access to public schools for migrant children; however, few studies have examined whether these new policies are leading to equitable achievement for migrant children. This study intends to bridge the gaps in previous studies by addressing the following research questions: (1) what is the current magnitude of achievement gap between urban students and migrant students, and does the achievement gap for migrant students differ in public schools and migrant schools? and (2) do migrant students benefit academically from attending public schools, and if so, are public schools effectively narrowing the urban-migrant achievement gap? By making use of a cross-sectional longitudinal dataset collected from 19 elementary schools in a southwestern Beijing school district, I applied three-level hierarchical growth models to estimate the growth trajectories of grade 3 and
Evaluation of embryo transfer time (day 2 vs day 3) after imposed single embryo transfer legislation: When to transfer?

To determine whether the timing of embryo transfer (day 2 or day 3) affects pregnancy outcome in IVF patients, receiving single or double embryo transfer, 380 patients were included in this retrospective study. All patients underwent GnRH antagonist protocol. When stratified by number of transferred embryos, single embryo transfer (SET) patients undergoing a day 2 embryo transfer (ET) had similar biochemical pregnancy (25% vs 20.4%; p > 0.05) and clinical pregnancy (16.6% vs 14.6%; p > 0.05) rates to SET patients that were undergoing a day 3 ET. A similar observation was again noted in double embryo transfer (DET) patients undergoing a day 2 ET, with similar biochemical pregnancy (35% vs 29.8%; p > 0.05) and clinical pregnancy (25% vs 15.5%; p > 0.05) rates to DET patients undergoing a day 3 ET. Women, despite age, number of transferred embryos and ET timing, have similar reproductive outcomes. Shortening or lengthening the duration of in vitro culture provides no obvious benefit.
Electrical and mechanical properties of the red and white muscles in the silver carp.

1. Electrical and mechanical properties of the red muscle (M. levator pinnae pectoralis) and white muscle (M. levator pinnae lateralis abdominis) in the silver carp (Carassius auratus Linne) were investigated by using caffeine and thymol. 2. A complete tetanus could be produced in the red muscle. But in the white muscle no tetanus was produced and there was a gradual decrease in tension during continuous stimulation, even at a frequency of 1 c/s or less. 3. Caffeine (0.5-1 mM) and thymol (0.25-0.5 mM) potentiated the twitch tension in both muscles without an increase in the resting tension; they produced a contracture in both muscles when the concentration was increased further. 4. The falling phase of the active state of contraction was nearly the same in both muscles and was prolonged by caffeine (0.5 mmM) and by thymol (0.25 mM). 5. The resting membrane potential of the red muscle was scarcely affected by caffeine (0.5-5 mM), whereas in the white muscles a depolarization of 10 mV was observed with caffeine of more than 2 mM. The resting potential of both muscles was little changed by o.25 mm thymol. However, at a concentration of more than 0.5mM thymol depolarized the membrane in both muscles to the same extent. 6. In caffeine (2-3 mM) solution the mean specific membrane resistance was reduced from 8.8 kΩ cm2 to 6.0 kΩ cm2 in the red muscle, and from 5.0 kΩ cm2 to 2.7 kΩ cm2 in the white muscle. In thymol (0.5-1 mM) solution it was reduced from 11.2 kΩcm2 to 6.5 kΩ cm2 in the red muscle, and from 5. 4kΩ cm2 to 3.1 kΩ) cm2 in the white muscle. The specific membrane capacitance, calculated from the time constant and the membrane resistance, remained more or less the same in both muscles after a treatment with these agents. 7. Electrical properties of the muscles and the effects of caffeine and thymol on mechanical responses suggest that there are no fundamental differences between red and white muscles except for the excitation-contraction coupling. A lack of summation of twitch, a successive decline of twitch, and inability to produce potassium contracture in the white muscle may be due to the fact that the Ca-releasing mechanism is easily inactivated by depolarization of the membrane.
Risk in primary care of colorectal cancer from new onset rectal bleeding: 10 year prospective study

Abstract Objective To measure the risk of colorectal cancer and adenoma with new onset rectal bleeding reported to primary care. Design Cohort study. Setting A rural general practice in the United Kingdom. Participants Patients aged 45 or more with new onset rectal bleeding, irrespective of other symptoms. Main outcome measures Percentage of participants in whom colorectal cancer or colonic adenoma was identified after investigation of the bowel. Results During a 10 year period, 265 patients reported new rectal bleeding. Of these, 15 (5.7%, 95% confidence interval 3.2% to 9.2%) had colorectal cancer, and 13 (4.9%, 2.6% to 8.4%) had colonic adenoma. Only two of the patients with cancer had had diarrhoea. Conclusions One in 10 patients aged 45 or more with new onset rectal bleeding had colonic neoplasia, so investigation of the bowel should be offered to all such patients, whether or not they have other symptoms.
Activation of the cAMP/PKA signaling pathway is required for post-ecdysial cell death in wing epidermal cells of Drosophila melanogaster

At the last step of metamorphosis in Drosophila, the wing epidermal cells are removed by programmed cell death during the wing spreading behavior after eclosion. The cell death was accompanied by DNA fragmentation demonstrated by the TUNEL assay. Transmission electron microscopy revealed that this cell death exhibited extensive vacuoles, indicative of autophagy. Ectopic expression of an anti-apoptotic gene, p35, inhibited the cell death, indicating the involvement of caspases. Neck ligation and hemolymph injection experiments demonstrated that the cell death is triggered by a hormonal factor secreted just after eclosion. The timing of the hormonal release implies that the hormone to trigger the death might be the insect tanning hormone, bursicon. This was supported by evidence that wing cell death was inhibited by a mutation of rickets, which encodes a G-protein coupled receptor in the glycoprotein hormone family that is a putative bursicon receptor. Furthermore, stimulation of components downstream of bursicon, such as a membrane permeant analog of cAMP, or ectopic expression of constitutively active forms of G proteins or PKA, induced precocious death. Conversely, cell death was inhibited in wing clones lacking G protein or PKA function. Thus, activation of the cAMP/PKA signaling pathway is required for transduction of the hormonal signal that induces wing epidermal cell death after eclosion.
TRAPPED BY NATURE: PROVINCIAL GRAIN YIELDS IN SPAIN IN THE MID 18TH CENTURY*

ABSTRACT This paper estimates original yields for five grains in thirty-three provinces of Spain in the mid-18th century. We observe a strong heterogeneity between the provinces with yields being considerably higher in the north of the country than in the south-east. Although average yields in Spain were below those in other countries of north-western Europe, the provinces in the north achieved yields not far behind the most advanced agricultural regions of the world. The heterogeneity of yields across Spain can be explained by the different climatic conditions in each province. Although all the provinces improved their yields in the long term, the differences between the provinces remained stable until the modernisation of Spanish agriculture around the mid-20th century. RESUMEN Este artículo realiza nuevas estimaciones de rendimientos de cinco cereales 33 provincias españolas a mediados del siglo XVIII. Nuestros resultados indican una gran heterogeneidad entre las provincias analizadas y que los rendimientos eran considerablemente más altos en el norte del país que en las provincias del sureste. Aunque los rendimientos medios en España se encontraban por debajo de Europa noroccidental, las provincias del norte fueron capaces de alcanzar rendimientos cercanos a las regiones agrarias más avanzadas del mundo. La heterogeneidad provincial puede ser explicada por las los factores climaticos dominantes en cada provincia. Aunque todas las provincias mejoraron sus rendimientos en el largo plazo, las diferencias se mantuvieron hasta la modernización de la agricultura española a mediados del siglo XX.
Effects of replacing soybean meal with chickpea seeds in the diet on mechanical and thermal properties of tendon tissue in broiler chicken

Abstract The efficiency of the musculoskeletal system of broiler chickens, in particular during locomotion and in ensuring its supportive function, depends directly on the adequate function and mechanical endurance of soft tissues, including tendons. However, little is known whether the properties of musculoskeletal soft tissues can be influenced by changes of dietary protein. We substituted soybean meal with raw chickpea seeds as the primary protein source in the diet and studied the effects it had on the mechanical and thermal properties of drumstick tendons in broiler Ross 308 chickens. In the experiment, 160 chicks were divided into 2 groups, receiving in their diet either soybean meal (n = 80) or chickpea seeds (n = 80). The experiment lasted 42 days. The physical condition of the drumstick tendons was analyzed on the basis of a tensile test and the results of thermal denaturation as measured by a differential scanning calorimetry. The mechanical evaluation of tendon tensile strength of the broilers fed with chickpea seeds demonstrated an increase in the ultimate strain (for over 22%, P < 0.04) and total energy absorbed by the tendon until rupture (for over 57%, P < 0.05) as when compared to the group fed with soybean meal. Thermal analysis demonstrated alterations in tendon collagen cross‐linking as transition onset temperature decreased (from 63.8 to 61.8°C, P < 0.001), whereas the calorimetric enthalpy increased (from 16.2 to 22.1 J·g−1, P < 0.05) in the group fed with chickpea seeds. In summary, this study demonstrated that dietary protein source can impact the physical properties of tendons and showed that thermal analysis can be a useful tool for studying the effect of nutrition on the development and structural changes in tendons of broiler chickens.
Measuring heterogeneity, survey engagement and response quality in preferences for organic products in Nigeria

ABSTRACT The identification of the market potentials of organic products is important in the drive towards a sustainable agricultural development in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). However, available evidence shows that valuing attributes of credence goods (such as organic products) while using stated preference methods faces additional obstacles compared to other normal goods. In this study, we examine consumers’ preferences and willingness-to-pay (WTP) for health and environmental attributes of organic products in Nigeria. We employ an approach that allows us to adequately capture the value of organic products by linking part of the heterogeneity across respondents to differences in scale, while making use of indicators of survey engagement, without risks of endogeneity bias and measurement error that arise from the deterministic methods. The empirical results show that market for organic products exists in Nigeria, with reduction in pesticide residues attribute attracting the highest value, followed by the certification programme. Furthermore, we observe that increases in the latent engagement variable lead to a greater probability of agreement with statements relating to survey understanding and realism, and hence more substantive output.
Wild horse-based tourism as wildlife tourism: the wild horse as the other

Wild horses as the focus of tourism occupy a unique position. This is a consequence of their ambiguous status in the natural and cultural landscape, particularly in North America. Wild horses are ecological agents, cultural icons, economic factors and political pawns. The complexity of their management environment has an impact on the tourism and recreational context. Focusing on the western US and western Canada, this article explores a conceptual framework for wild horse-based tourism and highlights unique characteristics of the encounter between wild horses and visitors, drawing on literature and empirical data. It positions wild horse-based tourism within a framework of wildlife tourism and introduces the wild horse as a charismatic animal which elicits strong reactions from visitors who encounter it. While visitors tend to embrace the wild horse as an integral part of its habitat, as a symbol of the western frontier, and an embodiment of freedom, the animal remains an extremely polarising subject in the management debate of public lands in the USA and Canada. The wild horse's beleaguered status in both countries seriously interferes with the realisation of the true potential of wild horse-based tourism. On the other hand, wild horse supporters pin high hopes on this industry's transformative power.
Path dependency and the CAP

Current frameworks for understanding the development of the CAP all suffer from having a static rather than a dynamic perspective. This paper considers whether the concept of path dependency can provide a corrective. However, the large majority of the empirical applications of the concept have been to institutional development at a macro, constitutional level rather than to specific public policies. This paper by defining the CAP as an institution and using the concept of path dependency is an attempt to test the boundary of the existing literature. The advantages and difficulties of the concept with regard to understanding the CAP are critically assessed. The main difficulty is extending explanations of path dependency to accommodate major CAP reforms. However, in certain cases, the mechanisms of feedback loops and cumulative consequences which derive from a path dependency approach can be useful for explaining significant shifts in policy direction. Overall, the conclusion is that the concept can enrich our understanding of the development of the CAP.
On the Efficacy of an In-House Food Sanitation Training Program: Statistical Measurements and Practical Conclusions

Researchers agree that in-house food sanitation training decreases the number of incidents of food-borne illness caused by improper handling of food. However, few published works have tested the effectiveness of sanitation-training programs. This study tested the impact of a sanitation-training program on microbiological food quality. The training program was carried out at the production facility of a large food service company. Food samples were tested before, during, and after the training program. Results indicate that a statistically significant improvement was indeed achieved. Because not all departments benefited equally, it might be useful to tailor the program to the unique circumstances in each department to maximize the benefits of in-house sanitation programs.
The comparative impact of privatisation and regulation on productivity growth in the English and Welsh water and sewerage industry, 1985-99

After the 10 regional water authorities of England and Wales were privatized in November 1989, the successor WASCs (water and sewerage companies) faced a new regulatory regime that was designed to promote productivity growth while simultaneously improving drinking water and environmental quality. As legally mandated quality improvements necessitated a costly capital investment programme, the industry's economic regulator – the Office of Water Services – implemented a RPI + K pricing system, designed to compensate the WASCs for their capital investment programme while also encouraging faster rates of productivity growth. This paper considers the relative effects of privatization and regulation on productivity growth in the industry using both non-parametric and parametric methods to provide a crosscheck on the robustness of the results. While there is evidence that labour productivity improved after privatization, there is no evidence that privatization led to a growth in TFP (total factor productivity). However, there is some evidence of a small increase in the rate of TFP growth in the aftermath of a substantial tightening of the regulatory regime that took place in 1995. These results, therefore, are consistent with evidence from other research that privatization, in the absence of effective competition and/or regulation, is not necessarily associated with improved economic performance.
Green governmentality and responsibilization: new forms of governance and responses to ‘consumer responsibility’

An extensive literature examines political or green consumption, attending to how people make sense of their consumption relative to norms of individual responsibility and pro-environmental behaviour. Similarly, a small but growing literature addresses green governmentality, focusing on new governance forms and responsibilization processes. These two strands seldom meet, resulting in poor understanding of the links between consumption governance and people’s sense-making and actions relative to the moral imperative of being ‘responsible consumers’. We address this weakness by juxtaposing these two strands of literature, improving our understanding of the processes of responsibilization and some of their consequences. We argue that, to understand the effects of this form of governance, we must realize that subjects are not inevitably positioned and predetermined by a hegemonic discourse. At the same time, we must acknowledge that responsibilization processes give rise to compliance and to a range of ambivalences and forms of resistance.
Artesunate + amodiaquine and artesunate + sulphadoxine–pyrimethamine for treatment of uncomplicated malaria in Democratic Republic of Congo: a clinical trial with determination of sulphadoxine and pyrimethamine‐resistant haplotypes

We undertook a trial of artesunate + amodiaquine (AS + AQ) and artesunate + sulphadoxine–pyrimethamine (AS + SP) in 180 children of age 6–59 months with uncomplicated malaria in Democratic Republic of Congo. Children were randomly allocated to receive 3 days observed treatment of AS + AQ (n = 90) or 3 days of AS + SP (n = 90). Primary efficacy outcomes were 28‐day parasite recurrence rates, and recrudescence rates were adjusted by genotyping to distinguish new infection and recrudescence. In addition, we determined the prevalence of molecular markers of resistance to sulphadoxine and pyrimethamine. Day 28 parasite recurrence rates were 16.9% (14/83; 95% CI: 9.5–26.7) in the AS + AQ group and 34.6% (28/81; 95% CI: 24.3–46.0) in the AS + SP group (P = 0.009). After PCR correction, recrudescence rates were 6.7% (5/74; 95% CI: 2.2–15.1) for AS + AQ and 19.7% (13/66; 95% CI: 10.9–31.3) for AS + SP (P = 0.02). There was no significant difference between the two arms in time to parasite clearance, fever clearance and gametocyte clearance. Parasite genotyping showed high frequencies of dihydrofolate reductase (dhfr) and dihydropteroate synthase (dhps) molecular SP‐resistance markers, with 57% of the samples showing more than three mutations linked to SP resistance, and 27% with triple‐dhfr/double‐dhps haplotype, confirming that SP treatment failure rates are likely to be high. AS + AQ had significantly higher efficacy than AS + SP. These results contributed to the subsequent change to AS + AQ as first‐line regimen in the country. Efforts to properly implement the new protocol and maintain adherence at acceptable levels should include health staff and patient sensitization. The 6.8% recrudescence rate indicates that AS + AQ should be monitored closely until a more effective artemisinin combination therapy regimen is needed and can be introduced.
An Empirical Analysis of Relationship between Export and Energy Consumption in Shandong Province

In this paper, the relation between the energy consumption and the export of Shandong is analyzed by co-integration and Granger causality test. The research result as follows: there is a positive relationship between the export and energy consumption. On the other hand, the growth of the export is cause of increase of the energy consumption. Therefore the increase of Shandong’s export promotes energy consumption and also is restricted by its energy consumption.
Resident perceptions of social–ecological resilience and the sustainability of community-based tourism development in the Commonwealth of Dominica

Despite major investments in community-based tourism to diversify economies, reduce poverty and improve life quality in the Caribbean, little is known about what conditions lead to resilience and sustainability. Sustainability from a resilience theory perspective is the likelihood an existing system of resource use will persist indefinitely without a decline in social and natural resource bases. Undertaking activities to enhance resilience and sustainability improves a system's ability to persevere, adapt and learn to meet challenges from unanticipated economic, political or natural events. This study investigated six communities in the Commonwealth of Dominica, all part of a seven-year community tourism program, and examined residents' perceptions of the social, institutional, economic and ecological resilience of their community, and therefore the resilience and sustainability of community tourism development. It used a new scale using eight steps suggested by Devellis' scale development methodology. Data indicated moderate to low resilience in all four domains across the communities. This suggests that communities should invest in strengthening social bonds, developing capacity in local institutions, in diversifying the tourism product and controlling infrastructure development. Indicators measuring trust, networks, local control, flexible governance, leakage prevention and controlled infrastructure development emerged as important in assessing social–ecological resilience and sustainability.
It Will Cost You Nothing to 'Kill' a Proof-of-Stake Crypto-Currency

It is a widely spread belief that crypto-currencies implementing a proof of stake transaction validation system are less vulnerable to a 51% attack than crypto-currencies implementing a proof of work transaction validation system. In this article, we show that it is not the case and that, in fact, if the attacker’s motivation is large enough (and this is common knowledge), he will succeed in his attack at no cost.