Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Doppler Audio Signal Analysis as an Additional Tool in Evaluation of Umbilical Artery Circulation

Abstract Purpose To investigate the predictive capacity of a new method for sound spectrum analysis of Doppler signals recorded from the umbilical artery in high-risk pregnancies. Material and Methods The retrospective study comprised 127 pregnant women with various pregnancy complications between 23 and 39 gestational weeks. Umbilical artery blood flow velocity waveforms were recorded with Doppler ultrasound and characterized by pulsatility index (PI) and blood flow class (BFC). Doppler audio signals were stored on a digital video recorder and the sound frequency at the energy level 15 dB below its peak (MAXpeak-15 dB) was estimated off-line. The prediction of probability for composite adverse pregnancy outcome (operative delivery for fetal distress, admission to neonatal intensive care unit, perinatal death) was evaluated using the area under the curve (AUC) of the receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curve. Results With increasing umbilical artery BFC, the MAXpeak-15 dB frequencies decreased (p < 0.0001) and the PI increased (p < 0.0001). The ROC AUCs for adverse outcome for MAXpeak-15 dB and for PI were 0.842 and 0.836 (p = 0.88), respectively. For the combination of MAXpeak-15 dB and PI, the corresponding AUC was 0.894, significantly higher than that of PI (p < 0.03) and of MAXpeak-15 dB (p < 0.05). Conclusion Umbilical artery Doppler sound spectrum analysis might be a useful supplement to PI in the clinical evaluation of fetoplacental circulation.
Pricing and performance of IPOs: Evidence from Indian stock market

Abstract This study examines listing day performance of IPOs, book-built and fixed-price IPOs, post-listing aftermarket performance of IPOs, book-built and fixed-price IPOs in the Indian stock market. We examine pricing as well as long run performance of 464 (365 book-built IPOs and 99 fixed-price IPOs) Indian IPOs that went public between 2001 and 2011. The study covers 15 years from the financial year 2001 to 2015. Analysis of the results reveals that compared to fixed-price IPOs, book-built IPOs are underpriced by lesser magnitude. Moreover, book-built IPOs are associated with negative cumulative average abnormal returns (CAARs) up to five years and beyond, the negative CAARs associated with fixed-price IPOs turn positive after one and one-half year and continue to be positive thereafter.
Journalism, Media, and Technology Trends and Predictions 2017

Publishers see the rise of fake news as a chance for quality journalism to stand out, even as they worry about the increasing power of big tech platforms, and about their own commercial prospects. Going into 2017, they also see opportunities in video, chat bots and voice-activated assistants, according to a new survey of almost 150 CEOs, Editors and digital leaders from 24 different countries. The survey is part of the Reuters Institute’s media trends and predictions report for 2017. The full paper covers possible developments with fake news, the role of platforms, new business models, online video, the growing importance of messaging apps, Virtual Reality (VR), Augmented Reality (AR) and the potential impact of Artificial Intelligence and automation for journalism.
Degradation behavior of sulfadiazine in soils under different conditions

This study investigated the degradation of sulfadiazine in three soils and also determined its sorption and hydrolysis behaviors as well. At the spike concentration of 10 mg/kg, the half-lives for sulfadiazine in the aerobic nonsterile soils ranged from 12 days to 18 days. Sulfadiazine was more persistent in the anoxic soils with the half-lives ranging between 57 days and 237 days and soil microorganisms played little role in the dissipation process under anoxic conditions. The decline in sulfadiazine concentrations was also observed in the sterile soils under aerobic conditions. Hydrolysis could not explain this phenomena as hydrolysis of sulfadiazine was pH dependent. Sulfadiazine only hydrolyzed to a very limited degree at acidic pH. Increased sorption was observed for sulfadiazine in soil 1 (pH 4.3) when the contact time increased to 14 days, but no significant increase in sorption was found for soil 2 (pH 7.2) and soil 3 (pH 8.5).
Transplantation of an acutely isolated bone marrow fraction repairs demyelinated adult rat spinal cord axons

The potential of bone marrow cells to differentiate into myelin‐forming cells and to repair the demyelinated rat spinal cord in vivo was studied using cell transplantation techniques. The dorsal funiculus of the spinal cord was demyelinated by x‐irradiation treatment, followed by microinjection of ethidium bromide. Suspensions of a bone marrow cell fraction acutely isolated from femoral bones in LacZ transgenic mice were prepared by centrifugation on a density gradient (Ficoll‐Paque) to remove erythrocytes, platelets, and debris. The isolated cell fraction contained hematopoietic and nonhematopoietic stem and precursor cells and lymphocytes. The cells were transplanted into the demyelinated dorsal column lesions of immunosuppressed rats. An intense blue β‐galactosidase reaction was observed in the transplantation zone. The genetically labeled bone marrow cells remyelinated the spinal cord with predominately a peripheral pattern of myelination reminiscent of Schwann cell myelination. Transplantation of CD34+ hematopoietic stem cells survived in the lesion, but did not form myelin. These results indicate that bone marrow cells can differentiate in vivo into myelin‐forming cells and repair demyelinated CNS. GLIA 35:26–34, 2001. © 2001 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
HERITABILITY AND SELECTION ON CLUTCH SIZE IN DARWIN'S MEDIUM GROUND FINCHES (GEOSPIZA FORTIS)

I studied the causes of variation and selection on clutch size in a population of Darwin's Medium Ground Finches (Geospiza fortis) on Isla Daphne Major, using data collected over a nine‐year period (1976–1984). Quantitative‐genetic analyses were carried out using the first clutch laid by a female in a given year. I used both unadjusted clutch‐size values and values adjusted for between‐year differences in mean clutch size for repeatability and regression analyses. Repeatability of clutch size was small (≤8%) and nonsignificant in all cases. Sib‐sib analyses and parent‐offspring regressions gave no evidence of a significant additive genetic component to clutch‐size variation. Slopes of mother‐daughter regressions were actually negative, suggesting possible maternal effects of mother's clutch size on daughter's clutch size. There was a small positive relationship between female age and clutch size but no effect of male or female body size or of large‐scale differences in habitat quality on clutch size. Selection on clutch size was generally directional and positive: in almost all years in which successful breeding occurred, large clutches tended to fledge more chicks and produce more young surviving to the following year, possibly because there was no trade‐off between clutch size and the weights of individual chicks at fledging. Thus, sustained directional selection for large clutch size may have reduced additive genetic variation in clutch size to low levels in this population. The size of a female's clutch may be primarily determined by unidentified proximate environmental factors which vary from year to year, rather than by any long‐term optimization of clutch size with respect to adult survival.
Quality Management Practices and Performance of ISO 9000 Certified Middle Level Colleges in Kenya

Quality management practices influence the way organizations perform. Most studies argue that firms which embrace QMP outperform those that do not. Some studies however show no impact of embracing QMPs. There is no consensus as to how QMPs affect firm performance. The objective of the study was to determine the influence of quality management practices on performance of ISO 9000 Certified middle level colleges in Kenya. Through a descriptive cross-sectional survey, data were gathered using a semi-structured questionnaire from 50 Middle Level Colleges between January and August 2015. Both descriptive and inferential statistical analyzes were undertaken on the data. Findings of the study indicate that QMPs have an effect on overall performance of middle level colleges. Specifically, findings show QMPs to have significant effects on Non-financial but not on financial performance. The study concluded that QMPs enable organizations to realize superior performance. From the study findings, implications for policy, practice and methodology have been pointed out. Based on the study’s limitations, suggestions for further research have been suggested
Learning a Hierarchical Latent-Variable Model of 3D Shapes

We propose the Variational Shape Learner (VSL), a generative model that learns the underlying structure of voxelized 3D shapes in an unsupervised fashion. Through the use of skip-connections, our model can successfully learn and infer a latent, hierarchical representation of objects. Furthermore, realistic 3D objects can be easily generated by sampling the VSL's latent probabilistic manifold. We show that our generative model can be trained end-to-end from 2D images to perform single image 3D model retrieval. Experiments show, both quantitatively and qualitatively, the improved generalization of our proposed model over a range of tasks, performing better or comparable to various state-of-the-art alternatives.
Enhancement of LFA-1-Mediated T Cell Adhesion by Human T Lymphotropic Virus Type 1 p12I1

Cell-to-cell transmission of retroviruses, such as human T lymphotropic virus type 1 (HTLV-1), is well documented, but the roles of viral regulatory or other nonstructural proteins in the modulation of T cell adhesion are incompletely understood. In this study we tested the role of the HTLV-1 accessory protein, p12I, on LFA-1-mediated cell adhesion. p12I is critical for early HTLV-1 infection by causing the release of calcium from the endoplasmic reticulum to activate NFAT-mediated transcription. We tested the role of this novel viral protein in mediating LFA-1-dependent cell adhesion. Our data indicated that T cells expressing a mutant HTLV-1 provirus that does not produce p12I mRNA (ACH.p12I) exhibited reduced LFA-1-mediated adhesion compared with wild-type HTLV-1-expressing cells (ACH). Furthermore, the expression of p12I in Jurkat T cells using lentiviral vectors enhanced LFA-1-mediated cell adhesion, which was inhibited by the calcium chelator BAPTA-AM, the calcium channel blocker SK&F 96365, and calpeptin, an inhibitor of the calcium-dependent protease calpain. Similar to the intracellular calcium mobilizer, thapsigargin, the expression of p12I in Jurkat T cells induced cell surface clustering of LFA-1 without changing the level of integrin expression. Our data are the first to indicate that HTLV-1 p12I, in addition to enhancing T cell activation, promotes cell-to-cell spread by inducing LFA-1 clustering on T cells via calcium-dependent signaling.
Prevalence of HIV and anemia among pregnant women

Background: Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) prevalence is high among rural dwellers and pregnant women. Aims: This study aims to determine the prevalence of HIV and anemia among pregnant women attending antenatal clinic in rural community of Okada, Edo State, Nigeria. Patients and Methods: Anticoagulated blood and sera samples were obtained from 480 women consisting of 292 pregnant and 188 non-pregnant women. Antibodies to HIV were detected in the sera samples and hemoglobin concentration of the anticoagulated blood specimens were determined using standard techniques. Anemia was defined as hemoglobin concentration <11g/dl for pregnant women and <12g/dl for non-pregnant women. Results: Pregnancy was not a risk factor for acquiring HIV infection (pregnant vs. non-pregnant: 10.2% vs. 13.8%; OR=0.713, 95% CI=0.407, 1.259, P = 0.247). The prevalence of HIV was significantly (P = 0.005 and P = 0.025) higher in the age group 10-20 years and 21 – 30 years among pregnant and non-pregnant women respectively. Pregnancy was a risk factor for acquiring anemia (OR=1.717, 95% CI=1.179, 2.500, P = 0.006). Only the age of pregnant women significantly (P = 0.004) affected the prevalence of anemia inversely. Conclusion: The prevalence of HIV and anemia among pregnant women were 10.2% and 49.3% respectively. Pregnancy was associated with anemia. Interventions by appropriate agencies are advocated to reduce associated sequelae.
The relationship between entrepreneurial behaviour and effectuation : the case of Japanese restaurants in Finland

Author Daiki Yoshikawa Tittle of thesis The relationship between entrepreneurial behaviour and effectuation: The case of Japanese restaurants in Finland Discipline International Business and Entrepreneurship Type of work Master’s thesis Time (month/year) February/2019 Number of pages 66 Abstract The purpose of this study is to examine the relationships between entrepreneurial behaviour and effectuation in the case of Japanese restaurants in Finland. Thus, research frameworks related to entrepreneurial behavior including entrepreneurial decisionmaking, opportunity recognition, effectuation theory, and the causation logic are exploited as key factors to investigate how the key processes of entrepreneurial behavior in the Japanese restaurants are related to entrepreneurial effectuation. Entrepreneurship is a wide range of research field which includes a variety of theories and concepts in several different domains. Nowadays those can be actively used even in the different research fields such as education due to its comprehensiveness and versatility. Entrepreneurial behavior, which is one of the core parts of entrepreneurship, explains what the signature behaviors of entrepreneurs and how those affect or are affected by the performances and various resources. Effectuation and causation are contained in this domain and regarded as comparable concepts which explain logics of thinking in the process of entrepreneurial behavior and new venture creation. The qualitative research, which was the in-depth interviews to the Japanese entrepreneurs and the stakeholders, mainly provided four types of discourse that include various notable effectual factors. Based on each discourse, several unique concepts were made by the author in relation to the principles of effectuation as well as the causation logic, namely the concept of action-oriented behaviour, uniqueness and differentiation, connection-minded behaviour, and risk-based behaviour. The findings of this study reveal that a variety of effectual logics are used in several different processes by the Japanese entrepreneurs both consciously and spontaneously. Also, those effectual factors have a huge influence on their entrepreneurial behaviour, especially in the process of opportunity recognition and entrepreneurial decision-making, in many ways. The research concludes that there is a strong relationship between entrepreneurial behaviour and effectuation, while causation-related logics are also used to a small extent at the individual discretion.
Cutting God in Half - And Putting the Pieces Together Again a New Approach to Philosophy

Cutting God in Half argues that, in order to tackle climate change, world poverty, extinction of species and our other global problems rather better than we are doing at present we need to bring about a revolution in science, and in academia more generally. We need to put our problems of living – personal, social, global – at the heart of the academic enterprise. How our human world, imbued with meaning and value, can exist and best flourish embedded in the physical universe is, the book argues, our basic problem. It is our fundamental philosophical problem, problem of knowledge and understanding, and practical problem of living. It is this problem that we fail, at present, to recognize as fundamental – to our cost. It can be understood to arise as a result of cutting God in half – severing the God of Cosmic Power from the God of Value. The first is Einstein’s God, the underlying unity in the physical universe that determines how events occur. The second is what is of most value associated with human life – and sentient life more generally. Having cut God in half in this way, the problem then becomes to see how the two halves can be put together again. This book tackles outstanding aspects of this problem, and in doing so throws out original ideas about science, education, religion, evolutionary theory, free will, quantum theory, and how we should go about tackling our impending global crises. It transpires that bringing our basic problem into sharp focus has revolutionary implications. It becomes clear how and why many aspects of our social and cultural world urgently need to be transformed. Cutting God in Half is concerned with ultimate questions – the nature of the universe, the meaning of life, the future of humanity.
Local and Global Cues in the Prosodic Realization of Broad and Narrow Focus in Bulgarian

Abstract In this study, local and global prosodic cues for information structure are examined in the elicited production of six Bulgarian sentences. The sentences were produced in response to different questions, devised to prompt different focus realizations (broad focus and non-contrastive and contrastive narrow focus). Results show that speakers consistently differentiate broad and narrow focus by means of both local and global acoustic cues, by producing different pitch accent types on the nuclear syllable and reducing the ‘phonetic strength' of the default pre-nuclear accent in the narrow focus condition. Thus, the difference between the acoustic properties of the nuclear and the pre-nuclear accented syllables is smaller in the broad focus condition and greater in the narrow focus condition. Contrastive and non-contrastive narrow-focus accents are differentiated by local cues, i.e., by longer duration when the focus is early in the sentence and by global cues, i.e., by enhancing the tonal contrast between the nuclear prominence of CW2 and the pre-nuclear prominence of CW1 when the focus is late in the sentence.
Translating multinational policies to local actions

Women’s role within technology and management in India has developed fast. To ensure that women reach their full professional potential it is important that they are included on the same conditions as their male colleagues. However, multinational companies, such as Volvo Group, often have policies that are common for all parts of the company, which can cause difficulties in translating, adapting and implementing policies at a local level. The aim of this Bachelor thesis is to map how Volvo Group implements gender equality policies locally in Bangalore. Additionally, our thesis aims to investigate how the Bangalore unit addresses gender equality in the recruitment process and how the organization facilitates the advancement of female employees. Further, we aim to examine how gender policies can be carried out efficiently in multinational companies. The scientific approach of this Bachelor thesis is abductive reasoning. The theoretical framework includes literature from three perspectives; mapping of gender equality policies, recruitment processes and advancing within organizations. The empirical data is based on semi-structured interviews with employees at Volvo Group IT in Bangalore. We have investigated the gender equality situation at Volvo Group IT in Bangalore and from our interpretation, Volvo Group IT in Bangalore is a flexible company regarding equality policies. However, the flexibility puts responsibility on the local leaders to implement the policies. In terms of gender equality in organizations, the recruitment process is a central part. We found that internal recruitment is preferred over external recruitment, and that there seem to be no clear directives regarding affirmative action in the organization. Our study has shown that women in Volvo Group IT in Bangalore value structure and knowing what tasks they will return to after maternity leave. Further we claim that it is important to balance intrinsic and extrinsic leadership factors in the company, since we found that men and women seem to value different kind of leadership skills.
Evaluation of depressive symptoms in patients with chronic renal failure.

BACKGROUND Although depression is the most commonly found psychiatric disorder in patients on chronic dialysis, its prevalence in earlier stages of chronic kidney disease (CKD) is not established. This study aims to investigate the prevalence of depression in patients with different stages of CKD and the factors associated with depressive affect. METHODS A total of 155 nondialytic patients with CKD on conservative therapy and 36 patients on hemodialysis treatment were studied. Depression was rated using the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and the Beck Depression Inventory-Short Form (BDI-SF). Functional capacity was evaluated using the Karnofsky Performance Scale, and clinical and sociodemographic variables were also investigated. RESULTS Using the BDI, depression was identified in 37.7% of the patients on conservative treatment and in 41.7% of those on hemodialysis (p=NS, not significant). The percentage of patients on conservative therapy with moderate or severe depression was higher when the BDI was used, compared with the BDI-SF (37.7% vs. 12.3%, p<0.001). No association was observed between depression and the stages of kidney disease. Among patients with CKD, depression was more prevalent among females (17.9%), patients of low income (54.2%), patients of social class D or E (47.4%), those living with friends or relatives (41.2%) and patients with poor functional capacity (p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS We observed a high prevalence of depression in patients with CKD, but no significant difference was found between the stages of the disease. Depression was associated with sociodemographic characteristics and functional capacity.
Exploring the in meso crystallization mechanism by characterizing the lipid mesophase microenvironment during the growth of single transmembrane α-helical peptide crystals

The proposed mechanism for in meso crystallization of transmembrane proteins suggests that a protein or peptide is initially uniformly dispersed in the lipid self-assembly cubic phase but that crystals grow from a local lamellar phase, which acts as a conduit between the crystal and the bulk cubic phase. However, there is very limited experimental evidence for this theory. We have developed protocols to investigate the lipid mesophase microenvironment during crystal growth using standard procedures readily available in crystallography laboratories. This technique was used to characterize the microenvironment during crystal growth of the DAP12-TM peptide using synchrotron small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) with a micro-sized X-ray beam. Crystal growth was found to occur from the gyroid cubic mesophase. For one in four crystals, a highly oriented local lamellar phase was observed, providing supporting evidence for the proposed mechanism for in meso crystallization. A new observation of this study was that we can differentiate diffraction peaks from crystals grown in meso, from peaks originating from the surrounding lipid matrix, potentially opening up the possibility of high-throughput SAXS analysis of in meso grown crystals. This article is part of the themed issue ‘Soft interfacial materials: from fundamentals to formulation’.