Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Revisiting technology-organization-environment (T-O-E) theory for enriched applicability

Purpose This paper aims to propose and test a ten-factor framework of four contexts from technology-organization-environment (T-O-E) theory and unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT) to provide insight(s) that complements and extends extant inquiries on technology adoption. Design/methodology/approach Survey data were collected from small service enterprises with strong operations in Port Harcourt, Nigeria, and the mode of sampling was purposive and snow ball, whereas analysis involved structural equation modeling. Findings The results show that factors in the technological, organizational and environmental contexts have direct statistically significant relationship with adoption; thus, adoption is more driven by T-O-E factors than by individual factors. For individual context, social factor equally was statistically supported, whereas hedonistic drive was not. Research limitations/implications The study is limited by its scope of data collection and phases; therefore, extended data are needed to apply the findings to other sectors/industries/countries and to factor in the implementation and post-adoption phases and business to business (B2B) adoption to forge a more holistic framework. Practical/implications Implicit is that the findings encourage vendors and policy makers to recognize the strength of interpersonal and group relationships in addition to T-O-E contexts in developing investment decisions. Originality/value The paper contributes to the growing research on innovation adoption by using factors within the T-O-E and UTAUT frameworks to explain SMEs’ adoption of technologies.
The peri-implant breast capsule: an immunophenotypic study of capsules taken at explantation surgery.

Silicone-based breast implants continue to be the focus of many studies attempting to correlate implant failure to clinical and pathological factors. Routine pathology of peri-implant capsule is extensively described in the literature. The actual significance of the cellular events remains unconfirmed, particularly with reference to clinical outcome. This study reviews our experience with explanted capsules. The study makes specific reference to the immunohistochemistry of the cells participating in the capsule and the significance of the immunophenotypic characterization of these cells to clinical outcome. The use of a wide selection of immunomarkers for T and B lymphocytes and histiocytes provided no supporting evidence for local cell participation in the capsule, which may indicate the presence of an immunological reaction present in the capsule at the time of explantation. One was only able to confirm the presence of a low grade inflammatory process and progression to fibrosis and calcification over time. Statistical correlation was obtained only between Baker grade of capsular contracture and CD3/CD68 immunomarker positivity. CD45RO did show correlation with pain. No correlation was demonstrated with calcification. The results obtained in this study highlighted the need for further investigations into the mechanism of histiocyte and fibrocyte recruitment and activation in the capsule, a possible source of pain and contracture, which is a serious long-term clinical finding leading to the necessity for explantation.
USE OF TEMOZOLOMIDE IN AGGRESSIVE PITUITARY TUMORS: CASE REPORT

OBJECTIVEThe management of aggressive pituitary macroadenomas represents a challenge to neurosurgeons. These tumors are very difficult to treat, owing mainly to their invasive nature, thus resulting in incomplete resections and propensity for recurrence. Multiple surgical procedures (transsphenoidal, transcranial, or a combination of both) are the first line management, followed by radiotherapy and chemotherapy. CLINICAL PRESENTATIONThree cases of patients with pituitary adenomas who underwent temozolomide treatment are presented. The first 2 patients had corticotroph macroadenoma of the Crooke's cell variant. Deterioration occurred in both cases despite multiple surgeries and adjuvant therapy. The third patient had a glioblastoma multiforme with an incidental pituitary tumor. INTERVENTIONAll 3 patients had temozolomide administered orally on the first 5 days of a 28-day cycle for 12 cycles. Magnetic resonance imaging, endocrinological, and clinical follow-up were performed at monthly intervals. CONCLUSIONThe marked improvement in clinical state of the first 2 patients accompanied by radiological evidence of tumor shrinkage in all patients demonstrates the potential use of temozolomide in treating aggressive pituitary macroadenomas. The usefulness of temozolomide in aggressive pituitary adenomas should be studied in larger trials.
Evaluation of Endothelial Mucin Layer Thickness After Phacoemulsification With Next Generation Ophthalmic Irrigating Solution

Purpose: To evaluate human corneal endothelial mucin layer thickness and ultrastructure after phacoemulsification and irrigation-aspiration with either next generation ophthalmic irrigating solution (NGOIS) or BSS PLUS. Methods: Paired human corneas were mounted in an artificial anterior chamber, exposed to 3 minutes of continuous ultrasound (US) at 80% power using the Alcon SERIES 20000 LEGACY surgical system (n = 9) or to 2 minutes of pulsed US at 50% power, 50% of the time at 20 pps using the Alcon INFINITI Vision System (n = 5), and irrigated with 250 mL of either NGOIS or BSS PLUS. A control group of paired corneas did not undergo phacoemulsification or irrigation-aspiration (n = 5). Corneas were divided and fixed for mucin staining or transmission electron microscopy. Mucin layer thickness was measured on the transmission electron microscopy prints. Results: The mucin layer thickness in the continuous phaco group was 0.77 ± 0.02 μm (mean ± SE) with NGOIS and 0.51 ± 0.01 μm with BSS PLUS (t test, P < 0.001). The mucin layer thickness in the pulsed phaco group was 0.79 ± 0.02 μm with NGOIS and 0.54 ± 0.01 μm with BSS PLUS (P < 0.001). The mucin layer thickness in the untreated control group was 0.72 ± 0.02 μm. The endothelial ultrastructure was normal in all corneas. Conclusions: In this in vitro corneal model, NGOIS, due to its lower surface tension and higher viscosity, preserved endothelial mucin layer thickness better than BSS PLUS with both the INFINITI Vision System (pulsed US) and the LEGACY surgical system (continuous US).
Diet and lung cancer 20+ years later: More questions than answers?

A critical review of epidemiological studies on diet and lung cancer over the last 20+ years has not provided overwhelming evidence that higher consumption of vegetables, fruit, low‐fat/low‐cholesterol foods or such micronutrients as carotenoids, selenium and vitamins A, C or E is associated with reduced lung cancer risk. Results from case‐control studies have been more positive, with about one half showing fruit and vegetables or their associated micronutrients to be associated with reduced risk. However, most results from cohort and serum micronutrient studies, which avoid the problems of inaccurate accounting of diet and recall bias, were statistically insignificant. Moreover, although most studies were conducted on white male smokers in North America and Europe, the few studies which found significant contrary trends were among subjects of different backgrounds, i.e., black American males and Chinese women in China. Since male smokers vs. nonsmokers in Europe, North America and Japan have been shown in other studies to be lower consumers of fruit/vegetables, and less likely to pursue “perceived healthier lifestyles,” the possibility that some of the epidemiological findings on diet and lung cancer are artifactually due to inadequate adjustment for behavioral correlates of smoking and health seekers in a particular society must be considered. This is especially true with recent chemoprevention trials showing higher lung cancer incidence and deaths among consumers of β‐carotene supplements vs. placebo. Int. J. Cancer Suppl. 10:22–29, 1997. © 1997 Wiley‐Liss Inc.
Detection of Rifampin Resistance inMycobacterium tuberculosis in a Single Tube with Molecular Beacons

ABSTRACT Current clinical assays for determining antibiotic susceptibility in Mycobacterium tuberculosis require many weeks to complete due to the slow growth of the bacilli. Here we demonstrate an extremely sensitive single-tube PCR assay that takes less than 3 h and reliably identifies rifampin-resistant M. tuberculosis in DNA extracted directly from sputum. Ninety-five percent of mutations associated with rifampin resistance occur in an 81-bp core region of the bacterial RNA polymerase gene,rpoB. All mutations that occur within this region result in rifampin resistance. The assay uses novel nucleic acid hybridization probes called molecular beacons. Five different probes are used in the same reaction, each perfectly complementary to a different target sequence within the rpoB gene of rifampin-susceptible bacilli and each labeled with a differently colored fluorophore. Together, their target sequences encompass the entire core region. The generation of all five fluorescent colors during PCR amplification indicates that rifampin-susceptible M. tuberculosis is present. The presence of any mutation in the core region prevents the binding of one of the molecular beacons, resulting in the absence of one of the five fluorescent colors. When 148 M. tuberculosis clinical isolates of known susceptibility to rifampin were tested, mutations associated with rifampin resistance were detected in 63 of the 65 rifampin-resistant isolates, and no mutations were found in any of the 83 rifampin-susceptible isolates. When DNA extracted directly from the sputum of 11 patients infected with rifampin-resistant tuberculosis was tested, mutations were detected in all of the samples. The use of this rapid assay should enable early detection and treatment of drug-resistant tuberculosis in clinical settings.
Influence of ventral tegmental area input on cortico‐subcortical networks underlying action control and decision making

It is argued that the mesolimbic system has a more general function in processing all salient events, including and extending beyond rewards. Saliency was defined as an event that is unexpected due to its frequency of occurrence and elicits an attentional‐behavioral switch. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), signals were measured in response to the modulation of salience of rewarding and nonrewarding events during a reward‐based decision making task, the so called desire‐reason dilemma paradigm (DRD). Replicating previous findings, both frequent and infrequent, and therefore salient, reward stimuli elicited reliable activation of the ventral tegmental area (VTA) and ventral striatum (vStr). When immediate reward desiring contradicted the superordinate task‐goal, we found an increased activation of the VTA and vStr when the salient reward stimuli were presented compared to the nonsalient reward stimuli, indicating a boosting of activation in these brain regions. Furthermore, we found a significantly increased functional connectivity between the VTA and vStr, confirming the boosting of vStr activation via VTA input. Moreover, saliency per se without a reward association led to an increased activation of brain regions in the mesolimbic reward system as well as the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC), inferior frontal gyrus (IFG), and anterior cingulate cortex (ACC). Finally, findings uncovered multiple increased functional interactions between cortical saliency‐processing brain areas and the VTA and vStr underlying detection and processing of salient events and adaptive decision making.
Visuospatial learning in elementary school children with and without a family history of alcoholism.

Chronic alcohol abuse has been consistently associated with cognitive deficits in right-hemisphere-mediated visuospatial operations. Recent evidence indicates that visuospatial deficits may be present in alcoholics prior to the onset of chronic heavy drinking, but it remains unclear whether such deficits are present prior to any alcohol exposure in persons at risk of developing alcoholism. The purpose of this study was to investigate visuospatial information processing in young children with and without a family history of alcoholism. Male and female elementary school children (N = 36), ranging in age from 6 to 11 years, served as participants. Of these children, 18 were from families in which one or both biologic parents had a history of alcoholism. The remaining 18 children had no family history of alcoholism or alcohol-related problems. During a single experimental session, each child received a visuospatial paired-associate learning task, requiring the learning of the spatial positions of five low semantic content "nonsense shapes. " The learning performance of the children with a family history of alcoholism was significantly poorer than the performance displayed by the children with no family history of alcoholism. The family history positive children required significantly more trials to learning criterion, gave fewer correct responses and committed more errors. Further, an analysis of response-type frequency relative to the learning trials and analysis of response intercorrelations indicated that the pattern of learning displayed by the children with a family history of alcoholism was similar to that displayed by detoxified alcoholics during a similar learning task.
Shareholders' Wealth Effects of Mergers and Acquisitions on Acquiring Firms in the Indian IT and ITeS Sector

(ProQuest: . denotes formulae omitted.)INTRODUCTIONMerger and Acquisition (MA Selvam and Vanitha, 2007; and Mantravadi and Reddy, 2008), impact on shareholders wealth, etc.The Indian Information Technology sector has been a prominent sector in MA however a more formal use of this method was developed by Fama et al. (1969). This methodology has been extensively employed for different types of corporate events that include passing of legislations (Netter and Ryngaert, 1988), celebrity endorsements (Agrawal and Kamakura, 1995), bank liquidations (Yamori, 1999), cross listing of securities (Fadl, 2010) etc., to name a few.MERGERS AND ACQUISITIONS IN THE INDIAN CONTEXTM&A have existed in the Indian corporate landscape for long now. However, the scope, objectives and complexity of these deals has broadened and deepened over the years. Lack of systematic data in India has been one of the biggest factors responsible for limited research in this field up to the beginning of 1990s. But with the globalization and advent of private culture and global competition, Indian companies have adopted the international trends for growth via M&A. Indian companies have realized the necessity, benefits and the importance of M&A as a strategic tool in their businesses. Year 2007 registered the largest volume (676 deals) and value ($51.1 bn) of M&A activity in India along with booming Indian economy and soaring capital markets. …
Seroprevalence of antibodies to Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato in healthy adults from western Norway: risk factors and methodological aspects

The aim of this study was to assess the seroprevalence of antibodies to Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato in a healthy adult population from Sogn and Fjordane county in western Norway by different assays. Sera from 1213 blood donors at four different blood banks were analysed in Enzygnost Lyme link VlsE/IgG (IgG), Enzygnost Borreliosis IgM (IgM), and Immunetics C6 Lyme ELISA kit (C6). Sera showing positive or grey‐zone reactivities were further examined with Borrelia‐EUROLine‐RN‐AT IgG blot and Borrelia‐EUROLine‐RN‐AT IgM blot. The seroprevalences were 9.6%, 8.2%, 8.4%, 6.4% and 5.7%, respectively. The seroprevalence for IgG was lower in the eastern part of the county and in owners of pet animals. It was higher in men, and increased with age and number of tick bites. C6 and IgG gave comparable results. IgM only was found in 4.5%, more often in women, did not increase with age, and showed no relationship with geography, and 56.4% were positive in IgM blot. In conclusion, antibodies to B. burgdorferi s.l. are common in blood donors in western Norway. The results may be used for evaluation of predictive values of test results in patients, as well as a basis for test algorithms in the laboratory.
Immune system transcriptome in gingival tissues of young nonhuman primates.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE Young/adolescent humans harbor many microorganisms associated with periodontal disease in adults and show substantial gingival inflammatory responses. However, younger individuals do not demonstrate the soft- and hard-tissue destruction that hallmark periodontitis. MATERIAL AND METHODS This study evaluated responses to the oral microbial ecology in gingival tissues from clinically healthy young Macaca mulatta (< 3 years of age) compared with older animals (5-23 years of age). RNA was isolated from the tissues and analyzed for the transcriptome using the Rhesus Macaque GeneChip (Affymetrix). RESULTS Global transcriptional profiling of four age groups revealed a subset of 159 genes that were differentially expressed across at least one of the age comparisons. Correlation metrics generated a relevance network abstraction of these genes. Partitioning of the relevance network revealed seven distinct communities comprising functionally related genes associated with host inflammatory and immune responses. A group of genes was identified that were selectively increased/decreased or positively/negatively correlated with gingival profiles in the animals. A principal components analysis created metagenes of expression profiles for classifying the 23 animals. CONCLUSION The results provide novel system-level insights into gene-expression differences in gingival tissues from healthy young animals, weighted toward host responses associated with anti-inflammatory biomolecules or those linked with T-cell regulation of responses. The combination of the regulated microenvironment may help to explain the apparent 'resistance' of younger individuals to developing periodontal disease.
Metabolic cardiovascular risk factors and sodium sensitivity in hypertensive subjects.

Hypertension has previously been suggested to be a part of a metabolic syndrome also involving hyperlipidemia, hyperinsulinemia, and decreased insulin sensitivity. In the present study, 10 untreated hypertensive subjects were challenged with a high-salt diet (20 g NaCl) for 1 week after 7 days on a low-salt diet (less than 3 g). The difference in mean blood pressure (MBP) at the end of the high-salt diet v the low-salt diet was denoted salt sensitivity. We related the salt sensitivity to indices of glucose and lipid metabolism and studied the effect of salt deprivation on these metabolic variables. Salt sensitivity was found to be significantly correlated to HDL cholesterol (r = 0.79, P less than .007), insulin sensitivity (M value at the euglycemic clamp, r = 0.68, P less than .003), and fasting serum insulin (r = 0.69, P less than .04). Salt deprivation induced an increase in fasting insulin (P less than .03), but did not significantly affect any other indices of glucose and lipid metabolism. In conclusion, our study shows that hyperinsulinemia, decreased sensitivity to insulin, and low levels of HDL cholesterol were most commonly seen in hypertensive subjects with a low sodium sensitivity. A putative mechanism might be an increased activity in pressor systems also affecting glucose and lipid metabolism.
Metabolic and physiological response of the rabbit to continuous and intermittent treadmill exercise.

Our knowledge of the effects of exercise on the heart is limited by the predominant use of rats as an animal model. The rabbit has many advantages over the rat as an animal model to study. However, little work has characterized its capacity to exercise. The purposes of the present study were to determine if the rabbit could (i) learn to run on a motor-driven treadmill at relatively high speeds using different exercise protocols, and (ii) characterize the various physiological and metabolic responses of the rabbit to acute bouts of exercise. We found that female New Zealand white rabbits had the capacity to run continuously on the treadmill for up to 21 min at 20 m/min until exhausted. Continuous, endurance-type exercise resulted in significant elevations in body temperature, heart rate, and plasma lactate levels. Plasma triglyceride concentration decreased as a function of this type of running whereas plasma glucose levels were unchanged. Twenty-four hours after a bout of running, plasma creatine phosphokinase activity was significantly elevated. The rabbits also had the capacity to learn to run using an intermittent, higher speed protocol. These physically untrained animals could achieve speeds of up to 70 m/min for 10 bouts of 15 s run/30 s rest. Their metabolic and physiological responses to this protocol were similar to those of continuous running with the following exceptions. The decrease in plasma triglyceride was less marked and the increase in plasma lactate was greater after intermittent exercise. Glycogen content of the rabbit vastus lateralis muscle was also significantly depleted after exhaustive, intermittent exercise. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Teacher Education In Nigeria: A Misfit In The Digital Age?

The educational system in Nigeria in this 21 century is at crossroads. In recent time, the teacher education has been increasingly lampooned by stakeholders accusing it of not meeting the demands of this century. This informed the researchers to examine if teacher education in Nigeria is on course by looking at the extent 21 century skills are emphasized in teacher education and the extent student teachers perceive themselves to have acquired these skills in the course of their training. The mixed method design was adopted. 194 regular students in Faculties of Education in two state owned universities in Anambra State were sampled using a nonrandom convenience sampling technique. Data were collected using questionnaire and semi-structured interview; and were analyzed. Findings revealed that, to some extent, the 21 century skills were emphasized and were perceived to be possessed by respondents. Data from the interview helped to deepen the understanding of the problem. It was concluded that though these skills are perceived to be emphasized and acquired to some extent; that more complex ones are yet to be properly infused in the teaching and learning process. © 2017 Published by Future Academy www.FutureAcademy. org.uk