Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
An anti-inflammatory role for gamma delta T lymphocytes in acquired immunity to Mycobacterium tuberculosis.

Although a role for gammadelta receptor-bearing T cells in the acquired immune response to infection with Mycobacterium tuberculosis is suggested by several lines of evidence, the only data indicating a possible role in specific protective immunity have been provided by very high dose i.v. infection models. In the current study, more modest low dose inocula delivered by the aerosol route grew identically in wild-type controls and in mutant mice in which the Cdelta gene of the gammadelta TCR has been disrupted by homologous recombination. This situation did not change if the inoculum size was increased or if an aerosol challenge with an M. tuberculosis strain of higher virulence was given. However, while the control and containment of these infections was similar, the mutant mice exhibited a substantial pyogenic form of the granulomatous response compared with the lymphocytic response seen in control animals, a finding that may well explain mortality in the former group if high i.v. doses are given. These data indicate that gammadelta T cells do not directly contribute to protection against tuberculosis or that they do so only when bacterial loads are very high. Instead, the data suggest that gammadelta T cells perhaps play an important role by influencing local cellular traffic, promoting the influx of lymphocytes and monocytes, and limiting the access of inflammatory cells that do not contribute to protection but may cause tissue damage.
Treat Your Suppliers Right! Aligning Strategic Innovation Orientation in Captive Supplier Relationships with Relational and Transactional Governance Mechanisms

Buyer-supplier relationships are regarded as a source of competitive advantage, as suppliers can contribute valuable but imperfectly tradable resources. To coordinate these resources in the course of joint value creation and mitigate the risks of opportunism, buyers are required to establish transactional and relational governance mechanisms. While recent research showed that these mechanisms are intertwined with each other, little is known about the effects of different governance mechanisms in relationships with captive suppliers. Especially in case of captive suppliers, which are highly dependent on the buyer, the governance approach of the buyer affects the relationship and the supplier on a long-term base. Based on unique data of 101 suppliers in the aviation industry, we show that transactional and relational governance mechanisms exert different effects on the efficiency and effectiveness of relationships with captive suppliers. While transactional governance is primarily suited to foster buyer-supplier efficiency (e.g. cost or lead time reduction), relational governance strengthens buyer-supplier effectiveness (e.g. product customization or joint innovation). Additionally, the choice of a governance mechanism indirectly affects the strategic innovation orientation of captive suppliers. Focusing on buyer-supplier effectiveness stimulates strategic innovation orientation of captive suppliers; high buyer-supplier efficiency leads to opposite effects. Our paper emphasizes that misalignment of governance mechanisms and the objective of buyer-supplier relationships can limit strategic innovation orientation.
Effect of tumor promoting contraceptive steroids on growth and drug metabolizing enzymes in rat liver.

Liver tumor formation in rats treated with oral contraceptive steroids for long periods has been associated with the tumor promoting potential of these agents. As other known liver tumor promoters, e.g., phenobarbital and hexachlorocyclohexane, induce liver growth and hepatic monooxygenases, we investigated whether or not estrogens have similar effects. Female rats were treated with a wide range of doses of ethinylestradiol, including human contraceptive doses, which are approximately 1 microgram/kg. The physiological estrogen estradiol was studied for comparison. Also included were norethynodrel and norethisteron and its acetate and enanthate because these human progestins act predominantly estrogenic in rats. Daily s.c. doses of ethinylestradiol (0.5 mg/kg) produced a rapid increase of liver mass, DNA, RNA, and protein which was almost maximal after 7 days. The percentages of parenchymal cells involved in DNA synthesis and mitosis were enhanced up to 20-fold, suggesting parenchymal hyperplasia as the main cause of liver growth. Sinus wall cells showed a proportionate increase of number and DNA synthesis. Likewise, all other steroids tested produced significant increases of liver mass and DNA. For ethinylestradiol and estradiol extrapolated threshold doses were in the range of 1 microgram/kg. These doses are below those used in previous tumor promotion studies in rats. Using 5 different substrates to check monooxygenase activities of isolated liver microsomes, no induction or only very weak induction by estrogens was found. These studies suggest that induction of liver growth may be a property relevant for the tumor promoting activity of estrogens; in contrast, induction of hepatic monooxygenases does not appear to be necessary for liver tumor promotion in the rat.
New coral reef structures in a tropical coral reef system

A multibeam sonar combined with an Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler (ADCP) were used at the Veracruz Reef System (VRS), Gulf of Mexico, during the spawning period of August 2016 in order to elucidate plankton trajectories within the study area. The new high-resolution bathymetry provided the location of 50 coral reefs, 27 more reefs than known at the VRS. Most of those reefs are submerged reefs located at depths greater than 40 m. The total coral reef area of the VRS was calculated in 70.1557 km 2 . Only ~10% of the total area corresponds to submerged reefs. Forty-eight species were identified, seven more than known species at the VRS, 45 of the order of Escleractinia and 3 of the order of Anthoathecatae. Acropora prolifera , a hybrid, was also identified in most reefs. All species were observed in the emerged and submerged reefs. The distance at which the three local river discharges (Jamapa, La Antigua, and Actopan) brought sediments to the VRS was calculated. Those are inappropriate areas for coral settlement or development due to sediment transport and temperature and salinity fluctuation. Finally, light penetration was measured at 19 m depth near one reef structure during August 2016 suggesting that even during cloud coverage and rain periods there was a light bioavailability at the sampling point.
Stochastic Interest Rates and Short Maturity Currency Options

This paper uses a ten-year data set to examine the ability of the jump-diffusion models to explain systematic deviations in implicit distributions from the benchmark assumption of lognormality. Scott's (1997) calibrations found that stochastic interest rates should not affect short-maturity stock option prices much. Using transactions data from the Philadelphia stock exchange (PHLX) for European call and put currency options on the Deutschmark, the Japanese yen and sterling, over the period July 1984 to August 1989 and from March 1995 to December 1999, this study provides a robust proof that stochastic interest rates do affect short-maturity currency options. The results are consistent with and incremental to Doffou and Hilliard (2002).
Secular trend in U.S. black-white disparities in selected alcohol-related cancer incidence rates.

AIMS To examine secular trends in incidence rates for the cancer types most strongly associated with alcohol in African Americans (blacks) and whites. METHODS Average annual age-standardized incidence rates (ASIRs) for years of diagnosis 1973-1975 through 2000-2002 were analysed for squamous cell carcinomas of the oral cavity pharynx, oesophagus and larynx in U.S. blacks and whites by sex, using data from a group of high-quality population-based cancer registries. Also examined were National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) results on prevalence of current drinking and cigarette smoking among the U.S. population, and U.S. age-standardized mortality rates for alcoholic liver disease-damage from 1979 to 2003. RESULTS In 1973-1975, ASIRs were greater in blacks than whites for cancers of the oesophagus and larynx but not oral cavity pharynx, and peaks in the disparity reached in the 1980's were followed by declines except for laryngeal cancer (the cancer most strongly associated with tobacco). By 2000-2002, black-white disparities in ASIRs were highest for oesophagus (black/white ratio 4.3 for males and 2.9 for females) but lower for laryngeal cancer and small or non-existent for oral cavity pharynx. NHIS data showed that by the 1970s the U.S. black/white ratios of prevalence were slightly > 1.0 for current smoking but 0.9 (and 0.7 by 1997 and 2003) for current drinking. Disparities in alcoholic liver disease had disappeared by 2003. CONCLUSIONS Further declines in black-white disparities in cancer rates may occur (allowing for lag times), but the larger disparities for oesophageal cancer support the need to explore etiologic factors interacting with alcohol that continue to differ in prevalence between blacks and whites.
Schottky-barrier source/drain MOSFETs on ultrathin SOI body with a tungsten metallic midgap gate

This letter presents a simple low-temperature process to fabricate Schottky-barrier (SB) MOSFETs that integrates a midgap metallic gate (tungsten). The device architecture is based on a thin (10 nm) and lowly doped silicon-on-insulator film that provides a threshold voltage of -0.3 V independent on the depletion charge and therefore not sensitive to variations in film thickness and doping. A gate encapsulation technique using an SiO/sub 2/-like hydrogen silsesquioxane capping layer features 15-nm-wide spacers and ensures the compatibility with the PtSi self-aligned silicide process. Long-channel devices present an ideal subthreshold swing of 60 mV/dec, over six decades of I/sub on//I/sub off/ without any sign of sublinear upward bending of the I/sub DS/--V/sub DS/ curves at low drain voltage.
How governments seek to bridge the financing gap for university spin-offs: proof-of-concept, pre-seed, and seed funding

University spin-offs often develop early-stage technologies characterised by long development paths and uncertain commercial potential. Private financiers, such as banks, informal investors, and venture capital firms, are reluctant to invest in these ventures at an early stage. To bridge this financing gap, governments have set up specialised programmes, but few studies have examined the rationale and organisation of different types of programmes. We analyse government schemes in six countries and identify three main categories of funding initiatives. Proof-of-concept (PoC) schemes aim to reduce the technological uncertainty. Pre-seed schemes aim to reduce the organisational uncertainty and make the nascent venture attractive to investors. Seed funding schemes provide early-stage equity financing. The seed funding initiatives seek to improve the supply of funding, while there seems to be an increasing number of pre-seed and PoC schemes seeking to bridge the financing gap from the demand-side by increasing the attractiveness of the spin-offs towards investors.
Health advantage for black women: patterns in pre-menstrual dysphoric disorder

Background Pre-menstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD) is commonly studied in white women; consequently, it is unclear whether the prevalence of PMDD varies by race. Although a substantial proportion of black women report symptoms of PMDD, the Biocultural Model of Women's Health and research on other psychiatric disorders suggest that black women may be less likely than white women to experience PMDD in their lifetimes. Method Multivariate multinomial logistic regression modeling was used with a sample of 2590 English-speaking, pre-menopausal American women (aged 18–40 years) who participated in the Collaborative Psychiatric Epidemiology Surveys in 2001–2003. The sample consisted of 1672 black women and 918 white women. The measure of PMDD yields a provisional diagnosis of PMDD consistent with DSM-IV criteria. Results Black women were significantly less likely than white women to experience PMDD [odds ratio (OR) 0.44, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.25–0.79] and pre-menstrual symptoms (OR 0.64, 95% CI 0.47–0.88) in their lifetimes, independently of marital status, employment status, educational attainment, smoking status, body mass index, history of oral contraceptive use, current age, income, history of past-month mood disorder, and a measure of social desirability. The prevalence of PMDD was 2.9% among black women and 4.4% among white women. Conclusions This study showed for the first time that black women were less likely than white women to experience PMDD and pre-menstrual symptoms, independently of relevant biological, social-contextual and psychological risk factors. This suggests that PMDD may be an exception to the usual direction of racial disparities in health. Further research is needed to determine the mechanisms that explain this health advantage.
Spirometry-related pain and distress in adolescents and young adults with cystic fibrosis: the role of acceptance.

OBJECTIVE To investigate the occurrence of spirometry-related pain and distress in adolescents and young adults with cystic fibrosis (CF), and to investigate the role of acceptance of illness in spirometry-related pain and distress. METHODS A total of 36 adolescents and young adults with CF (12 to 22 years of age) completed a questionnaire assessing acceptance of illness. Spirometry-related distress was assessed using self-report (ie, anxiety⁄worry about the procedure) and physiological outcomes (ie, heart rate and heart rate variability) before spirometry. Spirometry-related pain was assessed using self-report (ie, expected pain and pain-related thoughts). Self-reported distress and pain during spirometry were also assessed. RESULTS Eighty-nine per cent of subjects reported distress before spirometry, 67% experienced distress during spirometry, 28% expected pain during spirometry and 22% actually experienced pain. Interestingly, partial correlations revealed that more acceptance was related to less expected pain and pain-related thoughts. Acceptance, however, was unrelated to distress, anxiety and pain during spirometry. DISCUSSION The present study suggests that a non-negligible number of adolescents and young adults with CF experience pain and distress during spirometry. Furthermore, results indicate that acceptance may play a protective role in the more indirect consequences of CF such as expected pain and pain-related thoughts during medical procedures. Acceptance, however, was not related to distress before and during spirometry, nor to experienced pain. These findings contribute to the increasing evidence that acceptance may play a protective role in managing the consequences of living with CF.
Youth gangs in an English City: Social Exclusion, Drugs and Violence

When we began planning this research seven years ago, in the UK there was: (1) increasing media attention toward gangs; (2) some historical or outdated research accounts suggesting gangs have long existed in the UK; (3) a denial, nonetheless, by many academics, practitioners and policy makers of a gang problem, resulting in inadequate theoretical understanding and policy treatment; and (4) emerging indications that between the media hype and this denial, changes around gangs were taking place.
Overview of the Analytical Lifecycle of Supercritical Fluid Chromatography Methods

In recent times, the overall interest over Supercritical Fluid Chromatography (SFC) is truly growing within various domains but especially for pharmaceutical analysis. However, in the best of our knowledge modern SFC is not yet applied for drug quality control in the daily routine framework. Among the numerous reported SFC methods, none of them could be found to fully satisfy to all steps of the analytical method lifecycle. Thereby, the present contribution aims to provide an overview of the current and past achievements related to SFC techniques, with a targeted attention to this lifecycle and its successive steps. The included discussions were therefore structured accordingly and emphasizing the analytical method lifecycle in accord with the International Conference on Harmonisation (ICH). Recent and important scientific outputs in the field of analytical SFC, as well as instrumental evolution, qualification strategies, method development methodologies and discussions on the topic of method validation are reviewed.
Retention, Perceived Usefulness, and Use of Family Health Card in the Bangladesh Health and Population Sector Programme

A client-retained Family Health Card (FHC) was distributed to all households of 2 districts of Bangladesh under the Health and Population Sector Programme. This study assessed the extent and factors relating to retention of FHC, its perceived usefulness, and the extent of use. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected from randomly selected subdistricts. Nearly half of clients retained FHC. The card retainers were married, females, and educated, and sought services for their children. Multivariate analysis confirmed that educational attainments, sex, clients' perceived usefulness of FHC, and enforcement by service providers for bringing FHC were significantly associated with retention of FHC. Both clients and service providers perceived FHC as a useful tool that supports the service-delivery system. The client provider observations identified some omissions made by the providers in filling up the sections contained screening checklists thus they missed the opportunity asking about the additional needs of the family. FHC was used for referring about one-fifth of clients. More orientation of service providers with particular emphasis on sections containing screening checklists in FHC is needed for better identification of additional family-health needs. Ample opportunities exist promoting FHC for tapping the missed opportunities to address unmet needs of a whole family.
Kelvin‐Helmholtz Waves Magnetic Curvature and Vorticity: Four‐Spacecraft Cluster Observations

[1] Magnetopause Kelvin‐Helmholtz (KH) waves are rich in complex magnetic and flow structures which are key to understand the role of these waves in facilitating the solar wind plasma transport into the Earth's magnetosphere. Four spacecraft in tetrahedral configuration provide the tools necessary for characterizing in situ magnetic geometry and vortical flow. We apply the tools on KH waves observed by Cluster inside an electron boundary layer on the duskside magnetopause. Magnetic curvature and flow vorticity properties of the KH waves are obtained for various solar wind conditions. Smaller curvature radius and higher‐positive vorticity are found for longer wavelength. Changes in KH wavelengths observed with relatively fixed tetrahedron size allow us to resolve magnetic curvature in multiscales. For the first time in a space plasma, we report the dependence of the curvature radius measurement on the ratio of the tetrahedron size to the wavelength, consistent with nonlinear spatial variations of magnetic structures that would be resolved by nested cross‐scale spacecraft tetrahedrons. Negative vorticity is found to develop in the rolled‐up vortex, adjacent to positive vorticity in the vortex core. The strength of negative vorticity is found to increase with the solar wind proton density and proton bulk flow speed. This study provides observational evidence of multiscale magnetic structures and is useful for understanding the development of rolled‐up vortex signatures during various stages of solar wind‐controlled KH wave evolution.
Feasibility and Diagnostic Potential of Pulmonary Transit Time Measurement by Contrast Echocardiography: A Pilot Study

Pulmonary transit time (PTT; the time for ultrasound contrast to travel from the right ventricle [RV] to the left atrium) may provide a single metric that reports on cardiopulmonary function while overcoming some of the challenges of standard echocardiographic measures. We conducted a pilot study to test the feasibility and reproducibility of echocardiographically derived PTT and to determine its association with established measures of cardiopulmonary function.
GEOLOGY, GEOCHEMISTRY AND PETROGENESIS OF BIRNIN KUDU YOUNGER GRANITE COMPLEX, NW NIGERIA

A THESIS SUBMITTED TO THE SCHOOL OF POSTGRADUATE STUDIES, AHMADU BELLO UNIVERSITY IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE AWARD OF MASTER OF SCIENCE DEGREE IN GEOLOGY DEPARTMENT OF GEOLOGY AHMADU BELLO UNIVERSITY, ZARIA, NIGERIA
Venture Capital Syndicate Network : A Game-theoretic Model

Venture capital has become a major funding vehicle for many start-up firms. The venture capital industry is characterized by the co-investment activities among the venture capital firms. The venture capital syndicates network is a byproduct of them. There have been several empirical papers that dealt with this syndicates network of venture capital industry. Yet a theoretical model of venture capital syndicates network is scanty. This paper tries to come up with a game-theoretical model that utilizes the results of the empirical studies on the venture capital network as adapting the network formation theories recently developed in economics. Following the Jackson-van den Nouweland network formation rules, we develop a sequential network formation game for the venture capital syndicates network. We show that a center-sponsored star is a subgame-perfect equilibrium network architecture for local networks. We conclude the paper as we discuss several future research topics.
Customer value co-creation behaviour in fitness centres: how does it influence customers’ value, satisfaction, and repatronage intention?

ABSTRACT The purposes of this study were to propose a conceptual model and investigate the relationship between customer value co-creation behaviour (CVCB), customer value, satisfaction, and repatronage intention in the participation sport setting. Data were collected from 388 fitness club users in Taipei using a survey questionnaire and were analysed using structural equation modelling to examine the relationships between study variables. The results showed that CVCB has a positive influence on customer value and satisfaction, which in turn has positive influences on repatronage intention. Besides, the perceived value has a positive influence on satisfaction. Although a direct influence of CVCB on repatronage intention was not found, an indirect influence of customer citizenship behaviour through perceived value and satisfaction on repatronage intention was revealed. The findings of this study encourage managers of fitness centres to vigorously encourage customers to participate in the process of value co-creation.
Analysis Of Capital Structure And Efficiency Of Capital Employedin Agro-Allied Firms In Nigeria

The study examines and compares the capital structure and efficiency of capital employed between listed and unlisted agro-based firms in Nigeria. Data collected from 88 agro-based firms using random sampling technique for the period 2005-2010 were analysed using Z-test, Capital Structure Ratio (CSR) and Return on Capital Employed Ratio (ROCE) analysis as well as descriptive statistics. The result revealed significant differences between the capital structure of listed and listed agro-based firms. Listed agro-based firms recorded the highest debt to equity ratio than their unlisted counterpart. Short term debts also constituted a greater percentage of the total debt ratios of both sample groups. Unlisted agro firms were more efficient than listed firms in terms of return on capital employed. Accordingly, series of recommendations have also been offered.