Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Modulation of cytokine release from colonic explants by bacterial antigens in inflammatory bowel disease

The intestinal flora play an important role in experimental colitis and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Using colonic explant cultures from 132 IBD and control subjects, we examined tumour necrosis factor‐alpha (TNF‐α), interleukin (IL)‐1 and interleukin‐1 receptor antagonist (IL‐1RA) production in vitro in response to bacterial activators. Unstimulated TNF‐α release was increased significantly in rectal biopsies from involved IBD tissue, correlating with inflammation severity. Whereas lipopolysaccharide (LPS) only moderately stimulated TNF‐α production from inflamed tissue, pokeweed mitogen (PWM) induced its release in all groups, with a stronger response in involved IBD tissue. Superantigen staphylococcal enterotoxin A (SEA) had a similar, but weaker effect. SEB was observed to be the strongest inducer of TNF‐α for all groups, again with a more marked response in inflamed tissue. Stimulated release of IL‐1 was considerably less than for TNF‐α. The superantigens’ superior potency over LPS was not as marked for IL‐1 as it was for TNF‐α. In addition to IL‐1, IL‐1RA release was also triggered by the bacterial products. The net effect of activation on the IL‐1RA/IL‐1 ratio was relatively modest. Release of the proinflammatory cytokines TNF‐α and IL‐1, as well as that of the anti‐inflammatory cytokine IL‐1RA was increased by incubation of colonic tissue with bacterial factors. TNF‐α production and release was increased significantly in involved colonic explants from IBD. SEB was even capable of inducing TNF‐α release from uninvolved colonic tissue.
A three-way analysis of the relationship between the USD value and the prices of oil and gold: A wavelet analysis

This study examines the relationships among oil prices, gold prices, and the USD real exchange rate. It adopts the wavelet approach as a nonlinear causality technique to decompose the data into various scales over time. Higher-order coherence and partial coherence were used to identify the lead-lag effect and mutual coherence function among the variables. The results show that changes in the USD exchange rate influence the prices of oil and gold negatively in the short- and medium-term. While in the long-term, the oil price has a negative impact on the value of the USD. Oil and gold are significantly linked and correlated because their prices are determined in USD. The findings of this paper have significant implications, particularly for risk management.
Lipoarabinomannan, a possible virulence factor involved in persistence of Mycobacterium tuberculosis within macrophages

Mycobacterium tuberculosis and Mycobacterium leprae, the causative agents of tuberculosis and leprosy, respectively, produce large quantities of lipoarabinomannan (LAM), a highly immunogenic, cell wall-associated glycolipid. This molecule has been previously reported to be a potent inhibitor of gamma interferon-mediated activation of murine macrophages. Studies of the mechanism by which this mycobacterial glycolipid down-regulates macrophage effector functions provide evidence that LAM acts at several levels and that it can (i) scavenge potentially cytotoxic oxygen free radicals, (ii) inhibit protein kinase C activity, and (iii) block the transcriptional activation of gamma interferon-inducible genes in human macrophage-like cell lines. These results suggest that LAM can inhibit macrophage activation and triggering and cytocidal activity and that it may represent a chemically defined virulence factor contributing to the persistence of mycobacteria within mononuclear phagocytes.
A longitudinal study of the experiences and concerns of postgraduate Chinese students studying Art & Design in a UK university

The purpose of this research was to enhance our understanding of the experiences of visiting Chinese students throughout the duration of their two-year postgraduate studies in creative programmes in a UK university. The specific areas examined were: one, the students’ perceptions of, and perspectives on, their academic and social experiences; and two, identifying how such experiences changed or developed as the students progressed through the two-years of their studies. The research involved a two-year longitudinal study of Chinese students who arrived in September 2009 at a well-known Art College in London. These students were enrolled on art and design postgraduate courses that placed a premium upon the ability to use their imagination to generate new ideas and then develop such ideas in an innovative manner. The study examined the possibility that as such courses do not base themselves on established bodies of knowledge or transmissive pedagogies, that it could possibly challenge the students’ prevailing epistemological concepts and pedagogical assumptions. The method of enquiry was via a qualitative methodology within an interpretative approach, utilising data obtained by audio-recorded, semi-structured interviews, following British Educational Research Association guidelines. Three sets of interviews were undertaken with each student: near the beginning, at the middle and at the end of their two-year courses, thereby fulfilling the longitudinal basis of this study. The approach to analysis was characterised by thematic coding with a focus on understanding the ‘themes of concern’ from the narrative accounts gathered from the interview data. Originally it had been anticipated that challenges arising from the nature of the programmes, specifically the focus on creativity and criticality, would be the main difficulty the students would encounter. However it ultimately emerged that their lack of colloquial English, pedagogical issues and socio-cultural difficulties would be their major problems. However, whilst these three main challenges were identified by all of the students there was significant variation in their perceived impact on individual students over the two year duration of the programme.
Predicting audiometric status from distortion product otoacoustic emissions using multivariate analyses.

OBJECTIVES 1) To determine whether multivariate statistical approaches improve the classification of normal and impaired ears based on distortion product otoacoustic emission (DPOAE) measurements, in comparison with the results obtained with more traditional single-variable applications of clinical decision theory. 2) To determine how well the multivariate predictors, derived from analysis on a training group, generalized to a validation group. 3) To provide a way to apply the multivariate approaches clinically. DESIGN Areas under the relative operating characteristic (ROC) curve and cumulative distributions derived from DPOAE, DPOAE/Noise, discriminant function (DF) scores and logit function (LF) scores were used to compare univariate and multivariate predictors of audiometric status. DPOAE and Noise amplitudes for 8 f2 frequencies were input to a discriminant analysis and to a logistic regression. These analyses generated a DF and LF, respectively, composed of a linear combination of selected variables. The DF and LF scores were the input variables to the decision theory analyses. For comparison purposes, DPOAE test performance was also evaluated using only one variable (DPOAE or DPOAE/Noise when f2 = audiometric frequency). Analyses were based on data from over 1200 ears of 806 subjects, ranging in age from 1.3 to 96 yr, with thresholds ranging from -5 to >120 dB HL. For statistical purposes, normal hearing was defined as thresholds of 20 dB HL or better. For the multivariate analyses, the database was randomly divided into two groups of equal size. One group served as the "training" set, which was used to generate the DFs and LFs. The other group served as a "validation" set to determine the robustness of the DF and LF solutions. RESULTS For all test frequencies, multivariate analyses yielded greater areas under the ROC curve than univariate analyses, and greater specificities at fixed sensitivities. Within the multivariate techniques, discriminant analysis and logistic regression yielded similar results and both yielded robust solutions that generalized well to the validation groups. The improvement in test performance with multivariate analyses was greatest for conditions in which the single predictor variable resulted in the poorest performance. CONCLUSIONS A more accurate determination of auditory status at a specific frequency can be obtained by combining multiple predictor variables. Although the DF and LF multivariate approaches resulted in the greatest separation between normal and impaired distributions, overlap still exists, which suggests that there would be value in continued efforts to improve DPOAE test performance.
Serum angiogenic profile in abnormal placentation

Abstract Objective: To evaluate the circulating soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase 1 (sFlt1), placental growth factor (PlGF) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) levels in women with abnormal placentation and to compare the data with the results of women with normal pregnancy. Material and methods: Serum biomarkers of angiogenesis and maternal and perinatal characteristics of 68 pregnant women, all in the third trimester, who were diagnosed to have vaginal bleeding due to complete placenta previa with and without concomitant placenta accreta, increta and percreta as the study group and 30 pregnant women without any placentation abnormality who eventually delivered at ≥37 weeks of gestational age as the control group were evaluated. Results: There was no statistical difference in the maternal serum values of sFlt1, PlGF, sFlt1/PlGF ratio and VEGF in groups with placental abnormality as compared to controls. Not even a single case of preeclampsia and intrauterine fetal growth restriction was encountered in the study group. Conclusion: We demonstrated that regardless of the localization and the degree of the myometrial invasion of the placenta in the uterus, the circulatory biomarkers of angiogenesis and vascularization were comparable.
Capacitor voltage balancing techniques for a multi-pulse pulse rectifier with active injection

Two techniques are presented to balance the filter capacitor voltages of a multi-pulse rectifier with active injection operating on a variable frequency supply. The active injector consists of a low-rated, bidirectional switch that modifies the behaviour of a 12-pulse rectifier at either low or high-frequency, resulting in 24-pulse or multi-level PWM operation respectively. The operation of the rectifier and the injector, the practical issues that unbalance the capacitor voltages and the methods to correct this imbalance are explained together with experimental results obtained with a 4 kW prototype.
Who Gives a “Like” About the HPV Vaccine? Kansan Parent/Guardian Perceptions and Social Media Representations

Among U.S. states, Kansas children’s HPV vaccination rates remain low. Parent/guardian HPV vaccine-beliefs likely influence vaccination rates. Additionally, Facebook’s popularity suggests that this forum’s representation may influence parent/guardian decisions to vaccinate children. This dissertation explores how Kansan parents/guardians of HPV vaccine-eligible children perceive the vaccine in the contexts of the health belief model (Rosenstock, 1974; Rosenstock, Strecher, & Becker, 1988) and the social amplification of risk framework (R. Kasperson et al., 1988), parent/guardian engagement with HPV vaccine-related information, and Facebook representations by general users and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention during the vaccine’s first decade on the market. Results indicate HPV vaccine risk perceptions among some Kansan parents/guardians, social media as an active and passive source of information, and the HPV vaccine’s representation on Facebook as increasingly negative. HPV vaccine promotion strategies should consider focusing on the vaccine’s representation and risk attenuating messages.
Impact of Forced Distribution System of Performance Evaluation on Organizational Citizenship Behaviour

Organization can achieve excellence when employees go beyond the formal job requirements and show organizational citizenship behaviour (OCB). In one study, Moore and Love (2005) pointed out that information technology (IT) professionals are low in OCB. We have observed most of the IT companies using forced distribution system (FDS) of performance evaluation while categorizing their employees. Therefore, in this study, we were curious to investigate whether there is any impact of FDS on employees’ OCB. This study was conducted on 120 managers, and they were divided into two groups: one group was working under FDS of performance evaluation and the other group was not working under FDS of performance evaluation. Control was taken on managers’ age, gender and managerial experience. Our findings reveal that there is a significant impact of FDS of performance evaluation on OCB. As there are some implementation errors in FDS of performance evaluation, if it is adapted without considering the contingency factors, there might be a chance, after a certain period of working, people feels low satisfaction in their job. As a result, this group of people tries to limit themselves only within their formal job requirement and exhibit low OCB.
A Study of Pragmatic Change in the Vietnamese of Second Generation Speakers in Queensland, Australia

Language contact, bilingualism and contact-induced language change have created controversial issues among linguists as more and more people of different languages and cultures around the world come into contact. There have been studies of the phenomena of language change including code switching, code mixing, interference, transference, and convergence in different language dyads (Clyne, 2003), especially in multi-lingual societies like Australia, the United States of America and Canada. However, there is insufficient research into the Vietnamese language used in Australia and its changes in comparison with Vietnamese used in Vietnam. This empirical study, therefore, investigates the patterns of pragmatic transference in spoken Vietnamese used by the second generation speakers in Australia who are English-Vietnamese bilinguals. The basic hypothesis of this thesis is that the formulae of pragmatic speech acts in spoken Vietnamese used by the second generation and their lack of knowledge or incorrect usage of Vietnamese idioms and proverbsshow a shift from indirectness to directness in the pragmatic performance of the language. Specifically, the study focuses on the speech act of refusal and the usage of Vietnamese idioms and proverbs. The study documents such pragmatic transference and explores the causes of these changes. The findings will help to fill the gap in the study of language change in linguistics as a whole, and particularly the study of the Vietnamese of the English-Vietnamese bilinguals, and the English-Vietnamese dyad in terms of linguistic and pragmatic elements.The findings have implications for language maintenance among the Vietnamese diaspora community in Australia, for the study of language change in heritage languages, and for understanding trends in the multicultural and multilingual society of Australia.
Reflective Journeys of Five Women Agriculturists in Australia: A Qualitative Study.

Women comprise the minority in production agriculture leadership, and their leadership roles in agricultural industries are rarely explored. The purpose of this study was to explore the reflective journeys of five Australian women in production agriculture. The central research questions asked were “What lived experiences helped you obtain your leadership position and what leadership characteristics do you identify as essential in your success? ” This study used a phenomenological approach, as reflecting upon the subjects’ past cultural experiences was crucial in understanding their current positions in life and leadership. Five women in agriculture from Australia served as the participants for this study, and they were selected based upon their leadership presence in Australia. Specific themes were generated which included (a) childhood experiences, (b) current family dynamics, (c) hardship, and (d) perception of leadership style. The perception of leadership style is further divided into three sub-themes: (a) self-perception of leadership, (b) leading by example, and (c) outreach efforts for women in the industry. The five women whose personal journeys were explored are primarily concerned with improving the knowledge given to them and presenting new opportunities to other women when they can. Some recommendations for future research are “What are the reflective journey stories of women agriculturists in the United States? ”, “What are reflective journey stories of men engaged in agriculture industries? ” and “What mentoring strategies are being utilized to recruit and retain women in agriculture industry fields? ”
How knowledge resource does matter in technology and cost advantages of a firm? Evidence from Malaysian logistics sector

ABSTRACT The paper examines firms’ value of technology and knowledge resource for winning the benefits of technologies and sustained competitive advantage by examining the cost advantages and the propositioned mediating effect of knowledge resource in Malaysian logistics firms. Partial least square analysis is performed on the survey of 122 logistics firms. The results verify that knowledge resource has a positive impact on cost advantages and mediate the technology resource-cost advantages relationship. The finding presents that technologies are valuable resources for competitive advantage but easy to be purchased and substituted; hence they serve as a temporary competitive advantage. Instead, knowledge resource is the catalyst of cost advantages and provokes the technology resource to give a greater impact on cost advantages. This study reveals that knowledge resource is too costly and difficult to be imitated, hence becomes the ultimate sources of sustained competitive advantage. Launching information logistics technology is sensitive and expensive; hence, logistics firms need to exploit more on knowledge resources, consolidate them with the relevant technology resources in order to obtain operational efficiency and effectiveness. This paper unveils the theoretical and empirical evidence for insightful understanding concerning the technology-knowledge resource-performance outcome relationship.
How safe is safer sex? High levels of HSV-1 and HSV-2 in female sex workers in London

Female sex workers in Europe have low levels of sexually transmitted infections, attributable to condom use. The aim of this paper is to describe the seroepidemiology of HSV-1 and HSV-2 in female sex workers in London by using a 15-year prospective study of 453 sex workers. The seroprevalence of HSV-1 was 74·4% and independently associated with birth in a ‘transitional country’ (OR 5·4, 95% CI 1·61–18·20). The seroprevalence of HSV-2 was 60% and declined over time; it was also independently associated with time in sex work (OR 2·12, 95% CI 1·23–3·65) and birth in a ‘developing country’ (OR 2·95, 95% CI 1·34–6·48). We show that a cohort of sex workers with extensive condom use and little known sexually transmitted infection have high levels of HSV-1 and HSV-2 infection, suggesting that condoms may not be universally protective. Sex workers are candidates for HSV vaccine efficacy or intervention studies.
Exploring The Multi-Trillion Dollar Question: How Resource Dynamics Shape Long-Term Profit Patterns

Only a few dozen firms across different industries have been able to appropriate a large share of the trillions of dollars of total net value appropriation in US markets over the past decades. This dissertation examines, using formal modeling, how resource dynamics in competitive markets shape such long term profit patterns. Chapter 1 introduces the main questions and concepts, including a general formal framework that can be used to represent RBV-based theories in terms of stochastic state space models, as well as a five-step program to do so. In chapter 2 a new measure of long-term firm performance is developed: LIVA (long-term investor value appropriation). This measure helps to address a disconnect between the common theoretical assumption that managers optimize firm value, and the widespread empirical practice of measuring performance using shortterm ratios such as ROA (return on assets). Chapter 3 describes a dynamic model and empirical inference of the relation between resource competition and the decomposition of variations in returns into firm-specific and industry components. The model shows that the investment dynamics for scarce resources amplify any idiosyncratic shocks to their resource positions, thus providing a very general mechanism for the empirical regularity that variations in return have a high firm-specific component. Empirical results from a Bayesian hierarchical analysis of stock market returns support the model predictions. Chapter 4 describes a formal model to analyze how profit persistence is affected by higher order resources, which are an abstract representation of dynamic capabilities. The model in this chapter indicates that higher order resources should lead to the presence of a second order autoregressive term in profit time series. Empirical estimation of the model using both classical and Bayesian hierarchical methods indeed provides evidence for the existence of such a second order autoregressive term. The models in these final two chapters are implementations of the formal RBV framework introduced in chapter 1, and thus exemplify the value of such a framework to the strategy field. Degree Type Dissertation Degree Name Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) Graduate Group Management First Advisor Nicolaj Siggelkow
Percutaneous tracheostomy: a clinical comparison of dilatational (Ciaglia) and translaryngeal (Fantoni) techniques.

UNLABELLED A number of percutaneous procedures for tracheostomy have been established within the last few years, among them a new technique by Fantoni using a translaryngeal approach for cannula placement. To compare the new translaryngeal tracheostomy (TLT) to the common percutaneous dilatational technique (PDT), we prospectively studied 90 patients who required elective tracheostomy. Tracheostomy was performed according to either the Ciaglia or the Fantoni technique in 45 patients at bedside. The overall complication rate was 11.1% (n = 5) in PDT, including aspiration of blood (n = 4) and severe bleeding requiring surgical intervention (n = 1). During TLT, there were technical difficulties involving guidewire placement in 31.1% (n = 14), and one patient required conversion to PDT. No other complications were noted in TLT. Regardless of the technique used, the postoperative PaO2/FIO2 ratio was slightly lower than preoperatively (P was not significant). When PDT and TLT were compared, the postoperative PaO2/FIO2 ratio was significantly lower in PDT than in TLT (P < 0.05), whereas the preoperative levels did not vary significantly between PDT and TLT. During TLT, the PaCO2 increased significantly, whereas it remained stable throughout PDT. No infection of the tracheostoma was noted in either the PDT or the TLT. We therefore consider both the PDT and the TLT equally safe and attractive techniques for establishing long-term airway access in critically ill patients. IMPLICATIONS Elective tracheostomy is a widely accepted procedure for gaining long-term airway access. Two techniques for percutaneous tracheostomy-the established Ciaglia method and the new translaryngeal Fantoni technique-were prospectively studied for perioperative complications and practicability in 90 critically ill-patients.