Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Entrepreneurs' Financing Choice Between Independent or Bank-Affiliated Venture Capital Firms

This paper analyzes how the affiliation of a venture capital firm affects the deal terms for innovative entrepreneurial ventures. We develop a theory to explain the advantages of independent and bank-affiliated venture capital funds for entrepreneurs. We assume that independent venture capital firms provide better support quality while bank-affiliated firms are less financially constrained. The entrepreneur selects the optimal contract by trading-off these characteristics. The model allows several empirically testable predictions concerning the nature of projects financed by either type of venture capital firm. Entrepreneurs should seek capital from independent or affiliated venture capitalists contingent on the degree of sophistication of their project, their liquidation value, the importance of expected management support, and the remaining time to fundraising.
Gut microbiota–specific IgA+ B cells traffic to the CNS in active multiple sclerosis

IgA+ cells act as a systemic mediator between the gut and the central nervous system during active multiple sclerosis. Regulatory IgA response Multiple sclerosis (MS) is associated with production of oligoclonal IgG antibodies within the central nervous system (CNS), but less is known about the status of IgA-producing cells. Pröbstel et al. detected clonally expanded IgA+ cells in cerebrospinal fluid and tissue adjacent to areas of active MS-associated demyelination. Recombinant IgA antibodies assembled from the cloned antibody genes bound to surface antigens found on multiple bacterial phyla but did not cross-react with brain tissue. Recruitment of gut-associated IgA+ B cells and plasma cells to the CNS is a potential biomarker of disease activity in MS. The arrival of these cells in the CNS may reflect recruitment of a homeostatic set of regulatory cells from the gut that have the capacity to dampen excessive inflammation. Changes in gut microbiota composition and a diverse role of B cells have recently been implicated in multiple sclerosis (MS), a central nervous system (CNS) autoimmune disease. Immunoglobulin A (IgA) is a key regulator at the mucosal interface. However, whether gut microbiota shape IgA responses and what role IgA+ cells have in neuroinflammation are unknown. Here, we identify IgA-bound taxa in MS and show that IgA-producing cells specific for MS-associated taxa traffic to the inflamed CNS, resulting in a strong, compartmentalized IgA enrichment in active MS and other neuroinflammatory diseases. Unlike previously characterized polyreactive anti-commensal IgA responses, CNS IgA cross-reacts with surface structures on specific bacterial strains but not with brain tissue. These findings establish gut microbiota–specific IgA+ cells as a systemic mediator in MS and suggest a critical role of mucosal B cells during active neuroinflammation with broad implications for IgA as an informative biomarker and IgA-producing cells as an immune subset to harness for therapeutic interventions.
Distinguishing Syntactic Operations in the Brain: Dependency and Phrase-Structure Parsing

Finding the structure of a sentence—the way its words hold together to convey meaning—is a fundamental step in language comprehension. Several brain regions, including the left inferior frontal gyrus, the left posterior superior temporal gyrus, and the left anterior temporal pole, are supposed to support this operation. The exact role of these areas is nonetheless still debated. In this paper we investigate the hypothesis that different brain regions could be sensitive to different kinds of syntactic computations. We compare the fit of phrase-structure and dependency structure descriptors to activity in brain areas using fMRI. Our results show a division between areas with regard to the type of structure computed, with the left anterior temporal pole and left inferior frontal gyrus favouring dependency structures and left posterior superior temporal gyrus favouring phrase structures.
Dynamic polaronic screening for anomalous exciton spin relaxation in two-dimensional lead halide perovskites

Anomalous exciton spin dynamics in 2D perovskites indicates screened coulombic interaction for exciton polaron. Two-dimensional lead halide perovskites with confined excitons have shown exciting potentials in optoelectronic applications. It is intriguing but unclear how the soft and polar lattice redefines excitons in layered perovskites. Here, we reveal the intrinsic exciton properties by investigating exciton spin dynamics, which provides a sensitive probe to exciton coulomb interactions. Compared to transition metal dichalcogenides with comparable exciton binding energy, we observe orders of magnitude smaller exciton-exciton interaction and, counterintuitively, longer exciton spin lifetime at higher temperature. The anomalous spin dynamics implies that excitons exist as exciton polarons with substantially weakened inter- and intra-excitonic interactions by dynamic polaronic screening. The combination of strong light matter interaction from reduced dielectric screening and weakened inter-/intra-exciton interaction from dynamic polaronic screening explains their exceptional performance and provides new rules for quantum-confined optoelectronic and spintronic systems.
Focal random selection closes the gender gap in competitiveness

The pool of high-performing women who apply for top jobs can be substantially enlarged by focal random selections. Gender differences in choosing to enter competitions are an important cause of the leaky pipeline for women in leadership roles and represent a considerable waste of human resources. We used an incentivized laboratory experiment to evaluate whether the introduction of random elements alters the gender gap in competitiveness. We found that focal random selection from a preselected pool removes the difference in competitiveness between men and women and does not dilute the qualifications of the entrants. The percentage of women who took part in competitions was nearly triple, and that of high-ability women double, with focal random selection compared to selection in pure performance competitions. In contrast, the behavior of men remained largely unchanged. Focal random selection closes the gender gap in competitiveness and can substantially enlarge the pool of high-performing women who apply for top jobs.
Light scattering matrix for quasi-horizontally oriented atmospheric ice crystals for radiation transfer problems

The article presents the data bank of light scattering matrices for ice hexagonal particles with a preferentially horizontal spatial orientation. The calculations were performed within the geometric optics approximation for flutter angles from 0 to 180 degrees in increments of 1 degree. It is shown that the light scattering matrix for randomly oriented ice crystals of cirrus clouds is fundamentally different from the light scattering matrix for particles with a preferentially horizontal spatial orientation. This fact can play a significant role in solving the radiation transfer problem through cirrus clouds and have to be taken into account in climate modeling.
Contribution of new water vapor absorption lines to the atmospheric transmission in the transparency window 8-12 µm

The evaluation of the contribution of numerous H2O absorption lines to the atmospheric transmission in the 8-12 μm transparency window is presented based on different spectroscopic databases of water vapor absorption lines, including the new theoretical data sets POKAZATEL and VoTe, as well as the H2O data from the popular spectroscopic databases HITRAN and GEISA. Comparison of the atmospheric transmittance calculated using different databases is presented. The contribution of the weak lines is investigated and shown to be important for very long absorption paths.
Effect of Ion Exchanged to the CO2 Adsorption on MFI Zeolites

The adsorption of CO2 on MFI (HZSM-5) and ion exchanged MFI (CaZSM-5) zeolites were studied by a temperature programmed desorption (TPD). The adsorption measurements were conducted at temperatures from 323 to 473 K at atmospheric pressure. The results showed that CO2 was adsorbed on HZSM-5 by one type of adsorption, and on CaZSM-5 zeolites by at least two types of adsorption over the temperature range studied. One was a weak adsorption probably due to interaction with the framework of ZSM-5, and the other was a stronger adsorption caused by interactions with the Ca cations of ZSM-5. The adsorption behavior for HZSM-5 was described by a single site Langmuir adsorption model but for CaZSM-5 a dual site Langmuir model was used. The TPD results indicated that the quantity of irreversibly adsorbed CO2 on HZSM-5 was undetectable.
Improving Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) Symptoms Using a Team-Based Approach

Background: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is the third leading cause of death in the United States (US), with West Virginia bearing a disproportionate disease burden. Complex COPD cases can be difﬁcult to manage during a standard primary care provider (PCP) visit, and pharmacological treatment regimens should be individually tailored to each patient. Methods: To address these needs, the West Virginia University Department of Family Medicine cre-ated an interdisciplinary COPD specialty clinic that uses a team-based approach to treat patients with COPD. In order to evaluate the effectiveness of the specialty clinic, we conducted a retrospective chart review to examine the impact of the clinic on patient hospitalizations, emergency department visits, and urgent care visits six months and one year before and after initiating care at the clinic. We also examined the impact of the clinic on patients’ self-reported nicotine dependency, COPD symptoms, and tobacco use behavior. Patients referred to the clinic and having at least one visit from February 2015 to February 2019 were included in this study (n = 149). Results: Patients treated at the COPD specialty clinic had signiﬁcantly fewer hospital admissions and ED visits six months after and one year after initiating care at the clinic as compared to six months before and one year before, respectively. Patients at this clinic also reported smoking signiﬁcantly fewer cigarettes per day with signiﬁcantly fewer self-identifying as smokers and experiencing signiﬁcantly reduced COPD symptoms. Conclusion: An interdisciplinary, team-based approach was effective for improving the health of COPD patients in an Appalachian academic primary care practice. ( J Am Board Fam Med 2020;33:978– 985.)
Viral and Nonviral Transfer of Genetic Materials to Adipose Tissues: Toward a Gold Standard Approach

Gene transfer using viral or nonviral vectors enables the ability to manipulate specific cells and tissues for gene silencing, protein overexpression, or genome modification. Despite the widespread application of viral- and non-viral-mediated gene transfer to liver, heart, skeletal muscle, and the central nervous system, its use in adipose tissue has been limited. This is largely because adipose tissue is distributed throughout the body in distinct depots and adipocytes make up a minority of the cells within the tissue, making transduction difficult. Currently, there is no consensus methodology for efficient gene transfer to adipose tissue and many studies report conflicting information with regard to transduction efficiency and vector biodistribution. In this review, we summarize the challenges associated with gene transfer to adipose tissue and report on innovations that improve efficacy. We describe how vector and route of administration are the two key factors that influence transduction efficiency and outline a “gold standard” approach and experimental workflow for validating gene transfer to adipose tissue. Lastly, we speculate on how CRISPR/Cas9 can be integrated to improve adipose tissue research.
Contemporary Management of Heart Failure in Patients With Diabetes

Both heart failure and diabetes are increasing in prevalence in Western communities. The interrelationship between these two conditions is well known, with conventional heart failure therapies including several newer drug classes providing benefit to subjects with diabetes. Furthermore, several of the more recently introduced medications for type 2 diabetes have resulted in significant cardiovascular morbidity and mortality benefits with a marked improvement in heart failure symptoms and hospital presentations as well as deaths. This review outlines current therapies used to treat patients with or at risk for heart failure and their particular role in subjects with diabetes. Newer therapies, including certain glucose-lowering medications and their benefits in treating heart failure patients with and without diabetes, are also discussed. Finally, heart failure is also observed in long-duration, aging patients with type 1 diabetes, but this clinical issue has not been as extensively explored as in patients with type 2 diabetes and warrants further clinical investigation.
Heart Disease in Adults With Down Syndrome Between 1996 and 2016

Purpose: To describe demographic factors and calculate prevalence of heart disease–related conditions among the adult Down syndrome (DS) sample population and to compare demographic and heart disease–related conditions between the DS sample population (n = 2342) and the general population. Methods: Using a retrospective, descriptive cohort study design, analyses were based on 20 years of data collected on the Adult Down Syndrome Center patient population. Prevalence of heart disease, stroke, and associated risk conditions are reported as counts (%) with corresponding odds ratio (OR) indicating odds of diagnosis among the DS sample compared with the general population. Corresponding Pearson c2 P-values were calculated to represent statistically significant differences between prevalence of diagnoses in the DS sample compared with the general population. In cases where prevalence was low, Fisher’s Exact Test P-value were calculated. Results: Adults with DS had lower odds of diagnosis of heart disease and most associated risk conditions, specifically coronary heart disease (OR = 0.0537, P < .0001), heart failure (OR = 0.6353, P = .0091), hypertension (OR = 0.0325, P < .0001), diabetes (OR = 0.4840, P < .0001), and high total cholesterol (OR = 0.2086, P < .0001), while experiencing higher odds of overweight status (OR = 1.2185, P = .0002) and obese status (OR = 1.3238, P < .0001). Conclusion: Adults with DS generally experience less heart disease and associated risk conditions commonly seen in the general population. Prevention and treatment guidelines for heart disease for the DS population should be adjusted after more research is conducted.
Effects of nitrogen source, concentration, and irradiance on growth rates of two diatoms endemic to northern San Francisco Bay

Impacts on growth rates from exposure to ammonium (NH4) and nitrate (NO3), at non-limiting concentrations, in combination with irradiances varying from 25 to 600 μmol photons m−2 s−1 were investigated in the pelagic diatom Thalassiosira weisflogii and the benthic diatom Entomoneis paludosa recently isolated from Suisun Bay in northern San Francisco Bay. Growth rates were higher in T. weisflogii (0.76 ± 0.3 d−1) compared with E. paludosa (0.58 ± 0.2 d−1) across all irradiances and nitrogen (N) treatments. Differences in growth rates with N source were regulated by irradiance in both diatoms and were greatest at the intermediate irradiance due to saturation of rates at 85 μmol photons m−2 s−1 when growing on NH4 and at 200 μmol photons m−2 s−1 when growing on NO3. Notable physiological differences between these 2 diatoms included a larger range in the quantum yield of photosystem II (Fv/Fm) and in chlorophyll a per cell as a function of irradiance in T. weissflogii compared with E. paludosa. In addition, a negative inter action of high NH4 concentration (1000 μmol l−1) and irradiance (≥200 μmol photons m−2 s−1) was observed on growth rates in E. paludosa that was not evident in T. weissflogii. Differences in physiological parameters of these diatoms are discussed in relation to their distributions and frequency of occurrence in Suisun Bay.
Atomic and plasma-material interaction processes in controlled thermonuclear fusion

Status and perspectives of controlled thermonuclear fusion - a European view (H. Bruhns). Role of atomic and plasma-material interaction physics in controlled fusion research and development (R.K. Janev). Atomic physics aspects of controlled thermonuclear fusion (H.W. Drawin). Atomic and molecular data exploitation for spectroscopic diagnostics of fusion plasmas (H.P. Summers, M. von Hellermann). X-ray spectra of heliumlike krypton as a potential ion temperature diagnostic for the international thermonuclear experimental reactor (ITER) (M. Bitter et al). Active beam spectroscopy at JET (M.G. von Hellermann, H.P. Summers). Modelling of impurity transport in the core plasma (R.A. Hulse). Particle recycling and control in long pulse tokamaks (M. Chatelier). Diagnostics of edge plasmas by optical methods (A. Pospieszczyk). Neutral gas transport in fusion plasmas - atomic and surface data aspects (D. Reiter). Atomic physics data needs for the next generation fusion experiments (D. Post). Atomic data needs for edge plasma cooling and particle exhaust in a next step device (M.F.A. Harrison). Plasma-material interaction data needs for impurity control in next step devices (M. Shimada, S. Tsuji, N. Hosogane, H. Ninomiya). Atomic spectroscopy databases (W.L. Wiese). Establishment and status of atomic and molecular collisional databases for fusion plasma applications (R.A. Phaneuf. R.K. Janev). Impurity generation processes in particle-surface interaction - data status and needs (J. Roth). Modelling of erosion and redeposition processes (J.N. Brooks). A review of materials erosion and redeposition research at UCLA for the development of plasma-facing components in ITER (Y. Hirooka, R.W. Conn). Thermo-hydrodynamic coupling with coolants (M. Akiba, R.D. Watson).
Nuclear lamin A/C promotes cancer cell survival and lung metastasis without restricting transendothelial migration

The mechanisms by which the nuclear lamina of tumor cells controls their migration and survival are poorly understood. Lamin A and its variant lamin C are key nuclear lamina proteins that control nucleus stiffness and chromatin conformation. Downregulation of lamin A/C levels in two metastatic lines, B16F10 melanoma and E0771 breast carcinoma, facilitated cell squeezing through rigid pores, elevated nuclear deformability and reduced heterochromatin. Unexpectedly, the transendothelial migration of both cancer cells in vitro and in vivo, through lung capillaries, was not elevated by lamin A/C knockdown. Both cancer cells with lamin A/C knockdown grew normally in primary tumors and in vitro on rigid surfaces. Strikingly, however, both lamin A/C deficient melanoma and breast cancer cells grew poorly in 3D spheroids expanded in soft agar cultures. Experimental lung metastasis of both lamin A/C knockdown cells was also markedly reduced. Taken together, our results suggest that high content of lamin A/C in multiple cancer cells promotes cancer cell survival and ability to generate lung metastasis without compromising cancer cell emigration from lung vessels.
Non-human primates satisfy utility maximization in compliance with the continuity axiom of Expected Utility Theory

Expected Utility Theory (EUT), the first axiomatic theory of risky choice, describes choices as a utility maximization process: decision makers assign a subjective value (utility) to each choice option and choose the one with the highest utility. The continuity axiom, central to EUT and its modifications, is a necessary and sufficient condition for the definition of numerical utilities. The axiom requires decision makers to be indifferent between a gamble and a specific probabilistic combination of a more preferred and a less preferred gamble. While previous studies demonstrated that monkeys choose according to combinations of objective reward magnitude and probability, a concept-driven experimental approach for assessing the axiomatically defined conditions for maximizing subjective utility by animals is missing. We experimentally tested the continuity axiom for a broad class of gamble types in four male rhesus macaque monkeys, showing that their choice behavior complied with the existence of a numerical utility measure as defined by the economic theory. We used the numerical quantity specified in the continuity axiom to characterize subjective preferences in a magnitude-probability space. This mapping highlighted a trade-off relation between reward magnitudes and probabilities, compatible with the existence of a utility function underlying subjective value computation. These results support the existence of a numerical utility function able to describe choices, allowing for the investigation of the neuronal substrates responsible for coding such rigorously defined quantity. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT A common assumption of several economic choice theories is that decisions result from the comparison of subjectively assigned values (utilities). This study demonstrated the compliance of monkey behavior with the continuity axiom of Expected Utility Theory, implying a subjective magnitude-probability trade-off relation which supports the existence of numerical subjective utility directly linked to the theoretical economic framework. We determined a numerical utility measure able to describe choices, which can serve as a correlate for the neuronal activity in the quest for brain structures and mechanisms guiding decisions.
Effect of Probiotic Feed Additives on Honeybee Colonies Overwintering

The paper presents the study on the effect of two types of probiotic feed additives of different composition on the quality of honeybee colonies during wintering. Feed additive called SpasiPchel contains 2 strains of bacteria Bacillus subtilis anfeed additive PcheloNormosil contains Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium strains and arabinogalactan (prebiotic isolated from Siberian larch needles). If honeybees received Spasipchel and Pchelonormosil during the feeding in cages their lifespan increased. Honeybee colonies that received Spasipchel in autumn exceeded the control group by 21.3% in colony strength and by 58.7% in the number of sealed brood in spring. Food consumption in these colonies per honeybee frame during the winter period was 22% lower. Honeybee colonies, that received PcheloNormosil feed additive, were slightly behind in strength compared to the control colony during spring, but surpassed it by 23.5% in the number of sealed brood. Further research should be made to identify optimal composition of probiotics that are better at preserving honeybee colonies under the conditions of the continental climate characterized by long cold winters.