Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Strategic Management Accounting Practices and Financial Performance of Small and Medium Manufacturing Enterprises in Nairobi City County, Kenya

Previous studies acknowledge that small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are key drivers to Kenya's economic development. Many of these SMEs face persistent constraints and do not realize their full potential, with many failing within their first three years of operation. A possible cause for the high failure rate is poor financial performance. Existing literature highlights one remedy as the use of strategic management accounting practices. This paper investigated the influence of strategic management accounting practices (SMAPs) on the financial performance of small and medium manufacturing enterprises (SMMEs) in Nairobi City County, Kenya. The study used self-reporting opinion questions on Return on Investments (ROI), Return on Assets (ROA) and net profit margin as financial measures. A descriptive research design was used. Target population was 693 SMMEs in Nairobi. Data was collected through a self-administered cross-sectional survey. Questionnaires were administered to a sample of 254 SMMEs with 156 usable responses. Data was analyzed using structural equation modelling to explain the relationships among multiple variables for SMAPs and financial performance. Results of hypothesis testing revealed that SMAPs significantly influence financial performance (chi-square (χ2) = 612.82, DF = 171, p-value = 0.000, CMIN/DF (x2 /df = 3.584, RMSEA = 0.114, IFI= 0.857, CFI= 0.856, NFI= 0.819, GFI =0.806, AGFI=0.751), where the model explains 43.7% in the variations on financial performance of SMMEs. Results suggest that the financial performance of SMMEs can be improved by deploying SMAPs. The study recommends that SMMEs should be encouraged to adopt SMAPs through policy and practice.
Extracellular vesicles derived from immortalized human natural killer cell line NK3.3 as a novel therapeutic for multiple myeloma

Introduction Over the last decade, there have been many advancements in the therapeutic treatment of multiple myeloma (MM), including the use of natural killer (NK) cells. However, despite promising results from clinical trials, there are concerns over the use of NK cell-based therapy. Cells often undergo growth arrest, limiting their experimental utility; donor cells are extremely heterogeneous, resulting in content variability; and patients receiving allogeneic cells are at risk for graft-versus-host disease and/or cytokine release syndrome. Extracellular vesicles (EVs) have emerged as a new natural therapeutic tool. EVs are known to carry cargo derived from the parent cell from which they originate. NK cells play an important role in the innate immune system, targeting and killing tumor cells. This has led many researchers to isolate EVs from NK cells for their cytotoxic potential. Methods In this study, we isolated EVs from the NK cell line, NK3.3, which was derived from the peripheral blood of a healthy donor. Currently, it is the only normal human NK cell line reported with all the functional characteristics of healthy NK cells. To address the issue of growth arrest, we immortalized NK3.3 cells with lentivirus encoding the catalytic subunit of human telomerase htert (NK3.3-LTV). EVs from these cells were isolated using a modified polyethylene glycol (PEG)-acetate precipitation protocol to simplify processing and increase EV yield. Results and conclusions We demonstrated that NK3.3-LTV EVs target both sensitive and drug-resistant MM cell lines as well as primary patient MM cells in vitro, decreasing proliferation and inducing apoptotic cell death as well as or better than EVs from non-immortalized cells with no toxicity towards normal cells. This study is the first step towards developing an immunotherapeutic product designed to treat patients with relapsed/refractory MM.
Effects of strongly variable viscosity on three‐dimensional compressible convection in planetary mantles

A systematic investigation into the effects of temperature dependent viscosity on three-dimensional compressible mantle convection has been performed by means of numerical simulations in Cartesian geometry using a finite volume multigrid code, with a factor of 1000–2500 viscosity variation, Rayleigh numbers ranging from 105–107, and stress-free upper and lower boundaries. Considerable differences in model behavior are found depending on the details of rheology, heating mode, compressibility, and boundary conditions. Parameter choices were guided by realistic Earth models. In Boussinesq, basally heated cases with viscosity solely dependent on temperature and stress-free, isothermal boundaries, very long wavelength flows (∼25,000 km, assuming the depth corresponds to mantle thickness) with cold plumes and hot upwelling sheets result, in contrast to the upwelling plumes and downwelling sheets found in small domains, illustrating the importance of simulating wide domains. The addition of depth dependence results in small cells and reverses the planform, causing hot plumes and cold sheets. The planform of temperature-dependent viscosity convection is due predominantly to vertical variations in viscosity resulting from the temperature dependence. Compressibility, with associated depth-dependent properties, results in a tendency for broad upwelling plumes and narrow downwelling sheets, with large aspect ratio cells. Perhaps the greatest modulation effect occurs in internally heated compressible cases, in which the short-wavelength pattern of time-dependent cold plumes commonly observed in constant-viscosity calculations completely changes into a very long wavelength pattern of downwelling sheets (spaced up to 24,000 km apart) with time-dependent plumelike instabilities. These results are particularly interesting, since the basal heat flow in the Earth's mantle is usually thought to be very low, e.g., 5–20% of total. The effects of viscous dissipation and adiabatic heating play only a minor role in the overall heat budget for constant-viscosity cases, an observation which is not much affected by the Rayleigh number. However, viscous dissipation becomes important in the stiff upper boundary layer when viscosity is temperature dependent. This effect is caused by the very high stresses occurring in this stiff lid, typically 2 orders of magnitude higher than the stresses in the interior of the domain for the viscosity contrast modeled here. The temperature in the interior of convective cells is highly sensitive to the material properties, with temperature-dependent viscosity and depth-dependent thermal conductivity strongly increasing the internal temperature, and depth-dependent viscosity strongly decreasing it. The sensitivity of the observed flow pattern to these various complexities clearly illustrates the importance of performing compressible, variable-viscosity mantle convection calculations with rheological and thermodynamic properties matching as closely as possible those of the Earth.
Revisión de la biomecánica de la marcha en medio acuático vs terrestre (Review of gait biomechanics in aquatic vs. land environment)

El objetivo del presente articulo ha sido revisar la bibliografia relacionada con las caracteristicas espacio-temporales y angulares de la marcha en el medio acuatico y terrestre. La busqueda de articulos se realizo en las bases de datos PubMed, MedLine, y Web of Science y revistas cientificas especificas. Las palabras claves utilizadas fueron: biomechanical, kinematics, water, land, walking, gait, stride, entre otras. De los 165 resultados obtenidos inicialmente, 20 documentos fueron los seleccionados para nuestra revision y posterior analisis. Los aspectos de refinado fueron los tipos de documentos, categorias, resumenes y titulos. Se analizaron todos los articulos en funcion de sus objetivos, muestra, intervencion, variables, resultados y conclusiones. Finalmente, se profundizo y discutio aquellos trabajos cientificos que evaluaban los parametros biomecanicos de la marcha: longitud de ciclo, longitud de paso, frecuencia, duracion del ciclo de la marcha, velocidad, ancho de paso, simetria, angulos y duracion de la fase de apoyo. Abstract. The aim of this article was to review the literature on the spatiotemporal and angular characteristics of gait in the aquatic and land environment. The search was performed in databases such as PubMed and Web of Science and scientific journals our specific topic. The key words used were: biomechanics, kinematics, water, land, walking, gait, stride, among others. Of the 165 initial results, 20 papers were selected for our review and subsequent analysis. The aspects of refined were the types of documents, categories, abstracts and titles. All the articles were analyzed in terms of their objectives, sample, intervention, variables, results and conclusions. Finally, we deepened and discussed scientific works that evaluated kinematics parameters of walking: stride length, step length, frequency, stride duration, speed, step width, symmetry, angles and support phase duration.
Effective permeability of fractured porous media in steady state flow

Flow in fractured porous media was first investigated by Barenblatt and Zheltov [1960] and Barenblatt et al. [1960] by means of the double‐porosity model. A direct, exact, and complete numerical solution of the flow in such media is given in this paper for arbitrary distributions of permeabilities in the porous matrix and in the fracture network. The fracture network and the porous matrix are automatically meshed; the flow equations are discretized by means of the finite volume method. This code has been so far applied to incompressible fluids and to statistically homogeneous media which are schematized as spatially periodic media. Some results pertaining to random networks of polygonal fractures are presented and discussed; they show the importance of the percolation threshold of the fracture network and possibly of the porous matrix. Moreover, the influence of the fracture shape can be taken into account by means of the excluded volume.
Outcome of Treating Urinary Bladder Cancer in Sohag University Hospital

Background: One of the most common cancers among Egyptian men is the cancer of bladder, representing about 16 % and accounting for more than 7900 deaths per year. This rate is far higher than that observed across the majority of worldwide. Aim and objective: This study aimed to examine the outcome of patients with urinary bladder cancer treated in the Oncology Department, Sohag University Hospital. Patients and Methods : This is a retrospective study conducted on patients with pathologically proven urinary bladder cancer treated in Oncology Department, Sohag University Hospital, from January 2016 to December 2020. Results: The six months, one, two-, three-and five-years overall survival (OS) of all cohort of patients are 76.2%, 57.7%, 23.3%, 18.4% and 16.6% respectively. We found that there was an important relationship among OS and presence of pelvic pain, associated infiltration, receiving radiotherapy and radiotherapy toxicity, hydronephrosis, tumor size, (N & M) status, radiotherapy type, (P-value<0.05). Conclusion: The use of adjuvant radiation in the treatment of bladder cancer showed significant enhancements in both OS and disease-free survival (DFS). It is important to enhance community health awareness via the implementation of cultural programs and initiatives. These efforts aimed to disseminate knowledge about urinary bladder cancer, with the ultimate goal of facilitating early-stage detection and minimizing instances of late-stage diagnosis, which are often linked to hydronephrosis.
Synchronous Learning Experiences: Distance and Residential Learners' Perspectives in a Blended Graduate Course.

Synchronous communication has a great potential to increase individual participation and group collaboration. Despite increasing use, scant research has been conducted on variables impacting successful synchronous learning. This study focuses on learner experiences in a realtime communication mediated by the Breeze web-based collaboration system. It also combined conference mediums. Eight students, 4 residential and 4 learning at a distance, were interviewed to examine the perceived benefits and challenges of synchronous interaction. Study findings showed that learners valued spontaneous feedback, meaningful interactions, multiple perspectives, and instructors’ supports. On the other hand, time constraints, lack of reflection, language barriers, tool-related problems, and peers’ network connection problems were viewed as challenges. Due to pervasive time pressures, the synchronous interactions mainly focused on task-related issues. Nevertheless, students felt a need for connecting to others in the course and a sense of social presence. Interestingly, no differences were found between the distance and residential students in terms of learning strategies for synchronous discussions.
Energetic neutral atom imaging at low altitudes from the Swedish microsatellite Astrid: Extraction of the equatorial ion distribution

Energetic neutral atom (ENA) images obtained by the imager on board the Astrid satellite in the polar cap at 1000 km during a moderate magnetic storm (Dst ≥ −80 nT) on February 8, 1995, are simulated using a parameterized model of the equatorial ion distribution and a six-component Chamberlain exosphere with parameters from the Mass Spectrometer Incoherent Scatter Extended (MSISE-90) model. By changing the ion parameters until a matching ENA image is obtained, one can extract the equatorial ion distribution. Four consecutive images from different view points several minutes apart are simulated assuming H+ and O+, respectively, as parent ions. The optimal set of parameters is extracted by minimizing the χ2 difference between simulated and observed ENA images using Powell's minimization algorithm. The optimal equatorial model ion distribution consists of O+ peaked around dusk. The lower intensity of fluxes obtained from vantage points closer to the pole is an effect of the loss cone of the parent ion distribution being empty.
Satisfaction with Online Learning: A Comparative Descriptive Study.

A 3 rd party provider approached university faculty and administration to develop an on-line program for the Master’s degree in educational administration and leadership. While the monetary benefits of an online delivery were attractive, the institution rested its final decision on the instructional merits of the plan. The faculty used a 3 rd party provider for technical expertise, design, and student support for the program. A descriptive study was conducted to determine to what degree students were satisfied with the online program and their degree of satisfaction in comparison to on-ground courses. Results indicated that students in the online program were satisfied with the courses; however, they noted valuable concerns to be addressed. Implications of these findings are discussed.
Stability and crystal structure of MgSiO3 perovskite to the core‐mantle boundary

We report in situ angle‐dispersive X‐ray diffraction measurements for MgSiO3 at 90–118 and 135–144 GPa and 300–2900 K. At 90–144 GPa, we observed a new diffraction peak at 2.57–2.62 Å as reported in Shim et al. [2001] . The pressure‐induced position shift of the new peak is consistent with those of MgSiO3 perovskite (Mg‐Pv), supporting that the new peak is associated with a modification in crystal structure of Mg‐Pv at 88 GPa. During laser heating above 2500 K at 144 ± 10 GPa, in addition to peaks of Mg‐Pv, we observed new peaks as well as peak splittings and intensity changes of some peaks. The major features in the diffraction patterns can be explained by the modified Mg‐Pv proposed by Shim et al. [2001] together with the post‐perovskite phase proposed by Murakami et al. [2004] . This supports the existence of a major phase transition in MgSiO3 under conditions close to those at the base of Earth's mantle.
Surface Energy Balances of Three General Circulation Models: Implications for Simulating Regional Climate Change

Abstract We examine surface energy balances simulated by three general circulation models for current climatic boundary conditions and for an atmosphere with twice current levels of CO2. Differences between model simulations provide a measure of uncertainty in the prediction of surface temperature in a double-CO2 climate, and diagnosis of the energy balance suggests the radiative and thermodynamic processes responsible for these differences. The scale dependence of the surface energy balance is examined by averaging over a hierarchy of spatial domains ranging from the entire globe to regions encompassing just a few model grid points. Upward and downward longwave fluxes are the dominant terms in the global-average balance for each model and climate. The models product nearly the same global-average surface temperature in their current climate simulations, so their upward longwave fluxes are nearly the same, but in the global-average balance their downward longwave fluxes, absorbed solar radiation, and sens.
Inclusion of children with disabilities and special educational needs in physical education: an exploratory study of factors associated with Irish teachers’ attitudes, self-efficacy, and school context

ABSTRACT Since the publication of the Education for People with Special Educational Needs Act in 2004, inclusion in Ireland has become a priority for the educational system. Despite the promotion of physical education (PE) as a key setting for facilitating inclusion in schools, research has shown that the children with special educational needs and disabilities are still excluded from PE. Research evidence shows that teachers’ attitudes and self-efficacy and the broader school context within which teachers work are among the most important factors facilitating inclusion in PE. Therefore, the aim of this study was to explore teachers’ attitudes towards inclusion, self-efficacy in delivering inclusive pedagogies, and perceptions about whether inclusion was supported within the schools. A cross-sectional design was used, and a questionnaire was sent to Irish PE teachers. Results of this study showed that teachers’ attitudes were positively correlated to the number of different types of disabilities in PE class. It was found that secondary school teachers had higher self-efficacy levels than their primary school colleagues. Findings from this study revealed that teachers who had frequent personal contact with SEND people showed more positive perceptions about the extent to which inclusion was supported in the school within which they worked.
Políticas anticíclicas na indústria automobilística: Uma análise de cointegração dos impactos da redução do IPI sobre as vendas de veículos

O objetivo deste trabalho e analisar os impactos da reducao do Imposto sobre Produtos Industrializados (IPI) sobre as vendas de veiculos no Brasil entre janeiro e novembro de 2009. Para alcancar esse objetivo, foi estimado um modelo no qual as vendas internas de veiculos sao funcao do preco, da renda e do credito concedido para sua aquisicao. O modelo econometrico adotado permite verificar a existencia de relacoes de curto e de longo prazo entre as variaveis utilizadas. Os resultados obtidos para as elasticidades de transmissao das variaveis no longo prazo e para suas velocidades de ajustamento reafirmam a percepcao de que a reducao do IPI foi bastante importante para a recuperacao das vendas do setor automotivo no periodo subsequente a crise financeira internacional. A reducao do imposto foi responsavel por 20,7% das vendas que se observaram no periodo analisado. O credito, porem, teria apresentado um efeito nao desprezivel, especialmente se outras medidas anticiclicas nao tivessem sido adotadas ao longo do ano de 2009. The aim of this paper is to analyze the impacts of the reduction of the Brazilian Tax on Industrialized Products (IPI) on the local sales of vehicles during the period between January and November of 2009. In order to evaluate these impacts, sales have been modeled as a function of price, income and credit for the acquisition of vehicles. The econometric model takes into account the existence of short run and long run relationships among the variables. The results obtained for the long run elasticities of transmission as well as for their short run adjustment speeds reinforce the perception that the reduction of the IPI was particularly relevant to the recovery of the vehicle sales in Brazil in the period after the international financial crisis. The results showed that 20.7% of the vehicle sales during the period can be associated to the reduction of the IPI. An increment in the credit for the acquisition of vehicles could have showed a not negligible effect on the vehicle sales especially in the absence of other countercyclical measures in 2009.
Mechanical Properties and Nanomotion of BT-20 and ZR-75 Breast Cancer Cells Studied by Atomic Force Microscopy and Optical Nanomotion Detection Method

Cells of two molecular genetic types of breast cancer—hormone-dependent breast cancer (ZR-75 cell line) and triple-negative breast cancer (BT-20 cell line)—were studied using atomic force microscopy and an optical nanomotion detection method. Using the Peak Force QNM and Force Volume AFM modes, we revealed the unique patterns of the dependence of Young’s modulus on the indentation depth for two cancer cell lines that correlate with the features of the spatial organization of the actin cytoskeleton. Within a 200–300 nm layer just under the cell membrane, BT-20 cells are stiffer than ZR-75 cells, whereas in deeper cell regions, Young’s modulus of ZR-75 cells exceeds that of BT-20 cells. Two cancer cell lines also displayed a difference in cell nanomotion dynamics upon exposure to cytochalasin D, a potent actin polymerization inhibitor. The drug strongly modified the nanomotion pattern of BT-20 cells, whereas it had almost no effect on the ZR-75 cells. We are confident that nanomotion monitoring and measurement of the stiffness of cancer cells at various indentation depths deserve further studies to obtain effective predictive parameters for use in clinical practice.
Speleothem Palaeosecular Variation Records from China: Their Contribution to the Coverage of Holocene Palaeosecular Variation Data in East Asia

Five stalagmitic speleothems from two caves in Sichuan province China, have yielded data on the palaeosecular variation (PSV) of the past 8.9 ka. The uranium-thorium disequilibrium method has been utilised in order to estimate the age of each record. Due to the high detrital load contributing some allogenic thorium, age corrections had to be applied to most sub-samples. The directional agreement between coeval central and lateral sub-samples where growth layers are horizontal and steeply dipping respectively suggests that inclination errors are absent in these speleothems. Correlation between features of declination and inclination in the individual records, even after time-averaging, are reasonable indicating a local consistency in recorded PSV and adding to the reliability of the palaeomagnetic and age data. Comparisons between our speleothem directions and the directions of the modern field drifted westward past our site at 0.13° yr -1 suggests westward drifting of non-dipole sources during the past 2.8 ka. Using directional data from two speleothems with the longest growth periods a composite curve covering the past 8.9 ka has been constructed. The resulting VGP path again indicates predominantly westward drift. The declination and inclination features of these speleothems also compare reasonably with features of PSV in contemporaneous records from China and Japan.