Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Institutional shareholder activism in Nigeria. Corporate Governance , 16 (4), 680-692.

Purpose- The purpose of this paper is to investigate institutional shareholder activism in Nigeria. It addresses the paucity of empirical research on institutional shareholder activism in sub-Saharan Africa. Design/Methodology -This study employs agency theory to understand the institutional shareholder approach to shareholder activism in Nigeria. The data is collected through qualitative interviews with expert representatives from financial institutions. Findings -The findings indicate evidence of low-level shareholder activism in Nigeria. The study provides empirical insight into the reasons why institutional shareholders might adopt an active or passive approach to shareholder activism. The findings suggest the pension structure involving two types of pension institutions affects the ability to engage in shareholder activism. Research implications- The research study advances our understanding of the status-quo of institutional shareholder activism in an African context such as Nigeria. Practical implications - The paper makes a practical contribution by highlighting that regulators need to consider how the financial market conditions and characteristics affect effective promotion of better governance practices and performance through shareholder activism. Originality- This study draws attention to the implication for shareholder activism of complexities associated with an institutional arrangement where two types of financial institutions are expected to operate and manage the private pension funds in a country.
I nterest G roups and the G lass -s teaGall a ct

Banks are regulated and supervised according to technical criteria, and banking contracts are enforced according to abstruse laws, but those criteria and laws are not created and enforced by robots programmed to maximize social welfare. They are the outcomes of a political process – a game, as it were – whose stakes are wealth and power. There is, in fact, no getting politics out of bank regulation, because public officials have inherent and unavoidable conflicts of interest when it comes to the banking system. First, governments simultaneously regulate banks and look to them as a source of finance. Second, governments enforce the credit contracts that discipline debtors on behalf of banks (and in the process assist in the seizing of debtor collateral), but they rely on those same debtors for political support. Third, governments allocate losses among creditors in the event of bank failures, but they may simultaneously look to the largest group of those creditors – bank depositors – for political support.
A STUDY BETWEEN RELATIONSHIP OF VITAMIN D LEVEL OF MOTHER AND ANTHROPOMETRIC INDICES OF TERM NEONATES

Background: Vitamin D deficiency in women is unexpected in south Asian countries including India blessed with abundant sunshine. In central part of India, there are few studies about the demographic characteristics of women with vitamin D deficiency and its correlation with birth weight and birth length. The aim of this study was to evaluate demographic characteristics of pregnant women in relation to vitamin D deficiency and relate with neonates birth weight and birth length. Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive analytical study of 100 pregnant women was carried out in government and government aided hospitals in Indore district in the state of Madhya Pradesh. An exclusion criteria was applied. A questionnaire was designed and demographic data were recorded. Participants socioeconomic status, level of vitamin D deficiency and body mass index as measure of health were classified as per guidelines. 25-hydroxy vitamin D3 was assessed in pregnant women and in umbilical cord blood of new born. Results: Maternal vitamin D severe deficiency was noted in 9%, deficiency in 59%, insufficiency in 21% and sufficiency in 11% of 100 participants. Age of the participants varied from 18 years to 39 years with average of 28± 7.14 years. Birth weight of 100 new born was in the range 1685 to 3300 gm with average of 2335±41.8 gm. Birth length of the newborn was in the range 34.2 to 54.9 cm with average of 44.3±4.78 cm. The newborn with vitamin D deficiency level <20 ng/ml were underweight Average weight of newborn with insufficient vitamin D level was 2566.6±86.4. Conclusions: Though maternal vitamin D level is significantly associated with socioeconomic status of participants, vitamin D deficiency was found even in women belonging to upper and upper middle class. Vitamin D deficiency is significantly related with birth weight and birth length. Similar results were obtained in a study of pregnant women in south India, [9] and in Iran. [16]
A Purely Algebraic Proof of the Fundamental Theorem of Algebra

Proofs of the fundamental theorem of algebra can be divided up into three groups according to the techniques involved: proofs that rely on real or complex analysis, algebraic proofs, and topological proofs. Algebraic proofs make use of the fact that odd- degree real polynomials have real roots. This assumption, however, requires analytic methods, namely, the intermediate value theorem for real continuous functions. In this paper, we develop the idea of algebraic proof further towards a purely algebraic proof of the in- termediate value theorem for real polynomials. In our proof, we neither use the notion of continuous function nor refer to any the- orem of real and complex analysis. Instead, we apply techniques of modern algebra: we extend the field of real numbers to the non-Archimedean field of hyperreals via an ultraproduct construc- tion and explore some relationships between the subring of limited hyperreals, its maximal ideal of infinitesimals, and real numbers.
FUSION GENE (TEL-AML1) OCCURRENCE IN ACUTE LYMPHOBLASTIC LEUKEMIA (ALL) PATIENTS WITH REFERENCE TO CLINICAL AND DEMOGRAPHIC FEATURES

: Objective: Children suffer from ALL (Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia) a malignant tumour most commonly in underdeveloped countries all over the world. Various significant abbreviations of chromosomes which include translocations and also result in the fusion gene production are also in fashion (TEL-AML1, BCR-ABL and MLL-AF4). In the mentioned abbreviations fusion gene (TEL-AML1) has an association with cases of ALL. It also possesses prognostic and clinical importance. We aimed to detect fusion oncogene (TEL-AML1) frequency in the cases of ALL and its correlation to factors such as WBC, FAB subtype and age. Materials and Methods: We studied 66 ALL patients at Mayo Hospital, Lahore from August 2016 to June 2017. We did not include any case of T-ALL and on chemotherapy. We analyzed data on SPSS software and assessed prognostic features such as sex, age, level of haemoglobin, platelet count, immune-phenotype, WBC profile and FAB type. We performed an RT-PCR procedure and RNA extraction in order to detect any possible fusion oncogene (TEL-AML1). Results: In the total sample of sixty-six patients, fusion oncogene (TEL-AML1) frequency found in five patients (7.6%). About every case of positive (TEL-AML1) carried B-Lineage immune-phenotype, FAB ALL-L1, mean haemoglobin level (6 g/dl) and age (3 – 5) years. These parameters had a good relationship with the prognosis procedure. Conclusion: Fusion gene (TEL-AML1) frequency was about 7.6% in the research subjects which is not comparable with Western studies. In case of its universal acceptance, the fusion gene (TEL-AML1) identification in cases of ALL is likely to improve the satisfaction of the risk in order to shortlist a suitable therapy.
Edinburgh Research Explorer The shape of red grouse cycles

1. We examined 223 time-series of red grouse ( Lagopus lagopus scoticus ) numbers compiled from bag-records from grouse moors located across England, and for evidence of non-time-reversibility, asymmetry in cycle shape and non-linearity. We found 44% of time-series to be non-time-reversible. Over 80% of time-series spent more time increasing than decreasing (but only 32% did so signiﬁcantly). 3. Non-linearity was detected in 44% of time-series examined, and these non-linear time-series were 1·7 times more likely to be non-time-reversible compared to the linear time-series. The occurrence of non-linear and non-time-reversible series was not related to location, number of days with rain, temperature, moor area or population growth rate. The predominance of symmetrical peaks increased with easting but was not related to number of days with rain, temperature, northing or moor area. 5. There were no signiﬁcant relationships between time-reversibility or non-linearity status and either tendency to cycle or cycle periodicity. However, populations that cycled with longer periods exhibited slower rates of increase and more equal lengths of time increasing and decreasing in numbers. 6. Our results provide little evidence that grouse cycles observed in different parts of the species range in the United Kingdom arise from fundamentally different processes.
The four causes: the functional architecture of centromeres and kinetochores

Kinetochores are molecular machines that power chromosome segregation during the mitotic and meiotic cell divisions of all eukaryotes. Aristotle explains how we think we have knowledge of a thing only when we have grasped its cause. The four causes correspond to questions that one must ask to gain understanding of natural phenomena - which in our case is the Kinetochore: 1) What are the constituent parts? 2) How does it assemble? 3) What is the structure and arrangement? and 4) What is the function? Here we outline the current blueprint for the assembly of a kinetochore, how functions are mapped onto this architecture and how this is shaped by the underlying pericentromeric chromatin. This is possible because an almost complete parts list of the kinetochore is now available alongside recent advances using in vitro reconstitution, structural biology and genomics. In many organisms each kinetochore binds to multiple microtubules and we propose a model for how this ensemble-level architecture is organised, drawing on key insights from the simple “one microtubule-one kinetochore” setup in budding yeast and innovations that enable meiotic chromosome segregation.
Structure and mechanism for streptococcal fatty acid kinase (Fak) system dedicated to host fatty acid scavenging

Staphylococcus and Streptococcus, two groups of major human pathogens, are equipped with a fatty acid kinase (Fak) machinery to scavenge host fatty acids. The Fak complex is contains an ATP-binding subunit FakA, which interacts with varied FakB isoforms, and synthesizes acyl-phosphate from extracellular fatty acids. However, how FakA recognizes its FakB partners and then activates different fatty acids is poorly understood. Here, we systematically describe the Fak system from the zoonotic pathogen, Streptococcus suis. The crystal structure of SsFakA complexed with SsFakB2 was determined at 2.6 Å resolution. An in vitro system of Fak-PlsX (phosphate: acyl-ACP transacylase) was developed to track acyl-phosphate intermediate and its final product acyl-ACP. Structure-guided mutagenesis enabled us to characterize a mechanism for streptococcal FakA working with FakB partners engaged in host fatty acid scavenging. These findings offer a comprehensive description of the Fak kinase machinery, thus advancing the discovery of attractive targets against deadly infections with Streptococcus.
Headway and the remaining hurdles of mesenchymal stem cells therapy for bronchopulmonary dysplasia

Preterm infants are at a high risk of developing BPD. Although progression in neonatal care has improved, BPD still causes significant morbidity and mortality, which can be attributed to the limited therapeutic choices for BPD. This review discusses the potential of MSC in treating BPD as well as their hurdles and possible solutions.
Are mobile phone ownership and age of acquisition associated with child adjustment? A 5‐year prospective study among low‐income Latinx children

Abstract This prospective, longitudinal study examined associations between whether and when children first acquire a mobile phone and their adjustment measures, among low‐income Latinx children. Children (N = 263; 55% female; baseline M age = 9.5) and their parents were assessed annually for 5 years from 2012. Children first acquired a mobile phone at a mean (SD) age of 11.62 (1.41) years. Pre‐registered multilevel models tested associations linking phone ownership, phone acquisition age, and the interaction between ownership and acquisition age to levels and changing trends of depressive symptoms, school grades, and reported and objectively assessed sleep. Results showed no statistically significant associations, controlling the False Discovery Rate. Findings suggest an absence of meaningful links from mobile phone ownership and acquisition age to child adjustment.
Possible Generalizations within Braneworld Scenarios: Torsion fields

In this Chapter we introduce the aspects in which torsion can influence the formalism of braneworld scenarios in general, and also how it is possible to measure such kind of effects, namely, for instance, the blackstring transverse area corrections and variation of quasar luminosity due to those corrections. We analyze the projected effective Einstein equation in a 4-dimensional arbitrary manifold embedded in a 5-dimensional Riemann-Cartan manifold. The Israel-Darmois matching conditions are investigated, in the context where the torsion discontinuity is orthogonal to the brane. Unexpectedly, the presence of torsion terms in the connection does not modify such conditions whatsoever, despite of the modification in the extrinsic curvature and in the connection. Then, by imposing the Z2-symmetry, the Einstein equation obtained via Gauss-Codazzi formalism is extended, in order to now encompass the torsion terms. We also show that the factors involving contorsion change drastically the effective Einstein equation on the brane, as well as the effective cosmological constant. Also, we present gravitational aspects of braneworld models endowed with torsion terms both in the bulk and on the brane. In order to investigate a conceivable and measurable gravitational effect, arising genuinely from bulk torsion terms, we analyze the variation in the black hole area by the presence of torsion. Furthermore, we extend the well known results about consistency conditions in a framework that incorporates brane torsion terms. It is shown, in a rough estimate, that the resulting effects are generally suppressed by the internal space volume.
The Clustering Evolution of Dusty Star-Forming Galaxies

The discovery that Cosmic Infra-red Background (CIB, e.g. Puget et al. (1996), Fixsen et al. 1998) had a similar energy density to the UV optical background implies that a significant proportion of the star formation over the history of the Universe has been obscured by dust.
Estimation of the initial amplitude of plasma bubble seed perturbation from ionograms

This work gives the description of an experimental method for the calculation of the initial amplitude of plasma bubble seed perturbation in the bottomside F layer from ionograms. The observations show that after sunset the ionograms exhibit irregularities in the base of the F trace. In the context of the plasma depletion in the bottomside F‐layer, the irregularities in ionograms can be seen like isodensity contour in evolution (in space and time). The initial amplitudes, calculated using the methodology, vary between 0.03 and 0.08. The ionograms analyzed were obtained from the station of Cachimbo (9.5°S, 54.8°W) during COPEX campaign in Brazil. The methodology can be useful for application in numerical simulation of plasma bubbles in which actual ionospheric parameters are used.
Climate drives the spatiotemporal dynamics of scrub typhus in China

Scrub typhus is a climate‐sensitive and life‐threatening vector‐borne disease that poses a growing public health threat. Although the climate‐epidemic associations of many vector‐borne diseases have been studied for decades, the impacts of climate on scrub typhus remain poorly understood, especially in the context of global warming. Here we incorporate Chinese national surveillance data on scrub typhus from 2010 to 2019 into a climate‐driven generalized additive mixed model to explain the spatiotemporal dynamics of this disease and predict how it may be affected by climate change under various representative concentration pathways (RCPs) for three future time periods (the 2030s, 2050s, and 2080s). Our results demonstrate that temperature, precipitation, and relative humidity play key roles in driving the seasonal epidemic of scrub typhus in mainland China with a 2‐month lag. Our findings show that the change of projected spatiotemporal dynamics of scrub typhus will be heterogeneous and will depend on specific combinations of regional climate conditions in future climate scenarios. Our results contribute to a better understanding of spatiotemporal dynamics of scrub typhus, which can help public health authorities refine their prevention and control measures to reduce the risks resulting from climate change.
Whole‐genome sequencing of SARS‐CoV‐2: Comparison of target capture and amplicon single molecule real‐time sequencing protocols

Fast, accurate sequencing methods are needed to identify new variants and genetic mutations of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‐CoV‐2) genome. Single‐molecule real‐time (SMRT) Pacific Biosciences (PacBio) provides long, highly accurate sequences by circular consensus reads. This study compares the performance of a target capture SMRT PacBio protocol for whole‐genome sequencing (WGS) of SARS‐CoV‐2 to that of an amplicon PacBio SMRT sequencing protocol. The median genome coverage was higher (p < 0.05) with the target capture protocol (99.3% [interquartile range, IQR: 96.3–99.5]) than with the amplicon protocol (99.3% [IQR: 69.9–99.3]). The clades of 65 samples determined with both protocols were 100% concordant. After adjusting for Ct values, S gene coverage was higher with the target capture protocol than with the amplicon protocol. After stratification on Ct values, higher S gene coverage with the target capture protocol was observed only for samples with Ct > 17 (p < 0.01). PacBio SMRT sequencing protocols appear to be suitable for WGS, genotyping, and detecting mutations of SARS‐CoV‐2.
Prostate cancer incidence in men with prostate‐specific antigen below 3 ng/mL: The Finnish Randomized Study of Screening for Prostate Cancer

Prostate‐specific antigen (PSA)‐based screening for prostate cancer (PCa) can reduce PCa mortality, but also involves overdetection of low‐risk disease with potential adverse effects. We evaluated PCa incidence among men with PSA below 3 ng/mL and no PCa diagnosis at the first screening round of the Finnish Randomized Study of Screening for PCa. Follow‐up started at the first screening attendance and ended at PCa diagnosis, emigration, death or the common closing date (December 2016), whichever came first. Cox regression analysis was used to estimate hazard ratios and their confidence intervals (CI). Among men with PSA <3 ng/mL, cumulative PCa incidence was 9.1% after 17.6 years median follow‐up. Cumulative incidence was 3.6% among men with baseline PSA 0 to 0.99 ng/mL, 11.5% in those with PSA 1.0 to 1.99 ng/mL and 25.7% among men with PSA 2 to 2.99 ng/mL (hazard ratio 9.0, 95% CI: 7.9‐10.2 for the latter). The differences by PSA level were most striking for low‐risk disease based on Gleason score and EAU risk group. PSA values <1 ng/mL indicate a very low 20‐year risk, while at PSA 2 to 2.99 ng/mL risks are materially higher, with 4‐ to 5‐fold risk for aggressive disease. Using risk‐stratification and appropriate rescreening intervals will reduce screening intensity and overdetection. Using cumulative incidence of clinically significant PCa (csPCa) as the criterion, rescreening intervals could range from approximately 3 years for men with initial PSA 2 to 2.99 ng/mL, 6 years for men with PSA 1 to 1.99 ng/mL to 10 years for men with PSA <1 ng/mL.
Annual carbon sequestration and loss rates under altered hydrology and fire regimes in southeastern USA pocosin peatlands

Peatlands drained for agriculture or forestry are susceptible to the rapid release of greenhouse gases (GHGs) through enhanced microbial decomposition and increased frequency of deep peat fires. We present evidence that rewetting drained subtropical wooded peatlands (STWPs) along the southeastern USA coast, primarily pocosin bogs, could prevent significant carbon (C) losses. To quantify GHG emissions and storage from drained and rewetted pocosin we used eddy covariance techniques, the first such estimates that have been applied to this major bog type, on a private drained (PD) site supplemented by static chamber measurements at PD and Pocosin Lakes National Wildlife Refuge. Net ecosystem exchange measurements showed that the loss was 21.2 Mg CO2 ha−1 year−1 (1 Mg = 106 g) in the drained pocosin. Under a rewetted scenario, where the annual mean water table depth (WTD) decreased from 60 to 30 cm, the C loss was projected to fall to 2 Mg CO2 ha−1 year−1, a 94% reduction. If the WTD was 20 cm, the peatlands became a net carbon sink (−3.3 Mg CO2 ha−1 year−1). Hence, net C reductions could reach 24.5 Mg CO2 ha−1 year−1, and when scaled up to the 4000 ha PD site nearly 100,000 Mg CO2 year−1 of creditable C could be amassed. We conservatively estimate among the 0.75 million ha of southeastern STWPs, between 450 and 770 km2 could be rewet, reducing annual GHG emissions by 0.96–1.6 Tg (1 Tg = 1012 g) of CO2, through suppressed microbial decomposition and 1.7–2.8 Tg via fire prevention, respectively. Despite covering <0.01% of US land area, rewetting drained pocosin can potentially provide 2.4% of the annual CO2 nationwide reduction target of 0.18 Pg (1 Pg = 1015 g). Suggesting pocosin restoration can contribute disproportionately to the US goal of achieving net‐zero emission by 2050.