Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Adaptable Technologies for Life – Cycle Processing of Tantalum Bearing Minerals

Nigeria is richly endowed in convertible natural resources of which solid minerals are a member of the endowments. However, the country is basically a mono-product economy based on its vast oil deposit accounting for over 84% of foreign earnings and 25% of GDP. The triple challenges of the volatile nature of global oil politics, achieving the objectives of the millennium development goals and the national economy empowerment and development strategies calls for diversification into hitherto neglected solid mineral deposits to open a window of opportunities. One of the widely reported mineral deposits in the country with strong international influence is tantalum-bearing mineral. The mineral had in the past few decades experienced a strong growth in demand averaging 10% per annum since 1992 with total world consumption estimated at over 38 thousand tonne in 2005. The total annual supply of the ore concentrate in 2001 was 720 tonnes when demand was 26 thousand tonnes. Thus, pushing the price of the concentrate to an all time high of $165 / kg in 2001. This paper outlines the characteristics of the Nigerian tantalum reserves. It also presents the evaluation of the competing technologies for complete cycle processing of tantalum bearing minerals for adoption in the Nigeria solid mineral industry.
TargetDB: a target registration database for structural genomics projects

UNLABELLED TargetDB is a centralized target registration database that includes protein target data from the NIH structural genomics centers and a number of international sites. TargetDB, which is hosted by the Protein Data Bank (RCSB PDB), provides status information on target sequences and tracks their progress through the various stages of protein production and structure determination. A simple search form permits queries based on contributing site, target ID, protein name, sequence, status and other data. The progress of individual targets or entire structural genomics projects may be tracked over time, and target data from all contributing centers may also be downloaded in the XML format. AVAILABILITY TargetDB is available at http://targetdb.pdb. org/
Auditor Independence and Auditor-Provided Tax Service: Evidence from Going-Concern Audit Opinions Prior to Bankruptcy Filings

SUMMARY: This study examines whether auditors’ provision of tax services impairs auditor independence by focusing on auditors’ going-concern opinions among a sample of bankruptcy filing firms. The evidence from the bankruptcy setting is particularly salient given that the bankruptcy of corporations such as Enron motivated several provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (SOX) of 2002. More recently, auditors’ provision of tax service to their audit clients has been the focus of new rules by the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB). Consistent with improved audit quality from information spillover, the study documents a significant positive correlation between the level of tax services fees and the likelihood of correctly issuing a going-concern opinion prior to the bankruptcy filing. One implication of this result is that restricting tax services by auditors of poorly performing firms may diminish the quality of auditors’ reporting decisions without leading to an improvement in auditor independence.
Urban governance in cross-border coalitions - The case of the Jiangyin Economic Development Zone in Jingjiang, China

Joint industrial development zones have emerged among cities in the Yangtze River Delta region in recent years. Given that such zones involve collaboration between different authorities, this has implications for the practice of urban governance in China. This article examines these processes in relation to the Jiangyin Economic Development Zone in Jingjiang (JZJ) using debates around urban growth coalitions. Two categories of actors, different levels of local government and business sectors, are identified and their interactions in coalition-building are analysed in detail. After tracing the process of coalition formation, this paper argues that growth coalitions can form between two cities involving processes above the urban scale in a globalising era. In addition, a local government–big business coalition, similar to its Western counterparts, is dominating industrial zone construction within Chinese urban growth.
Reproductive Health Consequences of Intimate Partner Violence

Intimate partner violence is widespread and results in significant negative mental and physical health outcomes for women. This article is a review of nursing research on intimate partner violence and women’s reproductive health and focuses on studies published since 1995, building on prior reviews. We begin with research on forced sex and the resulting physical and emotional trauma as well as implications for contraception, STD/HIV prevention, and condom use negotiation. We then discuss several approaches to the study of abuse during pregnancy, including several studies of nursing interventions. We conclude with the clinical implications of these studies.
An investment strategy based on gearing ratio

This study investigates the predictive ability of gearing in the long term for UK firms. Robustness tests are carried out to examine the returns in excess of that attainable using book to market, price earnings and size as risk factors. It is shown that by pursuing an investment strategy based on gearing ratios and a holding period of three years, returns of 9.9% in excess of market return are attainable. Excess returns, up to 21% are attainable when portfolios are constructed based on price earnings ratio and gearing ratio.
Diacylglycerol kinase ɛ regulates seizure susceptibility and long-term potentiation through arachidonoyl– inositol lipid signaling

Arachidonoyldiacylglycerol (20:4-DAG) is a second messenger derived from phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate and generated by stimulation of glutamate metabotropic receptors linked to G proteins and activation of phospholipase C. 20:4-DAG signaling is terminated by its phosphorylation to phosphatidic acid, catalyzed by diacylglycerol kinase (DGK). We have cloned the murine DGKɛ gene that showed, when expressed in COS-7 cells, selectivity for 20:4-DAG. The significance of DGKɛ in synaptic function was investigated in mice with targeted disruption of the DGKɛ. DGKɛ−/− mice showed a higher resistance to eletroconvulsive shock with shorter tonic seizures and faster recovery than DGKɛ+/+ mice. The phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate-signaling pathway in cerebral cortex was greatly affected, leading to lower accumulation of 20:4-DAG and free 20:4. Also, long-term potentiation was attenuated in perforant path–dentate granular cell synapses. We propose that DGKɛ contributes to modulate neuronal signaling pathways linked to synaptic activity, neuronal plasticity, and epileptogenesis.
The effect of financial instruments usage on the value-relevance of earnings and equity book value: A panel data approach

This study explores the prediction that the pricing multiple on the earnings (equity book value) increases/decreases as the listed firms who have larger magnitudes of financial instruments usage after the SFAS No. 34 is enforced in Taiwan. The empirical result indicates that the relative value relevance of earnings variable increases for the active financial instruments users compared to firms who only moderately use or do not use financial instruments. These results remain robust to the various specification tests. It is also found that the relative value relevance of equity book value decreases for the active financial instruments users; yet, are sensitive in some robust tests. Key words: SFAS No.34, financial instruments, value-relevance, earnings, equity book value.
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY, CONTROL AND POWER: THE CENTRALIZATION AND DECENTRALIZATION DEBATE REVISITED*

This article addresses the conceptualization of power in relation to the use of computers in organizations. Commonly held views that the application of computer based information systems leads to either a centralization or a decentralization of power and control, or that computers merely reinforce the power of dominant actors, are criticized, and an alternative view is put forward which focuses on the symbolic and disciplinary dimensions of the development of information systems. This perspective is then illustrated in connection with the development of management information systems in the National Health Service.
Perpetuating the Male Gaze as the Norm: Challenges for ‘Her’ Participation in Business Travel

Shift in postindustrial societies, influenced by trends such as globalization and the growth of service economies, fuels the continuous growth of business travel—traditionally an arena of male dominance and reflective of women's historically domesticated role. Contemporary societal changes, however, have resulted in the increased participation of women as business travellers. Despite the importance of business travel to global tourism industries, scholarly research on business travel is lacking and gender issues have received even less attention. In the context of New Zealand, this study approaches women as active consumers in business travel, aiming to reveal the power relations perpetuating the male gaze as the norm that influences marketing and operational practices of the tourism industry. Both production and consumption arenas are investigated to uncover the perceptions of tourism managers, and to explore how women see themselves in the field. It is found that although women have gained access to perform in a globalized business world and see it as a form of empowerment, their travel experiences are negotiated within contexts of household and societal expectations. Multitudinous roles, ideological structures, and traditional dichotomies culminate in present tensions and challenges for ‘her’ participation in business travel, thus shaping and defining how women consume business travel products.
Designing Smart Home Interfaces: Traditional vs Virtual Prototyping

This paper presents a structured User Centered Design (UCD) method to design and develop a highly usable smart home platform to manage the energy consumption of connected appliances. It exploits advanced Tangible Augmented Reality (TAR) technologies to virtually prototype the conceived design solutions and carry out usability testing with sample users. Usability tests are carried out both on traditional high fidelity prototypes and on an innovative Tangible Augmented Reality prototype. Experimental results prove the efficiency of the UCD approach supported by virtual prototypes, instead of traditional ones, the reliability of TAR prototypes to detect usability problems and assess user satisfaction, and its high interaction quality. Advantages obtainable by implementing the proposed structured UCD approach for web interface design, in the context of smart home, are discussed.
Cause-Effect Dynamics of Computer and Network Systems for QoS

To provide Quality of Service (QoS) demanded by many online services (e.g., e-commerce), computer and network systems need to have QoS monitoring and adaptation which must be based on cause-effect dynamics relations among service activities, the state of system resources, and the QoS performance of service processes. This paper presents our study on cause-effect dynamics models for one of computer and network services, the voice communication service with the throughput of network data as the QoS feature of interest. Experiments are conducted to obtain computer and network data under various service conditions that are set up using three service parameters: the sampling rate, the number of clients and the buffer size. The experimental data is then analyzed. We uncover four major types of cause-effect dynamics. We found a set of five system state variables concerning the memory, CPU, process and IP resources that are significantly affected by the service parameters and are closely linked to the network throughput performance of the voice communication service. New insights are also gained about satisfying high QoS demands by properly increasing the size of the buffer which holds the network data before the data transmission.
Immunoproteomic Analysis of the Development of Natural Immunity in Subjects Colonized by Neisseria meningitidis Reveals Potential Vaccine Candidates

ABSTRACT The potential protective effect of existing vaccines against serogroup B meningococci, based on outer membrane proteins, is limited by strain restriction and apparent short duration of immune responses. In contrast, meningococcal colonization is known to stimulate the production of cross-protective antibodies as defined by the development of serum bactericidal activity (SBA) against heterologous serogroup B strains. In the current study, a resource of human serum samples and meningococcal carriage strains from studies of longitudinal carriage has been subjected to immunoproteomic analysis to investigate the outer membrane protein antigens associated with the development of SBA to both homologous and heterologous meningococcal serogroup B strains. Proteins from outer membranes of homologous and heterologous strains were separated by two-dimensional electrophoresis and reacted with paired sera which showed an increase in SBA following colonization. Individuals showed differing patterns of reactivity upon colonization, with an increase in SBA being associated with increases in the number of spots detected before and after colonization and/or with increases in the intensity of individual spots. Analysis of immunoreactive spots by mass spectrometry resulted in the identification of 43 proteins potentially associated with the development of SBA against both homologous and heterologous strains. The list of protein immunogens generated included not only well-established antigens but also novel proteins that represent potentially new candidates for inclusion in defined, multicomponent serogroup B vaccines.
The significance of South Africa's Traditional Courts Bill1 to the challenge of promoting African traditional justice systems

ABSTRACT The tabling of the Traditional Courts Bill before South Africa's Parliament is part of a larger collective effort of the legislature to enhance the essential role of traditional leadership and customary law (intertwined principles) in the advancement and consolidation of democracy and justice. The Bill is set against a continental imperative to undo the distortions effected on African traditional justice systems by decades of colonialism and apartheid, and offer a path of renewed growth and development. This article explores the extent to which the Bill succeeds, and more generally, the extent to which the enactment of legislation, without more, is sufficient to weave traditional leadership and customary law into the fabric of South Africa's new democracy. The article also questions whether limiting the Bill's application to communities historically subject to the jurisdiction of traditional leaders under apartheid serves today's constitutional objectives. Or is it a post-apartheid endorsement of separate development? It is argued that this limited and racialised application of customary law entrenches the legal separateness characteristic of colonial/apartheid rule. If passed in its present form, the legislation will not adequately contribute to the development of customary law and will undermine the constitutional mandate that all courts apply customary law where applicable, and that customary law be afforded equal respect.
The impact of departmental interdependencies and management accounting system use on subunit performance: A second look

In his comment, Hartmann (this issue) raises two main objections against the way relationships between departmental interdependencies, management accounting system (MAS) use and subunit performance are modelled and tested in Gerdin (this issue), namely (i) the model mixes a selection and an interaction form to fit - "no single theory can predict both at the same time" (p. 3) and (ii) the mediating-variable model used does not actually assess whether "fit" between interdependence and MAS use is related to enhanced performance. This paper provides a reaction to these insightful arguments put forward by Hartmann. However, the aim is not primarily to oppose his views, but to further problematize the issues raised and point out some directions for future research.
Household poverty and inequality: the implication of migrants’ remittances in Nigeria

This article examines the nature of migrant remittances and the amount by which income poverty and inequality will be reduced given migrants’ remittances. We used the living standard survey (NLSS) data set produced by the government of Nigeria to help track poverty reduction progress. The unit of analysis was the household, upon which information on remittances was analysed. From the results, 94% of households received remittances through internal channels while less than 5% received them through international channels. Remittances alleviated poverty head count by 20% and helped to equalize household income inequality by 25%.
Progesterone 5β-reductases/iridoid synthases (PRISE): gatekeeper role of highly conserved phenylalanines in substrate preference and trapping is supported by molecular dynamics simulations

Vein Patterning 1 (VEP1)-encoded progesterone 5β-reductases/iridoid synthases (PRISE) belong to the short-chain dehydrogenase/reductase superfamily of proteins. They are characterized by a set of highly conserved amino acids in the substrate-binding pocket. All PRISEs are capable of reducing the activated C=C double bond of various enones enantioselectively and therefore have a potential as biocatalysts in bioorganic synthesis. Here, recombinant forms of PRISEs of Arabidopsis thaliana and Digitalis lanata were modified using site-directed mutagenesis (SDM). In rDlP5βR, a set of highly conserved amino acids in the vicinity of the catalytic center was individually substituted for alanine resulting in considerable to complete loss of enone reductase activity. F153 and F343, which can be found in most PRISEs known, are located at the outer rim of the catalytic cavity and seem to be involved in substrate binding and their role was addressed in a series of SDM experiments. The wild-type PRISE accepted progesterone (large hydrophobic 1,4-enone) as well as 2-cyclohexen-1-one (small hydrophilic 1,4-enone), whereas the double mutant rAtP5βR_F153A_F343A converted progesterone much better than the wild-type enzyme but almost lost its capability of reducing 2-cyclohexen-1-one. Recombinant Draba aizoides P5βR (rDaP5βR) has a second pair of phenylalanines at position 156 and 345 at the rim of the binding site. These two phenylalanines were introduced into rAtP5βR_F153A_F343A and the resulting quadruple mutant rAtP5βR_F153A_F343A_V156F_V345F partly recovered the ability to reduce 2-cyclohexen-1-one. These results can best be explained by assuming a trapping mechanism in which phenylalanines at the rim of the substrate-binding pocket are involved. The dynamic behavior of individual P5βRs and mutants thereof was investigated by molecular dynamics simulations and all calculations supported the ‘gatekeeper’ role of phenylalanines at the periphery of the substrate-binding pocket. Our findings provide structural and mechanistic explanations for the different substrate preferences seen among the natural PRISEs and help to explain the large differences in catalytic efficiency found for different types of 1,4-enones.
New Opportunities For Diversity: Twitter, Journalists and Traditionally Underserved Communities

This study explores the opportunities offered by Twitter for news organizations seeking to connect with communities often underrepresented as both sources and as audiences for news. A recent study by Pew Research Center found that minority Internet users are nearly twice as likely as white Internet users to utilize Twitter, and that young Internet users are also signiicantly more likely than older Americans to adopt the social network. Through in-depth interviews, this study examines how young people and minorities are using Twitter and evaluates its potential to allow news organizations to reach and engage younger and minority audiences. For many, it is not only a site used for entertainment and connection with like-minded others, but also for keeping up with news and giving them a voice on national or local issues they did not previously perceive they possessed.
Dynamic modelling of inter-organisational information management systems and relationships in food chains.

It is agreed that good communication systems between organisations increase customer satisfaction and relationship behaviour. However, less is known about the details of how information is used to manage relationships. Theories that have been found have either been tested on non-perishable goods or on small case studies. In earlier stages of the research, a dynamic model of inter-organisational information management systems (IOIMS) and relationships was developed based on a netchain case study. This paper presents an evaluation of this model based on a survey of Australian food processors and a green life industry case study. Both studies found that the environment (power, dependency and market uncertainty) had a significant influence on (attitudinal) commitment to develop long-term customer/supplier relationships. In addition, the nature of the IOIMS was associated with perceived current outcomes (satisfaction with performance, perceived responsiveness and strength of relationship trust). However, commitment to develop long-term customer supplier relationships was not significantly associated with the IOIMS. Conclusions were more doubtful about the association between the business environment and the IOIMS and perceived current outcomes. Suggestions for future research are made.
Predicted Distribution of Visceral Leishmaniasis Vectors (Diptera: Psychodidae; Phlebotominae) in Iran: A Niche Model Study

Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) is an important vector‐borne disease in Iran. Till now, Leishmania infantum has been detected from five species of sand flies in the country including Phlebotomus kandelakii, Phlebotomus major s.l. , Phlebotomus perfiliewi, Phlebotomus alexandri and Phlebotomus tobbi. Also, Phlebotomus keshishiani was found to be infected with Leishmania parasites. This study aimed at predicting the probable niches and distribution of vectors of visceral leishmaniasis in Iran. Data on spatial distribution studies of sand flies were obtained from Iranian database on sand flies. Sample points were included in data from faunistic studies on sand flies conducted during 1995–2013. MaxEnt software was used to predict the appropriate ecological niches for given species, using climatic and topographical data. Distribution maps were prepared and classified in ArcGIS to find main ecological niches of the vectors and hot spots for VL transmission in Iran. Phlebotomus kandelakii, Ph. major s.l. and Ph. alexandri seem to have played a more important role in VL transmission in Iran, so this study focuses on them. Representations of MaxEnt model for probability of distribution of the studied sand flies showed high contribution of climatological and topographical variables to predict the potential distribution of three vector species. Isothermality was found to be an environmental variable with the highest gain when used in isolation for Ph. kandelakii and Ph. major s.l. , while for Ph. alexandri, the most effective variable was precipitation of the coldest quarter. The results of this study present the first prediction on distribution of sand fly vectors of VL in Iran. The predicted distributions were matched with the disease‐endemic areas in the country, while it was found that there were some unaffected areas with the potential transmission. More comprehensive studies are recommended on the ecology and vector competence of VL vectors in the country.