Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A Genomewide Suppressor and Enhancer Analysis of cdc13-1 Reveals Varied Cellular Processes Influencing Telomere Capping in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

In Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Cdc13 binds telomeric DNA to recruit telomerase and to “cap” chromosome ends. In temperature-sensitive cdc13-1 mutants telomeric DNA is degraded and cell-cycle progression is inhibited. To identify novel proteins and pathways that cap telomeres, or that respond to uncapped telomeres, we combined cdc13-1 with the yeast gene deletion collection and used high-throughput spot-test assays to measure growth. We identified 369 gene deletions, in eight different phenotypic classes, that reproducibly demonstrated subtle genetic interactions with the cdc13-1 mutation. As expected, we identified DNA damage checkpoint, nonsense-mediated decay and telomerase components in our screen. However, we also identified genes affecting casein kinase II activity, cell polarity, mRNA degradation, mitochondrial function, phosphate transport, iron transport, protein degradation, and other functions. We also identified a number of genes of previously unknown function that we term RTC, for restriction of telomere capping, or MTC, for maintenance of telomere capping. It seems likely that many of the newly identified pathways/processes that affect growth of budding yeast cdc13-1 mutants will play evolutionarily conserved roles at telomeres. The high-throughput spot-testing approach that we describe is generally applicable and could aid in understanding other aspects of eukaryotic cell biology.
Hesitant Fuzzy Sets: State of the Art and Future Directions

The necessity of dealing with uncertainty in real world problems has been a long‐term research challenge that has originated different methodologies and theories. Fuzzy sets along with their extensions, such as type‐2 fuzzy sets, interval‐valued fuzzy sets, and Atanassov's intuitionistic fuzzy sets, have provided a wide range of tools that are able to deal with uncertainty in different types of problems. Recently, a new extension of fuzzy sets so‐called hesitant fuzzy sets has been introduced to deal with hesitant situations, which were not well managed by the previous tools. Hesitant fuzzy sets have attracted very quickly the attention of many researchers that have proposed diverse extensions, several types of operators to compute with such types of information, and eventually some applications have been developed. Because of such a growth, this paper presents an overview on hesitant fuzzy sets with the aim of providing a clear perspective on the different concepts, tools and trends related to this extension of fuzzy sets.
Model-Based Commutation of a Long-Stroke Magnetically Levitated Linear Actuator

This paper concerns a commutation and switching algorithm for multi-degree-of-freedom moving-magnet actuators with permanent magnets and integrated active magnetic bearing. Because of the integration of long-stroke actuation and an active magnetic bearing, DQ-decomposition cannot be applied. Therefore, these actuators are a special class of synchronous machines. A newly developed model-based commutation algorithm for linear and planar actuators enables long-stroke motion by switching between different sets of coils. Moreover, the ohmic losses in the coils are minimized. Three different versions of the algorithm are compared and successfully implemented on a 3-DOF magnetically levitated linear actuator
Impact of strategic leadership on organizational performance, strategic orientation and operational strategy

Article history: Received: July 20, 2018 Received in revised format: July 21, 2018 Accepted: September 11, 2018 Available online: September 12, 2018 This paper examined the relationship between job stress and job performance, along with the moderating effect of emotional intelligence (EI) and perceived organizational support (POS) among employees in the Istanbul financial sector. 564 employees and their 78 immediate supervisors were surveyed. The findings of this study suggest that job stress was negatively associated with job performance, where EI and POS were able to reduce the effect of stress on job performance. The results largely support the significant impact of job stress on job performance, moderated through EI and POS as hypostasized. This paper demonstrates the important role of the job stress on job performance which contributes to conceptual understanding of organizational efficiency. The study has used self-reportsas well as supervisor reports to study the effects of job stress on organizational performance. © 2018 by the authors; licensee Growing Science, Canada
The effect of reionization on the COBE normalization

We point out that the effect of reionization on the microwave anisotropy power spectrum is not necessarily negligible on the scales probed by COBE. It can lead to an upward shift of the COBE normalization by more than the 1σ error quoted, ignoring reionization. We provide a fitting function to incorporate reionization into the normalization of the matter power spectrum.
Microvesicles in Gliomas and Medulloblastomas: An Overview

Microvesicles (MVs) or shedding membrane vesicles have recently been described as a novel model of intercellular communication. Previously, MVs were considered as unnecessary or secreted cellular debris, but MVs have lately been described as having roles in a variety of biological functions, such as cell homeostasis and the cellular processes involved in the oncogenesis of many types of tumors. Carrying several key molecules that contribute to tumor development and progression, similar to mRNAs, microRNAs and other non-coding RNAs, DNA and even small proteins, MVs can be considered as a ubiquitous form of novel cell communication that is present in most somatic cells. Although tumor-derived MVs have been demonstrated in different types of cancers, the literature data on MVs in primary central nervous system (CNS) tumors are relatively scarce. In this review, we address the involvement of MVs in diffuse astrocytomas, particularly glioblastomas, as well as oligodendrogliomas and medulloblastomas. We placed particular focus on the cellular crosstalk between tumor and “normal” cells, the putative mechanisms how the tumor microenvironment is modulated and the spread of aggressive phenotypes. Additionally, a better understanding of the participation of tumor-derived MVs in the regulation of key cancer pathways will offer new insights into tumor pathogenesis and the mechanisms of multidrug resistance, and may help to develop new strategies for novel therapies against these infiltrative CNS tumors.
Optogenetic activation of dopamine neurons in the ventral tegmental area induces reanimation from general anesthesia

Significance Although dopamine is known to promote wakefulness, the specific dopamine circuits in the brain that regulate arousal are not clear. Here we report that selective optogenetic stimulation of ventral tegmental area (VTA) dopamine neurons in mice produces a powerful arousal response sufficient to restore conscious behaviors, including the righting reflex, during continuous, steady-state general anesthesia. Although previous studies found that VTA dopamine neurons do not appear to play a central role in regulating sleep–wake transitions, our findings demonstrate that selective stimulation of these neurons is sufficient to induce the transition from an unconscious, anesthetized state to an awake state. These results suggest that VTA DA neurons play a critical role in promoting wakefulness. Dopamine (DA) promotes wakefulness, and DA transporter inhibitors such as dextroamphetamine and methylphenidate are effective for increasing arousal and inducing reanimation, or active emergence from general anesthesia. DA neurons in the ventral tegmental area (VTA) are involved in reward processing, motivation, emotion, reinforcement, and cognition, but their role in regulating wakefulness is less clear. The current study was performed to test the hypothesis that selective optogenetic activation of VTA DA neurons is sufficient to induce arousal from an unconscious, anesthetized state. Floxed-inverse (FLEX)-Channelrhodopsin2 (ChR2) expression was targeted to VTA DA neurons in DA transporter (DAT)-cre mice (ChR2+ group; n = 6). Optical VTA stimulation in ChR2+ mice during continuous, steady-state general anesthesia (CSSGA) with isoflurane produced behavioral and EEG evidence of arousal and restored the righting reflex in 6/6 mice. Pretreatment with the D1 receptor antagonist SCH-23390 before optical VTA stimulation inhibited the arousal responses and restoration of righting in 6/6 ChR2+ mice. In control DAT-cre mice, the VTA was targeted with a viral vector lacking the ChR2 gene (ChR2− group; n = 5). VTA optical stimulation in ChR2− mice did not restore righting or produce EEG changes during isoflurane CSSGA in 5/5 mice. These results provide compelling evidence that selective stimulation of VTA DA neurons is sufficient to induce the transition from an anesthetized, unconscious state to an awake state, suggesting critical involvement in behavioral arousal.
‘Gender is not even a side issue…it’s a non-issue’: career trajectories and experiences from the perspective of male and female healthcare managers in Kenya

Abstract Women comprise a significant proportion of the health workforce globally but remain under-represented in the higher professional categories. Concern about the under-representation of women in health leadership positions has resulted in increased research on the topic, although this research has focused primarily on high-income countries. An improved understanding of the career trajectories and experiences of healthcare leaders in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), and the role of gender, is therefore needed. This qualitative case study was undertaken in two counties in coastal Kenya. Drawing on the life-history approach, 12 male and 13 female healthcare leaders were interviewed between August 2015 and July 2016 on their career progression and related experiences. Although gender was not spontaneously identified as a significant influence, closer exploration of responses revealed that gendered factors played an important role. Most fundamentally, women’s role as child bearers and gendered societal expectations including child nurturing and other domestic responsibilities can influence their ability to take up leadership opportunities, and their selection and appointment as leaders. Women’s selection and appointment as leaders may also be influenced by positive discrimination policies (in favour of women), and by perceptions of women and men as having different leadership styles (against women, who some described as more emotive and reactive). These gendered influences intersect in relatively invisible ways with other factors more readily identified by respondents to influence their progression and experience. These factors included: professional cadre, with doctors more likely to be selected into leadership roles; and personal and professional support systems ranging from family support and role models, through to professional mentorship and continuing education. We discuss the implications of these findings for policy, practice and research, including highlighting the need for more in-depth intersectionality analyses of leadership experience in LMICs.
Personality traits and theory of planned behavior comparison of entrepreneurial intentions between an emerging economy and a developing country

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to extend the existing literature on entrepreneurial intentions (EIs) by employing the integrated model of personality traits and the theory of planned behavior (TPB). It further examines the mediating role of TPB’s dimensions between personality traits and EIs of final-year university students in two diverse economies: China and Pakistan.Design/methodology/approachThe paper uses a survey method for data collection, administered both in electronic and paper form. The authors use structural equation modeling and the partial least square (PLS) method on a sample of 1,016 students and present PLS path modeling, mediation analysis and multigroup analysis.FindingsResults reveal several differences regarding personality traits and TPB on EIs across the two countries. The impact of TPB was positive and significant in both countries; however, TPB demonstrated more explaining power in China’s student sample. Using three personality traits (risk-taking propensity, proactive personality and internal locus of control) as antecedents to TPB, the results reveal a stronger influence of personality traits among Chinese students. The mediation of three dimensions of TPB also revealed differences between country samples.Originality/valueThis is the first study of its kind to compare and contrast the differences between EIs in terms of personality and the determinants of planned behavior among university students in two diverse economies. The integrated model is original, supports both TPB and personality factors and provides a valuable perspective through its findings on two culturally diverse Asian countries. By applying the model in two different cultures, this study distinguishes the results for the two economies from those conducted in other economies.
Testing the Link Between Inﬂation and Growth

There is a large and growing body of empirical literature on the relationship between economic growth and inflation. The goals of this literature are twofold. The first is to identify a stylized fact and answer the following questions: What is the empirical relationship between growth and inflation? Is the relationship statistically significant? Is the relationship stable across countries and across time periods?
A financial ratio analysis of commercial bank performance in South Africa

This paper investigates the performance of South Africa’s commercial banking sector for the period 2005- 2009. Financial ratios are employed to measure the profitability, liquidity and credit quality performance of five large South African based commercial banks. The study found that overall bank performance increased considerably in the first two years of the analysis. A significant change in trend is noticed at the onset of the global financial crisis in 2007, reaching its peak during 2008-2009. This resulted in falling profitability, low liquidity and deteriorating credit quality in the South African Banking sector.
Temporal and spatial regulation of fliP, an early flagellar gene of Caulobacter crescentus that is required for motility and normal cell division

In Caulobacter crescentus, the genes encoding a single polar flagellum are expressed under cell cycle control. In this report, we describe the characterization of two early class II flagellar genes contained in the orfX-fliP locus. Strains containing mutations in this locus exhibit a filamentous growth phenotype and fail to express class III and IV flagellar genes. A complementing DNA fragment was sequenced and found to contain two potential open reading frames. The first, orfX, is predicted to encode a 105-amino-acid polypeptide that is similar to MopB, a protein which is required for both motility and virulence in Erwinia carotovora. The deduced amino acid sequence of the second open reading frame, fliP, is 264 amino acids in length and shows significant sequence identity with the FliP protein of Escherichia coli as well as virulence proteins of several plant and mammalian pathogens. The FliP homolog in pathogenic organisms has been implicated in the secretion of virulence factors, suggesting that the export of virulence proteins and some flagellar proteins share a common mechanism. The 5' end of orfX-fliP mRNA was determined and revealed an upstream promoter sequence that shares few conserved features with that of other early Caulobacter flagellar genes, suggesting that transcription of orfX-fliP may require a different complement of trans-acting factors. In C. crescentus, orfX-fliP is transcribed under cell cycle control, with a peak of transcriptional activity in the middle portion of the cell cycle. Later in the cell cycle, orfX-fliP expression occurs in both poles of the predivisional cell. Protein fusions to a lacZ reporter gene indicate that FliP is specifically targeted to the swarmer compartment of the predivisional cell.
On Students’ Perception of a Multi-Scheme Assessment Method

The discipline of economics has the reputation of being abstract and difficult to understand. Students’ perceptions about the course and its assessment methods may affect their learning strategies and outcomes. A flexible grading scheme (in terms of weights assigned to different assessment components) may help to reduce anxiety about the course, leading to improved performance and higher satisfaction. The present study reports on the implementation of such a flexible grading scheme. Students in five introductory economics classes received their final course grade based on one of three grading schemes that gave them the highest mark. An 11-item satisfaction survey assessed students’ perceptions about the flexible marking scheme. Students expressed a preference for flexibility over a more traditional, fixed marking scheme. This has implications for other courses that create anxiety among students and has the potential to improve students’ experiences at post-secondary institutions.
Subspace Clustering via New Low-Rank Model with Discrete Group Structure Constraint

We propose a new subspace clustering model to segment data which is drawn from multiple linear or affine subspaces. Unlike the well-known sparse subspace clustering (SSC) and low-rank representation (LRR) which transfer the subspace clustering problem into two steps' algorithm including building the affinity matrix and spectral clustering, our proposed model directly learns the different subspaces' indicator so that low-rank based different groups are obtained clearly. To better approximate the low-rank constraint, we suggest to use Schatten p-norm to relax the rank constraint instead of using trace norm. We tactically avoid the integer programming problem imposed by group indicator constraint to let our algorithm more efficient and scalable. Furthermore, we extend our discussion to the general case in which subspaces don't pass the original point. The new algorithm's convergence is given, and both synthetic and real world datasets demonstrate our proposed model's effectiveness.
Robots Tutoring Children: Longitudinal Evaluation of Social Engagement in Child-Robot Interaction

This paper explores children's social engagement to a robotic tutor by analyzing their behavioral reactions to socially significant events initiated by the robot. Specific questions addressed in this paper are whether children express signs of social engagement as a reaction to such events, and if so, in what way. The second question is whether these reactions differ between different types of social events, and finally, whether such reactions disappear or change over time. Our analysis indicates that children indeed show behaviors that indicate social engagement using a range of communicative channels. While gaze towards the robot's face is the most common indication for all types of social events, verbal expressions and nods are especially common for questions, and smiles are most common after positive feedback. Although social responses in general decrease slightly over time, they are still observable after three sessions with the robot.
Tracing Neoliberal Governmentality in Education: Disentangling Economic Crises, Accountability, and the Disappearance of Social Studies

Recent scholarship on the impact of neoliberalism in education centers on the creation of policies, curricula, and programming, positioning education as a system that produces marketable, entrepreneurially-minded, global workers (DeLissovoy, 2015; Peters, 2017). What is less known are the ways in which economic principles and mechanisms work in school systems, and how these changes affect teachers and social studies disciplines. Through a critical discourse analysis of policy and other official education documents, interviews, and focus groups with experienced administrators and social studies teachers in the province of Nova Scotia, Canada, I argue that changes in education policy between 1994-2016 have altered the purpose of public education, entangling schooling with economic and accountability goals of the province. The purpose of this qualitative study is threefold: first, using Foucault’s (2008), and later Stephen Ball’s (2013a) theorization, I investigate the extent to which neoliberal governmentality shaped education policy changes in Nova Scotia between 19942016. Second, I examine how these changes implicate educators in practice, including the ways teachers perceive changes to their jobs over the last decade. Lastly, I explore the state of high school social studies in Nova Scotia as a site to test the micro-effects of neoliberalism and governmentality in changing policies and practices in education. I conclude that neoliberal governmentality has emerged in distinct patterns in Nova Scotia, which articulate with specific policy technologies and practices in education. Such patterns include the strategic use of economic and educational crises to forward neoliberal policy reform, the expansion of governmental mechanisms to track student and teacher performance, and the dis-articulation of social studies disciplines from the education system. TRACING NEOLIBERAL GOVERNMENTALITY III
Phonetic interactions in the bilingual production of Galician and Spanish /e/ and /o/

Aims and objectives/purpose/research questions: This study investigates the cross-linguistic phonetic interactions in the production of closed mid vowels of Galician-Spanish bilinguals in a semi-urban area in Galicia. The research questions were: (1) Do Galician-Spanish bilinguals produce /e/ and /o/ similarly in their two languages? (2) Does language dominance influence whether these sounds are produced more like Spanish or more like Galician? (3) Do age and gender influence the bilingual production of Galician and Spanish /e/ and /o/? Design/methodology/approach: Thirty Galician-Spanish bilinguals from the western coast of Galicia completed a sociolinguistic questionnaire and two reading tasks in both Galician and Spanish. Data and analysis: 4,728 vowels were acoustically analyzed and submitted to several mixed effect statistical models. Findings/conclusions: Bilinguals in this study produce distinct phonetic categories for their four Galician mid vowels, and additionally have created new phonetic categories to accommodate their L2 (Spanish) vowels, resulting in a more crowded mid-vowel phonetic space. Originality: This is the first study to examine closed mid vowel realizations in both Spanish and Galician by bilinguals who maintain a Galician four mid-vowel contrast, and to investigate their complex L1-L2 phonetic interactions. Significance/implications: This study offers new data to examine how early bilinguals organize their phonetic system(s) through cross-linguistic assimilation and dissimilation.