Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Cytoplasmic kinases downstream of GPR30 suppress gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH)-induced luteinizing hormone secretion from bovine anterior pituitary cells

GPR30 is known as a membrane receptor for picomolar concentrations of estradiol. The GPR30-specific agonist G1 causes a rapid, non-genomic suppression of gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH)-induced luteinizing hormone (LH) secretion from bovine anterior pituitary (AP) cells. A few studies have recently clarified that protein kinase A (PKA) and phosphorylated extracellular signal-regulated kinase (pERK) might be involved in cytoplasmic signaling pathways of GPR30 in other cells. Therefore, we tested the hypothesis that PKA and ERK kinase (MEK) are important cytoplasmic mediators for GPR30-associated non-genomic suppression of GnRH-induced LH secretion from bovine AP cells. Bovine AP cells (n = 8) were cultured for 3 days under steroid-free conditions. The AP cells were previously treated for 30 min with one of the following: 5000 nM of PKA inhibitor (H89), 1000 nM of MEK inhibitor (U0126), or a combination of H89 and U0126. Next, the AP cells were treated with 0.01 nM estradiol for 5 min before GnRH stimulation. Estradiol treatment without inhibitor pretreatment significantly suppressed GnRH-induced LH secretion (P < 0.01). In contrast, estradiol treatment after pretreatment with H89, U0126 or their combination had no suppressive effect on GnRH-induced LH secretion. The inhibitors also inhibited the G1 suppression of GnRH-induced LH secretion. Therefore, these data supported the hypothesis that PKA and MEK (thus, also pERK) are the intracellular mediators downstream of GPR30 that induce the non-genomic suppression of GnRH-induced LH secretion from bovine AP cells by estradiol or G1.
Forecasting Covariance Matrices: A Mixed Frequency Approach

This paper proposes a new method for forecasting covariance matrices of financial returns. the model mixes volatility forecasts from a dynamic model of daily realized volatilities estimated with high-frequency data with correlation forecasts based on daily data. This new approach allows for flexible dependence patterns for volatilities and correlations, and can be applied to covariance matrices of large dimensions. The seperate modeling of volatility and correlation forecasts considerably reduces the estimation and measurement error implied by the joint estimation and modeling of covariance matrix dynamics. Our empirical results show that the new mixing approach provides superior forecasts compared to multivariate volatility specifications using single sources of information.
Telecommuting's past and future: a literature review and research agenda

Purpose – Telecommuting continues to be a topic of interest for practitioners and researchers alike. There are significant numbers of employees currently involved in telecommuting around the globe. Organizational implications, global workforce implications and the scarcity of scholarly publications make this research topic one that warrants our further investigation. The purpose of this paper is to explore the literature to identify the substantive work, examine the state of this phenomenon as of to date, particularly the failure and success factors, provide valuable insight to the practitioners and research directions to researchersDesign/methodology/approach – An extensive literature review was conducted in an effort to identify the significant, substantive work to date. We reviewed two major business data bases and limit our review to refereed journals because of the rigorous review process that these articles go through before publication.Findings – A schema was identified to help categorize topics fo.
MIMO Performance of Modulated Scattering Antenna Array in Indoor Environment

Abstract In this report, the MIMO performance of modulated scattering antenna array (MSAA) is analyzed numerically based on an approach to hybridization of the Volterra series method and method of moments (MoM). The main feature of the hybrid method is its efficiency in dealing with problems involving the weakly nonlinear loads and multitone excitations. Moreover, mutual coupling effect between the Modulated scattering element (MSE) and the normal antenna element is also considered in this analysis. It is found that MIMO performance of MSAA is improved with reducing the array spacing of MSAA. At the same time, the simulated results of the MSAA are compared with that of two-dipole antenna array at the same condition.
A short comparison between mT2 and mCT

We compare mT2 with mCT; both are kinematic variables designed to find relationships between masses of pair-produced new states with symmetric decay chains. We find that for massless visible particles mCT equals mT2 in a particular limit. We identify advantages and disadvantages to the use of each variable. Tovey's paper on mCT also introduced a powerful concept of extracting mass information from an analysis at intermediate stages of a symmetric decay chain. We suggest that mT2 is a better tool for performing this analysis than mCT due to mT2's better properties under initial state radiation.
Seroprevalence and risk factors associated with bovine herpesvirus 1 and bovine viral diarrhea virus in North-Eastern Mexico

Bovine herpesvirus 1 (BoHV-1) and bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV) are well known etiological agents of cattle that produce important economic losses due to reproductive failures and calf mortality, as well as enteric and respiratory disease. Tamaulipas is located northeast of Mexico, an important cattle production and the principal exporter of calf and heifer to the United States. The objectives of this study were to estimate the seroprevalence of BoHV-1 and of BVDV, and to determine the effects of risk factors on these infections. Blood samples of cattle from 57 farms from rural districts of Tamaulipas were collected. The samples were tested for antibodies against BoHV-1 and BVDV using commercial ELISA kits. Data on potential risk factors were obtained using a questionnaire administered to the farmer at the time the blood samples were taken. The seroprevalences for BoHV-1 and BVDV were 64.4% and 47.8%, respectively. In the logistic regression analysis, the significant risk factors were rural district, herd size and cattle introduced to the farm. This study confirms the high seroprevalence of BoHV-1 and BVDV in unvaccinated cattle in Tamaulipas, Mexico. The results of this study could be used for the development of BoHV-1 and BVDV prevention and control program in North-Eastern, Mexico.
Coping with Conflict: Testosterone and Cortisol Changes in Men Dealing with Disagreement about Values versus Resources

In an experimental design, we manipulated disagreement about values versus resources (N = 36). We investigated, using male participants, how the nature of the conflict affects testosterone and cortisol changes. We hypothesized a testosterone increase in response to disagreement about resources, but no increase when values were at stake. Results corroborated this idea. This research illustrates how psychological factors affect neuroendocrine and coping responses to social stressors and conflict.
Norm Analysis Supporting the Design of Context-Aware Applications

In this paper, we consider the challenge of designing context-aware applications, stressing especially on the usefulness of elaborating process models with semiotic norms. Such an elaboration can bring value in specifying and elaborating complex behaviors that may include alternative (context-driven) processes (we assume that a user context space can be defined and that each context state within this space corresponds to an alternative application service behavior). Hence, the main contribution of this paper comprises an adaptability-driven methodological support to the design of context-aware applications.
A systematic review and meta-analysis of set-shifting ability in eating disorders

ABSTRACT Background The aim was to critically appraise and synthesize the literature relating to set-shifting ability in eating disorders. PsycINFO, Medline, and Web of Science databases were searched to December 2005. Hand searching of eating-disorder journals and relevant reference sections was also undertaken. Method The 15 selected studies contained both eating disorder and healthy control groups, and employed at least one of the following six neuropsychological measures of set-shifting ability; Trail Making Test (TMT), Wisconsin Card Sort Test (WCST), Brixton task, Haptic Illusion, CatBat task, or the set-shifting subset of the Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery (CANTAB). The outcome variable was performance on the set-shifting aspect of the task. Pooled standardized mean differences (effect sizes) were calculated. Results TMT, WCST, CatBat and Haptic tasks had sufficient sample sizes for meta-analysis. These four tasks yielded acceptable pooled standardized effect sizes (0·36; TMT −1·05; Haptic) with moderate variation within studies (as measured by confidence intervals). The Brixton task showed a small pooled mean difference, and displayed more variation between sample results. The effect size for CANTAB set shifting was 0·17. Conclusion Problems in set shifting as measured by a variety of neuropsychological tasks are present in people with eating disorders.
Who Sets the Agenda? Polarization and Issue Ownership in Turkey’s Political Twittersphere

Research on political agenda setting, in general, is interested in how issues are conveyed to the political agenda, and how governments tend to reflect on those issues. Media are assumed to have an effect on governmental policies; however, the extent to which media agenda influences the political agenda is ambiguous. Ambiguity is further exacerbated in predominant-party systems, where the media are more likely to be directly linked with the state. In this study, we examined whether the news media can still set the political agenda in a highly polarized political environment. In line with this, we applied the network agenda-setting model to Twitter, and compared the issues on the media and political agendas in Turkey. Findings indicate political parallelism as the major factor in defining the relationship between the issues and accounts. The results also show that in all cases the political agenda essentially preceded the media agenda.
Firm Litigation Risk and the Insurance Value of Corporate Social Performance

This paper advances the risk management perspective that superior social performance enhances firm value by serving as an ex ante valuable insurance mechanism. We posit that good social performance is more valuable as an insurance mechanism for firms with higher litigation risks. Moreover, value generation of corporate social performance (CSP) depends on whether a firm has gained pragmatic legitimacy (i.e., a firm's financial health) and moral legitimacy (i.e., whether or not a firm operates in a socially contested industry) among its stakeholders. We find that the value of CSP as insurance against litigation risk is practically significant, adding 2 to 4 percent to firm value. But CSP is less likely to create value if the firm is in financial distress or is operating in socially contested industries.
Scaling Up Publish/Subscribe Overlays Using Interest Correlation for Link Sharing

Topic-based publish/subscribe is at the core of many distributed systems, ranging from application integration middleware to news dissemination. Therefore, much research was dedicated to publish/subscribe architectures and protocols, and in particular to the design of overlay networks for decentralized topic-based routing and efficient message dissemination. Nonetheless, existing systems fail to take full advantage of shared interests when disseminating information, hence suffering from high maintenance and traffic costs, or construct overlays that cope poorly with the scale and dynamism of large networks. In this paper, we present StaN, a decentralized protocol that optimizes the properties of gossip-based overlay networks for topic-based publish/subscribe by sharing a large number of physical connections without disrupting its logical properties. StaN relies only on local knowledge and operates by leveraging common interests among participants to improve global resource usage and promote topic and event scalability. The experimental evaluation under two real workloads, both via a real deployment and through simulation, shows that StaN provides an attractive infrastructure for scalable topic-based publish/subscribe.
Effects of a yoga-based intervention for young adults on quality of life and perceived stress: The potential mediating roles of mindfulness and self-compassion

The purpose of this pilot study was to investigate the effects of a yoga-based program on quality of life, perceived stress, mindfulness, and self-compassion in young adults. These variables were measured in 33 self-selected participants of a four-month residential yoga intervention before and after the program. Forty-three demographically matched controls completed the same questionnaires at two time points with a four-month interval inbetween. Participation in the program predicted increases in quality of life and decreases in perceived stress, mediated by mindfulness and self-compassion. Multiple mediator models revealed that the effect of group on quality of life was simultaneously mediated by mindfulness and self-compassion, while the effect of group on perceived stress was only mediated by self-compassion. These positive effects on perceived stress and quality of life suggest that yoga-based interventions may be of value in cultivating subjective well-being in young adults. Furthermore, yoga-based and mindfulness-based interventions may share underlying mechanisms.
New Morphology-Based Method for Robust Iranian Car Plate Detection and Recognition

matching. In this system main stage is the isolation of the license plate, from the digital image of the car obtained by a digital camera under different circumstances such as illumination, slop, distance, and angle. The algorithm starts with preprocessing and signal conditioning. Next license plate is localized using morphological operators. Then a template matching scheme will be used to recognize the digits and characters within the plate. The system is tested on Iranian car plate images, and the performance was 97.3% of correct plates identification and localization and 92% of correct recognized characters. The results regarding the complexity of the problem and diversity of the test cases show the high accuracy and robustness of the proposed method. The method could also be applicable for other applications in the transport information systems, where automatic recognition of registration plates, shields, signs, and so on is often necessary.
Biomolecular Computing Systems

The field of biomolecular computation started 3.5 billion years ago on earth when the first life forms evolved. What distinguished these simple organisms from a collection of inanimate molecules was the ability to process information, and it is this ability of chemistry-based computation that powers life in its various forms even today. Our attempts at exploiting this rich molecular tool set for computation have just begun. This chapter recounts some of the amazing experiments, starting from 1994, which demonstrated how one could process information and perform computation at the molecular scale using DNA.
The Roles of Experienced Teachers in Inducting Novice Teachers in Tanzania

This paper reports findings on the investigation of the roles of experienced teachers in the induction of novice teachers in Tanzania. More specifically, the study aimed at establishing the roles experienced teachers play in the induction of novice teachers in secondary schools; and investigating the impact of induction on novice teachers. Informed by the mixed method approach, the study used purposive and stratified random sampling techniques to draw a sample of 86 participants. Quantitative data was analysed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences whereas qualitative data was analysed using Miles and Huberman’s stages of qualitative data analysis: data reduction, display and deduction. The study has established that experienced teachers assisted novice teachers despite lacking proper mentorship skills. It has also established that the induction of new teachers is critical for all newly-employed teachers to smoothen their settling in new work stations. Thus, the study concludes that there was a need to standardise and systematise the induction of novice teachers in Tanzania.
Assessing Secondary Trauma, Compassion Satisfaction, and Burnout – Implications for Professional Education for Asian-American Social Workers

The present study explored work-related stress and career experiences of Asian-American social workers and assessed if their demographic characteristics, beliefs and orientations (altruism, idealism, and self-compassion), and work-related stressors might impact their professional quality of life (secondary trauma, compassion satisfaction, and burnout) and job-related health problems. Two hundred and eight (208) Asian social workers and students participated in a comprehensive online survey by providing basic demographic and work-related information and completing a set of standardized scales to assess their career experiences and work-related stress, as well as their psychological and physical well-being. Bivariate analyses and stepwise multiple regression analyses were used to estimate models that best predicted their experiences of secondary trauma, compassion satisfaction, burnout, perceived stress, and job-related health problems. The findings showed that higher perceived stress was associated with higher secondary trauma, burnout, job-related health problems, and lower compassion satisfaction. Work-related problems/stressors emerged as a very strong predictor of burnout and job-related health problems. Higher self-compassion was related to higher compassion satisfaction and lower secondary trauma and burnout. Self-compassion was found to be a very strong predictor of perceived stress. Implications of the findings for professional education and career development for Asian-American social workers were discussed.
Influence of freezing and oven air drying on the total monomeric anthocyanins, vitamin c and antioxidant capacity of African star apple

African star apple is a good source of vitamin C and antioxidants. The choice of method for preserving its antioxidant properties is a major decision. The aim of this study was to determine the proximate composition, physical properties, total monomeric anthocyanins contents, vitamin C and antioxidant capacity of different parts (the pulp, the seed, and the peel) of the African star apple fruit depending on the method of preservation in the process of freezing, and oven air drying. During oven air drying and freeze drying, losses of vitamin C as compared with fresh fruit parts resulted averagely in 67% and 13% respectively for the seeds, 19% and 4% for the pulp. Freeze drying process was characterized as the best preservation method to contain relative amount of anthocyanins, vitamin C and antioxidants
Commercializing User Innovations by Vertical Diversification: The User-Manufacturer Innovator

This paper explores a pathway to commercializing user innovations hitherto not studied, namely, the vertical diversification of a user firm into an upstream industry supplying capital goods, and subsequent coexistence of user and manufacturing units. Such coexistence creates synergies regarding innovation, marketing, and financials. It enables the manufacturing unit to benefit from user innovations in its new product development, while the user unit profits from improved tools. Yet, selling the firm's own user innovations risks loss of the competitive advantage originating from use of these innovations. We employ case evidence from firms in the fields of foundation engineering, tunnel construction, tea-packaging, and geological surveying to derive a set of five propositions regarding the conditions under which user–manufacturer diversification is attractive and viable in the long run. These conditions relate to innovation, marketing, the organization, and financial aspects. Our study offers three contributions. We show how user entrepreneurship can originate from established corporations rather than from individual user innovators; we carve out factors that favor the move toward and the success of user–manufacturer diversification; and we link user innovation and corporate strategy by showing how user innovation can affect the boundaries of organizations.
On Analytic Methods for 2.5-D Local Sound Field Synthesis Using Circular Distributions of Secondary Sources

Local sound field synthesis allows for synthesizing a given desired sound field inside a limited target region such that the field is free of considerable spatial aliasing artifacts. Spatial aliasing artifacts are a consequence of overlaps due to unavoidable repetitions of the space-spectral coefficients of the secondary source driving function. We analyze various conceivable analytic ways of restricting the bandwidth of the spatial spectrum of the driving function such that considerable overlapping is prevented: local spatial bandlimitation (A), spectral windowing (B), and local spatial band-limitation plus spectral windowing (C). While solution B is computationally significantly more efficient than A and C, it provides only limited control over the spatial location around which the aliasing-free region evolves. Solutions A and C provide more flexibility and higher accuracy whereby both achieve largely identical results so that the spectral windowing after the local spatial bandlimitation may be skipped. We present a detailed analysis of the properties of the spatial aliasing artifacts arising in the synthesis of a virtual plane wave. We establish a procedure for predicting the maximum possible size of the aliasing-free target region depending on its location and on the propagation direction of the desired sound field. The results can help reducing regularization in numerical solutions as they represent physical limitations that can be considered in the choice of parameters.
Exploring the ‘shashification’ of teenage slang

The study of the paradigmatic traits of teenage slang has shown that a sense of togetherness is predominant (Eble, 1996; Allen, 1998; Mattiello, 2005, 2008; Smith, 2011). This cohesive linguistic device is not consciously intended to exclude unwished members from conversations or common understanding, but the idea of relying on a preserved sense of solidarity and acceptance is a human urge, especially among teenagers or young adults (cf. Mattiello, 2005: 13). These features are a necessary starting point to understand that the colloquial nature or social restriction of these words and phrases are precisely aimed to ‘establish or reinforce social identity within a group or with a trend or fashion in society at large’ (Eble, 1996: 11).
Roles of GSK-3 and microRNAs on epithelial mesenchymal transition and cancer stem cells

Various signaling pathways exert critical roles in the epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT) and cancer stem cells (CSCs). The Wnt/beta-catenin, PI3K/PTEN/Akt/mTORC, Ras/Raf/MEK/ERK, hedgehog (Hh), Notch and TP53 pathways elicit essential regulatory influences on cancer initiation, EMT and progression. A common kinase involved in all these pathways is moon-lighting kinase glycogen synthase kinase-3 (GSK-3). These pathways are also regulated by micro-RNAs (miRs). TP53 and components of these pathways can regulate the expression of miRs. Targeting members of these pathways may improve cancer therapy in those malignancies that display their abnormal regulation. This review will discuss the interactions of the multi-functional GSK-3 enzyme in the Wnt/beta-catenin, PI3K/PTEN/Akt/mTORC, Ras/Raf/MEK/ERK, Hh, Notch and TP53 pathways. The regulation of these pathways by miRs and their effects on CSC generation, EMT, invasion and metastasis will be discussed.