Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A Green-emitting Fluorescent Protein from Galaxeidae Coral and Its Monomeric Version for Use in Fluorescent Labeling*

We have cloned a gene which encodes a fluorescent protein from the stony coral, Galaxeidae. This protein absorbs light maximally at 492 nm and emits green light at 505 nm, and as a result, we have designated it “Azami-Green (AG). ” Despite sharing a similar spectral profile with enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) (Clontech), the most popular variant of the Aequorea victoria green fluorescent protein, the identity between these two proteins at the amino acid level is only 5.7%. However, since AG has a high extinction coefficient, fluorescence quantum yield, and acid stability, it produces brighter green fluorescence in cultured cells than EGFP. Similar to other fluorescent proteins isolated from coral animals, AG forms a tight tetrameric complex, resulting in poor labeling of subcellular structures such as the plasma membrane and mitochondria. We have converted tetrameric AG into a monomeric form by the introduction of three amino acid substitutions, which were recently reported to be effective for monomerizing the red fluorescent protein from Discosoma coral (DsRed, Clontech). The resultant monomeric AG allowed for efficient fluorescent labeling of all of the subcellular structures and proteins tested while retaining nearly all of the brightness of the original tetrameric form. Thus, monomeric AG is a useful monomeric green-emitting fluorescent protein comparable to EGFP.
Improving the performance of hospitality firms

The aim of this article is to identify company characteristics which are linked to improved performance in hospitality firms. It compares the levels of market orientation and other company characteristics, including corporate culture, innovation procedures, use of information technology and ethical policies of hospitality firms with the most highly market‐oriented service firms from other sectors which took part in a large multi‐industry study in New Zealand. Suggests that hospitality managers should encourage their organisations to become more customer‐focused, to develop a corporate culture which encourages innovation, and to make greater use of Web‐based marketing to improve company performance.
The Effects of Industry Structure on Economic Exposure

A firm is subject to `economic exposure' if changes in exchange rates affect the firm's value, as measured by the present value of its future cash flows. This paper shows that in many forms of competition, including the most commonly studied case of monopoly, the economic exposure of an exporting firm is simply proportional to the firm's net revenues based in foreign currency. So the firm's hedging strategy is simple: sell foreign currency futures equal to the value of its net revenues in foreign currency. This simple result breaks down under some, but not all, forms of competition between the exporting firm and local firms. In that case, the exporting firm needs to know about the price elasticity of its product demand and its marginal cost in order to assess its exposure to exchange rates. So its hedging strategy also requires detailed knowledge of demand and cost conditions. The key determinant of economic exposure, therefore, is the competitive structure of the industry in which a firm operates.
Maximum Margin Dirichlet Process Mixtures for Clustering

The Dirichlet process mixtures (DPM) can automatically infer the model complexity from data. Hence it has attracted significant attention recently, and is widely used for model selection and clustering. As a generative model, it generally requires prior base distribution to learn component parameters by maximizing posterior probability. In contrast, discriminative classifiers model the conditional probability directly, and have yielded better results than generative classifiers.In this paper, we propose a maximum margin Dirichlet process mixture for clustering, which is different from the traditional DPM for parameter modeling. Our model takes a discriminative clustering approach, by maximizing a conditional likelihood to estimate parameters. In particular, we take a EM-like algorithm by leveraging Gibbs sampling algorithm for inference, which in turn can be perfectly embedded in the online maximum margin learning procedure to update model parameters. We test our model and show comparative results over the traditional DPM and other nonparametric clustering approaches.
Accounting for Enron: Shareholder Value and Stakeholder Interests

The catastrophe caused by the failure of Enron could not compare with the damage this company would have caused if it had succeeded. The relentless emphasis on the importance of shareholder value in recent times has created the conditions for the disconnection of corporations such as Enron from their essential moral underpinnings, encouraging them to concentrate exclusively on financial performance, and to neglect not just the wider stakeholder interests of customers and employees, but the essential interests of the economies and communities in which they operate. The problem with established economic theories of corporate governance is that they misconceive the irreducible core of corporate governance, at the same time as underestimating the complexity of the phenomenon. Copyright Blackwell Publishing Ltd 2005.
Anti-Inflammatory Activity in Vitro and in Vivo of the Protein Farnesyltransferase Inhibitor Tipifarnib

Protein farnesyltransferase inhibitors (FTIs) have shown clinical responses in hematologic malignancies, but the mechanisms are unclear. To better understand potential mechanisms of action, we have studied effects of the FTI tipifarnib on inflammatory responses in vitro and in vivo. In a human leukemia cell line THP-1, tipifarnib inhibited lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced transcription of chemokines [monocyte chemotactic protein (MCP)-1 and MCP-2], cytokines [interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6, and interferon (IFN)β], signaling molecules (MyD88 and STAT-1), proteases [matrix metalloproteinase (MMP-9)], and receptors (urokinase receptor). Tipifarnib also inhibited LPS-induced secretion of MMP-9, IL-6, MCP-1, and IL-1β in THP-1 cells. In primary human peripheral blood mononuclear cells, dose-dependent inhibition of LPS-induced tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, IL-6, MCP-1, and IL-1β by tipifarnib was observed with no evidence of cytotoxicity. Similar results were obtained in vivo in a murine model of LPS-induced inflammation, where pretreatment with tipifarnib resulted in significant inhibition of TNF-α, IL-6, MCP-1, IL-1β, and MIP-1α production. Tipifarnib had no effect in vitro or in vivo on LPS-induced IL-8. Studies in THP-1 cells to address potential mechanism(s) showed that tipifarnib partially inhibited LPS-induced p38 phosphorylation. Tipifarnib significantly inhibited inhibitory subunit of nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) (IκB)-α degradation and p65 nuclear translocation induced by LPS, but not by tumor necrosis factor-α, IL-1α, or toll-like receptor (TLR)2 ligand, suggesting that the target for inhibition of NF-κB activation was exclusive to the LPS/TLR4 signal pathway. The extent of IκB-α degradation inhibition did not correlate with inhibition of Ras farnesylation, indicating that Ras was not the target for the observed anti-inflammatory activity of tipifarnib. Our findings differ from those for other FTIs, which may have relevance for their dissimilar activity in specific tumor repertoires.
Identifying the Factors that Affect Interest‐Rate Swap Spreads: Some Evidence from the United States and the United Kingdom

We assess the ability of the factors proposed in previous research to account for the stochastic evolution of the term structure of the U.S. and U.K. swap spreads. Using as factor proxies the level, volatility, and slope of the zero‐coupon government yield curve as well as the Treasury‐bill—London Interbank Offer Rate (LIBOR) spread and the corporate bond spread, we identify a procyclical behavior for the short‐maturity U.S. swap spreads and a countercyclical behavior for longer maturity U.S. swap spreads. Liquidity and corporate bond spreads are also significant, but their importance varies with maturity. The liquidity premium is more important for short‐maturity swap spreads, although the corporate bond spread affects long‐maturity swap spreads. For the United Kingdom, swap spreads are countercyclical across maturities. In addition, we find that shocks to the liquidity premium are more significant for long‐maturity swaps and that the links between corporate bond markets and swap markets are much stronger than in the United States. When we look at the links between U.S. and U.K. swap markets, we identify a significant influence of the U.S. factors on the U.K. swap spreads across maturities. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Jrl Fut Mark 21:737–768, 2001
Angiotensin-converting-enzyme inhibitors slow renal decline in IgA nephropathy, independent of tubulointerstitial fibrosis at presentation.

BACKGROUND Tubulointerstitial fibrosis (TIF) is a marker of progression of diabetic and non-diabetic nephropathy, correlating with creatinine clearance (CCr), and functional outcome. Angiotensin-converting-enzyme inhibitors (ACEIs) slow the rate of decline of renal function in proteinuric patients. AIM To examine whether ACEIs affect TIF, directly or indirectly. DESIGN Prospective 3-year follow-up study. METHODS We enrolled 49 patients with IgA nephropathy (IgAN), treating some with ACE inhibitors (n = 26, 1-2 mg/day temocapril or trandolapril) and some with calcium-channel blockers (CCB, n = 23, 2.5-5 mg/day amlodipine). Blood pressure, serum creatinine, and urinalysis were measured monthly, and 24-h endogenous creatinine clearance (CCr) at least once a year. RESULTS In the CCB group, TIF was positively correlated with the rate of decline in CCr (dCCr), consistent with previous observations. In the ACEI group, dCCr was lower (0.02 +/- 0.02 vs. 0.06 +/- 0.03), and the TIF-dCCr correlation was absent. DISCUSSION In the absence of post-treatment histological data, it is not possible to say whether ACEIs have an effect on TIF. However, ACEIs appear to slow the progression of renal failure in IgAN, regardless of the degree of TIF at presentation.
SOA implementation critical success factors in healthcare

Purpose – Service oriented architecture (SOA) is increasingly adopted by many sectors, including healthcare. Due to the nature of healthcare systems, there is a need to increase SOA adoption success rates as the non‐integrated nature of healthcare systems is responsible for medical errors that cause the loss of tens of thousands of patients per year. Although numerous factors affect SOA success, these have not been explored and analysed yet, especially in the area of healthcare. This highlights a literature void and thus the purpose of this paper is to identify critical success factors (CSFs) influencing SOA implementation in healthcare.Design/methodology/approach – The authors critically review the literature and identify individual factors that may form CSFs for SOA implementation in healthcare. In doing so, they synthesise and propose a conceptual model of SOA CSFs in healthcare. The conceptual model is tested in the practical arena using a qualitative research methodology that is based on a case study.
The chairman's statement in Malaysian companies

Purpose – The obfuscation hypothesis suggests that under-performing firms will tend to obscure the meaning of their corporate narratives by deliberately adopting a textual complexity, most readily apparent through poor readability and the use of unnecessarily difficult language. This paper seeks to add to the literature in the area by comparing the textual complexity of corporate narratives, notably the chairman's statement, of main board and second board companies on the Bursa Malaysia (formerly known as the Kuala Lumpur Stock Exchange), with their financial performance, and also to examine the impact of company size, board membership and degree of statutory regulation on the readability of corporate narratives. Design/methodology/approach – Following the existing literature this paper uses readability as a proxy for textual complexity, in addition to more direct measures, and seeks to examine relationships between textual complexity and various measures of financial performance. Findings – The findings suggest that there are significant relationships between corporate language and financial performance, but that these are not consistent with the obfuscation hypothesis. Originality/value – The findings are consistent with the suggestion that increased regulation and statutory monitoring of disclosures are associated with improved readability of narrative. They do not provide support for the obfuscation hypothesis.
Conversation, continuation, and connectives

By examining t he uses of t he Mandarin connective na(me) in conversation, thispaper attempts to address the functional motivations for the non-obligatory yet frequent occurrences ofdiscourse connectives in conversation. Three types of relationship manifested between units oftalk are markedby na(me): conditional relation, topic succession, and topic change. Although topic change appears to be the opposite of topic succession, it is argued that the topic change marked by na(me), in which continuation is anchored at the interactional dimension rather than the textual/ideational dimension, is a subtype ofthe distant topic succession. Thispaper suggests that the Speakeraddressee interactionality both motivates and constrains the frequent occurrences of na(me) in conversation.
Data Standardization and Quality Degradation of Human-readable Data

Data standardization is a widely recommended solution to improving data quality. Despite the potential benefits, we examine if it has any unintended, especially undesirable, side effects on data quality. The eXtensible Business Reporting Language (XBRL) is an XML-based open standard that aims to facilitate the preparation, exchange and comparison of financial reports. Leveraging the unique opportunity created by the exogenous mandatory XBRL adoption enforced by the U.S. SEC, we use a difference-in-differences (DID) research design to establish the causal relationship between XBRL adoption and quality of HTML-formatted financial reports, an important source for investors and analysts to obtain firms’ financial information. Surprisingly, we find the mandatory XBRL adoption has degraded the quality of the adopting firms’ HTML-formatted financial reports, as measured by a number of data quality metrics, including spelling errors and readability. The U.S. SEC and adopting firms need design appropriate policies to minimize the undesirable side effects.
Neutralization of Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 by Antibody to gp120 Is Determined Primarily by Occupancy of Sites on the Virion Irrespective of Epitope Specificity

ABSTRACT We investigated the relative importance of binding site occupancy and epitope specificity in antibody neutralization of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) type 1 (HIV-1). The neutralization of a T-cell-line-adapted HIV-1 isolate (MN) was analyzed with a number of monovalent recombinant Fab fragments (Fabs) and monoclonal antibodies with a range of specificities covering all confirmed gp120-specific neutralization epitopes. Binding of Fabs to recombinant monomeric gp120 was determined by surface plasmon resonance, and binding of Fabs and whole antibodies to functional oligomeric gp120 was determined by indirect immunofluorescence and flow cytometry on HIV-infected cells. An excellent correlation between neutralization and oligomeric gp120 binding was observed, and a lack of correlation with monomeric gp120 binding was confirmed. A similar degree of correlation was observed between oligomeric gp120 binding and neutralization with a T-cell-line-adapted HIV-1 molecular clone (Hx10). The ratios of oligomer binding/neutralization titer fell, in general, within a relatively narrow range for antibodies to different neutralization epitopes. These results suggest that the occupancy of binding sites on HIV-1 virions is the major factor in determining neutralization, irrespective of epitope specificity. Models to account for these observations are proposed.
On the Stability of Utility Maximization Problems

In this paper we extend the stability results of [4]}. Our utility maximization problem is defined as an essential supremum of conditional expectations of the terminal values of wealth processes, conditioned on the filtration at the stopping time $\tau$. To establish our results, we extend the classical results of convex analysis to maps from $L^0$ to $L^0$. The notion of convex compactness introduced in [7] plays an important role in our analysis.
Strategies for narrowing the maize yield gap of household farms through precision fertigation under irrigated conditions using CERES-Maize model.

BACKGROUND Nitrogen (N) application significantly increases maize yield; however, the unreasonable use of N fertilizer is common in China. The analysis of crop yield gaps can reveal the limiting factors for yield improvement, but there is a lack of practical strategies for narrowing yield gaps of household farms. The objectives of this study were to assess the yield gap of summer maize using an integrative method and to develop strategies for narrowing the maize yield gap through precise N fertilization. RESULTS The results indicated that there was a significant difference in maize yield among fields, with a low level of variation. Additionally, significant differences in N application rate were observed among fields, with high variability. Based on long-term simulation results, the optimal N application rate was 193 kg ha-1 , with a corresponding maximum attainable yield (AYmax ) of 10 318 kg ha-1 . A considerable difference between farmers' yields and AYmax was observed. Low agronomic efficiency of applied N fertilizer (AEN ) in farmers' fields was exhibited. CONCLUSION The integrative method lays a foundation for exploring the specific factors constraining crop yield gaps at the field scale and for developing strategies for rapid site-specific N management. Optimization strategies to narrow the maize yield gap include increasing N application rates and adjusting the N application schedule. © 2016 Society of Chemical Industry.
Community Residents' Perceptions and Attitudes Towards Heritage Tourism in a Historic City

Abstract The aim of this study is to investigate the residents' perceptions in a historic heritage city in a developed nation by identifying the residents' attitudes towards tourism-related issues, and by examining how socio-economic and demographic indicators influence the residents' perceptions. The results discovered that the majority of residents had positive attitudes towards tourism impacts in the case of York, England. Although respondents seemed to be well aware of the negative aspects, most of them did not resist the additional developments of the industry. Therefore, awareness of tourism's social and environmental costs did not necessarily lead to opposition towards the expansion of the industry. There exists a strong relationship between respondents' socio-economic characteristics and their perceptions of certain tourism-related issues regarding the research questions.
Serum Protein Fractions: A Comparison of Precipitation Methods with Electrophoresis

The proteins of human serum and their changes in disease have been extensively studied by salt fractionation methods, and more recently by electrophoresis. Although there are limitations to electrophoresis (Petermann, Young, and Hogness, 1947), it has the great advantage that the albumin and globulin fractions obtained are homo-geneous, although this is based upon the single property of mobility in an electric field. Unfortunately the method is not practicable for routine serum protein analysis, and a simple procedure for the chemical determination of albumin and a-, P-, and y-globulins in serum proteins, giving results reasonably consistent with those obtained by electrophoretic analysis, would facilitate study of the alterations which occur in disease.
Modified lip repositioning: A surgical approach to treat the gummy smile

Gummy smile has been an esthetic concern for many patients. This clinical report describes a successful surgical coverage obtained by modified lip repositioning, thus surgically treating the gummy smile. The technique was performed to limit the retraction of elevator muscles (e.g., zygomaticus minor, orbicularis oris, leviator anguli oris and levator labi oris.) The technique is fulfilled by removing two strips of mucosa from maxillary buccal vestibule on both the sides leaving the frenum untouched and creating a partial thickness flap between mucogingival junction and upper lip musculature, and suturing the lip mucosa with mucogingival junction, resulting in a narrow vestibule and restricted muscle pull, thereby reducing gingival display. This technique is different from the conventional surgical lip repositioning as labial frenum is left untouched over here as it helps in maintain Litton the midline for lip repositioning and reduces the morbidity associated with it.
Migration, Age, and Education

The shape of the earnings-age function and the way education affects it can explain all the empirically observed relations of migration measures to distance moved, age, and education. No other assumptions (which are often made)--such as attributing lower risk aversion and higher efficiency of job search to more-educated persons, or higher psychic cost of moving to older persons--are needed. The individual's search for jobs and the firm's search for employees are affected by the shape of the earnings function--and, thus, by age and education in a predictable way. In turn, the observed systematic behavior of the migration measures with respect to age and education is responsive to the search behavior.
Racial and Ethnic Group Differences in College Enrollment Decisions

This chapter reviews and synthesizes what is known from prior research about racial and ethnic group differences in college enrollment and identifies areas for intervention. This chapter is relevant to campus administrators, institutional researchers, and others who are interested in raising the share of African Americans and Hispanics who are enrolling in U.S. colleges and universities.
First Aid Knowledge and Attitude of Secondary School Students in Saudi Arabia

Background: Increasing the number of qualified people, including school students who can play a significant role in first-aid (FA) and basic life support (BLS) arena is a public health demand. Aim: To assess the awareness of Saudi secondary school students regarding FA and BLS. Methodology: 360 male secondary school children in Taif, Saudi Arabia were surveyed. Results: The mean students’ age was 17.4 ± 1.21 years. The mean participants’ FA knowledge score was 64.8% ± 11%. Generally, trained students reported both better FA knowledge and skills than untrained counter-parts; for 79.6% trained-compared to 53.7% untrained-students recorded such score > 70% [χ2 (df 1) = 11.60, p 70%) [62.3% <17 y vs. 49.3% ≥17 y, χ2(df 1) = 5.90, p = 0.02] was. Trained students better deal with critical cases, bleeding and bodily injury compared to untrained peers [89.8% vs. 55.9%, χ2 (df 1) = 20.3, p < 0.001; 83.7% vs. 58.2%, χ2 (df 1) = 11.62, p = 0.04; 81.6% vs. 67.2%, χ2 (df 1) = 4.13, p = 0.04, respectively]. Only 37.2% of schools had FA incorporated in the education curriculum. Eventually, FA training and the presence of FA group were significant predictors for improved FA knowledge among students [odds ratio (OR) 3.35, 95% CI 1.60 - 7.06; OR 2.28, 95% CI 1.34 - 3.95, respectively). Conclusions: First-aid training is crucial to enhance school children’s FA skills and to thrust their contribution to health emergency control efforts. Incorporating FA training within the educational curriculum of Saudi schools is a step forward to disseminate FA message in the community.