Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Inhibition of GPR40 protects MIN6 β cells from palmitate‐induced ER stress and apoptosis

Chronic exposure to elevated concentration of free fatty acids (FFA) has been verified to induce endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress, which leads to pancreatic β‐cell apoptosis. As one of the medium and long chain FFA receptors, GPR40 is highly expressed in pancreatic β cells, mediates both acute and chronic effects of FFA on β‐cell function, but the role of GPR40 in FFA‐induced β‐cell apoptosis remains unclear. In this study, we investigated the possible effects of GPR40 in palmitate‐induced MIN6 β‐cell apoptosis, and found that DC260126, a novel small molecular antagonist of GPR40, could protect MIN6 β cells from palmitate‐induced ER stress and apoptosis. Similar results were observed in GPR40‐deficient MIN6 cells, indicating that palmitate‐induced β‐cell apoptosis is at least partially dependent on ER stress pathway via GRP40. J. Cell. Biochem. 113: 1152–1158, 2012. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Beyond Corporate Responsibility: The 'Spiritual Turn' and the rise of Conscious Business

A key movement concerned with reforming business that has grown in influence and acceptance over the last two decades is Corporate Responsibility (CR). While it has attracted criticism from across the political spectrum, it is fair to say that it has also achieved much in a relatively short space of time. Nevertheless, we need to ask whether CR and the CR movement can transform business practices such that the corporation can be the type of organization that will assist society address some of the key challenges we face in terms of human and environmental sustainability. This paper suggests that the answer is no if CR continues down the path of many previous reform movements and becomes ‘captured’ by the dominant business school models which are still linked to the ‘modern world view’. The answer could be yes if CR takes a different path, one that is still being paved, but that is embedded within the ‘emerging world view’, which is informed and underpinned by the new spirituality. The paper outlines five schools of thought or movements that are beginning to move beyond CR informed by the emerging world view and ‘spiritual turn’ occurring in society. These five schools of thought are grouped under the term ‘Conscious Business’. This work has in common the desire to overcome the limitations of CR and move beyond it to provide clues to what the corporation of the 21 century might look like.
Effects of shift work on employee retention : an examination of job satisfaction, organizational commitment, and stress-based explanations

An abstract of the thesis of Kristin Elizabeth Charles for the Master of Science in Psychology presented November 1, 2004. Title: Effects of shift work on employee retention: An examination of job satisfaction, organizational commitment, and stress-based explanations Shift work is becoming increasingly prevalent in our society, with 17% of the full-time work force and 36% of the part-time work force working non-standard shifts (Beers, 2000). The goal of this study was to explore the relationships between several shift work variables and retention of employees working in a retail organization that is open 24-hours a day. Results indicated no significant differences between workers in fixed versus mixed shift schedules on job satisfaction or role stress. Contrary to my hypothesis, mixed shift workers reported higher levels of commitment and remained with the organization longer than fixed shift workers. As predicted, night shift workers reported lower levels of job satisfaction and organizational commitment than evening workers. However contrary to predictions, there were no significant differences between morning and night shift workers. Supervisor support did not moderate the relationship between shift work and commitment, satisfaction, or role stress. However is was a significant moderator of the relationship between day versus evening shift and role stress, with individuals working evening shifts and perceiving high levels of supervisor support remaining with the organization the longest. Findings from this study indicate that mixed shift work and evening work may result in more positive organizational outcomes than fixed shift work or day or night work. Results of this study emphasize the need for more research concerning the relationships between shift work and organizational variables. EFFECTS OF SHIFT WORK ON EMPLOYEE RETENTION: AN EXAMINATION OF JOB SATISFACTION, ORGANIZATIONAL COMMITMENT, AND STRESS-BASED EXPLANATIONS
Effects of apelin on reproductive functions: relationship with feeding behavior and energy metabolism

Abstract Apelin is an adipose tissue derived peptidergic hormone. In this study, 40 male Sprague–Dawley rats were used (four groups; n = 10). Apelin-13 at three different dosages (1, 5 and 50 μg/kg) was given intraperitoneally while the control group received vehicle the same route for a period of 14 days. In results, apelin-13 caused significant decreases in serum testosterone, luteinizing hormone and follicle-stimulating hormone levels (p < 0.05). Administration of apelin-13 significantly increased body weights, food intake, serum low-density lipoprotein and total cholesterol levels (p < 0.05), but caused significant decreases in high-density lipoprotein levels (p < 0.05). Serum glucose and triglyceride levels were not significantly altered by apelin-13 administration. Significant decreases in both uncoupling protein (UCP)-1 levels in the white and brown adipose tissues and UCP-3 levels in the biceps muscle (p < 0.05) were noted. The findings of the study suggest that apelin-13 may not only lead to obesity by increasing body weight but also cause infertility by suppressing reproductive hormones.
A Study of Infective Keratitis and its Response to Treatment

Corneal infection is the leading cause of ocular morbidity and blindness worldwide. Despite advances in treatment, infective keratitis remains clinically challenging and although the outcome can be favorable with appropriate management. The aim of the present study is to study the prevalence and distribution of bacterial and fungal keratitis and assessment of their response to treatment. Corneal scrapings were inoculated in to various media after collection and identified, assessed their antibiotic susceptibility pattern. All the patients were treated appropriately according to the etiology of infective keratitis. Out of 100 suspected cases, 40 (40%) were bacterial etiology of infective keratitis and 36 (36%) were fungal cause of infective keratitis. Both Gram positive and Gram Negative isolates was treated according to antibiotic sensitivity pattern. Fungal isolates were treated according to the type of fungus, by using eye drops of various antifungals. 52.5% of bacterial corneal ulcers recovered on treatment, while 30% deteriorated with loss of vision or perforation or corneal vascularization. 72.22% of fungal corneal ulcers deteriorated in spite of treatment with scarring and cicatrisation of corneal and total corneal ulceration. To avoid complications of corneal ulcers there is a need of appropriate treatment to start as early as possible.
Sadaqah- Based Crowdfunding Model For Microfinancing And Health Care

The rapid development of payment technology and internet network throughout the world make crowdfunding to be used widely as mechanism for funding. Generally, the crowdfunding adapts the concept of microfinancing and crowdsourcing, but it has unique characteristics of its own. This present paper is aimed to investigate the potentials crowdfunding and proposes a crowdfunding model which is complies with Shariah using permissible contracts namely sadaqah and qard al-hasan. The present study was conducted using qualitative method through library research. The study found that the crowdfunding has been employed in various models; donation-based and investment-based models. It was also found that it is permissible for the crowdfunding to be incorporated with the Shariah complied contract of sadaqah in order to mobilize the fund from the community. Therefore, this study proposed a sadaqah-based crowdfunding model. The model has main roles to provide microfinancing for entrepreneurial projects and set up health care fund for the treatment costs of the needy.
Variable Loop Glycan Dependency of the Broad and Potent HIV-1-Neutralizing Antibodies PG9 and PG16

ABSTRACT The HIV-1-specific antibodies PG9 and PG16 show marked cross-isolate neutralization breadth and potency. Antibody neutralization has been shown to be dependent on the presence of N-linked glycosylation at position 160 in gp120. We show here that (i) the loss of several key glycosylation sites in the V1, V2, and V3 loops; (ii) the generation of pseudoviruses in the presence of various glycosidase inhibitors; and (iii) the growth of pseudoviruses in a mutant cell line (GnT1−/−) that alters envelope glycosylation patterns all have significant effects on the sensitivity of virus to neutralization by PG9 and PG16. However, the interaction of antibody is not inhibited by sugar monosaccharides corresponding to those found in glycans on the HIV surface. We show that some of the glycosylation effects described are isolate dependent and others are universal and can be used as diagnostic for the presence of PG9 and PG16-like antibodies in the sera of HIV-1-infected patients. The results suggest that PG9 and PG16 recognize a conformational epitope that is dependent on glycosylation at specific variable loop N-linked sites. This information may be valuable for the design of immunogens to elicit PG9 and PG16-like antibodies, as well as constructs for cocrystallization studies.
Reliability improvement resulting from the integration of PV systems in the Interconnected Greek Transmission System

Photovoltaic Systems (PV) are becoming one of the most developing investment areas in the field of renewable energy sources (RES). Environmental pollution renders the need for covering energy demands by renewable sources more imperative than ever. The aim of the paper is to use the estimated power production of PV units in order to evaluate the potential improvement of loss of load probability (LOLP) and loss of energy probability (LOEP). This analysis is implemented for the Interconnected Greek Transmission System (IGTS). The power output of PV units in Greece is calculated and the expected reduction of the above indices is demonstrated. Furthermore, peak shaving for the IGTS by the use of PV units is also illustrated. Finally, reliability improvement is expressed in terms of profit by comparing the cost for every kWh produced by PV units to the corresponding cost for every kWh produced by expensive units, which would otherwise cover a proportion of peak load demand.
Hypervariability of Biofilm Formation and Oxacillin Resistance in a Staphylococcus epidermidis Strain Causing Persistent Severe Infection in an Immunocompromised Patient

ABSTRACT We report on a leukemic patient who suffered from a persistent, generalized, and eventually fatal Staphylococcus epidermidis infection during prolonged aplasia. Over a 6-week period, we isolated a genetically and phenotypically unstable S. epidermidis strain related to an epidemic clone associated with hospital infections worldwide. Strikingly, the strain showed a remarkable degree of variability, with evidence of selection and increasing predominance of biofilm-producing and oxacillin-resistant variants over time. Thus, in the early stages of the infection, the strain was found to generate subpopulations which had spontaneously lost the biofilm-mediating ica locus along with the oxacillin resistance-conferring mecA gene. These deletion mutants were obviously outcompeted by the ica- and mecA-positive wild-type genotype, with the selection and predominance of strongly biofilm-forming and oxacillin-resistant variants in the later stages of the infection. Also, a switch from protein- to polysaccharide intercellular adhesin/poly-N-acetylglucosamine (PIA/PNAG)-mediated-biofilm production was detected among ica-positive variants in the course of the infection. The data highlight the impact of distinct S. epidermidis clonal lineages as serious nosocomial pathogens that, through the generation and selection of highly pathogenic variants, may critically determine disease progression and outcome.
Factors limiting seed production of Taxus brevifolia (Taxaceae) in Western Oregon.

Seed production of Pacific yew (Taxus brevifolia), an understory conifer, was studied at four sites in western Oregon over 2 yr. The effects of pollen supplementation, overstory canopy, and predator exclusion on ovule attrition were examined. Supplemental hand-pollination of ten trees at two sites resulted in significantly increased rates of ovule development and a doubling of seed efficiency (ratio of seeds to ovules). However, seed efficiency still averaged <15% on branches receiving supplemental pollen, so pollination was not a primary factor limiting seed production. The number of developing ovules was positively associated with overstory openness, but seed production was not. Seed efficiency was negatively associated with overstory openness. Branches bagged to exclude vertebrate seed predators had higher seed production than unbagged branches at three of four sites for 2 yr. In contrast to unbagged branches, seed production on bagged branches was positively associated with overstory openness, as was the effectiveness of bagging. Therefore, both vertebrate predation and overstory were important in limiting seed production, and these factors interacted. Factors limiting seed production varied in importance among the four sites and between years, illustrating the importance of examining multiple limiting factors over several sites and years.
Factors that Affect Accounting Information Systems and Accounting Information (Survey on Local Bank in Bandung-Indonesia)

Background: More organizations are realizing that quality information is essential to the success of the business activity. Accounting information quality is a competitive advantage for an organization. Information systems must be built with deep understanding of the organization in which the information systems will be used. The competitive advantage of a company is an indicator of the potential of the company is superior in making decisions than its competitors. Objective: This research examines the influence of transformational leadership style, the used of information technology and the quality of accounting information systems and their implications on the quality of accounting information. Results: The results showed that there were significant effects of the transformational leadership style, the used of information technology and quality of accounting information systems on the quality of accounting information. Conclusion: Transformational leadership style and the used of information technology affect the successful implementation of accounting information systems in an organization, because the quality of accounting information system produces accounting information quality.
Loopy Neural Nets: Imitating Feedback Loops in the Human Brain

Artiﬁcial Neural networks purport to be biomimetic, but are by deﬁnition acyclic computational graphs. As a corollary, neurons in artiﬁcial nets ﬁre only once and have no time-dynamics. Both these properties contrast with what neuroscience has taught us about human brain connectivity, especially with regards to object recognition. We therefore propose a way to simulate feedback loops in the brain by unrolling loopy neural networks several timesteps, and investigate the properties of these networks. We compare different variants of loops, including multiplicative composition of inputs and additive composition of inputs. We demonstrate that loopy networks outperform deep feedfor-ward networks with the same number of parameters on the CIFAR-10 dataset, as well as nonloopy versions of the same network, and perform equally well on the MNIST dataset. In order to further understand our models, we visualize neurons in loop layers with guided backprop, demonstrating that the same ﬁlters behave increasingly nonlinearly at higher unrolling levels. Furthermore, we interpret loops as attention mechanisms, and demonstrate that the composition of the loop output with the input image produces images that look qualitatively like attention maps.
No Homo

The phrase no homo arose in hip-hop lyrics of the 1990s as a discourse interjection to negate supposed sexual and gender transgressions. Today the phrase has gained currency beyond hip-hop culture and pervades racial and gender continua. As a result, its increasing prevalence in mainstream speech has caused critics to deplore no homo as outright homophobia. This article describes the origins and scope of no homo. Instead of easily identifying the phrase as homophobic, the article invites readers to examine the phrase as a way of understanding the complexities in gender identification processes along with the linguistic dexterity necessary for survival in certain sociocultural groups. By exploring the macrosociological issues which created and perpetuate the need for no homo, we arrive at a deeper understanding of sexuality, marginalized sexuality, and the (often unspoken) uneasiness with sexual and gendered nonconformity.
The relationship between participation in professional development and level of social capital

The purpose of this study was to determine if a relationship exists between level of social capital and the extent of participation in professional development activities for professional employees of a profit-based organization located in the Southeastern United States. The researcher used survey methodology to determine the extent of participation in professional development activities within a 12 month period and the level of social capital within an organizational setting. Multiple regression analyses were conducted to determine if a model exists to explain a significant portion of the variance in the extent of participation in professional development activities from selected demographic variables and level of social capital. One key conclusion is that the study participants engaged in more self-initiated activities than any other type of professional development activity. Self-initiated activities include such activities as searching the internet for work-related information and seeking work-related information from a mentor or colleague. A second conclusion is that social capital was found to be a significant predictor of participation in voluntary professional development activities that were in individual settings. This second conclusion addresses the recent emphasis on the need to study social networks in order to understand participation in learning activities (Hatala, 2006). In addressing this need, the conclusion helps to bridge a gap in human resource development literature by increasing the understanding of the role of social capital in participation in professional development activities. Given that individual activities include one-on-one collaborations with mentors/colleagues, it is recommended that human resource development professionals include mentoring and relationship building in employee
Suture Button Fixation Treatment of Chronic Lisfranc Injury in Professional Dancers and High-Level Athletes

Chronic Lisfranc injury is a subtle and severe injury in high-level athletes, including dancers. This patient population is generally intolerant of intra-articular screw fixation and can develop significant post-traumatic arthritis with potentially career ending complications. Flexible fixation with suture-button devices provides potential restoration of physiologic motion at the joint, with appropriate support for healing that may facilitate return to en pointe activities for dancers. We hypothesized that the suture-button device would restore motion at the Lisfranc joint and allow for return to activities in this particular population without the limitations and complications of rigid fixation. We operated on seven dancers and high-level athletes with diagnosed Lisfranc injuries by installing a suture-button device. All patients had failed conservative management after late presentation. They were allowed to return to sport in 6 months, preoperative and postoperative American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Score (AOFAS) foot scores were obtained, and patients were followed for a minimum of 15 months. All seven returned to full activities in 6 months, with radiographic evidence of fixation and no complications to date. AOFAS foot scores improved from an average of 65 preoperatively to an average of 97 postoperatively at latest follow-up. It is concluded that flexible fixation with suture-button type device represents a viable alternative to screw fixation or fusion that may allow dancers and athletes to return to previous levels of activity after Lisfranc injury. This case series represents to our knowledge the first application of this device to a unique population that requires flexibility at the Lisfranc joint for performance.
Paclitaxel (P), pegylated liposomal doxorubicin (PLD) and trastuzumab as 1st-line chemotherapy (chemo) in HER2/neu-positive (+) metastatic breast cancer (MBC).

10663 Background: Addition of trastuzumab (Herceptin, H) to successive neoadjuvant taxane+anthracycline-based chemo in patients (pts) with HER-2 (+) breast cancer significantly increases the pathological complete response (CR) rates. PLD has considerably less cardiotoxicity compared to parent drug. The aim of the study was to evaluate the activity and safety of combining H with PLD and P as 1st-line chemo in HER-2 (+) MBC pts. METHODS Inclusion criteria were: histologically confirmed MBC or relapsed after adjuvant chemo, ≥1 measurable lesion, adequate organ function, ECOG-PS 0-1, left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) by MUGA ≥55% (reevaluated after cycles 3 and 6). HER-2 positivity was determined by IHC and confirmed with CISH. Chemo was administered as follows: H 6mg/kg (8mg/kg-1st cycle) infused over 90min, PLD 35mg/m2 over 1hr, and P 175mg/m2 over 3hrs on day 1, with prophylactic G-CSF, recycled every 3 weeks. In responders, H was administered as consolidation (6mg/kg/3wks) until disease progression. RESULTS From 10/2003-10/2005, 19 female HER-2 positive MBC pts were enrolled. Median age: 68 (range, 42-78). Metastatic sites were: lung 6, liver 1, bone 3, lymph nodes 11, soft tissue 5 [median: 2 (range, 1-4)]. Pts received a median of 6 (range, 1-8) for a total of 102 cycles. PLD was started at 35 mg/m2, but in pts with grade 3 hand-foot syndrome (HFS) dose was reduced by 25% (6 pts), or the drug was omitted for 1 cycle (1 pt). 17 pts completed 3-6 cycles and were evaluable for response, all treated patients were evaluable for toxicity. Response rates (RR) were 71%; CR 41%, PR 30%, SD 29%, with no PD. Two pts rendered operable had pCR. Toxicities were: HFS; grade 4: 1, grade 3: 6 (overall 37%), grade 3-4 neutropenia: 4, grade 3 anemia: 1, grade 3-4 mucositis: 2, and grade 2 alopecia: 19. Neither significant LVEF decline, nor symptomatic cardiac event was observed. It is too early to provide data on response duration, TTP, and OS, and these will be available at the meeting. CONCLUSIONS H+P+PLD as 1st-line chemo in HER-2(+) MBC pts is a very active and well tolerated regimen with no significant morbidity/mortality. HFS was the most relevant toxicity. The study is ongoing. No significant financial relationships to disclose.