Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Modeling of denatured state for calculation of the electrostatic contribution to protein stability

Existing models of the denatured state of proteins consider only one possible spatial distribution of protein charges and therefore are applicable to a limited number of cases. In this article, a more general framework for the modeling of the denatured state is proposed. It is based on the assumption that the titratable groups of an unfolded protein can adopt a quasi‐random distribution restricted by the protein sequence. The model was applied for the calculations of electrostatic interactions in two proteins, barnase and N‐terminal domain of the ribosomal protein L9. The calculated free energy of denaturation, ΔG(pH), reproduces the experimental data better than the commonly used null approximation (NA). It was shown that the seemingly good agreement with experimental data obtained by NA originates from the compensatory effect between the pairwise electrostatic interactions and the desolvation energy of the individual sites. It was also found that the ionization properties of denatured proteins are influenced by the protein sequence.
Magnetospheric period magnetic field oscillations at Saturn: Equatorial phase “jitter” produced by superposition of southern and northern period oscillations

[1] We investigate magnetic field oscillations near the planetary rotation period in Saturn's magnetosphere observed during the initial near-equatorial phase of the Cassini mission. Phase determinations on 28 periapsis passes during this ∼2 year interval display pronounced nonrandom “jitter” relative to the ∼10.8 h modulations in the dominant southern Saturn kilometric radiation (SKR) emissions. Phase deviations in the radial and azimuthal components are strongly positively correlated, while being anticorrelated with the phase deviations in the colatitudinal component. This suggests the presence in the equatorial magnetosphere of superposed weaker field oscillations at the ∼10.6 h period of the northern SKR modulations, the phase deviations being shown to be periodic near the corresponding ∼23 day “beat” period. Modeling the effect of the northern period oscillations shows that their amplitude is ∼30%–40% of the southern period oscillations, producing phase deviations of ∼±25°. The relative phasing of the northern period radial and azimuthal fields is such as to form a rotating quasi-uniform field, as for the southern period oscillations, while the phasing of the colatitudinal component indicates perturbation field lines arched with apices pointing to the south, opposite to the southern period field lines that are arched with apices pointing to the north. The northern period field points sunward at northern SKR maxima, consistent with previous observations of the northern polar oscillations and opposite to the southern period field that points tailward at southern SKR maxima. The results support the view that the field oscillations are due to two auroral current systems that rotate with differing periods in the two hemispheres.
Senile entropion ‐ cure rate by retractor tightening and horizontal shortening

Purpose: In order to clarify the efficiency of two operations aimed at curing the principal causes of senile entropion, a consecutive series of patients were examined. Material: In 19 lids, the lower lid retractors were tightened transcutaneously and in 45 a simultaneous horizontal lid shortening was performed. Surgery was uneventful in all cases. The patients were reexamined 7–53 months after surgery. Results: In the group with mere retractor surgery were five recurrences; all lids that also had a horizontal shortening were satisfactorily cured. Conclusion: Lower eyelid retractor tightening with simultaneous horizontal shortening of the lid is recommended to correct senile operation with a lasting result.
Credit union growth in the Tenth Federal Reserve District : how legal and regulatory changes have affected credit union expansion

In the Tenth Federal Reserve District, banks have reported increasing concern regarding deposit competition from credit unions. In our 2004 Survey of Community Banks, we asked banks to rate competition from a variety of sources. Bankers said they anticipate intense competition from several sources in the coming years. Foremost is competition from other community banks. However, almost half of all community banks that responded said they expect very intense or intense deposit competition from credit unions in the next five years. What factors lead bankers to believe that competition from credit unions is increasing? This article seeks to address this question by describing the credit union industry and the historical basis for legal and regulatory differences between banking and credit union supervision and regulation, as well as recent legal and regulatory changes that may have increased competition between credit unions and banks. The article will show how these changes are affecting credit unions located in the Tenth District states
Female career progression in retailing

Purpose – The aim of this paper is to highlight the factors that limit and support female career progression in the retail industry.Design/methodology/approach – The research used a combination of quantitative and qualitative research methods. Data were collected from employees and managers working in 31 stores belonging to national stores operating in the East Midlands as well as ten SME independent retailers based in the region.Findings – The women in this study can be categorised into those women who are not interested in pursuing a career in retail, those that seek promotion but have difficulties balancing the demands of their work and domestic circumstances and those who have actively pursued a career in the industry. Despite these categorisations, the study suggests that the career progression of all female staff is helped and hindered by a number of interrelating factors, such as whether they have a role model, are loyal to the store they work in or have children.Practical implications – It is prop.
Tocilizumab inhibits structural joint damage in rheumatoid arthritis patients with inadequate responses to methotrexate: results from the double-blind treatment phase of a randomized placebo-controlled trial of tocilizumab safety and prevention of structural joint damage at one year.

OBJECTIVE To assess the efficacy and safety of tocilizumab plus methotrexate (MTX) versus MTX alone in preventing structural joint damage and improving physical function and disease activity in patients with moderate-to-severe rheumatoid arthritis and inadequate responses to MTX. METHODS A total of 1,196 patients were enrolled in a 2-year, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. Patients received tocilizumab (8 mg/kg or 4 mg/kg) or placebo every 4 weeks plus MTX. Rescue treatment was available from week 16. Results from year 1 are presented. RESULTS Mean change in the total Genant-modified Sharp score was 0.29 and 0.34 with tocilizumab 8 mg/kg plus MTX and 4 mg/kg plus MTX, respectively, versus 1.13 with placebo plus MTX (P < 0.0001 for both comparisons). Analysis of variance of the area under the curve for change from baseline in the disability index of the Health Assessment Questionnaire showed greater decreases with tocilizumab 8 mg/kg and 4 mg/kg (-144.1 and -128.4 units, respectively) than with placebo (-58.1 units; P < 0.0001 for both comparisons). Proportions of patients with American College of Rheumatology 20%, 50%, and 70% improvement and with Disease Activity Score in 28 joints remission were higher in those receiving 8 mg/kg tocilizumab than in those receiving placebo (P < 0.0001 for all comparisons). The safety profile of tocilizumab was consistent with the profiles in previous studies. Infections were the most common adverse and serious adverse events. CONCLUSION The findings of this study show that tocilizumab plus MTX results in greater inhibition of joint damage and improvement in physical function than does MTX alone. Tocilizumab has a well-characterized safety profile.
Heart rate recovery predicts mortality and cardiovascular events in patients with type 2 diabetes.

PURPOSE Heart rate recovery (HRR) immediately after peak exercise has utility as a predictor of all-cause mortality. However, a prognostic role for HRR has not been specifically evaluated in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), nor has an association between HRR and cardiovascular (CV) events been documented. This study investigated whether HRR is predictive of all-cause mortality, CV mortality, and CV events in asymptomatic patients with T2DM. METHODS HRR in subjects with T2DM was obtained via chart review of peak exercise treadmill tests (N = 890) performed at entry into the Appropriate Blood Pressure Control in Diabetes trial. Survival analysis was used to test the association of 1- and 2-min HRR with all-cause mortality, CV mortality, and CV events during the follow-up period. RESULTS Subjects were followed for a median of 5.0 yr. All-cause mortality and CV events were significantly greater among the lowest quintile (< 12 bpm) of 1-min HRR compared with the fourth (23-28 bpm) quintile. Similarly all-cause mortality and CV events were significantly greater among the lowest quintile (< 28 bpm) of 2-min HRR compared with the third quintile (37-42 bpm) quintile. After adjustment for traditional cardiac risk factors, attenuated 1- and 2-min HRR remained significantly associated with increased risk of CV events as compared with those without attenuation. CONCLUSIONS HRR provides information beyond traditional CV risk factors that could aid in the clinical risk stratification of patients with T2DM. The results suggest that HRR results should be incorporated into standard diagnostic treadmill testing reports and target those patients with T2DM and attenuated HRR who can benefit from directed therapies.
Short Dental Implants

Growing evidence has suggested the utility of short dental implants for oral reconstructive procedures in clinical situations of limited vertical bone height. The aim of this review was to systematically evaluate clinical studies of implants < 10 mm in length, to determine short implant-supported prosthesis success in the atrophic jaw. Implant survival, incidence of biological and biomechanical complications, and radiographic peri-implant marginal bone loss were evaluated. Screening of eligible studies, quality assessment, and data extraction were conducted by two reviewers independently. Meta-analyses were performed by the pooling of survival data by implant surface, surgical technique, implant location, type of edentulism, and prosthetic restoration. Two randomized controlled trials and 14 observational studies were selected and analyzed for data extraction. In total, 6193 short-implants were investigated from 3848 participants. The observational period was 3.2 ± 1.7 yrs (mean ± SD). The cumulative survival rate (CSR) was 99.1% (95%CI: 98.8-99.4). The biological success rate was 98.8% (95%CI: 97.8-99.8), and the biomechanical success rate was 99.9% (95%CI: 99.4-100.0). A higher CSR was reported for rough-surfaced implants. The provision of short implant–supported prostheses in patients with atrophic alveolar ridges appears to be a successful treatment option in the short term; however, more scientific evidence is needed for the long term.
Intellectual Capital Disclosure in IPOs: Is It Worth It?

We study the association between Intellectual Capital (IC) disclosure and IPO results for a sample of firms that have listed on the Italian stock market. By making use of an in-depth content analysis of the non-financial information disclosed in the listing prospectus, we disentangle the effects of such a disclosure on the underpricing from those effects that are produced on the price adjustment. Our empirical findings suggest an overall positive effect of the IC disclosure on IPO results as the increase in the underpricing, documented by previous literature as an opportunity cost, is preceded by an upward adjustment of the offer price, which means that more money was raised. Moreover, we provide evidence that primary and secondary market investors appreciate non-financial information in different ways. Our results encourage firms that are going public to definitely engage in disclosure of IC as a means to improve IPO results.
LOGISTICS SKILLS AND COMPETENCIES FOR SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT

Despite the growing interest in supply chain management (SCM), there is little literature on the abilities practicing logisticians need to work in a SCM world. This paper studies these SCM abilities using two complementary methods: survey research and qualitative research interviews (case studies). The surveys yielded importance ratings of 45 SCM skill areas and a three-factor skill model (interpersonal/managerial, quantitative/technological, and SCM core). Teamwork emerged as the skill area rated most important for SCM. Moreover, the case studies discovered additional critical skill areas for SCM such as gathering and sharing information. The interviews also enabled deeper understanding of skills within organizational contexts.
Regulatory Response of Methanococcus maripaludis to Alanine, an Intermediate Nitrogen Source

ABSTRACT In the methanogenic archaeon Methanococcus maripaludis, growth with ammonia results in conditions of nitrogen excess. Complete repression of nitrogen fixation (nif) gene transcription occurs, and glutamine synthetase (glnA) gene transcription falls to a basal constitutive level. In addition, ammonia completely switches off nitrogenase enzyme activity. In contrast, growth with dinitrogen as the sole nitrogen source results in nitrogen starvation, full expression of nif and glnA, and high activity of nitrogenase. Here we report that a third nitrogen source, alanine, results in an intermediate regulatory response. Growth with alanine resulted in intermediate transcription of nif and glnA, and addition of alanine to a nitrogen-fixing (diazotrophic) culture caused partial switch-off of nitrogenase. This uniformity of response occurred despite differences in regulatory mechanisms. Nitrogenase switch-off requires the nitrogen sensor homologs NifI1 and NifI2, while transcriptional regulation of nif and glnA relies on a different, unknown sensor mechanism. In addition, although nif and glnA transcription are governed by a common repressor, the numbers and arrangements of repressor binding sites differ. Thus, the nif promoter region contains two operators situated downstream of the transcription start site, while the glnA promoter region contains only one operator just upstream of two closely spaced transcription start sites. In a previous study of nif expression using ammonia, we were able to detect a role only for the first nif operator in repression. Here we show that nif repression by alanine requires the second operator as well. In contrast, in the case of glnA the single operator was sufficient for repression by ammonia or alanine. These results suggest a uniform cellular response to nitrogen that is mediated by a different mechanism in each case.
The impact of socioeconomic factors on municipal solid waste generation in São Paulo, Brazil

Social factors have not been sufficiently explored in municipal solid waste management studies. Latin America has produced even fewer studies with this approach; technical and economic investigations have prevailed. We explored the impacts of socioeconomic factors on municipal solid waste generation in Greater Sao Paulo, which includes 39 municipalities. We investigated the relations between municipal solid waste generation and social factors by Pearson’s correlation coefficient. The Student’s t-test (at p ← 0.01) proved significance, and further regression analysis was performed with significant factors. We considered 10 socioeconomic factors: population, rural population, density, life expectancy, education (secondary, high and undergraduate level), income per capita, inequality and human development. A later multicollinearity analysis resulted in the determination of inequality (rp = 0.625) and income per capita (rp = 0.607) as major drivers. The results showed the relevance of considering social aspects in municipal solid waste management and isolated inequality as an important factor in planning. Inequality must be used as a complementary factor to income, rather than being used exclusively. Inequality may explain differences of waste generation between areas with similar incomes because of consumption patterns. Therefore, unequal realities demand unequal measures to avoid exacerbation, for example, pay-as-you-throw policies instead of uniform fees. Unequal realities also highlight the importance of tiering policies beyond the waste sector, such as sustainable consumption.
Labor and Finance

This paper overviews the growing literature on the effects of finance on labor. At their best, financial markets allocate resources efficiently, expanding output, investment and employment but also forcing inefficient firms to shut down or restructure. This second effect creates employment risk and costly reallocations. At firm level, this risk is mitigated by long-term employment relationships based on explicit and implicit contracts; at the macroeconomic level, it is contained via regulations and social norms. These are beneficial insofar as they improve risk sharing and encourage investment in firm-specific human capital, but may also allow managers and workers to entrench themselves and extract rents at the expenses of investors. Regulation, technological change and international trade openness affect the balance between the bright and the dark side of employment relationships.
Sharing the Surplus with Clients: The Protection of Bank Proprietary Information and Loan Pricing

We examine the effect of banks’ proprietary information protection on loan contract terms. We find that banks offer lower interest rates to their customers after the passage of the Inevitable Disclosure Doctrine, which prevents banks’ former employees from leaking proprietary information to rivals. The decline in loan spread is larger when banks and borrowers have previous lending relationships. Borrowers respond to better loan terms by borrowing more bank debt and less public debt. Furthermore, IDD adoptions increase the probability of loan sales. Our findings suggest that banks share part of the surplus, stemming from proprietary information protection, with their borrowers.
Backpackers and Other Younger Travellers to the Great Barrier Reef: An Exploration of Changes in Characteristics and Behaviours Over Time

The tourism literature offers a number of different themes related to defining and understanding the long stay, independent travel of younger people often, referred to as backpacking. This paper focuses on the two major themes of differences between backpackers and other tourists, and change over time in backpacking, through an examination of survey data collected from tourists to Australia's Great Barrier Reef in 1996, 2001 (prior to the event of September 11) and in 2002 (prior to the Bali Bombing). Backpackers were compared to Other Younger Travellers at each of these three times on a number of variables including travel party, motivations, type of reef trip chosen, and satisfaction. The results supported three main conclusions. Firstly, Backpackers differed from Other Younger Travellers on a number of variables and they retain some of these differences over time. Secondly, both groups changed over time, reflecting impacts of changes in international travel and contexts. Finally, although significant differences continued to exist between the two groups in each time period, over time tourists in the Other Younger Travellers group became more like Backpackers. The study concludes that the concept of backpacking as a rite de passage is worthy of further consideration and research attention.
The wallpaper matters: Digital signage as customer-experience provider at the Harrods (London, UK) department store

Abstract This paper draws on the construct of brand experience to investigate the previously little-researched role of digital signage (DS) in retail atmospherics. Face-to-face between-subjects survey experiments were carried out at permanent DS installations in the UK: a pretest in a university (n = 103), and a field trial at the Harrods department store, London (n = 437). Findings demonstrate the effectiveness of DS sensory-affective advertisments (little functional information), whereas previous studies concern mainly cognitive content. DS content high on sensory cues evokes affective experience. DS ads that are high in factual information evoke intellectual experience. Evoked affective experience is more associated with attitude towards the ad and approach towards the advertiser than is evoked intellectual experience. Summary statement of contribution: The findings indicate that incidental brand-related stimuli on DS can lead to evaluative judgments such as attitudes. Such stimuli can also work by evoking sensory and affective experiences and eliciting approach behaviour towards an advertiser. Practical implications arise as ‘affective’ DS ads can increase shoppers’ approach towards an advertiser and the store that carries the ads, especially in generating loyalty from first time shoppers.
No Response Instead Of Stock Recommendations: Evidence From Korea

The objectives of this study are to confirm the theories and findings of empirical research related to stock recommendations in analysts reports and to examine from various angles the significance of stock recommendation revisions in the Korean capital market. In a considerable number of analysts reports, no stock recommendations are made; this area of the report remains blank. In this study, the blank is labeled No Response. We analyze the factors related to the decision to omit stock recommendations and the informational content of analysts reports in which no stock recommendations are made. There is no previous research on this phenomenon in Korea or other countries. Under the assumptions that the optimum portfolio of investors is affected by the trading of stocks, and that analysts reports reflect market expectations, we investigate the informational content of reports in which no stock recommendations are made by observing the abnormal returns on the day of disclosure.
Stability Analysis of Autonomous Ratio-Memory Cellular Nonlinear Networks for Pattern Recognition

The stability analysis via the Lyapunov theorem for Autonomous Ratio-Memory Cellular Nonlinear Networks (ARMCNNs) is proposed. A conservative domain of attraction (DOA) is found from the stability analysis through a graphical method without complicated numerical analysis. The stability analysis shows that ARMCNNs can tolerate large ratio weight variations. This paper also presents the ARMCNN with self-feedback (SARMCNN) to overcome the problem of isolated neurons due to low correlation between neighboring neurons. The SARMCNN recognition rate (RR) is compared with other CNN constructed via the singular value decomposition technique (SVD-CNN).
Buyer-supplier relationship

3 Preface . 4 List of Abbreviations . 5 Management Summary . 6 List of Figures . 11 List of Tables . 11 1. Project Context and Research Design . 12 1.1 Background . 12 1.2 Problem Statement . 15 1.3 Company Description . 17 1.4 Intermediate Conclusion . 18 1.5 Scope and Limitations . 19 1.6 Thesis Organization . 19 2. Theoretical Background . 20 2.1 Definition of concepts . 20 2.1.1 Trust . 20 2.1.2 Trustworthiness . 23 2.1.3 Asset Specificity. 24 2.1.4 Power and Dependence . 25 2.2 Role of Trust in Supply Chain Relationships . 27 2.3 Trust and transaction costs . 29 2.4 Trust and Information Sharing . 30 2.5 Intermediate Conclusion . 31 3. Methodology . 32 3.1 Types of Research . 32 3.2 Reliability and Validity . 33 3.3 Research Setup . 34 3.4 Hypotheses . 34