Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Taking Stock of Work-Family Initiatives: How Announcements of “Family-Friendly” Human Resource Decisions Affect Shareholder Value

This study examines share price reactions to 231 work-family human resource policies adopted by Fortune 500 companies and announced in the Wall Street Journal between 1971 and 1996. Consistent with past research, the results suggest that firm announcements of work-family initiatives positively affected shareholder return. The authors also empirically test three hypotheses concerning how the timing of work-family initiatives influences shareholder reaction. They find that a pioneering company announcing the first-ever implementation of a work-family initiative was likely to realize a larger announcement-day share price increase than did later adopters of the same initiative; the first work-family announcement released by a firm influenced announcement-day share price more than did successive work-family announcements by the same firm; and share price reactions to work-family human resource decisions were not importantly affected by whether those decisions followed a gender discrimination suit.
Myeloablative chemotherapy followed by autologous stem cell infusion may overcome the adverse prognostic impact of FLT3 (foetal liver tyrosine kinase 3) mutations in patients with acute myeloid leukaemia and normal karyotype

In this study, we analysed the prognostic relevance of foetal liver tyrosine kinase 3 (FLT3) mutations in 73 patients with acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) with normal karyotype, who survived induction and consolidation and received autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT) after successful mobilization of peripheral blood stem cell (PBSC). There were 44 males and 29 females with a median age of 54 years (range 20–77). Overall, 16 out of 73 autografted patients (22%) had FLT3 mutations. More in detail, FLT3/ITDs were detected in 10 out of 73 patients (14%), while FLT3 D835 mutations were detected in five cases (7%). One patient (1%) was found as having both abnormalities. White blood cell count (p=0.009), serum concentration of lactate dehydrogenase (p=0.01), and percentages of peripheral blood (p=0.002) and bone marrow blasts (p=0.03) were significantly higher in patients showing the FLT3 mutations. On the contrary, overall survival and disease‐free survival were similar between patients with or without FLT3 mutations (p=0.73 and 0.78, respectively). In conclusion, our data suggest that myeloablative chemotherapy supported by auto‐PBSCT may overcome the adverse prognostic implications of FLT3 mutations in AML. However, it is to consider that autografted patients are highly selected for best response to induction, consolidation and mobilization, as well as for minor non‐haematologic toxicity. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Structural basis of albumin–thyroxine interactions and familial dysalbuminemic hyperthyroxinemia

Human serum albumin (HSA) is the major protein component of blood plasma and serves as a transporter for thyroxine and other hydrophobic compounds such as fatty acids and bilirubin. We report here a structural characterization of HSA–thyroxine interactions. Using crystallographic analyses we have identified four binding sites for thyroxine on HSA distributed in subdomains IIA, IIIA, and IIIB. Mutation of residue R218 within subdomain IIA greatly enhances the affinity for thyroxine and causes the elevated serum thyroxine levels associated with familial dysalbuminemic hyperthyroxinemia (FDH). Structural analysis of two FDH mutants of HSA (R218H and R218P) shows that this effect arises because substitution of R218, which contacts the hormone bound in subdomain IIA, produces localized conformational changes to relax steric restrictions on thyroxine binding at this site. We have also found that, although fatty acid binding competes with thyroxine at all four sites, it induces conformational changes that create a fifth hormone-binding site in the cleft between domains I and III, at least 9 Å from R218. These structural observations are consistent with binding data showing that HSA retains a high-affinity site for thyroxine in the presence of excess fatty acid that is insensitive to FDH mutations.
An Estuarine Assemblage from the Middle Devonian Trout Valley Formation of Northern Maine

Abstract The Middle Devonian (Emsian/Eifelian) Trout Valley Formation is exposed in the northeastern corner of Baxter State Park, Maine, and is noted for its abundant plant-fossil assemblages. However, to date no invertebrate macrofaunal assemblages have been reported in this fluvial-to-marine sequence; only isolated eurypterid parts have been reported. A previously undescribed outcrop of coarse- to medium-grained siltstone characterized by megaripples preserves a restricted, transported invertebrate assemblage. The macrofossils are randomly oriented and concentrated in the ripple crests. Similar sedimentological features in other parts of the stratigraphic section indicate an estuarine, tidally influenced depositional regime. The fossil assemblage is dominated by Phthonia sectifrons—an uncommon Devonian bivalve known previously from open-marine deposits. Few other fossil taxa occur. Typically associated with deep-shelf brachiopods, the presence of P. sectifrons in these estuarine deposits indicates that this taxon occupied a wider range of habitats, extending from the shallow silty shelf facies to more transitional settings. The facies associations in the Trout Valley Formation suggest that Devonian near-shore communities resembled modern bivalve-dominated near-shore communities.
Effects of inhibitors of tumoricidal activity upon schistosomulum killing by activated macrophages

Larvae of the helminth parasite Schistosoma mansoni are efficiently killed in vitro by lymphokine-activated macrophages, leading to the hypothesis that these cells may participate in the effector mechanism of protective immunity against schistosomiasis. Larvacidal activity has also been demonstrated in the IC-21 macrophage cell line in the absence of a demonstrable respiratory burst, indicating that macrophages possess nonoxidative mechanisms of schistosomulum killing. In this study, we demonstrated that IC-21 larval killing was most effective when contact was allowed between cells and target. Nonoxidative larvacidal activity was prevented by protein synthesis inhibitors, by the inhibition of microtubule polymerization, and by tosyllysylchloromethylketone but not by other inhibitors or substrates of tryptic or chymotryptic protease activity. The addition of excess iron to the culture also prevented IC-21-mediated larval killing, suggesting that the production of an iron-binding molecule may be involved. In contrast, the addition of excess thymidine or arginine did not reverse macrophage larvacidal activity, nor did lysosomotropic agents that depress the activity of acid hydrolases. Under appropriate conditions of activation and surface membrane stimulation, IC-21 cells could be induced to release soluble cytotoxic factors retaining larvacidal activity. These observations provide insight into the mechanism of macrophage-mediated schistosome killing, in comparison to the cytotoxic mechanisms described in the better-studied tumoricidal models, and supply a basis for further biochemical investigation of macrophage function against a multicellular target.
Hepatitis B virus (HBV) promoters are regulated by the HBV enhancer in a tissue-specific manner

The activities of the individual hepatitis B virus (HBV) promoters and the effects of the HBV enhancer on these promoters in several human cell types have been compared by measuring the activity and RNA levels of the linked reporter function chloramphenicol acetyltransferase. The relative promoter activities in the human HepG2 (liver), HeLa, and HS27 (fibroblast) cell lines are in the order precore greater than X greater than preS2 greater than preS1; thus, the promoters of the gene producing the largest quantity of viral proteins have relatively low activity. The juxtaposition of the HBV enhancer in either orientation increased the promoter activities only modestly (2- to 5-fold) in the nonliver cell lines, whereas it dramatically increased (20- to 100-fold) the promoter activities in the liver cell line. Thus, the HBV enhancer is especially active in liver cells. This may be one of the causes of hepatotrophicity of the virus.
Assessment of GH reserve before and after successful treatment of adult patients with Cushing's syndrome

objective Several studies have demonstrated impaired GH secretion in patients with active Cushing's syndrome (CS). It has been suggested that persistence of GH deficiency, despite treatment of cortisol excess, may delay the recovery of these patients and therefore temporary treatment with GH may have some benefit. However, the time course of restoration of GH secretion after successful treatment of CS has only been investigated in a limited number of mostly paediatric reports. The aim of the present study was the evaluation of GH reserve in adult patients with CS before and after correction of cortisol excess.
Interspecies quantitative structure–activity relationships (QSARs) for eco-toxicity screening of chemicals: the role of physicochemical properties$

In addition to molecular structure profiles, descriptors based on physicochemical properties are useful for explaining the eco-toxicities of chemicals. In a previous study we reported that a criterion based on the difference between the partition coefficient (log POW) and distribution coefficient (log D) values of chemicals enabled us to identify aromatic amines and phenols for which interspecies relationships with strong correlations could be developed for fish–daphnid and algal–daphnid toxicities. The chemicals that met the log D-based criterion were expected to have similar toxicity mechanisms (related to membrane penetration). Here, we investigated the applicability of log D-based criteria to the eco-toxicity of other kinds of chemicals, including aliphatic compounds. At pH 10, use of a log POW – log D > 0 criterion and omission of outliers resulted in the selection of more than 100 chemicals whose acute fish toxicities or algal growth inhibition toxicities were almost equal to their acute daphnid toxicities. The advantage of log D-based criteria is that they allow for simple, rapid screening and prioritizing of chemicals. However, inorganic molecules and chemicals containing certain structural elements cannot be evaluated, because calculated log D values are unavailable.
Studies on the incidence of coagulase-positive staphylococci in a normal unconfined population.

I N RECENT YEARS there have been a conI siderable number of investigations on the epidemiology of staphylococcal infections originating in hospitals.39'21'' 2' The results indicate that carrier rates of hospital personnel and patients are quite high,'5'20 and that the nasal mucosa of the hospital staff constitutes an important reservoir of infection for patients.1 1",16 In addition, highly virulent strains acquired while in the hospital have been incriminated in serious outbreaks of staphylococcal infections among family contacts months after the patient has been discharged from the hospital. The purpose of this study wvas to determine the incidence of coagulasepositive staphylococci in a normal, unconfined population. This information wvas expected, in turn, to contribute to our understanding and evaluation of hospital carrier rates. The influence of race, sex, age, and season on this incidence is described.
Comparison of Growth Efficiencies of Protozoa Growing on Bacteria Deposited on Surfaces and in Suspension

Abstract Bacteria were deposited in tubes as compact pellets by centrifuging suspensions of cultured Vibrio at stationary phase. Numbers and protein biomass of flagellates added to these tubes and of the Vibrio, were followed and compared with the growth of the same and other protists on identical, uncentrifuged Vibrio. The flagellates Bodo saliens and Caecitellus parvulus, which could not be seen to multiply in tubes of suspended bacteria, grazed deposited bacteria actively as did the more versatile flagellate Cafeteria roenbergensis. The growth of these flagellates and their consumption of deposited bacteria were very similar to those of the flagellate Pteridomonas danica or the ciliate Uronema marinum fed with suspended bacteria, although deposit-feeders grew more slowly. Gross growth efficiencies (30–60%) of deposit-feeding flagellates were similar to those of the suspension-feeding protists. Caecitellus consumed 55 Vibrio to produce one flagellate, while 4,500 Vibrio were consumed to produce one Uronema. Surface-feeding flagellates are shown to be efficient bacterivores, capable of restricting the numbers of bacteria deposited on surfaces just as other protozoa control numbers of suspended bacteria.
Molecular characterization of class IIa, heat-stable enterocin produced by Enterococcus faecium MTCC 5153

The objective of this study was to provide molecular evidences for enterocin biosynthesis by Enterococcus faecium MTCC 5153. The culture filtrate (CF) of E. faecium MTCC 5153 exhibited a broad inhibitory spectrum against several enterococci, food-spoilage lactic acid bacteria (LAB) as well as pathogenic Gram-positive bacteria. The antimicrobial compound present in the CF showed the properties of class IIa bacteriocin. PCR was employed for taxonomic identification and detection of genes coding for virulence factors and different enterocins. Based on amplification of enterocin A ( ent A) gene by PCR, additional characterization of enterocin A operon was carried out. Southern hybridization confirmed the presence of chromosomally encoded enterocin A ( ent A) gene. These results suggest distribution of conserved enterocin A operon among different strains of E. faecium . Tricine SDS-PAGE activity gel assay in combination with mass spectral analysis indicated the production of single enterocin of 4.8 kDa in size. Production of enterocin was carried out using different sugars in tryptone, yeast extract (TYE) medium, under microaerophilic condition and the antimicrobial activity in the range of 10-50 × 10 3 arbitrary units per milliliter (AU mL -1 ) was observed. This study indicates the potentiality of native isolate to produce broad spectrum bacteriocin which can be used to deal with spoilage bacteria and food-borne pathogens like listeria.
Lighting Up On-Chip Communications with Photonics: Design Tradeoffs for Optical NoC Architectures

Photonic on-chip interconnects are today considered a major pathway to face the insatiable performance demand of manycore computers within tight power constraints. This article provides a broad overview of the opportunities and challenges posed at the architecture level by this new interconnect paradigm. In fact, silicon Photonics introduces many new design tradeoffs, having no electronic equivalent, involving aspects such as wavelength selectivity, physical constraints, and spectral parallelism. As highlighted throughout the paper, getting a cross-cutting understanding of these tradeoffs is essential for harnessing the full potential of on-chip Photonics.
IS research ethics: defining ethical, barely ethical, and unethical behavior (panel)

Objectives The main objective of this seminar is to develop the students' knowledge and understanding of research methods in the field of information systems. A second objective is to develop the students' skills that will enable them to critically assess the quality of a research study. A third objective is to familiarize the students with the application of various research methods in the information systems filed.
Rheological properties of chitosan solutions

Rheological properties of chitosan solutions were investigated as a function of polymer concentration. The viscosity curves for chitosan solutions consisted of two distinct viscosity regions, the Newtonian zero-shear viscosity (ηo) region and the shear rate dependent apparent viscosity (ηapp) region. The shear rate depen- dence of viscosity was more clearly observed at higher chitosan concentrations. The critical coil overlap parameter (C*(η)) was determined to be approximately 3.2 from a plot of zero-shear specific viscosity (ηsp,o) vs coil overlap parameter (C(η)), which was lower than C(η) 4.0 reported for other random coil polysaccharides. It was also found that the slope of ηsp,o vs C(η) was 3.9 at concentrated C(η)>C*(η) domain, while 1.2 at dilute C(η)<C*(η) domain. The steady viscosity (η) of chitosan solution displayed a good superposition at η/ηo vs relation.
Fatty acids composition of fruits of selected Central European sedges, Carex L. (Cyperaceae)

Fatty acids in the fruits of 13 sedge species ( Carex L., Cyperaceae) were analyzed. The oil contents in the fruits of the studied sedges ranged from 3.73 and 46.52%. In the studied fruit oils 14 different fatty acids were identified. The main unsaturated fatty acids were: linoleic, α-linolenic, oleic, oleopalmitic n-7; oleopalmitic n-9, octadecenic, and eicosenoic acids. The following acids were found in the greatest quantities: linoleic, oleic, α-linolenic and palmitic acids. Based on the fatty acid composition, studied taxa can be divided in two groups. The first group ( C. flava, C. pseudocyperus, C. riparia, C. leporina ) is a very good source of linoleic acid. The second group, including the remaining species, is a good source of α-linolenic acid. The highest oleic acid contents were observed in C. vulpina . The studied material has shown a low concentration of saturated fatty acids, among which palmitic acid was the main one.Results of the analyses allow for the inclusion of the studied species among plants whose fruits are characterized by a high content of unsaturated fatty acids.
Within-Year Changes 3 Within-Year Changes in Children ’ s Intrinsic and Extrinsic Motivational Orientations :

The present study was designed to investigate the nature, timing, and correlates of motivational change among a large sample (N = 1051) of thirdthrough eighth-grade students. Analyses of within-year changes in students’ motivational orientations revealed that both intrinsic and extrinsic motivations decreased from fall to spring, with declines in intrinsic motivation especially pronounced for the adolescents and declines in extrinsic motivation especially pronounced for the elementary students. These changes in motivation were explained, in part, by shifts in students’ perceptions of the school goal context. Findings suggested that typical agerelated declines in intrinsic motivation may be minimized by a school-wide focus on mastery goals. Finally, the potential academic consequences of students’ motivational orientations were examined with a series of hierarchical multiple regressions. Intrinsic motivation and classroom achievement appeared to influence one another in a positive and reciprocal fashion. Poor classroom performance minimally predicted higher levels of extrinsic motivation, but extrinsic motivation was not a source of low classroom grades.
The Time Course of Changes during Motor Sequence Learning: A Whole-Brain fMRI Study

There is a discrepancy between the results of imaging studies in which subjects learn motor sequences. Some experiments have shown decreases in the activation of some areas as learning increased, whereas others have reported learning-related increases as learning progressed. We have exploited fMRI to measure changes in blood oxygen leve-dependent (BOLD) signal throughout the course of learning. T2*-weighted echo-planar images were acquired over the whole brain for 40 min while the subjects learned a sequence eight moves long by trial and error. The movements were visually paced every 3.2 s and visual feedback was provided to the subjects. A baseline period followed each activation period. The effect due to the experimental conditions was modeled using a square-wave function, time locked to their occurrence. Changes over time in the difference between activation and baseline signal were modeled using a set of polynomial basis functions. This allowed us to take into account linear as well as nonlinear changes over time. Low-frequency changes over time common to both activation and baseline conditions (and thus not learning related) were modeled and removed. Linear and nonlinear changes of BOLD signal over time were found in prefrontal, premotor, and parietal cortex and in neostriatal and cerebellar areas. Single-unit recordings in nonhuman primates during the learning of motor tasks have clearly shown increased activity early in learning, followed by a decrease as learning progressed. Both phenomena can be observed at the population level in the present study.
Formation of 8-oxoguanine in cellular DNA of Escherichia coli strains defective in different antioxidant defences.

This paper examines the relationship in Escherichia coli between the in vivo content of 8-oxoguanine (8-oxoG) in chromosomal DNA and deficiencies of various key antioxidant defences. The structural genes for catalases (katG and katE), cytosolic superoxide dismutases (sodA and sodB) or formamidopyrimidine-DNA glycosylase (fpg) were inactivated to obtain bacterial strains lacking the scavenger enzymes for H2O2 or O2. - or the DNA repair protein for 8-oxoG. Wild-type bacteria showed 5-fold increased sensitivity to both lethality and mutagenesis by H2O2 in K medium (1% casamino acids and 1% glucose), as compared with nutrient broth. This higher sensitivity was associated with increased chromosomal oxidative damage, estimated as the 8-oxodG content, and with a marked decrease in both catalase and SOD activities. Bacteria lacking both cytosolic SODs (sodA sodB mutant) displayed increased 8-oxodG content in chromosomal DNA (2.8-fold that of the wild-type) when grown under standard aerated conditions. Comparatively, no significant difference in 8-oxodG content was observed in cells grown without aeration. Bacteria totally devoid of catalase activity (katG katE mutant) showed wild-type contents of 8-oxodG in chromosomal DNA when grown under aerated conditions. Nevertheless, the protective role of catalase in preventing formation of 8-oxodG in chromosomal DNA became evident under oxidative stress conditions: growth under hyperoxygenation and, particularly, following H2O2 exposure. Catalase deficiency resulted in a dramatic decrease in viability after H2O2 exposure. A deficiency of Fpg protein also sensitized E.coli to H2O2 lethality, though to lesser extent than a deficiency of catalase activity. However, the scavenger enzyme and the DNA repair protein protected equally against 8-oxoG formed in vivo upon H2O2 treatment.