Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Ingénierie des glucane-saccharases de la famille 70 des glycoside-hydrolases pour la synthèse de nouveaux biopolymères

Les glucane-saccharases sont des transglucosidases de la famille 70 des glycoside-hydrolases. A partir de saccharose, ces enzymes catalysent la synthese d’alpha -glucanes, polymeres de haute masse molaire formes d’unites glucosyle. Elles sont aussi capables de synthetiser des oligosaccharides ou glucoconjugues par reaction de transglucosylation sur des accepteurs exogenes de natures variees. De par la diversite de leurs specificites, tant au niveau des liaisons osidiques synthetisees [alpha (1→2) ; alpha (1→3) ; alpha (1→4) ou alpha (1→6)] que de l’organisation de ces liaisons au sein des produits formes, ces biocatalyseurs peuvent etre mis a profit pour produire des hydrates de carbones d'interet pour les secteurs de l'alimentation, de la sante et de l'environnement. L'objectif de ces travaux de these etait de generer par ingenierie enzymatique de nouvelles glucane-saccharases capables de synthetiser des alpha -glucanes et des gluco-oligosaccharides de structures et proprietes innovantes, afin d’elargir le panel d'applications de ces molecules. Sur le plan fondamental, l'enjeu etait aussi d'ameliorer la comprehension des relations entre structure et specificite des glucane-saccharases. Pour atteindre nos objectifs, nous avons utilise une strategie d'ingenierie combinatoire de la dextrane-saccharase DSR-S de Leuconostoc mesenteroides NRRL B-512F, qui catalyse la synthese d’un dextrane forme a 95 % de liaisons alpha (1→6) et 5 % alpha (1→3). Le travail a tout d'abord consiste a developper une methode de criblage multi-etapes et a haut-debit, pour isoler et trier les variants de specificites de liaisons variees. La strategie comprend une premiere etape de selection in vivo sur milieu solide suivie d’un criblage par RMN 1D 1H automatise au format microplaque. Il s'agit de la premiere methode de criblage a haut-debit de la specificite de liaison des transglucosidases et glycosyltransferases. Cette strategie a ensuite ete appliquee au criblage de deux banques de variants de la DSR-S, totalisant plus de 36 000 clones obtenus par mutagenese de saturation et recombinaison simultanee de 8 residus du domaine catalytique. Au total, 82 mutants capables de synthetiser entre 2 et 8 fois plus de liaisons alpha (1→3) par rapport a l’enzyme parentale ont ete isoles. La caracterisation des proprietes catalytiques de sept mutants representatifs de la diversite de specificite generee a permis d’identifier un nouveau motif peptidique 460DYVHT464 implique dans la specificite de DSR-S. Enfin, la caracterisation de la structure et des proprietes rheologiques et mecaniques des dextranes synthetises par ces 7 mutants a mis en evidence les differences de taille et de conformation de ces macromolecules en solution et revele l’aptitude du polymere synthetise par le variant H463R/T464V/S512T a former des films bio-sources innovants, dont les proprietes mecaniques sont remarquables en comparaison de celles d'autres biopolymeres extraits de plantes ou produits par fermentation
The Effects of Board and Ownership Structures on the Performance of Publicly Listed Companies in Egypt

This paper examines the association between some features of corporate governance mechanisms and performance in listed firms in Egypt, one of the emerging countries. Governance is measured as a multidimensional composite indicator consisting of the board characteristics and ownership structure. The performance is measured by a composite index which includes the ROA, ROE, and Tobin’s Q. A sample of 240 observations from balanced panel data set of the 40 most active non-financial companies was collected from 2009 to 2014. The panel data regression was used for hypothesis testing. The findings showed that governance index has a high significant positive influence on firm performance index. Furthermore, institutional shareholding has the strongest impacts on firm performance index PERF and on all individual performance variables. Managerial ownership and ownership concentration have insignificant impact on accounting and market performance. The findings indicate a positive correlation between board size and performance. To the best of our knowledge, no study has yet measured governance and performance as composite indexes in non-financial companies in Egypt and/or the Middle Eastern countries.
A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF PLASMA FIBRINOGEN AMONG HOOKAH SMOKERS, CIGARETTE SMOKERS AND NON-SMOKERS

BackgroundAlthough over the last decade smoking rates have decreased, hookahs seem to have proved increasingly popular in some eastern countries. It has been demonstrated that smoking increases the plasma fibrinogen level, which is an independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Our objective was to investigate the extent to which hookah smokers in comparison with cigarette smokers and non-smokers have their fibrinogen level increased. MethodsIn this comparative analytic study, 450 men aged 20-75 years old were enrolled (150 hookah smokers, 150 cigarette smokers and 150 non-smokers). Two ml blood samples were taken, and fibrinogen was measured by the Clauss method. Data were analyzed by SPSS11 statistical package; Χ, ANOVA and t-tests were used for analysis. ResultsThe difference in the mean fibrinogen level among the three groups was statistically significant by one-way ANOVA test (P<0.001). Mean difference was 53.21 for hookah smokers compared with non-smokers (t=8.2, P<0.01). It was 39.47 when hookah smokers were compared with cigarette smokers (t=7.24, P<0.01). In subjects aged less than 55 years, the proportion of people with fibrinogen level included in higher tertile to lower tertile was 2 for hookah smokers, 0.16 for cigarette smokers and 0.19 for nonsmokers. In subjects aged 55 or more, this proportion was calculated to be 13 for hookah smokers, 3.5 for cigarette smokers and 0.33 for non-smokers; the difference was statistically significant. The difference for being included in low tertile or not was significant for both the hookah smokers and cigarette smokers when compared separately with non-smokers. It was found that higher tertile to lower tertile proportion was 24 in those who smoked hookahs more than three times a day and in those who had smoked hookahs for 10 years or more (P<0.001). In those who had smoked hookahs for less than 10 years or less than 3 times a day, the proportion was 1.47 compared to nonsmokers at 0.19. ConclusionHookah smokers (especially, those smoking for more than 10 years) suffer a dramatic increase in their plasma fibrinogen in comparison with cigarette smokers and non-smokers (Iranian Heart Journal 2004; 5(3): 48-54).
Settlement risk in foreign exchange markets and CLS Bank

In September 2002, CLS Bank, a new financial institution set up to reduce the risk involved in settling foreign exchange transactions, began operation. This article describes how settlement risk arises, and how central banks and market participants have tried to reduce it. After reviewing the initiatives taken over the last two decades, the article discusses the background to the formation of CLS Bank and its likely effect on relevant risks.
The Implememntation of Corporate Social Responsibility in Indonesia: An Obligation or Strategic Competitive Advantage

In the last decade, the issue of environmental sustainability is a serious concern of various parties, governments, organizations, academia, and society at large. Environmental sustainability demanding responsibilities of the various parties, including company or organization. For many companies, the implementation of corporate social responsibility (CSR) is an indication to the stakeholders that the company has a concern for social issues and environmental sustainability. The Indonesian government through Law No. 40/2007 and Government Regulation 47/2012 requires each company to conduct CSR in sustainable economic development to improve the quality of life and environmental sustainability is beneficial. A fundamental question in the implementation of CSR, whether the implementation is only used to fulfill any obligations? Or CSR can be used as a strategic competitive advantage that ultimately improve company performance? This abridge article seeks to provide the perspective of the implementation of CSR as a competitive advantage through the literature review.
Customer orientation or employee orientation: which matters more? The moderating role of firm size

Purpose This study aims to examine several antecedents of employee satisfaction (ES) and turnover intention (TI), including customer orientation (CO) and employee orientation (EO). The purposes are to investigate the effect of EO and CO and their interaction on employee performance, and to verify the moderating effect of firm size. Design/methodology/approach A mixed model with firm size as a potential moderator was constructed through a hierarchical linear modeling approach with data collected from 1,006 employees at 127 firms. Findings The results indicate that customer and EO and their interaction affected ES, CO and its interaction with EO significantly affected TI and the effects differed according to firm size. These results suggest that the influence of customer and EO depends on firm size. Originality/value This study contributes to verifying the effect of EO and CO and the interaction effects on employee performance, an area that has remained unexamined in the literature. It also investigates the moderating effect of firm size on EO and CO, which affects employee performance. It is suggested that companies determine whether EO or CO matters more according to the size of company.
Protein Synthesis Shut-Off Induced by Influenza Virus Infection Is Independent of PKR Activity

ABSTRACT The role of PKR activity in influenza virus-induced cell shut-off was studied by infection of PKR+ or PKR− cell cultures and metabolic labeling in vivo. No differences in the synthesis of viral proteins or the decay of cellular protein synthesis were observed. To investigate the relevance of the inhibition of cellular pre-mRNA polyadenylation and nucleocytoplasmic transport in virus-induced shut-off, we carried out similar experiments with mutant viruses lacking C-terminal sequences of NS1 protein. No differences in the shut-off induced by mutant versus wild-type viruses were observed, indicating that these nuclear events are not relevant for shut-off. The analysis of cytoplasmic mRNA stability indicated that the accumulation of viral mRNA during the infection correlated with the progressive decay of cellular mRNA, in both the wild type and an NS1 deletion mutant.
Humiliation as an intense emotional experience: Evidence from the electro-encephalogram

Humiliation, the emotion associated with being lowered in status in the eyes of others, seems to be very intense. As such, humiliation has been implied to play an important role in the escalation of inter-individual and inter-group conflict. Here, we provide the first clear empirical evidence that humiliation is indeed a very intense experience. Based on the electro-encephalogram recorded from people reading scenarios that evoked humiliation, anger, or happiness, electrophysiological measures of cognitive intensity were derived for each of the emotion types. The late positive potential (LPP), a measure of the level of perceived (negative), affect was markedly increased in humiliation scenarios compared to happiness and anger scenarios. In addition, event-related desynchronization (ERD) in the alpha-frequency range, a measure of the overall intensity of cortical activation, was significantly more pronounced for humiliation than for happiness and anger scenarios. Our findings support the idea that humiliation is a particularly intense experience that is likely to have far-reaching consequences.
Multifaceted Dermal Ultrastructural Clues for Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome with Arterial Rupture and Type I Collagen R-to-C Substitution

Type I collagen arginine-to-cysteine (R-to-C) substitutions were found in three middle-aged adults suffering from spontaneous dissection of medium-size arteries. This disorder enters the heterogeneous spectrum of the Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS). Despite similar genetic mutation and arterial alterations, two distinct clinical presentations were identified showing signs of either the EDS classic type or premature osteopenia alone. Ultrastructural changes were found in the dermal collagen fibrils, elastic fibers, and proteoglycan components. The cross-section of most collagen fibrils was rounded, but with diverse diameters. Flower-like outlines of collagen fibrils were rarely disclosed. Large hyaluronic acid globules pushed apart the collagen bundles in the case with EDS classic-type presentation. Elastic fibers contained unusual annular microcalcifications. In conclusion, ultrastructural changes were found in diverse connective-tissue components despite the fact that the mutations were found to be specific for the collagen molecules. In addition, two distinct clinical presentations were found and were correlated with peculiar ultrastructural alterations.
Treatment of idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP) with prednisone.

Prednisone was used in the treatment of 30 consecutive patients with ITP (idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura) under conditions that permitted the establishment of a satisfactory base line for metabolic and hematological studies, especially as to platelet count and other coagulation studies. Eleven cases were of the "acute," and 19 cases of the chronic type. The initial dose of prednisone varied between 20 and 150 mg. per day, given by mouth. The results ranged from complete absence of response to sustained remission without apparent need of further treatment. In 22 of the 30 cases the platelet count rose from the initial low values to normal in 6 to 150 days. Much individual adjustment of dosage was necessary. Maintenance dosages ranged from 2.5 to 15 mg. per day, but in eight patients it was possible to withdraw the prednisone entirely after establishing a normal platelet count. Splenectomy was performed in five patients of this series but was followed by complete, sustained remission in only one case. These results lead to the conclusion that in the treatment of ITP chief reliance should be placed upon such measures as prednisone therapy and transfusions, splenectomy being reserved for the occasional severe cases that do not respond to medical measures.
Clinical and serological characterization of autoimmune hemolytic anemia after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation

Background Autoimmune hemolytic anemia (AIHA) is an uncommon complication of allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo‐HSCT) which has only been reported in a few cases. We here aimed to explore its mechanism. Methods We retrospectively analyzed 296 patients who underwent allo‐HSCT in our center from July 2010 to July 2012. Clinical manifestations were carefully reviewed and the response to currently available treatment approaches were evaluated. The survival and risk factors of AIHA patients after allo‐HSCT were further analyzed. Results Twelve patients were diagnosed with AIHA at a median time of 100 days (15–720 days) after allo‐HSCT. The incidence of AIHA after allo‐HSCT was 4.1%. IgG antibody were detected in ten patients and IgM antibody in two patients. The two cold antibody AIHA patients had a better response to steroid corticoid only treatment and the ten warm antibody AIHA patients responded to corticosteroid treatment and adjustment of immunosuppressant therapy. Rituximab was shown to be effective for AIHA patients who failed conventional therapy. Survival analysis showed that the combination of AIHA in allo‐HSCT patients hinted at poor survival. Cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection, graft‐versus‐host disease (GVHD) and histocompatibility leukocyte antigen (HLA) mismatch seemed to increase the risk of developing AIHA. Conclusions Patients who develop AIHA after allo‐HSCT have poor survival compared to non‐AIHA patients. Possible risk factors of AIHA are CMV infection, GVHD, and HLA mismatch. Rituximab is likely to be the effective treatment choice for the refractory patients.
SOME ASPECTS OF THE EPIDEMIOLOGY OF MIGRAINE IN DENMARK

I AM TO GIVE A brief account of a clinical-statistical study which we have made concerning a number of elements of the epidemiological pattern of migraine. It is a question of (1) the age of onset of clinically manifest migraine and (2) the relation of the age of onset to the sex of the patients and to (3) the adrenarche, the menarche, and the menstrual cycle, and (4) the menarche age in migraine patients, besides, (5) the sex distribution among migraine patients, and finally (6) the prevalence of migraine in men and women in the different age groups.
Peer Suicidal Behavior and Adolescent Risk Behavior

The relationship between adolescent suicide attempts and death by suicide and psychosocial functioning of peers remains poorly understood, especially in the myriad ways that these suicidal behaviors might impact friends. This study explored the relationship between peer suicidal behavior and adolescent risk behavior using a large, nationally representative sample of adolescents (N = 5852). Results indicate that youth exposed to peer suicidal behavior are significantly more likely to have their own suicidal ideation and attempts, and to smoke cigarettes and marijuana, binge drink, be involved in a serious physical fight, and have inflicted injuries that require medical attention. These results highlight the need for professionals to be aware of these risks in friends of those who have attempted or died by suicide. Assessment and intervention for peers is appropriate and required for this at-risk group.
Many faces of cutaneous leishmaniasis.

BACKGROUND Cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) is known for its clinical diversity and increasing numbers of new and rare variants of the disease are being reported these days. AIM The aim of this descriptive study was to look for and report the atypical presentations of this common disease occurring in Pakistan. METHODS The study was carried out in three hospitals (MH, Rawalpindi; PAF Hospital, Sargodha; and CMH, Muzaffarabad) from 2002 to 2006. Military and civilian patients of all ages, both males and females, belonging to central and north Punjab province and Kashmir were included in the study. Clinical as well as parasitological features of cutaneous leishmaniasis were studied. The unusual lesions were photographed and categorized accordingly using simple descriptive statistics. RESULTS Out of 718 patients of cutaneous leishmaniasis, 41 (5.7%) had unusual presentations. The commonest among unusual morphologies was lupoid leishmaniasis 14 (34.1%), followed by sporotrichoid 5 (12.1%), paronychial 3 (7.3%), lid leishmaniasis 2 (4.9%), psoriasiform 2 (4.9%), mycetoma-like 2 (4.9%), erysipeloid 2 (4.9%), chancriform 2 (4.9%), whitlow 1 (2.4%), scar leishmaniasis 1 (2.4%), DLE-like 1 (2.4%), 'squamous cell carcinoma'-like 1 (2.4%), zosteriform 1 (2.4%), eczematous 1 (2.4%), verrucous 1 (2.4%), palmar/plantar 1 (2.4%) and mucocutaneous 1 (2.4%). CONCLUSION In Pakistan, an endemic country for CL, the possibility of CL should be kept in mind while diagnosing common dermatological diseases like erysipelas, chronic eczema, herpes zoster, paronychia; and uncommon disorders like lupus vulgaris, squamous cell carcinoma, sporotrichosis, mycetoma and other deep mycoses.
Evaluating Mobile Phones and Web Sites for Academic Information Needs

In the last decade, there has been an exponential growth in use of mobile phones among people. Smart phone invention has digitized life of a common man especially after introduction of 3G/4G technology. People are used to use Internet on the move because of this advancement in technology. This advancement has also motivated usability design researchers to propose more usable designs for both smart phones and web sites. This work focuses on evaluation of web usability of mobile phones as well as usability of university web sites. Evaluation is performed on the most popular mobile phones required by the most common mobile users. Selection of the most popular mobile devices, the most common mobile users and their web usage is done by conducting a very detailed survey in the local market. Survey concludes that students and labors are the most common buyers of mobile phones and we choose three mobiles phones from the category of most popular phones that are iPhone (iPhone 4 precisely), Q-Mobile (Q Mobile A35) and Windows phone (Lumia 535). Six participants (three male and three females) are selected for fully detailed and rigorous task-based usability testing with “think aloud” technique. Task scenarios are defined to evaluate the usability of both i.e. smart phones and chosen university web sites. From results of usability testing, we find out that iPhone has better usability design as far as its response time is concerned while Q Mobile ranks second and Microsoft Windows phone takes last position in this ranking. Usability evaluation of university web sites on these mobile phones concludes that web site of Islamia university of Bahawalpur (I.U.B, Bahawalpur) has better mobile usability design and Bahauddin Zakariya university (BZU, Multan) and NFC Institute of Engineering and Technology NFCIET, Multan) second and third respectively and while web site of Institute of Southern Punjab (ISP, Multan) comes last when measured in terms of task completion time. All tests are performed on wireless network when internet download speed is between 3MBPS to 3.2MBPS.
Robust fuzzy segmentation of magnetic resonance images

A new approach for the robust segmentation of magnetic resonance images is described. The approach is derived from a generalization of the objective function used in D.L. Pham and J.L. Prince's (1999) adaptive fuzzy c-means algorithm (AFCM). Within the objective function, an additional constraint is placed on the membership functions that forces them to be spatially smooth. Minimization of this objective function results in an unsupervised fuzzy segmentation algorithm that is robust to intensity inhomogeneity artifacts as well as noise and other artifacts. The efficacy of the algorithm is demonstrated on simulated magnetic resonance images.
Differential Effects of Rejection and Acceptance on Feeling Shocked, Numb, and Neutral

According to the numbness hypothesis, rejection may not result in negative affect, but rather create several “nonvalenced” feelings, including feeling shocked, neutral, and numb. These feelings are hypothesized to lessen the extent to which people respond emotionally to various situations (emotional responsiveness). This project investigates (a) whether rejection produces these rarely assessed “nonvalenced” states, (b) to what extent these states are similar to one another and not negative, and (c) whether these states account for rejected individuals’ lack of emotional responsiveness. In 3 experiments, participants experienced 3 different rejection manipulations. Participants reported their positive, negative, and “nonvalenced” feelings (Experiments 1, 2, and 3), and completed measures of emotional responsiveness (Experiments 2 and 3). A meta-analysis across the 3 experiments indicated that rejection increased negative affectivity, anger, hurt feelings, sadness, shock, and numbness, and decreased happiness, but did not significantly alter neutrality, positive affectivity, nor anxiety. In line with the view that these nonvalenced states are discriminable from each other, but in contrast with the numbness hypothesis, shock and numbness were positively correlated with negative affective states; whereas neutrality displayed weaker to null associations with them. Lastly, neither shock, neutrality, nor numbness mediated the link between rejection and emotional responding. In fact, increased negative and positive affect mediated the association between rejection and enhanced emotional responding. Overall, the data are inconsistent with the numbness hypothesis; albeit rejection produces shock and numbness, these 2 states are highly associated with increased negative affect and did not dampen emotional responsiveness.