Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Open Control Platform Implementation for Autonomous Underwater Vehicle

This paper describes decentralized control system simulation for autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) using new infrastructure called open control platform (OCP), to accommodate in changing information and control components. A simulation of depth control application of AUV is considered using LQR control algorithm, by choosing a several parameters of weighting matrices computed by genetic algorithm (GA). In the simulation example shows that Matlab and CORBA (common object request broker architecture) event-channel coexistence simulation open a possibility the real-time control system performance, and it could be reconfigured easily both in semi-automatically or manually interventions by remote station to setup mission scenario, tasks scheduling, and actuator operations.
Gender and Ownership in UK Small Firms

The emphasis on the individual “female entrepreneur” in much of the small business literature in the last decade disguises the fact that many women in business ownership are in partnership with others, usually with men. How “gender” impinges on the process of small business ownership has been little studied. The paper examines gender and ownership using evidence from a three-year study on the impact of gender on small business management, involving interviews with 602 male and female UK business owners, drawn from three industrial sectors. Difficulties were encountered in interpreting sex differences as “gender” trends, owing to significant sectoral variation. Nevertheless, some marked gender differences were identified. These referred to differential patterns of kinship with the respondent; the allocation and perception of specialist roles within the business; and the fact that female owners are less likely to be associated with more than two businesses. Overall sole traders were in the minority in both sexes, implying that most owners shared responsibility and management in some way with other owners. The paper concludes with methodological implications of co-ownership for the sampling and analysis of small business owner/managers from a gender perspective.
The Effects of Muscarinic Cholinergic Receptor Blockade in the Rat Anterior Cingulate and Prelimbic/Infralimbic Cortices on Spatial Working Memory

Previous findings indicate that cholinergic input to the medial prefrontal cortex may modulate mnemonic processes. The present experiment determined whether blockade of muscarinic cholinergic receptors in the rodent anterior cingulate and prelimbic/infralimbic cortices impairs spatial working memory. In a 12-arm radial maze, a working memory for spatial locations task was employed using a continuous recognition go/no-go procedure. Rats were allowed to enter 12 arms for a reinforcement. Of the 12 arm presentations, 3 or 4 arms were presented for a second time in a session that did not contain a reinforcement. The number of trials between the first and second presentations of an arm ranged from 0 to 6 (lags). Infusions of scopolamine (1, 5, and 10 microgram), a muscarinic cholinergic antagonist, into the prelimbic/infralimbic cortices, but not the anterior cingulate cortex, significantly impaired spatial working memory in a lag- and dose-dependent manner. The deficit induced by scopolamine (10 microgram) was attenuated by concomitant intraprelimbic/infralimbic injections of oxotremorine (2 microgram) a muscarinic cholinergic agonist. A separate group of rats was tested on a successive spatial discrimination task. Injections of scopolamine (1, 5, and 10 microgram) into the prelimbic/infralimbic cortices did not impair performance on the spatial discrimination task. These findings suggest that muscarinic transmission in the prelimbic/infralimbic cortices, but not the anterior cingulate cortex, is important for spatial working memory.
Turning Capacity in Ambulatory Individuals Poststroke

Lam T, Luttmann K: Turning capacity in ambulatory individuals poststroke. Am J Phys Med Rehabil 2009;88:873–886. Objective: To compare turning capacity in ambulatory individuals poststroke with controls and to determine the relationship between turning capacity, functional ambulation, motor recovery, and gait asymmetry. Design: This was a cross-sectional experimental study using community-dwelling, ambulatory chronic stroke survivors (n = 13) and age-matched able-bodied controls (n = 10). Neural impairment resulting from stroke was assessed by the Chedoke-McMaster Stroke Assessment for the leg and foot. Turning capacity was measured by the number of steps and time required to complete 45-, 90-, and 180-degree turns. Functional ambulation and balance were assessed by the 10-m walk test, Timed Up and Go test, Emory Functional Ambulation Profile, and the Berg Balance Scale. Gait asymmetry was measured by single-support gait asymmetry. Results: Participants with stroke required a significantly greater number of steps and longer time to complete the 45-, 90-, and 180-degree turns compared with controls. The average number of steps or time required to turn 45, 90, or 180 degrees was not different whether the turns were made to the paretic side or to the nonparetic side in the participants with stroke or whether turns were made toward the dominant or nondominant side in the controls. In the participants with stroke, turning capacity for 180-degree turns to both the paretic and nonparetic side was significantly correlated to the 10-m walk test, Timed Up and Go test, Emory Functional Ambulation Profile, and Berg Balance Scale. Single-support gait asymmetry was also significantly correlated to 180-degree turning capacity. Conclusions: The results of this study demonstrate that turning capacity poststroke is compromised, as exemplified by the greater number of steps and time required to complete turns at each angle tested. Turning capacity was related to the degree of gait asymmetry and the level of functional ambulation. Further work is needed to elucidate the contribution of biomechanical and neurologic parameters of hemiplegic gait impairments to turning capacity.
Two degradation strategies for overcoming the recalcitrance of natural lignocellulosic xylan by polysaccharides‐binding GH10 and GH11 xylanases of filamentous fungi

The recalcitrance of lignocellulose forms a strong barrier for the bioconversion of lignocellulosic biomass in chemical or biofuel industries. Filamentous fungi are major plant biomass decomposer, and capable of forming all the required enzymes. Here, they characterized the GH10 and GH11 endo-xylanases and a CE1 acetyl-xylan esterase (Axe1) from a superior biomass-degrading strain, Aspergillus fumigatus Z5, and examined how they interact in xylan degradation. Cellulose-binding (CBM1) domain inhibited GH10 xylanase activities for pure xylan, but afforded them an ability to hydrolyze washed corncob particles (WCCP). CBM1-containing GH10 xylanases also showed synergism with CBM1-containing Axe1 in WCCP hydrolysis, and this synergy was strictly dependent on the presence of their CBM1 domains. In contrast, GH11 xylanases had no CBM1, but still could bind xylan and hydrolyzed WCCP; however, no synergism displayed with Axe1. GH10 xylanases and GH11 xylanases showed a pronounced synergism in WCCP hydrolysis, which was dependent on the presence of the CBM1 in GH10 xylanases and absence from GH11 xylanases. They exhibit different mechanisms to bind to cellulose and xylan, and act in synergy when these two structures are intact. These findings will be helpful for the further development of highly efficient enzyme mixtures for lignocellulosic biomass conversion.
Results of sphincter repair in postobstetric fecal incontinence.

BACKGROUND Postobstetric fecal incontinence is a rare and severe complications of vaginal delivery. Most often, it is the result of a tear of the anal sphincter, pudendal neuropathy, or a combination of the two. STUDY DESIGN Thirty-six patients operated upon at our institution for postobstetric fecal incontinence during a ten year period (1983 to 1992) were questioned (score) and examined to assess the operative results. RESULTS Preoperatively, all 36 patients (mean age of 37 years, range of 24 to 70 years) had sphincter tears and 32 patients were totally incontinent (score of 16 to 18). Three patients were moderately incontinent (score of 9) and one patient was incontinent of flatus only (score of 3). Eighty percent of the patients were referred with delay. Thirty-six sphincteroplasties with various degrees of rectovaginal and perianal reconstructions were performed. Twenty-eight women (78 percent) are continent (score of zero to 3), seven patients (19 percent) are partially incontinent (score of 4 to 6), and one patient (3 percent) is totally incontinent (score of 18). There was no mortality. Among the six postoperative complications, there were two sphincter breakdowns with persistent incontinence and four minor local complications. CONCLUSIONS Careful assessment and operative management of sphincter damage at the time of delivery as well as counseling of all women at risk for fecal incontinence are essential. Sphincteroplasty is a simple and safe procedure that offers symptomatic relief in almost all patients with sphincter lesions and cure in 80 percent.
Forecasting International Tourism Demand in Thailand

The aim of this study is to model and forecast the tourist arrivals fromEast Asia, namely China, Korea, and Japan, to Thailand for the period from 1991to 2016. In order to achieve this, two forecast models are applied: the AR(m)-GARCH(p,q), and the Kink AR-GARCH model (Kink AR(m)-GARCH(p,q)) thatcombine the classical GARCH model of Bollerslev (1986) with the Kink modelof Chan and Tsay (1998). The accuracy of the forecast models is evaluated interms of the RMSE, the MAE and the MSPE. The empirical results show that theKink AR(1)-GARCH(1,1) produces forecast which perform(statistically) significantly better than AR(1)-GARCH(1,1) in forecasting tourist arrivals from Chinaand Korea to Thailand. However, AR(1)-GARCH(1,1) is preferred for forecastinginternational tourism demand for Thailand from Japan.
Corporate Social Responsibility and Firm Financial Risk Reduction: On the Moderating Role of the Legal Environment

Approaching the institutional environment through its regulative component, we distinguish between shareholder-oriented and stakeholder-oriented countries. Identifying first this classification with the distinction between common law versus civil law countries and using a large sample of 5,716 firm-year observations that represents 1,169 individual firms in 25 countries between 2001 and 2011, we show that Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) significantly reduces firms’ idiosyncratic risk in civil law countries but not in common law countries. Using then a more direct classification based on shareholder and employee protection scores, our findings suggest that CSR negatively affects firms’ idiosyncratic and systematic risks only in less shareholder-oriented and more stakeholder-oriented countries, respectively. These findings are similar in the different components of CSR with two notable exceptions: a high score in corporate governance reduces firm risk only in common law countries, and community involvement increases idiosyncratic risk in more shareholder-oriented and less stakeholder-oriented countries, respectively. Taken together, our results strongly support the view that the relationship between CSR and financial risk is moderated by the institutional context of the firm.
Regional Body Composition Changes during Lactation in Indian Women from the Low-Income Group and Their Relationship to the Growth of Their Infants

Background: Increased energy requirement during lactation may lead to maternal tissue depletion in women from poor subsistence communities. Objectives: To examine the regional body composition changes in undernourished lactating women and to assess the relationship of maternal body composition changes with weight gain of the infants. Subjects and Methods: Body composition was assessed using dual energy x-ray absorptiometry in 35 lactating women at 4 time points: within 1 month after delivery (baseline) and at 6, 12, and 18 months postpartum. Results: The mean age, height, and body mass index of the women were 23.5 years, 150.7 cm, and 20.0 kg/m2, respectively. There were no significant differences in body weight or whole-body lean as well as fat mass at 4 time points, but the percentage fat decreased significantly during lactation. There was selective mobilization of fat mass from the leg region, whereas the appendicular skeletal mass (ASM) increased significantly. When the growth of the infants in the first 6 months (proxy for the lactation performance) was assessed in relation to the maternal body composition changes during that period, it was observed that the change in fat mass had a negative relationship to the weight gain of the infant. Change in the ASM during this period, however, had a significant positive relationship with the weight gain of the infants. Conclusion: There were important differences in the lactation-related changes in the regional body composition parameters of these undernourished women. Regional body composition changes may be related to the weight gain of the breast-fed infants.
Abnormalities of the nucleus basalis in Down's syndrome

One of the most striking manifestations of Down's syndrome is profound mental retardation. Furthermore, after 35 years of age, many patients with Down's syndrome develop clinical and pathological features of Alzheimer's disease. Since brains of patients with Alzheimer's disease show significant loss of neurons in the nucleus basalis of Meynert (nbM), we sought to establish normal standards of nbM neurons in persons with Down's syndrome and to determine whether reductions in the number of neurons occur with increasing age. The number and size of neurons in the nbM were measured in selected sagittal sections from 5 patients with Down's syndrome and 5 age‐matched controls. The patients (age range, 16 to 56 years) had 29% fewer nbM neurons than controls, and the oldest patient had the lowest cell count of all subjects. The size of nbM neurons did not differ significantly between the two groups. Our results show that the nbM contains fewer neurons in young persons with Down's syndrome than in normal controls and suggest that the number of these nerve cells may be further reduced in older persons with Down's syndrome.
Lactate Acquisition Promotes Successful Colonization of the Murine Genital Tract by Neisseria gonorrhoeae

ABSTRACT Previous studies on Neisseria gonorrhoeae have demonstrated that metabolism of lactate in the presence of glucose increases the growth rate of the bacterium and enhances its resistance to complement-mediated killing. Although these findings in vitro suggest that the acquisition of lactate promotes gonococcal colonization, the significance of this carbon source to the survival of the gonococcus in vivo remains unknown. To investigate the importance of lactate utilization during Neisseria gonorrhoeae genital tract infection, we identified the gene lctP, which encodes the gonococcal lactate permease. A mutant that lacks a functional copy of lctP was unable to take up exogenous lactate and did not grow in defined medium with lactate as the sole carbon source, in contrast to the wild-type and complemented strains; the mutant strain exhibited no growth defect in defined medium containing glucose. In defined medium containing physiological concentrations of lactate and glucose, the lctP mutant demonstrated reduced early growth and increased sensitivity to complement-mediated killing compared with the wild-type strain; the enhanced susceptibility to complement was associated with a reduction in lipopolysaccharide sialylation of the lctP mutant. The importance of lactate utilization during colonization was evaluated in the murine model of lower genital tract infection. The lctP mutant was significantly attenuated in its ability to colonize and survive in the genital tract, while the complemented mutant exhibited no defect for colonization. Lactate is a micronutrient in the genital tract that contributes to the survival of the gonococcus.
Are cutaneous reflexes from the foot preserved in passive walking in a DGO?

Driven Gait Orthosis (DGO) are commonly used in gait rehabilitation. These devices commonly lack an actuator at the ankle. As a result the ankle trajectories often differ considerably from those seen normally. The question arises whether these abnormal trajectories affect the phase-dependent modulation of cutaneous reflexes from the foot. To investigate this, the sural nerve was stimulated electrically at the end of the swing phase in subjects walking “passively” in a DGO. It was found that the tibialis anterior was less active at end swing during this type of walking and that the reflex induced suppression was absent. It is concluded that the normally occurring suppression does not depend on interactions from other sensory sources (since these are still present in “passive” walking). Instead the suppression is likely to depend on cortical activations. Training of these cortical activations may be reduced in current DGO walking and therefore it is argued that normalization of the ankle trajectory in future designs of DGO's could have a beneficial effect.
Gene targeting and Calcium handling efficiencies in mouse embryonic stem cell lines.

AIM To compare gene targeting efficiencies, expression profiles, and Ca(2+) handling potentials in two widely used mouse embryonic stem cell lines. METHODS The two widely used mouse embryonic stem cell lines, R1 and HM-1, were cultured and maintained on Mitomycin C treated mouse embryonic fibroblast feeder cell layers, following standard culture procedures. Cells were incubated with primary and secondary antibodies before fluorescence activated cell sorting analysis to compare known pluripotency markers. Moreover, cells were harvested by trypsinization and transfected with a kinase-inactive murine Tyk2 targeting construct, following the BioRad and Amaxa transfection procedures. Subsequently, the cells were cultured and neomycin-resistant cells were picked after 13 d of selection. Surviving clones were screened twice by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and finally confirmed by Southern blot analysis before comparison. Global gene expression profiles of more than 20 400 probes were also compared and significantly regulated genes were confirmed by real time PCR analysis. Calcium handling potentials of these cell lines were also compared using various agonists. RESULTS We found significant differences in transfection efficiencies of the two cell lines (91% ± 6.1% vs 75% ± 4.2%, P = 0.01). Differences in the targeting efficiencies were also significant whether the Amaxa or BioRad platforms were used for comparison. We did not observe significant differences in the levels of many known pluripotency markers. However, our genome-wide expression analysis using more than 20 400 spotted cDNA arrays identified 55 differentially regulated transcripts (P < 0.05) implicated in various important biological processes, including binding molecular functions (particularly Ca(2+) binding roles). Subsequently, we measured Ca(2+) signals in these cell lines in response to various calcium agonists, both in high and low Ca(2+) solutions, and found significant differences (P < 0.05) in the regulation of Ca(2+) homeostasis between the investigated cell lines. Then we further compared the detection and expression of various membrane and intracellular Ca(2+) receptors and similarly found significant (P < 0.05) variations in a number of calcium receptors between these cell lines. CONCLUSION Results of this study emphasize the importance of considering intrinsic cellular variations, during selection of cell lines for experiments and interpretations of experimental results.
Exploring the Dreams of Hospice Workers

Nine adults who worked at least 1 year with patients at US hospice centers completed an in-person audiotaped dream session focusing on a dream about a patient. Data were analyzed using consensual qualitative research. Patients were generally manifestly present in participants’ dreams, and dreams were typically realistic (ie, not bizarre). In the dream, the dreamer typically interacted with the patient as a caretaker but was also typically frustrated by an inability to help as fully as desired. Dreams gave dreamers insight into the stress of hospice work, their own fears of death, and inter-/intrapersonal interactions beyond hospice work. Dreamers generally sought to take better care of themselves and find balance in their lives after the dream session. Implications for research and practice are discussed.
Effect of brand value announcements on stock returns: empirical evidence from Turkey

AbstractThis study examines the effects of brand value announcements on stock returns of Turkish firms by using the event study methodology and long-term risk adjusted port-folio returns. We examined the stock-price impacts of 299 brand value announcements on the stock market performance of the firms within the years of 2010–2014 by using BrandFinance Turkey’s 100 ranking list as a data source. The findings indicate that the companies listed in the Turkey Top 100 Brands list earn positive abnormal returns 7 months after the announcement. Similarly, the companies which had greater brand values relative to the previous year, experienced significant positive abnormal returns in the 7-months period. Additional findings suggest that investors are able to beat the market in the long run regarding risk-adjusted returns by consistently investing in the Top Brands. Overall, the study demonstrates new evidence to the marketing-finance interface by focusing on the Turkish case as an important emerging market.
Human Atherosclerotic Intima and Blood of Patients with Established Coronary Artery Disease Contain High Density Lipoprotein Damaged by Reactive Nitrogen Species*

High density lipoprotein (HDL) is the major carrier of lipid hydroperoxides in plasma, but it is not yet established whether HDL proteins are damaged by reactive nitrogen species in the circulation or artery wall. One pathway that generates such species involves myeloperoxidase (MPO), a major constituent of artery wall macrophages. Another pathway involves peroxynitrite, a potent oxidant generated in the reaction of nitric oxide with superoxide. Both MPO and peroxynitrite produce 3-nitrotyrosine in vitro. To investigate the involvement of reactive nitrogen species in atherogenesis, we quantified 3-nitrotyrosine levels in HDL in vivo. The mean level of 3-nitrotyrosine in HDL isolated from human aortic atherosclerotic intima was 6-fold higher (619 ± 178 μmol/mol Tyr) than that in circulating HDL (104 ± 11 μmol/mol Tyr; p < 0.01). Immunohistochemical studies demonstrated striking colocalization of MPO with epitopes reactive with an antibody to 3-nitrotyrosine. However, there was no significant correlation between the levels of 3-chlorotyrosine, a specific product of MPO, and those of 3-nitrotyrosine in lesion HDL. We also detected 3-nitrotyrosine in circulating HDL, and linear regression analysis demonstrated a strong correlation between the levels of 3-chlorotyrosine and levels of 3-nitrotyrosine. These observations suggest that MPO promotes the formation of 3-chlorotyrosine and 3-nitrotyrosine in circulating HDL but that other pathways also produce 3-nitrotyrosine in atherosclerotic tissue. Levels of HDL isolated from plasma of patients with established coronary artery disease contained twice as much 3-nitrotyrosine as HDL from plasma of healthy subjects, suggesting that nitrated HDL might be a marker for clinically significant vascular disease. The detection of 3-nitrotyrosine in HDL raises the possibility that reactive nitrogen species derived from nitric oxide might promote atherogenesis. Thus, nitrated HDL might represent a previously unsuspected link between nitrosative stress, atherosclerosis, and inflammation.