Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Work-life balance for white-collar employees : a study applying the capabilities approach in Bangladeshi private banks

There is a growing concern for blue-collar workers in Bangladesh, but an absence of focus on white-collar workers, particularly in the private banking sector. With the implementation of working time capability, these workers might attain better worklife balance (WLB). To investigate this issue, a mixed method research design was used. In Phase I, a semi-structured interview was used to define working time capability in the unique context of banking work. In Phase II, a quantitative online survey was used to create a new measure of working time capability and see whether it can predict work outcomes above and beyond currently existing measures of WLB. Mixed method data analysis revealed that employees defined working time capability based on their unique needs. Further, the new measure provides additional power to predict employees’ cynicism, mental health, risks and symptoms, which is captures a core, specific risk associated with banking employees in Bangladesh.
Liquidity Production in 21st Century Banking

I consider banks' role in providing funding liquidity (the ability to raise cash on demand) and market liquidity (the ability to trade assets at low cost), and how these roles have evolved. Traditional banks made illiquid loans funded with liquid deposits, thus producing funding liquidity on the liability side of the balance sheet. Deposits are less important in 21st century banks, but funding liquidity from lines of credit and loan commitments has become more important. Banks also provide market liquidity as broker-dealers and traders in securities and derivatives markets, in loan syndication and sales, and in loan securitization. Many institutions besides banks provide market liquidity in similar ways, but banks dominate in producing funding liquidity because of their comparative advantage in managing funding liquidity risk. This advantage stems from the structure of bank balance sheets as well as their access to government-guaranteed deposits and central-bank liquidity.
The MAP1B case: An old MAP that is new again

The functions of microtubule‐associated protein 1B (MAP1B) have historically been linked to the development of the nervous system, based on its very early expression in neurons and glial cells. Moreover, mice in which MAP1B is genetically inactivated have been used extensively to show its role in axonal elongation, neuronal migration, and axonal guidance. In the last few years, it has become apparent that MAP1B has other cellular and molecular functions that are not related to its microtubule‐stabilizing properties in the embryonic and adult brain. In this review, we present a systematic review of the canonical and novel functions of MAP1B and propose that, in addition to regulating the polymerization of microtubule and actin microfilaments, MAP1B also acts as a signaling protein involved in normal physiology and pathological conditions in the nervous system. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Develop Neurobiol 74: 953–971, 2014
Preservation of Environmental Quality and Tourist Investments

We develop a theoretical model to analyze the incentives for hotel chains to make environmentally friendly investments. We show that the level of investment of hotel chains to improve the environmental quality of a tourist destination depends positively on two factors: tourist demand and the level of aggregate income. The framework is based on a model of horizontal differentiation à la Hotelling. By introducing a demand function for tourist commodities, we show that an increase in total income encourages hotel chains in the regions with higher demand to invest on environmental quality.
Overweight, obesity and adiposity in survivors of childhood brain tumours: a systematic review and meta‐analysis

Survivors of childhood brain tumours (SCBT) have increased cardiometabolic risks, but the determinants of these risks are unclear. This systematic review aims to compare the prevalence of overweight and obesity as well as adiposity measures between SCBT and non‐cancer controls. The PubMed, EMBASE, MEDLINE, CINAHL and the Cochrane Library databases were searched. The primary outcomes were the prevalence of overweight and obesity based on body mass index. The secondary outcomes were adiposity measures including percent fat mass, waist‐to‐hip and waist‐to‐height ratios. Forty‐one studies were included in the meta‐analysis. The prevalence of overweight and obesity combined was similar between overall SCBT, SCBT excluding craniopharyngioma and non‐cancer controls (42.6%, 95% CI 30.1–55.1 vs. 31.7%, 95% CI 20.4–43.0 vs. 40.4%, 95% CI 34.0–46.8). We also found that SCBT have higher percent fat mass (mean difference 4.1%, 95% CI 2.0–6.1), waist‐to‐hip ratio (mean difference 0.07, 95% CI 0.02–0.13) and waist‐to‐height ratio (mean difference 0.06, 95% CI 0.01–0.10) than non‐cancer controls. We conclude that SCBT have similar overweight and obesity distribution but higher adiposity than non‐cancer controls. More studies were needed to explore the determinants of adiposity and its contribution to cardiometabolic outcomes in SCBT.
Developmentally Regulated RNA-binding Protein 1 (Drb1)/RNA-binding Motif Protein 45 (RBM45), a Nuclear-Cytoplasmic Trafficking Protein, Forms TAR DNA-binding Protein 43 (TDP-43)-mediated Cytoplasmic Aggregates*

Cytoplasmic protein aggregates are one of the pathological hallmarks of neurodegenerative disorders, including amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD). Several RNA-binding proteins have been identified as components of inclusion bodies. Developmentally regulated RNA-binding protein 1 (Drb1)/RNA-binding motif protein 45 is an RNA-binding protein that was recently described as a component in ALS- and FTLD-related inclusion bodies. However, the molecular mechanism underlying cytoplasmic Drb1 aggregation remains unclear. Here, using an in vitro cellular model, we demonstrated that Drb1 co-localizes with cytoplasmic aggregates mediated by TAR DNA-binding protein 43, a major component of ALS and FTLD-related inclusion bodies. We also defined the domains involved in the subcellular localization of Drb1 to clarify the role of Drb1 in the formation of cytoplasmic aggregates in ALS and FTLD. Drb1 predominantly localized in the nucleus via a classical nuclear localization signal in its carboxyl terminus and is a shuttling protein between the nucleus and cytoplasm. Furthermore, we identify a double leucine motif serving as a nuclear export signal. The Drb1 mutant, presenting mutations in both nuclear localization signal and nuclear export signal, is prone to aggregate in the cytoplasm. The mutant Drb1-induced cytoplasmic aggregates not only recruit TAR DNA-binding protein 43 but also decrease the mitochondrial membrane potential. Taken together, these results indicate that perturbation of Drb1 nuclear-cytoplasmic trafficking induces toxic cytoplasmic aggregates, suggesting that mislocalization of Drb1 is involved in the cause of cytotoxicity in neuronal cells.
Bacteriology of the Labrador dog gut: a cultural and genotypic approach

Aims: To carry out an extensive study of the microflora composition of the Labrador dog gut. Methods and Results: Faecal specimens from four Labradors were collected and plated onto growth media designed to recover total anaerobes, bacteroides, bifidobacteria, lactobacilli, clostridia, Gram‐positive cocci, total aerobes and coliforms. Morphologically different isolates were collected from all agars inoculated with faeces from one canine individual (repeated four times). A total of 157 out of 171 isolates were identified using 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Sequence analysis showed that agar selectivity was poor, especially when bacteroides and Gram‐positive cocci were the targets. Bifidobacteria were not detected in any of the samples analysed, indicating their presence at low or negligible levels. The gene sequences of many of the isolates (n=45, representing 29% of the total) did not correlate with known species in the Ribosomal Database Project and EMBL databases, suggesting the presence of novel gut diversity. Conclusions: Traditional culture methods fail to reflect the bacterial diversity present in Labrador dog faeces. Significance and Impact of the Study: This study has shown the value of molecular‐based methodologies for determining bacterial profiles in the Labrador dog gut microbiota, but has also exposed the limitations of purportedly selective agars.
Bone lesions in divers.

1. A three-year survey of avascular necrosis of bone has been carried out in a community of some 400 professional divers for shell-fish who had used no modern technique of decompression. 2. Of 301 divers radiographed, 152 (50·5 per cent) had bone lesions. 3. The incidence of bone necrosis increased in proportion to the length of diving experience, being highest in men with over ten years, experience. 4. The incidence was also higher in men who usually dived deeper than thirty metres. 5. There was a high incidence in men with a history of the bends but no significant relationship between the sites of the bends and those of the lesions. 6. Bone lesions were more frequently multiple than solitary. 7. The upper end of the humerus was significantly more affected than the upper end of the femur or tibia, but not significantly more than the lower end of the femur. 8. At the upper ends of the humerus and femur the lesions were more frequently unilateral than bilateral.
MicroRNAs sequencing unveils distinct molecular subgroups of plasmablastic lymphoma

Plasmablastic lymphoma (PBL) is an aggressive lymphoma, often arising in the context of immunodeficiency and associated with Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection. The most frequently detected genetic alteration is the deregulation of MYC gene through the translocation - t(8;14)(q24;q32). The diagnosis of PBL is often challenging because it has an overlap in morphology, immunophenotype, cytogenetics and virus association with other lymphomas and plasma cell neoplasms; further, its molecular basis remains elusive. In the present study we aimed to better define the possible contribution of EBV infection as well as miRNA deregulation in PBL pathogenesis. We studied 23 cases of PBL, 19 Burkitt lymphomas (BL), and 17 extra-medullary plasmacytoma (EMPC). We used qPCR and immunohistochemistry to assess EBV latency patterns, while micro-RNA (miRNA) profiling was performed by next generation sequencing (Illumina) and validated by qPCR. Our analysis revealed a non-canonical EBV latency program with the partial expression of some proteins characterizing latency II and the activation of an abortive lytic cycle. Moreover, we identified miRNA signatures discriminating PBL from BL and EMPC. Interestingly, based on the miRNA profile, PBL appeared constituted by two discrete subgroups more similar to either BL or EMPC, respectively. This pattern was confirmed in an independent set of cases studied by qPCR and corresponded to different clinico-pathological features in the two groups, including HIV infection, MYC rearrangement and disease localization. In conclusion, we uncovered for the first time 1) an atypical EBV latency program in PBL; 2) a miRNA signature distinguishing PBL from the closest malignant counterparts; 3) the molecular basis of PBL heterogeneity.
Customer Satisfaction with Service Quality: An Empirical Study of Public and Private Sector Banks

Customer service is an integral part of any facet of banking and it defines the future of any banking organization. In India, this realm has undergone vast changes induced by regulatory and competitive forces and the banking industry has undergone revolutionary changes since 1991. For a service sector like banking industry, the whole range of activity and generation of income swivels around the customer. It is necessary to identify the key success factors in the banking industry, in terms of customer satisfaction keeping in view the increasing market size and intense competition. This study compares customers’ perceptions of service quality of public and private banks of Jammu. The service quality of both the banks has been measured using SERVQUAL (service quality) scale. SERVQUAL scale was used to determine different dimensions of service quality and chi-square analysis was used to understand the impact of SERVPERF (service performance) dimensions (tangibility, reliability, responsiveness, assurance and empathy) on customer satisfaction. It was found that customers of public sector banks are more satisfied with the service quality, than those of private sector banks.
HIGH-EFFICIENCY SWITCHED CAPACITOR POINT-OF-LOAD DC – DC CONVERTER BASED ON PV CELL

-The traditional inductor-based buck converter has been the default design for switched-mode voltage regulators for decades. Switched capacitor (SC-pv) dc–dc converters, on the other hand, have traditionally been used in low-power (<10mW) and low conversion ratio (<4:1) applications where neither regulation nor efficiency is critical. This study encompasses the complete successful design, fabrication, and test of a CMOS-based SC dc–dc converter, addressing the ubiquitous 12–1.5 V board mounted point-of-load application. In particular, the circuit developed in this study attains higher efficiency (92% peak, and >80%over a load range of 5 mA to 1 A) than surveyed competitive buck converters, while requiring less board area and less costly passive components. The topology and controller enable a wide input range of 7.5– 13.5 V. Controls based on feedback and feed forward provide tight regulation under worst case line and load step conditions. This study shows that the SC converter can outperform the buck converter, and thus, the scope of SC converter application can and should be expanded
Evaluation of Rahim's Organizational Conflict Inventory–II as a Measure of Conflict-Handling Styles in a Sample of Indian Salespersons

A mail survey of 108 salespersons was conducted to examine their conflict-handling styles with customers. The Rahim Organizational Conflict Inventory–II was used to measure the conflict-handling styles of respondents. An exploratory and a confirmatory factor analysis were performed on the items. Analysis indicated this is a reliable and valid measure of salespersons' conflict-handling styles. Thus, sales researchers can use this measure to examine the conflict-handling styles of salespersons.
Targeted Maximum Likelihood Based Causal Inference: Part I

Given causal graph assumptions, intervention-specific counterfactual distributions of the data can be defined by the so called G-computation formula, which is obtained by carrying out these interventions on the likelihood of the data factorized according to the causal graph. The obtained G-computation formula represents the counterfactual distribution the data would have had if this intervention would have been enforced on the system generating the data. A causal effect of interest can now be defined as some difference between these counterfactual distributions indexed by different interventions. For example, the interventions can represent static treatment regimens or individualized treatment rules that assign treatment in response to time-dependent covariates, and the causal effects could be defined in terms of features of the mean of the treatment-regimen specific counterfactual outcome of interest as a function of the corresponding treatment regimens. Such features could be defined nonparametrically in terms of so called (nonparametric) marginal structural models for static or individualized treatment rules, whose parameters can be thought of as (smooth) summary measures of differences between the treatment regimen specific counterfactual distributions.In this article, we develop a particular targeted maximum likelihood estimator of causal effects of multiple time point interventions. This involves the use of loss-based super-learning to obtain an initial estimate of the unknown factors of the G-computation formula, and subsequently, applying a target-parameter specific optimal fluctuation function (least favorable parametric submodel) to each estimated factor, estimating the fluctuation parameter(s) with maximum likelihood estimation, and iterating this updating step of the initial factor till convergence. This iterative targeted maximum likelihood updating step makes the resulting estimator of the causal effect double robust in the sense that it is consistent if either the initial estimator is consistent, or the estimator of the optimal fluctuation function is consistent. The optimal fluctuation function is correctly specified if the conditional distributions of the nodes in the causal graph one intervenes upon are correctly specified. The latter conditional distributions often comprise the so called treatment and censoring mechanism. Selection among different targeted maximum likelihood estimators (e.g., indexed by different initial estimators) can be based on loss-based cross-validation such as likelihood based cross-validation or cross-validation based on another appropriate loss function for the distribution of the data. Some specific loss functions are mentioned in this article.Subsequently, a variety of interesting observations about this targeted maximum likelihood estimation procedure are made. This article provides the basis for the subsequent companion Part II-article in which concrete demonstrations for the implementation of the targeted MLE in complex causal effect estimation problems are provided.
Business Models in the Software Industry: The Impact on Firm and M&A Performance

The relevance of software business models has tremendously increased in recent years. Markus Schief explores opportunities to improve the management of these models. Based on a conceptual framework of software business model characteristics, he conducts large empirical studies to examine the current state of business models in the software industry. These data then serve as a foundation for statistical analyses of business models impact on firm and M&A performance. Finally, the author develops a software business model management tool.
Investment in Electronic Commerce− A Real Options Approach

In recent years substantial investments have been made in eCommerce projects. Some of them seem to have been profitable. In other cases there has not yet been enough demand to generate a cash flow large enough to guarantee a financial viability of the projects. The purpose of this project is to develop a set of methods to be used in order to evaluate investments in eCommerce given an uncertain demand. eCommerce investments are sequential in the meaning that initial “platform” expenditures for web services are to be followed by substantial outlays for marketing. In this paper a real options approach is used for their evaluation. Sales and sales income will be described in terms of a binomial process with declining growth rates. A decision to stop the investments in marketing is assumed to put a cap on that growth. The paper shows that the real options approach is a suitable procedure to evaluate sequential decisions concerning investments in eCommerce. The method is applied on a real case study from a Swedish firm. It is demonstrated that the classical approach of adjusting the discount rate for risk may give quite misleading results.
Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor neddylation is regulated by a desmosomal-COP9 (Constitutive Photomorphogenesis 9) signalosome complex

Cell junctions are scaffolds that integrate mechanical and chemical signaling. We previously showed that a desmosomal cadherin promotes keratinocyte differentiation in an adhesion-independent manner by dampening Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor (EGFR) activity. Here we identify a potential mechanism by which desmosomes assist the de-neddylating COP9 signalosome (CSN) in attenuating EGFR through an association between the Cops3 subunit of the CSN and desmosomal components, Desmoglein1 (Dsg1) and Desmoplakin (Dp), to promote epidermal differentiation. Silencing CSN or desmosome components shifts the balance of EGFR modifications from ubiquitination to neddylation, inhibiting EGFR dynamics in response to an acute ligand stimulus. A reciprocal relationship between loss of Dsg1 and neddylated EGFR was observed in a carcinoma model, consistent with a role in sustaining EGFR activity during tumor progression. Identification of this previously unrecognized function of the CSN in regulating EGFR neddylation has broad-reaching implications for understanding how homeostasis is achieved in regenerating epithelia.
Synthesis and processing of the precursor to the major core protein of adenovirus type 2

An isopycnic Metrizamide-detergent gradient system was developed in which the newly synthesized precursor (polypeptide P-VII) to the major core protein of adenovirus type 2 (polypeptide VII) was confined to a spectrum of complexes with densities equal to or higher than that of adenovirions. The majority of the newly synthesized P-VII was, at the beginning of the logarithmic period of virus production, present as an entity of protein density. This pool of P-VII was efficiently depleted. P-VII was also associated with high-molecular-weight structures of intermediate density, sharing some properties with empty capsids or incomplete particles. The transfer of P-VII from the intermediate-density region was not quantitative, and only particles of true virion density subsequently contained polypeptide VII. No structures equivalent to the core structure of disrupted virions or identical to incomplete particles were detected in this system. A temperature-dependent transition of radioactivity from polypeptide P-VII into polypeptide VII was also detectable after in vitro incubation of P-VII-containing complexes. Addition of Ad2-infected cell extracts was required for processing of complexes derived from regions of protein density, whereas P-VII was processed spontaneously upon incubation in complexes of virion density.
Electrochemical Reduction of the Mycotoxin Citrinin at Bare and Modified with Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotubes Glassy Carbon Electrodes in a Non-Aqueous Reaction Medium

-1 tanto em eletrodo de carbono vitreo (GC) nao modificado quanto em eletrodo GC modificado com nanotubos de carbono de paredes multiplas foi investigado por voltametria ciclica e eletrolise a potencial controlado. Os resultados obtidos permitiram inferir um mecanismo de eletroreducao complexo com etapas quimicas e eletroquimicas, acopladas a reacao inicial de transferencia de eletron. Citrinina apresentou pico catodico unico que corresponde no minimo a duas etapas de reducao envolvendo um eletron e duas reacoes quimicas homogeneas, segundo mecanismo de autoprotonacao do tipo ECEC (transferencia de eletron acoplada com aceitacao de proton). As reacoes quimicas se originam nas transferencias de proton intermolecular do substrato para os seus produtos intermedios basicos de reducao, caracterizando um mecanismo de autoprotonacao. Analise cinetica por procedimentos de simulacao de resultados voltametricos permitiu uma caracterizacao completa do mecanismo de reducao heterogeneo de citrinina. Electrochemical reduction mechanism of citrinin in acetonitrile plus 0.1 mol L -1 (C4H9)4NClO4 at both bare and modified with multi-walled carbon nanotube glassy carbon (GC) electrodes was investigated by cyclic voltammetry and controlled potential electrolysis. Results allowed to infer a complex electroreduction mechanism with chemical and electrochemical steps coupled to the initial electron transfer reaction. Citrinin shows a single cathodic peak that corresponds at least to two electron reduction steps and two homogeneous chemical reactions, conforming to an ECEC (electron-transfer coupled with proton acceptance) self-protonation mechanism. The chemical reactions are originated in the intermolecular proton transfers from the substrate to its basic reduction intermediates, featuring a self-protonation mechanism. Kinetics analysis by simulation procedures of voltammetric results permitted a fully characterization of the mechanism of citrinin heterogeneous reduction.