Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Training and developing an age diverse workforce in SMEs: The need for a strategic approach

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine theimportance of strategic human resource development (HRD) in small andmedium-sized enterprises (SMEs) with specific reference to key issues aroundtraining, development and education as well as an emerging issue ofsignificance, age diversity management. Design/methodology/approach – The approach undertaken in the paper is todraw upon relevant literature and research as well as the authors' own analysisof the relationship between strategic human resource management (SHRM), HRD andSMEs based on prior research. Findings – The findings of the research and analysis is that SMEs which takea strategic approach to training and development of their human resources willprofit not only from a competitive position in their marketplace but also bewell placed to adjust to changing and often uncertain external influences onthe business environment presented to organisations in the twenty-firstcentury. Practical implications – It is envisaged that SMEs should make changes totheir current practices and adopt a more strategic approach to the developmentof their people based on the practical implications outlined within the paperas to how organisations can implement HRD practices linked to broader corporatestrategy. Originality/value – The paper adds value in broadening the existing focus ofSHRM and HRD on large corporations to engendering the need to also develop goodHRD practices within emerging and growing SMEs and recognising the importantrole that they can play in developing an age diverse workforce. (Publication abstract)
Materno-Fetal Transfer of Preproinsulin Through the Neonatal Fc Receptor Prevents Autoimmune Diabetes

The first signs of autoimmune activation leading to β-cell destruction in type 1 diabetes (T1D) appear during the first months of life. Thus, the perinatal period offers a suitable time window for disease prevention. Moreover, thymic selection of autoreactive T cells is most active during this period, providing a therapeutic opportunity not exploited to date. We therefore devised a strategy by which the T1D-triggering antigen preproinsulin fused with the immunoglobulin (Ig)G Fc fragment (PPI-Fc) is delivered to fetuses through the neonatal Fc receptor (FcRn) pathway, which physiologically transfers maternal IgGs through the placenta. PPI-Fc administered to pregnant PPIB15–23 T-cell receptor–transgenic mice efficiently accumulated in fetuses through the placental FcRn and protected them from subsequent diabetes development. Protection relied on ferrying of PPI-Fc to the thymus by migratory dendritic cells and resulted in a rise in thymic-derived CD4+ regulatory T cells expressing transforming growth factor-β and in increased effector CD8+ T cells displaying impaired cytotoxicity. Moreover, polyclonal splenocytes from nonobese diabetic (NOD) mice transplacentally treated with PPI-Fc were less diabetogenic upon transfer into NOD.scid recipients. Transplacental antigen vaccination provides a novel strategy for early T1D prevention and, further, is applicable to other immune-mediated conditions.
Motion and flow insensitive adiabatic T2‐preparation module for cardiac MR imaging at 3 tesla

A versatile method for generating T2‐weighting is a T2‐preparation module, which has been used successfully for cardiac imaging at 1.5T. Although it has been applied at 3T, higher fields (B0 ≥ 3T) can degrade B0 and B1 homogeneity and result in nonuniform magnetization preparation. For cardiac imaging, blood flow and cardiac motion may further impair magnetization preparation. In this study, a novel T2‐preparation module containing multiple adiabatic B1‐insensitive refocusing pulses is introduced and compared with three previously described modules [(a) composite MLEV4, (b) modified BIR‐4 (mBIR‐4), and (c) Silver‐Hoult–pair]. In the static phantom, the proposed module provided similar or better B0 and B1 insensitivity than the other modules. In human subjects (n = 21), quantitative measurement of image signal coefficient of variation, reflecting overall image inhomogeneity, was lower for the proposed module (0.10) than for MLEV4 (0.15, P < 0.0001), mBIR‐4 (0.27, P < 0.0001), and Silver‐Hoult–pair (0.14, P = 0.001) modules. Similarly, qualitative analysis revealed that the proposed module had the best image quality scores and ranking (both, P < 0.0001). In conclusion, we present a new T2‐preparation module, which is shown to be robust for cardiac imaging at 3T in comparison with existing methods. Magn Reson Med 70:1360–1368, 2013. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Conscious correction of scapular orientation in overhead athletes performing selected shoulder rehabilitation exercises: the effect on trapezius muscle activation measured by surface electromyography.

STUDY DESIGN Controlled laboratory study. OBJECTIVES To assess the effect of conscious correction of scapular orientation on the activation of the 3 sections of the trapezius muscle during shoulder exercises in overhead athletes with scapular dyskinesis. BACKGROUND Previous research has led to the recommendation of 4 exercises for training of the trapezius muscle: prone extension, sidelying external rotation, sidelying forward flexion, and prone horizontal abduction with external rotation. However, the extent to which conscious correction of scapular orientation impacts trapezius muscle activation levels during these exercises is unknown. METHODS Absolute (upper trapezius [UT], middle trapezius [MT], lower trapezius [LT]) and relative (UT/MT and UT/LT) muscle activation levels were determined with surface electromyography in 30 asymptomatic overhead athletes with scapular dyskinesis, during 4 selected exercises performed with and without conscious correction of scapular orientation. Repeated-measures analyses of variance were used to determine if a voluntary scapular orientation correction strategy influenced the activation levels of the different sections of the trapezius during each exercise. RESULTS With conscious correction of scapular orientation, activation levels of the 3 sections of the trapezius muscle significantly increased during prone extension (mean ± SD difference: UT, 5.9% ± 8.6% maximal voluntary isometric contraction [MVIC]; MT, 13.8% ± 11.0% MVIC; LT, 9.8% ± 10.8% MVIC; P<.05) and sidelying external rotation (UT, 2.2% ± 4.4% MVIC; MT, 6.7% ± 10.6% MVIC; LT, 13.3% ± 24.4% MVIC; P<.05). There was no difference between conditions for sidelying forward flexion and prone horizontal abduction with external rotation. The UT/MT and UT/LT ratios were similar between conditions for all 4 exercises. CONCLUSION Conscious correction of scapular orientation during the prone extension and sidelying external rotation exercises can be used to increase the activation level in the 3 sections of the trapezius in overhead athletes with scapular dyskinesis. Although lack of kinematic data limits the interpretation of the results, this study suggests that conscious correction of scapular orientation can be performed without altering the favorable UT/MT and UT/LT ratios that have been previously reported for these exercises.
The identification of microdeletion syndromes and other chromosome abnormalities: Cytogenetic methods of the past, new technologies for the future

Chromosome analysis is an important diagnostic tool in the identification of causes of mental retardation, developmental delay, and other developmental disabilities. Cytogenetic approaches have revealed the chromosomal basis of a large number of genetic syndromes. The recent use of microarray‐based comparative genomic hybridization (array CGH) has accelerated the identification of novel cytogenetic abnormalities. We present the results of array CGH in 8,789 clinical cases submitted for a variety of developmental problems. Of these cases, 6.9% showed clinically relevant abnormalities, 1.2% showed benign copy‐number variants (polymorphisms), 2.5% showed recurrent alterations of unclear clinical significance—many of which are likely to be polymorphisms—and 1.4% showed novel alterations of unclear relevance. Although cytogenetic methods, including array CGH, have great potential for identifying novel chromosomal syndromes, this high‐resolution analysis may also result in diagnostic challenges imposed on laboratories and clinicians regarding findings of unclear clinical significance. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Determining valuation loss in small classical knowledge intensive firms due to owner-dependence

Many businesses founded are aimed to be sold at certain time in the future. It is a natural desire of any single business owner to be able to sell his business at the highest possible value. There are lots of resources, consulting firms, etc. dedicated to helping business owners to properly value and sell their businesses. Numerous factors affect market value of a business. In the professional services industry one of the major problems affecting perceived value of a classical knowledge intensive firm is the degree of dependence of the firm on its owner. In this master thesis, I will review academic literature on small knowledge intensive businesses in order to have comprehensive study of owner-dependence concept with all relevant elements and aspects and eventually visualize it in a logically structured framework which later will be exploited in a qualitative valuation of a firm. Thereby, insight will be gained into negative valuation gap between value of the firm today with the owner and value without the owner and potential value gain in the future in terms of progress towards owner-independence. To preserve and increase the perceived value of the firm to potential buyers, owner of the firm should approach the problem from both sides by improving negative and positive aspects and adopting non-existent aspects of owner-dependence.
Herpes simplex virus DNA replication: the UL9 gene encodes an origin-binding protein.

Herpes simplex virus 1 contains seven genes that are necessary and sufficient for origin-dependent DNA synthesis in cultured cells. We have expressed the product of one of these genes, UL9, in insect cells by using a baculovirus expression vector. The apparent size of the UL9 protein, both in insect cells and in herpes simplex virus-infected Vero cells, is 82,000 Da. By using an immunoassay for protein-DNA interaction, we have shown that UL9 protein binds specifically to the herpes simplex virus origins of DNA replication, oriS and oriL. DNase I "footprint" analysis has shown that the UL9 protein interacts with two related sites on oriS, located on each arm of a nearly perfect palindrome. Our data strongly suggest that the origin-binding activity described previously by Elias et al. [Elias, P., O'Donnell, M. E. , Mocarski, E. S. & Lehman, I. R. (1986) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 83, 6322-6326] is the product of the UL9 gene.
Space-time Matrix Method for Mixed Near-Field and Far-Field Sources Localization

Mixed near-fleld and far-fleld sources localization problem has received signiflcant attention recently in some practical applications, such as speaker localization using microphone arrays and guidance systems, etc. This paper presents a novel space-time matrix method to localize mixed near- fleld and far-fleld sources. Using the proposed method, both the direction-of-arrival (DOA) and range of a source can be estimated by the same eigen-pair of a deflned space-time matrix. Therefore, the pairing of the estimated angles and ranges is automatically determined. Compared with the previous work, the presented method ofiers a number of advantages over other recently proposed algorithms. For example, it can avoid not only parameters matching problem but also aperture loss problem. It has lower computational complexity since the proposed method does not require the high-order statistics or any parameter search. Simulation results show the performance of the proposed algorithm.
Agrobacterium-mediated transformation of mature embryos of Triticum aestivum and Triticum durum

Plant regeneration studies in cereals have been undertaken in immature embryos, scutellum and also in immature inflorescence tissue. The wheat mature embryos can also be employed for callusing and regeneration, as they are available throughout the year and have presently been employed for transformation studies. An efficient and reproducible method for Agrobacterium-mediated transformation of mature embryos of hexaploid bread wheat (Triticum aestivum) and tetraploid pasta wheat (Triticum durum) is reported. Presence of acetosyringone at 200 μM concentration in the bacterial growth medium, inoculation medium and cocultivation medium was essential for achieving a 1.5 – 2.0 fold increase in transient expression of the intr oduced gus gene. Successful generation of T. aest ivum and T. durum transgenic plants at a transformation fr equency ranging from 1.28 to 1.77% has been achieved following 2–3 days co-cultivation using mature embryos and also mature embryo-derived calluses with binary Agrobacterium strain LBA4404 (pBI101 :: Act1) and LBA4404 (p35SGUSINT) respectively. Paromomycin and phosphinothricin served as effective sele ction agents as they did not adversely affect plantlet rege neration. Successful integration as well as in heritance of the transgene was confirmed by Southern hybridization and PCR amplification in T 0 as well as T 1 generation. Optimization of this method facilitated the introdu ction of bar gene as a selectable marker conferring herbicide resistance as well as potato proteinase inhibitor gene (pin2) for insect resistance into wheat.
The relationship between maternal periodontitis and preterm low birth weight: A case-control study

Background: The relationship between periodontal diseases in pregnancy and children born prematurely or with low birth weight has been increasingly investigated, showing positive and negative results, respectively. Objective: To evaluate the association between Maternal Periodontitis and Preterm delivery or Low Birth Weight. Materials and Methods: In this case-control study, 104 pregnant women without systemic disease or other risk factors for preterm labor were chosen. The control group (n = 52) had term labor (infants ≥37 weeks) and the case group (n = 52) had preterm labor (infants <37 weeks). Plaque index, bleeding index, and birth weight were measured. Results: The data of plaque index (cases 1.21±0.56; controls 0.63±0.31), bleeding index (cases, 2.08±0.62; controls, 1.52±0.61), birth weight (cases, 2.01±0.36; controls 2.87±0.32), and Probing Pocket Depth (PPD) ≥4mm and Clinical Attachment Level (CAL) ≥3mm in at least 4 teeth (odds ratio 137.50, P value < 0.0001) revealed a statistically significant difference between the two groups P< 0.05). Conclusions: A noticeable relationship between periodontal health and duration of pregnancy; periodontal disease could be a risk factor for preterm labor. Oral hygiene maintenance should be a part of prenatal care protocol.
Heterogeneous kinetics of H 2 O, HNO 3 and HCl on HNO 3 hydrates( α -NAT, β -NAT, NAD) in the range 175–200 K

Abstract. Experiments on the title compounds have been performed using a multidiagnostic stirred-flow reactor (SFR) in which the gas phase as well as the condensed phase has been simultaneously investigated under stratospheric temperatures in the range 175–200 K. Wall interactions of the title compounds have been taken into account using Langmuir adsorption isotherms in order to close the mass balance between deposited and desorbed (recovered) compounds. Thin solid films at 1 µm typical thickness have been used as a proxy for atmospheric ice particles and have been deposited on a Si window of the cryostat, with the optical element being the only cold point in the deposition chamber. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) absorption spectroscopy in transmission as well as partial and total pressure measurement using residual gas mass spectrometry (MS) and sensitive pressure gauges have been employed in order to monitor growth and evaporation processes as a function of temperature using both pulsed and continuous gas admission and monitoring under SFR conditions. Thin solid H2O ice films were used as the starting point throughout, with the initial spontaneous formation of α-NAT (nitric acid trihydrate) followed by the gradual transformation of α- to β-NAT at T > 185 K. Nitric acid dihydrate (NAD) was spontaneously formed at somewhat larger partial pressures of HNO3 deposited on pure H2O ice. In contrast to published reports, the formation of α-NAT proceeded without prior formation of an amorphous HNO3 ∕ H2O layer and always resulted in β-NAT. For α- and β-NAT, the temperature-dependent accommodation coefficient α(H2O) and α(HNO3), the evaporation flux Jev(H2O) and Jev(HNO3) and the resulting saturation vapor pressure Peq(H2O) and Peq(HNO3) were measured and compared to binary phase diagrams of HNO3 ∕ H2O in order to afford a thermochemical check of the kinetic parameters. The resulting kinetic and thermodynamic parameters of activation energies for evaporation (Eev) and standard heats of evaporation ΔHev0 of H2O and HNO3 for α- and β-NAT, respectively, led to an estimate for the relative standard enthalpy difference between α- and β-NAT of −6.0 ± 20 kJ mol−1 in favor of β-NAT, as expected, despite a significantly larger value of Eev for HNO3 in α-NAT. This in turn implies a substantial activation energy for HNO3 accommodation in α- compared to β-NAT where Eacc(HNO3) is essentially zero. The kinetic (α(HCl), Jev(HCl)) and thermodynamic (Peq(HCl)) parameters of HCl-doped α- and β-NAT have been determined under the assumption that HCl adsorption did not significantly affect α(H2O) and α(HNO3) as well as the evaporation flux Jev(H2O). Jev(HCl) and Peq(HCl) on both α- and β-NAT are larger than the corresponding values for HNO3 across the investigated temperature range but significantly smaller than the values for pure H2O ice at T
Adaptive Contrast Enhancement and White Balancing Integration for Image Enhancement Based on Non-linear Generalized Equalization Model

: The digital image processing has introduced revolutionary developments in research fields like medicine, military, security, biometrics, robotics, satellite image processing, digital image compression, digital image enhancement, digital video processing, etc. Image enhancement is the predominant fundamental step in the image processing and digital image enhancement creates an image which is perceived by human visual system (HVS) in pleasant way. Although tremendous progress has been made in the past years on digital image enhancement process but still digital image enhancement is area of concern in the field of digital image processing. In the proposed method a non-linear generalized equalization model for image enhancement has proposed by integrating the non linear contrast enhancement and white balancing to form a unified algorithm based on the different parameter configurations into considerations. An adaptive image enhancement algorithm has been derived which yields good theoretical results based on two important histogram transform properties namely contrast gain and non linearity. Finally experimental results shows proposed method achieves good performance and low complexity over traditional state of art methods and proposed model is successful in achieving better efficiency in terms of tone correction as well as white balancing.
Dual-edge modulated four-switch Buck-Boost converter

Four-switch Buck-Boost (FSBB) converter is a simplified cascaded Buck and Boost, it has two active power switches and two synchronous rectifiers (SRs). Compared to the traditional Buck-Boost converter, FSBB converter has some advantages such as positive output and lower voltage stress across the power devices. The two active power switches can be controlled independently, thus two freedoms, i.e. the duty cycles of the switches, are available to regulate the output voltage, leading to various control strategies. In order to reduce the inductor current ripple, a dual-edge modulation (DEM) is proposed, which lets the two switches be modulated with leading edge and trailing edge respectively. Based on the DEM, 2-mode DEM is derived to reduce the root-mean-square (RMS) inductor current, as a result, the conduction loss in the power switches and the inductor is reduced. In the 2-mode DEM, the input voltage range is divided into two regions with the value of the output voltage as the boundary, FSBB works in Boost mode and Buck mode in the lower voltage region and higher voltage region respectively. In the two modes, only one pair switches, i.e., the active power switch and its corresponding SR, are high-frequency switched, the other one are fully on or off, so the total switching loss is reduced. In order to avoid the wigwag between the two modes, one more region is introduced between the afore-mentioned two regions, which is located around the value of the output voltage, Within the introduced region, FSBB works in Buck-Boost mode with all the four switches operating at high frequency. In order to the switching loss, the switching frequency is reduced in Buck-Boost mode. Thus a 3-mode dual-frequency DEM is proposed. A 48 V (36-75 V) input, 48 V@6.25 A output prototype is fabricated in the lab, and the measured efficiency is higher than 96.5% over the entire input voltage range and the efficiency at the nominal input voltage is 97.8%.
Determination of the genetic diversity of the lactoferrin gene polymorphism in indigenous Anatolian goat breeds.

Lactoferrin (LF) gene is considered as a candidate gene for mastitis resistance due to the role of LF in defence mechanism of the mammary gland. LF gene is highly conserved among mammals. Studies have focused to analyze the diversity of LF gene polymorphisms in different breeds. There are limited data about genetic diversity, phylogeny and candidate genes in Anatolian goat breeds. In this study four indigenous Anatolian goat breeds were genotyped for 7605 C>T polymorphism in exon 4 of LF gene using PCR-RFLP method and direct sequencing. Two alleles C and T were observed, which are resulting Arginine and Tryptophan, respectively. T allele frequency was found to be higher in all the breeds, varied between 81.25 and 93.75%. CC genotype was the least observed genotype and it was absent in Hair goat breed. The populations except Hair goat were found to be in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium. The genetic diversity of the analyzed site was found to be high except Kilis breed. Investigation of the genetic diversity of Anatolian goat breeds with different parameters would contribute the genetic database of goat breeds. Further studies on caprine LF gene and its associations with mastitis in Anatolian goat breeds should be conducted.
Driving Shareholder Value: Value-Building Techniques for Creating Shareholder Wealth

Part 1: Valuation. The Value-Based Management Framework: An Overview. Why Value Value? Value and Capital Markets. The Value Manager. DCF Valuation: Spreadsheet Approaches. DCF Valuation: Formula Approaches. Comparables Approach to Valuation. Real Options Valuation. Part II: Strategy. Business Strategy. Corporate Strategy. Part III: Finance. Estimating Discount Rates. Part IV: Corporate Governance. Performance Metrics. Corporate Governance and Executive Compensation. Becoming a VBM Company.
Ain’t no mountain high enough? Setting high weight loss goals predict effort and short-term weight loss

Although psychological theories outline that it might be beneficial to set more challenging goals, people attempting to lose weight are generally recommended to set modest weight loss goals. The present study explores whether the amount of weight loss individuals strive for is associated with more positive psychological and behavioral outcomes. Hereto, 447 overweight and obese participants trying to lose weight completed two questionnaires with a 2-month interval. Many participants set goals that could be considered unrealistically high. However, higher weight loss goals did not predict dissatisfaction but predicted more effort in the weight loss attempt, as well as more self-reported short-term weight loss when baseline commitment and motivation were controlled for.