Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Reticulomics: Protein-Protein Interaction Studies with Two Plasmodesmata-Localized Reticulon Family Proteins Identify Binding Partners Enriched at Plasmodesmata, Endoplasmic Reticulum, and the Plasma Membrane1

Protein interactions for two plasmodesmata-localized reticulon proteins suggest that these proteins, in addition to a role in endoplasmic reticulum modeling, may play important roles in linking the endoplasmic reticulum and plasma membrane. The endoplasmic reticulum (ER) is a ubiquitous organelle that plays roles in secretory protein production, folding, quality control, and lipid biosynthesis. The cortical ER in plants is pleomorphic and structured as a tubular network capable of morphing into flat cisternae, mainly at three-way junctions, and back to tubules. Plant reticulon family proteins (RTNLB) tubulate the ER by dimerization and oligomerization, creating localized ER membrane tensions that result in membrane curvature. Some RTNLB ER-shaping proteins are present in the plasmodesmata (PD) proteome and may contribute to the formation of the desmotubule, the axial ER-derived structure that traverses primary PD. Here, we investigate the binding partners of two PD-resident reticulon proteins, RTNLB3 and RTNLB6, that are located in primary PD at cytokinesis in tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum). Coimmunoprecipitation of green fluorescent protein-tagged RTNLB3 and RTNLB6 followed by mass spectrometry detected a high percentage of known PD-localized proteins as well as plasma membrane proteins with putative membrane-anchoring roles. Förster resonance energy transfer by fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy assays revealed a highly significant interaction of the detected PD proteins with the bait RTNLB proteins. Our data suggest that RTNLB proteins, in addition to a role in ER modeling, may play important roles in linking the cortical ER to the plasma membrane.
Coordinating B2B cross‐border supply chains: the case of the organic coffee industry

The recent interest in and increasing demand for healthy, social and environmentally sustainable products, particularly in developed countries, have fostered the presence of organic coffee supermarket shelves of such countries. Proposes two models of B2B relationships for the Brazilian supply of organic coffee to international markets, more specifically, The Netherlands. For this proposition, compares two possible organizations of the supply chain wherein B2B relationships are based not only on contracts but more importantly on the informal safeguards of mutual trust, long‐term orientation and joint actions. For the two proposed chains, a cross‐border integrator is included to support the coordination of the business relationship. Emphasis is placed on coordination to increase overall efficiency of the supply chain through reduction of internal and transaction costs.
The Traits of Successful New Service Development

Recent changes in the financial services industry have placed unprecedented pressure on senior managers to develop and launch new services. Presents the results of a study into the development activities of new financial services through a comparison of successful and unsuccessful new services. It was discovered that the development activities are more rigorous and comprehensive for successful new services than for failures. Institutions which used a systematic process of well‐defined development stages tended to have higher chances of successful outcomes.
Consumer Evaluations of Service Brand Extensions

Branding decisions are becoming increasingly important in services, but little service-specific research has focused on this domain so far. This is surprising, as the service industry accounts for an ever-growing share of the global economy, whereas service aspects have become increasingly important for all goods. Marketing managers may want to capitalize on previously acquired brand equity by extending a reputable brand to a new category. Little is known, however, about the extent to which consumerbased brand equity transfers to unrelated categories in a services context. The authors have replicated Aaker and Keller’s (1990) study and extended it to the services domain. Our data set provides evidence that in a services context, consumers use complementarity to the original category as a major cue to evaluate extensions. As a consequence, brand extension strategies could probably be used most successfully in cases where a significant similarity in service delivery processes exists.
Evaluating Sensory Quality of Fresh-cut Fruits and Vegetables

Lifestyle changes in the new millennium necessitate portable, safe, nutritious and high-quality fresh-cut produce. Because people want the fresh fruits and vegetables in their diet, but do not choose to prepare it, the market niche exists. Consistent freshlike quality is what will keep consumers purchasing fresh-cut produce. Normally, flavor changes occur before the visual appearance deteriorates (Anonymous, 2000). Therefore, consumers have to feel confident they will be purchasing fresh-cut produce with good sensory quality for repeat purchasing. For the continued growth of this industry, flavor and texture changes have to be understood, and the quality must be monitored. Sensory evaluation is critical to understanding and monitoring flavor and texture changes. Such analysis can be expensive, but it is essential to understand what is happening in the mouth before correlation with instrumental methods should be attempted (Munos et al., 1991). Sensory evaluation can be used for quality assurance and quality control purposes, but instrumental methods, if available, are more economical on a routine basis. Consumer-based evaluations are subjective and depend on the pool of consumers being tested. Unless consumers are selected properly, the test can be biased (i.e., company employees do not represent the population as a whole). 13 TX307_frame_C13. fm Page 427 Monday, December 17, 2001 11:05 AM
The overview effect: Awe and self-transcendent experience in space flight.

Viewing the Earth from space has often prompted astronauts to report overwhelming emotion and feelings of identification with humankind and the planet as a whole. In this article, we explore this experience, known as the “overview effect. ” We examine astronaut accounts of the overview effect and suggest existing psychological constructs, such as awe and self-transcendent experience, that might contribute to a psychological understanding of this experience. We argue that the overview effect suggests directions for future research on altered states of consciousness in new contexts, with potential implications for better understanding well-being in isolated, confined, extreme (ICE) environments such as space flight.
FBK’s machine translation and speech translation systems for the IWSLT 2014 evaluation campaign

This paper describes the systems submitted by FBK for the MT and SLT tracks of IWSLT 2014. We participated in the English-French and German-English machine translation tasks, as well as the English-French speech translation task. We report improvements in our English-French MT systems over last year’s baselines, largely due to improved techniques of combining translation and language models, and using huge language models. For our German-English system, we experimented with a novel domain adaptation technique. For both language pairs we also applied a novel word trigger-based model which shows slight improvements on English-French and German-English systems. Our English-French SLT system utilizes MT-based punctuation insertion, recas-ing, and ASR-like synthesized MT training data.
A modified non-isolated bidirectional DC-DC converter for EV/HEV's traction drive systems

High-power-density bidirectional dc-dc converters consisting of buck-and-boost converters are extensively used in Electric Vehicles (EV)/Hybrid Electric Vehicles (HEV) due to their smaller size and low cost. But conventional bidirectional dc-dc converter has a right half plane (RHP) zero in the open loop control to output voltage transfer function in boost mode of operation. Due to this RHP zero controller design is not simple for boost operation. A modified non-isolated minimum phase bidirectional DC-DC converter is presented in this paper. The bidirectional DC-DC converter displays the minimum phase behavior due to the complete exclusion of the RHP zero. Due to the minimum phase behavior, the bidirectional DC-DC converter gives excellent dynamic performance under heavy load requirements. Simulation and experimental results are presented to verify the modified non-isolated minimum phase bidirectional DC-DC converter.
Sustainable integrity: how reverse auctions can benefit suppliers in emerging markets

Purpose – The growth of international business persists, particularly in emerging economies. Business in these developing nations is heavily influenced by national culture. In the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, buyer-supplier relationships are often negatively influenced by “wasta” – a term associated with power, influence, connection and corruption. Technology-enhanced business processes diffuse as globalization increases. The purpose of this research was to explore whether and, if so, how electronic reverse auction (e-RA) use might be effective in a MENA national culture. Design/methodology/approach – The authors use a case study method based on data collected from 13 interviews with supply chain members extending beyond the dyad to explain: why Middle Eastern bidders participated in an e-RA; the nature of a unique phenomenon in Middle Eastern culture called wasta; and (3) how wasta, e-RA use, and procurement integrity interact in a sustainable way. Findings – This case study extends knowle.
Streamlining information flow in steel product design and manufacturing industry network

This paper focuses on the importance of process integration in the supply chains from the viewpoint of information flow. Information and Communication Technology (ICT) is an important enabler of process integration. Many information systems have been developed for Supply Chain Management (SCM), and recently the use of software agent technology has received a great potential in supporting collaboration in SCM. In this paper, two different supply chains between the Finnish steel producer and its local suppliers are modelled in order to find out the critical issues in the move towards an integrated supply chain. Furthermore, the paper presents one development possibility to improve the efficiency of logistics processes by using agent technology.
Collaborative filtering algorithm based on user attribute item dependency

Traditional collaborative filtering algorithms, which are mainly based on the users' rating scores, ignored the effect of user attributes on recommended precision. This paper defines the user attribute item dependency, and proposes a new method for calculating the similarity of user attributes. The algorithm first selects the users who purchased the item, then constructs the virtual user who is the most suitable item from the user's account of the purchased item, and next uses the virtual user as the center to find the user set which is higher similarity in the item. Finally, the user set which is selected is used as the target user set, and the traditional collaborative filtering algorithm is used to predict user's score. Our algorithm uses user set who purchased the item as the neighbor screening target set, fill the score matrix with the Slop one algorithm. The experimental results show that our algorithm solves the problem that the traditional cooperative filtering does not take into account the user attributes, improves the recommended precision, and solves the sparseness problem. The local performance is improved slightly because that the local user sets are greatly reduced.
Prediction of South Africa’s Tourism Hotel Accommodation Monthly Income: Challenges in an Environment Characterised by a World Recession and a World Cup

This paper uses official data to develop exponential smoothing models for predicting monthly total income in tourism hotel accommodation in South Africa for the period 2004 to 2011. The performance of the developed models is evaluated against a neural network model for in and out of sample predictions. Empirical results from the study show that the triple exponential smoothing model produces better forecast accuracy compared to the single and double exponential smoothing models. The neural network model outperforms all the three exponential smoothing models prior to the onset of recession in 1998. The triple exponential smoothing model produces better forecast accuracy after the onset of the world recession. This suggests that a time series undergoing structural changes may require different forecasting approaches. This study is meant to provide insight into the dynamics of the South African hotel accommodation income time series thereby stimulating future definitive work on methods of forecasting. DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2014. v5n20p460
A Cache System Design for CMPs with Built-In Coherence Verification

This work reports an effective design of cache system for Chip Multiprocessors CMPs. It introduces built-in logic for verification of cache coherence in CMPs realizing directory based protocol. It is developed around the cellular automata CA machine, invented by John von Neumann in the 1950s. A special class of CA referred to as single length cycle 2-attractor cellular automata TACA has been planted to detect the inconsistencies in cache line states of processors’ private caches. The TACA module captures coherence status of the CMPs’ cache system and memorizes any inconsistent recording of the cache line states during the processors’ reference to a memory block. Theory has been developed to empower a TACA to analyse the cache state updates and then to settle to an attractor state indicating quick decision on a faulty recording of cache line status. The introduction of segmentation of the CMPs’ processor pool ensures a better efficiency, in determining the inconsistencies, by reducing the number of computation steps in the verification logic. The hardware requirement for the verification logic points to the fact that the overhead of proposed coherence verification module is much lesser than that of the conventional verification units and is insignificant with respect to the cost involved in CMPs’ cache system.
Formation control of multiple quadrotors based on leader-follower method

This paper proposes a control algorithm to solve multiple quadrotor formation problem in a leader-follower configuration. A combination of sliding mode control (SMC) and linear quadratic regulator (LQR) are used for trajectory tracking control of a single robot. Position control, which acts as the outer loop is controlled by LQR for providing the reference attitude angles for the inner loop. SMC used for stabilizing and converging the error for the inner loop which is responsible for attitude angles. Another SMC algorithm is used for maintaining the leader-follower formation during flying, in both vertical and horizontal planes.
Identification of Subunits of the Anaphase-Promoting Complex of Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Entry into anaphase and proteolysis of B-type cyclins depend on a complex containing the tetratricopeptide repeat proteins Cdc16p, Cdc23p, and Cdc27p. This particle, called the anaphase-promoting complex (APC) or cyclosome, functions as a cell cycle-regulated ubiquitin-protein ligase. Two additional subunits of the budding yeast APC were identified: The largest subunit, encoded by the APC1 gene, is conserved between fungi and vertebrates and shows similarity to BIMEp from Aspergillus nidulans. A small heat-inducible subunit is encoded by the CDC26 gene. The yeast APC is a 36S particle that contains at least seven different proteins.
cDNA cloning and gene mapping of human homologs for Schizosaccharomyces pombe rad17, rad1, and hus1 and cloning of homologs from mouse, Caenorhabditis elegans, and Drosophila melanogaster.

Mutations in DNA repair/cell cycle checkpoint genes can lead to the development of cancer. The cloning of human homologs of yeast DNA repair/cell cycle checkpoint genes should yield candidates for human tumor suppressor genes as well as identifying potential targets for cancer therapy. The Schizosaccharomyces pombe genes rad17, rad1, and hus1 have been identified as playing roles in DNA repair and cell cycle checkpoint control pathways. We have cloned the cDNA for the human homolog of S. pombe rad17, RAD17, which localizes to chromosomal location 5q13 by fluorescence in situ hybridization and radiation hybrid mapping; the cDNA for the human homolog of S. pombe rad1, RAD1, which maps to 5p14-p13.2; and the cDNA for the human homolog of S. pombe hus1, HUS1, which maps to 7p13-p12. The human gene loci have previously been identified as regions containing tumor suppressor genes. In addition, we report the cloning of the cDNAs for genes related to S. pombe rad17, rad9, rad1, and hus1 from mouse, Caenorhabditis elegans, and Drosophila melanogaster. These include Rad17 and Rad9 from D. melanogaster, hpr-17 and hpr-1 from C. elegans, and RAD1 and HUS1 from mouse. The identification of homologs of the S. pombe rad checkpoint genes from mammals, arthropods, and nematodes indicates that this cell cycle checkpoint pathway is conserved throughout eukaryotes.
Research on the Behavior of College Students Online Group Purchasing——A Case Study of Some College Students in Kunming City

Network group purchasing will become the trend of the national online consumption in the future and college students are an important target market.Based on the modes and the basic flow of the network group buying,the characteristics of student’s behavior of network group buying have been explored through the consumer investigation.The development strategies have been proposed from the point of view of the network website businesses and the authors look forward to finding out ways to develop the students market.
The Antecedents of Adopting Corporate Social Responsibility in the Malaysian Hotel Sector: A Conceptual Model

The tourism industry has often been regarded as highly distinctive as its success is inextricably tied to, reliant upon and/or largely derives from the varied environments and societies where it operates. In fact, the industry has been said to impact the very social & cultural fabric of societies worldwide besides the natural environment. Hence, as a key partner to this industry, the hotel sector is seen to have a significant impact on the environment and also local resources, especially since they consume vast amounts of energy, water and discharge huge amount of waste. Indeed, the focus of past academic research was mainly about the degree of “friendliness” of hotels’ operations on their respective surrounding environments. In contrast, the profound social impacts of hotels have been ignored thus far. This study aims to make a contribution by exploring stakeholder-centered corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives by hotels in a developing economy. We attempt to develop a conceptual model of key factors influencing the implementation of CSR practices in the Malaysian hotel industry. More specifically, the study focuses on the identification of factors influencing the adoption of CSR practices through the utilization of a mixed methods approach.
Molecular analysis of nonrandom 8q12 deletions in acute lymphoblastic leukemia: Identification of two candidate genes

Acute lymphoblastic leukemia is the most common malignancy in childhood. High‐resolution allelotyping performed in our laboratory showed new chromosomal sites of nonrandom deletions. We have focused our work on 8q12 deletions, which we have found in about 4% of patients (eight of 205 informative cases). These deletions were of small size (less than 1 Mb) in all but one patient, and the deleted region common to all patients was delineated between two microsatellite markers (D8S1113 and D8S1763). This region was sequenced entirely from two overlapping bacterial artificial chromosomes. The common deleted region (120 kb) had a low GC content (37%), was composed more than 50% of LINE sequences, and contained only two candidate genes. The centromeric deletion borders were clustered within an interval of 33 kb between two microsatellite markers. This interval contains the first exon of an HMG‐1‐related gene (KIAA0808) and a putative gene, DL8q12, predicted to encode a protein with 231 amino acid residues with no homolog in protein databases. Analysis of the available mRNA from lymphoblastic cells of two patients with 8q12 deletions using common polymorphisms in the 3′ UTR of KIAA0808 showed monoallelic expression of this gene. Identification of a biallelic polymorphism in the first exon of DL8q12 showed that this gene was deleted in two of four informative cases. Sequencing of the exons of both genes from all patients with 8q12 deletions did not show any mutation, which suggests that neither of these genes behaves as a classic tumor suppressor gene. © 2002 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Hospital productivity and the Norwegian ownership reform – A Nordic comparative study

In a period where decentralisation seemed to be the prominent trend, Norway in 2002 chose to re-centralise the hospital sector. The reform had three main aims; cost control, efficiency and reduced waiting times. This study investigates whether the hospital reform has improved hospital productivity using the other four major Nordic countries as controls. Hospital productivity measures are obtained using data envelopment analysis (DEA) on a comparable dataset of 728 Nordic hospitals in the period 1999 to 2004. First a common reference frontier is established for the four countries, enveloping the technologies of each of the countries and years. Bootstrapping techniques are applied to the obtained productivity estimates to assess uncertainty and correct for bias. Second, these are regressed on a set of explanatory variables in order to separate the effect of the hospital reform from the effects of other structural, financial and organizational variables. A fixed hospital effect model is used, as random effects and OLS specifications are rejected. Robustness is examined through alternate model specifications, including stochastic frontier analysis (SFA). The SFA approach in performed using the Battese & Coelli (1995) one stage procedure where the inefficiency term is estimated as a function of the set of explanatory variables used in the second stage in the DEA approach. Results indicate that the hospital reform in Norway seems to have improved the level of productivity in the magnitude of approximately 4 % or more. While there are small or contradictory estimates of the effects of case mix and activity based financing, the length of stay is clearly negatively associated with estimated productivity. Results are robust to choice of efficiency estimation technique and various definition of when the reform effect takes place.
Reconceptualizing Service Encounter Quality in a Non-Western Context

This article seeks to explore the domain of service encounter quality as it exists in a non-Western culture and proceeds to develop a culturally sensitive multiple-item scale, PAKSERV. Both classical testing methods and item response theory measures were used for scale purification. The scale shows high internal reliability, convergent and discriminant validity at the scale level, and moderate to high category discrimination and information content at the item level. Multiple antecedents of encounter quality are discussed to explain the variation in encounter quality evaluations. Hypotheses are developed about the impact of a personal value system, national culture orientation, and consumer context variables on how consumers assign the importance weights to the dimensions of encounter quality. Using conjoint analysis, hypotheses are tested and quality management guidelines for service managers are developed.