Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
C-H Bond Functionalization in Complex Organic Synthesis

Direct and selective replacement of carbon-hydrogen bonds with new bonds (such as C–C, C–O, and C–N) represents an important and long-standing goal in chemistry. These transformations have broad potential in synthesis because C–H bonds are ubiquitous in organic substances. At the same time, achieving selectivity among many different C–H bonds remains a challenge. Here, we focus on the functionalization of C–H bonds in complex organic substrates catalyzed by transition metal catalysts. We outline the key concepts and approaches aimed at achieving selectivity in complex settings and discuss the impact these reactions have on synthetic planning and strategy in organic synthesis.
LABOR RECRUITMENT AND THE LURE OF THE CAPITAL:

This case study of Central American migration to Washington, DC closely examines how gender is related to the decision to migrate, as well as the choice of destination. The study investigates the social and economic conditions in sending Central American countries as well as those in a receiving city in the United States to determine why women predominate in certain labor migrations. A macrostructural analysis accounts for the conditions that delimit the flow of international migrants, but a concept termed gendered labor recruitment provides the link between macro- and microlevels of analysis. Results of the research indicate that approximately seventy percent of the initial Central American migrants to the nation's capital in the 1960s and 1970s were women and that their migration may be attributed partly to informal labor recruitment. Over the years, Washington's government, diplomatic and professional workforce “recruited,” made arrangements for, or returned to the nation's capital with foreign workers who could provide basic services, primarily as domestics and child-care providers.
Utilizing building layout for performance optimization of a multi-sensor fusion model in indoor navigation

Indoor navigation requires the integration of different sensors to be able to perform continuous position determination of the user. Along with Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS), other technologies like WLAN, UWB, RFID and aiding sensors such as accelerometers, gyroscopes, magnetometers, etc. can be integrated in a multi-sensor system. The use of Kalman Filter (KF) as a sensor fusion model for multi-sensor navigation systems is nowadays a popular choice. In this paper, a KF-based fusion model is implemented for fusing the measurements obtained from WLAN, high-sensitivity GPS along with some aiding sensors like accelerometer and digital compass. The fusion filter provides improved positioning accuracy to a single-technology system and offers higher positioning availability in time. In the experiment conducted inside a typical office building, the KF-based fusion model achieves a horizontal accuracy of around 6 meters with a 1-Hz update rate. Aiding the fusion filter with the building layout information further improves the horizontal position accuracy to around 4.95 meters. The building layout is utilized in the fusion model in such a way that it restricts the heading measurements to be within some known discrete values derived from the layout.
The Individualised Worker, the Gender Participatory and the Gender Equity Models in Sweden

Within the European Union (EU) policy framework, individualisation is cast in terms of self-sufficiency and independence, and coupled to the market activation of all individuals and groups. How will this model be translated into European societies with different histories, policy environments and political actors? I analyse how an individualised system of benefits emerged in Sweden and was anchored in the broader social policy model and discourse of participation parity. Using the Swedish example, I map out the differences between individualisation, participation parity and gender equity, each representing models with different policy goals and outcomes. In the final section of the article, I focus on retrenchment and restructuring in the Swedish welfare state and its impact on the gender participatory model.
Proteinase K improves quantitative acylation studies

Acetylation is a common PTM of proteins but is still challenging to analyze. Only few acetylome studies have been performed to tackle this issue. Yet, the detection of acetylated proteins in complex cell lysates remains to be improved. Here, we present a proteomic approach with proteinase K as a suitable protease to identify acetylated peptides quantitatively. We first optimized the digestion conditions using an artificial system of purified bovine histones to find the optimal protease. Subsequently, the capability of proteinase K was demonstrated in complex HEK293 cell lysates. Finally, SILAC in combination with MudPIT was used to show that quantification with proteinase K is possible. In this study, we identified a sheer number of 557 unique acetylated peptides originating from 633 acetylation sites.
Impact of Individual Mutations on Increased Fitness in Adaptively Evolved Strains of Escherichia coli

ABSTRACT We measured the relative fitness among a set of experimentally evolved Escherichia coli strains differing by a small number of adaptive mutations by directly measuring allelic frequencies in head-to-head competitions using a mass spectrometry-based method. We compared the relative effects of mutations to the same or similar genes acquired in multiple strains when expressed in allele replacement strains. We found that the strongest determinant of fitness among the evolved strains was the impact of beneficial mutations to the RNA polymerase β and β′ subunit genes. We also identified several examples of epistatic interactions between rpoB/C and glpK mutations and identified two other mutations that are beneficial only in the presence of previously acquired mutations but that have little or no adaptive benefit to the wild-type strain. Allele frequency estimation is shown to be a highly sensitive method for measuring selection rates during competitions between strains differing by as little as a single-nucleotide polymorphism and may be of great use for investigating epistatic interactions.
Hiking in the Alps: Exploring Substitution Patterns of Hiking Destinations

Tourism in the Alps used to rely on a network of facilities maintained in part by the military Alpine Corps. Hiking has been growing in popularity, while the national draft is no longer compulsory. This situation calls for a renewed approach to management of the maintenance of alpine facilities. The authors explore the use of destination choice models which allow for various substitution hypotheses and highlight how single mountain sites can be substitutes for others, although located in a different geographical area. The results supply helpful information for local policy decision makers as they provide insights about the redistribution of visits following the implementation of different policy scenarios. The authors investigate such redistributions following the variation of availability to hikers in terms of alpine shelters, length of trails, site access and the application of access fees. They also estimate changes in welfare for selected variations of alpine facilities and availability of destinations. The findings highlight the sensitivity of results to the use of different specifications of demand models to guide local policy strategies.
Does proactive green logistics management improve business performance? A case of Chinese logistics enterprises

Sustainability is a subject of growing interest in business and environmental management. Many previous studies have emphasized the trade-off between economic activities such as manufacturing and its effect on the environment. Moreover, previous studies have mainly focused on manufacturing enterprises; however, no study has yet to cover the logistics sector. This study fills these gaps by testing the causal relationship between proactive green management and the sustainable performance of logistics enterprise in China. In addition, when compared with previous literature that discusses the partial relationship between environmental variables and firm performance, this study synthesizes the factors of green awareness and green strategy that may influence green logistics management in a total systematic structural equation model (SEM). SEM has an advantage in examining the causal relationship between green logistics practice and its business performance. The result shows that green logistics practice has a positive impact on sustainable business performance. This impact is composed of both a positive financial and environmental performance, while the relationship between green awareness and business performance and the influence of green strategy on business performance is not significant. Keywords: Green logistics management, structural equation model (SEM), business performance, Chinese logistics enterprises.
Using Hierarchical Information Integration to Model Consumer Responses to Possible Planning Actions: Recreation Destination Choice Illustration

This paper outlines a study of recreational preferences designed to assess the usefulness of the method of hierarchical information integration for the study of complex decisionmaking processes which involve many potentially influential attributes. We assume that individuals who face complex decision problems initially group or classify influential attributes into subsets called decision constructs; then they rank these decision constructs into some overall preference for or choice among competing opportunities. To implement this conceptualization of individuals' cognitive processes we first measure overall preferences for recreational choice alternatives by creating separate experimental designs to study how individuals define each decision construct. Next we develop a design to integrate the decision constructs themselves so that we can observe how individuals' choices among, or preferences for, recreational opportunities change as we change how good an opportunity is with respect to each decision construct. The results of the study suggest that hierarchical information integration may be a potentially useful method to study complex decisionmaking problems of interest to planners and policy makers. Some avenues for further research are discussed. Substantively, our results indicate that natural environment and accessibility, and maintenance have the most influence on the Eindhoven sample's preferences for and choices among parks. Some heterogeneity in preferences is also observed.
Testing for Cointegration Using the Johansen Methodology When Variables are Near-Integrated

We investigate the properties of Johansen's (1988, 1991) maximum eigenvalue and trace tests for cointegration under the empirically relevant situation of near-integrated variables. Using Monte Carlo techniques, we show that in a system with near-integrated variables, the probability of reaching an erroneous conclusion regarding the cointegrating rank of the system is generally substantially higher than the nominal size. The risk of concluding that completely unrelated series are cointegrated is therefore non-negligible. The spurious rejection rate can be reduced by performing additional tests of restrictions on the cointegrating vector(s), although it is still substantially larger than the nominal size.
Genotypic Variation in Yield, Yield Components, Root Morphology and Architecture, in Soybean in Relation to Water and Phosphorus Supply

Water shortage and low phosphorus (P) availability limit yields in soybean. Roots play important roles in water-limited and P-deficient environment, but the underlying mechanisms are largely unknown. In this study we determined the responses of four soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr. ] genotypes [Huandsedadou (HD), Bailudou (BLD), Jindou 21 (J21), and Zhonghuang 30 (ZH)] to three P levels [applied 0 (P0), 60 (P60), and 120 (P120) mg P kg-1 dry soil to the upper 0.4 m of the soil profile] and two water treatment [well-watered (WW) and water-stressed (WS)] with special reference to root morphology and architecture, we compared yield and its components, root morphology and root architecture to find out which variety and/or what kind of root architecture had high grain yield under P and drought stress. The results showed that water stress and low P, respectively, significantly reduced grain yield by 60 and 40%, daily water use by 66 and 31%, P accumulation by 40 and 80%, and N accumulation by 39 and 65%. The cultivar ZH with the lowest daily water use had the highest grain yield at P60 and P120 under drought. Increased root length was positively associated with N and P accumulation in both the WW and WS treatments, but not with grain yield under water and P deficits. However, in the WS treatment, high adventitious and lateral root densities were associated with high N and P uptake per unit root length which in turn was significantly and positively associated with grain yield. Our results suggest that (1) genetic variation of grain yield, daily water use, P and N accumulation, and root morphology and architecture were observed among the soybean cultivars and ZH had the best yield performance under P and water limited conditions; (2) water has a major influence on nutrient uptake and grain yield, while additional P supply can modestly increase yields under drought in some soybean genotypes; (3) while conserved water use plays an important role in grain yield under drought, root traits also contribute to high nutrient uptake efficiency and benefit yield under drought.
InZnO/AlSnZnInO Bilayer Oxide Thin-Film Transistors With High Mobility and High Uniformity

In this letter, high-performance InZnO/AlSnZnInO (IZO/ATZIO) bilayer thin-film transistors (TFTs) with an inverted staggered back channel etch structure are presented. The channel width and the length were both 6 μm, which is small enough to be adapted to a high-resolution display backplane. High field-effect mobility (μFE) over 60 cm2/Vs was obtained from the structure with 8-nm IZO channel insertion between the gate dielectric and the ATZIO layer. The device shows good controllability in light of TFT operation. The subthreshold slope, turn-ON voltage (VON), and ON/OFF ratio were 0.16 V/decade, -1.52 V, and 5×109, respectively.
Re-embedding the ethnic business agenda

There has been a flurry of interest from academics and policy-makers alike in the growing phenomenon of ethnic minority entrepreneurship. Despite theoretical advances, there is a lingering tendency to isolate ethnic minority enterprise from the context in which it operates. This article argues for a re-embedding of ethnic minority owned firms in a broader, and longer established, tradition of small business ownership. A more `integrated' analysis is required for an adequate exposition of the different trajectories of ethnic minorities in self-employment, and also for the growing number of policy-makers engaged in supporting such businesses.
Adapting environmental management to uncertain but inevitable change

Implementation of adaptation actions to protect biodiversity is limited by uncertainty about the future. One reason for this is the fear of making the wrong decisions caused by the myriad future scenarios presented to decision-makers. We propose an adaptive management (AM) method for optimally managing a population under uncertain and changing habitat conditions. Our approach incorporates multiple future scenarios and continually learns the best management strategy from observations, even as conditions change. We demonstrate the performance of our AM approach by applying it to the spatial management of migratory shorebird habitats on the East Asian–Australasian flyway, predicted to be severely impacted by future sea-level rise. By accounting for non-stationary dynamics, our solution protects 25 000 more birds per year than the current best stationary approach. Our approach can be applied to many ecological systems that require efficient adaptation strategies for an uncertain future.
High‐throughput, subpixel precision analysis of bacterial morphogenesis and intracellular spatio‐temporal dynamics

Bacteria display various shapes and rely on complex spatial organization of their intracellular components for many cellular processes. This organization changes in response to internal and external cues. Quantitative, unbiased study of these spatio‐temporal dynamics requires automated image analysis of large microscopy datasets. We have therefore developed MicrobeTracker, a versatile and high‐throughput image analysis program that outlines and segments cells with subpixel precision, even in crowded images and mini‐colonies, enabling cell lineage tracking. MicrobeTracker comes with an integrated accessory tool, SpotFinder, which precisely tracks foci of fluorescently labelled molecules inside cells. Using MicrobeTracker, we discover that the dynamics of the extensively studied Escherichia coli Min oscillator depends on Min protein concentration, unveiling critical limitations in robustness within the oscillator. We also find that the fraction of MinD proteins oscillating increases with cell length, indicating that the oscillator has evolved to be most effective when cells attain an appropriate length. MicrobeTracker was also used to uncover novel aspects of morphogenesis and cell cycle regulation in Caulobacter crescentus. By tracking filamentous cells, we show that the chromosomal origin at the old‐pole is responsible for most replication/separation events while the others remain largely silent despite contiguous cytoplasm. This surprising position‐dependent silencing is regulated by division.
Entrepreneurship in the public sector: a framework of analysis in European local governments

In this paper we explore the potential role of entrepreneurship in public sector organizations. At first, we present a review of the entrepreneurship theme in the political science and public management research streams, comparing these ideas with the mainstream business literature on entrepreneurship. Thereafter, we illustrate empirically how Stevenson's classical framework of entrepreneurship can be applied in a European local government context to explain the recent initiatives to compete for and utilize European Union structural funds. The empirical basis of the study is comprised of ten in-depth case studies of local government organizations, five in the UK and five in Italy. Finally, we propose five distinct types of entrepreneurial agents in the public sector: professional politician; spin-off creator; business entrepreneur in politics; career-driven public officer; and politically ambitious public officer.
Complementarity between Irrigation and Fertilizer Technologies - A Justification for Increased Irrigation Investment in the Less-Favored Areas of SSA

There is a downward spiral of declining soil fertility, low crop yield and increasing poverty in the less-favored areas of SSA. The semi-arid tropics of northern Ghana share this episode. The soils in this part of the country are naturally less endowed, have little organic matter content and farmers use very little inorganic fertilizer. Existing studies indicate that the erratic nature of rainfall in the area increases risk and constrains farmers' investment on inorganic fertilizer. However, agronomic studies suggest that promotion of sustainable use of inorganic fertilizer is indispensable at least in the short to medium term to break the downward spiral. Therefore, promoting sustainable use of inorganic fertilizer use remains to be a policy challenge. This paper argues that in spite of observed disinvestment on irrigation both by governments and donors there is significant complementarity between irrigation and inorganic fertilizer use in the less-favored areas of northern Ghana. This implies that increased irrigation investment in the semi-arid tropics of SSA can be justified given its importance in reducing rainfall risk and boosting inorganic fertilizer use.
Co-occurring Mental and Substance Use Disorders: Promising Approaches and Research Issues

This paper surveys the mental health and drug user treatment literature, identifying promising approaches and research issues in the treatment of co-occurring mental illness and substance use disorders. The prevalence and classification of co-occurring disorders are briefly reviewed, and selected treatment models currently in use are described. Three models are cited as representing particularly promising approaches--comprehensive integrated treatment, assertive community treatment, and the modified therapeutic community--and best practices are summarized. This paper proposes a research agenda focused on relevant emerging treatment issues.
Bacillus subtilis Isocitrate Dehydrogenase

In Escherichia coli, the homodimeric Krebs cycle enzyme isocitrate dehydrogenase (EcIDH) is regulated by reversible phosphorylation of a sequestered active site serine. The phosphorylation cycle is catalyzed by a bifunctional protein, IDH kinase/phosphatase (IDH-K/P). To better understand the nature of the interaction between EcIDH and IDH-K/P, we have examined the ability of an IDH homologue from Bacillus subtilis (BsIDH) to serve as a substrate for the kinase and phosphatase activities. BsIDH exhibits extensive sequence and structural similarities with EcIDH, particularly around the phosphorylated serine. Our previous crystallographic analysis revealed that the active site architecture of these two proteins is almost completely conserved. We now expand the comparison to include a number of biochemical properties. Both IDHs display nearly equivalent steady-state kinetic parameters for the dehydrogenase reaction. Both proteins are also phosphorylated by IDH-K/P in the same ratio (1 mole of phosphate per mole of monomer), and this stoichiometric phosphorylation correlates with an equivalent inhibition of IDH activity. Furthermore, tandem electrospray mass spectrometry demonstrates that BsIDH, like EcIDH, is phosphorylated on the corresponding active site serine residue (Ser-104). Despite the high degree of sequence, functional, and structural congruence between these two proteins, BsIDH is surprisingly a much poorer substrate of IDH-K/P than is EcIDH, with Michaelis constants for the kinase and phosphatase activities elevated by 60- and 3,450-fold, respectively. These drastically disparate values might result from restricted access to the active site cavity and/or from the lack of a potential docking site for IDH-K/P.
Competitiveness and Performance of Tanzania Exports in East Africa Community

The study analyze Tanzania’s export competitiveness and performance in the East Africa Community (EAC) by identifying the most competitive export products in a regional trade agreement. The scope of the study is limited to the period 2005-2011.In measuring the competitiveness of Tanzania in EAC trading agreement, the trade competitiveness index is used. UN Comtrade database at the 1 digit and 2 digit levels products using the Standard International Trade Classification (SITC) Revision 3 has been used to obtain aggregated exports data. The findings on 1 digit level products shows that, the country has greater competitiveness on manufactured products and commodities which recorded 60.7 percent and 50.5 per cent respectively. On 2 digits products Tanzania has competitiveness on fish/shellfish and animal feed which recorded 77.6 percent 58.9 percent respectively. The study recommends the incentives framework to be revised; reducing the current high costs of doing business; more skills oriented-training is necessary to improve productivity; Government should assist firms to acquire appropriate technology; strengthening institutions framework and empower institutions; Integrate industrial and trade policies; strong partnership between public sector &