Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
New Environment-Sensitive Multichannel DNA Fluorescent Label for Investigation of the Protein-DNA Interactions

Here, we report the study of a new multichannel DNA fluorescent base analogue 3-hydroxychromone (3HC) to evaluate its suitability as a fluorescent reporter probe of structural transitions during protein-DNA interactions and its comparison with the current commercially available 2-aminopurine (aPu), pyrrolocytosine (Cpy) and 1,3-diaza-2-oxophenoxazine (tCO). For this purpose, fluorescent base analogues were incorporated into DNA helix on the opposite or on the 5′-side of the damaged nucleoside 5,6-dihydrouridine (DHU), which is specifically recognized and removed by Endonuclease VIII. These fluorophores demonstrated different sensitivities to the DNA helix conformational changes. The highest sensitivity and the most detailed information about the conformational changes of DNA induced by protein binding and processing were obtained using the 3HC probe. The application of this new artificial fluorescent DNA base is a very useful tool for the studies of complex mechanisms of protein-DNA interactions. Using 3HC biosensor, the kinetic mechanism of Endonuclease VIII action was specified.
An hydraulic test rig for the testing of quarter turn valve actuation systems

In this work, some preliminary design results concerning the development of a rig for the fast prototyping and the testing of the actuation system of large quarter turn valves for power plants are shown. In particular, friction forces generated on sealing and bushings by the internal pressurized fluid influence opening and closing torques of large valves. In order to test a valve actuation system, the proposed rig is able to simulate the resisting torque and more generally the mechanical impedance of pressurized quarter turn valve. The proposed actuation of the rig is hydraulic. This work aims to discuss different design solutions and suggest the choice of a testing rig with particular attention to robustness and stability troubles respect to disturbances, limited bandwidth and interaction with partially unknown tested system.
Students' Participation in Social Networking Sites: Implications for Social Work Education

Social work students have few guidelines to help them evaluate the implication of their posted information on Internet-based social networking sites (SNSs). There is a national trend among employers of human services to cross-check publicly available online information on applicants. Based on data from a survey of 105 baccalaureate and master's social work students at a Midwestern university, this study explored students' perspectives on problematic information on SNSs. The majority reported that they had posted information on SNSs that they would not want their prospective employers to cross-check. Students offered a wide range of opinions, attitudes, and characteristics that contribute to the assessment of the risks that information they post on SNSs pose for their profession. The purpose of this study is to stimulate a conversation among social work educators on how to inculcate awareness and training of students on the ethical implications of SNS participation and to discuss directions for future research.
Consumer Reaction to Product Recalls: Factors Influencing Product Judgement and Behavioural Intentions

In order to evaluate the factors influencing consumers’ responses to product recalls, two surveys were conducted among Brazilian automobile owners and two regression models tested. Results indicated that (i) product judgement was significantly affected by corporate social responsibility (CSR), blame attributed to the company and whether or not consumers had a car made by the brand considered; and (ii) behavioural intentions were significantly affected by CSR, consumers’ involvement with the message, perceived danger, product judgement and whether or not consumers had a car made by the brand considered. Findings revealed, however, that CSR is a better predictor of the product judgement than of the behavioural intentions, in accordance with recent studies indicating that CSR affects consumer judgements and behaviour differently. Finally, these two models are discussed and compared with previous research.
Extraction, purification and characterization of a protease from Micrococcus sp. VKMM 037

The haloalkaliphilic bacterium Micrococcus sp. VKMM 037, isolated from an effluent of the caustic soda industry, was found to produce a protease. Maximal proteolytic activity was observed in cell culture grown at 40 °C using 2% (w/v) glycerol, 2% (w/v) beef extract and 2% (w/v) peptone as nutrients in medium also containing 0.85 M NaCl with a pH of 10.0. An efficient purification procedure combining ammonium sulphate precipitation and Q‐Sepharose ion‐exchange chromatography was developed. The purified 41 kDa protease was stable in a temperature range between 20 °C and 60 °C. The protease remained active over a wide range of pH values (4.0–12.0) and NaCl concentrations (0–3.42 M) with an optimum at pH 10.0 and 0.85 M NaCl, respectively. Furthermore, the enzyme remained stable or was only marginally inhibited in the presence of various organic solvents, surfactants and reducing agents. The purified protease of Micrococcus sp. VKMM 037 efficiently removed blood stains within 40 minutes of treatment. Given the biochemical characteristics determined, this novel protease could be exploited as an additive in the detergent industry and also for the synthesis of biomolecules and the degradation of protein.
Services offshoring and its strategic effects on value chains

This article's main objective is to examine some known management theories under the offshoring point of view. It detaches some factors in existing theories and how they can be at risk in an increasing offshoring of services processes. In the absence of more systematic studies about the effects of offshoring over value chain and core competencies imprecise borders and definitions, we try to interpret them in a holistic manner and stimulate discussions in a new area of study rather than to provide definitive general conclusions. The methodological aspects mainly concerning the offshoring bibliography are very impressive, especially since 2000. There seems to be a new trend appearing, like a wedge between strategy and international business theories, or that at least complements these theories. The analysis presented in this paper is offered as an aid to systematic investigation involving value chains, core competencies, innovations and the accelerated process of offshore outsourcing of services. Some preliminary evidence showed countries and companies in good conditions to improve their participation in the international market. The internationalization of these new firms from emerging countries and their learning process may need extension to existing theories, at least from the perspective of emerging and in the developing world.
Supervised multi-modal dictionary learning for clothing representation

Clothing appearances have complex visual properties, such as color, texture, shape and structure. Different modalities of visual features provide information complementary to each other. Combining multi-modal visual features can lead to a comprehensive description of Clothing appearances. Meanwhile, categories provide sufficient semantic information, which can lead to discriminative representations. Clothing categories exhibit hierarchical structure, which could benefit the learning algorithm. In this paper, we propose a multi-view learning algorithm, named Supervised Multi-modal Dictionary Learning (SMMDL), which learns a latent space encoding multi-modal visual properties and semantic relationships between clothing samples. Experiments on the image classification task show that SMMDL outperforms baseline methods.
Sinusoidal Three-Phase Current Reconstruction and Control Using a DC-Link Current Sensor and a Curve-Fitting Observer

Successful operation of three-phase current controllers requires measurement of the instantaneous values of phase currents. An innovative method to estimate the three-phase currents from dc-link current is presented. A sinusoidal curve-fitting observer that does not use any of the load parameters is employed. Using the firing signals and the dc-link current for corrective action, the observer generates stable three-phase feedback signals, even during short periods when the phase current information is not present in the dc-link current.
Outside In/Inside Out: Bridging the Gap in Literacy Education in Singapore Classrooms

Effective teaching, among other things, can be seen as a series of orchestrated moves between different kinds and levels of knowledge, be they between personal, everyday and technical knowledge, between school knowledge and the world beyond, and between knowledge in different disciplines. This article is about bridging the gap between what students learn in school and their out-of-school experiences. It focuses on the dimension of connected learnings, which is one part of a three-dimensional analytic framework developed for a study in Singapore. By examining transcripts of English language and social studies lessons in Singapore secondary schools, this article shows how teachers can make what is taught in the classroom relevant to the outside world as well as incorporate and infuse students’ prior knowledge and out-of-school experiences into classroom teaching. It argues that such connected learnings not only increases motivation and engagement levels for the students but also makes learning more meaningful and purposeful. In this sense, students are no longer just learning basic literacy competencies within an academic context but endeavour to develop life skills that take them beyond classrooms and examination halls. Put simply, they are going beyond learning how to read and write, rather reading and writing in order to learn.
Foreign Investment and Development

This article explores the impact of foreign investment on development from an organizational perspective, by examining the role of foreign subsidiaries in the economic growth of less developed countries between 1970 and 2000. Two aspects of foreign subsidiaries are considered. The first is the total number of foreign subsidiaries located in a given country. The second dimension is ‘foreign subsidiary concentration’, the percentage of foreign subsidiaries located in a given country owned by corporations headquartered in a single country. Several findings emerge from structural equation models of 41—70 less developed countries between 1970 and 2000. First, overall growth of foreign subsidiaries between 1970 and 2000 has a positive effect on economic growth in less developed countries. Second, relatively high levels of foreign subsidiary concentration in 1970 inhibit this expansion of foreign subsidiaries. Two other aspects of foreign investment, foreign investment concentration and foreign capital dominance, also retard the expansion of foreign subsidiaries. Further analyses suggest that political corruption may, in part, mediate these relationships.
The partial productivity of constructions as induction

Abstract Whether words can be coerced by constructions into new uses is determined in part by semantic sensicality and statistical preemption. But other factors are also at play. Experimental results reported here suggest that speakers are more confident that a target coinage is acceptable to the degree that attested instances cover the semantic space that includes the target coinage. The relevance of coverage is supported by combined effects of type frequency and variability of attested instances [Experiments 1a–1b], and an expected interaction between similarity and variability [Experiment 3]. Similarity to an attested instance is also found to play a role: speakers are more confident of a target coinage when the coinage is more similar to an attested instance [Experiment 3]. Experiment 2 provides a manipulation check that indicates that participants are in fact basing their confidence ratings on the perceived productivity of constructions. The results reported here lend support to the idea that the productivity of constructions depends on general properties of induction.
Processes for systematic software reuse

This paper presents a best practice of software reuse, achieved through adoption of specifically-designed engineering and management processes at Sodalia. Our company is a software development joint venture between Bell Atlantic and Telecom Italia which has embraced systematic reuse as a key strategic imperative to reach its objectives of high-quality, rapidly deployed telecommunications software applications. We describe the various processes that have been defined and applied in the context of our corporate reuse program, and summarize results from their adoption. Our experience has shown that the existence of carefully designed processes combined with a sound organizational structure are major enablers for making reuse a systematic practice in an organization.
Principals' Role in Policy Change: Mediating Language through Professional Beliefs.

Considers the language of professional development and demonstrates how principals with different professional beliefs and understandings interpret the language of education differently. This work is based on a two‐year study of eight principals in a school district undergoing a policy change in the supervision and evaluation of teachers. Because principals mediate through their professional beliefs the language of both policy change and professional development that leads to policy change, groups of principals within a single district may interpret and implement policy change differently. Shows that principals do not necessarily have a common understanding of the language of education. Without a common understanding of language, policy is open to individual interpretation.
An Occupational Mental Health Model for the Military

The military occupational mental health model provides a framework for understanding the relationship between occupationally relevant demands and subsequent mental health adjustment, taking into account individual and organizational resources that can mitigate the impact of those demands. In the case of high-risk occupations like the military, the model can account for the presence of psychological reactions prior to exposure to potentially traumatic events, widen the domain of reactions typically considered, and suggest a different trajectory of symptoms. This article details the components of the occupational health model, using post-traumatic stress disorder as an example, and highlights the role of organizational culture, training and the social environment in understanding service member strengths, reactions to events and behavioral health care decision making. The occupational context has implications for training, early intervention and treatment, and can promote an organization's systematic approach to preventing, mitigating and treating mental health issues.
Genetic and epigenetic properties of mouse male germline stem cells during long-term culture

Although stem cells are believed to divide infinitely by self-renewal division, there is little evidence that demonstrates their infinite replicative potential. Spermatogonial stem cells are the founder cell population for spermatogenesis. Recently, in vitro culture of spermatogonial stem cells was described. Spermatogonial stem cells can be expanded in vitro in the presence of glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF), maintaining the capacity to produce spermatogenesis after transplantation into testis. Here, we examined the stability and proliferative capacity of spermatogonial stem cells using cultured cells. Spermatogonial stem cells were cultured over 2 years and achieved ∼1085-fold expansion. Unlike other germline cells that often acquire genetic and epigenetic changes in vitro, spermatogonial stem cells retained the euploid karyotype and androgenetic imprint during the 2-year experimental period, and produced normal spermatogenesis and fertile offspring. However, the telomeres in spermatogonial stem cells gradually shortened during culture, suggesting that they are not immortal. Nevertheless, the remarkable stability and proliferative potential of spermatogonial stem cells suggest that they have a unique machinery to prevent transmission of genetic and epigenetic damages to the offspring, and these characteristics make them an attractive target for germline modification.
Stochastic Flooding Broadcast Protocols in Mobile Wireless Networks

In wireless communication environment, the information broadcast based on the flooding protocol leads to an overload of network bandwidth (each mobile node has to send the broadcasted message). So, each node has to obtain medium access and transmit its data. However, in dense network (e.g. more than 15 nodes per communication space) the collision probability (in MAC layer) is very high and the number of lost packets is then important. In this paper, we propose some improvements of the flooding protocols that aim to efficiently broadcast a given information through the whole network. These variants are based on stochastic approach and decrease the number of emitted packets and hence, the medium occupation.
Antioxidant activity of Hypericum hookerianum Wight and Arn

Methanolic extracts of leaf, root, flower and aerial parts of Hypericum hookerianum were assessed for in vitro antioxidant activity using eight different models. Total antioxidant capacity, phenol and flavanol content of the extracts were determined to correlate between their antioxidant activity and constituents present therein. Results of in vitro antioxidant study suggest that extracts from leaf and flower have strong antioxidant potential. Leaf extract (100 & 200 mg kg−1 b.w. p.o.) that showed maximum activity was selected for in vivo antioxidant studies using a CCl4-intoxicated rat model. The effects of extracts on lipid peroxidation (LPO), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) in serum and liver homogenate were analysed. CCl4 treatment caused a significant increase in the level of CAT and SOD and a significant decrease in the level of LPO in a dose-dependent manner when compared to CCl4 treated control. The results indicate the strong antioxidant nature of H. hookerianum leaf extract.
Direct displacement effects of labour market programmes : the case of Sweden

Using a panel of 260 Swedish municipalities over the period 1987-1996, this paper investigates the direct displacement eects of active labour mar- ket programmes (ALMPs). Compared to earlier studies on this topic, we have more and better data. From our GMM estimations, we …nd that (i) there are direct displacement eects from those ALMPs that generate sub- sidised labour (in the order of approximately 65 percent), but there seems to be no (signi…cant) displacement eects from training, (ii) most ALMPs seem to increase labour force participation, and (iii) the adjustment to the optimal level of employment seems to be sluggish. A consequence of (ii) is that the earlier studies have overstated the displacement eects (since they normalised with the labour force).
ignals from intraventricular depth electrodes can control brain – computer interface

A brain–computer interface (BCI) is a device that enables severely disabled people to communicate and interact with their environments using their brain waves. Most research investigating BCI in humans have used scalp-recorded electroencephalography (EEG). We have recently demonstrated that signals from intracranial electrocorticography (ECoG) and stereotactic depth electrodes (SDE) in the hippocampus can
III. Fusion and Conflict in Lesbian Relationships?

The concept of fusion is used in the therapy/counselling literature to explain a wide diversity of problems experienced by couples. ‘Fusion’ is described as the blurring of boundaries between two people: ‘a psychological state in which there is a loss of a sense of oneself as an individual or separate’ (Bowen 1966, 1978; Perlman, 1989). Bowen (1966, 1976) suggests that fusion in couples indicates extreme emotional need, which under duress may flip into conflict. In their influential article, Krestan and Bepko (1980) identify fusion as a par ticular problem in lesbian couples presenting for therapy, suggesting that lesbians rigidify boundaries in their relationship in response to negative reactions from the larger system. This creates an increasingly enclosed system, with no differentia tion, inevitably leading to open conflict. The present study seeks to examine these issues. Participants in Krestan and Bepko’s study on fusion in lesbian couples had all presented for therapy and therefore may not be representative of lesbian couples generally. However, research recruiting community samples on other aspects of relationship satisfaction by Kurdek (1995, 1996 and 1997) suggests that lesbians do not vary greatly from gay and heterosexual couples in this respect. It also seems possible that lesbian couples may experience problems with some boundaries and not with others. For example, they may experience problems with their families of origin (Krestan and Bepko, 1980; McGoldrick, 1989; Slater, 1995) but may not experience problems within their wider community (Patterson, 1996). Larger towns and cities, with access to larger lesbian and gay communi ties, may be more tolerant and supportive than rural areas and small towns. The presence of children may influence fusion in a lesbian relationship, as it does in
EFFECTS OF SOME TRANQUILIZING DRUGS UPON SHOCK-MOTIVATED ESCAPE RESPONSE IN RATS

Effects of two tranquilizers (CPZ, and homofenazine) upon shock-motivated behavior were studied as a function of the dose level (saline, 1, 2, 4, and 8 mg/kg, i. p.) and time after injection (0, 15, 30, 60, and 120 min.) with male rats satiated with food and water. CPZ was found to retard both starting and running time as an increase in dose level, and the same motor effect was maximal around 30 min. after injection under each dosage.On the other hand, no obvious dose-, nor time-response relationships were observed with the homofenazine-injected rats with respect to running time. Starting time was only slightly depressed by 8 mg/kg of homofenazine, and the time-response relationship in terms of starting time was not significant. However, conditioned avoidance response without electric shock was found to be depressed by homofenazine as an increasing function of dosage level. Thus it was hypothesized that the ataxic effect of homofenazine or the drug in general is a function of arousal level of the drugged animal.
Characterization of C-terminal Splice Variants of Cav1.4 Ca2+ Channels in Human Retina*

Voltage-gated Ca2+ channels (Cav) undergo extensive alternative splicing that greatly enhances their functional diversity in excitable cells. Here, we characterized novel splice variants of the cytoplasmic C-terminal domain of Cav1.4 Ca2+ channels that regulate neurotransmitter release in photoreceptors in the retina. These variants lack a portion of exon 45 and/or the entire exon 47 (Cav1.4Δex p45, Cav1.4Δex 47, Cav1.4Δex p45,47) and are expressed in the retina of primates but not mice. Although the electrophysiological properties of Cav1.4Δex p45 are similar to those of full-length channels (Cav1.4FL), skipping of exon 47 dramatically alters Cav1.4 function. Deletion of exon 47 removes part of a C-terminal automodulatory domain (CTM) previously shown to suppress Ca2+-dependent inactivation (CDI) and to cause a positive shift in the voltage dependence of channel activation. Exon 47 is crucial for these effects of the CTM because variants lacking this exon show intense CDI and activate at more hyperpolarized voltages than Cav1.4FL. The robust CDI of Cav1.4Δex 47 is suppressed by CaBP4, a regulator of Cav1.4 channels in photoreceptors. Although CaBP4 enhances activation of Cav1.4FL, Cav1.4Δex 47 shows similar voltage-dependent activation in the presence and absence of CaBP4. We conclude that exon 47 encodes structural determinants that regulate CDI and voltage-dependent activation of Cav1.4, and is necessary for modulation of channel activation by CaBP4.