Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Examining the impacts of job stress and job satisfaction on hotel employees’ eating behavior

ABSTRACT This study examines the impacts of job stress and job satisfaction on emotional and external eating behaviors of hotel employees. It also examines the moderating effect of body mass index (BMI) on the proposed relationships. The data for the study was collected from 372 hotel employees in 10 four and five-star hotels in Antalya, Turkey. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was performed to test the study hypotheses. Study results reveal that job stress significantly positively influences both emotional and external eating, and that job satisfaction has a significant positive impact on only external eating behaviors of hotel employees. Study results further reveal a significant moderator effect of BMI on the relationship between job satisfaction and external eating. This is one of the first studies that investigate how job stress and job satisfaction influence external and emotional eating behaviors of employees in the hotel industry. The study findings offer valuable theoretical and practical implications for professionals, scholars, and peers in the health and hospitality industries.
Nkx 2-5 regulates cardiac growth through modulation of Wnt signaling by R-spondin 3

A complex regulatory network of morphogens and transcription factors is essential for normal cardiac development. Nkx2-5 is among the earliest known markers of cardiac mesoderm that is central to the regulatory pathways mediating second heart field (SHF) development. Here, we have examined the specific requirements for Nkx2-5 in the SHF progenitors. We show that Nkx2-5 potentiates Wnt signaling by regulating the expression of the R-spondin3 (Rspo3) gene during cardiogenesis. R-spondins are secreted factors and potent Wnt agonists that in part regulate stem cell proliferation. Our data show that Rspo3 is markedly downregulated in Nkx2-5 mutants and that Rspo3 expression is regulated by Nkx2-5. Conditional inactivation of Rspo3 in the Isl1 lineage resulted in embryonic lethality secondary to impaired development of SHF. More importantly, we find that Wnt signaling is significantly attenuated inNkx2-5mutants and that enhancingWnt/ β-catenin signaling by pharmacological treatment or by transgenic expression of Rspo3 rescues the SHF defects in the conditional Nkx2-5 mutants. We have identified a previously unrecognized genetic link between Nkx2-5 and Wnt signaling that supports continued cardiac growth and proliferation during development. Identification of Rspo3 in cardiac development provides a new paradigm in temporal regulation of Wnt signaling by cardiac-specific transcription factors.
Efficacy of epinastine hydrochloride for antigen-provoked nasal symptoms in subjects with orchard grass pollinosis.

BACKGROUND Among the gramineae species, orchard grass is a typical causative pollen that provokes seasonal rhinitis. The purpose of this study was to examine the protective efficacy of epinastine hydrochloride for signs and symptoms caused by repeated nasal provocation with discs containing orchard grass pollen. METHODS A single-dose, placebo-controlled, double-blind, crossover clinical study was conducted in subjects with orchard grass pollinosis. The pollen challenge was conducted with the use of provocation discs containing orchard grass pollen. RESULTS Epinastine hydrochloride suppressed nasal symptoms caused by nasal provocation tests using orchard grass pollen discs. Among the nasal symptoms, the number of sneezing was significantly inhibited 30 minutes and 60 minutes after the administration of epinastine hydrochloride, as compared with placebo. There were no adverse reactions to the study drugs. CONCLUSIONS Our results suggest that nasal provocation tests with discs containing orchard grass pollen is a useful method for evaluating the onset of action of antiallergic drugs. As compared with placebo, epinastine hydrochloride decreased early-phase sneezing and the total nasal symptom score after repeated nasal provocations with orchard grass pollen discs.
Intellectual capital reporting and its relation to market and financial performance

This paper aims to examine the relationship between the level of intellectual capital information voluntarily disclosed in the annual reports of companies listed on the Kuwait Stock Exchange (KSE) and their market and financial performance. ,The classical framework developed by Sveiby (1997) and modified by Guthrie et al. (2006) forms the basis for the content analysis of annual reports published by KSE-listed companies in 2013. An intellectual capital disclosure (ICD) index is developed from this material. Two traditional indicators of corporate performance, namely, market-to-book ratio and return on assets are used to assess market and financial performance. Regression models are constructed to examine the association between the level of ICD and corporate performance. ,Empirical findings indicate that better ICD has a positive, statistically significant impact on corporate performance. More specifically, the findings suggest that intellectual capital reporting plays a significant role in enhancing market and financial performance. ,This study only focuses on intellectual capital information disclosed in annual reports; other means of corporate communication were not considered. Nevertheless, the annual report has stood the test of time as the best source of corporate disclosure. ,Given the importance of intellectual capital reporting in enhancing corporate performance, a practical implication of this study is to make managers aware of its positive and significant effect on market and financial performance, which may encourage companies to develop better disclosure policies. An important implication of the findings is that the policymakers and regulators need to encourage listed companies to disclose their intellectual capital information to exploit the associated benefits. ,This paper extends the literature by examining the influence of ICD on corporate performance in the context of frontier markets, where economic, social, political and cultural conditions have particular characteristics.
Virya—a motion control editor for kinematic and dynamic animation

Virya is an interactive graphical motion control editor for kinematic and dynamic animation. Most animation is controlled kinematically, by designating objects' positions taken over time without consideration for the causes of the motion. An alternative is dynamic motion control, where objects are seen as masses moving under the influence of forces and torques. Dynamic motion control has some advantages in that motion more naturally simulates real world conditions and many complex motions can be automatically calculated, though calculating motion is quite expensive and control is sometimes less intuitive. The editor Virya works both for kinematic and dynamic motion control. It has two main tasks: to specify control functions representing positions (kinematic) or forces and torques (dynamic) controlling motion, and to specify control modes which designate how control functions are interpreted or whether joints are frozen in place, relaxed, or balanced. Using these control modes, the user can designate motion using a convenient kinematic method and still use dynamic analysis as a final step to constrain and add realism.
The importance of CSR initiatives in building customer support and loyalty

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine how the perception of CSR influences different aspects of consumer behaviour, specifically focussing on the antecedents of perceived value, customer support and loyalty. Design/methodology/approach A total of 418 completed responses were obtained and provided the data to analyse and test the hypothesised research model. To test the hypotheses, structural equation modelling using PLS was employed. Findings Findings reveal that customer awareness of the current CSR initiatives to different stakeholder groups significantly influences their perceptions of what social initiatives are actually undertaken by firms for their economic, legal, ethical and philanthropic responsibility. In addition, customer views of what firms actually do in respect to social initiatives are significantly related to their level of CSR expectations. This indicates that the customers will always expect more from banks compared to what they actually do. Surprisingly, CSR perception is not directly related to customers’ loyalty, which contradicts the majority of previous studies indicating that CSR perception influences consumer behaviour. Originality/value This study provides an original contribution to the CSR body of knowledge, especially for developing countries where the awareness level is low. It also provides a deep understanding of the influence of CSR into consumer behaviour, as it investigates the influence of the full construct of CSR into customer loyalty. Finally, the study investigated the relationship between the perception and the expectation of CSR; this relationship has been neglected in previous studies, where either CSR perceptions or CSR expectations have been examined separately.
Effects of internal and external factors on business performance of start-ups in South Korea: The engine of new market dynamics

This study explored the effects of the innovation system of start-ups and community support and resources on business performance of start-up companies using a survey of 213 start-ups across the different industry sectors in South Korea. In this article, we adopt the partial least square of structural equation model for analyzing the structural relationships of venture creation activities. First, the findings show that both the local community support and external partnership have significant impacts on the social norms and performance-based culture, but the path coefficient of local community support is somewhat greater than external partnership. Second, the test results also indicate that discovery and exploitation, which can be recognized as the major factors of innovation system in the start-up companies, are highly associated with their dynamic capabilities. Moreover, the dynamic capabilities can be also affected by the social norms and performance-based culture due to the paradigm of open innovation. Third, with regard to the total effect, the combination of discovery and local community support plays a central role for improving business performance of start-ups amid a rapidly changing market and economic environment.
Assessment of Movement Skill Performance in Preschool Children: Convergent Validity Between MOT 4-6 and M-ABC.

The purpose was to determine the level of agreement between the Motoriktest für Vier- bis Sechsjährige Kinder [MOT 4-6] and the Movement Assessment Battery for Children [M-ABC]. 48 preschool children participated in the study (Mean age = 5 years, 6 months, SD = 3 months). There was high classification agreement (90%) between both tests. A Kappa correlation coefficient (0.67) provided moderately strong support for convergent validity. Less agreement was shown in identification of motor difficulties (58%). This was reflected by lower correlation coefficients on the fine movement cluster and test item level. The MOT 4-6 showed values within the range of similar movement skill performance assessment protocols. Because of its specific focus it may be of meaningful value to assess movement skill competence in typically developing preschool children (ages 4 to 6). Key pointsThe Motoriktest für Vier- bis Sechsjährige Kinder (MOT 4-6) showed values within the range of similar motor performance tests. Because of its specific focus it may be of great value to assess movement skill competence in typically developing preschool children (ages 4 to 6). Children's movement skill competence can be expressed as a single composite score. The results from this study also support the use of composite scores that include functional categorization (e.g. locomotion, object control and stability).
unctional Effects of a Tandem Duplication olymorphism in the 5 = Flanking Region of he DRD 4 Gene

ackground: Several polymorphisms have been identified in the 5=flanking region of the human dopamine D4 receptor gene (DRD4), ncluding a tandem duplication polymorphism. This comprises a 120-base-pair repeat sequence that is known to have different allele requencies in various populations around the world. Furthermore, various studies have revealed evidence of linkage to attentioneficit/hyperactivity disorder and association with schizophrenia and methamphetamine abuse. The location of the polymorphism in he 5=regulatory region of the DRD4 gene and the fact that it consists of potential transcription factor binding sites suggest that it might onfer differential transcriptional activity of the alleles. ethods: We investigated the functional effects of this gene variant with transient transfection methods in four human cell lines and hen assessed transcriptional activity with luciferase reporter gene assays. esults: The longer allele has lower transcriptional activity than the shorter allele in SK-N-MC, SH-SY5Y, HEK293, and HeLa cell lines. onclusions: This evidence suggests that the duplication might have a role in regulating the expression of the DRD4 gene and provides n understanding of the biological mechanisms underlying the etiology of neuropsychiatric disorders such as ADHD, schizophrenia, nd metamphetamine abuse.
When one is Enough: Impaired Multisensory Integration in Cerebellar Agenesis

Abstract In the last two decades, an intriguing shift in the understanding of the cerebellum has led to consider the nonmotor functions of this structure. Although various aspects of perceptual and sensory processing have been linked to the cerebellar activity, whether the cerebellum is essential for binding information from different sensory modalities remains uninvestigated. Multisensory integration (MSI) appears very early in the ontogenesis and is critical in several perceptual, cognitive, and social domains. For the first time, we investigated MSI in a rare case of cerebellar agenesis without any other associated brain malformations. To this aim, we measured reaction times (RTs) after the presentation of visual, auditory, and audiovisual stimuli. A group of neurotypical age‐matched individuals was used as controls. Although we observed the typical advantage of the auditory modality relative to the visual modality in our patient, a clear impairment in MSI was found. Beyond the obvious prudence necessary for inferring definitive conclusions from this single‐case picture, this finding is of interest in the light of reduced MSI abilities reported in several neurodevelopmental and psychiatric disorders—such as autism, dyslexia, and schizophrenia—in which the cerebellum has been implicated.
Penile erection evoked from forebrain structures in Macaca mulatta.

ELECTRICALLY evoked penile erection has been systematically studied in the squirrel monkey1-5but comparable data have not been reported for other primates. This report describes the phenomenon inMacaca mulattaand presents quantitative measures of the density and distribution of points eliciting the response from the forebrain of this species. In addition, an attempt was made to relate penile erection to other effects evoked from the same points, including autonomic changes and behaviors indicative of the reinforcement value of the stimulation. Methods The methods used in this study have been peviously described.6Briefly, data were gathered from 5,880 loci distributed along 205 electrode tracks in 15, 8 to 10 lb maleM mulatta. Roving monopolar electrodes were used in conjunction with a head-mounted stereotactic electrode guidance platform made of acrylic cement.7This platform allowed the insertion of individual electrodes in unanesthetized animals, exploration of a column
Different Stimuli for Inference of Gene Regulatory Network in Rheumatoid Arthritis

Since genetic and epigenetic factors are known to be involved in the pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis the search for key players in this disease is one of the most important challenges. For this purpose gene regulatory networks are one possibility to reveal underlying interactions for different stimuli. In this study we analyzed the cellular response of synovial fibroblasts to 4 different stimuli. We infered a gene regulatory network that is able to explain the observed data for stimulation by TNF-a, TGF-b1, IL-1 and PDGF-D simultaneously.
β-divergence two-dimensional sparse nonnegative matrix factorization for audio source separation

In this paper, a novel sparse two dimensional nonnegative matrix factorization (SNMF2D) with the β-divergence is proposed. In SNMF2D, the time-frequency (TF) profile of each source is modeled as two-dimensional convolution of the temporal code and the spectral basis. Sparsity constraint was imposed to reduce the ambiguity and provide uniqueness to the solution. The proposed model maximises the joint probability of the mixing spectral basis and temporal codes conditioned on the mixed signal using multiplicative update rules. Experimental tests have been conducted in audio application to blindly separate the source in musical mixture. Results have concretely shown the efficacy of the algorithm in separating the audio sources from single channel mixture.
Identifying isotropic events using a regional moment tensor inversion

We calculate the deviatoric and isotropic source components for 17 explosions at the Nevada Test Site, as well as 12 earthquakes and 3 collapses in the surrounding region of the western United States, using a regional time domain full waveform inversion for the complete moment tensor. The events separate into specific populations according to their deviation from a pure double‐couple and ratio of isotropic to deviatoric energy. The separation allows for anomalous event identification and discrimination between explosions, earthquakes, and collapses. Confidence regions of the model parameters are estimated from the data misfit by assuming normally distributed parameter values. We investigate the sensitivity of the resolved parameters of an explosion to imperfect Earth models, inaccurate event depths, and data with low signal‐to‐noise ratio (SNR) assuming a reasonable azimuthal distribution of stations. In the band of interest (0.02–0.10 Hz) the source‐type calculated from complete moment tensor inversion is insensitive to velocity model perturbations that cause less than a half‐cycle shift (<5 s) in arrival time error if shifting of the waveforms is allowed. The explosion source‐type is insensitive to an incorrect depth assumption (for a true depth of 1 km), and the goodness of fit of the inversion result cannot be used to resolve the true depth of the explosion. Noise degrades the explosive character of the result, and a good fit and accurate result are obtained when the signal‐to‐noise ratio is greater than 5. We assess the depth and frequency dependence upon the resolved explosive moment. As the depth decreases from 1 km to 200 m, the isotropic moment is no longer accurately resolved and is in error between 50 and 200%. However, even at the most shallow depth the resultant moment tensor is dominated by the explosive component when the data have a good SNR.
The Influence of Virtual Learning Environments in Students' Performance.

This paper focuses mainly on the relation between the use of a virtual learning environment (VLE) and students' performance. Therefore, virtual learning environments are characterised and a study is presented emphasising the frequency of access to a VLE and its relation with the students' performance from a public higher education institution during the academic year of 2014-15. The main aim of this research work is to obtain indicators which may help understand relations between the use of VLEs and students' performance. Finding the frequency of access to the VLE and assessing the consequences of such use represent challenges to which teachers and researchers try to respond in order to know students better and consequently, develop strategies which meet their interests and needs. This study is mainly quantitative with descriptive features, involving data obtained from literature research and from experimental research using a sample of approximately 6300 undergraduates. The data was extracted from the VLE and student registration system databases using learning analytics procedures. The results show that there are relatively positive indicators regarding students' access to a virtual learning environment and the relation between such access and their performance.
Secret sharing in compartmented groups using ideal codes

We propose a secret sharing scheme based on rings or modules that admit a decomposition given by orthogonal idempotents of the ring. The secret is decomposed into partial secrets that belong to the projections induced by every idempotent. These projections are indeed ideal codes and thus the subsecrets are distributed among a group of users using the generator matrix of these ideal codes.
Investigating and analyzing the supply chain practices and performance in agro-food industry

ABSTRACT The goal of this study is to empirically examine the potential impact of supply chain practices on the supply chain performances of the agro-food industry. The constructs of interest are three-dimensional, including supplier partnerships, customer relationships and level and quality of information sharing, thus representing supply chain practices, flexibility, agility and innovation as the main characteristics of supply chain performance. To gain better understanding of the possible impact of the supply chain practices on the supply chain performances of the agro-food industry we use structural equation modelling. The analysis has revealed statistically significant positive impact of customers’ relationships as well as statistically significant negative impact of a supplier partnership on the supply chain performance. From a theoretical point of view, this study has indicated contribution of different supply chain practices on supply chain performances. The results obtained from this study provide practical implications that assist managers in improving supply chain performance and highlight limitations for implementation of supply chain practice for the improvement of business operations.
Separate DNA Pol II- and Pol IV-Dependent Pathways of Stress-Induced Mutation during Double-Strand-Break Repair in Escherichia coli Are Controlled by RpoS

ABSTRACT Previous work showed that about 85% of stress-induced mutations associated with DNA double-strand break repair in carbon-starved Escherichia coli result from error-prone DNA polymerase IV (Pol IV) (DinB) and that the mutagenesis is controlled by the RpoS stress response, which upregulates dinB. We report that the remaining mutagenesis requires high-fidelity Pol II, and that this component also requires RpoS. The results identify a second DNA polymerase contributing to stress-induced mutagenesis and show that RpoS promotes mutagenesis by more than the simple upregulation of dinB.