Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Prediction of transcriptional regulatory sites in the complete genome sequence of Escherichia coli K-12

MOTIVATION As one of the best-characterized free-living organisms, Escherichia coli and its recently completed genomic sequence offer a special opportunity to exploit systematically the variety of regulatory data available in the literature in order to make a comprehensive set of regulatory predictions in the whole genome. RESULTS The complete genome sequence of E.coli was analyzed for the binding of transcriptional regulators upstream of coding sequences. The biological information contained in RegulonDB (Huerta, A.M. et al., Nucleic Acids Res.,26,55-60, 1998) for 56 different transcriptional proteins was the support to implement a stringent strategy combining string search and weight matrices. We estimate that our search included representatives of 15-25% of the total number of regulatory binding proteins in E.coli. This search was performed on the set of 4288 putative regulatory regions, each 450 bp long. Within the regions with predicted sites, 89% are regulated by one protein and 81% involve only one site. These numbers are reasonably consistent with the distribution of experimental regulatory sites. Regulatory sites are found in 603 regions corresponding to 16% of operon regions and 10% of intra-operonic regions. Additional evidence gives stronger support to some of these predictions, including the position of the site, biological consistency with the function of the downstream gene, as well as genetic evidence for the regulatory interaction. The predictions described here were incorporated into the map presented in the paper describing the complete E.coli genome (Blattner,F.R. et al., Science, 277, 1453-1461, 1997). AVAILABILITY The complete set of predictions in GenBank format is available at the url: http://www. cifn.unam. mx/Computational_Biology/E.coli-predictions CONTACT ecoli-reg@cifn.unam. mx, collado@cifn.unam. mx
Integrin‐linked kinase regulates tubular aquaporin‐2 content and intracellular location: a link between the extracellular matrix and water reabsorption

One of the clinical alterations observed in chronic renal disease (CRD) is the impaired urine concentration, known as diabetes insipidus (DI). Tubulointerstitial fibrosis of the kidney is also a pathological finding observed in CRD and involves composition of extracellular matrix (ECM). However, an association between these two events has not been elucidated. In this study, we showed that the extracellular‐to‐intracellular scaffold protein integrin‐linked kinase (ILK) regulates expression of tubular water channel aquaporin‐2 (AQP2) and its apical membrane presence in the renal tubule. Basally, polyuria and decreased urine osmolality were present in ILK conditional‐knockdown (cKD‐ILK) adult mice compared with nondepleted ILK littermates. No changes were observed in arginine‐vasopressin (AVP) blood levels, renal receptor (V2R), or AQP3 expression. However, tubular AQP2 was decreased in expression and apical membrane presence in cKD‐ILK mice, where the canonical V2R/cAMP axis activation is still functional, but independent of the absence of ILK. Thus, cKD‐ILK constitutes a nephrogenic diabetes insipidus (NDI) model. AQP2 and ILK colocalize in cultured inner medullary collecting duct (mIMCD3) cells. Specific ILK siRNAs and collagen I (Col) decrease ILK and AQP2 levels and AQP2 presence on the membrane of tubular mIMCD3 cells, which impairs the capacity of the cells to transport water under hypotonic stress. The present work points to ILK as a therapeutic target in NDI. —Cano‐Peñalver, J. L. , Griera, M. , Serrano, I. , Rodríguez‐Puyol, D. , Dedhar, S. , de Frutos, S. , Rodríguez‐Puyol, M. Integrin‐linked kinase regulates tubular aquaporin‐2 content and intracellular location: a link between the extracellular matrix and water reabsorption. FASEB J. 28, 3645–3659 (2014). www.fasebj. org
Modelling Transport Demands in Maritime Passenger Traffic Modeliranje potražnje prijevoza u putničkom pomorskom prometu

In this paper, the research has been carried out on the impact of gross domestic product (GDP) and the number of tourist arrivals (TA) on traffic demand in maritime passenger traffic in the Republic of Croatia. The initial assumption of this study is that the number of passengers carried in Croatian maritime transport (NP) depends on the number of tourist arrivals and the gross domestic product. The results are based on statistical methods of regression and correlation analysis. Tha analysis period spans over the years 1979. – 2013. The obtained insights could help help shippers in maritime passenger transport, and managers at all levels in maritime industry.
THE IMPACT OF CULTURE ON YOUNG CONSUMER'S INTENTION TOWARDS ONLINE SHOPPINGH IN MALAYSIA

Cultural differences generally lead to distinctions in consumers’ attitudes and intensions. Attention to these distinctions can provide more success for marketers and managers. This study intends to evaluate the impact of culture on young consumer’s intention towards online shopping in the multicultural context of Malaysia. Consequently, Hofstede’s cultural dimensions are being examined on Malaysian young consumers across the three sub-cultures of Malay, Chinese, and Indian. Moreover, in order to assess the association between each cultural dimension and the consumers’ intention to do online shopping, this study takes advantage of the Technology Acceptance Model developed by Davis et al. (1989) and the impact of culture as an external variable on TAM model is evaluated through SPSS tool . The Results illustrated that culture is a determining factor to predict the consumers’ intention to do online shopping among young consumers. This study aims to help the marketers and managers to apply new plans and strategies for online shopping based on some cultural values.
Age Diversity and Corporate Social Responsibility—Evidence from Chinese Listed Firms

The impact of diversification of corporate governance on corporate performance has been the focus of multiple parties, the age constitution of the board and the presentation of corporate social responsibility have brought new ideas to this problem. This article examines whether the age diversity of board hinders the implementation of CSR. We select 305 Chinese listed firms’ annual data from 2010 to 2014, and use ordinary least squares method and two-stage least squares method to investigate the effect. We find the age diversity is negatively associated with the CSR performance, which is consistent with the analysis based on social psychology.
Using a synthetic strangle to Manage stock market risk

Importance Options are a representative example of derivative securities that are applied to mitigate investors’ risks. Considering contradictions and discrepancies arising from changes in the options price due to the fluctuating price for primary securities, rather than the flat exercise price for the option, investors seek possible combinations of securities so to reduce equity risks. The article considers a synthetic options strategy – a synthetic strangle. Objectives The research models a synthetic strangle and applies it in practice using stocks of LUKOIL Oil Company. Methods The research involves methods of logic and statistical analysis. Results We apply a symmetrical binomial lattice to determine the synthetic strangle price. Based on a binomial model, we build the model of LUKOIL’s stock price movement and consider the case of synthetic strangle duplication by constructing a portfolio of stocks and bonds, which generates the same cash flows as options. Conclusions and Relevance It is feasible to use a synthetic strangle in a situation when market stock price movements are uncertain and investors protect their capital against unexpected fluctuations in the stock market by purchasing a synthetic option. We also found break-even points for the investor.
A Scalable Web-Based Module for Improving Surgical and Medical Practitioner Knowledge and Attitudes about Palliative and End-of-Life Care.

BACKGROUND We built a web-based, interactive, self-directed learning module about end-of-life care. OBJECTIVE The study objective was to develop an online module about end-of-life care targeted at surgeons, and to assess the effect of the module on attitudes towards and knowledge about end-of-life care. METHODS Informed by a panel of experts in supportive care and educational assessment, we developed an instrument that required approximately 15 minutes to complete. The module targets surgeons, but is applicable to other practitioners as well. We recruited general surgeons, surgical subspecialists, and medical practitioners and subspecialists from UCLA and the GLA-VA (N=114). We compared pre- and post-intervention scores for attitude and knowledge, then used ANOVA to compare the pre- and postmodule means for each level of the covariate. We performed bivariable analyses to assess the association of subject characteristic and change in score over time. We ran separate analyses to assess baseline and change scores based on the covariates we had selected a priori. RESULTS Subjects improved meaningfully in all five domains of attitude and in each of the six knowledge items. Individuals younger than 30 years of age had the greatest change in attitudes about addressing pain, addressing end-of-life goals, and being actively involved as death approached; they also had the most marked improvement in total knowledge score. Having a family member die of cancer within the last five years or a personal experience with palliative care or hospice were associated with higher change scores. CONCLUSIONS A web-based education module improved surgical and medical provider attitudes and knowledge about end-of-life care.
Seizure in Iranian patients with multiple sclerosis

Background: There is a broad variation in reported frequencies of seizure in multiple sclerosis (MS). In this study, the seizure and its characteristics analyzed among a large group of patients with MS. Patients and Methods: We reviewed the medical records of all definite MS patients referred to the MS Clinic of Kashani hospital, Isfahan, Iran, between 2007 and 2011. Results: Altogether, 34 cases with seizure activity identified among the 920 definite MS subjects (3.69%). Five excluded due to the other probable etiologies rather than MS. In the remained 29 patients (3.15%), the type of seizure was mostly generalized (79.3%); interictal electroencephalography showed an abnormal pattern in 84.6%, brain magnetic resonance imaging revealed subcortical white mater lesions in 84.6% of patients. The mean duration of MS onsets was 8.17 years and the mean interval between MS onset and the first seizure occurrence was 3.7 years. In general, response to antiepileptic treatment was excellent. Conclusion: Seizures can occur at any stage during the course of MS, but it is more common during the early stages.
Hybrids of supervised and unsupervised models for extractive speech summarization

Speech summarization, distilling important information and removing redundant and incorrect information from spoken documents, has become an active area of intensive research in the recent past. In this paper, we consider hybrids of supervised and unsupervised models for extractive speech summarization. Moreover, we investigate the use of the unsupervised summarizer to improve the performance of the supervised summarizer when manual labels are not available for training the latter. A novel training data selection and relabeling approach designed to leverage the inter-document or/and the inter-sentence similarity information is explored as well. Encouraging results were initially demonstrated.
Content Marketing Strategy : Case: Mr Green Ltd

Tampereen ammattikorkeakoulu Tampere University of Applied Sciences Degree Programme in International Business Elina Heinonen: Content Marketing Strategy Case: Mr Green Ltd Bachelor's thesis 45 pages, appendices 2 pages April 2017 The objective of this study was to gather information on the current marketing situation of Mr Green online casino in order to create a clear content marketing strategy for a target market. Mr Green offers online gambling products in various different countries in European Union. The company has recently implemented a new localization strategy, and needed a structured content marketing plan to support the central marketing and growth strategy. The purpose of the study was to improve the customer acquisition and retention flows to gain a bigger market share and to generate more revenue. This study was carried out as a case study. The data was analyzed using qualitative content analysis. The theoretical part studies the marketing environment by using generally acceptable environment and communication tool analyses. The concepts related to the analyses and this thesis were explained in the theoretical frame. The current marketing mix components were studied and the most suitable tools were applied in the final product to reach the objectives of the study. The concluding content marketing proposals were shaped due to their economic efficiency and practicality. The last part of this thesis discusses the key findings to improve the growth within the Finnish market, by implementing the suggestions found in the final product. With the information obtained from the analyses in the theoretical frame of the study, the author is able to form development ideas contributing to the overall growth strategy of the commissioner. The final product, content marketing strategy, will be left out from the appendices of this thesis due to the confidentiality policy of Mr Green. The conclusions of the study are found in the conclusions and discussion chapter. The author will be using the study as a basis for her content marketing decisions in Finland. The final product reflects the central marketing strategy of the company, and can be implemented in unison. The content marketing strategy is relevant only during the situation the company was in while conducting the study. Further research is required annually to follow the industry development and to forecast the needs in the near future.
Co-Creation and Co-Production as a Strategy for Public Service Innovation: a study to their appropriateness in a public sector context

Our main research question leading throughout this thesis is: _How can co-creation and co-production between citizens and public organizations in public service delivery be examined in terms of its influential factors, context, and outcomes? _ This research question breaks down into four sub-questions, which are parallel to our research objectives as introduced in section 1.4: 1. How can co-creation and co-production be conceptualized? (conceptual) 2. What are the effects of stimuli on co-creation and co-production? (input) 3. How does the context of co-creation and co-production influence the process? (context/throughput) 4. What are the outcomes of co-creation and co-production, and to what extent are these beneficial? (output/outcomes)
Plasmonics: Metal Nanostructures for Subwavelength Photonic Devices

This paper reviews recent progress toward the creation of a nanophotonic framework for confining and guiding electromagnetic energy at visible and near-infrared frequencies using surface plasmon excitations sustained by metallic nanostructures. Prominent geometries such as metal/insulator/metal-gap waveguides are assessed in terms of light confinement and the energy attenuation of the guided modes, as well as metal-nanoparticle waveguides that guide light via near-field coupling of localized particle or gap plasmon modes for deep subwavelength confinement. The effective mode volume concept of dielectric optics is then applied to plasmonic nanoresonators, which allows a comparison with established dielectric microcavities and demonstrates the deep subwavelength confinement achievable in metallic nanocavities. Lastly, a solution to the coupling problem of surface plasmon-polariton modes to the outside world is presented in the form of a fiber-accessible metal-nanoparticle plasmon waveguide with experimentally demonstrated power transfer up to 75% at lambda=1.5 mum
A Hybrid Multilevel Inverter System Based on Dodecagonal Space Vectors for Medium Voltage IM Drives

Dodecagonal (12-sided) space vector pulsewidth modulation (PWM) schemes are characterized by the complete absence of (6n ± 1)th-order harmonics (for odd n) in the phase voltages, within the linear modulation range and beyond, including overmodulation. This paper presents a new topology suitable for the realization of such multilevel inverter schemes for induction motor (IM) drives, by cascading two-level inverters with flying-capacitor-inverter fed floating H-bridge cells. Now, any standard IM may be used to get the dodecagonal operation which hitherto was possible only with open-end winding IM. To minimize the current total harmonic distortion (THD), a strategy for synchronous PWM is also proposed. It is shown that the proposed method is capable of obtaining better THD figures, compared to conventional dodecagonal schemes. The topology and the PWM strategy are validated through analysis and subsequently verified experimentally.
Self-perceived barriers to eye care in a hard-to-reach population: the Karachi Marine Fishing Communities Eye and General Health Survey.

PURPOSE We examined self-reported barriers to eye care among marginalized, hard-to-reach fishing communities in Karachi, Pakistan. METHODS The Karachi Marine Fishing Communities Eye and General Health Survey was a cross-sectional survey conducted between March 2009 and April 2010 in fishing communities in Keamari, Karachi, located on the coast of the Arabian Sea. Adults aged ≥50 years living on seven islands and coastal areas were interviewed regarding sociodemographic background, experience of eye problems, eye care use, and barriers to access. They also were examined to determine visual acuity with a reduced logMAR chart and underwent a detailed eye examination. RESULTS Of 700 people planned to be included in the study, 638 (91.1%) were interviewed and examined. Of these participants, 599 (93.9%) lived in extreme poverty and 84.3% had no school-based education, and 349 (54.7%; 95% confidence interval [CI], 50.8-58.6) of them had never had an eye examination. The common barriers to access identified included a perceived lack of or low need (176/349 or 50.4%), financial hardships (36.4%), "fears" (8.6%), and social support constraints (6.3%). Of those reporting a "lack of need," 21.9% had significant visual loss. Financial hardships, "fears," and social support constraints were more prevalent among women than men. Bengalis compared to Kutchis and Sindhis, and individuals with "poor/fragile" household financial status (self-reported) compared to those with "fine" status, were more likely to cite financial hardships. CONCLUSIONS Access to eye care in this marginalized population is substantially hindered by perceived lack of need, financial hardships, and a range of "fears" and anxieties, despite a large unmet need. These barriers should be addressed while paying particular attention to gender, and ethnic and socioeconomic differences.
Radio frequency identification and time-driven activity based costing: RFID-TDABC

This thesis extends the use of Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) data for accounting of warehouse costs and services. Time Driven Activity Based Costing (TDABC) methodology is enhanced with the real-time collected RFID data about duration of warehouse activities. This allows warehouse managers to have an accurate and instant calculations of costs. The RFID enhanced TDABC (RFID-TDABC) is proposed as a novel application of the RFID technology. Application of RFID-TDABC in a warehouse is implemented on warehouse processes of a case study company. Implementation covers receiving, put-away, order picking, and despatching. RFID technology is commonly used for the identification and tracking items. The use of the RFID generated information with the TDABC can be successfully extended to the area of costing. This RFID-TDABC costing model will benefit warehouse managers with accurate and instant calculations of costs. Although the study is limited in the scope to applying presented RFIDTDABC model only to warehouse operations of a SME company, RFIDTDABC concept will be of value to both academics and practitioners by showing how warehouse costs can be accurately measured by using this approach. Providing better understanding of incurred costs may result in a further optimisation of warehousing operations, lowering costs of activities, and thus provide competitive pricing to customers.
Employment in family firms: Less but safe? Analyzing labor demand of German family firms with a treatment model for panel data

This paper analyzes the differences in labor demand and labor turnover between family and nonfamily firms. The majority of firms in modern economies and, therefore, also in Germany are family controlled. These firms seem to have better employment performance than non-family controlled companies. Therefore, this study applies a treatment model for panel data using family firms as a treatment indicator. Moreover, a propensity score estimation is introduced to the model to control for selectivity. The results of the estimations indicate that labor demand is possibly larger because of family members joining the firms as extra employees. Moreover, labor turnover is lower, thus supporting the assumption that family firms offer some kind of implicit contracts to their employees and are more loss averse than other establishments. However, evidence of these results for establishments with 20 or more employees is generally weaker, indicating that the differences between both types of firms decrease with firm size.
An effectivenes of a group residential intervention program for young men with drug and alcohol addiction

Recovery from addiction is a complex process and requires a nexus between effective programs, the right support, individual motivation and suitable placement. For young men, continued use of drugs and alcohol can lead to ongoing abuse into adulthood, poorer health outcomes, as well as mental health difficulties and fewer career prospects. The complexity of rehabilitation means that researching what programs are effective and which settings provide a supportive framework for recovery is vital. Data collected over a six month period in two waves from an initial group of 43 men, was analysed using paired t-tests. Data included depression, anxiety and stress information (DASS-42), general health (SF-36) and psychological distress levels (Kessler-10). In addition to the two wave quantitative data collection, qualitative data by way of a focus group was also collected to examine participant’s perceptions of the intervention. Results indicated that the treatment reduced distress levels and that participants reported a sense of belonging and hope for a better future. Levels of depression decreased significantly over time. The implications are that services provided for young men need to include life skill education, a supportive framework as well as a therapeutic community. Research on the optimum mix of each element of the intervention is ongoing.