Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
How Green Are We? : Attitudes Towards Environmentally Friendly Fast Fashion

Problem: Environmental consciousness is growing within the fast fashion industry. It is currently in the shadow of regular fast fashion and fighting the skeptical attitude from consumers. Although the demand for a more sustainable lifestyle is highly valued, the intentions of purchasing eco-friendly fast fashion are low. This causes researchers to ask why this is. Purpose: The purpose of this qualitative research paper was to explore what factors affect the formation of intentions to consume eco-friendly fast fashion among females of Generation Y’s consumption of eco-friendly fast fashion. Two research question have been formulated to fulfill
The Puzzle of Frequent and Large Issues of Debt and Equity

Abstract More frequent, larger, and more recent debt and equity issues in the prior 3 fiscal years are followed by lower stock returns in the subsequent year. The intercept of a q-factor calendar-time regression for the value-weighted (VW) portfolio of firms with at least 3 large issues is −0.63% per month (t-stat. = −4.31). Purging the factor returns of recent issuers increases the magnitude of the estimated underperformance following frequent equity issues. A VW Fama–MacBeth regression shows that firms with 3 equity issues underperform nonissuers by 0.65% per month (t-stat. = −2.65). Earnings announcement returns are low following frequent issues, especially equity issues.
Conserved POU-binding site linked to SP1-binding site within FZD5 promoter: Transcriptional mechanisms of FZD5 in undifferentiated human ES cells, fetal liver/spleen, adult colon, pancreatic islet, and diffuse-type gastric cancer.

Canonical WNT signals are transduced through Frizzled (FZD) family receptor and LRP5/LRP6 co-receptor to upregulate FGF20, JAG1, DKK1, WISP1, CCND1 and MYC genes for cell-fate determination, while non-canonical WNT signals are transduced through FZD family receptor and ROR2/PTK7/RYK co-receptor to activate RHOA/RHOU/RAC/CDC42, JNK, PKC, NLK and NFAT signaling cascades for the regulation of tissue polarity, cell movement, and adhesion. We previously reported molecular cloning and characterization of human FZD5, which showed six amino-acid substitutions with human Hfz5. FZD5, functioning as WNT5A receptor, is the key molecule in the fields of oncology, regenerative medicine, cardiology, rheumatology, diabetology, and gastroenterology. Here, comparative integromics analyses on FZD5 orthologs were performed by using bioinformatics (Techint) and human intelligence (Humint). Chimpanzee FZD5 and cow Fzd5 genes were identified within NW_104292. 1 and AC166656.2 genome sequences, respectively. FZD5 orthologs were seven-transmembrane proteins with extracellular Frizzled domain, leucine zipper motif around the 5th transmembrane domain, and cytoplasmic DVL- and PDZ-binding motifs. Ser523 and Ser529 around the DVL-binding motif of FZD5 orthologs were putative aPKC phosphorylation sites. POU5F1 (OCT4)-binding site linked to SP1-binding site within the 5'-promoter region of human FZD5 gene was evolutionarily conserved among mammalian FZD5 orthologs. POU5F1 was more related to POU2F and POU3F subfamily members. POU5F1 was preferentially expressed in undifferentiated human embryonic stem (ES) cells, pancreatic islet, and diffuse-type gastric cancer. POU2F1 (OCT1) was expressed in ES cells, fetal liver/spleen, adult colon, POU2F2 in ES cells, fetal liver/spleen, and POU2F3 in diffuse-type gastric cancer. Multiple SP1/KLF family members, other than KLF2 or KLF4, were expressed in undifferentiated human ES cells. Together, these facts indicate that POU5F1 and POU2F subfamily members play a pivotal role for the FZD5 expression in undifferentiated human ES cells, fetal liver/spleen, adult colon, pancreatic islet, and diffuse-type gastric cancer.
Goods and Services Tax (GST): A Comparative Study of Select ASEAN Countries

After a decade long struggle, overcoming all the issues acting as roadblocks in its implementation, Goods and Services Tax (GST) has finally been implemented in federal India from 1July 2017. By subsuming majority of indirect taxes and cesses levied at the central and state government levels it has simplified the indirect tax regime in India and has put an end to the complex and cascading nature of the multiple tier indirect taxation. GST has already been implemented by more than 160 countries around the world. Hence it carries rich history of successes and failures. In India, both policy makers and public have a lot of expectations from the GST in terms of resolving loopholes in the pre-existing indirect tax structure. In this context, this paper attempts to study the functioning of VAT/GST of 6 ASEAN countries - Philippines, Indonesia, Singapore, Vietnam, Thailand and Malaysia - and compare it with the Indian GST regime. An attempt has also been made to draw lessons for India from the experience of these countries. India should learn from the pitfalls in administration and application of law in developing countries as well as from the successful administrative strategies of the developed countries like Singapore.
Evidence for a role of angiopoietin‐like 7 (ANGPTL7) in extracellular matrix formation of the human trabecular meshwork: implications for glaucoma

The trabecular meshwork tissue controls the drainage of the aqueous humor of the eye. A dysfunctional trabecular meshwork leads to an altered fluid resistance, which results in increased intraocular pressure (IOP). IOP is the major risk factor of glaucoma, the second‐leading cause of blindness in the developed world. In the search for genes altered by glaucomatous insults, we identified angiopoietin‐like7 (ANGPTL7), a member of the ANGPTL family. Although structurally related to the angiopoietins, ANGPTL7′s function is poorly understood. Because ANGPTL7 is secreted and because extracellular matrix (ECM) deposition and organization is critical for aqueous humor resistance, we investigated the effect of ANGPTL7 on relevant trabecular meshwork ECM genes and proteins. We find that overexpression of ANGPTL7 in primary human trabecular meshwork cells altered the expression of fibronectin, collagens type I, IV & V, myocilin, versican, and MMP1. ANGPTL7 also interfered with the fibrillar assembly of fibronectin. Finally, we find that silencing ANGPTL7 during the glucocorticoid insult significantly affected the expression of other steroid‐responsive proteins. These results indicate that ANGPTL7 modulates the trabecular meshwork’s ECM as well as the response of this tissue to steroids. Together with previous findings, these properties strengthen ANGPTL7′s candidacy for the regulation of IOP and glaucoma.
The factors influencing the use of financial planners

Individuals need to seek professional financial advice to achieve their financial goals. However, some do not see the value of consulting financial planners, and show little intention to use financial planners. Furthermore, there is a lack of research explaining why these individuals do not make use of financial planners. This study aims, therefore, to investigate the factors that could possibly influence individuals’ intentions to make use of a financial planner: awareness, perceived image, trust, and perceived rewards. To achieve this, a hypothesised model and hypotheses were developed and empirically tested. The results of the study indicated that there are significant relationships between perceived image and rewards, on the one hand, and intentions to use a financial planner, on the other. Thus financial planners must portray a positive image and deliver the perceived benefits of engaging in financial planning if individuals are to recognise the value in making use of their services.
SOME ESSENTIAL OPTICAL FEATURES OF THE ZEISS FUNDUS CAMERA

The imaging system of the Zeiss fundus camera comprises a front lens and a mirror with a central opening in the anterior focus of a camera objective. Focusing is achieved by changing the distance between the film and the camera objective. The principal point of the examined eye is imaged in the central opening of the mirror when the camera is correctly positioned. By applying reasoning current in elementary geometrical optics it was found
Costs and Benefits of Breeding Cooperatively in Fluctuating Environments in African Starlings

7 INTRODUCTION . 8 MATERIALS AND METHODS . 11 Study system . 11 Survival Models . 13 RESULTS . 14 DISCUSSION . 15 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS . 20 TABLES . 21 FIGURES . 22 REFERENCES . 25 CHAPTER 2 — MULTIPLE FITNESS BENEFITS OF ALLOPARENTAL CARE IN FLUCTUATING ENVIRONMENTS . 29 ABSTRACT . 29 INTRODUCTION . 30. 29 INTRODUCTION . 30
Synthetic Double-Stranded RNA Poly(I:C) Combined with Mucosal Vaccine Protects against Influenza Virus Infection

ABSTRACT The mucosal adjuvant effect of synthetic double-stranded RNA polyriboinosinic polyribocytidylic acid [poly(I:C)] against influenza virus was examined under intranasal coadministration with inactivated hemagglutinin (HA) vaccine in BALB/c mice and was shown to have a protective effect against both nasal-restricted infection and lethal lung infection. Intranasal administration of vaccine from PR8 (H1N1) with poly(I:C) induced a high anti-HA immunoglobulin A (IgA) response in the nasal wash and IgG antibody response in the serum, while vaccination without poly(I:C) induced little response. Intracerebral injection confirmed the safety of poly(I:C). In addition, we demonstrated that administration of poly(I:C) with either A/Beijing (H1N1) or A/Yamagata (H1N1) vaccine conferred complete protection against PR8 challenge in this mouse nasal infection model, suggesting that poly(I:C) possessed cross-protection ability against variant viruses. To investigate the mechanism of the protective effect of poly(I:C), mRNA levels of Toll-like receptors and cytokines were examined in the nasal-associated lymphoid tissue after vaccination or virus challenge. Intranasal administration of HA vaccine with poly(I:C) up-regulated expression of Toll-like receptor 3 and alpha/beta interferons as well as Th1- and Th2-related cytokines. We propose that poly(I:C) is a new effective intranasal adjuvant for influenza virus vaccine.
Autonomous IP Fast Rerouting with Compressed Backup Flow Entries Using OpenFlow

This paper proposes an IP fast rerouting method which can be implemented in OpenFlow framework. While the current IP is robust, its reactive and global rerouting processes require the long recovery time against failure. On the other hand, IP fast rerouting provides a milliseconds-order recovery time by proactive and local restoration mechanism. Implementation of IP fast rerouting is not common in real systems, however; it requires the coordination of additional forwarding functions to a commercial hardware. We propose an IP fast rerouting mechanism using OpenFlow that separates control function from hardware implementation. Our mechanism does not require any extension of current forwarding hardware. On the contrary, increase of backup routes becomes main overhead of our proposal. We also embed the compression mechanism to our IP fast rerouting mechanism. We show the effectiveness of our IP fast rerouting in terms of the fast restoration and the backup routes compression effect through computer simulations. key words: flow table compression, implementation, IP fast rerouting, OpenFlow, restoration
An experimental system for auditory image representations

An experimental system for the conversion of images into sound patterns was designed to provide auditory image representations within some of the known limitations of the human hearing systems possibly as a step towards the development of a vision substitution device for the blind. The application of an invertible (one-to-one) image-to-sound mapping ensures the preservation of visual information. The system implementation involves a pipelined special-purpose computer connected to a standard television camera. A novel design and the use of standard components have made for a low-cost portable prototype conversion system with a power dissipation suitable for battery operation. Computerized sampling of the system output and subsequent calculation of the approximate inverse (sound-to-image) mapping provided the first convincing experimental evidence for the preservation of visual information in sound representations of complicated images. <<ETX>>
Differential leucocyte detection by flow cytometry improves the diagnosis of genital tract inflammation and identifies macrophages as proinflammatory cytokine‐producing cells in human semen

Genital tract inflammation is considered as a major cause of male infertility with leucocytospermia as widely used diagnostic marker. However, threshold of 106 leucocytes ml−1 recommended by the WHO is a matter of debate. Moreover, leucocyte subpopulations and their impact cannot be identified by the routine peroxidase method (POM). Ejaculates of subfertile men (n = 47) were analysed by flow cytometry (FACS) using a bead‐based method. Leucocytes were identified by CD18 and further divided into macrophages (HLA‐Dr+/CD66abce‐) and neutrophils (HLA‐Dr‐/CD66abce+). IL‐1β, TNF‐α and IL‐6 production was investigated in these subpopulations. It was found that CD18‐positive cells correlated significantly with POM. However, only in samples with POM below 106 per millilitre, FACS detected significantly higher leucocyte numbers. Moreover, in 31% of these samples, FACS leucocyte detection reached threshold values greater than 1 × 106 ml−1, fulfilling the criteria for diagnosis of leucocytospermia. Neutrophils were the predominating leucocyte population. Nevertheless, in 24% of samples, macrophages encountered more than 50% of leucocytes. Most interestingly, only macrophages produced significant amounts of IL‐1β, TNF‐α and IL‐6. It is concluded that FACS improves detection and functional differentiation of seminal leucocytes as one of the diagnostic hallmarks of male genital tract inflammation.
An Emotional Stroop Effect to Malingering Related Words

This study was designed to elicit an emotional Stroop effect in simulators of malingering. Student participants (mostly women) either did or did not feign mild brain trauma. A modified Stroop test was administered, using neutral and “malingering” words. Controls showed no difference on malingering versus neutral words; simulators performed significantly worse on malingering words. Further research must specify the best method of administration to elicit a malingering Stroop effect and assess the additional discriminative power it may provide when combined with other malingering-detection strategies.
Inhibitory effects of tannins on hyaluronidase activation and on the degranulation from rat mesentery mast cells.

The inhibitory effects of tannins on the activation of inactive hyaluronidase and on the degranulation from rat mesentery mast cells induced by compound 48/80 were investigated. Among the tested tannins, 1, 2, 3, 4, 6-penta-O-galloylglucose, 1, 2, 3, 6-tetra-O-galloylglucose (hydrolyzable tannins) and 3, 3'-di-O-galloylprodelphinidin B-2 (condensed tannins) showed the strongest inhibitory effects in both cases. These results suggest that many tannins may possess anti-inflammatory activity and anti-allergic activity.
Dual‐tasking effects on gait variability: The role of aging, falls, and executive function

The objectives of the present study were to test the hypothesis that the dual‐tasking effect on gait variability is larger in healthy older adults than it is in healthy young adults; that this effect is larger in idiopathic elderly fallers than it is in healthy older adults; and that the dual‐tasking effects on gait variability are correlated with executive function (EF). Young adults and older adults who were classified as fallers and nonfallers were studied. Gait speed, swing time, and swing time variability, a marker of fall risk, were measured during usual walking and during three different dual‐tasking conditions. EF and memory were evaluated. When performing dual tasks, all three groups significantly decreased their gait speed. Dual tasking did not affect swing time variability in the young adults and in the nonfallers. Conversely, dual tasking markedly increased swing time variability in the fallers. While memory was similar in fallers and nonfallers, EF was different. The faller‐specific response to dual tasking was significantly correlated with tests of EF. These findings demonstrate that dual tasking does not affect the gait variability of elderly nonfallers or young adults. In contrast, dual tasking destabilizes the gait of idiopathic elderly fallers, an effect that appears to be mediated in part by a decline in EF. © 2006 Movement Disorder Society
Multi-Objective Forest Vehicle Routing Using Savings-Insertion and Reactive Tabu with a Variable Threshold

This paper focuses on how the competitiveness of forestry companies in Canada is impacted by forest products distribution and transportation costs, especially in the context of exports. We propose a new two-steps approach, consisting of building a good initial solution and then improving it to solve multi-objective forest vehicle routing problem. The main objective of this paper is to solve a multi-objective forest vehicle routing problem using the Savings-insertion, followed by the Reactive tabu, with a variable threshold. To that end, first, a mathematical model is established; secondly, our new Savings-insertion builds a good initial solution, and thirdly, our new Reactive tabu with a variable threshold improves the initial solution. The three main objectives are the minimization of a number of routes, the minimization of total distance and the minimization of total time by respecting the specified time window and the demand of all customers, which are sometimes important in this field. Finally, the experimental results obtained with our methodology for the named vehicle routing problem are provided and discussed.
The Roles of Government as Stakeholder in Developing Destination in Surabaya, Indonesia

T ourism is a fast growing industry around the globe, including in Indonesia. Report published by UNWTO in 2015, shows that the industry contributes 9 percent of the world GDP. Recently, Indonesia is taking more serious action in developing tourism industry in the country. Tourism has been set up as the biggest money spinner for Indonesian foreign revenue in the future. The goal of the Indonesian government is to achieve more than 20 million foreign tourists by 2019. Many Indonesian cities transform themselves to be a place of doing business as well as a place to visit. As the second biggest city in Indonesia, Surabaya plays important role as the hub of development for eastern part of the country. Surabaya has grown from manufacture based city into service and trade city. Tourism destination development becomes one of the important issues in Surabaya. Since 2005, the use of city branding “Sparkling Surabaya”, has made the city become one of tourist destinations in East Java region. Destination development needs constant and effective support by the stakeholders. The local government has an important role in destination development. This study aims to identify the role of the government in the process of developing the destination in Surabaya. This study is done qualitatively by using in depth interview with the executives body that represented by Surabaya Tourism Office, as the primary data. The strategy and the action plan of the government are also explored in the study. The result shows that Surabaya government has an important role in destination development; by working closely with other stakeholders, such as private business and local community. This study can be used by the government as the reflection of their strategy in developing the destination. Moreover, all of the executives of Surabaya government need to have the same objectives and perspective in developing Surabaya as tourist destination in Indonesia.
Automatic pause marking for speech synthesis

Accurate detection of pause boundary plays a major role in the segmentation of the speech corpus and improving the quality of speech synthesis. For pause modelling, we need to have pause tags in the training sentences. Manual tagging of pause is accurate but have the possibilities of missing out due to human error, and it is time-consuming. In this work, an automatic approach for marking the pause in the training corpus is proposed. During the training phase, after every word explicit pause (PAU) tags are added to represent a pause. Then, models for all phones including PAU are trained and re-alignment is performed. During re-alignment, each PAU boundary is corrected using three speech specific features namely, modulation spectrum energy, spectral peaks energy, and strength of excitation. The proposed approach gives a better result as compared to manual pause marking with less time complexity. It also improves the overall segmentation accuracy. The tagged label files are used for developing text-to-speech synthesis system using Hidden Markov Model based speech synthesis framework. Subjective evaluation is performed for various approaches used in tagging the pause. The experimental evaluation shows that accurate pause marking plays an important factor for improving the quality of synthesized speech in terms of naturalness and intelligibility.
Calibration method for near-field measurement used in reflectarray characterization

In this paper, a calibration method of a near-field measurement for reflectarray characterization is presented. First, a waveguide calibration is performed to eliminate the influence of the directional coupler used in the measurement scheme. Second, the reflection measurement is modelled with a metal plate drawn away from the probe aperture. With this model, the variation of the measurement distance due to alignment errors can be taken into account in the reflectarray element characterization. A staircase-shaped test target has been manufactured and measured for validating the functionality of the model.
Formation and Direct Repair of UV‐induced Dimeric DNA Pyrimidine Lesions

Direct repair of UV‐induced DNA lesions represents an elegant method for many organisms to deal with these highly mutagenic and cytotoxic compounds. Although the participating proteins are structurally well investigated, the exact repair mechanism of the photolyase enzymes remains a vivid subject of current research. In this review, we summarize and highlight the recent contributions to this exciting field.
The lipoma preferred partner LPP interacts with α-actinin

The lipoma preferred partner LPP is a member of the zyxin family of proteins. In this paper, we demonstrate that the structural similarities observed between zyxin and LPP also extend to their interaction capabilities. Similar to zyxin, LPP was found to bind to α-actinin in vitro. This interaction was confirmed in yeast and mammalian cells. Studies utilizing the three-hybrid system further indicated that zyxin and LPP compete for the same binding site in α-actinin. This site was mapped to the central rod ofα -actinin, which contains spectrin-like repeats 2 and 3. In the case of LPP, a conserved motif present at the N-terminus was shown to be responsible for the interaction. Constructs lacking this motif did not bind toα -actinin in the yeast two-hybrid system and were not able to recruitα -actinin to an ectopic site in mammalian cells. Quantitative data obtained with the two-hybrid and the three-hybrid system suggest that LPP has a lower affinity for α-actinin than zyxin. It is likely that this difference leads to slightly different roles played by LPP and zyxin during the assembly and disassembly of focal adhesions.