Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
‘Mind the Gaps’: Exploring conflicting expectations and values created by organisational change

Drawing on the findings of a three-year ethnographic study of three UK fire and rescue services, this paper examines how large scale organisational changes resulted in a disconnect in ideologies. The changes, prompted by the UK government’s public sector reform agenda, have led to a change of priorities and focus for fire and rescue services. This resulted in changes to job roles, performance measures and targets, and stakeholder responsibilities and relationships. Both the process of change and its outcomes became key stressors for those working in the sector, leading to cynicism and resistance towards change initiatives. The changes have caused a clash of ideologies between those responsible for implementing the modernisation agenda and those rooted in the traditional values and views of the sector. As a result, gaps have emerged between the values and expectations of managers, firefighters, support staff, and the general public. The data suggests that a lack of contextual awareness led to flaws in the design and implementation of the various change initiatives. The paper highlights the paradoxes which emerge when initiatives conflict with the deeply embedded assumptions and values of constituent occupational subgroups, and provides insights into how contextualised change initiatives can improve the successful implementation of change and reduce the stress impact for those involved. Introduction Over the past 30 years, successive UK governments have implemented a series of reforms across the UK public sector with the objective of improving service effectiveness and efficiency (Hyndman & McGeough, 2006; Hood, 1995; 1991). However little is known about the long-term impact of such change and more specifically if the process of reform has been successful in achieving the desired outcomes (Ferlie et al., 2003) or if it has merely deflected attention away from more significant issues, leading to dysfunctional and detrimental outcomes (Broadbent & Guthrie, 1992). The way in which change is managed and implemented, significantly influences how change will be perceived and experienced by those involved (Mackay et al., 2004). Change creates uncertainty (Mackay et al., 2004; Schabracq & Cooper, 2000) as employees face threats to their normal way of functioning which can lower their commitment and trust in their organisation (Schabracq & Cooper, 2000). This paper which draws on the findings of a wider three-year ethnographic research study with three fire and rescue service organisations in England, focuses on how change has become a major stressor for those working in the sector leading to a disconnect in ideologies between the stakeholders involved, and cynicism and resistance to further change.
Distance errors correction for the Time of Flight (ToF) cameras

The Time of Flight (ToF) cameras, using their own light source, deliver two images simultaneously: brightness image and distance image and so they become 3D camera. At present, in spite of a theoretical very good resolution in distance, the distance errors are unacceptable big and not under control due to the multiple reflexions of the active light outside and inside the camera. To our best knowledge, till now there is no method to correct these errors. We propose a model for describing these errors and methods for correcting them. One is simple enough for building it inside camera for real time correction.
A New Indexing Method for Uncertain Databases

This paper presents an indexing method called the uncertain data index (UD-index) for uncertain databases. The design objectives of the UD-index are improving the range query performance of the multidimensional indexing methods and providing a compromise between optimal index node clustering. Although more than ten years of database research has resulted in a great variety of multidimensional indexing methods, most efforts have focused on the data-level clustering and there has been no attempt to cluster index nodes themselves in dynamic environments. As a result, most related index nodes are widely scattered on the disk due to dynamic page allocation, and it requires many random disk accesses during the range search. The UD-index avoids that by storing the related nodes contiguously in a segment that contains a sequence of contiguous disk pages. The UD-index improves the range query performance by offering high-performance sequential disk access within a segment. A new cost model is introduced to estimate the range query performance. It takes into consideration the physical adjacency of pages read as well as the number of pages accessed. The analytic performance analysis indicates that the UD-index shows better performance than the traditional indexing methods in most cases.
Paramyosin from the parasitic mite Sarcoptes scabiei: cDNA cloning and heterologous expression

The burrowing mite Sarcoptes scabiei is the causative agent of the highly contagious disease sarcoptic mange or scabies. So far, there is no in vitro propagation system for S. scabiei available, and mites used for various purposes must be isolated from infected hosts. Lack of parasite-derived material has limited the possibilities to study several aspects of scabies, including pathogenesis and immunity. It has also hampered the development of high performance serological assays. We have now constructed an S. scabiei cDNA expression library with mRNA purified from mites isolated from red foxes. Immunoscreening of the library enabled us to clone a full-length cDNA coding for a 102.5 kDa protein. Sequence similarity searches identified the protein as a paramyosin. Recombinant S. scabiei paramyosin expressed in Escherichia coli was recognized by sera from dogs and swine infected with S. scabiei. We also designed a small paramyosin construct of about 17 kDa that included the N-terminal part, an evolutionary variable part of the helical core, and the C-terminal part of the molecule. The miniaturized protein was efficiently expressed in E. coli and was recognized by sera from immunized rabbits. These data demonstrate that the cDNA library can assist in the isolation of important S. scabiei antigens and that recombinant proteins can be useful for the study of scabies.
Male and Female Managers' Awareness of Gender and Desire for Family-Friendly Practices in their Own Lives and in the Workplace: A Preliminary Consideration of Self-examined Lives

The introduction of family-friendly policies and practices facilitates women's ability to maintain a workplace presence while meeting daily responsibilities for child care and domestic tasks. Organisational accommodation of employees' family responsibilities may, however, result in the institutionalising women's disadvantage - the 'mommy track' - rather than producing the equitable employment opportunities envisioned by the managing diversity approach to human resource management (HRM). This article presents a preliminary consideration of assignments submitted by 93 managers enrolled in an introductory graduate level HRM subject. The assignment asked the male and female managers to reflect on the impact of gender on their work lives and the implications of gender for organisational policies and practices. The observations of these managers suggest factors that will need to be considered if diversity management policies and practices, particularly those addressing work-family or work-life balance, is to facilitate women's access to equitable employment and career advancement, rather than deflecting women's careers to a 'mommy track' of limited opportunities.
Vaginal-rectal colonization with group A streptococci in late pregnancy.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the vaginal-rectal colonization rate with group A streptococci in late pregnancy. METHODS: All patients delivering at a northern New England hospital over a 38 month period had 35-37 week vaginal-rectal swabs cultured for group A and group B streptococci, using selective media and slide agglutination. RESULTS: Six thousand nine hundred forty-four screening cultures were obtained. Among these 1,393 were positive for group B streptococci and 2 for group A streptococci, yielding colonization rates of 20.1% and 0.03%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Vaginal-rectal colonization with group A streptococci is rare, arguing against the need for establishing group A streptococcal screening programs in pregnancy. An approach for managing this uncommon finding is presented.
Growth of Boron-Doped Diamond Films on Gold-Coated Substrates with and without Gold Nanoparticle Formation

This work was financially supported by the Hasselt Univ. Special Research Fund (BOF) and the Methusalem NANO network. The Hercules Foundation Flanders is acknowledged for financial support of the Raman and LA MW CVD equipment. S.S. N. is a Newton International Fellow of the Royal Society. P.P. is a Postdoctoral Fellow, and J.R. is a Ph.D. Fellow of the Research Foundation-Flanders (FWO). We gratefully acknowledge Prof. Bohuslav Rezek for fruitful discussions, Mr. Bart Ruttens for EDX spectroscopic measurements, and Mr. Johnny Baccus for technical assistance.
Regeneration of the thymus in old male rats treated with a stable analogue of LHRH.

It has been shown that the thymus can be regenerated in intact old rats by implanting s.c. a stable analogue of LHRH. Old male rats were given s.c. implants of osmotic pumps containing a solution in citrate buffer of the analogue which was given at a rate of 1 microgram/h for 28 days. Some animals were given pumps containing buffer alone, and another group of rats was orchidectomized. The animals were killed after 28 days and the tissues weighed and taken for histology. Serum testosterone was measured by radioimmunoassay. Sham-treated rats had small fatty thymuses, which were poorly organized with a very narrow band of cortex. Animals treated with the analogue of LHRH and those which had been orchidectomized had relatively large thymuses which were multi-lobed in drug-treated rats, and atrophied accessory sex organs. The testes were grossly atrophied in analogue-treated rats. Histologically, the thymus looked healthy, having a wide, thymocyte-filled cortex and a clearly defined corticomedullary junction. Serum testosterone concentrations were similar in orchidectomized and analogue-treated rats. It is concluded that it is possible to regenerate the thymus in old rats treated with an analogue of LHRH, but the effect is accompanied by chemical castration. It is also clear that the old pituitary gland is susceptible to the desensitizing action of an LHRH analogue.
Hepatic Graft Versus Host Disease: A Study of the Predictive Value of Liver Biopsy in Diagnosis

Ninety‐six liver biopsies [32 bone marrow transplant (BMT), 7 pre‐BMT, and 57 non‐BMT] are reviewed for histological evidence of graft versus host disease (GVHD), based on bile duct atypia and related inflammatory changes. In addition, the presence of cholestasis, piecemeal necrosis, and attachment of lymphocytes to vascular endothelium (endothelialitis) are evaluated. The 57 non‐BMT biopsies include examples of viral hepatitis (acute and chronic), nonviral chronic hepatitis, extrahepatic biliary obstruction, cytomegalovirus hepatitis, primary biliary cirrhosis, and orthotopic liver transplant rejection. Although the sensitivity of bile duct damage as an indicator of GVHD appears high (only one probable false negative was noted), there is considerable overlap between the changes of GVHD and occasional cases of acute and chronic hepatitis and extrahepatic biliary obstruction. Nine of the 57 non‐BMT biopsies (15%) were felt to be consistent with GVHD and represent “false positives”. Despite this relative lack of specificity, analysis of several features in combination provided clues to improve accuracy of diagnosis. The findings of extensive bile duct damage with minimal inflammatory changes is characteristic of GVHD. Possibly more predictive is the presence of endothelialitis of portal or central veins, which was seen in only three non‐BMT biopsies, being present in eight cases of GVHD.
Molecular basis of thermosensing: a two‐component signal transduction thermometer in Bacillus subtilis

Both prokaryotes and eukaryotes respond to a decrease in temperature with the expression of a specific subset of proteins. Although a large body of information concerning cold shock‐induced genes has been gathered, studies on temperature regulation have not clearly identified the key regulatory factor(s) responsible for thermosensing and signal transduction at low temperatures. Here we identified a two‐component signal transduction system composed of a sensor kinase, DesK, and a response regulator, DesR, responsible for cold induction of the des gene coding for the Δ5‐lipid desaturase from Bacillus subtilis. We found that DesR binds to a DNA sequence extending from position −28 to −77 relative to the start site of the temperature‐regulated des gene. We show further that unsaturated fatty acids (UFAs), the products of the Δ5‐desaturase, act as negative signalling molecules of des transcription. Thus, a regulatory loop composed of the DesK–DesR two‐component signal transduction system and UFAs provides a novel mechanism for the control of gene expression at low temperatures.
Impact of high-mobility-group A2 overexpression on epithelial-mesenchymal transition in pancreatic cancer

Background: Tumor metastasis causes high mortality in patients with malignancies. In carcinomas, overexpression of high-mobility-group A2 (HMGA2) in cancer cells would lead to tumor development and epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT), promoting metastasis. This study evaluated HMGA2 overexpression for its effects on pancreatic cancer (PC). Methods: HMGA2 protein levels were immunohistochemically assessed in human PC tissue specimens and evaluated for associations with patients’ clinicopathological findings. In human PC CAPAN 1 cells after HMGA2 expression was silenced or overexpressed, Transwell migration and invasion assays were performed, and EMT marker levels (E-cadherin, N-cadherin and Vimentin) were determined by immunoblot. Results: HMGA2 and Vimentin were found in 43% and 45% of PC tissue samples, respectively, while E-cadherin was absent in 60%. HMGA2 expression, loss of E-cadherin and Vimentin expression were significantly associated with clinical stage, tumor differentiation and lymph node metastasis. More importantly, univariate and multivariate analysis demonstrated that HMGA2 expression is an independent prognostic factor for patients with pancreatic cancer. Meanwhile, HMGA2-silenced CAPAN 1 cells showed reduced migration and invasion ability while HMGA2-overexpressed CAPAN 1 cells showed increased migration and invasion ability. Increased E-cadherin (epithelial marker) and reduced N-cadherin and Vimentin (mesenchymal markers) were found in HMGA2-silenced cells, while reduced E-cadherin and increased N-cadherin and Vimentin were found in HMGA2-overexpressed cells. Furthermore, Snail and Zeb1 (transcriptional factors) were reduced in HMGA2-silenced cells and increased in HMGA2-overexpressed cells. Conclusion: Our findings demonstrate that HMGA2 expression correlates with advanced tumor grades, lymph node metastasis and poor prognosis and may be a novel prognosis/therapeutic marker for PC.
Efficiency analysis of Islamic banks in Pakistan

Purpose - – This paper aims to empirically analyze the efficiency of full-fledged Islamic banks, Islamic branches of conventional banks and conventional banks in Pakistan. Design/methodology/approach - – The paper uses data envelopment analysis to measure and compare the efficiency of banks. Three measures of efficiencies such as total technical efficiency, pure technical efficiency and scale efficiency are computed to achieve the objective of the paper. Findings - – Overall, full-fledged Islamic banks are less efficient in terms of total technical efficiency and pure technical efficiency than conventional banks. However, Islamic branches of conventional banks are highly scale-efficient than their counterparts. Research limitations/implications - – The findings need to be supported by considering production function and risk exposure factors. Originality/value - – This paper evaluates and compares the efficiency of Islamic and conventional banks by utilizing the largest available data set during 2007-2014.
The genome of Aiptasia, a sea anemone model for coral symbiosis

Significance Coral reefs form marine-biodiversity hotspots of enormous ecological, economic, and aesthetic importance that rely energetically on a functional symbiosis between the coral animal and a photosynthetic alga. The ongoing decline of corals worldwide due to anthropogenic influences, including global warming, ocean acidification, and pollution, heightens the need for an experimentally tractable model system to elucidate the molecular and cellular biology underlying the symbiosis and its susceptibility or resilience to stress. The small sea anemone Aiptasia is such a system, and our analysis of its genome provides a foundation for research in this area and has revealed numerous features of interest in relation to the evolution and function of the symbiotic relationship. The most diverse marine ecosystems, coral reefs, depend upon a functional symbiosis between a cnidarian animal host (the coral) and intracellular photosynthetic dinoflagellate algae. The molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying this endosymbiosis are not well understood, in part because of the difficulties of experimental work with corals. The small sea anemone Aiptasia provides a tractable laboratory model for investigating these mechanisms. Here we report on the assembly and analysis of the Aiptasia genome, which will provide a foundation for future studies and has revealed several features that may be key to understanding the evolution and function of the endosymbiosis. These features include genomic rearrangements and taxonomically restricted genes that may be functionally related to the symbiosis, aspects of host dependence on alga-derived nutrients, a novel and expanded cnidarian-specific family of putative pattern-recognition receptors that might be involved in the animal–algal interactions, and extensive lineage-specific horizontal gene transfer. Extensive integration of genes of prokaryotic origin, including genes for antimicrobial peptides, presumably reflects an intimate association of the animal–algal pair also with its prokaryotic microbiome.
Changes in Colorectal Cancer During a 20-Year Period: An Extended Report From the Multi-Institutional Registry of Large Bowel Cancer, Japan

PURPOSE This study was designed to examine trends of colorectal cancer in relation to age, gender, site, and survival during the past 20 years. METHODS The multi-institutional registry of the Japanese Society for Cancer of the Colon and Rectum offered 87,695 surgical cases with invasive adenocarcinoma during 1978 to 1997 for analysis. We calculated survival rates and used the Cox’s proportional hazard model for cases during 1978 to 1994. RESULTS The number of cases showed a 2.5-fold increase with consistent male predominance confined to the distal colon and the rectum. Colon cancer in the last five-year period was more likely right-sided for females (odds ratio, 1.26; 95 percent confidence interval, 1.16–1.38) and males (odds ratio, 1.16; 95 percent confidence interval, 1.06–1.25) compared with the first period. Cancers in younger patients were more likely at Stage III to IV in the late 1990s if the cancers were in the distal colon, the rectum (for both genders), or the proximal colon (for females). Survival was improved except for cases with proximal colon cancer of Stage IV. In the multivariate analysis, hazard ratios for death in the postoperative five years were 0.65, 0.59, and 0.58 for proximal colon, distal colon, and rectal cancers, respectively, in the last five-year period compared with those in the first period. Reduced hazard ratio for females was the largest for proximal colon cancer with Stage I to II. CONCLUSION Although surgical outcome was largely improved, delayed presentation or diagnosis in younger patients remained a problem. Preferential localization in the proximal colon and survival benefit for females should be investigated.
Intrapatient consistency of imatinib pharmacokinetics (PK) in patients (pts) with advanced cancers.

2081 Background: Imatinib (STI-571), approved for treatment of CML & GIST, is administered as daily PO therapy and is primarily metabolized by CYP3A. By analyzing PK data from pts receiving daily imatinib, we examined whether chronic dosing is associated with induction or impairment of imatinib clearance. METHODS 46 pts receiving daily imatinib (100-800 mg) for advanced cancers underwent intensive PK sampling on days 1 & 15. 20 pts had acceptable (NL) renal function (CLCr ≥60 mL/min). 26 pts had renal impairment (RI). Imatinib concentrations were quantitated by LC/MS. Plasma imatinib C x t data were modeled using non-compartmental methods. The elimination rate constant (k) was calculated using the plasma t1/2 (k=0.693/t1/2) & used to determine the accumulation index (1/1-e-kτ), where τ is the dosing interval. Accumulation (d15 AUC/d1 AUC) was calculated for each pt & compared to the predicted accumulation index ratio. RESULTS There was large inter-pt variability in imatinib t1/2 & AUC on days 1 & 15 (table below). Except in 2 pts with severe RI, intra-pt variability in imatinib PK was small, as indicated by each pt's day 15 AUC agreeing well with that predicted by the accumulation index. CONCLUSIONS Over 2 weeks of daily dosing, intra-pt imatinib PK was consistent. These data suggest sustained dosing is not associated with induction or impairment of imatinib clearance. Support: NCI No. N01-CO-12400, 2P30 CA47904, Novartis [Figure: see text] [Table: see text].
Preoperative prostate specific antigen doubling time and velocity are strong and independent predictors of outcomes following radical prostatectomy.

PURPOSE Prostate specific antigen (PSA) is a useful marker for predicting outcomes following treatment for prostate cancer but, given the evolving nature of prostate cancer, there is an ongoing need to refine its use. We assessed preoperative PSA doubling time (PSADT) and PSA velocity (PSAV) as predictors of outcome following radical retropubic prostatectomy (RRP). MATERIALS AND METHODS We identified 2,290 men who were treated with RRP for prostate cancer between 1990 and 1999 with multiple preoperative PSA measurements available. PSADT was calculated by log linear regression and PSAV was calculated by linear regression. These parameters were used in preoperative and postoperative multivariate models for the end points of biochemical and clinical progression, and cancer death. RESULTS At a median followup of 7.1 years (range 0.1 to 14.5) biochemical progression, clinical progression and death from prostate cancer were observed in 583, 156 and 42 patients, respectively. The HR for death from prostate cancer was 6.22 (95% CI 3.33 to 11.61) in men with PSADT less than 18 months vs 18 or greater and 6.54 (95% CI 3.51 to 12.19) in men with PSAV greater than 3.4 ng/ml yearly vs 3.4 or less. On multivariate analysis adjusting for preoperative or postoperative variables PSADT and PSAV remained significant predictors of each outcome. When assessed jointly, PSAV was significant as a predictor of biochemical progression, while PSADT was a significant predictor of clinical progression and cancer death. CONCLUSIONS This study confirms the usefulness of preoperative PSA kinetics for predicting post-RRP outcomes, which may be useful for stratifying patients, so that rational management decisions can be made with respect to observation, intervention and adjuvant treatment. While PSADT maybe biologically more accurate and stronger on multivariate analysis, PSAV is clinically easier to use and a good approximation in the short term.