Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
IT MANAGEMENT PRACTICES AND THERETAIL E-COMMERCE SITE

Managers and researchers would benefit from both an understanding of the organizational practices that result in more featured e-commerce sites and an understanding of the particular features that contribute to firm performance. A Web-based survey of 458 managers of business-to-consumer e-commerce revealed that two organizational practices - CEO commitment and planning - generally resulted in more robust sites whereas business process redesign, did not. It also showed that more features contributed to firm performance. Four site features, namely publishing applications, catalog applications, interactivity, and interfaces, predicted firm performance at a statistically significant level, while surprisingly, two others, transaction applications and server performance, did not. In effect, this research contributes by demonstrating the general importance of the organizational practices and site features, while raising questions about business process redesign and the two particular site features.
WiPo for SAR: Taking the Web in Your Pocket when Doing Search and Rescue in New Zealand

WiPo Web in your pocket is a prototypical mobile information provisioning concept that can offer potential benefits to a range of situations where data sources are vast, dynamic and unvalidated and where continuous Internet connectivity cannot be assured. One such case is that of search and rescue SAR, a unique case of emergency management characterized by the need for high-quality, accurate and time-sensitive information. This paper reports on empirical research undertaken to explore the potential for a real-world application of a mobile service such as WiPo which is based on the delivery of highly curated, multi-source data made available offline. Adopting an interpretive interview-based approach, the authors evaluate the potential usefulness of WiPo for search and rescue incidents in New Zealand. Upon learning of the core functionality of WiPo and the alignment of that with the typical search and rescue situation, study participants were unanimously positive about its potential for improving search and rescue management and outcomes.
Access Denied: Snf1 Activation Loop Phosphorylation Is Controlled by Availability of the Phosphorylated Threonine 210 to the PP1 Phosphatase*

Phosphorylation of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae Snf1 kinase activation loop is determined by the integration of two reaction rates: the rate of phosphorylation by upstream kinases and the rate of dephosphorylation by Glc7. The activities of the Snf1-activating kinases do not appear to be glucose-regulated, since immune complex kinase assays with each of the three Snf1-activating kinases show similar levels of activity when prepared from cells grown in either high or low glucose. In contrast, the dephosphorylation of the Snf1 activation loop was strongly regulated by glucose. When de novo phosphorylation of Snf1 was inhibited, phosphorylation of the Snf1 activation loop was found to be stable in low glucose but rapidly lost upon the addition of glucose. A greater than 10-fold difference in the rates of Snf1 activation loop dephosphorylation was detected. However, the activity of the Glc7-Reg1 phosphatase may not itself be directly regulated by glucose, since the Glc7-Reg1 enzyme was active in low glucose toward another substrate, the transcription factor Mig1. Glucose-mediated regulation of Snf1 activation loop dephosphorylation is controlled by changes in the ability of the Snf1 activation loop to act as a substrate for Glc7.
Effects of intensive exercise training on myocardial performance and coronary blood flow.

Five instrumented and eight noninstrumented dogs were progressively trained for 12-18 wk on a motor-driven treadmill. Data were compared with 14 instrumented and 8 noninstrumented control dogs. Gastrocnemius malate dehydrogenase activity was significantly increased in the trained dogs (887 +/- 75 vs. 667 +/- 68 mumol . g-1 . min-1). The trained dogs also showed significant increases in maximum work capacity, cardiac output (7.1 +/- 0.5 vs. 9.1 +/- 0.7 1/min), stroke volume (25.9 +/- 2.0 vs. 32.0 +/- 2.0 ml/beat), and left ventricular (LV) positive dP/dtmax (9,242 +/- 405 vs. 11,125 +/- 550 Torr/s). Negative dP/dtmax was not significantly different. Peak LV systolic pressure increased with exercise, but there was no significant difference between the trained and control dogs. LV end-diastolic pressure did not change with exercise and was the same in both groups. Tension-time index was lower in the trained dogs at rest and submaximum exercise (9.7 km/h, 10%) but was not different at maximum exercise. Diastolic pressure-time index was significantly higher in the trained dogs at rest and during submaximum exercise but was not different at maximum exercise. LV coronary blood flow was significantly reduced at rest (84 +/- 4 vs. 67 +/- 6 mo . min-1 . 100 g-1) and during submaximum exercise (288 +/- 24 vs. 252 +/- 8 ml . min-1 . 100 g-1). During maximum exercise flow was not significantly different (401 +/- 22 vs. 432 +/- 11 ml . min-1 . 100 g-1) between the control and trained groups. The maximum potential for subendocardial flow was unchanged with training despite the development of mild hypertrophy.
A new Speckle Noise Reduction Technique to Suppress Speckle in Ultrasound Images

Medical images like ultrasound images are generally corrupted by speckle noise during their acquisition and transmission. The impact of speckle noise reduces the diagnostic value of the medical image modality. Thus, a speckle noise reduction technique is necessary for the suppression of noise and to retain the fine details from the corrupted image. In this article, a new speckle noise reduction technique has been suggested that uses the concept of absolute difference and mean. A kernel size of 5x5 has been used in the proposed filter and experimented using a standard Lena image, 50 ultrasound nerve tumour images and 25 B-mode ultrasound images as test images. These grayscale images used as test images are induced with speckle noise of variance ranging from 0.01 to 0.09. The performance of the proposed filter is compared with Hybrid Modified Median Filter (HMMF), Adaptive Median Filter (AMF) and Non-local Mean and Cellular Automata Filter (NMCA) reported in the literature and measured in terms of performance measures like Peak Signal to Noise Ratio (PSNR), Mean Square Error (MSE) and Signal to Noise Ratio (SNR). The result analysis shows the average PSNR as 31.65, MSE as 46.65 and SNR as 70.34 with noise variance 0.01, the average PSNR as 28.10, MSE as 103.72 and SNR as 66.79 with noise variance 0.05 and the average PSNR as 26.23, MSE as 344 Chithra. K and Santhanam. T 159.33 and SNR as 64.92 with noise variance 0.09 using proposed filter for 50 ultrasound nerve images. The average PSNR as 35.49, MSE as 18.55 and SNR as 78.27 with noise variance 0.01, the average PSNR as 30.51, MSE as 58.80 and SNR as 73.30 with noise variance 0.05 and the average PSNR as 28.37, MSE as 96.34 and SNR as 71.16 for 25 ultrasound B-mode images with noise variance 0.09 of proposed filter.
Profiling study of the major and minor components of kaffir lime oil (Citrus hystrix DC.) in the fractional distillation process

Introduction Essential oil is consisting of complex component. It is divided into major and minor component. Therefore, this study aims to examine the distribution of major and minor components on Kaffir lime oil by using fractional distillation. Fractional distillation and distributional analysis of components within fractions have been performed on kaffir lime oil (Citrus hystrix DC.). Methods Fractional distillation was performed by using PiloDist 104-VTU, column length of 2 m (number of plate 120), the system pressure was set on 5 and 10 mBar, while the reflux ratio varied on 10/10, 20/10 and 60/10, and the chemical composition analysis was done by using GC-MS. Chemical composition of the distillated lime oil consisted of mix-twigs and leaves that composed of 20 compounds, with five main components β-citronellal (46.40%), L-linalool (13.11%), β-citronellol (11.03%), citronelyl acetate (6.76%) and sabinen (5.91%). Results The optimum conditions for fractional distillation were obtained at 5 mBar pressure with reflux ratio of 10/10. Components of β -citronellal and L-linalool were distributed in the fraction-1 to fraction 9, hydrocarbon monoterpenes components were distributed only on the fraction-1 to fraction 4, while the oxygenated monoterpenes components dominated the fraction-5 to fraction-9. Conclusion The highest level of β-citronellal was 84.86% (fraction-7), L-linalool 20.13% (fraction-5), sabinen 19.83% (fraction-1), and the component level of 4-terpeneol, β-citronellol and sitronelyl acetate respectively 7.16%; 12.27%; 5.22% (fraction-9).
ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE MONITORING: UAV PHOTOGRAMMETRY CAN BE AN ANSWER

Abstract. During archaeological excavations it is important to monitor the new excavated areas and findings day by day in order to be able to plan future excavation activities. At present, this daily activity is usually performed by using total stations, which survey the changes of the archaeological site: the surveyors are asked to produce day by day draft plans and sections which allow archaeologists to plan their future activities. The survey is realized during the excavations or just at the end of every working day and drawings have to be produced as soon as possible in order to allow the comprehension of the work done and to plan the activities for the following day. By using this technique, all the measurements, even those not necessary for the day after, have to be acquired in order to avoid a ‘loss of memory’. A possible alternative to this traditional approach is aerial photogrammetry, if the images can be acquired quickly and at a taken distance able to guarantee the necessary accuracy of a few centimeters. Today the use of UAVs (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles) can be considered a proven technology able to acquire images at distances ranging from 4 m up to 20 m: and therefore as a possible monitoring system to provide the necessary information to the archaeologists day by day. The control network, usually present at each archaeological site, can give the stable control points useful for orienting a photogrammetric block acquired by using an UAV equipped with a calibrated digital camera and a navigation control system able to drive the aircraft following a pre-planned flight scheme. Modern digital photogrammetric software can solve for the block orientation and generate a DSM automatically, allowing rapid orthophoto generation and the possibility of producing sections and plans. The present paper describes a low cost UAV system realized by the research group of the Politecnico di Torino and tested on a Roman villa archaeological site located in Aquileia (Italy), a well-known UNESCO WHL site. The results of automatic orientation and orthophoto production are described in terms of their accuracy and the completeness of information guaranteed for archaeological site excavation management.
Studies of the molecular mechanisms in the regulation of telomerase activity

Telomerase, a specialized RNA‐directed DNA polymerase that extends telomeres of eukaryotic chromosomes, is repressed in normal human somatic cells but is activated during development and upon neoplasia. Whereas activation is involved in immortalization of neoplastic cells, repression of telomerase permits consecutive shortening of telomeres in a chromosome replication‐dependent fashion. This cell cycle‐dependent, unidirectional catabolism of telomeres constitutes a mechanism for cells to record the extent of DNA loss and cell division number; when telomeres become critically short, the cells terminate chromosome replication and enter cellular senescence. Although neither the telomere signaling mechanisms nor the mechanisms whereby telomerase is repressed in normal cells and activated in neoplastic cells have been established, inhibition of telomerase has been shown to compromise the growth of cancer cells in culture; conversely, forced expression of the enzyme in senescent human cells extends their life span to one typical of young cells. Thus, to switch telomerase on and off has potentially important implications in anti‐aging and anti‐cancer therapy. There is abundant evidence that the regulation of telomerase is multifactorial in mammalian cells, involving telomerase gene expression, post‐translational protein‐protein interactions, and protein phosphorylation. Several protooncogenes and tumor suppressor genes have been implicated in the regulation of telomerase activity, both directly and indirectly; these include c‐Myc, Bcl‐2, p21WAF1, Rb, p53, PKC, Akt/PKB, and protein phosphatase 2A. These findings are evidence for the complexity of telomerase control mechanisms and constitute a point of departure for piecing together an integrated picture of telomerase structure, function, and regulation in aging and tumor development—Liu, J.‐P. Studies of the molecular mechanisms in the regulation of telomerase activity. FASEB J. 13, 2091–2104 (1999)
Continuous glucose monitoring in children with type 1 diabetes

Type 1 diabetes is one of the most common chronic childhood illnesses affecting one in 550 children in the UK (Department of Health and Department for Education and Skills, 2005). The main goals of diabetes care include good metabolic control, minimisation of complications and maintaining a good quality of life (QOL). Failure to achieve these goals results not only in poor QOL for the person with diabetes, but is a huge strain on the health service, with the treatment of diabetes costing an estimated £5 million per day (Williams and Pickup, 2004). Much of this cost is attibutable to complications, which can be reduced with good professional care and self-management (Department of Health and Diabetes UK, 2005). The introduction of continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) as a form of blood glucose monitoring has the potential to help people with diabetes achieve target HbA 1c levels while reducing the risk of severe hypoglycaemia. Although CGM has been in clinical use for approximately 12 years, the evidence surrounding its superiority over traditional blood glucose monitoring remains controversial. In this article, the author discusses the potential benefits of using CGM in children with type 1 diabetes.
HLA Class II Polymorphism Influences Onset and Severity of Pathology in Schistosoma mansoni-Infected Transgenic Mice

ABSTRACT Genetic factors that might influence susceptibility or resistance in naive individuals and early-stage pathology in schistosomiasis are difficult to study in clinical trials, since in areas where the disease is endemic the first contact with the parasite occurs most often at very early ages. Therefore, four strains (DR1.Aβ°, DR2.Aβ°, DQ8.Aβ°, and DQ6.Aβ°) of major histocompatibility complex class II-deficient mice (Aβ°), transgenic for different HLA alleles, have been used to evaluate the potential role of HLA class II polymorphism in the onset of the infection by Schistosoma mansoni. The survival rates and parasitological and immunological parameters after infection were evaluated and compared against the control values obtained with Aβ° mice. All four mouse strains used in this study were able to generate a specific immune response against S. mansoni antigens (cytokine production and antibody production). However, only mice expressing DR alleles survived until the chronic stage of the infection and were able to mount protective granulomatous response avoiding hepatic damage, presenting predominant gamma interferon production. In contrast, strains expressing DQ alleles revealed an impairment in generating effective granulomas, resulting in earlier death, which was associated with an impaired hepatic granulomatous response and liquefactic necrosis, reflecting the influence of HLA polymorphism in the establishment of protective response in the early stage of infection.
Hepatitis B core antigen stimulates interleukin‐10 secretion by both T cells and monocytes from peripheral blood of patients with chronic hepatitis B virus infection

In chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection, immune responses to hepatitis B core antigen (HBcAg) are weak. Interleukin (IL)‐10 is a potent immunosuppressive cytokine which we reported recently to be secreted in response to HBcAg by peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from patients with chronic HBV infection or healthy controls. Using an enzyme‐linked immunospot assay, we compared the ability of HBcAg to stimulate IL‐10 production by PBMC with that of lipopolysaccharide (LPS), phytohaemagglutinin‐P and hepatitis C virus‐derived antigens in 16 patients with chronic HBV infection and six healthy controls. Frequencies of IL‐10 spot‐forming cells (SFC) in response to HBcAg were comparable to those obtained with LPS in patients with chronic HBV infection. Frequencies of IL‐10 SFC in response to HBcAg or to LPS were significantly higher in patients with chronic HBV infection than in healthy controls. IL‐10 SFC in response to HBcAg consisted of 26–35% T cells, 62–70% monocytes and less than 1% B cells in patients with chronic HBV infection. Only monocytes contributed to IL‐10 production in controls. Frequencies of HBcAg stimulated IL‐10 SFC representing T cells and monocytes were significantly higher in patients with elevated serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and detectable HBV DNA than in patients with normal ALT and undetectable HBV DNA. The potent ability of HBcAg to stimulate IL‐10 production by PBMC may contribute importantly to immune tolerance toward HBV.
Broad bandwidth endfire antenna using log-periodic directors

This paper presents the design and implementation of a novel broad bandwidth endfire antenna with log-periodic directors. The feeding structure of the proposed antenna includes a balun which is formed using a pair of microstrip to slotline transitions. The proposed antenna has three resonant frequencies in the operating frequency band. Both simulation and measurement results show that the operating frequency band of the antenna can cover wide bandwidth (5GHz-10GHz), and the relative bandwidth is 67%. Far field measurements in azimuth plane and elevation plane show that the radiation patterns are stable and end fire within the operating band at frequencies of 5GHz, 7GHz, 8GHz, 10GHz. The proposed antenna radiates a well defined endfire beam, with a front-to-back ratio > 18dB and cross polarization level below -28dB. The dimension of the proposed antenna is 26mm × 27mm. Good return loss and radiation pattern characteristics are obtained and measured results are presented to validated the usefulness of the proposed antenna structure for wide bandwidth endfire applications.
Stable, polarised, functional expression of Kir1.1b channel protein in Madin‐Darby canine kidney cell line

1 The family of Kir1.1 (ROMK) channel proteins constitute a secretory pathway for potassium in principal cells of cortical collecting duct and thick ascending limb of Henle's loop. Mutations in Kir1.1 account for some types of Bartter's syndrome. 2 Here we report that stable transfection of Kir1.1b (ROMK2) in Madin‐Darby canine kidney (MDCK) cell line results in expression of inwardly rectifying K+ currents and transmonolayer electrical and transport properties appropriate to Kir1.1 function. When grown on permeable supports, transfected monolayers secreted K+ into the apical solution. This secretion was inhibited by application of barium to the apical membrane, or by reduction in expression temperature from 37 to 26°C. However, whole‐cell voltage clamp electrophysiology showed that K+ conductance was higher in cells expressing Kir1.1b at 26°C. 3 To investigate this further, Kir1.1b was tagged with (EGFP), a modification that did not affect channel activity. Protein synthesis was inhibited with cycloheximide. Spectrofluorimetry was used to compare protein degradation at 37 and 26°C. The increased level of Kir1.1b at the plasma membrane at 26°C was due to an increase in protein stability. 4 Confocal microscopic investigation of EGFP‐Kir1.1b fluorescence in transfected cells showed that the channel protein was targeted to the apical domain of the cell. 5 These results demonstrate that Kir1.1b is capable of appropriate trafficking and function in MDCK cell lines at physiological temperatures. In addition, expression of Kir1.1b in MDCK cell lines provides a useful and convenient tool for the study of functional activity and targeting of secretory K+ channels.
Extended scalability of perpendicular STT-MRAM towards sub-20nm MTJ node

In this article, we report the first experimental demonstration of sub-20nm MTJ cells for investigating the downscaling feasibility of spin-transfer torque (STT) MRAM, one of the most promising candidates to replace conventional memories. We demonstrate the STT switching of 17nm node P-MTJ cells, the smallest feature size ever reported, utilizing perpendicular materials possessing high interface anisotropy of 2.5 erg/cm2 and improved integration processes to achieve reproducible switching with critical current (Ic) of 44uA, tunneling magneto-resistance (TMR) ratio of 70% and thermal stability factor (E/kBT) of 34.
Thermostability of Ochratoxin A in wheat under two moisture conditions

The decomposition of ochratoxin A (OTA) was examined, under different temperature and moisture conditions. The calculated half-lives, corresponding to 50% values, were 707, 201, 12, and 6 min, respectively, at 100, 150, 200, and 250 degrees C for dry wheat and 145, 60, and 19 min, respectively, at 100, 150, and 200 degrees C for wheat heated under wet conditions. The presence of water (50%) increased the decomposition of OTA at 100 and 150 degrees C; the opposite was observed at 200 degrees C. Complete destruction of OTA within the limits of this study (100 to 250 degrees C) was not obtained.
A Mixed Methods Approach to Network Data Collection

There is a growing interest in examining network processes with a mix of qualitative and quantitative network data. Research has consistently shown that free recall name generators entail recall bias and result in missing data that affect the quality of social network data. This study describes a mixed methods approach for collecting social network data, combining a free recall name generator in the context of an online survey with network relations data coded from transcripts of semistructured qualitative interviews. The combined network provides substantially more information about the network space, both quantitatively and qualitatively. Although network density was relatively stable across networks generated from different data collection methodologies, there were noticeable differences in centrality and component structure across networks. The approach presented here involved limited participant burden and generated more complete data than either technique alone could provide. We make suggestions for further development of this method.
Viral entry mechanisms: cellular and viral mediators of herpes simplex virus entry

Herpes simplex virus type‐1 and type‐2 are highly prevalent human pathogens causing life‐long infections. The process of infection begins when the virions bind heparan sulfate moieties present on host cell surfaces. This initial attachment then triggers a cascade of molecular interactions involving multiple viral and host cell proteins and receptors, leading to penetration of the viral nucleocapsid and tegument proteins into the cytoplasm. The nucleocapsid is then transported to the nuclear membrane and the viral DNA is released for replication in the nucleus. Recent studies have revealed that herpes simplex virus entry or penetration into cells may be a highly complex process and the mechanism of entry may demonstrate unique cell‐type specificities. Although specificities clearly exist, past and ongoing studies demonstrate that herpes simplex virus may share certain common receptors and pathways that are also used by many other human viruses. This minireview helps to shed light on recent revelations on the herpes simplex virus entry process.