Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Phosphotyrosine-dependent interaction of SHC and insulin receptor substrate 1 with the NPEY motif of the insulin receptor via a novel non-SH2 domain

The SHC proteins have been implicated in insulin receptor (IR) signaling. In this study, we used the sensitive two-hybrid assay of protein-protein interaction to demonstrate that SHC interacts directly with the IR. The interaction is mediated by SHC amino acids 1 to 238 and is therefore independent of the Src homology 2 domain. The interaction is dependent upon IR autophosphorylation, since the interaction is eliminated by mutation of the IR ATP-binding site. In addition, mutational analysis of the Asn-Pro-Glu-Tyr (NPEY) motif within the juxtamembrane domain of the IR showed the importance of the Asn, Pro, and Tyr residues to both SHC and IR substrate 1 (IRS-1) binding. We conclude that SHC interacts directly with the IR and that phosphorylation of Tyr-960 within the IR juxtamembrane domain is necessary for efficient interaction. This interaction is highly reminiscent of that of IRS-1 with the IR, and we show that the SHC IR-binding domain can substitute for that of IRS-1 in yeast and COS cells. We identify a homologous region within the IR-binding domains of SHC and IRS-1, which we term the SAIN (SHC and IRS-1 NPXY-binding) domain, which may explain the basis of these interactions. The SAIN domain appears to represent a novel motif which is able to interact with autophosphorylated receptors such as the IR.
How assertive are nurses in the workplace? A preliminary pilot study.

AIM This paper aims to outline the development and results of an instrument that describes the assertive behaviour of nurses. BACKGROUND As a largely female dominated profession, nurses are anecdotally regarded to be in traditional subservient roles. In addition, nurses aspire to public images of nurses as "nice". These factors are thought to reduce nurses' capacity to behave in an assertive manner. However, little empirical evidence exists that describes the assertive skills of today's practicing nurse. METHODS A 44-item questionnaire collected data from 27 registered nurses. RESULTS Items that feature strongly in the respondents reported behaviour are allowing others to express opinions, complimenting others and saying no. These findings suggest that nurses behave in a passive way, conforming to the image of a nice nurse. Nurses were less adept at disagreeing with others opinions and providing constructive criticism. Differences emerged in behaviours between the three groups. CONCLUSION Assertive behaviour is a skill, i.e. utilized according to interpersonal and role relationship. Factors within the work environment such as colleagues and atmosphere can support or prevent these behaviours.
Croatian speech technologies

Speech technologies deal with designing computer systems that can recognize spoken words, comprehend human language and generate intelligible speech. There is a wide range of applications speech technology systems were successfully implemented in. One of the most complex applications in speech technology is a spoken dialog system, which can be used for information inquiry services. In the paper we present the work in the development of a spoken dialog system for Croatian language. We propose an approach for development of modules in a spoken dialog system for the limited domain which uses the same acoustic model for speech recognition and speech synthesis. For the linguistic analysis an approach is proposed which is based on qualitative language modelling, while the development of the dialog module is based on the formalism of the object-oriented frame logic language. Some experimental results for Croatian speech recognition and understanding are presented and discussed.
The Equity Risk Premium on the Swedish Stock Market

The equity risk premium is a very important part of every valuation. When valuing a company you have to decide on the level of the equity risk premium. The decision influences the value to great extent. To aid in that decision we estimate the equity risk premium on the Swedish stock market by three methods. Our estimates cover the period 1919-2010. The historical equity risk premium for 1919 – 2009 is on average 5.9 percent (arithmetic) per year and 3.3 percent (geometric) per year. The survey data for 2010 is 4.6 percent and the implied equity risk premium for 2008 is 2.1 percent. We use the 10-year governmental bond yield as risk-free interest rate. Our conclusion is that, referring to survey data, the equity risk premium to use in a valuation of a Swedish company 2010 should be around 4.5 percent.
Balancing the Value and Risk of Socio-Technical Congruence

If socio-technical congruence can bring about benefits such as better performance to a software development project, then actions that improve the level of congruence have a potential to increase the overall project value. However, those actions may also incur a cost, and bring additional risks into the project. We propose a number of alternative actions for increasing sociotechnical congruence, based on the representation of congruence gaps in the socio-technical graph of the project. We also describe the costs and risks corresponding to those actions, to highlight how they represent options for the governance of the project, each of which impacts a different aspect, ranging from architectural decomposition, to team work practices, to project scheduling.
Uses of and Exposure to Trichloroethylene in U.S. Industry: A Systematic Literature Review

This article describes a systematic review of the industrial hygiene literature for uses of trichloroethylene (TCE) in industry for the exposure assessment of two population-based case control studies of brain cancer in the United States. Papers and reports that address uses of and exposures to TCE were identified from MEDLINE, TOXLINE, NIOSHTIC, the NIOSH Health Hazard Evaluation database (keywords: chlorinated solvents and trichloroethylene), and in other reviews. This search was complemented by reviewing the reference lists from the identified literature. The collected information was systematized by the Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) system, and measurement data reported in the literature were summarized in a database. TCE use was extensive from the early 1920s through the 1970s mainly as a degreasing agent in metal-fabricating operations. After the 1970s it became less popular because of environmental concerns. TCE historically has had a multitude of uses in many other industries, e.g., dry cleaning, textile, electronics, leather, and rubber. Also, many products like adhesives, drugs, paints, inks, and various industrial products have contained TCE. It was banned as a food additive and in cosmetics in 1977. The arithmetic mean (AM) of the measurements across all industries and decades was 38.2 ppm. The highest personal and area air levels were reported in vapor degreasing (AM of 44.6 ppm). Most TCE measurements were performed in the 1950s, 1970s, and 1980s. The data described here could be used by exposure assessors as is to identify the presence and approximate levels of exposure. Using the same information as a basis should increase the reliability of the assessments, making it easier to compare both the exposure assessment methods and the epidemiologic results across different studies.
Governance and social enterprise

For Love and Money – Governance and Social Enterprise is the result of research commissioned by the Governance Hub, in partnership with the Social Enterprise Coalition, and conducted by third sector specialists from the Open University. It aims to: Identify any characteristics of governance practices specific or distinctive to social enterprises. Identify and examine the governance support needs of social enterprises, the specific sources of governance support they currently access and the limitations and gaps in this provision. Explore how Governance Hub strategies, services and resources, and those of its successor, might be communicated, adapted, or extended to meet the needs of social enterprises.
A Novel Splice Variant of FR4 Predominantly Expressed in CD4+CD25+ Regulatory T Cells#

Folate receptor 4 (FR4) is recently found as a lymphoid tissue specific protein. In this study, we have identified an alternative splicing variant of the FR4 gene from murine splenocytes, termed FR4v, which is almost identical to FR4 cDNA sequence except with the retained 108 bp intron 3 between exon 3 and 4 of FR4 gene. FR4v mRNA encodes a larger protein than FR4 and is constitutively expressed on CD4+CD25+ regulatory T cell (Treg) membrane via a GPI anchor mechanism. Whether FR4v plays a redundant or unique functional role in Tregs should be investigated further in the future.
Chapter 3 The Nature of Scientific Meta-Knowledge

We argue that science education should focus on enabling students to develop meta-knowledge about science so that students come to understand how different aspects of the scientific enterprise work together to create and test scientific theories. Furthermore, we advocate that teaching such meta-knowledge should begin in early elementary school and continue through college and graduate school and that it should be taught for all types of science, including the biological, physical, and social sciences. In this chapter we outline a theory of scientific meta-knowledge, which is built around four critical aspects of science. We refer to the four types of meta-knowledge that are needed as (1) meta-theoretic knowledge, (2) meta-questioning knowledge, (3) meta-investigation knowledge, and (4) meta-analytic knowledge. While numerous investigators, working in the philosophy of science, cognitive science, and science education, have developed theories about various aspects of the nature of science, there have been few attempts to provide detailed models that explicate all four of these components, along with an elaboration of how they work together in scientific inquiry. This has resulted in science curricula that provide students and teachers with impoverished views of the nature of science. Most K-12 inquiry-oriented science curricula, for example, underemphasize the role of theory, particularly competing theories. They also fail to adequately explain the relationship between theory and evidence, nor do they adequately portray the inquiry processes that are involved in the interplay between the two. Even collegelevel textbooks on research methods fall short. Most focus on investigation and analysis and do not adequately discuss the different forms that scientific models and theories can take or the types of evidence and arguments that can be used to support or refute them.
Effect of antihypertensive treatment in patients having already suffered from stroke. Gathering the evidence. The INDANA (INdividual Data ANalysis of Antihypertensive intervention trials) Project Collaborators.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Drug treatment of high blood pressure has been shown to reduce the associated cardiovascular risk. Stroke represents the type of event more strongly linked with high blood pressure, responsible for a high rate of death or invalidity, and with the highest proportion of events that can be avoided by treatment. Hypertensive patients with a history of cerebrovascular accident are at particularly high risk of recurrence. Specific trials of blood pressure lowering drugs in stroke survivors showed inconclusive results in the past. METHODS We performed a meta-analysis using all available randomized controlled clinical trials assessing the effect of blood pressure lowering drugs on clinical outcomes (recurrence of stroke, coronary events, cause-specific, and overall mortality) in patients with prior stroke or transient ischemic attack. RESULTS We identified 9 trials, including a total of 6752 patients: 2 trials included 551 hypertensive stroke survivors; 6 trials of hypertensive patients included a small proportion of stroke survivors (536 patients); 1 trial included stroke survivors, whether hypertensive or not (5665 patients). The recurrence of stroke, fatal and nonfatal, was significantly reduced in active groups compared with control groups consistently across the different sources of data (relative risk of 0.72, 95% confidence interval: 0.61 to 0.85). There was no evidence that this intervention induced serious adverse effect. CONCLUSIONS Blood pressure lowering drug interventions reduced the risk of stroke recurrence in stroke survivors. Available data did not allow to verify whether such benefit depends on initial blood pressure level. More data are needed before considering antihypertensive therapy in normotensive patients at high cerebrovascular risk.
Effect of glucocorticosteroid injections in tennis elbow verified on colour Doppler ultrasonography: evidence of inflammation

Objectives: It has previously been reported that lateral epicondylitis may be diagnosed with colour Doppler ultrasonography (US) by detecting hyperaemia inside the common extensor origin (CEO). This study reports on the association between Doppler US findings and the short-term response of US-guided corticosteroid injection in patients with LE. Design: Case-only, blinded intervention study. Setting: Secondary care at a government hospital. Patients: 62 patients with LE verified by colour Doppler US. Intervention: One US-guided corticosteroid injection was given into the CEO. Main outcome measures: Patients were evaluated at baseline before the injection and at 2 weeks of follow-up. Outcome measures were changes in pain score and US parameters (resistive index (RI) and the amount of colour within the CEO). Prognosticators for outcome were: use of computer mouse, symptom duration, elbow strain, RI, colour fraction, Likert pain score, pain at rest, pain during activity, age, height, weight, disease in dominant versus nondominant arm. Results: All but one patient experienced improvement of general elbow pain perception at follow-up at 2 weeks. In parallel, Doppler US showed significant reduction in colour fraction (mean (standard deviation) with 95% confidence limits: baseline 0.14 (0.10), at follow-up 0.02 (0.02), p<0.0001). All but five patients showed a decrease in colour fraction; 74% decreased to 0. No clinical or US parameter could distinguish responders from non-responders. Conclusion: Corticosteroid injection has a marked short-term effect on pain and Doppler parameters. The reduction in hyperaemia mediated by an anti-inflammatory drug can be interpreted as evidence of an inflammatory component in LE.
Exploring the Impact of Infrastructure, Pay Incentives and Workplace Environment on Employees performance (A Case Study of Sargodha University)

It is acknowledged that work systems cannot only affect commitment, competence, cost effectiveness and congruence but also have long term consequence for workers’ well-being; there is some evidence to indicate that work systems designs may have effects on physical health, mental health and longevity of life itself. Conducive work environment ensures the wellbeing of employees as well as enables them to exert themselves to their roles with all vigor that may translate to higher productivity (Taiwo, 2009). This study aims to explore the impact of office facilities and workplace milieu on employees’ performance in a university of Sargodha. A sample of 150 respondents of male and female employees of both teaching and non teaching category was selected. Chi-square and Gamma test were applied to interpret the findings of study.
Cellular Energetics in the Preconditioned State

Cell survival is critically dependent on the preservation of cellular bioenergetics. However, the metabolic mechanisms that confer resistance to injury are poorly understood. Phosphotransfer reactions integrate ATP-consuming with ATP-producing processes and could thereby contribute to the generation of a protective phenotype. Here, we used ischemic preconditioning to induce a stress-tolerant state and 18O-assisted31P nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy to capture intracellular phosphotransfer dynamics. Preconditioning of isolated perfused hearts triggered a redistribution in phosphotransfer flux with significant increase in creatine kinase and glycolytic rates. High energy phosphoryl fluxes through creatine kinase, adenylate kinase, and glycolysis in preconditioned hearts correlated tightly with post-ischemic functional recovery. This was associated with enhanced metabolite exchange between subcellular compartments, manifested by augmented transfer of inorganic phosphate from cellular ATPases to mitochondrial ATP synthase. Preconditioning-induced energetic remodeling protected cellular ATP synthesis and ATP consumption, improving contractile performance following ischemia-reperfusion insult. Thus, the plasticity of phosphotransfer networks contributes to the effective functioning of the cellular energetic system, providing a mechanism for increased tolerance toward injury.
SPADES: A System for Parallel-Agent, Discrete-Event Simulation

Simulations are an excellent tool for studying AI. However, the simulation technology in use by, and designed for, the AI community often fails to take advantage of much of the work in the larger simulation community to produce stable, repeatable, and efficient simulations. I present SPADES (SYSTEM FOR PARALLEL-AGENT DISCRETE-EVENT SIMULATION) as a simulation substrate for the AI community. SPADES focuses on the agent as a fundamental simulation component. The "thinking time" of an agent is tracked and reflected in the results of the agents' actions. SPADES supports and manages the distribution of agents across machines while it is robust to variations in network performance and machine load. SPADES is not tied to any particular simulation and is a powerful new tool for creating simulations for the study of AI.
Key Concepts in Corporate Social Responsibility

Agency Theory Business at the Bottom of the Pyramid Business Case for CSR Business Ethics Business Networks Civil Society Codes of Conduct Community Relations Complexity Theory Corporate Accountability Corporate Citizenship Corporate Responsibility Reporting Corporate Social Responsibility Corporate Sustainability Corporate Sustainability Strategies Eco-Efficiency Employee Engagement Employee Health and Safety Environmental Discourses Environmental Policy Tools Ethical Consumerism Fair Trade Globalization Governance Green Marketing Greenwash Human Rights Intergenerational Equity Intragenerational Equity NGOs Performance Evaluation and Measurement Philanthropy Pollution and Waste Management Post-Colonialism Product Stewardship Resource-Based View Responsible Leadership Risk Management Social and Societal Marketing Social Capital Social Entrepreneurship Social Partnerships Socially Responsible Investment Stakeholder Theory Stewardship Sustainable Development Sweatshops Systems Approaches Triple Bottom Line Voluntary Regulation
Image compression based on unrestrained sized wavelet transform

In this paper, we adopt a wavelet decomposition scheme that doesn’t require 2 size image and avoid data padding. Instead of tree-structure coding algorithms, we just apply scalar quantization and arithmetic coding to every sub-band separately after wavelet transformation. The optimized bit-rates for every sub-band are confirmed by the BFOS algorithm. The experiment shows that this scheme can perform as well as the sophisticated algorithm SPIHT and it has the new property of resolution progressive. Key wordsimage compression; wavelet
Rainfall, household crowding, and acute respiratory infections in the tropics

SUMMARY Acute respiratory infections (ARI) are the leading cause of death worldwide in children aged <5 years, and understanding contributing factors to their seasonality is important for targeting and implementing prevention strategies. In tropical climates, ARI typically peak during the pre-rainy and rainy seasons. One hypothesis is that rainfall leads to more time spent indoors, thus increasing exposure to other people and in turn increasing the risk of ARI. A case-crossover study design in 718 Bangladeshi children aged <5 years was used to evaluate this hypothesis. During a 3-month period with variable rainfall, rainfall was associated with ARI [odds ratio (OR) 2·97, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1·87–4·70]; some evidence of an increased strength of association as household crowding increased was found (⩾3 people/room, OR 3·31, 95% CI 2·03–5·38), but there was a lack of association in some of the most crowded households (⩾5 to <6 people/room, OR 1·55, 95% CI 0·54–4·47). These findings suggest that rainfall may be increasing exposure to crowded conditions, thus leading to an increased risk of ARI, but that additional factors not captured by this analysis may also play a role.
Long term Cochlear Implant electrode improvement for stimulation and sensing neuronal activity

Electrode array, an important component of Cochlear Implant (CI) design holds a key position in restoring the hearing process to the deaf patients. It represents a direct interface between the auditory nerve (biological tissue) and the electronic system of the CI. Electrode arrays are available in different design, material, shape and size depending upon the requirement and the application of the device. The traditional fabrication method of the device restricts the electrode usability and its performance. In this paper we investigate and explore capable materials for CI electrode array fabrication used for stimulating the auditory neurons. Here we discuss the CMOS compatible electrode material and the necessary biocompatible insulation required for long term implants. Fabrication issues and different material possibilities are discussed with respect to the properties associated with it.
Gender, coping and psychosomatic symptoms

SYNOPSIS In this study gender differences in coping were explored, using the Ways of Coping Checklist (WCC; Folkman & Lazarus, 1980). In addition, the focus was on sex differences in the predictive value of coping strategies in relation to psychosomatic symptoms. Males preferred problem-focused coping strategies, planned and rational actions, positive thinking, personal growth and humour, day-dreaming and fantasies. Women preferred emotion-focused coping solutions, self-blame, expression of emotions/seeking of social support, and wishful thinking/emotionality. In spite of the gender differences the results of multiple regression analyses indicated congruous relationships between coping and complaints for both sexes. Stressors and coping factors contributed in much the same way to the explained variance of symptoms and the results were generally similar for males and females. The present data also emphasize the bidirectionality of the coping–symptoms link. This holds especially for self-blame, day-dreaming and fantasizing, and wishful thinking/emotionality. In contrast, distancing was found to be associated with self-reported psychosocial load. Future prospective studies should explicitly pay attention to this bidirectional relationship.
Functional consequences of model complexity in rhythmic systems: II. Systems performance of model and hybrid oscillators

Neural models are increasingly being used as design components of physical systems. In order to best use models in these novel contexts, we must develop design rules that describe how decisions in model construction relate to the functional performance of the resulting system. In the accompanying paper, we described a series of related neuron models of varying complexity. Here, we use these models to build several half-center oscillators, and investigate how model complexity influences the robustness and flexibility of these oscillators. Our results indicate that model complexity has a significant effect on the robustness and flexibility of systems that incorporate neural models.