Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The mouse Muc5b mucin gene is transcriptionally regulated by thyroid transcription factor‐1 (TTF‐1) and GATA‐6 transcription factors

MUC5B is one of the major mucin genes expressed in the respiratory tract. Previous studies in our laboratory have demonstrated that MUC5B is expressed in human lung adenocarcinomas and during lung morphogenesis. Moreover, in human lung adenocarcinoma tissues, a converse correlation between MUC5B and thyroid transcription factor‐1 (TTF‐1) expression, a lung‐specific transcription factor, has been established. However, the molecular mechanisms that govern the regulation of MUC5B expression in the lung are largely unknown. In order to better understand the biological role of MUC5B in lung pathophysiology, we report the characterization of the promoter region of the mouse Muc5b mucin gene. The promoter is flanked by a TATA box (TACATAA) identical to that in the human gene. Human and murine promoters share 67.5% similarity over the first 170 nucleotides. By RT‐PCR, co‐transfection studies and gel‐shift assays, we show that Muc5b promoter activity is completely inhibited by TTF‐1, whereas factors of the GATA family (GATA‐4/GATA‐5/GATA‐6) are activators. Together, these results demonstrate, for the first time, that Muc5b is a target gene of transcription factors (TTF‐1, GATA‐6) involved in lung differentiation programs during development and carcinogenesis, and identify TTF‐1 as a strong repressor of Muc5b. The characterization of the structural and functional features of the Muc5b mucin gene will provide us with a strong base to develop studies in murine models aimed at the identification of its biological role in lung pathophysiology.
Semantic Identification and Visualization of Significant Words within Documents - Approach to Visualize Relevant Words within Documents to a Search Query by Word Similarity Computation

This paper gives at first an introduction to similarity computation and text summarization of documents by usage of a probabilistic topic model, especially Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA). Afterwards it provides a discussion about the need of a better understanding for the reason and transparency at all for the end-user why documents with a computed similarity actually are similar to a given search query. The authors propose for that an approach to identify and highlight words with respect to their semantic relevance directly within documents and provide a theoretical background as well as an adequate visual assignment for that approach.
A decentralized approach for cooperative sweeping by multiple mobile robots

Presents a decentralized cooperative sweeping approach for area sweeping by multiple mobile robots. Approaches for implementing both autonomous function and cooperative function are proposed and described. An online goal selection (OGS) algorithm is proposed for motion planning to guide autonomous behavior. To achieve cooperation, the robot society is organized as a decentralized market-like structure and a negotiation mechanism is used to resolve the task-sharing problem. A hybrid system architecture is implemented to combine both cooperative and autonomous functions. A simulation software environment is built for testing and evaluation.
Buspirone Hydrochloride: A Unique New Anxiolytic Agent; Pharmacokinetics, Clinical Pharmacology, Abuse Potential and Clinical Efficacy

Buspirone is the first of a new class of anxioselective agents, the azaspirodecanediones. It achieves peak serum concentrations within one hour and has a serum half‐life of 2 to 5 hours. Animal studies have suggested antianxiety activity and the absence of abuse potential. Buspirone is both a dopamine agonist and antagonist, and appears to interact with numerous neurochemical systems in the brain, but not with gamma‐aminobutyric acid or at benzodiazepine receptors. Buspirone increases prolactin and growth hormone levels under experimental conditions. In healthy subjects, it has much less effect on psychomotor performance and electroencephalographic results than diazepam. Buspirone offsets some of the impairment due to alcohol when the agents are combined. The drug has anxiolytic properties comparable to those of diazepam, with less sedating effects. It had no abuse potential in tests with casual drug users.
Changes in Chinese Consumers` Perception toward Korean Apparel Products: A Longitudinal Study

The main objective of this study was to examine how Chinese consumers` perceptions toward Korean apparel products have changed over the years. Specifically, motives for purchasing Korean apparel products, information sources, purchase criteria and evaluation on Korean apparel products were investigated. Data were collected in 2002, 2003, 2005, and 2007 from young female Chinese in Beijing, China during the months of June and July. A total of 603 questionnaires were collected and 578 were used in the final analysis. The results of two-way analysis of variance by year and purchase experience indicated that in overall, purchase motives and importance of various information sources changed greatly over the years, while evaluation on Korean apparel products have remained relatively stable. In comparison to the longitudinal changes in Chinese perception toward Korean apparel products, Chinese consumers` perception toward Korean apparel products did not differ significantly in most of variables according to purchase experience.
Antisocial personality disorder in abused and neglected children grown up.

OBJECTIVE the authors' goal in this study was to examine the extent to which having been abused and/or neglected in childhood raises a person's risk for having an adult DSM-III-R diagnosis of antisocial personality disorder. METHOD Children who had experienced substantiated child abuse and/or neglect from 1967 to 1971 in a Midwestern metropolitan county area were matched on the basis of age, race, sex, and approximate family social class with a group of nonabused and nonneglected children and followed prospectively into young adulthood. Subjects were located and participated in a 2-hour interview consisting of a series of structured and semistructured questions, rating scales, and a psychiatric assessment using the National Institute of Mental Health Diagnostic Interview Schedule. Interviews were completed with 699 young adult subjects (416 abused and/or neglected and 283 comparison subjects). RESULTS Childhood victimization was a significant predictor of the number of lifetime symptoms of antisocial personality disorder and of a diagnosis of antisocial personality disorder, despite the fact that controls for demographic characteristics and arrest history were introduced. CONCLUSIONS These findings suggest the importance of inquiring about a patient's childhood history of abuse and/or neglect when antisocial symptoms are evident. In addition to speculation about a possible saturation model for the consequences of childhood victimization, these findings also reinforce a multiple causation model of antisocial personality disorder.
Website Adoption: Overview of Malaysian Cost Engineering Firms

Purpose: Website is a powerful tool in business today and its advantages have been well established in the research field of e-commerce, IT, ICT and SME. In construction-related professional sector, website could be a platform for greener, effective communication and collaboration among team members as well as a tool for marketing. However, the current scenario of website adoption in construction professional is unknown due to the lack of research. Therefore, this paper is intended to provide an overview of website adoption in Malaysian cost engineering firms in terms of adoption rate, the profiles of adopters and non-adopters, determinants and inhibitions of the adoption. Design/Methodology/Approach: 319 sets of questionnaire had been posted to all cost engineering firms throughout Malaysia, and then complemented by online survey. 58 firms out of 319 firms responded to the survey resulting in 18.1% response rate. Findings: Website adoption rate in Malaysian cost engineering firms is 27.6%, 11.9% are developing own website and 69.0% plan to develop own website. Majority of the adopters are matured firms with more employees and higher average commission, compared to non-adopters. Meanwhile, adopters’ projects predominantly from private and public sectors and mostly involved with overseas project. Furthermore, firm size, average commission and involvement with overseas project influenced the propensity to adopt this initiative. Finally, the slowness of adoption is associated with perceived ‘not lead to more efficiency or lower cost’, ‘not lead to more commission’ and ‘lack of time’. Research Limitations/ Implications: Low response rate jeopardised the credibility of the findings. However, it could be useful to indicate the current website adoption scenario in Malaysian cost engineering firms. Practical Implications: Website could be utilised to help in firms’ growth. The adoption could be a kick-start to grow and expand beyond local boundaries. Originality/ Value: The scarcity of information regarding the adoption of website among construction-related professionals indicates that only few research have been done in this area.
Corporate governance practices in developing countries : the case of Libya

Corporate governance is currently on the agenda of many countries, and is receiving considerable attention in the business world as well as in the area of academic research, which is an indication of its importance for business development and for society as a whole. A large body of the currently available knowledge addresses this phenomenon from the perspective of the developed economies. Although the knowledge base about corporate governance in developing countries appears to be limited, it is growing. The main aim of this study is to investigate current corporate governance practices, perceptions and obstacles within Libya following the introduction of the Libyan Corporate Governance Code (LCGC). To achieve this aim, the study investigates: first, the nature and extent of applying current corporate governance; secondly, the perceptions of listed companies' staff (senior managers and employees in financial positions) and Libyan financial experts (academics and auditors) regarding the introduction of the LCGC; thirdly, the current obstacles facing the application of LCGC; and, finally, the views of the Libyan regulators and officials in relation to the obstacles identified and how they may be reduced. In order to accomplish the research objectives, a mixed research methodology was adopted: This involved using two types of research methods for collecting data: semistructured interviews and a questionnaire survey divided into three sequential stages: firstly, interviews were conducted with board members of the companies surveyed; secondly, a questionnaire was distributed to selected staff of the companies surveyed and Libyan financial experts; thirdly, further interviews were conducted with Libyan regulators and officials. The findings of the study revealed that corporate governance in Libya is in its early stages of development and is characterised by a weak legal environment, lack of knowledge about corporate governance, poor leadership, lack of training among directors and weak investment awareness among investors. Therefore, the influence of social, cultural and economic factors is evident. The results also suggest that urgent action is needed in order to facilitate the implementation of a good corporate governance system in Libya.
Rare AU-1-Like G3P[9] Human Rotaviruses with a Kun-Like NSP4 Gene Detected in Children with Diarrhea in Italy

ABSTRACT Three G3P[9] rotaviruses, detected in children hospitalized with gastroenteritis in Palermo, Italy, were found to be genetically related to strains of either human or feline origin in the VP7, VP4, and VP6 genes. In contrast, in the NSP4 gene the viruses resembled G2P[4] human strains, suggesting a reassortment between AU-1-like and Kun-like strains.
Impacts and Role of Group Purchasing Organization in Healthcare Supply Chain

Effective supply chain management is a key differen tiator and source of competitive advantage across s everal industries, yet many rapid advances in supply chain and logistics have not been well adopted in health care industry, in particular by health care providers. Healthcare providers currently spend approximately 40% of tota l cost towards procuring, managing and distributing supplies and m edical devices. Supply chain and related activities constitute the second largest expenditure for healthcare providers . Among the various stakeholders of healthcare supp ly chain, Group Purchasing Organization (GPO) are a dominant force and act as an necessary intermediary between the manufacturer, distributors, solution providers and the provider. Most hospitals in the United States h ave affiliation with one or more GPOs, making GPOs an important stakeholder in healthcare supply chains. GPOs aggregat e purchasing volume based on demand from several healthcare providers to negotiate quantity discount fro m manufacturers and offer a variety of additional ser vices such as vendor selection; product portfolio m anagement, ecommerce, contracting, data and information service s that help improve supply chain performance for pr oviders. In this paper we discuss the value of leveraging GPO s ervices by healthcare providers to enhance their su pply chain.
Re‐engineering a construction supply chain: a material flow control approach

From the arguably poor platforms described by the Egan, Latham, and Royal Academy of Engineering reports on the construction sector, there is now evidence that the supply chain revolution experienced over the last decade in the electronics products and automotive sectors is impacting on housebuilding in the UK. This case study describes how a first‐tier supplier has applied “best practice” to design and implement a BPR programme. In total span the resulting change covers a baseline of traditional operations to the present status of agile response. Essentially the BPR programme has been conceived around the need for streamlined material flow through internal processes and both supplier and customer interfaces. The paper highlights the BPR stages necessary for enabling change, which is audited in terms of assessment of improved material flow. Finally, the “bottom‐line” impact of the BPR programme is documented, and demonstrates that substantial benefits have accrued.
CHARACTERISTICS OF ONLINE BANKING PRODUCTS AND SERVICES

Online banking is the newest and least understood delivery channel for retail banking services. This article show how customers perceive Online Banking Services. Focuses on the issues associated with internet banking service quality. For customer service quality, focus is on access, credibility, communication, understanding the costumer and collaboration. For online banking services focus is on: ease of use, accuracy, timelines, aesthetics and security. For banking service product quality focus is on product variety.
The impact of the Basle capital adequacy ratio regulation on the financial and marketing strategies of Islamic banks

Reports that, unlike Western commercial banks, Islamic banks are prohibited by Islamic precepts to receive or pay interest, inter alia, in all their transactions. Argues that the Basle capital adequacy ratio (CAR), which was implemented in 1992 by regulatory authorities in many countries, is irrelevant to Islamic banks because it does not accommodate, among other things, one of the major instruments ‐ investment accounts ‐ through which Islamic banks mobilize funds on the basis of profit sharing. Develops four possible scenarios for the treatment of these accounts in the calculation of CAR and examines their impact on the financial and marketing strategies of Islamic banks in the light of the risk‐return relationship between the funds contributors of these banks.
Proactive Redundant Data Filtering Scheme for Combined RFID and Sensor Networks

Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) is gaining significant thrust in many application fields such as identification and real-time localization systems. Consequently, nowadays, the demand for integrated RFID-Sensors networks is increasing. Usually, numerous RFID-Sensors are deployed to form such types of networks. Then, an RFID tag can be located in the reading field of more than one reader that generates duplicated data reception at the base station. The data redundancy transmission causes unnecessary energy consumption and network overloading that contributes to the augmentation of transmission delays. In this paper, we tackle the data duplication reception problem. We propose an efficient and proactive filtering scheme for redundant data based on a preliminary broadcast. Our scheme allows us to prevent and significantly reduce the redundant data and improve the performances of the integrated RFID-sensor network.
Patients' understanding of randomised controlled trials depends on their education

EDITOR—We appreciated Featherstone and Donovan's report about patients' perspectives of participation in a randomised controlled trial.1 We recently investigated the ability of 40 middle aged and elderly caregivers to understand and retain information about randomised controlled trials in patients with Alzheimer's disease. Eighteen caregivers were men and 22 women, and their mean age was 64 (SD 6) (range 50-76). They had had …
Fuel-efficient rudder and propeller control allocation for marine craft: experiments with a model ship

We derived a control allocation algorithm for low-speed marine craft using propellers and rudders. Active use of rudders has advantages in a low-speed operation by decreasing the need for propeller power and fuel. However, at low speed, a rudder is effective only for positive thrust. This complicates the thrust allocation problem which can no longer be solved by convex quadratic programming. In fact, the existence of local minima introduces discontinuities in the commanded thruster signals even if the desired control force is continuous. Discontinuous signals cause excessive wear on the thruster system and must be avoided. This paper suggests an analytic, 2-norm optimal method that can ensure continuity of the solutions. Being analytic, however, its limitation is the capability of handling only configurations where one single thrust device is subject to sector constraints at a time. Experiments with a model ship illustrate the potential for fuel saving. For this particular vessel, the energy consumption was halved. An output feedback tracking control law with integral action was simultaneously derived and analyzed. Semiglobal ship controllers like this one rely on the yaw rate being bounded, and an admittedly conservative method for determining this upper bound was proposed.
The management of greenhouse gas emissions in large European companies

Based on the published climate change policies and the performance of 125 large European companies, this paper examines how these companies are responding to regulatory and other pressures to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions. It concludes that most large companies have now established the management systems and processes necessary for them to effectively manage their emissions and related business risks. Companies with significant greenhouse gas emissions have noticeably stronger governance oversight and reporting. However, it also suggests that a significant minority of companies – perhaps 20% of the total – have significant weaknesses in their management systems and processes. Furthermore, a majority of companies have yet to significantly reduce their emissions, and just one-third expect their emissions to reduce over time. This paper argues that the uncertainties in climate change policy are the key barrier to companies taking a more proactive approach to reducing their emissions. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment.
Factor influencing customer purchase intention in travel websites: with special reference to Yatra.com

Tourism industry is making tremendous contribution to global economy. Tourism has a strong connection with socio-economic progress of the country and has a multiplier effect on the economy. There are large numbers of people who decide on their travel plans by searching online. Internet can provide direct contact making it easier to create customized packages by linking with several companies’ websites.
3-D Corridor Modeling from a Single View Under Natural Lighting Conditions

The author discusses the modeling of a 3-D indoor scene from a single view using a generic object model. It is assumed that an image is made by a well-calibrated camera, and that the camera height above the floor is known. The image is assumed to be a projection of a natural corridor scene from which a generic model is known, but the specific model is unknown. This system can model any corridor that satisfies the following conditions: (1) the corridor is a rectangular parallelepiped, (2) there are several lines along each axis of the rectangle parallelepiped, (3) there are not many parallel lines in directions other than along the principal axes, and (4) corridor height is within a known range. The system for 3-D modeling from a single view of such a corridor consists of a robust bottom-up image processing part and a top-down, model-based interpretation part. Experimental results show that specific corridor models can be recovered from a single view with an approximately 1% estimation error. >
From Molecules to Networks: Cortical/Subcortical Interactions in the Pathophysiology of Idiopathic Generalized Epilepsy

Summary: Generalized epilepsy involves abnormally synchronized activity in large‐scale neuronal networks. Burst firing of action potentials is a potent mechanism for increasing neural synchrony and is thought to enhance cortical and thalamic rhythmic network activity. Absence seizures, a form of generalized epilepsy, occur in children as brief 5‐ to 10‐s periods of behavioral arrest associated with massive 3‐ to 4‐Hz spike‐wave discharges in cortical and thalamic networks. Prior research has shown that enhanced burst firing may be crucial for the transition from normal to epileptic activity. Can enhanced burst firing in one region of the nervous system, such as the cortex, transform the entire thalamocortical network from normal activity to spike‐and‐wave seizures? Enhanced burst firing in corticothalamic neurons may increase γ‐aminobutyric acid‐B (GABAB) receptor activation in the thalamus, leading to the slower, more synchronous oscillations seen in spike‐and‐wave seizures. Does “generalized” spike‐wave activity homogeneously involve the entire brain, or are there crucial nodes that are more important than others for the generation and behavioral manifestations of generalized seizures? Animal and human data suggest that so‐called generalized seizures involve selective thalamocortical networks while sparing others. A greater understanding of these molecular and network mechanisms will ultimately lead to improved targeted therapies for generalized epilepsy.