Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effect of Teamwork on Employee Performance

Abstract This research study analyzes the effect of teamwork on employee performance about the staff members of Higher Education Department of Khyber Pakhtoon Khawa (KPK), Peshawar Province of Pakistan. Several measures of employee performance were analyzed including esprit de corps, team trust and recognition and rewards. There is clear evidence that teamwork and other measures of employee performance are positively related with employee performance. The self-administered questionnaires were distributed within the Directorate of Higher Education, (KPK) Peshawar, including four Government Degree Colleges (GDC’s) of boys and girls located in Peshawar and Kohat area. The research study uses regression and correlation techniques in order to analyze the relationship between two variables that is Teamwork and Employee Performance. The result of the study shows that there is a significant positive impact of predictors on the response variable. The study recommends that to adapt teamwork activities in order to enhance the employee performance. Future research areas have also been indicated in this study. Keywords: Employee performance, teamwork, team trust, esprit de corps & recognition & rewards
Balancing sexual partnerships in an age and activity stratified model of HIV transmission in heterosexual populations.

A mathematical model of the transmission dynamics of HIV-1 in a heterosexual population stratified by age, sex, and sexual activity (defined by rates of sexual partner acquisition) is presented. The model represents an extension of previous studies with a special focus on patterns of mixing or contact between sexual activity and different age classes of the two sexes. A range of mixing patterns between these groups is specified for both sexes. Mixing is described on two scales from fully assortative to fully disassortative, with random defined either according to numbers of sexual partnerships or numbers of people. The sexual partnerships in the model are balanced by changes in the rates of sexual partner acquisition between particular groups and a range of changes, from only women changing behaviour to only men changing behaviour, are analysed. The pattern of mixing is most influential in determining the shape and magnitude of the epidemic, but the manner in which people choose partners (i.e. dependent on numbers or proportions in the population) is also important. The relative importance of variation in transmission probabilities and mean rates of partner change on the course of the HIV epidemic is also illustrated. The analysis of the sensitivity of predictions to changing parameters in the force of infection term of the model provides a theoretical basis from which the influence of control strategies and the demographic effects of HIV can be analysed.
Support for Foreign Language Listeners

■ The assessment of listening comprehension in a second language has received relatively little attention until recently. This study investigated the effectiveness of providing different types of listening support for learners in a foreign language environment with a low level of English proficiency. The research was conducted with 140 students taking an English listening course at a college in Taiwan. The participants took sections of a listening test under four different conditions. Two of the conditions provided support in the form of either a set of pictures or a written background text. The third condition was a repetition of the test input, whereas the fourth one was simply no type of support. After the test, the participants completed a short questionnaire and some of them were also interviewed. According to the results, repeating the input was the most effective treatment, followed by having visual and textual support. However, the limits of the learners' English competence meant that all of the types of support could improve their comprehension only to a certain degree. Nevertheless, the provision of appropriate support may motivate foreign language learners to improve their listening proficiency by making adequate comprehension more attainable for them.
The Disjunctive Fallacy between Discrete-Point and Integrative Tests

This article presents evidence of underlying similarities between discretepoint and integrative tests and questions the validity of special claims for distinguishing one from the other. The procedures followed are 1) to give a brief historical account of the development of the tests in question, 2) to present statistical evidence for the similarities between the two types of tests, 3) to discuss the potential variables which may influence test results and create test bias, 4) to consider the applications of the findings to areas such as placement and language acquisition tests, and 5) to suggest some guidelines in order to avoid making unfair decisions on the basis of test scores.
Characteristics of daily arm activities in patients with COPD

Arm activities are required for maintenance of self-care and independent living. This study aimed to investigate whether and to what extent arm activities of daily living (ADL) in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients differ compared to healthy controls and the extent to which they perform arm ADL at a relatively higher upper limb muscle effort. Daily arm and leg activities were assessed using accelerometers in the home environment (COPD: n=21, healthy: n=24; part 1). The relative efforts of the trapezius, deltoid and biceps muscles were studied using electromyography during domestic arm ADL in a laboratory setting (COPD: n=17, healthy: n=15; part 2). After correction for walking time, the time spent on arm ADL was similar between COPD patients and healthy control subjects (p=0.52), while the intensity of arm activities was lower in COPD patients (p=0.041). In the laboratory setting, arm ADL were performed at a lower intensity by COPD patients, while the trapezius muscle effort was significantly higher during several arm ADL compared to healthy control subjects (p<0.05). COPD patients have a similar duration of arm ADL compared to healthy subjects after correction for walking time, but perform arm activities at a lower intensity. Moreover, patients perform some arm ADL at a relatively higher muscle effort. COPD patients perform daily arm activities less intensively than healthy subjects but require more muscle effort http://ow.ly/rSv25
The effects of caregiver depression and caregiver stress on the relationship between poverty and social and emotional development in children

Literature on the course of children's social emotional development in early childhood is abundant. In addition, literature has identified that various family level variables play a role in a children's social emotional development. However, little research has utilized longitudinal panel data to investigate the relationship between children's social emotional development and caregiver's psychological well being. In this paper, latent growth curves were constructed for children's externalizing behaviors, caregiver depression, and caregiver stress. Latent growth curves were constructed for caregiver stress, caregiver depression, and child externalizing behaviors. The mean score for participants were highest at the initial measurement points and decreased over the course of the subsequent measurement periods. A structural equation model was utilized to identify a model in which the effect of time living in poverty on externalizing behaviors was mediated by caregiver depression. In addition, the effect of caregiver depression on externalizing behaviors was mediated by caregiver stress. Implications and limitation of this study are discussed.
Teacher performance evaluation: a stressful experience from a private secondary school

The study examines aspects of centralized and school-based supervision (SBS) as carried out at a private secondary school. Data were gathered from administrators, teachers and students through interviews, critical incidents and pertinent documentation. The study points out that a combination of the two supervision systems offers benefits that a single, stand-alone system cannot, while highlighting the problems and the dilemma teachers find themselves in when faced with two systems of a summative nature. The study concludes that centralized and SBS can co-exist. They, however, must complement each other, not duplicate functions.
Paradoxical roles of interferon-γ in autoimmune disease

Interferon (IFN)-γ has long been known as a critical T helper (Th)1 cytokine in the initiation and perpetuation of inflammation and autoimmune disease. It is considered a ‘signature’ pro-inflammatory cytokine and a major culprit in Th1 autoimmune pathologies, as well as an attractive drug target for modulating autoimmune disease. However, it is recognized increasingly that IFN-γ has paradoxical properties that give rise to its unexpected role as a regulator of immune responses, in addition to its known pro-inflammatory activity. There is emerging evidence indicating that the immunoregulatory role of IFN-γ is of great importance in the self-regulation/control of inflammation in autoimmune disease and that failure of this mechanism may contribute to persistent T-cell activation and inflammation. It is fascinating that the immune system uses the same molecule to both induce and regulate immune responses. In this article, new evidence related to the regulatory properties of IFN-γ is reviewed. In particular, its implications for the understanding of disease mechanisms and for the treatment of autoimmune disease are discussed.
Defect Depth Estimation Using Neuro-Fuzzy System in TNDE

Abstract: Recently, supervised artificial neural networks have obtained success to reveal and provide quantitative information concerning defects in TNDE (Thermographic NonDestructive Evaluation). Supervised neural networks may converge to local minimum and their training procedure are usually long. In this study, a neuro-fuzzy approach is applied to characterize subsurface defects in TNDE. Similar to neural networks, fuzzy systems are model-free estimator systems which can learn from experience with numerical or linguistic data. In this paper, the concept of a fuzzy set and fuzzy reasoning mechanisms are first discussed. Then, a neuro-fuzzy defect depth estimator based on the Takagi-Sugeno-Kang (TSK) system modeling method is proposed. Finally, the neuro-fuzzy depth estimator is tested with both simulated and experimental TNDE data.
Is Pulse Pressure a Predictor of New-Onset Diabetes in High-Risk Hypertensive Patients?

OBJECTIVE Hypertensive patients have an increased risk of developing diabetes. Accumulating evidence suggests a close relation between metabolic disturbance and increased arterial stiffness. Here, we examined the association between pulse pressure and the risk of new-onset diabetes in high-risk Japanese hypertensive patients. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS The Candesartan Antihypertensive Survival Evaluation in Japan (CASE-J) trial examined the effects of candesartan and amlodipine on the incidence of cardiovascular events in 4,728 high-risk Japanese hypertensive patients. In the present study, we analyzed the relationship between pulse pressure at baseline and new-onset diabetes in 2,685 patients without diabetes at baseline (male 1,471; mean age 63.7 years; mean BMI 24.8 kg/m2) as a subanalysis of the CASE-J trial. RESULTS During 3.3 ± 0.8 years of follow-up, 97 patients (3.6%) developed diabetes. In multiple Cox regression analysis, pulse pressure was an independent predictor for new-onset diabetes (hazard ratio [HR] per 1 SD increase 1.44 [95% CI 1.15–1.79]) as were male sex, BMI, and additional use of diuretics, whereas age and heart rate were not. Plots of HRs for new-onset diabetes considering both systolic and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) revealed that a higher pulse pressure with a lower DBP, indicating that the increased pulse pressure was largely due to increased arterial stiffness, was strongly associated with the risk of new-onset diabetes. CONCLUSIONS Pulse pressure is an independent predictor of new-onset diabetes in high-risk Japanese hypertensive patients. Increased arterial stiffness may be involved in the development of diabetes.
Salespeople’s Knowledge-Sharing Behaviors with Coworkers Outside the Sales Unit

Managers and academics alike acknowledge that salespeople can play a pivotal role in intraorganizational knowledge-sharing behaviors with coworkers outside the sales unit (i.e., finance, engineering, production, design, etc.). To this end, this study contributes to the extant sales literature by delineating how and under what conditions salespeople’s knowledge-sharing behaviors are motivated. The study reports two sets of findings that contribute to the sales literature. First, in response to a strong autonomy climate, self-efficacy and coworker relationship quality mediate the relationship between autonomy climate strength and knowledge-sharing behaviors. Second, drawing on situational strength theory, the research finds that knowledge-sharing behaviors benefit from coworker relationship quality under weak but not strong norms. The hypotheses are tested by employing a multilevel modeling technique that uses a sample of 222 salespeople from 38 organizations. Implications for sales theory and practice are discussed.
Barrier or Benefit? Emotion in Life-Career Design

Emotion permeates human life, yet receives little attention in career theory and intervention. Long seen as a barrier to avoid, recent conceptual and empirical work indicate that emotion benefits human behavior and development. Advances in the interdisciplinary science of emotion support examining the construct across differential, developmental, and social cognitive career traditions. The subjective, phenomenological, and socially constructed nature of emotion particularly suits career theory and intervention’s increasing emphases on postmodernism, constructivism, and social constructionism; implicating emotion as of principal benefit to self-construction in work and other life domains. In this regard, emotion figures prominently in motivational processes related to early memory narratives within career construction counseling and the intentionality process of life— career design. Considering emotion in life—career design may help complement vocational psychology’s long-standing foci on answering questions of what occupations people choose and how ready they are to choose them with addressing the question of why people move along particular life— career pathways.
The Effect of Age on the Relationships between Work‐related Factors and Heavy Drinking

The Effect of Age on the Relationships between Work‐related Factors and Heavy Drinking: Yuko MORIKAWA, et al. Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, Kanazawa Medical University—Aims: The aim of this study was to investigate age‐related differences in the relationship between Work‐related factors and heavy drinking.
ASTER geometric performance

The Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) system acquires multispectral images ranging from the visible to thermal infrared region. The ASTER system consists of three subsystems: visible and near-infrared (VNIR), short-wave infrared (SWIR) and thermal infrared (TIR) radiometers. The VNIR subsystem has a backward-viewing telescope as well as a nadir one. To deliver data products of high quality from the viewpoint of geolocation and band-to-band registration performance, a fundamental program, called Level-1 data processing, has been developed for images obtained using four telescopes with a cross-track pointing function. In this work, the methodology of the geometric validation is first described. Next, the image quality of ASTER data products is evaluated in view of the geometric performance over a period of four years. The band-to-band registration accuracy in the subsystem is better than 0.1 pixels and that between subsystems is better than 0.2 pixels. This means that the geometric database is determined accurately and the image matching method based on a cross-correlation function is effective in the operational usage.
SCHIZOPHRENIA: ITS ORIGINS AND NEED-ADAPTED TREATMENT

This is a fascinating and thought-provoking book. It is written by one of the giants in the treatment ofand research in schizophrenia: Professor Y rjo Alanen. Through seven chapters, he presents a synopsis of his lifework. In chapter 1, he starts by sharing with the reader his own early encounters with patients suffering from schizophrenia. Through three small, moving case histories, he highlights various aspects of the relationship between the therapist and the patients and their families. The case histories vividly illustrate how demanding and problematic it can be to conduct dynamic psychotherapy with psychotic patients, but that it also may be very beneficial for the patient and rewarding for the therapist. Chapter 2 gives a balanced presentation of the heterogeneity of schizophrenia; the various attempts to explain the disorder, and the variability of treatment approaches. Alanen underlines the need-fear dilemma as the central problem for patients with schizophrenia. However, he also stresses that schizophrenia is not a single unified illness, and as a consequence, he agrees with Ciompi that there is a huge variation in prognosis: "There is no such thing as a specific course of schizophrenia. " The chapter ends with a description of five illness models of schizophrenia (1. Biomedical, 2. Individual psychological, 3. Interactional, 4. Social and ecological, 5. Integrated) and treatment models related to them. Chapter 3 is a comprehensive discussion of the origins of schizophrenia. Alanen underlines the need for integration of various theories, including both biological, social and psychological factors. He supports the view of Ciompi that emotional problems are of more primary significance than those at the cognitive level, even if they are more difficult to study in a systematical and empirical way.
The dissemination speed of correlated messages in opportunistic networks

We evaluate the performance of epidemic protocol in opportunistic networks. Early works follow an independent model which assumes that different messages in the network disseminate independently. Whereas, most recent work has pointed out that the same event can be detected by multiple nodes at different locations or different moments. Hence, the messages sensed by different nodes, indicating the same event, have spatial-temporal correlations. It is necessary to build an accurate mathematical model for reflecting the message dissemination process of epidemic protocol for further designing or optimizing the family of flooding protocols. However, the independent model does not provide good performance estimates in this situation. In this paper, we try to solve the problem by using a correlated model which takes into account the correlations among messages and permits the different messages denoting the same event to be aggregated in their propagation processes, and the numerical results show a close match with our theoretical analysis. Compared to the previous work, our correlated model, on the one hand, allows a network engineer to implement such a system with optimized performance confidently in an intermittently connected environment, on the other hand, our work offers a fresh insight into the spatial-temporal correlations of the messages and achieves good performance metrics in scalability.
Evolution of Proto-Neutron Stars

We study the thermal and chemical evolution during the Kelvin-Helmholtz phase of the birth of a neutron star, employing neutrino opacities that are consistently calculated with the underlying equation of state (EOS). Expressions for the diffusion coefficients appropriate for general relativistic neutrino transport in the equilibrium diffusion approximation are derived. The diffusion coefficients are evaluated using a field-theoretical finite-temperature EOS that includes the possible presence of hyperons. The variation of the diffusion coefficients is studied as a function of EOS and compositional parameters. We present results from numerical simulations of proto-neutron star cooling for internal stellar properties as well as emitted neutrino energies and luminosities. We discuss the influence of the initial stellar model, the total mass, the underlying EOS, and the addition of hyperons on the evolution of the proto-neutron star and on the expected signal in terrestrial detectors. We find that the differences in predicted luminosities and emitted neutrino energies do not depend much upon the details of the initial models or the underlying high-density EOS for early times (t<10 s), provided that opacities are calculated consistently with the EOS. The same holds true for models that allow for the presence of hyperons, except when the initial mass is significantly larger than the maximum mass for cold, catalyzed matter. For times larger than about 10 s, and prior to the occurrence of neutrino transparency, the neutrino luminosities decay exponentially with a time constant that is sensitive to the high-density properties of matter. We also find the average emitted neutrino energy increases during the first 5 s of evolution and then decreases nearly linearly with time. In general, increasing the proto-neutron star mass increases the average energy and the luminosity of neutrinos, as well as the overall evolutionary timescale. The influence of hyperons or variations in the dense matter EOS is increasingly important at later times. Metastable stars, those with hyperons that are unstable to collapse upon deleptonization, have relatively long evolution times, which increase the nearer the mass is to the maximum mass supportable by a cold, deleptonized star.
Metaspin: Demonisation of Media Manipulation

Demonised ‘spin’ is a derogatory form of news discourse where journalists pose as heroic fighters against manipulative politicians and their staffs on behalf of a gullible public. It is underpinned by a bad faith model of politics and a severely blinkered view of political reality. In fact, journalists themselves are manipulative, collaboratively engaged with their sources, and divided about the size of the problem, with more performance-oriented broadcasters being the most rabid demonisers. In New Zealand, where the real offence is slight, metaspin represents a form of ‘laddish’ anti-authoritarian theatre which privatises communicative action.
Theoretical modeling of critical temperature increase in metamaterial superconductors

Recent experiments have demonstrated that the metamaterial approach is capable of a drastic increase of the critical temperature ${T}_{\mathrm{c}}$ of epsilon near zero (ENZ) metamaterial superconductors. For example, tripling of the critical temperature has been observed in $\mathrm{Al}\ensuremath{-}\mathrm{A}{\mathrm{l}}_{2}{\mathrm{O}}_{3}$ ENZ core-shell metamaterials. Here, we perform theoretical modeling of ${T}_{\mathrm{c}}$ increase in metamaterial superconductors based on the Maxwell-Garnett approximation of their dielectric response function. Good agreement is demonstrated between theoretical modeling and experimental results in both aluminum- and tin-based metamaterials. Taking advantage of the demonstrated success of this model, the critical temperature of hypothetic niobium-, $\mathrm{Mg}{\mathrm{B}}_{{2}^{\ensuremath{-}}}$, and ${\mathrm{H}}_{2}\mathrm{S}$-based metamaterial superconductors is evaluated. The $\mathrm{Mg}{\mathrm{B}}_{2}$-based metamaterial superconductors are projected to reach the liquid nitrogen temperature range. In the case of a ${\mathrm{H}}_{2}\mathrm{S}$-based metamaterial ${T}_{\mathrm{c}}$ appears to reach \ensuremath{\sim}250 K.