Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A Collegial Approach In Understanding Leadership As A Social Skill

Current research indicates that the complexities of organisations require a new focus on collegial leadership and the creation of a sense of community in which leadership is shared. Collegiality forms the backbone of shared leadership. Leadership, as a social skill, makes people respect and follow others and is identified by emotional intelligence (EI) factors such as attitude, confidence, respect for others, and trustworthiness. EI is not a replacement for on the job skills and intelligent task-related logical thinking, but it adds to the variety of skills that enable and empower leaders to develop their employees through the enhancement of their social skills. A survey was conducted among 474 employees with the purpose of the exploratory study being to determine employees’ perceptions of their leaders’ social skills. Six social skills formed the basis of this investigation; namely, leadership characteristics, communication, conflict management, relationships, empathy, and trust. Both Pearson r and Spearman ρ indicate that the two variables; namely, the job satisfaction of workers and the social skills of leaders rated by the respondents, are significant and therefore directly related. The findings of this exploratory study confirm that the more satisfied a worker is, the higher a leader’s social skills are likely to be. Conversely, the more dissatisfied an employee is, the lower a leader’s social skills are likely to be. However, this data must be interpreted in terms of the social skills of leaders as being one of the major factors affecting the job satisfaction of workers.
The effectiveness and rationale of the 'nurture group' approach to helping children with emotional and behavioural difficulties remain within mainstream education

Researchers, policy makers and practitioners continue to be interested in the impact of nurture groups on the inclusion of young children with emotional and behavioural difficulties in mainstream schools. Nurture groups were originally established in schools in the London Borough of Enfield in the 1980s and it is now possible to review evidence of their effectiveness in both the short and long term. In this article, Tina O'lConnor, teacher at Oakthorpe Primary School, London Borough of Enfield, and John Colwell, Senior Lecturer in Psychology at De Montfort University, compare scores on the Developmental Diagnostic Profile for a sample of pupils on entry to a nurture group; on exit; and after at least two years of mainstream reintegration. Their work reveals evidence of improvements in both the short and long term. In discussing their findings, the authors call for more in-depth, longitudinal research into nurture groups and the development and impact of whole school nurturing approaches.
Comparison on perception of teaching aids among medical versus dental students

Background: Lecture still remains the most common mode of instruction in higher education. Students learn from lectures by listening, observing, summarizing, and note taking. Lectures can be supplemented with audiovisual aids for better illustrations, clarity, and learning. Aims and Objective: To assess student’s perceptions of the impact of different teaching aids and to analyze the preferences for teaching aids of medical versus dental students. Materials and Methods: Medical and dental undergraduates were asked to fill in 10-item questionnaire about their perceptions on three lecture delivery methods used in our college. The results were analyzed separately for medical and dental students to see any difference in their perceptions. Result: Majority of the medical students (66.05%) preferred PowerPoint (PPT) presentation, whereas 22.21% preferred the use of blackboard (BB) and 11.1% preferred overhead projector transparency (OHPT) for teaching (P < 0.001). Of the dental students, 61.2% preferred PPT presentation, 26.5% preferred BB, and 12.2% preferred OHPT during lectures (P < 0.001). Conclusion: Majority of both the medical and the dental students clearly preferred the use of PPT presentation in lectures over the other two methods. Visual aids such as PPT will motivate the students to learn their subjects, thus making the learning process an enjoyable experience.
Differential Gene Expression Changes in Children with Severe Dengue Virus Infections

Background The host response to dengue virus infection is characterized by the production of numerous cytokines, but the overall picture appears to be complex. It has been suggested that a balance may be involved between protective and pathologic immune responses. This study aimed to define differential immune responses in association with clinical outcomes by gene expression profiling of a selected panel of inflammatory genes in whole blood samples from children with severe dengue infections. Methodology/Principal Findings Whole blood mRNA from 56 Indonesian children with severe dengue virus infections was analyzed during early admission and at day −1, 0, 1, and 5–8 after defervescence. Levels were related to baseline levels collected at a 1-month follow-up visit. Processing of mRNA was performed in a single reaction by multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification, measuring mRNA levels from genes encoding 36 inflammatory proteins and 14 Toll-like receptor (TLR)-associated molecules. The inflammatory gene profiles showed up-regulation during infection of eight genes, including IFNG and IL12A, which indicated an antiviral response. On the contrary, genes associated with the nuclear factor (NF)-κB pathway were down-regulated, including NFKB1, NFKB2, TNFR1, IL1B, IL8, and TNFA. Many of these NF-κB pathway–related genes, but not IFNG or IL12A, correlated with adverse clinical events such as development of pleural effusion and hemorrhagic manifestations. The TLR profile showed that TLRs were differentially activated during severe dengue infections: increased expression of TLR7 and TLR4R3 was found together with a decreased expression of TLR1, TLR2, TLR4R4, and TLR4 co-factor CD14. Conclusions/Significance These data show that different immunological pathways are differently expressed and associated with different clinical outcomes in children with severe dengue infections.
Search engines and how students think they work

To investigate the nature of people's understandings for how search engines work, we collected data from 232 undergraduate and graduate students. Students were asked to "draw a labeled sketch of how search engines work. " A reference model was constructed and each sketch was analyzed and compared against it for completeness. The paper presents preliminary results and discusses the implications for educational assessment and curriculum design on the one hand, and information system design on the other.
Using Virtual Reality to Assess User Experience

Objective: The aim of this article is to discuss how user experience (UX) evaluation can benefit from the use of virtual reality (VR). Background: UX is usually evaluated in laboratory settings. However, considering that UX occurs as a consequence of the interaction between the product, the user, and the context of use, the assessment of UX can benefit from a more ecological test setting. VR provides the means to develop realistic-looking virtual environments with the advantage of allowing greater control of the experimental conditions while granting good ecological validity. Method: The methods used to evaluate UX, as well as their main limitations, are identified. The current VR equipment and its potential applications (as well as its limitations and drawbacks) to overcome some of the limitations in the assessment of UX are highlighted. Results: The relevance of VR for UX studies is discussed, and a VR-based framework for evaluating UX is presented. Conclusion: UX research may benefit from a VR-based methodology in the scopes of user research (e.g., assessment of users’ expectations derived from their lifestyles) and human–product interaction (e.g., assessment of users’ emotions since the first moment of contact with the product and then during the interaction). Application: This article provides knowledge to researchers and professionals engaged in the design of technological interfaces about the usefulness of VR in the evaluation of UX.
The influence of learning environments on students’ epistemological beliefs and learning outcomes

There is evidence that students’ epistemological beliefs impact on approaches to learning and consequent learning outcomes. Epistemological beliefs have been shown to influence students’ approaches to study and problem-solving, motivation and persistence in information seeking. There are also some preliminary research findings that suggest the structure of learning environments can influence students’ epistemological beliefs. A study was designed to investigate the impacts of a new course on students’ epistemological beliefs. The new course structure was based on engaging students in web-supported independent activities prior to small-group workshops that focused on active learning. Findings indicate that students’ epistemological beliefs changed during the course implementation, and that students with more complex epistemological beliefs achieved better results in the course.
Endogenous Production of β-Chemokines by CD4+, but Not CD8+, T-Cell Clones Correlates with the Clinical State of Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 (HIV-1)-Infected Individuals and May Be Responsible for Blocking Infection with NonSyncytium-Inducing HIV-1 In Vitro

ABSTRACT Recent studies have demonstrated that the β-chemokines RANTES, MIP-1α, and MIP-1β suppress human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) replication in vitro and may play an important role in protecting exposed but uninfected individuals from HIV-1 infection. However, levels of β-chemokines in AIDS patients are comparable to and can exceed levels in nonprogressing individuals, indicating that global β-chemokine production may have little effect on HIV-1 disease progression. We sought to clarify the role of β-chemokines in nonprogressors and AIDS patients by examination of β-chemokine production and HIV-1 infection in patient T-lymphocyte clones established by herpesvirus saimiri immortalization. Both CD4+ and CD8+ clones were established, and they resembled primary T cells in their phenotypes and expression of activated T-cell markers. CD4+ T-cell clones from all patients had normal levels of mRNA-encoding CCR5, a coreceptor for non-syncytium-inducing (NSI) HIV-1. CD4+ clones from nonprogressors and CD8+ clones from AIDS patients secreted high levels of RANTES, MIP1α, and MIP-1β. In contrast, CD4+ clones from AIDS patients produced no RANTES and little or no MIP-1α or MIP-1β. The infection of CD4+clones with the NSI HIV-1 strain ADA revealed an inverse correlation to β-chemokine production; clones from nonprogressors were poorly susceptible to ADA replication, but clones from AIDS patients were highly infectable. The resistance to ADA infection in CD4+clones from nonprogressors could be partially reversed by treatment with anti-β-chemokine antibodies. These results indicate that CD4+ cells can be protected against NSI-HIV-1 infection in culture through endogenously produced factors, including β-chemokines, and that β-chemokine production by CD4+, but not CD8+, T cells may constitute one mechanism of disease-free survival for HIV-1-infected individuals.
Purification of simian virus 40 large T antigen by immunoaffinity chromatography

Simian virus 40 large T antigen from lytically infected cells has been purified to near homogeneity by immunochromatography of the cell extract on a protein A-Sepharose-monoclonal antibody column. The resulting T antigen retains biochemical activity; i.e., it hydrolyzes ATP and binds to simian virus 40 DNA at the origin of replication.
Relationship between dynamical entropy and energy dissipation far from thermodynamic equilibrium

Significance The dissipation of energy occurs naturally in systems as diverse as those in biology and as common as those responsible for the weather. Systems that dissipate energy while self-assembling also show promise as a synthetic route to responsive nanoscale materials. Optimizing the energy efficiency of these syntheses requires reducing the theoretical description to only those variables that are essential to an accurate prediction of the energy lost as heat. Here, with computer simulations and a model of assembly, we establish a methodology for identifying those essential variables. With this minimal description of the system we also find a linear relationship between the dynamical entropy of the self-assembling system and the energy dissipated as heat during assembly. Connections between microscopic dynamical observables and macroscopic nonequilibrium (NE) properties have been pursued in statistical physics since Boltzmann, Gibbs, and Maxwell. The simulations we describe here establish a relationship between the Kolmogorov–Sinai entropy and the energy dissipated as heat from a NE system to its environment. First, we show that the Kolmogorov–Sinai or dynamical entropy can be separated into system and bath components and that the entropy of the system characterizes the dynamics of energy dissipation. Second, we find that the average change in the system dynamical entropy is linearly related to the average change in the energy dissipated to the bath. The constant energy and time scales of the bath fix the dynamical relationship between these two quantities. These results provide a link between microscopic dynamical variables and the macroscopic energetics of NE processes.
Cross-talk between Calpain and Caspase Proteolytic Systems During Neuronal Apoptosis*

Cross-talk between calpain and caspase proteolytic systems has complicated efforts to determine their distinct roles in apoptotic cell death. This study examined the effect of overexpressing calpastatin, the specific endogenous calpain inhibitor, on the activity of the two proteolytic systems following an apoptotic stimulus. Human SH-SY5Y neuroblastoma cells were stably transfected with full-length human calpastatin cDNA resulting in 20-fold overexpression based on Western blot and 5-fold greater calpain inhibitory activity in cell extracts. Wild type and calpastatin overexpressing (CST1) cells were neuronally differentiated and apoptosis-induced with staurosporine (0.1–1.0 μm). Calpastatin overexpression decreased calpain activation, increased caspase-3-like activity, and accelerated the appearance of apoptotic nuclear morphology. Following 0.1–0.2 μmstaurosporine, plasma membrane integrity based on calcein-acetoxymethyl fluorescence was significantly greater at 24 h in differentiated CST1 compared with differentiated wild type cells. However, this protective effect was lost at higher staurosporine doses (0.5–1.0 μm), which resulted in pronounced caspase-mediated degradation of the overexpressed calpastatin. These results suggest a dual role for calpains during neuronal apoptosis. In the early execution phase, calpain down-regulates caspase-3-like activity and slows progression of apoptotic nuclear morphology. Subsequent calpain activity, facilitated by caspase-mediated degradation of calpastatin, contributes to plasma membrane disruption and secondary necrosis.
Human Cytomegalovirus Glycoprotein B Genotypes in Chinese Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplant Recipients

Objectives: To investigate the distribution of human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) glycoprotein B (gB) genotypes and to explore the possible relationship between gB genotypes and clinical characteristics in Chinese hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) recipients. Methods: A prospective analysis of gB genotypes was conducted on HCMV clinical isolates obtained from 102 HSCT recipients. Real-time quantitative PCR and PCR-based restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis were applied for the determination of viral loads and gB genotypes, respectively. Results: The distribution of gB genotypes was as follows: gB1, 54/102 (52.9%); gB3, 21/102 (20.6%); and mixtures, 27/102 (26.5%). The rate of viral clearance at day 21 was higher in patients infected with the gB1 genotype than in those infected with the gB3 genotype (56 and 29%, respectively; p = 0.036). In contrast, the rate of HCMV reactivation/reinfection was higher in patients infected with the gB3 genotype than in those infected with the gB1 genotype (81 and 56%, respectively; p = 0.041). Conclusions: The HCMV gB1 genotype is the most prevalent among Chinese HSCT recipients; patients infected with the gB3 genotype have more difficulty eradicating the virus and have a higher risk of reactivation/reinfection than those infected with the gB1 genotype.
Emancipatory Research Methodology and Disability: A Critique

This paper questions the prescription of emancipatory participatory research for studying disability espoused by some disability researchers and activists. The paper argues that the advocacy of participatory and emancipatory research can be criticised on several grounds including problems of internal inconsistency and contradiction, an overly selective use of the works of feminist researchers and that research using such an approach could constitute an exercise of power that potentially marginalises some voices and potentially oppresses some disabled people and researchers. Ultimately, it is suggested, the emancipatory paradigm may serve to undermine the generation of knowledge that can be used by disabled people for self‐emancipation. The paper concludes that rather than prescribe emancipatory research as the only legitimate methodology for disability research, disability writers should, as feminists have in researching gender, adopt a more pluralist and eclectic approach to theorising and researching disability.
GPs with special interests - impacting on complex diabetes care.

BACKGROUND The growing prevalence and impact of type 2 diabetes mellitus is of international concern. OBJECTIVE This article describes an innovative model of complex diabetes care, delivered by advanced skill general practitioners supported by an endocrinologist and diabetes educator within a general practice setting. DISCUSSION Initial evaluation suggests a trend to better glycaemic control compared with the alternative available hospital outpatient care at a reduced delivery cost. A futuristic, integrated community/specialist model, delivered within a general practice setting, can deliver significant gains for Australians who have complex type 2 diabetes mellitus.
Research, Revisionists and the Radical Right

In recent years students of extreme right politics have called on political scientists to adopt an actor-orientated approach. Despite such calls, scholars remain reluctant to engage directly with party members, activists and leaders on an empirical basis. Implicit in the literature is the view that right-wing extremists are unwilling to engage with academic research. Drawing from a study focused on activists throughout England and Wales this article argues that such assumptions are misplaced. Furthermore, the findings of recent actor-orientated studies not only stand in marked contrast to ‘traditional’ interpretations of right-wing extremists but also provide a far richer understanding of the internal movement ‘life’.
Localized Neuronal Outgrowth Induced by Long-Term Sensitization Training in Aplysia

Biophysical, biochemical, and morphological studies have implicated sensory neurons as key sites of plasticity in the formation and retention of the memory of long-term sensitization in Aplysia californica. This study examined the effects of different sensitization training protocols on the structure of sensory neurons mediating the tail-siphon withdrawal reflex. A 4 d training period produced a robust localized outgrowth in these sensory neurons observed 24 hr after the end of training. These changes are consistent with previous results in siphon sensory neurons (Bailey and Chen, 1988a). In contrast, 1 d of sensitization training, which has been shown to effectively induce long-term behavioral sensitization and synaptic facilitation (Frost et al., 1985; Cleary et al., 1998), is not associated with morphological changes in tail sensory neurons at either 24 hr or 4 d after training. Similarly, a single treatment with the growth factor TGF-β, which also induced facilitation, did not alter sensory neuron morphology. The different effectiveness of the two protocols was not simply a reflection of the number of stimuli presented, because a 1 d massed training protocol did not produce sensitization 24 hr after training, nor did it induce neuronal outgrowth. These results suggest that extensive sensitization training is required to induce neuronal outgrowth in tail sensory neurons, indicating that the memory of long-term sensitization induced by 1 d of training is mechanistically different from that induced by 4 d of training. Moreover, the induction of a form of long-term sensitization associated with neuronal outgrowth does not appear to be a function of the amount of stimulation but does appear to be dependent on the temporal spacing of the stimulation over multiple days.
Real-time Approximation of Clothoids With Bounded Error for Path Planning Applications

We present a method for real-time computation of clothoid coordinates that guarantees bounded approximation error over a wide range of clothoid parameters provided that the clothoid's orientation change and length areReal-time approximation bounded. It is shown that coordinates of clothoid with any parameters can be computed from those of a single clothoid (with fixed parameters), using appropriate geometrical transformations. A comprehensive analysis is given on how to determine a required set of clothoids and, based on this, how to sample a clothoid in a lookup table in order to achieve required approximation precision. The algorithm is computationally very efficient and therefore suitable for real-time path planning, as well as for other applications that benefit from fast clothoid computation.
Representations of Public Risk: Illegal Drugs in the Australian Press

The paper draws upon recent research investigating news frames, and risk theory to analyse Australian national news coverage of illegal drugs. Recent research has elaborated how risks are socially defined and acted upon, especially given changing media representations of risks. Public understandings of the risks associated with illegal drug use, policing and policies develop through the continuing and often changing representations of these risks in the media, as well as through other social practices. This paper questions the role of some prominent newspapers in setting alarmist and sensational frames to define risk in this context, and demonstrates how journalism can heighten community fear.