Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Rethinking Maori tourism

This paper seeks a conceptual clarification of “Maori tourism” from a values-based perspective. While useful as a tool for measuring Maori involvement in tourism, the majority of existing definitions have failed to incorporate unique Maori cultural values and have not been derived from an approach that is culturally acceptable to Maori. Yet, a values-based definition is important for the protection and development of cultural values, as well as for the support and promotion of sustainable Maori self-determined tourism development. To this end, the notion of “Maori-centred tourism” is introduced. “Maori-centred tourism” is founded on a list of specific cultural values identified through empirical investigation using a Kaupapa Maori research approach and evidence from Kaupapa Maori development models. Maori-centred tourism values identified from the research findings were: Wairuatanga (state of being spiritual), Whanaungatanga (relationship or kinship), Nga matatini Maori (Maori diversity), Kaitiakitanga (guardianship), Manaakitanga (warm hospitality), Tino rangatiratanga (self-determination), Kotahitanga (unity or solidarity), Tuhuno (principle of alignment), Purotu (principle of transparency) and Puawaitanga (principle of best outcomes). While this list of values should not be seen as exhaustive and they will be subject to further review and evaluation by Maori, effectively this creates a basis for a Maori-centred tourism business ethic based on values important to Maori.
Scheduling and feedback reduction in cellular networks with coordination clusters

Base station coordination has received much attention as a means to reduce the inter-cell interference in cellular networks. However, this interference reducing ability comes at the expense of increased feedback, backhaul load and computational complexity. The degree of coordination is therefore limited in practice. In this paper we explore the trade-off between capacity and feedback load in a cellular network with coordination clusters. Our main interest lies in a scenario with multiple fading users in each cell. The results indicate that a large fraction of the total gain can be achieved by a significant reduction in feedback. We also find an approximate expression for the distribution of the instantaneous signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio (SINR) and propose a new effective scheduling algorithm.
Heteroresistance of Cryptococcus gattii to Fluconazole

ABSTRACT We analyzed 71 clinical and environmental Cryptococcus gattii strains that had been isolated before or after the advent of azole antifungals to determine their level of heteroresistance to fluconazole (LHF). All strains of C. gattii manifested heteroresistance, with LHFs that ranged between 4 μg/ml and 32 μg/ml. A considerably higher proportion of the C. gattii strains (86%) than Cryptococcus neoformans strains (46%) exhibited LHFs that were ≥16 μg/ml. No significant correlation was observed between the molecular type or serotypes of strains and their respective LHF. The strains which expressed a higher LHF were also more resistant to xenobiotics than the strains with a low LHF, and the level of resistance to xenobiotics was significantly higher than that reported for C. neoformans. The heteroresistant subpopulation, whose level of drug resistance had been raised in a stepwise manner to 64 μg/ml, reverted to the original LHF upon daily transfers in drug-free medium. Importantly, the strains with high LHFs were significantly more virulent than those with low LHFs. Since all the clinical isolates that had not been exposed to azole drugs as well as the environmental strains manifested heteroresistance to fluconazole, heteroresistance of C. gattii to azoles is an intrinsic mechanism as in C. neoformans and is associated with the strain's virulence.
Trajectories Research in Family Communication: Toward the Identification of Alternative Pathways for Inquiry

This essay concerns the state of research that identifies patterns of relationship change within familial contexts (i.e., trajectories). Overall, studies have produced interesting and practical information, and the trajectories are relatively consistent across studies. After reviewing the history and substance of this research, I advocate family communication scholars continue inquire in the area. Researchers should identify varied trajectories for processes (e.g., health-related decisions) and within yet unexplored family relationships (e.g., transnational families). Future studies that shift from identifying trajectories of familial relationships to identifying discourses of family time and change would enrich this area of research, as well. Specifically, Baxter's (2011) current iteration of relational dialectics theory, which focuses on identifying discourses in relationship talk, would take trajectories and family communication research in productive directions by including notions of history and cult.
Determining principles for the development of virtual environments for future clinical applications

The aim of the present research was to determine a range of principles for the development of virtual natural environments (VNEs), using low-cost commercial-off-the-shelf simulation technologies, for bedside and clinical healthcare applications. A series of studies have been conducted to systematically investigate different aspects of the VNEs on a wide variety of participants, ranging from undergraduate and postgraduate students, hospital patients and clinicians, to West Country villagers. The results of these studies suggest that naturalistic environmental spatial sounds can have a positive impact on user ratings of presence and stress levels. High visual fidelity and real-world-based VNEs can increase participants’ reported ratings of presence, quality and realism. The choice of input devices also has a significant impact on usability with these types of virtual environment (VE). Overall, the findings provide a strong set of principles supporting the future development of VNEs. Highly transferrable tools and techniques have also been developed in order to investigate the exploitation of new digital technology approaches in the generation of believable and engaging real-time, interactive virtual natural environments that can be modified and updated relatively easily, thereby delivering a system that can be regularly modified and updated to meet the needs of individual patients.
A Study of the EFL Writing of Chinese Learners: A Critical Narrative

Writing is often a massive challenge for the learners who study English as a Foreign Language (EFL). Many EFL practitioners are searching for solutions to help learners improve the level of their writing. In this auto-ethnographic study, two narratives are discussed. In the first narrative, the primary challenges of EFL writing encountered by a cohort of Chinese international students studying in Australia are narrated and then examined from the perspective of a Chinese EFL researcher. In the second narrative, the author’s personal experiences of EFL writing are recounted, with a focus on dialogical awareness and identity construction of an EFL writer. The interactive relationship for EFL learners between English learning and identity construction is discussed. In conclusion, the author reflects upon a dialogic model of EFL teaching and learning in the Chinese cultural context and calls for the setting up of interactive contact zones to help the identity construction of Chinese learners in their EFL writing practices as well as in EFL teaching and learning.
Knowledge Flows Within Multinational Corporations: Explaining Subsidiary Isolation and Its Performance Implications

Applying a new theoretical and empirical approach to intrafirm knowledge transfers, this paper provides some initial insight to the little-researched phenomenon of why some subsidiaries are isolated from knowledge-transfer activities within the multinational corporation (MNC). Knowledge transfer is framed as a problemistic search process initiated by the recipient unit. We show that knowledge flows from units that are perceived to be highly capable to units that perceive themselves to be highly capable. Knowledge flows are also associated with existing levels of communication and reciprocity. Taken together, these findings suggest that knowledge transfers in MNCs typically occur between highly capable members of an “in crowd,” and the isolated minority rarely, if ever, engages in knowledge-sharing activities. Finally, we show that the isolated minority underperforms other subsidiaries, suggesting the possibility of a “liability of internal isolation. ”
A Comparative Study on the Use of Compliment Response Strategies by Persian and English Native Speakers

The significance of pragmatic knowledge and politeness strategies has recently been emphasized in language learning and teaching. Most communication failures originate in the lack of pragmatic awareness which is evident among EFL learners while communicating with English native speakers. The present study aimed at investigating compliment response strategies, as a sub-category of politeness strategies, used by a group of Persian and English native speakers, and examining the effect of gender on the use of strategies to respond to compliments. To these ends and with the use of convenient sampling, thirty Iranian native speakers (15 females and 15 males) in Iran and 26 English native speakers (13 females and 13 males) in Canada, all college students with age range of 17-30, participated in this study. In order to collect a corpus of compliment responses, a researcher-made questionnaire in the form of a Discourse Completion Task was distributed among the participants. Using two-way ANOVAs, the findings indicated that there is a significant difference between Persian native speakers and Canadian English speakers ( p .05). Considering the findings of the present study, materials developers and textbook writers can make more space in EFL textbooks for exercises about compliments (responses); and help in highlighting the significance of this aspect of pragmatic knowledge. Keywords: pragmatics, politeness, compliment, compliment response, EFL
Can Sanitary Surveys Replace Water Quality Testing? Evidence from Kisii, Kenya

Information about the quality of rural drinking water sources can be used to manage their safety and mitigate risks to health. Sanitary surveys, which are observational checklists to assess hazards present at water sources, are simpler to conduct than microbial tests. We assessed whether sanitary survey results were associated with measured indicator bacteria levels in rural drinking water sources in Kisii Central, Kenya. Overall, thermotolerant coliform (TTC) levels were high: all of the samples from the 20 tested dug wells, almost all (95%) of the samples from the 25 tested springs, and 61% of the samples from the 16 tested rainwater harvesting systems were contaminated with TTC. There were no significant associations between TTC levels and overall sanitary survey scores or their individual components. Contamination by TTC was associated with source type (dug wells and springs were more contaminated than rainwater systems). While sanitary surveys cannot be substituted for microbial water quality results in this context, they could be used to identify potential hazards and contribute to a comprehensive risk management approach.
Infectious Clones of Novel Lineage 1 and Lineage 2 West Nile Virus Strains WNV-TX02 and WNV-Madagascar

ABSTRACT We report the generation of West Nile virus (WNV) infectious clones for the pathogenic lineage 1 Texas-HC2002 and nonpathogenic lineage 2 Madagascar-AnMg798 strains. The infectious clones exhibited biological properties similar to those of the parental virus isolates. We generated chimeric viruses and found that viral factors within the structural and nonstructural regions of WNV-TX contribute to the control of type I interferon defenses. These infectious clones provide new reagents to study flavivirus immune regulation and pathogenesis.
Children's social competence and sociometric status: Further exploration of aggression, social withdrawal, and peer rejection

Abstract Sociometric status differences in children's social competence were examined in a sample of elementary school-aged children using teacher ratings and peer nominations. Rejected children evinced significantly fewer competencies (e.g., peer group entry, responses to provocation) than popular, average, or neglected children but differed from controversial children only with respect to their inability to meet established social norms for cooperative behavior and teachers' expectations for classroom behavior. An examination of the heterogeneity of peer-rejected children revealed that rejected-aggressive children were deficient in all aspects of social competence assessed and were most disliked by their peers. Rejected-withdrawn children were seen by peers as most unhappy, whereas rejected-undifferentiated children (i.e., rejected children who were neither highly aggressive nor highly withdrawn) had problems with social withdrawal, disruptive behavior, and socially appropriate behavior. Rejected-aggressive and rejected-withdrawn children had more difficulties with reactive aggression combined with an inability to respond positively to peers than their nonrejected agemates. The need for further research on the heterogeneity of peer-rejected children and the long-term implications for these children are discussed.
Screening with doppler ultrasound for carotid artery stenosis in patients with stroke or transient ischaemic attack

Carotid endarterectomy of symptomatic internal carotid artery stenosis in patients with stroke or transient ischaemic attack reduces the risk of recurrent stroke, particularly if performed within 2 weeks from the first event. We evaluated the efficiency of a screening programme based on Doppler ultrasound in patients hospitalized with stroke or transient ischaemic attack in the stroke centre at Rigshospitalet, Glostrup, Denmark, concerning timeliness of referral to the vascular surgeon and performance of carotid endarterectomy according to national recommendations.
Watermarking medical signals for telemedicine

The modern telecommunication infrastructure supports the possibility of delivering quality health care without the physical presence of medical experts. The integrity of biomedical signals being transmitted through the communication channels must be established before their utilization. This paper investigates three digital watermarking techniques for signal integrity verification in an electroencephalogram (EEG) monitoring application for brain injury detection. The techniques studied are the patchwork, least-significant bit and quantization watermarking methods. The three techniques are evaluated and compared in the following areas: sensitivity to noise contamination, robustness to EEG signal characteristic changes due to brain injury, and consistency under various communication channel models. The patchwork method performs best for noise contamination rejection among the three methods. The noise contamination detection rates of all three methods remain relatively stable across a wide range of EEG characteristics.
Reconstructing the linear power spectrum of cosmological mass fluctuations

We describe an attempt to reconstruct the initial conditions for the formation of cosmological large-scale structure. The power spectrum of the primordial fluctuations is affected by bias, nonlinear evolution and redshift-space distortions, but we show how these effects can be corrected for analytically. Using eight independent datasets, we obtain excellent agreement in the estimated linear power spectra given the following conditions. First, the relative bias factors for Abell clusters, radio galaxies, optical galaxies and IRAS galaxies must be in the ratios 4.5:1.9:1.3:1. Second, the data require redshift-space distortion: $\Omega~{0.6}/b_{\ss I} = 1.0 \pm 0.2$. Third, low values of $\Omega$ and bias are disfavoured. The shape of the spectrum is extremely well described by a CDM transfer function with an apparent value of the fitting parameter $\Omega h =0.25$. Tilted models predict too little power at 100 Mpc wavelengths.
Applying the semantics of negation to SMT through n-best list re-ranking

Although the performance of SMT systems has improved over a range of different linguistic phenomena, negation has not yet received adequate treatment. Previous works have considered the problem of translating negative data as one of data sparsity (Wetzel and Bond (2012)) or of structural differences between source and target language with respect to the placement of negation (Collins et al. (2005)). This work starts instead from the questions of what is meant by negation and what makes a good translation of negation. These questions have led us to explore the use of semantics of negation in SMT — specifically, identifying core semantic elements of negation (cue, event and scope) in a source-side dependency parse and reranking hypotheses on the n-best list produced after decoding according to the extent to which an hypothesis realises these elements. The method shows considerable improvement over the baseline as measured by BLEU scores and Stanford’s entailmentbased MT evaluation metric (Pado et al.
The experiences of service users with a learning disability living in adult placements

Adult Placement offers people with a learning disability a highly flexible form of accommodation and person-centred support provided by individuals and families in the local community and enables an individual to share in the life of the Adult Placement carer. A limited amount of research has focused on the characteristics of carers, and the reasons why people become providers of such placements. There has been little focus in research on service users’ experiences of Adult Placements. The aim of the present study was to explore the experiences of adults with learning disabilities living in long-term Adult Placements, drawing upon the perspectives of service users and carers. Twelve participants (six service users and six carers) were recruited from two Adult Placement Schemes and took part in a semi-structured interview. Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis produced four superordinate themes from the participants’ experiences: The Function of Adult Placements - as a different model of care offering an opportunity for an ‘ordinary’ life for service users; Characteristics of the Service User/ Carer Relationship – one that is differentiated from others and provides a ‘secure base’ and ‘safe haven’ for service users; “Family” – integration into the family, experiences of family dynamics, family changes and coping; and Personal and Professional Issues for Carers – their relationships with the teams, important factors for the carer role, rewards and benefits, and challenges and dilemmas. The results highlight the meaning associated with Adult Placement for service users and relationships developed with carers were found to closely resemble attachments as they are conceptualised in adulthood. This study provides evidence from the service user perspective to support the view that Adult Placement carers fulfil the role of attachment figures for adults with learning disabilities. Findings are considered in relation to existing literature. Clinical and service implications are discussed and recommendations for future research are made.
Effects of Nickel and Cobalt on Kinetics of Methanol Conversion by Methanogenic Sludge as Assessed by On-Line CH4 Monitoring

ABSTRACT When metals were added in a pulse mode to methylotrophic-methanogenic biomass, three methane production rate phases were recognized. Increased concentrations of Ni and Co accelerated the initial exponential and final arithmetic increases in the methane production rate and reduced the temporary decrease in the rate. When Ni and Co were added continuously, the temporary decrease phase was eliminated and the exponential production rate increased. We hypothesize that the temporary decrease in the methane production rate and the final arithmetic increase in the methane production rate were due to micronutrient limitations and that the precipitation-dissolution kinetics of metal sulfides may play a key role in the biovailability of these compounds.
α2‐Heremans Schmid glycoprotein, a putative inhibitor of tyrosine kinase, prevents glucose toxicity associated with cardiomyocyte dysfunction

Diabetes leads to impaired glucose metabolism and insulin signaling in the heart, which may contribute to the development of diabetic cardiomyopathy. Insulin stimulates tyrosine phosphorylation of the insulin receptor and insulin receptor substrates. A two‐fold increase in insulin‐stimulated tyrosine phosphorylation has been reported in diabetic myocardium. The aim of the present study was to examine the effect of a putative inhibitor of tyrosine kinase phosphorylation, α2‐Heremans Schmid glycoprotein (AHSG), on the mechanical dysfunction under a simulated diabetic environment.
Patients' understanding of their treatment plans and diagnosis at discharge.

OBJECTIVE To ascertain whether patients at discharge from a municipal teaching hospital knew their discharge diagnoses, treatment plan (names and purpose of their medications), and common side effects of prescribed medications. PATIENTS AND METHODS From July to October 1999, we surveyed 47 consecutive patients at discharge from the medical service of a municipal teaching hospital in New York City (Brooklyn, NY). Patients were asked to state either the trade or the generic name(s) of their medication(s), their purpose, and the major side effect(s), as well as their discharge diagnoses. Patients were excluded if they were not oriented to person, place, and time, were unaware of the circumstances surrounding their admission to the hospital, and/or did not speak or understand English. RESULTS Of the 47 patients surveyed, 4 were excluded. Of the remaining 43 patients, 12 (27.9%) were able to list all their medications, 16 (37.2%) were able to recount the purpose of all their medications, 6 (14.0%) were able to state the common side effect(s) of all their medications, and 18 (41.9%) were able to state their diagnosis or diagnoses. The mean number of medications prescribed at discharge was 3.89. CONCLUSIONS Less than half of our study patients were able to list their diagnoses, the name(s) of their medication(s), their purpose, or the major side effect(s). Lacking awareness of these factors affects a patient's ability to comply fully with discharge treatment plans. Whether lack of communication between physician and patient is actually the cause of patient unawareness of discharge Instructions or if this even affects patient outcome requires further study.