Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Conflict Resolution by Managers

Conflicts occur in a variety of areas, not excluding the work life. Conflict resolution methods are essential for further development of the conflict in terms of its escalation or de-escalation. The proposed chapter focuses on the issue of dispositional vs. situational approach to exploring the ways of conflict resolution. Results of the presented research projects are based mostly on the theories distinguishing between five conflict resolution styles: avoiding, competing, compromising, accommodating, and collaborating. The chapter also includes the results of the research, in which an original methodology for identification and specification of the differences in the conflict resolution methods within various situational contexts was used. Model conflict situations were placed into three different environments (work, home, and among friends) and associated with two different conflicts (backbiting and false accusations). The results also confirmed the differences in use of the conflict resolution methods by managers both in terms of the environment in which the conflict occurred and the content of the conflict. Within the framework of these studies, gender-based comparisons have also been carried out confirming several gender specificities in the selection of ways to resolve conflicts between men and women.
Optimal Frequency Hopping Sequences of Odd Length

In this paper, a new generalized cyclotomy with respect to a positive odd integer is introduced, and a construction of frequency hopping sequence sets and two constructions of frequency hopping sequences are proposed as its applications. The frequency hopping sequence sets and frequency hopping sequences obtained in this paper can be optimal with respect to the Peng-Fan bound and Lempel-Greenberger bound, respectively. Further, the length of sequences in the optimal frequency hopping sequence sets can be any odd integer larger than 3. Some of them have new parameters.
Data Mining Approach: Relevance Vector Machine for the Classification of Learning Style Based on Learning Objects

Recent researches indicate that a lot of effort has been done to provide learners with personalized learning objects. Previous studies classified learning object based on the description of the learning style preference itself without considering student preference. In this study, we propose a data mining approach to the classification of learning objects based on learning style while considering student preference use of the learning objects. Relevance Vector Machine (RVM) is used to build a classifier for the classification of learners. For the purpose of comparison, Support Vector Machine (SVM) and Neural Network (NN) were applied. Comparative simulation results indicated that the propose RVM classifier accuracy and computational time complexity is superior to the NN, and SVM classifiers. The classifier proposes in this research can be of help to educators in proposing appropriate learning objects with high level of accuracy within a short period of time. This in turn can significantly improve learner's performance in understanding the subject matter.
Statistical modelling and direct numerical simulations of decaying stably stratified turbulence. Part 2. Large-scale and small-scale anisotropy

Stably stratified freely decaying homogeneous turbulence is investigated by means of direct numerical simulations (DNS) and a two-point closure statistical model of the EDQNM type; a careful comparison with laboratory experiments is also made. Several aspects of anisotropy in the flow are studied, both at large and small scales. DNS and EDQNM approaches give very similar results up to the finest indicators of the flow, namely anisotropic spectra of velocity fields. Hence the statistical model predicts the structure of the flow at all scales. Large-scale anisotropy appears in the Reynolds stress components and in the directional integral length scales. The well-known collapse of vertical turbulent motion, which yields the organization of the flow into quasi-horizontal vertically decorrelated vortex structures, is retrieved and quantified. Thus, the thickness of the vortex structures is shown to be set by their Froude number being of order one, in agreement with a previous dimensional analysis for an inviscid flow. Small-scale anisotropy is quantified from the components of the velocity and temperature gradients, whereby models for the dissipation rate of kinetic energy and available potential energy are discussed. The mixing properties of the flow are also investigated: the counter-gradient heat flux that exists at small scales appears to inhibit mixing when diffusivity is low enough and the Cox number varies linearly with the parameter $\epsilon/\nu N^2$. All results agree very well with laboratory experiments on stably stratified grid turbulence, though the initial condition of our computations is different from the flow just behind the grid. This suggests a relative independence of decaying stably stratified turbulence of initial conditions.
Teaching English at Indonesian Islamic Higher Education: An Epistemological Perspective

English Language Teaching (ELT) practices are strongly underpinned by an epistemological view. Different beliefs on what constitute as sources of knowledge and methods of knowledge acquisition bring about different instructional implications. The case is true within the context of ELT at Indonesian Islamic higher education where the desired goals of the English teaching are not only for mastering language skills and pedagogy but also for strengthening Islamic faith and nurturing virtuous action. This research, therefore, aims to provide a description of how the decision makers and ELT practitioners at the Islamic higher education view the Islamic epistemology conceptually and practically. It addresses an attitude toward the epistemological contestation between Islam and West, as well as the strategies of integrating Islamic epistemology into English language instruction. A case study with a qualitative technique of data collection was conducted. Four decision makers, with a formal educational background of Islamic epistemology, and three ELT practitioners were involved as the research participants. The findings show that: First, ELT has its roots in Quranic revelation and prophetic tradition. Second, the Islamic epistemology and the Western epistemology ought to be interconnected rather than to be put within a contestation framework. Third, the Islamic epistemology should be integrated, explicitly or implicitly, into the curriculum, teaching materials, classroom scenario, assessment, academic atmosphere, and research policy. It is recommended that ELT practitioners responsibly explore the notion of Qur'an as the basis of linguistics and language pedagogy, and creatively accommodate the issues of locality and particularity into their instructional activities.
Expression of Mutated IGHV3-23 Genes in Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia Identifies a Disease Subset with Peculiar Clinical and Biological Features

Purpose: B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) is a clinically heterogeneous disease whose outcome can be foreseen by investigating the mutational status of immunoglobulin heavy chain variable (IGHV) genes. Moreover, a different prognosis was reported for CLL expressing specific IGHV genes in the context or not of stereotyped B-cell receptors. Here we investigated novel associations between usage of specific IGHV genes and clinical features in CLL. Experimental Design: Among 1,426 CLL-specific IG-rearrangements, stereotyped B-cell receptor clusters never utilized the IGHV3-23 gene. Given this notion, this study was aimed at characterizing the IGHV3-23 gene in CLL, and identifying the properties of IGHV3-23–expressing CLL. Results: IGHV3-23 was the second most frequently used (134 of 1,426) and usually mutated (M; 109 of 134) IGHV gene in our CLL series. In the vast majority of M IGHV3-23 sequences, the configuration of the 13 amino acids involved in superantigen recognition was consistent with superantigen binding. Clinically, M IGHV3-23 CLL had shorter time-to-treatment than other M non–IGHV3-23 CLL, and multivariate analyses selected IGHV3-23 gene usage, Rai staging, and chromosomal abnormalities as independent prognosticators for M CLL. Compared with M non–IGHV3-23 CLL, the gene expression profile of M IGHV3-23 CLL was deprived in genes, including the growth/tumor suppressor genes PDCD4, TIA1, and RASSF5, whose downregulation is under control of miR-15a and miR-16-1. Accordingly, relatively higher levels of miR-15a and miR-16-1 were found in M IGHV3-23 compared with M non–IGHV3-23 CLL. Conclusions: Altogether, expression of the IGHV3-23 gene characterizes a CLL subset with distinct clinical and biological features. Clin Cancer Res; 16(2); 620–8
In vivo optical virtual biopsy of human oral mucosa with harmonic generation microscopy

Recent clinical studies on human skin indicated that in vivo multi-harmonic generation microscopy (HGM) can achieve sub-micron resolution for histopathological analysis with a high penetration depth and leave no energy or photodamages in the interacted tissues. It is thus highly desired to apply HGM for in vivo mucosa histopathological diagnosis. In this paper, the first in vivo optical virtual biopsy of human oral mucosa by using epi-HGM is demonstrated. We modified an upright microscope to rotate the angle of objective for in vivo observation. Our clinical study reveals the capability of HGM to in vivo image cell distributions in human oral mucosa, including epithelium and lamina propria with a high penetration depth greater than 280 μm and a high spatial resolution better than 500 nm. We also found that the third-harmonic-generation (THG) contrast on nucleus depends strongly on its thicknesses, in agreement with a numerical simulation. Besides, 4% acetic acid was found to be able to enhance the THG contrast of nucleus in oral mucosa, while such enhancement was found to decay due to the metabolic clearance of the contrast enhancer by the oral mucosa. Our clinical study indicated that, the combined epi-THG and epi-second-harmonic-generation (SHG) microscopy is a promising imaging tool for in vivo noninvasive optical virtual biopsy and disease diagnosis in human mucosa.
DNM1, a dynamin-related gene, participates in endosomal trafficking in yeast

We identified DNM1, a novel dynamin-related gene in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Molecular and genetic mapping showed that DNM1 is the most proximal gene to the right of centromere 12, and is predicted to encode a protein of 85 kD, designated Dnm1p. The protein exhibits 41% overall identity with full-length dynamin I and 55% identity with the most highly conserved 400-amino acid GTPase region. Our findings show that like mammalian dynamin, Dnm1p participates in endocytosis; however, it is unlikely to be a cognate homologue. Cells with a disruption in the DNM1 gene showed mating response defects consistent with a delay in receptor-mediated endocytosis. The half-life of the Ste3p pheromone receptor was increased two- to threefold in the dnm1 mutant, demonstrating that Dnm1p participates in the constitutive turnover of the receptor. To define the step in the endocytic pathway at which Dnm1p acts, we analyzed mutant strains at both early and late steps of the process. Initial internalization of epitope-tagged pheromone receptor or of labeled pheromone proceeded with wild-type kinetics. However, delivery of the internalized receptor to the vacuole was greatly impeded during ligand-induced endocytosis. These data suggest that during receptor-mediated endocytosis, Dnm1p acts after internalization, but before fusion with the vacuole. The dnm1 mutant was not defective for sorting of vacuolar proteins, indicating that Dnm1p is not required for transport from the late endosome to the vacuole. Therefore, we suggest that Dnm1p participates at a novel step before fusion with the late endosome.
Low complexity approximate maximum throughput scheduling for LTE

In this paper we address the challenge of multiuser scheduling in the downlink of 3GPP UMTS/LTE. Long Term Evolution (LTE) imposes the constraint of using the same code rate, modulation order and transmit power for all resources a User Equipment (UE) is scheduled onto. This, in addition to the lack of channel knowledge, prohibits theoretical concepts such as capacity maximization to be applied for resource allocation. Based on the Channel Quality Indicator (CQI) feedback we derive a linearized model for multiuser scheduling. In contrast to other proposals we use Mutual Information Effective SNR Mapping (MIESM) to calculate an average CQI value for all UE resources. This enables a rate increase while still guaranteeing an imposed Block Error Ratio (BLER) constraint. The proposed framework can also be applied to implement other scheduling strategies. This is demonstrated by comparing different standard schedulers in terms of achieved throughput and fairness.
Transport properties of multifilamentary Ag-sheathed Bi-2223 tapes under the influence of strain

Current-voltage (I-V) characteristics in multifilamentary Ag/Bi2223 tapes are investigated as a function of mechanical strain. As is well known, the critical current, I/sub c/, in axially elongated tape remains almost constant up to a strain around 0.5%, then is followed by a sharp reduction. However, for larger elongations, a long tail in the I/sub c/-strain curve is observed, i.e., around 20% of the initial I/sub c/ still remains even at 0.8% strain. The irreversible I/sub c/ reduction indicates that the degradation comes from the breakdown of superconducting filaments. However, it is observed that the rupture risk probability reduces as the strain is increased in the long tail. This anomaly suggests that the measured strain of the whole tape is not identical to that of the HTS filaments inside the tape. We propose a model to describe the mechanical properties of the tape. It is shown that (1) the breakdown probability of the filaments is well described by the Weibull function if we calculate the influence of shearing between the superconducting filaments and the surrounding Ag sheath, (2) the I/sub c/-strain properties can be described accurately by the model, (3) transport I-V characteristics can also be described simultaneously as a function of strain.
Productivity Change in the Australian Steel Industry: BHP Steel 1982-1995

Productivity improvements are important in raising the nation’s standard of living over the medium term. As Krugman (1994, p. 13) notes, ‘. productivity isn’t everything, but in the long run it is almost everything’. Empirical research on trends and sources of Australian productivity growth have almost entirely been at the macroeconomic level (Dixon and McDonald 1991, 1992; NIEIR 1991; Adams, Dixon and Parmenter 1991) or at the aggregated industry level (Bureau of Industry Economics 1985; Hughes, Burgess and Dunlop 1991; Industry Commission 1992). However, there have been relatively few studies on identifying the productivity performance of individual firms (EPAC 1989; Lansley and Stern 1992). This is surprising given that ‘. productivity at the national level is no more than the sum of productivity achievements at the firm level – or even the individual production unit. Therefore, company productivity improvement is as much a critical issue as national productivity’ (Grossman 1984, p. 18). Moreover, accurate productivity measurement within a firm can provide management with an additional tool in analysing and correcting the efficiency of the firm beyond that provided by traditional accounting numbers (Kendrick and Creamer 1965; Cocks 1974).
Event-triggered model predictive control of discrete-time linear systems subject to disturbances

This paper presents an approach to event-triggered model predictive control for discrete-time linear systems subject to input and state constraints as well as exogenous disturbances. Stability properties are derived by evaluating the difference between the event-triggered implementation and the conventional time-triggered scheme. It is shown that the event-triggered implementation, in stationarity, is able to keep the state in an explicitly computable set given by the disturbance bound and the event threshold. Simulation results underline the effectiveness of the proposed scheme in terms of reducing the communication and computational effort while guaranteeing a desired performance.
Climate Change, Multiple Stressors, and the Decline of Ectotherms

Climate change is believed to be causing declines of ectothermic vertebrates, but there is little evidence that climatic conditions associated with declines have exceeded critical (i.e., acutely lethal) maxima or minima, and most relevant studies are correlative, anecdotal, or short‐term (hours). We conducted an 11‐week factorial experiment to examine the effects of temperature (22 °C or 27 °C), moisture (wet or dry), and atrazine (an herbicide; 0, 4, 40, 400 μg/L exposure as embryos and larvae) on the survival, growth, behavior, and foraging rates of postmetamorphic streamside salamanders (Ambystoma barbouri), a species of conservation concern. The tested climatic conditions were between the critical maxima and minima of streamside salamanders; thus, this experiment quantified the long‐term effects of climate change within the noncritical range of this species. Despite a suite of behavioral adaptations to warm and dry conditions (e.g., burrowing, refuge use, huddling with conspecifics, and a reduction in activity), streamside salamanders exhibited significant loss of mass and significant mortality in all but the cool and moist conditions, which were closest to the climatic conditions in which they are most active in nature. A temperature of 27 °C represented a greater mortality risk than dry conditions; death occurred rapidly at this temperature and more gradually under cool and dry conditions. Foraging decreased under dry conditions, which suggests there were opportunity costs to water conservation. Exposure to the herbicide atrazine additively decreased water‐conserving behaviors, foraging efficiency, mass, and time to death. Hence, the hypothesis that moderate climate change can cause population declines is even more plausible under scenarios with multiple stressors. These results suggest that climate change within the noncritical range of species and pollution may reduce individual performance by altering metabolic demands, hydration, and foraging effort and may facilitate population declines of amphibians and perhaps other ectothermic vertebrates.
NLRP3 Gene Silencing Ameliorates Diabetic Cardiomyopathy in a Type 2 Diabetes Rat Model

Background Nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain-like receptor protein 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome is associated with metabolic disorder and cell death, which are important triggers in diabetic cardiomyopathy (DCM). We aimed to explore whether NLRP3 inflammasome activation contributes to DCM and the mechanism involved. Methods Type 2 diabetic rat model was induced by high fat diet and low dose streptozotocin. The characteristics of type 2 DCM were evaluated by metabolic tests, echocardiography and histopathology. Gene silencing therapy was used to investigate the role of NLRP3 in the pathogenesis of DCM. High glucose treated H9c2 cardiomyocytes were used to determine the mechanism by which NLRP3 modulated the DCM. The cell death in vitro was detected by TUNEL and EthD-III staining. TXNIP-siRNA and pharmacological inhibitors of ROS and NF-kB were used to explore the mechanism of NLRP3 inflammasome activation. Results Diabetic rats showed severe metabolic disorder, cardiac inflammation, cell death, disorganized ultrastructure, fibrosis and excessive activation of NLRP3, apoptosis-associated speck-like protein containing a caspase recruitment domain (ASC), pro-caspase-1, activated caspase-1 and mature interleukin-1β (IL-1β). Evidence for pyroptosis was found in vivo, and the caspase-1 dependent pyroptosis was found in vitro. Silencing of NLRP3 in vivo did not attenuate systemic metabolic disturbances. However, NLRP3 gene silencing therapy ameliorated cardiac inflammation, pyroptosis, fibrosis and cardiac function. Silencing of NLRP3 in H9c2 cardiomyocytes suppressed pyroptosis under high glucose. ROS inhibition markedly decreased nuclear factor-kB (NF-kB) phosphorylation, thioredoxin interacting/inhibiting protein (TXNIP), NLRP3 inflammasome, and mature IL-1β in high glucose treated H9c2 cells. Inhibition of NF-kB reduced the activation of NLRP3 inflammasome. TXNIP-siRNA decreased the activation of caspase-1 and IL-1β. Conclusion NLRP3 inflammasome contributed to the development of DCM. NF-κB and TXNIP mediated the ROS-induced caspase-1 and IL-1β activation, which are the effectors of NLRP3 inflammasome. NLRP3 gene silencing may exert a protective effect on DCM.
Induction of the Transcriptional Repressor ZBTB4 in Prostate Cancer Cells by Drug-Induced Targeting of MicroRNA-17-92/106b-25 Clusters

Androgen-insensitive DU145 and PC3 human prostate cancer cells express high levels of specificity protein (Sp) transcription factors Sp1, Sp3, and Sp4, and treatment of cells with methyl 2-cyano-3,11-dioxo-18β-olean-1,12-dien-30-oate (CDODA-Me) inhibited cell growth and downregulated Sp1, Sp3, and Sp4 expression. CDODA-Me (15 mg/kg/d) was a potent inhibitor of tumor growth in a mouse xenograft model (PC3 cells) and also decreased expression of Sp transcription factors in tumors. CDODA-Me–mediated downregulation of Sp1, Sp3, and Sp4 was due to induction of the transcriptional repressor ZBTB4, which competitively binds and displaces Sp transcription factors from GC-rich sites in Sp1-, Sp3-, Sp4-, and Sp-regulated gene promoters. ZBTB4 levels are relatively low in DU145 and PC3 cells due to suppression by miR paralogs that are members of the miR-17-92 (miR-20a/17-5p) and miR-106b-25 (miR-106b/93) clusters. Examination of publically available prostate cancer patient array data showed an inverse relationship between ZBTB4 and miRs-20a/17-5p/106b/93 expression, and increased ZBTB4 in patients with prostate cancer was a prognostic factor for increased survival. CDODA-Me induces ZBTB4 in prostate cancer cells through disruption of miR–ZBTB4 interactions, and this results in downregulation of pro-oncogenic Sp transcription factors and Sp-regulated genes. Mol Cancer Ther; 11(9); 1852–62. ©2012 AACR.
Matching LBO eigenspace of non-rigid shapes via high order statistics

A fundamental tool in shape analysis is the virtual embedding of the Riemannian manifold describing the geometry of a shape into Euclidean space. Several methods have been proposed to embed isometric shapes into flat domains, while preserving the distances measured on the manifold. Recently, attention has been given to embedding shapes into the eigenspace of the Laplace–Beltrami operator. The Laplace–Beltrami eigenspace preserves the diffusion distance and is invariant under isometric transformations. However, Laplace–Beltrami eigenfunctions computed independently for different shapes are often incompatible with each other. Applications involving multiple shapes, such as pointwise correspondence, would greatly benefit if their respective eigenfunctions were somehow matched. Here, we introduce a statistical approach for matching eigenfunctions. We consider the values of the eigenfunctions over the manifold as the sampling of random variables and try to match their multivariate distributions. Comparing distributions is done indirectly, using high order statistics. We show that the permutation and sign ambiguities of low order eigenfunctions can be inferred by minimizing the difference of their third order moments. The sign ambiguities of antisymmetric eigenfunctions can be resolved by exploiting isometric invariant relations between the gradients of the eigenfunctions and the surface normal. We present experiments demonstrating the success of the proposed method applied to feature point correspondence.