Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Thinking inside the box: How conformity promotes creativity and innovation

Intuition, along with empirical research, suggests that the generation of creative ideas benefits from divergent thinking among team members. However, the generation of creative ideas represents only one stage of the innovative process; teams also must implement ideas. In this chapter, we propose that effective idea implementation may depend on the opposite of team divergence: team conformity. Specifically, we propose that conformity facilitates various group processes important for effective idea implementation, including team coordination, information exchange, conflict management, and collective efficacy. Next, we discuss the role of leaders in managing the magnitude and processes of conformity. The chapter concludes with a discussion of implications and important next steps for studying conformity in relation to team innovative effectiveness.
Age-related changes in frontal and temporal lobe volumes in men: a magnetic resonance imaging study.

BACKGROUND Imaging and postmortem studies provide converging evidence that, beginning in adolescence, gray matter volume declines linearly until old age, while cerebrospinal fluid volumes are stable in adulthood (age 20-50 years). Given the fixed volume of the cranium in adulthood, it is surprising that most studies observe no white matter volume expansion after approximately age 20 years. We examined the effects of the aging process on the frontal and temporal lobes. METHODS Seventy healthy adult men aged 19 to 76 years underwent magnetic resonance imaging. Coronal images focused on the frontal and temporal lobes were acquired using pulse sequences that maximized gray vs white matter contrast. The volumes of total frontal and temporal lobes as well as the gray and white matter subcomponents were evaluated. RESULTS Age-related linear loss in gray matter volume in both frontal (r = -0.62, P<.001) and temporal (r = -0.48, P<.001) lobes was confirmed. However, the quadratic function best represented the relationship between age and white matter volume in the frontal (P<.001) and temporal (P<.001) lobes. Secondary analyses indicated that white matter volume increased until age 44 years for the frontal lobes and age 47 years for the temporal lobes and then declined. CONCLUSIONS The changes in white matter suggest that the adult brain is in a constant state of change roughly defined as periods of maturation continuing into the fifth decade of life followed by degeneration. Pathological states that interfere with such maturational processes could result in neurodevelopmental arrests in adulthood.
POLYMER MELT VISCOELASTICITY : WHAT WE CAN LEARN FROM MOLECULAR SIMULATIONS

In this review, we discuss how computer simulations at molecular level can help understand the complicated mechanics and flow behaviour of polymeric liquids. We focus, in particular, on one of the most distinctive properties of these materials, their viscoleasticity, quantifying the irreversible conversion of the work done for their deformation to heat loss but also their capability to store part of this work as elastic energy. We restrict our analysis to flexible polymers in the melt state and we describe how one can take advantage of recent advances in the field of atomistic Monte Carlo and Molecular Dynamics simulations in order to explain their relaxation mechanisms and flow properties. This information can be used to validate and parameterize molecular models, and to design better constitutive equations capable of providing a reliable expression for the stress tensor in terms of the imposed flow kinematics and certain, well-defined molecular parameters. The availability of such constitutive equations is important in the development of large-scale numerical approaches with predictive power, since they can help reduce the huge number of experiments typically required in industrial applications for optimising materials or for designing new processes and processing technologies.
Counterparty Credit Risk and the Credit Default Swap Market

Counterparty credit risk has become one of the highest-profile risks facing participants in the financial markets. Despite this, relatively little is known about how counterparty credit risk is actually priced. We examine this issue using an extensive proprietary data set of contemporaneous CDS transaction prices and quotes by 14 different CDS dealers selling credit protection on the same underlying firm. This unique cross-sectional data set allows us to identify directly how dealers' credit risk affects the prices of these controversial credit derivatives. We find that counterparty credit risk is priced in the CDS market. The magnitude of the effect, however, is vanishingly small and is consistent with a market structure in which participants require collateralization of swap liabilities by counterparties.
A Novel Tool for Studying Auxin-Metabolism: The Inhibition of Grapevine Indole-3-Acetic Acid-Amido Synthetases by a Reaction Intermediate Analogue

An important process for the regulation of auxin levels in plants is the inactivation of indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) by conjugation to amino acids. The conjugation reaction is catalysed by IAA-amido synthetases belonging to the family of GH3 proteins. Genetic approaches to study the biological significance of these enzymes have been hampered by large gene numbers and a high degree of functional redundancy. To overcome these difficulties a chemical approach based on the reaction mechanism of GH3 proteins was employed to design a small molecule inhibitor of IAA-amido synthetase activity. Adenosine-5′-[2-(1H-indol-3-yl)ethyl]phosphate (AIEP) mimics the adenylated intermediate of the IAA-conjugation reaction and was therefore proposed to compete with the binding of MgATP and IAA in the initial stages of catalysis. Two grapevine IAA-amido synthetases with different catalytic properties were chosen to test the inhibitory effects of AIEP in vitro. GH3-1 has previously been implicated in the grape berry ripening process and is restricted to two amino acid substrates, whereas GH3-6 conjugated IAA to 13 amino acids. AIEP is the most potent inhibitor of GH3 enzymes so far described and was shown to be competitive against MgATP and IAA binding to both enzymes with Ki-values 17-68-fold lower than the respective Km-values. AIEP also exhibited in vivo activity in an ex planta test system using young grape berries. Exposure to 5–20 µM of the inhibitor led to decreased levels of the common conjugate IAA-Asp and reduced the accumulation of the corresponding Asp-conjugate upon treatment with a synthetic auxin. AIEP therefore represents a novel chemical probe with which to study IAA-amido synthetase function.
Effects of Abciximab on the Architecture of Platelet-Rich Clots in Patients With Acute Myocardial Infarction Undergoing Primary Coronary Intervention

Background—Abciximab plus aspirin improves the TIMI 3 flow rate of the infarct-related artery in patients treated with either percutaneous coronary intervention or thrombolysis. The present study investigated whether the reperfusion efficacy of abciximab relates to modifications of clot architecture in patients admitted for acute myocardial infarction (AMI). Methods and Results—A total of 23 AMI patients in the Abciximab before Direct angioplasty and stenting in Myocardial Infarction Regarding Acute and Long term follow-up (ADMIRAL) trial received, in a double-blind fashion, either abciximab (n=13) or placebo (n=10) before primary stenting. Viscoelastic (G′ in dyne/cm2) and morphological (mean platelet aggregate surface area [SAG] in &mgr;m2) indexes of ex vivo platelet-rich clots (PRC) were assessed in a double-blind fashion before and after the bolus administration of abciximab or placebo. G′ and SAG reflect the mechanical and morphological impact of activated platelets on the PRC fibrin network, respectively. Abciximab administration reduced G′ by 63% (P =0.0001) and SAG by 65% (P =0.0007), and no effect was seen in the placebo group. These abciximab-related changes increased fibrin exposure as a consequence of the platelet-aggregate surface reduction and may have improved endogenous fibrinolysis. These effects were identified in all patients, independent of previous heparin administration. Conclusions—Abciximab dramatically reduces platelet aggregate size and increases the fibrin accessibility of ex vivo PRC in AMI patients. These modifications could participate in the better coronary artery patency observed with abciximab.
Multiparty Mediation: Identifying Characteristics of the Mediation Dream Team

Elizabeth J. Menninga: Multiparty Mediation: Identifying Characteristics of the Mediation Dream Team (Under the direction of Stephen E. Gent) This dissertation explores when and how multiparty mediation can help the prospects for peace in civil wars, considering when additional mediators are desirable and when they are not. While additional mediators can provide positive sources of leverage, they also increase the risk that forum-shopping, mixed messages, or free-riding will hinder the negotiations. I identify three characteristics of mediation efforts expected to improve mediation’s chances of success. First, complementary efforts improve the mediation team’s ability to respond to challenges at all phases of the resolution process, providing three important sources of leverage: contextual knowledge, economic/military resources, and staying power. Furthermore, complementary efforts reduce the risk of overcrowding by excluding mediators who do not bring a unique source of leverage to the table. Second, balanced mediation efforts include mediators biased toward both sides of the conflict. Each side has a mediator they trust to protect their interests at the negotiating table as well as to protect them if the other side reneges on the agreement. In this way, balanced mediation can help alleviate disputants’ security concerns, improving the chances that negotiations are successful. Finally, coordination among the mediators should improve the chances of mediation success by maximizing the ability to take advantage of the additional resources and tools of another mediator while also minimizing the negative consequences of adding a new party to the negotiations. To evaluate these expectations, I employ statistical tests on a set of mediation attempts in civil wars between 1989 and 2005. In these analyses I consider three measures of mediation success: reaching an agreement, overcoming the difficult two-month period post-agreement, and producing a durable peace. In addition to these statistical analyses, I discuss two cases of multiparty mediation: Angola and Mozambique. These cases allow for a clearer look at the dynamics of complementary, balanced, and
Predictability of Stock Return and Volatility : A Factor Based Approach

Using factor based approaches, we investigate a return and volatility forecasting procedure that exploits all the available information by still keeping the econometric framework at considerable size. Our findings demonstrate that factor based approaches provide substantial gains when predicting the sign of the excess returns and state of the volatility separately as well as jointly. A striking result is that the performance of this procedure increases especially after 1990, where the existing evidence suggests lower predictive power of many econometric forecasting procedures. For evaluating the economic significance of the factor based approach, we also simulate a mean-variance investor that uses return and volatility forecasts to determine optimal portfolio weights. In line with the predictive performance, under moderate transaction costs, a mean-variance investor would be willing to pay several hundreds of basis points per annum for switching from passive and dynamic strategies based on benchmark models to dynamic strategies that employ factor based approaches after 1990.
Analysis of microscopic behavior models for probabilistic modeling of driver behavior

The accurate simulation and prediction of human behavior is critical in many transportation applications, including safety and energy management systems. Construction of human driving models by hand is time-consuming and error-prone, and small modeling inaccuracies can have a significant impact on the estimated performance of a candidate system. This paper presents a comparative evaluation of several probabilistic microscopic human behavior models from the literature trained on naturalistic data for free-flow, car following, and lane change context-classes on highways. We propose several metrics to quantify model quality and use these metrics to demonstrate that a new class of Bayesian network models outperforms the state of the art.
A hybrid metaheuristic algorithm to solve the Capacitated m -Ring Star Problem

This work presents a metaheuristic approach to solve the Capacitated m-Ring Star Problem (CmRSP), a problem introduced by Baldacci et al. [1] which models the design of telecommunication networks with survivability properties. The CmRSP consists of finding a set of m cycles (rings), each of them including the central depot (the central telephone office), a subset of customers, and a set of optional nodes (secondary stations) used to diminish the costs of the network design. The rings must be node-disjoint (except for the central depot) in order to provide survivability to the network when node failure occurs. Customers that are not part of the rings must be directly connected to nodes in the rings. An additional constraint is that no ring (the cycle itself and pendants) can have more than Q customers, beingQ a prefixed parameter (the ring capacity). The objective is to minimize the sum of routing and connection costs. The CmRSP is a NP-Hard problem, since it generalizes the Traveling Salesman Problem .
Cyberplagiarism in University Regulations

The article examines the legal framework for plagiarism, and its twofold nature of illicit appropriation (from the author of the plagiarized work) and fraud (with regard to the target audience of the plagiarism). Based on these premises, academic cyberplagiarism is analysed as a form of plagiarism carried out using electronic tools in the university setting. The question of responsibility (who can regulate the legal consequences of plagiarism? ) before and after the Ley Organica de Universidades (organic law on universities, LOU) is studied, as is the disciplinary handling of cyberplagiarism with the limited regulations currently in place at universities.
Teacher Mindfulness in the Middle School Classroom: Reliability and Validity of a New Scale

This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access. It has been accepted for inclusion in Dissertations and Theses by an authorized administrator of PDXScholar. For more information, please contact pdxscholar@pdx.edu. Recommended Citation Rickert, Nicolette Paige, "Teacher Mindfulness in the Middle School Classroom: Reliability and Validity of a New Scale" (2016). Dissertations and Theses. Paper 3118.
Nutritional Status in Adults with Predialysis Chronic Kidney Disease: KNOW-CKD Study

Adverse changes in nutrition are prevalent and are strong indicators of adverse outcomes in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). The International Society of Renal Nutrition and Metabolism (ISRNM) proposed a common nomenclature and diagnostic criteria to identify protein-energy wasting (PEW) in CKD patients. We examined the nutritional status in 1,834 adults with predialysis CKD enrolled in the KoreaN cohort study for Outcome in patients With Chronic Kidney Disease (KNOW-CKD) study. As there was a need for further understanding of nutritional status and associated factors in CKD, we evaluated the prevalence and associated factors of PEW in adults with predialysis CKD. The prevalence of PEW was about 9.0% according to ISRNM criteria and tended to increase with advanced stage in predialysis CKD. Those who concurrently had PEW, inflammation, and CVD were a small proportion (0.4%). In multivariate logistic regression model, PEW was independently associated with estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) (odds ratio [OR], 0.98; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.96–0.99), total CO2 (OR, 0.93; 95% CI, 0.87–0.99), physical activity (OR, 0.43; 95% CI, 0.26–0.69), comorbid diabetes (OR, 1.68; 95% CI, 1.09–2.59), and high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) (OR, 1.03; 95% CI, 1.01–1.06). Our study suggests that PEW increases with advanced CKD stage. PEW is independently associated with renal function, low total CO2, low physical activity, comorbid diabetes, and increased hs-CRP in adults with predialysis CKD.
Critical review of the current and future challenges associated with advanced in vitro systems towards the study of nanoparticle (secondary) genotoxicity

With the need to understand the potential biological impact of the plethora of nanoparticles (NPs) being manufactured for a wide range of potential human applications, due to their inevitable human exposure, research activities in the field of NP toxicology has grown exponentially over the last decade. Whilst such increased research efforts have elucidated an increasingly significant knowledge base pertaining to the potential human health hazard posed by NPs, understanding regarding the possibility for NPs to elicit genotoxicity is limited. In vivo models are unable to adequately discriminate between the specific modes of action associated with the onset of genotoxicity. Additionally, in line with the recent European directives, there is an inherent need to move away from invasive animal testing strategies. Thus, in vitro systems are an important tool for expanding our mechanistic insight into NP genotoxicity. Yet uncertainty remains concerning their validity and specificity for this purpose due to the unique challenges presented when correlating NP behaviour in vitro and in vivo. This review therefore highlights the current state of the art in advanced in vitro systems and their specific advantages and disadvantages from a NP genotoxicity testing perspective. Key indicators will be given related to how these systems might be used or improved to enhance understanding of NP genotoxicity.
A quantitative evaluation of the flipped classroom in a large lecture principles of economics course

ABSTRACT This research provides evidence that the flipped classroom instructional format increases student final exam performance, relative to the traditional instructional format, in a large lecture principles of economics course. The authors find that the flipped classroom directly improves performance by 0.2 to 0.7 standardized deviations, depending on the type of learning objective (i.e., knowledge, comprehension, application, or analysis). They also show that the flipped classroom improves effort during the semester, measured by in-class polling participation, and find some evidence of a heterogeneous, yet positive, effect of the flipped classroom by observable student characteristics and by level of performance.
The role of creativity in mediating the relationship between entrepreneurial passion and entrepreneurial alertness

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate creativity as an intermediate variable existing within the relationship between entrepreneurial passion and entrepreneurial alertness. Design/methodology/approach – This is a quantitative research using a moderated mediation model. A questionnaire is used and the analyses are performed with the answers from 244 people with at least 3 years of professional experience and graduate business studies. The discriminant validity of the variables is revised and a hierarchical regression analysis is performed for the hypotheses test. Findings – Significant relations are obtained with which a positive relationship between entrepreneurial passion and creativity can be confirmed, as well as a positive relationship between creativity and entrepreneurial alertness. However, the results also reported that creativity partially mediates the relationship between entrepreneurial passion and entrepreneurial alertness. Originality/value – The contribution of this research lies on showing empirical evidence of the link between entrepreneurial passion, creativity, and entrepreneurial alertness through the use of measurement scales recently developed. It also presents creativity as an intermediate variable in the entrepreneurial passion-alertness relationship.
High biologically effective dose radiation therapy using brachytherapy in combination with external beam radiotherapy for high-risk prostate cancer

Purpose To evaluate the outcomes of high-risk prostate cancer patients treated with biologically effective dose (BED) ≥ 220 Gy of high-dose radiotherapy, using low-dose-rate (LDR) brachytherapy in combination with external beam radiotherapy (EBRT) and short-term androgen deprivation therapy (ADT). Material and methods From 2005 to 2013, a total of 143 patients with high-risk prostate cancer were treated by radiotherapy of BED ≥ 220 Gy with a combination of LDR brachytherapy, EBRT, and androgen deprivation therapy (ADT). The high-risk patients in the present study included both high-risk and very high-risk prostate cancer. The number of high-risk features were: 60 patients with 1 high-risk factor (42%), 61 patients with 2 high-risk factors (43%), and 22 patients with 3 high-risk factors (15%) including five N1 disease. External beam radiotherapy fields included prostate and seminal vesicles only or whole pelvis depending on the extension of the disease. Biochemical failure was defined by the Phoenix definition. Results Six patients developed biochemical failure, thus providing a 5-year actual biochemical failure-free survival (BFFS) rate of 95.2%. Biochemical failure was observed exclusively in cases with distant metastasis in the present study. All six patients with biochemical relapse had clinical failure due to bone metastasis, thus yielding a 5-year freedom from clinical failure (FFCF) rate of 93.0%. None of the cases with N1 disease experienced biochemical failure. We observed four deaths, including one death from prostate cancer, therefore yielding a cause-specific survival (CSS) rate of 97.2%, and an overall survival (OS) rate of 95.5%. Conclusions High-dose (BED ≥ 220 Gy) radiotherapy by LDR in combination with EBRT has shown an excellent outcome on BFFS in high-risk and very high-risk cancer, although causal relationship between BED and BFFS remain to be explained further.
Assessment of intelligence quotient among schoolchildren of fishermen community of Kutch, Gujarat, India.

BACKGROUND AND AIM The aim of the study was to assess the intelligence quotient of fishermen school children of Kutch, Gujarat, India. MATERIALS AND METHODS A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among 8 to 10 years old school children living in Kutch District, Gujarat, India, from January to February 2013. Seguin Form Board Test was used to assess the intelligence quotient (IQ) level of children. Means of groups were compared by independent student t-test. Stepwise multiple linear regression was used to identify predictors for IQ. RESULTS The mean average timing taken by fishermen school children to complete the test was 30.64 ± 4.97. Males had significantly lower mean timing scores than females (p < 0.05). Participants with severe dental fluorosis, low socio-economic status (SES), lower education level of both mother and father and those who were overweight had significantly higher mean timing scores for average category. CONCLUSIONS The present study suggested a low IQ among fishermen school children community of Kutch, Gujarat, India. The major factors which influenced their IQ were dental fluorosis, low SES, low education level of parents and high body mass index.