Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Toward a Working Model of Leadership in Nonprofit Sport Governance

The aim of this study is to explore leadership within nonprofit sport governance. As an outcome, the authors present a preliminary working model of leadership in nonprofit sport governance based on existing literature and our new empirical evidence. Leadership in nonprofit sport governance has received limited attention to date in scholarly discourse. The authors adopt a case study approach involving three organizations and 16 participant interviews from board members and Chief Executive Officers within the golf network in Australia to uncover key leadership issues in this domain. Interviews were analyzed using an interpretive process, and a thematic structure relating to leadership in the nonprofit sport governance context was developed. Leadership ambiguity, distribution of leadership, leadership skills and development, and leadership and volunteerism emerged as the key themes in the research. These themes, combined with existing literature, are integrated into a preliminary working model of leadership in nonprofit sport governance that helps to shape the issues and challenges embedded within this emerging area of inquiry. The authors offer a number of suggestions for future research to refine, test, critique, and elaborate on our proposed working model.
Prediction of Chemical-Protein Interactions Network with Weighted Network-Based Inference Method

Chemical-protein interaction (CPI) is the central topic of target identification and drug discovery. However, large scale determination of CPI is a big challenge for in vitro or in vivo experiments, while in silico prediction shows great advantages due to low cost and high accuracy. On the basis of our previous drug-target interaction prediction via network-based inference (NBI) method, we further developed node- and edge-weighted NBI methods for CPI prediction here. Two comprehensive CPI bipartite networks extracted from ChEMBL database were used to evaluate the methods, one containing 17,111 CPI pairs between 4,741 compounds and 97 G protein-coupled receptors, the other including 13,648 CPI pairs between 2,827 compounds and 206 kinases. The range of the area under receiver operating characteristic curves was 0.73 to 0.83 for the external validation sets, which confirmed the reliability of the prediction. The weak-interaction hypothesis in CPI network was identified by the edge-weighted NBI method. Moreover, to validate the methods, several candidate targets were predicted for five approved drugs, namely imatinib, dasatinib, sertindole, olanzapine and ziprasidone. The molecular hypotheses and experimental evidence for these predictions were further provided. These results confirmed that our methods have potential values in understanding molecular basis of drug polypharmacology and would be helpful for drug repositioning.
E-Government Challenge in Disaster Evacuation Response: The Role of RFID Technology in Building Safe and Secure Local Communities

While geographic information systems (GIS) can provide information on the static locations of critical infrastructure and evacuation routes, they do not provide the dynamically changing locations of things and people on the move. In contrast, radio frequency identification (RFID) wireless network technology can automatically identify and track the movement of assets (i.e., fire engines, ambulances, and rescue workers) and vulnerable citizens on the move (i.e., the elderly and the disabled), and hence providing local governments and communities with real-time information and enhanced decision-making capabilities, during chaotic disaster response operations (i.e., evacuation). Although the potential high impact and strategic value of integrating RFID into e-government development and government's comprehensive natural disaster management policy for improved preparedness, response, recovery, and mitigation, very little has been written in the e-government literature regarding the adoption, use, and impact of RFID in building safe and secure local communities for citizens and businesses. This position paper, which is based on a review of the literature and a field case study, intends to contribute to the definition of the e-government research priorities needed to build regional disaster preparedness, as an integral part of e-government development policy.
The Amount of Interstellar Carbon Locked in Solid Hydrogenated Amorphous Carbon

Some form of hydrogenated amorphous carbon (HAC) is widely regarded as a likely component of dust in the diffuse interstellar medium of the Galaxy. The most direct observational evidence is the ~2950 cm-1 C-H stretch feature seen in absorption along heavily attenuated lines of sight. We have used the measured properties of one well-characterized HAC sample, together with well-established correlations between the structural, optical, and infrared (IR) characteristics of HAC materials in general, to estimate the amount of carbon relative to hydrogen that must be bound in this particular solid in interstellar space. The solution to this problem remains uncertain because of the strong dependence of the ~2950 cm-1 mass-absorption coefficient upon the H/C ratio in HAC materials. We estimate that about 80 ppM carbon relative to hydrogen is locked up in interstellar HAC grains with H/C ≃ 0.5. An H/C ratio lower than this value would require higher carbon depletions and result in a ~2950 cm-1 absorption profile inconsistent with observations. Substantially higher H/C ratios, which would imply carbon depletions as low as 20 ppM, would lead to materials exhibiting efficient blue-green photoluminescence, which is not observed. Combined with observations of the gas-phase interstellar abundance of carbon and the revised interstellar reference abundances of refractory elements, this result implies that the bulk of solid carbon in interstellar space is in the form of HAC. In addition to a careful analysis of the IR properties of HAC, we present a summary of the UV/visible optical properties, including the complex index of refraction, measured for one particularly well-characterized HAC sample that is shown to have an IR absorption spectrum that is quantitatively consistent with the latest IR observations of the diffuse interstellar medium.
Evolution and Emergence of Enteroviruses through Intra- and Inter-species Recombination: Plasticity and Phenotypic Impact of Modular Genetic Exchanges in the 5’ Untranslated Region

Genetic recombination shapes the diversity of RNA viruses, including enteroviruses (EVs), which frequently have mosaic genomes. Pathogenic circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus (cVDPV) genomes consist of mutated vaccine poliovirus (PV) sequences encoding capsid proteins, and sequences encoding nonstructural proteins derived from other species’ C EVs, including certain coxsackieviruses A (CV-A) in particular. Many cVDPV genomes also have an exogenous 5’ untranslated region (5’ UTR). This region is involved in virulence and includes the cloverleaf (CL) and the internal ribosomal entry site, which play major roles in replication and the initiation of translation, respectively. We investigated the plasticity of the PV genome in terms of recombination in the 5’ UTR, by developing an experimental model involving the rescue of a bipartite PV/CV-A cVDPV genome rendered defective by mutations in the CL, following the co-transfection of cells with 5’ UTR RNAs from each of the four human EV species (EV-A to -D). The defective cVDPV was rescued by recombination with 5’ UTR sequences from the four EV species. Homologous and nonhomologous recombinants with large deletions or insertions in three hotspots were isolated, revealing a striking plasticity of the 5’ UTR. By contrast to the recombination of the cVDPV with the 5’ UTR of group II (EV-A and -B), which can decrease viral replication and virulence, recombination with the 5’ UTRs of group I (EV-C and -D) appeared to be evolutionarily neutral or associated with a gain in fitness. This study illustrates how the genomes of positive-strand RNA viruses can evolve into mosaic recombinant genomes through intra- or inter-species modular genetic exchanges, favoring the emergence of new recombinant lineages.
Effects of Recombinant Adenovirus-Mediated Uncoupling Protein 2 Overexpression on Endothelial Function and Apoptosis

Increased oxidative stress in vascular cells plays a key role in the development of endothelial dysfunction and atherosclerosis. Uncoupling protein 2 (UCP2) is an important regulator of intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) production. This study was undertaken to test the hypothesis that, UCP2 functions as an inhibitor of the atherosclerotic process in endothelial cells. Adenovirus-mediated UCP2 (Ad-UCP2) overexpression led to a significant increase in endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) and decrease in endothelin-1 mRNA expression in human aortic endothelial cells (HAECs). Moreover, UCP2 inhibited the increase in ROS production and NF-&kgr;B activation, and apoptosis of HAECs induced by lysophophatidylcholine (LPC) and linoleic acid. LPC and linoleic acid caused mitochondrial calcium accumulation and transient mitochondrial membrane hyperpolarization, which was followed by depolarization. UCP2 overexpression prevented these processes. In isolated rat aorta, Ad-UCP2 infection markedly improved impaired vascular relaxation induced by LPC. The data collectively suggest that UCP2, functions as a physiologic regulator of ROS generation in endothelial cells. Thus, measures to increase UCP2 expression in vascular endothelial cells may aid in preventing the development and progression of atherosclerosis in patients with metabolic syndrome.
Demo: PIT a Practical Mutation Testing Tool for Java

Mutation analysis introduces program defects with the intend of verifying whether candidate tests are able to trigger anomalous behaviour. In case the tests can distinguish the defective behaviour from that of the original program, they are considered of good quality – otherwise developers need to design new tests. While, this method has been shown to be eﬀective, industry-scale code challenges its applicability due to the sheer number of mutants and test executions it requires. In this paper we present PIT, a practical mutation testing tool for Java, applicable on real-world codebases. PIT is fast since it operates on bytecode and optimises mutant executions. It is also robust and well integrated with development tools, as it can be invoked through a command line interface, Ant or Maven. PIT is also open source and hence, publicly available at http://pitest.org/
Mining on-line newspaper web access logs

With the explosive growth of data available on the Internet, discovery and analysis of useful information from web log data becomes a practical necessity. However, analysis of large web log files is a complex task not fully addressed by existing web access analyzers. Using commercial software, we applied data mining technology to analyze access log records collected on a web newspaper. We have identified several reading patterns and we discuss approaches for mining this data.
Measuring the quality of life in mild to very severe dementia: Testing the inter-rater and intra-rater reliability of the German version of the QUALIDEM

ABSTRACT Background: Quality of life (Qol) is an increasingly used outcome measure in dementia research. The QUALIDEM is a dementia-specific and proxy-rated Qol instrument. We aimed to determine the inter-rater and intra-rater reliability in residents with dementia in German nursing homes. Methods: The QUALIDEM consists of nine subscales that were applied to a sample of 108 people with mild to severe dementia and six consecutive subscales that were applied to a sample of 53 people with very severe dementia. The proxy raters were 49 registered nurses and nursing assistants. Inter-rater and intra-rater reliability scores were calculated on the subscale and item level. Results: None of the QUALIDEM subscales showed strong inter-rater reliability based on the single-measure Intra-Class Correlation Coefficient (ICC) for absolute agreement ≥ 0.70. Based on the average-measure ICC for four raters, eight subscales for people with mild to severe dementia (care relationship, positive affect, negative affect, restless tense behavior, social relations, social isolation, feeling at home and having something to do) and five subscales for very severe dementia (care relationship, negative affect, restless tense behavior, social relations and social isolation) yielded a strong inter-rater agreement (ICC: 0.72–0.86). All of the QUALIDEM subscales, regardless of dementia severity, showed strong intra-rater agreement. The ICC values ranged between 0.70 and 0.79 for people with mild to severe dementia and between 0.75 and 0.87 for people with very severe dementia. Conclusions: This study demonstrated insufficient inter-rater reliability and sufficient intra-rater reliability for all subscales of both versions of the German QUALIDEM. The degree of inter-rater reliability can be improved by collaborative Qol rating by more than one nurse. The development of a measurement manual with accurate item definitions and a standardized education program for proxy raters is recommended.
Microcystin-Bound Protein Patterns in Different Cultures of Microcystis aeruginosa and Field Samples

Micocystin (MC) exists in Microcystis cells in two different forms, free and protein-bound. We examined the dynamic change in extracellular free MCs, intracellular free MCs and protein-bound MCs in both batch cultures and semi-continuous cultures, using high performance liquid chromatography and Western blot. The results showed that the free MC per cell remained constant, while the quantity of protein-bound MCs increased with the growth of Microcystis cells in both kinds of culture. Significant changes in the dominant MC-bound proteins occurred in the late exponential growth phase of batch cultures, while the dominant MC-bound proteins in semi-continuous cultures remained the same. In field samples collected at different months in Lake Taihu, the dominant MC-bound proteins were shown to be similar, but the amount of protein-bound MC varied and correlated with the intracellular MC content. We identified MC-bound proteins by two-dimensional electrophoresis immunoblots and mass spectrometry. The 60 kDa chaperonin GroEL was a prominent MC-bound protein. Three essential glycolytic enzymes and ATP synthase alpha subunit were also major targets of MC-binding, which might contribute to sustained growth in semi-continuous culture. Our results indicate that protein-bound MC may be important for sustaining growth and adaptation of Microcystis sp.
Metrical regularity facilitates speech planning and production

Prosodic structure is known to influence utterance production in numerous ways, but the influence of repetition of metrical pattern on utterance production has not been thoroughly investigated. It was hypothesized that metrical regularity would speed utterance production and reduce the occurrence of speech errors. Productions of sequences of four trisyllabic nonwords were compared between two conditions: a metrically regular condition with a repeating strong-weak-weak pattern, and a metrically irregular condition that lacked a repeating prominence pattern. Utterance durations were slower in the irregular condition, more hesitations occurred, and more sequencing errors were made. These findings are significant in that they are not accommodated by serial models of speech production. It is argued that the effects of metrical regularity are due to interference between words in an utterance plan, and that this interference arises from constraints on the dynamics of word form representations in the planning of speech.
Towards an improved measure of income inequality : the impact of public services on income distribution : an international comparison

Defense date: 01/06/2011 Examining Board: Prof. Jaap Dronkers, European University Institute (Supervisor) Prof. Sven Steinmo, European University Institute Prof. Beatrijs Cantillon, Antwerp University Prof. Markus Jantti, Stockholm University
Effects of coarse woody debris and its removal on a channel affected by the 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens, Washington

During the May 18, 1980, eruption of Mount St. Helens, Washington, a pyroclastic surge introduced large volumes of coarse woody debris (CWD) and fine-grained sediment to Clearwater Creek, approximately 15 km northeast of the summit. Effects of controlled CWD removal on sediment storage, substrate, and pool frequency and volume were measured in four reaches, each with three 200-m segments, from 1982 to 1990. In each reach the upstream segment served as a control with no debris removal, and CWD was totally and selectively removed from the other two segments. Unique among similar experiments are the large size and volume of CWD and the large inputs of fine-grained sediment. Except for segments of two reaches that received debris torrents, the Clearwater channel thalweg scoured until 1985. In three reaches, total debris removal caused additional scour and coarsening of the bed surface compared to segments with no or partial debris removal. Pools contracted from 1982 to 1985 and expanded afterward, especially in control segments. Total debris removal apparently caused pools to become shallower and, in segments of low sinuosity, decreased the frequency of major pools. Habitat complexity decreased after total debris removal, as indicated by a decrease in the standard deviation of residual depth and an increase in the size of substrate patches.
ApoA-II/apoA-I molar ratio in the HDL particle influences phospholipid transfer protein-mediated HDL interconversion.

Pig plasma phospholipid transfer protein (PLTP) facilitates interconversion of both human HDL3 and pig HDL into HDL subpopulations of large and small particles. We recently suggested that there are two essential parts in the conversion mechanism, i.e., the release of apoA-I and phospholipids and the fusion of apoA-I-depleted unstable particles. Based on their mass composition and electrophoretic mobility in agarose gel, the released apoA-I-containing particles are similar to previously described pre beta-HDL particles known as primary acceptors of peripheral cholesterol. The aim of this study was to determine whether the apolipoprotein composition of HDL regulates the PLTP-mediated conversion process. Pig HDL was incubated with increasing amounts of human apoA-II which incorporates into pig HDL with a concomitant release of apoA-I and some phospholipids. These hybrid pig HDL particles formed were isolated by a combination of ultracentrifugation at density 1.21 g/ml and gel filtration. The apoA-II/apoA-I molar ratios in the hybrid HDL particles ranged from 0.2 to 7.6 mol/mol. In the maximally modified HDL apoA-I was totally substituted by apoA-II. These particles were incubated in the presence of purified PLTP and the conversion products were isolated and characterized. Both the formation of large particles and the release of apoA-I were inhibited by increasing concentrations of apoA-II in the HDL particle. The hybrid HDL particles behaved similarly as native pig HDL as acceptors of phospholipid from PC-vesicles in the PLTP-assay. This study suggests that the apoA-II/apoA-I molar ratio in the HDL particle regulates PLTP-mediated HDL interconversion.
An Instrumental Study of Prosodic Features and Intonation in Modern Farsi (Persian)

This work was an attempt in studying Farsi prosodic and intonation system within the framework of Autosegmental Metrical Phonology. Throughout the dissertation I tried to define the set of basic intonation units in Farsi, and further analyzed their distributions throughout Farsi prosodic phrases. I also attempted to describe various intonation patterns of Farsi utterances in terms of the relevant prosodic features and properties such as intonational contour, prominence, intonational phrasing, and boundary tones. The study is within Pierrehumbert approach (1980), i.e. a model of intonation originally developed by her and used in the investigation of English intonation. The same two level primitive tones (namely high and low) were used for phonological representation of Farsi utterances. These level tones are then employed into tonal events (pitch accents and boundary tones), which occur within utterances. It is the behaviors of these tonal events throughout various utterances, which were the focus of this work. In fact such behaviors contribute toward distinguishing between various sentences types, or within the same sentence type determine nuisances of meaning and points of emphasis. For this study complete texts as well as individual sample sentences were selected and read by four native speakers of Farsi. They include all types of sentences namely declaratives, interrogatives, imperatives and exclamatory sentences. Analysis of data revealed that in Farsi the prosodic structure consists of three prosodic units, namely Intonation Phrases, Intermediate Phrases, and Accentual Phrases. It was also found that the default pattern for Farsi pitch accents in all sentence types was L+H*. So in Farsi sentence types are mostly distinguished by their boundary tones. Further in the dissertation, each sentence type was investigated for its particular pattern and arrangements of its tonal events. Among them declaratives and interrogatives were paid special attention, as they appeared to have the most basic intonational patterns. Considering the space of an MSc dissertation, some preliminary investigations were also carried out on focus within declaratives and interrogatives.
Gendered debt – a scoping study review of research on debt acquisition and management in single and couple households

ABSTRACT In the current economic environment, social workers are increasingly being required to support households that suffer from severe debt burdens. However, previous research has questioned if social workers are sufficiently prepared to meet this emerging form of financial exclusion, especially from a gender perspective. Thus, there is a risk that interventions for indebted households will overlook gender-specific, inequality-generating patterns in the acquisition and management of debts. With this in mind, the aim of this article is to provide an overview of the existing literature related to gender and household debt, in order to enable a development towards gender-aware social work interventions that equally support women and men in creating financially stable lives. The results show that gender dynamics affect how households acquire and manage their debt. These dynamics result in different forms and levels of debt for women and men, unequally divided spheres of responsibility for managing the acquired debt burden and differences in their willingness to seek debt advice. Unequal power relations between men and women and gender-stereotypic expectations are found to be key factors for explaining these results. The results are discussed in relation to practical implications for social policy and social work practice.