Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Pattern Recognition Letters Unsupervised Detection of Non-iris Occlusions

This paper presents a fast precise unsupervised iris defects detection method based on the underlying mul-tispectral spatial probabilistic iris textural model and adaptive thresholding applied to demanding high resolution mobile device measurements. The accurate detection of iris eyelids and reflections is the prerequisite for the accurate iris recognition, both in near-infrared or visible spectrum measurements. The model adaptively learns its parameters on the iris texture part and subsequently checks for iris reflections using the recursive prediction analysis. The method is developed for color eye images from unconstrained mobile devices but it was also successfully tested on the UBIRIS v2 eye database. Our method ranked first from the 97+1 recent Noisy Iris Challenge Evaluation contest alternative methods on this large color iris database using the exact contest data and methodology.
Impact of nontechnical leadership practices on it project success

This article examines the leadership practices utilized by information technology (IT) project managers that contribute to project success. Specifically, technical and nontechnical leadership practices are contrasted. The importance of nontechnical leadership practices in IT project management has been largely ignored in research until recently. The article identifies key nontechnical leadership practices that are important for the success of IT projects. The article is based on a qualitative study that gathered data from actual IT projects conducted at U.S. companies across several different industry segments. Study results are analyzed to determine the relevance and value of Heifetz's adaptive leadership framework to the area of IT project management. Study findings indicate that nontechnical leadership practices are important to the success of IT projects. Findings also indicate that Heifetz's adaptive leadership framework is consistent with the key nontechnical leadership practices that are important for the success of IT projects. A framework for the development of IT project managers is also proposed.
The N-Terminal Juxtamembranous Domain of KCNQ1 Is Critical for Channel Surface Expression: Implications in the Romano-Ward LQT1 Syndrome

N-terminal mutations in the KCNQ1 channel are frequently linked to fatal arrhythmias in newborn children and adolescents but the cellular mechanisms involved in this dramatic issue remain, however, to be discovered. Here, we analyzed the trafficking of a series of N-terminal truncation mutants and identified a critical trafficking motif of KCNQ1. This determinant is located in the juxtamembranous region preceding the first transmembrane domain of the protein. Three mutations (Y111C, L114P and P117L) implicated in inherited Romano-Ward LQT1 syndrome, are embedded within this domain. Reexpression studies in both COS-7 cells and cardiomyocytes showed that the mutant proteins fail to exit the endoplasmic reticulum. KCNQ1 subunits harboring Y111C or L114P exert a dominant negative effect on the wild-type KCNQ1 subunit by preventing plasma membrane trafficking of heteromultimeric channels. The P117L mutation had a less pronounced effect on the trafficking of heteromultimeric channels but altered the kinetics of the current. Furthermore, we showed that the trafficking determinant in KCNQ1 is structurally and functionally conserved in other KCNQ channels and constitutes a critical trafficking determinant of the KCNQ channel family. Computed structural predictions correlated the potential structural changes introduced by the mutations with impaired protein trafficking. In conclusion, our studies unveiled a new role of the N-terminus of KCNQ channels in their trafficking and its implication in severe forms of LQT1 syndrome.
EMOTIONS AND THE PSYCHOLOGY OF SOCIAL CHESS: HOW OTHERS' INCIDENTAL AFFECT CAN SHAPE EXPECTATIONS AND STRATEGIC BEHAVIOR

Researchers have increasingly directed attention to the importance of emotions in decision making. Recent theories have focused on the interpersonal effects of emotions—the influence of the decision maker’s expressed emotions on observers’ decisions and judgments. In the current research, we examine people’s expectations of how incidental, discrete emotions affect behavior. We also study how these expectations affect decisions in interactive settings, and contrast them with how emotions actually impact other people’s behavior. These ideas were tested in four studies. In Study 1a, participants (N = 58) answered a questionnaire asking their perceptions of how different emotions affect behavior. In Study 1b, participants (N = 203) read a number of hypothetical scenarios in which different interactions between them and another person took place. Studies 2 (N = 98) and 3 (N = 132) were two economic games—a Stag-Hunt game and a Trust Game— involving decisions with non-trivial financial consequences. Across these four studies, I found that people do have strong beliefs about how incidental emotions affect behaviors. Because of these beliefs, when told about their counterparts’ emotional state, people in interactive settings modify their behavior. The impact of people’s beliefs on behavior, however, was more consistent for negative emotions such as anger and fear, than for positive emotions such as happiness and gratitude. These findings also indicate that people are sensitive to the different effects of different emotions: different negative emotions such as guilt and anger have different
Against Confidentiality?

Summary: This paper presents a critique of the ethic of confidentiality in the personal service professions. Drawing on research in social work, medicine, psychiatry and related fields, on philosophical professional ethics and on current thinking in law, it argues that the idea of ‘confidentiality’ conflates a number of ends that are frequently in tension or incompatible. These comprise personal privacy, the safety of vulnerable individuals and the wider third party or public interest. Findings: Professionals and the interested public should not be misled by the traditional idea of confidentiality as constituting in itself a cardinal principle of professional ethics. Nevertheless, difficult conflicts of interests will still arise. It is suggested that liberal rights theory, the source of standard professional ethical codes, is inadequate to resolve these conflicts. Professional ethics needs to be complemented by a more communitarian view of private and public interests. Applications: Good practice should focus on achieving the best balance of personal privacy, the safety of vulnerable individuals and the protection of the wider public in the context of a view of society devoted to the realization of the communal good as much as to the defence of individual interests.
[Quantitative autoradiography].

The mechanism of the initiation and formation of the atherosclerotic plaque remains unclear. The response to injury hypothesis'-' suggests that endothelial cell loss induces intimal thickening and lipid accumulation, which are early steps in plaque formation. Many studies have confirmed that experimental de-endothelialization can induce an atherogenic response.l7&" A number of recent studies with experimental hypercholesterolemic animals,'"'' however, have observed more subtle morphological changes in the early stages of atherogenesis without the overt loss of endothelial cells. Apparent evidence of endothelial loss was not seen until plaque development was n ~ t a b l e . ' ~ ~ ' ~ Moreover, only a limited number of have demonstrated nonmechanically induced endothelial cell desquamation with exposure of the subendothelium. Furthermore, dead endothelial cells may remain a part of the intact monolayer until they are sloughed without exposing the underlying subendotheThe infrequency of naturally occurring de-endothelialization suggests that endothelial cell loss may not be a common cause for initiation of the atherogenic process. Instead of cell denudation, endothelial dysfunction without cell loss could be the first event in ather~genesis. ~'
Modified Caspase-3 Assay Indicates Correlation of Caspase-3 Activity with Immunity of Nonhuman Primates to Yersinia pestis Infection

ABSTRACT Defined candidate human vaccines for treating infection by Yersinia pestis, the agent of plague, have been developed. To facilitate evaluation of the vaccines' efficacy, the in vitro caspase-3 assay for cytotoxicity-neutralizing activity was modified and reevaluated. Immune serum-mediated caspase-3 neutralizing activity correlated with protection against infection in a nonhuman primate vaccine model of plague immunity.
A Classifier-Based Approach to Preposition and Determiner Error Correction in L2 English

In this paper, we present an approach to the automatic identification and correction of preposition and determiner errors in non-native (L2) English writing. We show that models of use for these parts of speech can be learned with an accuracy of 70.06% and 92.15% respectively on L1 text, and present first results in an error detection task for L2 writing.
Methodological advances in predicting flow-induced dynamics of plants using mechanical-engineering theory

Summary The modeling of fluid–structure interactions, such as flow-induced vibrations, is a well-developed field of mechanical engineering. Many methods exist, and it seems natural to apply them to model the behavior of plants, and potentially other cantilever-like biological structures, under flow. Overcoming this disciplinary divide, and the application of such models to biological systems, will significantly advance our understanding of ecological patterns and processes and improve our predictive capabilities. Nonetheless, several methodological issues must first be addressed, which I describe here using two practical examples that have strong similarities: one from agricultural sciences and the other from nuclear engineering. Very similar issues arise in both: individual and collective behavior, small and large space and time scales, porous modeling, standard and extreme events, trade-off between the surface of exchange and individual or collective risk of damage, variability, hostile environments and, in some aspects, evolution. The conclusion is that, although similar issues do exist, which need to be exploited in some detail, there is a significant gap that requires new developments. It is obvious that living plants grow in and adapt to their environment, which certainly makes plant biomechanics fundamentally distinct from classical mechanical engineering. Moreover, the selection processes in biology and in human engineering are truly different, making the issue of safety different as well. A thorough understanding of these similarities and differences is needed to work efficiently in the application of a mechanistic approach to ecology.
Molecular cloning and characterization of interferon regulatory factor 7 ( IRF-7 ) in Japanese fl ounder , Paralichthys olivaceus

Interferon regulatory factor (IRF) 7 in mammals is known to be a key player in regulating the type I interferon (IFN) response to viral infection as a transcription activator of IFNs and IFN-stimulated genes (ISGs). In this study, a full-length cDNA of Japanese flounder, Paralichthys olivaceus, (Po)IRF-7 was cloned and characterized. PoIRF-7 is 2032 bp in length, with an open reading frame (ORF) of 1293 bp that encodes 430 amino acid residues. The putative amino acid sequence shows the highest homology to fish IRF-7 with 51.5e76. 3% identity and possesses a DNA-binding domain (DBD), an IRF association domain (IAD) and a serine-rich domain of vertebrate IRF-7. In addition, the tryptophan cluster of PoIRF-7 DBD consists of only four tryptophans, which is a characteristic unique to all fish IRF-7 members. The PoIRF-7 was expressed constitutively in all tested tissues of healthy flounders, with high levels in head kidney, spleen, gill, intestine and skin, and moderately expressed in FG9307 cells, a flounder gill epithelial cell line. Using a luciferase assay, PoIRF-7 was proved to be capable of activating fish type I IFN promoter in FG9307 cells. A quantitative real time PCR assay was employed to monitor the gene expression of PoIRF-7 and Mx in FG9307 cells and flounder head kidney and gill. Both genes were up-regulated by polyinosinic:polycytidylic acid (poly I:C) and lymphocystis disease virus (LCDV) though to a much lesser extent in FG9307 cells. Further, their transcription kinetics were similar in fish organs but different in FG9307 cells. These data provide insights into the functions of PoIRF-7 and imply a difference in PoIRF-7related signaling pathways in antiviral response between cultured cells and live fish. 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Individual Differences in Self-Presentation Style: Driving an Automobile and Meeting a Stranger

The present study investigated the relation of self-presentation style to automobile driving behavior and behavior while meeting a stranger. Eighty-eight female and 51 male undergraduate psychology students completed a 40-item self-presentation style inventory and a 20-item Road Rage Survey. One-hundred and two of these participants were then videotaped walking into a room and introducing themselves to a confederate. Aggressive driving behavior correlated positively with the self-presentational style of intimidation and negatively with ingratiation and exemplification. Nonverbal behavior when meeting a person was related to intimidation, exemplification, and self-promotion, with intimidation and self-promotion associated with not hesitating prior to sitting down, intimidation associated with focusing on the target, and exemplification associated with initiating a handshake.
Understanding complaining responses through consumers' self‐consciousness disposition

The objective of this article is to determine whether a dissatisfied consumer would select a specific complaining behavior response based on his or her self-consciousness disposition. The study used written scenarios where subjects waiting in line at a movie theater had to face additional waiting time as a consequence of an event associated with an intruder or with the service provider, and occurring either immediately in front of them or further away. Results indicated that, when faced with an additional delay related to an event occurring near them as opposed to further away from them, high private subjects, in contrast with low private subjects, had a significantly more negative perception of service quality and a strong tendency to display more negative word-of-mouth behavior. When faced with an additional delay related to an event occurring near them as opposed to further away from them, high public subjects, in contrast with low public subjects, had a significantly more negative perception of service quality and favored significantly more negative word-of-mouth behavior to express their dissatisfaction. Under a direct intrusion scenario, when compared with low public subjects, high public subjects favored significantly more negative word-of-mouth behavior and evaluated service quality in a significantly more negative way than when the loss of time was related to actions of the service provider. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
The Association of Nutritional Status and Gender with Cross-Sectional Area of the Multifidus Muscle in Establishing Normative Data

Abstract Despite recognized evidence for the importance of the multifidus muscle in stabilizing the lumbar spine, identifying subjects at risk for injury and subsequent loss of intrinsic spinal stabilization remains difficult. Previous research has failed to associate multifidus muscle size and height, weight, or body mass index (BMI). The purpose of this study was to begin to establish normative data for the multifidus muscle cross-sectional area (CSA) at the L5 level and to identify factors associated with size. Twenty-five participants (17 female), with a mean age of 32.5 (SD 11.6) years without history of LBP were considered for inclusion. Participants' height and weight were recorded and BMI calculated. Ultrasound imaging was used to obtain a CSA in cm 2 of the subjects' multifidus muscles at the L5 level bilaterally; testing was done by two trained testers. Prior to testing, intra- and intertester reliability were determined. Percent body fat was determined using a three-site skinfold caliper measurement, also using two trained testers. Mean BMI was 24.18 and mean body fat (%) was 22.88 for all participants. As expected, age and BMI were moderately correlated. Left and right multifidus muscle CSA were highly correlated (r = 0.92, p < 0.001). The mixed model ANOVA indicated a significant main effect for gender as males exhibited larger CSA than females. Participants without history of low back pain present with symmetrical multifidus muscle CSA at the L5 level. Clear gender differences in CSA show that males tend to have larger multifidus muscles at the L5 level, indicating a need to establish gender-specific norms for clinicians examining the L5 multifidus muscle.
Molecular Characterization of Cryptosporidium molnari Reveals a Distinct Piscine Clade

ABSTRACT Multilocus phylogenetic analysis of small-subunit (SSU) rRNA and actin from Cryptosporidium molnari clustered this species with the C. molnari-like genotype of an isolate from the guppy, although the two fish isolates seem to be distinct species. The analysis of available piscine genotypes provides some support for cladistic congruence of the genus Piscicryptosporidium, but additional piscine genotypes are needed.
Internal consultation skill and linkage with the critical strategic roles of HR practitioners in Malaysia

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to understand the relationship between the role of internal consultant and role of the HR practitioners in the manufacturing companies of Malaysia.Design/methodology/approach – Three main elements in the competency of internal consultation are measured. They are: knowledge in the area of project management; internal coaching ability; and the ability to be a solution provider.Findings – The HR practitioner needs to overcome many barriers to reach the ultimate goal of becoming a strategic partner in his or her organisation. The findings suggest that the HR executive that understands business strategy is more likely to develop HR processes and procedures that support the implementation of a business strategy and are therefore, better able to involve themselves in organisational development activities on a deeper level.Research limitations/implications – This study by its very nature is limited by virtue of its having been carried out only on manufacturing companies in J.
Sacrifice and distinction in dirty work: men’s construction of meaning in the butcher trade

Through a study of the butcher trade, this article explores the meanings that men give to ‘dirty work’, that is jobs or roles that are seen as distasteful or ‘undesirable’. Based on qualitative data, we identify three themes from butchers’ accounts that relate to work-based meanings: sacrifice through physicality of work; loss and nostalgia in the face of industrial change; and distinction from membership of a shared trade. Drawing on Bourdieu, we argue that sacrifice and distinction help us understand some of the meanings men attach to dirty, manual work – forming part of a working-class ‘habitus’. Further, these assessments can be both ‘reproductive’ and ‘productive’ as butchers reinforce historically grounded evaluations of work and mobilize new meanings in response to changes in the trade.
A New Outer Bound via Interference Localization and the Degrees of Freedom Regions of MIMO Interference Networks With No CSIT

The two-user multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) interference and cognitive radio channels are considered, where the <i>i</i>th transmitter and the <i>i</i>th receiver have <i>M</i><sub>i</sub> and <i>N</i><sub>i</sub> antennas, respectively. In particular, the degrees of freedom (DoF) regions of these channels are studied under the assumption of having no channel state information at the transmitters. Making certain assumptions about the distributions of channel matrices of increasing generality respectively, Huang, Zhu and Guo, and the authors of this paper characterized the DoF region of the MIMO interference channel for all values of the four-tuple (<i>M</i><sub>1</sub>, <i>M</i><sub>2</sub>, <i>N</i><sub>1</sub>, <i>N</i><sub>2</sub>), except when min(<i>M</i><sub>1</sub>, <i>N</i><sub>1</sub>) >; <i>N</i><sub>2</sub> >; <i>M</i><sub>2</sub> or min(<i>M</i><sub>2</sub>, <i>N</i><sub>2</sub>) >; <i>N</i><sub>1</sub> >; <i>M</i><sub>1</sub>. More recently, for isotropic fading distributions, Zhu and Guo have solved this latter case by providing a tight outer bound to the DoF region. Here, a simpler and more widely applicable proof of that outer bound is given based on the idea of interference localization. Using the same idea, under Rayleigh fading, the DoF region is then also established for the MIMO cognitive radio channel (when the second transmitter is cognitive) with min(<i>M</i><sub>1</sub>+<i>M</i><sub>2</sub>, <i>N</i><sub>1</sub>) >; <i>N</i><sub>2</sub> >; <i>M</i><sub>2</sub>-the only class for which the inner and outer bounds previously reported by the authors were not tight-thereby completing the DoF region characterization of this channel under Rayleigh fading for all values of (<i>M</i><sub>1</sub>, <i>M</i><sub>2</sub>, <i>N</i><sub>1</sub>, <i>N</i><sub>2</sub>).
Expanding the Self

Research on women’s identity development has indicated that women generally form and view their identities within the context of their relationships and connections to others. Previous research has looked at various aspects of motherhood identity including paradoxical, conflictual, and ambivalent components of motherhood. The current study contributes by exploring 30 university faculty women’s personal experiences of motherhood through a grounded theory framework to determine the contributions of motherhood to adult identity development. Mothering expanded the women’s selves and identities multivariously, by developing new personal qualities, by increasing relational capacity and concern for others, by creating a sense of lasting influence by contributing to younger generations, and by enhancing their engagement with their careers. In this way, motherhood was personally, relationally, generationally, and vocationally expansive. Implications for clinical work and research are included.
Predicting Stereotype Threat, Test Anxiety, and Cognitive Ability Test Performance: An Examination of Three Models

As the classroom and workplace, among other contexts, become more diverse in their population characteristics, the need to be aware of specific factors impacting testing outcome issues correspondingly increases. The focus in this study, among other purposes, was to identify possible interactions between examinee's individual-difference characteristics (e.g., personality) and characteristics of the testing environment on test anxiety reactions and cognitive ability test performance. This study assessed reactions and performance in 4 different testing conditions through a path-analytic testing of 3 well-established theoretical models of stress appraisal and coping (i.e., cognitive appraisal, personality trait, and transactional). The transactional model, incorporating both personality and testing condition factors, was best in predicting the variance associated with the cognitive ability test scores, the 3 test anxiety score indexes (i.e., social derogation, physical tenseness, and cognitive obstruction), and the stereotype threat scores. With personality traits, for example, agreeableness was a relatively strong and consistent predictor of all study measures. Regarding testing condition factors, only the manipulation of stereotype threat level (low or high) produced some significant accounting of variance. Higher perceived stereotype threat levels were generally associated with heightened stereotype threat belief perceptions, lower cognitive ability test scores, and, interestingly, reduced feelings of cognitive obstruction in test anxiety.