Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Impact of the Supervisor Feedback Environment on Creative Performance: A Moderated Mediation Model

Studies on the relationship between feedback and creative performance have only focused on the feedback-self and have underestimated the value of the feedback environment. Building on Self Determined Theory, the purpose of this article is to examine the relationship among feedback environment, creative personality, goal self-concordance and creative performance. Hierarchical regression analysis of a sample of 162 supervisor–employee dyads from nine industry firms. The results indicate that supervisor feedback environment is positively related to creative performance, the relationship between the supervisor feedback environment and creative performance is mediated by goal self-concordance perfectly and moderated by creative personality significantly. The mediation effort of goal self-concordance is significantly influenced by creative personality. The implication of improving employees’ creative performance is further discussed. The present study advances several perspectives of previous studies, echoes recent suggestions that organizations interested in stimulating employee creativity might profitably focus on developing work contexts that support it.
Molecular mechanisms of myogenic coactivation by p300: direct interaction with the activation domain of MyoD and with the MADS box of MEF2C

By searching for molecules that assist MyoD in converting fibroblasts to muscle cells, we have found that p300 and CBP, two related molecules that act as transcriptional adapters, coactivate the myogenic basic-helix-loop-helix (bHLH) proteins. Coactivation by p300 involves novel physical interactions between p300 and the amino-terminal activation domain of MyoD. In particular, disruption of the FYD domain, a group of three amino acids conserved in the activation domains of other myogenic bHLH proteins, drastically diminishes the transactivation potential of MyoD and abolishes both p300-mediated coactivation and the physical interaction between MyoD and p300. Two domains of p300, at its amino and carboxy terminals, independently function to both mediate coactivation and physically interact with MyoD. A truncated segment of p300, unable to bind MyoD, acts as a dominant negative mutation and abrogates both myogenic conversion and transactivation by MyoD, suggesting that endogenous p300 is a required coactivator for MyoD function. The p300 dominant negative peptide forms multimers with intact p300. p300 and CBP serve as coactivators of another class of transcriptional activators critical for myogenesis, myocyte enhancer factor 2 (MEF2). In fact, transactivation mediated by the MEF2C protein is potentiated by the two coactivators, and this phenomenon is associated with the ability of p300 to interact with the MADS domain of MEF2C. Our results suggest that p300 and CBP may positively influence myogenesis by reinforcing the transcriptional autoregulatory loop established between the myogenic bHLH and the MEF2 factors.
Swiss real estate as a hedge against inflation: new evidence using hedonic and autoregressive models

Tests the inflation‐hedging effectiveness of Swiss real estate. Four proxies for expected inflation are used, two of them being based on autoregressive conditional heteroscedasticity models (ARCH‐M and QTARCH). The series used to proxy for real estate returns is a transactions‐based series adjusted for quality of the buildings by means of a hedonic model. Swiss stocks, bonds, real estate and real estate mutual funds are usually positively related to expected inflation and negatively related to unexpected inflation. Many of these coefficients, however, do not exhibit statistical significance.
How Much Time Does a Farmer Spend to Produce My food? An International Comparison of the Impact of Diets and Mechanization

Work is one of the main inputs in agriculture. It can be performed by humans, animals, or machinery. Studies have shown strong differences throughout the world in labour required to produce a kilogram of food. We complement this line of research by linking these data to food consumption patterns, which are also strongly different throughout the world. We calculate the hours of farm labour required to produce a person’s annual food consumption for four scenarios. These scenarios are comprised of two extreme cases for production systems and diets, respectively, that illustrate prevailing global differences. Our results show that the farm labour requirements differ by a factor of about 200 among production systems, and by a factor of about two among consumption patterns. The gain in farm labour efficiency with mechanization is enormous: only 2–5 hours of farm labour are needed to produce the food consumed by a person in a year. This value is much lower than the time an average person spends on buying food, cooking, or eating.
Transcranial Alternating Current Stimulation with Sawtooth Waves: Simultaneous Stimulation and EEG Recording

Transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS) has until now mostly been administered as an alternating sinusoidal wave. Despite modern tACS stimulators being able to deliver alternating current with any arbitrary shape there has been no systematic exploration into the relative benefits of different waveforms. As tACS is a relatively new technique there is a huge parameter space of unexplored possibilities which may prove superior or complimentary to the traditional sinusoidal waveform. Here, we begin to address this with an investigation into the effects of sawtooth wave tACS on individual alpha power. Evidence from animal models suggests that the gradient and direction of an electric current should be important factors for the subsequent neural firing rate; we compared positive and negative ramp sawtooth waves to test this. An additional advantage of sawtooth waves is that the resulting artifact in the electroencephalogram (EEG) recording is significantly simpler to remove than a sine wave; accordingly we were able to observe alpha oscillations both during and after stimulation. We found that positive ramp sawtooth, but not negative ramp sawtooth, significantly enhanced alpha power during stimulation relative to sham (p < 0.01). In addition we tested for an after-effect of both sawtooth and sinusoidal stimulation on alpha power but in this case did not find any significant effect. This preliminary study paves the way for further investigations into the effect of the gradient and direction of the current in tACS which could significantly improve the usefulness of this technique.
Manual Acupuncture for Treatment of Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy: A Systematic Review of Randomized Controlled Trials

Objective Manual acupuncture has commonly been used in China, either alone or in combination with conventional medicine, to treat diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN). The objective of this study was to perform a systematic review to evaluate the potential benefits and harms of manual acupuncture for DPN to justify its clinical use. Methods We searched for published and unpublished randomized controlled trials of manual acupuncture for DPN till 31 March 2013. Revman 5.2 software was used for data analysis with effect estimate presented as relative risk (RR) and mean difference (MD) with a 95% confidence interval (CI). Results A total of 25 trials involving 1649 participants were included. The methodological quality of included trials was generally poor. Meta-analysis showed that manual acupuncture had better effect on global symptom improvement compared with mecobalamin (RR 1.31, 95%CI 1.21 to 1.42), vitamin B1 and B12 (RR 1.55, 95%CI 1.33 to 1.80), and no treatment (RR 1.56, 95%CI 1.31 to 1.85), and that the combination of manual acupuncture and mecobalamin had better effect compared with mecobalamin alone on global symptom improvement (RR 1.56, 95%CI 1.28 to 1.90). Adverse events were not reported in any trials. The asymmetric funnel plot suggested publication bias. Conclusions Despite the number of trials of manual acupuncture for DPN and their uniformly positive results, no clinically relevant conclusions can be drawn from this review due to the trials’ high risks of bias and the possibility of publication bias. Clearly defined and internationally acknowledged outcome measures are required for future study. There remains an urgent need for training Chinese researchers in conducting unbiased trials as well as prospectively registering all initiated Chinese trials to avoid publication bias.
Single-Port Transumbilical Laparoscopic Appendectomy: A Preliminary Multicentric Comparative Study in 87 Patients with Acute Appendicitis

Introduction. Laparoscopic appendectomy (LA) has been performed in many approaches such as open, laparoscopic and recently Single Port Access (SPAA). In order to elucidate its potential advantages, we compared the two laparoscopic approaches. Methods. 87 patients were included in a multicentric study for suspected appendicitis in order to perform (SPAA) appendectomy or laparoscopic appendectomy (LA). All outcomes, including blood loss, operative time, complications, and length of stay and pain were recorded prospectively. Results. There were 46 patients in the SPAA group and 41 in the LAG with a mean operative time of 40,4 minutes in the SPAA group and 35,0 minutes in the LA group. Only one patient was converted to an open approach. We described only 2 complications. Pain was graded 2,8 in the SPAA group and 2,9 in the LA group, according to the AVS after 24 hours. Patients in the SPAA Group were more satisfied (7,5 versus 6,9) (P < 0.05). Same results were found for the cosmetic result (8,6 versus 7,4) (P < 0.05). Conclusion. Using the single port approach feasible and safe. The true benefit of the technique should be assessed by new randomised controlled trials.
Loss Functions for Discriminative Training of Energy-Based Models

Probabilistic graphical models associate a probability to each configuration of the relevant variables. Energy-based models (EBM) associate an energy to those configurations, eliminating the need for proper normalization of probability distributions. Making a decision (an inference) with an EBM consists in comparing the energies associated with various configurations of the variable to be predicted, and choosing the one with the smallest energy. Such systems must be trained discriminatively to associate low energies to the desired configurations and higher energies to undesired configurations. A wide variety of loss function can be used for this purpose. We give sufficient conditions that a loss function should satisfy so that its minimization will cause the system to approach to desired behavior. We give many specific examples of suitable loss functions, and show an application to object recognition in images.
Effect of alphabet size and foldability requirements on protein structure designability

A number of investigators have addressed the issue of why certain protein structures are especially common by considering structure designability, defined as the number of sequences that would successfully fold into any particular native structure. One such approach, based on foldability, suggested that structures could be classified according to their maximum possible foldability and that this optimal foldability would be highly correlated with structure designability. Other approaches have focused on computing the designability of lattice proteins written with reduced two‐letter amino acid alphabets. These different approaches suggested contrasting characteristics of the most designable structures. This report compares the designability of lattice proteins over a wide range of amino acid alphabets and foldability requirements. While all alphabets have a wide distribution of protein designabilities, the form of the distribution depends on how protein “viability” is defined. Furthermore, under increasing foldability requirements, the change in designabilities for all alphabets are in good agreement with the previous conclusions of the foldability approach. Most importantly, it was noticed that those structures that were highly designable for the two‐letter amino acid alphabets are not especially designable with higher‐letter alphabets. Proteins 1999;34:113–124. © 1999 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Vocabulary used by ethno-linguistically diverse South African toddlers: a parent report using the language development survey.

OBJECTIVE The primary aim of this study was to ascertain the relevance of the vocabulary of the Language Development Survey (LDS) for typically developing South African toddlers who attend ethno-linguistically diverse early childhood development centres. RATIONALE The need for exploration of the expressive vocabulary of this population stems from the diverse linguistic contexts to which toddlers are exposed on a day-to-day basis in South Africa. Many parents prefer English as the language of learning and teaching for their child. As a result, toddlers interact with ethno-linguistically diverse peers from a young age, usually within their early childhood development centres. METHOD An adapted version of the LDS was presented to 40 middle-class parents in Mpumalanga. Vocabulary commonly used by toddlers was determined and a comparison of parent responses made between the present study and the original American-based survey. RESULTS Results revealed that nouns were used most often by toddlers, in keeping with research on vocabulary acquisition. Significant correlations between the two groups were evident in 12 of the 14 categories. Parents reported that nouns, verbs, adjectives and words from other word classes were used similarly by toddlers, despite differences in their linguistic exposure. CONCLUSIONS These findings suggest that the LDS is a valuable clinical screening tool for speech-language therapists who deliver services to toddlers within the South African context.
Fairness, Reciprocity and Inequality: Experimental evidence from South Africa

This thesis consists of six papers, related to artifactual field experiments, conducted in South Africa. The main focus of the thesis is the effect of different forms of heterogeneity on cooperation and punishment within groups. We conduct public goods experiments where the first study draws on a sample of nine fishing communities in South Africa; the second is conducted in Cape Town amongst four high schools with distinctly different socio-economic profiles. The first paper “Bridging the Great Divide in South Africa: Inequality and Punishment in the Provision of Public Goods” explores the effect of income inequality and peer punishment on cooperation. Aggregate cooperation is higher in both the voluntary contribution mechanism and punishment treatments for unequal groups. Low endowment players also contribute a significantly greater fraction of their endowment to the public good than high endowment players in the presence of punishment. Demands for punishment by low and high endowment players are similar, irrespective of differences in relative costs, and in unequal groups free-riding is punished more, specifically by low endowment players. We observe inequality aversion both in endowments and with respect to the interaction of endowments and contributions. We explicitly examine the impact of heterogeneity in actual per capita household incomes and expenditures of participants on contributions to the public good in the second paper: “Games and Economic Behavior in South African Fishing Communities. ” We find that contributions to the public good are increasing in income levels, and income heterogeneity is associated with greater contributions towards the public good, especially by those at the lower end of the income distribution. Racial and gender diversity in groups tends to lower contributions to the public pool. In the third paper “Contributing My Fair Share: Inequality and the Provision of Public Goods in Poor Fishing Communities in South Africa” we consider only the treatments without punishment. We find that aggregate contributions are marginally higher in unequally endowed groups, and that low endowment individuals contribute a
Exploring material-centered design concepts for tangible interaction

In this paper we present two concepts for material-centered design of tangible interaction: (1) material-based interaction constraints and (2) material-driven user engagement. This approach applies material iconography as underlying theory, a method from art history that focuses on the characteristics and meanings of materials. Our reflections are based on experiences with an interactive installation we have built: the soap bubble user interface, a tangible user interface that has been presented and used in six public and semi-public settings. This work contributes to the emerging field of research on materiality of tangible user interfaces.
Identification of SME readiness to implement cloud computing

Cloud Computing allows the use of information technology based on the on-demand utility. This technology can provide benefits to small and medium enterprises with limited capital, human resources, and access to marketing network. A survey conducted on SMEs in the district of Coblong Bandung to dig up the IT needs and analyze their readiness to adopt cloud computing technologies. The survey results stated that SMEs' respondents are more suitable to implement Software as a Service with public cloud deployment method. SMEs are ready to implement this technology, but requires appropriate training and role models that can be used as an example because their technology adoption characteristics that are late majority.
Industrial ecology : policy framework and implementation

I. A NEW POLICY FRAMEWORK. 1. Introduction. 2. Overview of the Industrial Ecology Intellectual Framework. 3. Sustainable Development. 4. Industrial Ecology. 5. Industrial Ecology Infrastructure. 6. Applications to Practice: Sector Initiatives. 7. Applications to Practice: Techniques and Tools. 8. Applications to Practice: Research and Development. II. INDUSTRIAL ECOLOGY POLICY DEVELOPMENT. 9. Complex Systems. 10. Risks, Costs, and Benefits. 11. Economic Issues. 12. Legal Issues. 13. Government Structure and Industrial Ecology Policy Formulation. 14. The Private Firm. III. CASE STUDIES. 15. Structured Design for Environment Case Study: The AT&T Matrix System. 16. Is the Private Firm Compatible with a Sustainable World? 17. Policy Case Study: The Netherlands. 18. Enhanced National Security Case Study: The United States.
On Class Diagrams, Crossings and Metrics

As a standardized software engineering diagram, the UML class diagram provides various information on the static structure of views on software while design, implementation and maintenance phase. This talk gives an overview on drawing UML class diagrams in hierarchical fashion. Therefore, common elements of class diagrams are introduced and aesthetic rules for drawing UML class diagrams are given. These rules are based on four disciplines involved in the reading process of diagrams. After a brief introduction to our drawing algorithm, an extensive extension of the well-known Sugiyama algorithm, two details are highlighted: A new crossing reduction algorithm is presented and compared to existing ones and issues on measuring the quality of a layout are discussed.
Comparison of AIRS and AMSU‐B monthly mean estimates of upper tropospheric humidity

Satellite‐borne measurements provide valuable information on the global distribution of upper tropospheric humidity (UTH), which represents the mean relative humidity in a layer approximately enclosed by the atmospheric pressure levels 500 and 200 hPa. Monthly mean distributions of microwave observations of UTH obtained from the Advanced Microwave Sounding Unit‐B (AMSU‐B) and the Humidity Sounder for Brazil (HSB) are compared to infrared observations of UTH from the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS). All data sets for January 2003 show distributions as expected from climatologies. Data of AIRS and AMSU‐B averaged on 1.5° × 1.5° lat‐lon bins for January 2003 show good overall agreement. However, with 2.7%RH AIRS shows an unexpected wet mean bias, especially for regions where the influence of clouds is small or cloud affected measurements are excluded for both sensors. In regions where AIRS is sensitive to cloud affected measurements but not AMSU‐B, the bias is reduced and partly negative.
Generification Work in the Production of Organizational Software Packages

This paper addresses the seemingly implausible project of establishing a 'generic' organizational information system. The is an apparent contradiction: on the one hand, we are told of the diversity of specific organizational contexts and on the other, we often find the same standardised software solutions being applied across those settings. How do generic software packages work in so many different contexts? Science & Technology Studies provides contrasting accounts of how this contradiction is resolved: either stressing the unwanted organizational change that standardised systems may bring; or, alternatively insisting these technologies can only be made to work through processes of 'localization'. We argue that the focus on specificity versus localization of application contexts draws attention away from enquiring into the origins and characteristics of generic solutions. Through comparing the design and evolution of two software packages we shift the debate from understanding how technologies are made to work within particular settings to how they are built to work across a diverse range of organizational contexts. Our question is 'How do software packages achieve the mobility that allows them to bridge the heterogeneity within organizations and between organizations in different sectors and cultures? ' We describe a set of revealed strategies through which suppliers produce software that embodies characteristics common across many users; what we term generification work. One aspect of this process of generification is the configuring of users within 'managed communities', but it also includes 'smoothing' the contents of the package and, at times, reverting to 'social authority'. Our argument is that generic systems do exist but that they are brought into being through an intricately managed process, involving the broader extension of a particularised software application and, at the same time, the management of the user community attached to that solution.
Higher education management and development in Central, Southern and Eastern Europe

After nearly eight years of higher education reform in Europe under the Bologna Process, progress reports and analyses vary - and sometimes even contradict each other. This volume contains contributions from higher education experts across Europe and speaks to the changing relationship between higher education and society in Central, Southern and Eastern Europe, especially in terms of the need for revised management strategies in knowledge-based organisations. While some of the views present evidence that corroborates official reports by signatory countries of the Bologna Process, some directly challenge the official perspective, and will hopefully invite further revision and improvement of the European higher education reform process. Other contributors offer recommendations based on their experiences with strategic management, inviting colleagues across Europe to open their doors to new practices and alternative solutions to the challenges inherent to running a knowledge-based institution. In sum, this publication adds both depth and breadth to the growing body of literature on the continuing developments in higher education in Europe.