Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Cross-Cultural Selling: Examining the Importance of Cultural Intelligence in Sales Education

Cross-cultural selling has become an important factor in sales education. In the current competitive business graduate market, students who enter the workforce in frontline customer service positions are expected to perform sales at a higher level. Students that have acquired an education in sales during their undergraduate program have been found to have a more realistic perception of sales as a profession, to require minimum training, to have lower turnover, and to require less time to be more productive. This has been attributed to the success of sales education curricula and sales education techniques at the collegiate level. This study examines the importance of sales students’ cultural intelligence and how it influences their adaptive selling behaviors and sales role-play performance in a cross-cultural selling situation. The sample for the study consists of 143 sales students who were registered in an advanced personal selling course over a six-semester period. All sales role-plays are oriented toward a cross-cultural selling situation where the buyer is a first-generation immigrant. The results of the study show that sales students with cultural intelligence are able to adjust their selling behaviors well and to perform at a higher level in their role-play presentations.
Predicting Student Academic Performance: Role of Knowledge Sharing and Outcome Expectations

The biggest challenge in nurturing an academic community is encouraging knowledge sharing among its members. Literature on communities, however, has paid less attention on the role of outcome expectations in encouraging the knowledge sharing behaviors. This study examines the effects of Personal Outcome Expectations POE and Community-related Outcome Expectations COE on the knowledge sharing behaviors of students and its consequent impact on their academic performance. In order to study these relationships a survey of university students was conducted. Based on structural equation modeling approach, it was found that COE have significant impact on knowledge sharing among the students.
Mixed Tocopherols Have a Stronger Inhibitory Effect on Lipid Peroxidation Than &agr;-Tocopherol Alone

Intake of vitamin E with food (mixed tocopherols) has been found to counteract the development of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, whereas intake of large amounts of pure &agr;-tocopherol has shown only a slight or no effect in clinical studies. This study was designed to investigate the effects of &agr;-tocopherol alone and a mixed tocopherol preparation (&ggr;-, &dgr;-, and &agr;-tocopherol) on hydrogen peroxide–induced lipid peroxidation in human erythrocytes. Erythrocytes were incubated with different concentrations of &agr;-tocopherol or mixed tocopherols and then exposed to hydrogen peroxide. Tocopherol levels and malondialdehyde-thiobarbituric acid–reactive substances were determined by high-performance liquid chromatography and fatty acids by gas chromatography. Incubation of erythrocytes with tocopherols (30–120 &mgr;M) increased the tocopherol level in a concentration-dependent manner. The uptake of &ggr;- and &dgr;-tocopherols was much higher than that of &agr;-tocopherol. Hydrogen peroxide strongly increased lipid peroxidation and decreased polyunsaturated fatty acids in erythrocytes. Both &agr;-tocopherol and the tocopherol mixture protected the cells from lipid peroxidation, the mixture being much more potent than &agr;-tocopherol alone. This study indicates that a mixture of tocopherols has a stronger inhibitory effect on lipid peroxidation induced in human erythrocytes than &agr;-tocopherol alone, due to higher uptake of &ggr;- and &dgr;-tocopherol in the cells.
Nuclear medicine in head and neck oncology: reality and perspectives.

he extracranial head and neck together comprise a region of complex anatomy that challenges imaging tech niques. Moreover, because biopsy and surgical treatment are often indicated and readily performed in this accessible region, the extent and nature of the various diseases encountered in the head and neck yield valuable informa tion. A priori in a region of such anatomic complexity, MRI, CT and ultrasonography (US) should leave little scope for radionuclide studies. However, because CT and MR diagnos tic criteria depend exclusively on structural alterations, these imaging techniques have certain limitations especially in oncology, such as the early detection of tumors before any anatomic distortion occurs and in the postoperative setting. Nuclear medicine and in particular PET imaging, which depend not only on morphologic criteria but on the meta bolic activity of the constituent tissue, can therefore be expected to have a significant clinical impact on the diagnosis and management of head and neck cancers (7). Is this so? The question can be best answered by a quantitative assessment of nuclear medicine diagnostic and therapeutic impact in head and neck oncology, which would require a comprehensive evaluative framework. This kind of assess ment has been done for other imaging modalities (2) but not for nuclear medicine procedures in the head and neck. However, that is beyond the scope of this article. The following considerations are based on published results and personal experience. Most nuclear medicine applications in head and neck oncology are not therapeutic but concern tumor diagnosis and surveillance (7). Most head and neck malignancies
The Ectodomain of the Luteinizing Hormone Receptor Interacts with Exoloop 2 to Constrain the Transmembrane Region

Lutropin (LH) and follitropin (FSH) receptors belong to a group of leucine-rich repeat-containing, G protein-coupled receptors (LGRs) found in vertebrates and flies. We fused the ectodomain of human LH or FSH receptors to the transmembrane region of fly LGR2. The chimeric human/fly receptors, unlike their wild type counterparts, exhibited ligand-independent constitutive activity. Because ectodomains likely interact with exoloops to constrain the receptors, individual exoloops of the chimeric receptor containing the ectodomain of the LH receptor and transmembrane region of fly LGR2 was replaced with LH receptor sequences. Chimeric receptors with the ectodomain and exoloop 2, but not exoloop 1 or 3, from LH receptors showed decreases in constitutive activity, but ligand treatment stimulated cAMP production. Furthermore, substitution of key resides in the hinge region of fly LGR2 with LH receptor sequences led to constitutive receptor activation; however, concomitant substitution of the homologous exoloop 2 of the LH receptor decreased Gs coupling. These results suggest that the hinge region of the LH receptor interacts with exoloop 2 to constrain the receptor in an inactive conformation whereas ligand binding relieves this constraint, leading to Gs activation.
Window of vulnerability of vaccinia virus-infected cells to natural killer (NK) cell-mediated cytolysis correlates with enhanced NK cell triggering and is concomitant with a decrease in H-2 class I antigen expression.

A time course study was performed in order to determine if vaccinia virus (VV)-infected targets were more susceptible to murine natural killer (NK) cell-mediated lysis during a discrete period of time postinfection. Activated NK cells were used in short-term (e.g. 4 h) assays in order to avoid a further in vitro activation of the NK cells by interferon (IFN) and to test the innate susceptibility of target cells to lysis. The sensitivity of VV-infected L929 cells to lysis by NK cells increased as the infection progressed, reached a peak at approximately 24 h postinfection, and subsequently declined to levels lower than that of uninfected cells. This window of vulnerability was not due to an increase in the number of effector/target cell conjugates, which continually decreased as the VV infection progressed. Triggering of NK cells was measured by the influx of 45Ca2+. Target cells treated with IFN induced less 45Ca2+ uptake, whereas cycloheximide treatment of targets caused a greater influx of 45Ca2+ into the effector cells. When L929 cells were infected with VV for various time intervals and used in the triggering assays, an enhanced triggering of the effectors corresponding to the time of enhanced susceptibility of the target cells to lysis was detected. Quantitative decreases in H-2Kk and Dk class I antigens were observed following VV infection of target cells as measured by FACS analysis using alloantibodies. Qualitative changes in H-2 class I antigens were also observed, as detected by a loss in VV-infected target cell susceptibility to lysis by allospecific cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL) at a time when they were highly sensitive to killing by NK cells and VV-specific CTL. These results show that virus-infected targets may become innately more sensitive to lysis by NK cells at discrete time points after infection and that the susceptibility to lysis correlates with enhanced triggering of NK cells and reduced H-2 class I antigen expression.
In vitro activity of 79 antimicrobial agents against Corynebacterium group D2

Corynebacterium group D2 (CGD2) is involved in urinary tract infections in patients with underlying predisposing factors. This microorganism is highly resistant to a number of antimicrobial agents. We tested the activities of 79 antimicrobial agents against CGD2. beta-Lactams, aminoglycosides, and macrolides were ineffective. Fluorinated quinolones showed irregular activities, ofloxacin being the most active one. Doxycycline, rifampin, and mainly glycopeptides (vancomycin and teicoplanin) were the most active antibiotics against CGD2.
A Duplicated ESAT-6 Region of ESX-5 Is Involved in Protein Export and Virulence of Mycobacteria

ABSTRACT The ESX-5 secretion system of Mycobacterium tuberculosis is important for bacterial virulence and for the secretion of the large PE/PPE protein family, whose genes constitute 10% of the M. tuberculosis genome. A four-gene region of the ESX-5 system is duplicated three times in the M. tuberculosis genome, but the functions of these duplicates are unknown. Here we investigated one of these duplicates: the region carrying the esxI, esxJ, ppe15, and pe8 genes (ESX-5a). An ESX-5a deletion mutant in the model system M. marinum background was deficient in the secretion of some members of the PE/PPE family of proteins. Surprisingly, we also identified other proteins that are not members of this family, thus expanding the range of ESX-5 secretion substrates. In addition, we demonstrated that ESX-5a is important for the virulence of M. marinum in the zebrafish model. Furthermore, we showed the role of the M. tuberculosis ESX-5a region in inflammasome activation but not host cell death induction, which is different from the case for the M. tuberculosis ESX-5 system. In conclusion, the ESX-5a region is nonredundant with its ESX-5 paralog and is necessary for secretion of a specific subset of proteins in M. tuberculosis and M. marinum that are important for bacterial virulence of M. marinum. Our findings point to a role for the three ESX-5 duplicate regions in the selection of substrates for secretion via ESX-5, and hence, they provide the basis for a refined model of the molecular mechanism of this type VII secretion system.
Fronto‐cingulate effective connectivity in obsessive compulsive disorder: A study with fMRI and dynamic causal modeling

Evidence suggests that obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) is associated with an overactive error control system. A key role in error detection and control has been ascribed to the fronto‐cingulate system. However, the exact functional interplay between the single components of this network in OCD is largely unknown. Therefore, the present study combined a univariate data analysis and effective connectivity analysis using dynamic causal modeling (DCM) to examine error control in 21 patients with OCD and 21 matched healthy controls. All subjects performed an adapted version of the Stroop color‐word task while undergoing fMRI scans. Enhanced activation in the fronto‐cingulate system could be detected in OCD patients during the incongruent task condition. Additionally, task‐related modulation of effective connectivity from the dorsal ACC to left DLPFC was significantly stronger in OCD patients. These findings are consistent with an overactive error control system in OCD subserving suppression of prepotent responses during decision‐making. Hum Brain Mapp, 2010. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Scientific Review of 1-Bromopropane Occupational Exposure Limit Derivations – Preliminary Thoughts and Areas for Further Analysis Toxicology Excellence for Risk Assessment

Current OELs for 1-bromopropane (1-BP) are diverse in both the selection of critical effects and judgments of remaining uncertainties. The resulting values differ by ~16-fold. We critically evaluated the underlying basis of existing OELs through the use of concepts such as critical effect, benchmark dose and uncertainty factor. We conclude that the critical effect is decreased live litter size with a BMDL of 190 ppm. Using an uncertainty factor of 10-fold, 3 for extrapolation from an animal study and 3 for human variability results in an OEL of 20 ppm.
Drinking Patterns among Black and Nonblack Adolescents: Results of a National Survey

The overall objective of this study was to identify factors that relate to the use of alcohol among black and nonblack students and that might serve to explain the lower prevalence of drinking among black students. Black students were shown to differ from nonblack students with respect to both demographic variables associated with social class and variables associated with exposure to and involvement with alcohol. Multivariate analyses, controlling for the effects of demographic status, yielded several predictors of the frequency and quantity of alcohol consumption. Among the major predictors of alcohol use were exposure to friends as drinking models, attitudes emphasizing the importance of social effects of alcohol, ease of access to alcohol, and behavior patterns of social transgressions and illicit drug use. While degree of religiosity and attainment of good school grades were inversely related to frequent and heavier use of alcohol among nonblack students, they were not related to patterns of alcohol use by black students. For the most part, however, there were more similarities than differences in the predictors of alcohol use among black and nonblack students. These findings suggest that environmental factors associated with the use of alcohol are similar for black and nonblack students. While the overall use of alcohol is lower among black students, the onset of drinking is grade-related but later in onset relative to nonblack drinkers. Despite the fact that the same predictors of drinking are common to both black and nonblack students, there is need to identify the environmental factors that delay exposure to a more extensive network of peer drinking models and access to alcohol. Comparisons between black and nonblack abstainers revealed that black abstainers reported lower proportions of school peers to be drinkers. This differential exposure to drinking models between black and nonblack abstainers may be implicated in the delay of onset of drinking among black students. A second factor that may be implicated in the delay of onset of drinking among black students related to differences in the perception of alcohol between blacks and nonblacks. Black abstainers, compared to nonblacks, viewed the personal effects of drinking as more important reasons for drinking. These reasons stress the use of alcohol as a coping mechanism to deal with personal stress and problems. Future studies need to address the status of these variables with regard to their implications in delaying the onset of drinking among black students.
Characterization of a Novel Orthomyxo-like Virus Causing Mass Die-Offs of Tilapia

ABSTRACT Tilapia are an important global food source due to their omnivorous diet, tolerance for high-density aquaculture, and relative disease resistance. Since 2009, tilapia aquaculture has been threatened by mass die-offs in farmed fish in Israel and Ecuador. Here we report evidence implicating a novel orthomyxo-like virus in these outbreaks. The tilapia lake virus (TiLV) has a 10-segment, negative-sense RNA genome. The largest segment, segment 1, contains an open reading frame with weak sequence homology to the influenza C virus PB1 subunit. The other nine segments showed no homology to other viruses but have conserved, complementary sequences at their 5′ and 3′ termini, consistent with the genome organization found in other orthomyxoviruses. In situ hybridization indicates TiLV replication and transcription at sites of pathology in the liver and central nervous system of tilapia with disease. IMPORTANCE The economic impact of worldwide trade in tilapia is estimated at $7.5 billion U.S. dollars (USD) annually. The infectious agent implicated in mass tilapia die-offs in two continents poses a threat to the global tilapia industry, which not only provides inexpensive dietary protein but also is a major employer in the developing world. Here we report characterization of the causative agent as a novel orthomyxo-like virus, tilapia lake virus (TiLV). We also describe complete genomic and protein sequences that will facilitate TiLV detection and containment and enable vaccine development. The economic impact of worldwide trade in tilapia is estimated at $7.5 billion U.S. dollars (USD) annually. The infectious agent implicated in mass tilapia die-offs in two continents poses a threat to the global tilapia industry, which not only provides inexpensive dietary protein but also is a major employer in the developing world. Here we report characterization of the causative agent as a novel orthomyxo-like virus, tilapia lake virus (TiLV). We also describe complete genomic and protein sequences that will facilitate TiLV detection and containment and enable vaccine development.
Analysis and Modelling of Entropy Modes in a Realistic Aeronautical Gas Turbine

A combustion instability in a combustor typical of aero-engines is analyzed and modeled thanks to a low order Helmholtz solver. A Dynamic Mode Decomposition (DMD) is first applied to the Large Eddy Simulation (LES) database. The mode with the highest amplitude shares the same frequency of oscillation as the experiment (approx. 350 Hz) and it shows the presence of large entropy spots generated within the combustion chamber and convected down to the exit nozzle. The lowest purely acoustic mode being in the range 650–700 Hz, it is postulated that the instability observed around 350 Hz stems from a mixed entropy/acoustic mode where the acoustic generation associated with the entropy spots being convected throughout the choked nozzle plays a key role. A Delayed Entropy Coupled Boundary Condition is then derived in order to account for this interaction in the framework of a Helmholtz solver where the baseline flow is assumed at rest. When fed with appropriate transfer functions to model the entropy generation and convection from the flame to the exit, the Helmholtz solver proves able to predict the presence of an unstable mode around 350 Hz, in agreement with both the LES and the experiments. This finding supports the idea that the instability observed in the combustor is indeed driven by the entropy/acoustic coupling. © 2013 ASME
Discovering Correlations in Annotated Databases

Most emerging applications, especially in science domains, maintain databases that are rich in metadata and annotation information, e.g., auxiliary exchanged comments, related articles and images, provenance information, corrections and versioning information, and even scientists’ thoughts and observations. To manage these annotated databases, numerous techniques have been proposed to extend the DBMSs and efficiently integrate the annotations into the data processing cycle, e.g., storage, indexing, extended query languages and semantics, and query optimization. In this paper, we address a new facet of annotation management, which is the discovery and exploitation of the hidden corrections that may exist in annotated databases. Such correlations can be either between the data and the annotations (data-to-annotation), or between the annotations themselves (annotation-to-annotation). We make the case that the discovery of these annotation-related correlations can be exploited in various ways to enhance the quality of the annotated database, e.g., discovering missing attachments, and recommending annotations to newly inserted data. We leverage the state-ofart in association rule mining in innovative ways to discover the annotation-related correlations. We propose several extensions to the state-of-art in association rule mining to address new challenges and cases specific to annotated databases, i.e., incremental addition of annotations, and hierarchy-based annotations. The proposed algorithms are evaluated using real-world applications from the biological domain, and an end-to-end system including an Excel-based GUI is developed for seamless manipulation of the annotations and their correlations.
Pengaruh Modal Intelektual terhadap Kinerja Keuangan pada Sektor Perbankan

The principal purpose of this study is to investigate the influence of the three components of intellectual capital: physical capital (VACA), human capital (VAHU), and structural capital (STVA) toward ROA as the proxy of financial performance on listed banking industry from 2012-2014. Empirical analysis is conducted using linear multiple regression analysis which is ROA as dependent variable, the intellectual capital component as independent variables and firm size as control variable. From the empirical analysis using sample of 23 listed banking industry indicates that the three components of intellectual capital have positive significant effect on ROA, and physical capital is the strongest predictor.
Knowledge, attitude and practices of women in maldives related to the risk factors, prevention and early detection of cervical cancer.

BACKGROUND A population-based cervical cancer screening program using visual inspection with acetic acid was launched in Maldives in 2014. Our study aimed to assess the knowledge, attitude and practices of women in relation to risk factors of cervical cancer, early detection of the disease and its prevention. MATERIALS AND METHODS The questionnaire based survey was conducted among 20 to 50 year old women, systematically sampled to represent three regions of Maldives. Trained investigators interviewed a total of 2,845 women at home. RESULTS The prevalence of the risk factors of cervical cancer like early age at marriage and childbirth, multiple marriages, multiple marriages of the husbands, and multiple pregnancies was high. More women knew about breast cancer than cervical cancer. Even among the small number of women who knew of cervical cancer, only 34.6% had the knowledge of at least one early symptom. Very few women knew that the cancer could be prevented by any test. Only 6.2% of the women reported having ever undergone a Pap smear. Many women had the misconception that cervical cancer was infectious. In Maldives the younger women have high literacy rate due to the policy of universal free education and those with higher levels of education had improved knowledge of cervical cancer and its risk factors. The prevalence of risk factors also reduced with improved literacy. CONCLUSIONS Awareness about risk factors and prevention of cervical cancer is limited among Maldivian women in spite of having high exposure to some of the risk factors. A universal literacy program in the country has helped to improve the knowledge of cervical cancer prevention and to reduce the exposure to various risk factors in the younger population.