Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Understanding participation in company social networks

Purpose – This article seeks to contribute to a better understanding of company social networks (CSNs), which constitute people connected to a company or brand through a social networking site. To this end, the research addresses both participation goals and CSN attributes that drive participation in CSNs. Design/methodology/approach – With a grounded theory approach, this research begins with an exploratory study of the page maintained by a large retailer for six months, followed by a qualitative study featuring in-depth individual interviews and focus groups with 26 members of the CSN. Findings – The results highlight differences between CSNs and other types of online communities (OCs). Members rely on the company to help them achieve their goals; few count on their CSN peers, with whom they maintain weak ties. Unlike in brand communities (BCs), most members are not enthusiasts but instead engage in a pragmatic relationship with the brand. Practical implications – CSNs can create value for both the host.
The Correlation of Leadership Practices of First and Second Generation Family Business Owners to Business Performance

Family firms are a major contributor to many economies. However, very few of these businesses will continue to exist after the first generation due to succession failure. Family business leaders need to learn how to manage the factors that affect the succession process. Researchers in family business literature acknowledge that leadership is vital to the success and survival of the firm, although the high failure rate of family businesses in the second and later generations indicates that the succeeding generations might not have developed sufficient leadership practices to sustain business performance. The aim of this research study was to investigate whether there is a correlation between leadership practices and business performance amongst first and second generation owners of family firms. A self administered, quantitative survey questionnaire, measuring leadership practices and business performance was distributed via means of a non-probability, snowball sampling method to 197 first and second generation family business owners in the Sedibeng region of South Africa. The findings indicate that positive significant correlations exist between the occurrence of leadership practices and business performance for first generation leaders of the selected family businesses, but limited correlations exist between the variables for the second generation leaders. These results illuminate the potential differences in the ways that first and second generation leaders lead family businesses. To this end, propositions are offered to assist founders in training future leaders. DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2014. v5n21p27
Efficient Fault Identification of Diagnosable Systems under the Comparison Model

Diagnosis by comparison is a realistic approach to the fault diagnosis of massive multicomputers. This paper addresses the fault identification of diagnosable multicomputer systems under the MM* comparison model. We find that the fault location task can be reduced to that under the classical PMC* model. On this basis, we present an O(n times Delta3 times delta) time diagnosis algorithm for an n-node MM* diagnosable system, where Delta and delta denote the maximum and minimum degrees of a node, respectively. The proposed algorithm is much more efficient than the fastest known diagnosis algorithm (which consumes O(n5) time) because realistic massive multicomputers are sparsely interconnected and, hence, Delta,delta Lt n.
How common is lntersex? A response to Anne Fausto‐Sterling

Anne Fausto‐Sterling's suggestion that the prevalence of intersex might be as high as 1.7% has attracted wide attention in both the scholarly press and the popular media. Many reviewers are not aware that this figure includes conditions which most clinicians do not recognize as intersex, such as Klinefelter syndrome, Turner syndrome, and late‐onset adrenal hyper‐plasia. If the term intersex is to retain any meaning, the term should be restricted to those conditions in which chromosomal sex is inconsistent with phenotypic sex, or in which the phenotype is not classifiable as either male or female. Applying this more precise definition, the true prevalence of intersex is seen to be about 0.018%, almost 100 times lower than Fausto‐Sterling's estimate of 1.7%.
Dual blockade of the renin-angiotensin system versus maximal recommended dose of ACE inhibition in diabetic nephropathy.

BACKGROUND Albuminuria and hypertension are predictors of poor renal and cardiovascular outcome in diabetic patients. We tested whether dual blockade of the renin-angiotensin system (RAS) with both an angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor and an angiotensin II receptor blocker (ARB) is superior to maximal recommended dose of ACE inhibitor in type 1 diabetic patients with diabetic nephropathy (DN). METHODS We performed a randomized, double-blind, crossover trial with 8 weeks treatment with placebo and irbesartan 300 mg (once daily), added on top of enalapril 40 mg (once daily). We included 24 type 1 patients with DN. At the end of each treatment period, albuminuria, 24-hour blood pressure, and glomerular filtration rate (GFR) were measured. RESULTS Values on ACE inhibitors + placebo were: albuminuria [mean (95% CI)], 519 (342 to 789) mg/24 hours; blood pressure [mean (SEM)], 131 (3)/74 (1) mm Hg, and GFR [mean (SEM)], 65 (5) mL/min/1.73 m2. Dual blockade of the RAS induced a reduction in albuminuria [mean (95% CI)] of 25% (15, 34) (P < 0.001), a reduction in systolic blood pressure of 8 mm Hg (4, 12) (P = 0.002), and a reduction of 4 mm Hg (2, 7) (P = 0.003) in diastolic blood pressure. GFR and plasma potassium remained unchanged during both treatment regimes. Dual blockade was safe and well tolerated. CONCLUSION Dual blockade of the RAS is superior to maximal recommended dose of ACE inhibitors with regard to lowering of albuminuria and blood pressure in type 1 patients with DN. Long-term trials are needed to further establish the role of dual blockade of the RAS in renal and cardiovascular protection.
Ankle Inversion Injuries

We investigated the role of a muscular defense in the stabilization and protection of the ankle joint against sudden forced inversion. Ten volunteers with mechan ically stable ankles were tested in different standing and walking situations using a trap door model and lower extremity electromyography and electrogoniom eters. Peroneal electromyographic activity was ob served 54 msec after the detection of ankle inversion. This latency was shorter when the ankle was already in inversion and longer with the ankle in eversion. Quad riceps and hamstring muscle electromyographic activ ity occurred 68 msec after the ankle inversion stimulus. Evidence of active eversion was seen 176 msec after sudden inversion. Active changes in knee and hip joint angles occurred even later. In contrast, the trap door rotated 30° in approximately 80 msec. We conclude that the reflex reaction to sudden inversion is initiated at a peripheral level by the inversion motion followed by a reaction pattern mediated by spinal or cortical motor centers. Both peripheral and central reactions, however, seem too slow to protect the ankle in case of sudden inversion occurring at the time of heel contact.
A Measurement Study of BLE iBeacon and Geometric Adjustment Scheme for Indoor Location-Based Mobile Applications

Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) and the iBeacons have recently gained large interest for enabling various proximity-based application services. Given the ubiquitously deployed nature of Bluetooth devices including mobile smartphones, using BLE and iBeacon technologies seemed to be a promising future to come. This work started off with the belief that this was true: iBeacons could provide us with the accuracy in proximity and distance estimation to enable and simplify the development of many previously difficult applications. However, our empirical studies with three different iBeacon devices from various vendors and two types of smartphone platforms prove that this is not the case. Signal strength readings vary significantly over different iBeacon vendors, mobile platforms, environmental or deployment factors, and usage scenarios. This variability in signal strength naturally complicates the process of extracting an accurate location/proximity estimation in real environments. Our lessons on the limitations of iBeacon technique lead us to design a simple class attendance checking application by performing a simple form of geometric adjustments to compensate for the natural variations in beacon signal strength readings. We believe that the negative observations made in this work can provide future researchers with a reference on how well of a performance to expect from iBeacon devices as they enter their system design phases.
An innovative exciting coil design for magneto-optic imaging in nondestructive evaluation

The laser-based magneto-optic microscopy (LMOM) system is based on eddy current technology and its image quality mainly depends on the incentive effects, where the excitation coil is widely adopted as an incentive device by placing it above the inspecting surface of the specimen. This paper proposed an innovative excitation coil design, which can generate a region of linear eddy current distribution in the specimen and consequently make the uniformly induced magnetic field possible and parallel to the surface in defect-free geometry. The sensitivity of defect imaging will be greatly enhanced since the detected normal magnetic field is only determined by the discontinuities and decoupled with the induced main field. A single rectangular coil and the cross placed coils are studied in this paper and simulation results of the new design were compared with the traditional coil design results, which clearly validated its advantages and demonstrated the potential of the new set up of LMOM to achieve better image resolution and contrast.
Involvement of AMPA receptor desensitization in short‐term synaptic depression at the calyx of Held in developing rats

Paired‐pulse facilitation (PPF) and depression (PPD) are forms of short‐term plasticity that are generally thought to reflect changes in transmitter release probability. However, desensitization of postsynaptic AMPA receptors (AMPARs) significantly contributes to PPD at many glutamatergic synapses. To clarify the involvement of AMPAR desensitization in synaptic PPD, we compared PPD with AMPAR desensitization, induced by paired‐pulse glutamate application in patches excised from postsynaptic cells at the calyx of Held synapse of developing rats. We found that AMPAR desensitization contributed significantly to PPD before the onset of hearing (P10–12), but that its contribution became negligible after hearing onset. During postnatal development (P7–21) the recovery of AMPARs from desensitization became faster. Concomitantly, glutamate sensitivity of AMPAR desensitization declined. Single‐cell reverse transcription‐polymerase chain reaction (RT‐PCR) analysis indicated a developmental decline of GluR1 expression that correlated with speeding of the recovery of AMPARs from desensitization. Transmitter release probability declined during the second postnatal week (P7–14). Manipulation of the extracellular Ca2+/Mg2+ ratio, to match release probability at P7–8 and P13–15 synapses, revealed that the release probability is also an important factor determining the involvement of AMPAR desensitization in PPD. We conclude that the extent of involvement of AMPAR desensitization in short‐term synaptic depression is determined by both pre‐ and postsynaptic mechanisms.
Executive and motivational control of performance task behavior, and autonomic heart-rate regulation in children: physiologic validation of two-factor solution inhibitory control.

Forty-two (42) children (mean age 10.6 years) from mainstream public (N = 22) and therapeutic schools (N = 20) completed performance tasks assessing executive and motivational influences on motor responses. In a separate protocol, children underwent physiologic challenges of paced breathing and supine to standing postural change, while heart rate was continuously monitored. Executive control was associated with vagal modulation of respiratory driven, high-frequency heart-rate variability (t = 2.20, p < .03), whereas motivational control was associated with sympathetic modulation of posturally driven, low-frequency heart-rate variability (t = -2.22, p < .03). These findings supported a two-factor solution of inhibitory control derived in a previous study.
Revenue management in airline operations : booking systems and aircraft maintenance services

Although the principles of Revenue Management (RM) have vaguely been used in business for a long time, an increasing number of organizations are implementing well structured RM systems in the last few decades due to the developments in science and technology, especially in economics, statistics, operations research and computer science. The improvements in information and telecommunication technologies, wide use of Internet, rise of e-commerce and successful supply chain management strategies have enabled organizations to model and solve complex RM problems. This dissertation research concentrates on airlines, the earliest and leading user of RM. Today, airlines face serious financial problems due to the increasing costs and competition. They continuously explore new opportunities especially in terms of RM to make profit and survive. In this study, two problems are analyzed within this scope; airline booking process with adapted options approach and aircraft maintenance order control through RM. First; a new approach, financial options approach, is proposed to sell tickets in airline reservation systems. The options are used to overcome the uncertainty in air travel demand and competitors' actions. The seat inventory control problem is formulated with overbooking and embedded options respectively. Then a simulation study is conducted the potential of using options in airlines booking process. Accordingly, empirical results show that they present an opportunity both to utilize capacity more efficiently and to value seats more precisely compared to overbooking approach. Secondly; a peak load pricing concept is applied for aircraft maintenance order control problem. Aircraft maintenance centers face with peak loads in some seasons and the capacity is underutilized in other seasons. A peak load pricing model is proposed to shift some of the price elastic demand from peak seasons to off-peak seasons to balance demand and supply around the year. A dynamic programming algorithm is developed to solve the model and a code is written in C++. Results show that the model improves both annual capacity loading factors and revenues without causing a discomfort from the perspective of the customers. The details of both studies are presented in this dissertation research. [PUBLICATION ABSTRACT]
Statistical multiplexing of identical bursty sources in an ATM network

The authors study the performance of a statistical multiplexer with a common buffer and bursty sources. A uniform arrival and service model has been used to calculate the loss probability as a function of several parameters. It is shown that the ratio of the number of cells in an average burst to buffer capacity per source is a more important parameter than burstiness. When this ratio is much greater than one, performance will be poor unless the load is very low. If the ratio is of the order of one or less, acceptable performance can be achieved. It is shown that combining small load with with multiplexing of many sources can be a very efficient way to lower cell loss probability. <<ETX>>
Crystallographic and modelling studies suggest that the SKICH domains from different protein families share a common Ig-like fold but harbour substantial structural variations

TAX1BP1 is a pleiotropic multi-domain protein involved in many important biological processes such as signal transduction, cell growth and apoptosis, transcriptional coactivation, membrane trafficking, neurotransmission and autophagy. The N-terminus of TAX1BP1 contains a SKICH domain implicated in autophagy. SKICH domains are also present in four other proteins including NDP52, CALCOCO1, SKIP and PIPP. The SKICH domains of SKIP and PIPP mediate plasma membrane localisation. The functions of the SKICH domains of NDP52 and CALCOCO1 are not known. Here we report the crystal structure of the TAX1BP1 SKICH domain, which has an Ig-like fold similar to the NDP52 SKICH domain. Extensive pairwise and clustered aromatic π-stacking interactions are present in the TAX1BP1 SKICH domain. The aromatic residues mediating these interactions can be classified into four groups with varying degrees of conservation among different protein families. The interactions mediated by highly conserved residues are found in the interior and one outward face of the Ig-like β-barrel, representing common structural features of the SKICH domains. Three TAX1BP1-specific pairwise interactions locate in the loop regions, each augmented by a proline-aromatic interaction. The three proline–aromatic clusters are linked together by more generic hydrophobic interactions, forming a unique hydrophobic surface at one end of the TAX1BP1 SKICH domain. The structures and homologous models of SKICH domains from different proteins reveal substantial differences in electrostatic surface properties of the domains. Together with existing biochemical data, results from the structural study suggest that an intact SKICH domain is required for the autophagy function of TAX1BP1.
Simultaneous high-resolution analysis of vaccinia virus and host cell transcriptomes by deep RNA sequencing

Deep RNA sequencing was used to simultaneously analyze vaccinia virus (VACV) and HeLa cell transcriptomes at progressive times following infection. VACV, the prototypic member of the poxvirus family, replicates in the cytoplasm and contains a double-stranded DNA genome with ≈200 closely spaced open reading frames (ORFs). The acquisition of a total of nearly 500 million short cDNA sequences allowed construction of temporal strand-specific maps of the entire VACV transcriptome at single-base resolution and analysis of over 14,000 host mRNAs. Before viral DNA replication, transcripts from 118 VACV ORFs were detected; after replication, transcripts from 93 additional ORFs were characterized. The high resolution permitted determination of the precise boundaries of many mRNAs including read-through transcripts and location of mRNA start sites and adjacent promoters. Temporal analysis revealed two clusters of early mRNAs that were synthesized in the presence of inhibitors of protein as well as DNA synthesis, indicating that they do not correspond to separate immediate- and delayed-early classes as defined for other DNA viruses. The proportion of viral RNAs reached 25–55% of the total at 4 h. This rapid change, resulting in a relative decrease of the vast majority of host mRNAs, can contribute to the profound shutdown of host protein synthesis and blunting of antiviral responses. At 2 h, however, a minority of cellular mRNAs was increased. The overrepresented functional categories of the up-regulated RNAs were NF-κB cascade, apoptosis, signal transduction, and ligand-mediated signaling, which likely represent the host response to invasion.
Predicting query types by prosodic analysis

A body of work exists on the classification, by prosodic analysis and other means, of utterance types and dialogue moves in spoken corpora. Much of this output, while often linguistically well motivated, tends to rely on hand-crafted rules. This thesis presents a data-driven approach to the classification of utterances, using a novel combination of existing algorithmic approaches. Previous work has generally classified utterances according to such categories as wh- question, yes/no question, acknowledgement, response and the like; in general, the audio data used has been specially commissioned and recorded for research purposes. The work presented here departs from this tradition, in that the recorded data consists of genuine interaction between the telephone operator and members of the public. Moreover, most of the calls recorded can be characterized as queries. The techniques presented in this thesis attempt to determine, automatically, the class of query, from a set of six possibilities including "statement of a problem" and "request for action". To achieve this, a scheme for automatically labelling utterance segments according to their prosodic features was devised, and this is presented. It is then shown how labelling patterns encountered in training data can be exploited to classify unseen utterances.
Life satisfaction in 18- to 64-year-old Swedes: in relation to education, employment situation, health and physical activity.

OBJECTIVE The aim of this study is to relate different sociodemographic, health and physical activity parameters to levels of satisfaction with life as a whole and with 10 specific domains of life. DESIGN Data on socio-demographic items were sampled, using strictly structured interviews, while a checklist (LiSat-11) was used for self-reported levels of life satisfaction. SUBJECTS A nationally representative Swedish sample of 1207 women and 1326 men aged 18-64 years. RESULTS Univariately most of these socio-demographic variables were associated with several of the LiSat-11 items. Using logistic regression, perceived good health and not being a first generation immigrant were the most prominent positive predictors of satisfaction with life as a whole and of most of the domains. Also educational level impacted predictively on satisfaction with many LiSat-11 items. Furthermore, those who were vocationally active, perceived their financial situation as better than or similar to most people's and had a steady partner relationship were particularly likely to be satisfied with life as a whole and with two or more of the domains. CONCLUSION These results indicate that a multitude of aspects must be taken into account when assessing life satisfaction.
Classification Signboard Detection Face Detection Animal Detection Texture Detection GPS + IMU Depth Localization Module Central Control Speech

Mobility for visually impaired people in an outdoor environment has always been a challenge. Traditionally, white cane or guide dogs have been used to help in mobility, but they suffer from many limitations. Modern solutions like Smartcane or Ultracane can help detect obstacles in the path, but cannot differentiate among these obstacles. Moreover, they do not support navigation. Considering the limitations with existing aids for mobility of visually impaired, we propose a new device to help visually impaired in their outdoor mobility. This device uses an RGB camera and image processing techniques to recognize the surrounding objects and inform/alarm the user accordingly. Our prototype incorporates signboard detection, face detection and surface texture detection to address issues related to mobility of a visually impaired user. Localization module implemented using GPS and IMU helps to support navigation. In this paper, we explain our initial implementation of various image processing tasks. We focus on the exploration for the choice of algorithms, design decisions, and various implementation decisions. We explain the challenges and results of implementing these applications on an embedded platform (Zedboard) for prototyping.