Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Link Between Leadership Style, Communicator Competence, and Employee Satisfaction

The current study examined the influence of supervisor communicator competence and leadership style on employee job and communication satisfaction. Participants were 220 individuals (116 men and 104 women) working full-time for a variety of companies in the Midwest. The findings indicated a strong relationship between supervisors' communicator competence and their task and relational leadership styles, with supervisor communicator competence being a stronger predictor of employee job and communication satisfaction. More specifically, the findings indicated that supervisor communicator competence accounted for 68% of the variance in subordinate communication satisfaction and nearly 18% of the variance in subordinate job satisfaction. More important, these findings provide an association between communication, leadership, and employee job and communication satisfaction.
Crossing the line: examination of student demographic changes concomitant with declining academic performance in elementary schools

The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between school decline and changes in school demographics. Using a population of 981 (N = 981) elementary schools, the authors identified samples of declining schools: Relational Decline (n = 510), Absolute Decline (n = 217), and Crossing the Line (n = 165). Latent growth models assessed longitudinal relationships between 4 demographic factors and school performance. Of the 4 tested predictors, only changes in the percentages of disadvantaged students maintained significant structural relationships with declining academic performance. Associations between school size on school performance varied depending on sample. Findings suggested that changes in school demographics challenge educators, but that internal school processes account for school decline. Future research might search for a school decline threshold, as well as common processes responsible for the phenomenon. Educators might design procedures so that no one school must face continuous or extensive increases in at-risk student populations.
A novel countermeasure to prevent XMLRPC WordPress attack

WordPress (WP) is one of the most popular PHP-based content management system (CMS) used for creating websites. WP became popular due to its many dynamic content management features including Pingback through XMLRPC, which sends a notification when other websites link to any one of the WP contents. However, WP XMLRPC Pingback does not have a mechanism to limit and validate whether any Pingback request actually originated from a linked post. Our experiment demonstrated that an attack with as few as 5 online WP websites is sufficient to take down a victim's WP-based website. The proposed countermeasure for this type of attack has then been shown to successfully prevent HTTP-GET attacks at the source.
An Ontology for Virtual Organization Breeding Environments

Companies and individuals connect into networks to share their resources with the purpose of achieving a common goal. The field of collaborative network organizations covers various types of organizational structures. Knowledge, which is stored in such networks, can be separated into two different levels. First, there is a common knowledge about the organizational structure itself that can be used and reused in any of such networks. The second level represents the domain-specific knowledge, which such networks cover and use to function. In this paper, we address both levels, first, by proposing an ontology representing the common vocabulary and identifying the actors and relationships in a specific type of network, namely virtual organization breeding environment (VBE), and second, by proposing a methodology for extracting network-specific knowledge related to competencies. The instantiation of the proposed VBE ontology and the developed approach to semiautomated construction of competencies have been applied to real problem scenarios of Virtuelle Fabrik, a Swiss-German cluster of companies in mechanical engineering.
Can a Fat Woman Call Herself Disabled

ABSTRACT As an ostensibly able-bodied fat woman I discuss my experimental usage of 'disabled' to self-define, asserting that this is a problematic label. I criticise some of the mutual misconceptions fat and disabled people share, especially the role of medicalisation, and I explore some similarities and differences in our respective struggles for civil rights. I suggest that identifying as disabled is political in origin, and that disability politics offer an important precedent for fat people.
Is a video-based cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia as efficacious as a professionally administered treatment in breast cancer? Results of a randomized controlled trial.

STUDY OBJECTIVE To assess the short-term efficacy of a video-based cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) as compared to a professionally administered CBT-I and to a no-treatment group. DESIGN Randomized controlled trial. SETTING Radio-oncology department of a public hospital affiliated with Université Laval (CHU de Québec). PARTICIPANTS Two hundred forty-two women with breast cancer who had received radiation therapy in the past 18 mo and who had insomnia symptoms or were using hypnotic medications were randomized to: (1) professionally administered CBT-I (PCBT-I; n = 81); (2) video-based CBT-I (VCBT-I; n = 80); and (3) no treatment (CTL; n = 81). INTERVENTIONS PCBT-I composed of six weekly, individual sessions of approximately 50 min; VCBT-I composed of a 60-min animated video + six booklets. MEASUREMENT AND RESULTS Insomnia Severity Index (ISI) total score and sleep parameters derived from a daily sleep diary and actigraphy, collected at pretreatment and posttreatment. PCBT-I and VCBT-I were associated with significantly greater sleep improvements, assessed subjectively, as compared to CTL. However, relative to VCBT-I, PCBT-I was associated with significantly greater improvements of insomnia severity, early morning awakenings, depression, fatigue, and dysfunctional beliefs about sleep. The remission rates of insomnia (ISI < 8) were significantly greater in PCBT-I as compared to VCBT-I (71.3% versus 44.3%, P < 0.005). CONCLUSIONS A self-administered cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) using a video format appears to be a valuable treatment option, but face-to-face sessions remain the optimal format for administering CBT-I efficaciously in patients with breast cancer. Self-help interventions for insomnia may constitute an appropriate entry level as part of a stepped care model. TRIAL REGISTRATION ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT00674830. CITATION Savard J, Ivers H, Savard MH, Morin CM. Is a video-based cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia as efficacious as a professionally administered treatment in breast cancer? Results of a randomized controlled trial.
Diagnostic assessment of student misconceptions about the particulate nature of matter from ontological perspective

Student conceptions related with matter and the particulate nature of matter (PNM), are vital for advanced understanding in chemistry, and have been a research area of significant attention. Lacking in the literature are studies addressing chemical misconceptions from an ontological point of view. The purpose of the current study was to develop a diagnostic instrument by utilizing ontological categories as theoretical lens and to evaluate student understanding on the topic PNM through assessment based on the relationship between ontology and misconceptions. Aligned with content in the middle school curricula, an assessment instrument of 25 distractor-driven, multiple-choice items, 15 of which were two-tier, was constructed. Subsequent to content validity work, to utilize student feedback for the improvement of the items and the validity of the inferences, we pilot tested our instrument with 178 students. Cross-sectional survey methodology was employed for the larger assessment work across Grades 6–11. Data were collected from a randomly selected sample of 696 students attending primary and secondary schools. The overall trend emerged to be improved student knowledge with increasing grade level. The students most often tended to attribute the properties of macroscopic matter to its microscopic particles and had most difficulty in explaining dissolution at the particle level, confirming previous national and international findings. An understanding of misconceptions from an ontology perspective may further assist educators to enhance a radical conceptual change. Distractor-driven, two-tier multiple-choice items are envisioned to aid stakeholders in curriculum development and implementation by illuminating student conceptions and ways of thinking.
Distributed Graph Simulation: Impossibility and Possibility

This paper studies fundamental problems for distributed graph simulation. Given a pattern query Q and a graph G that is fragmented and distributed, a graph simulation algorithm A is to compute the matches Q ( G ) of Q in G . We say that A is parallel scalable in (a) response time if its parallel computational cost is determined by the largest fragment F m of G and the size | Q | of query Q , and (b) data shipment if its total amount of data shipped is determined by | Q | and the number of fragments of G, independent of the size of graph G . (1) We prove an impossibility theorem : there exists no distributed graph simulation algorithm that is parallel scalable in either response time or data shipment. (2) However, we show that distributed graph simulation is partition bounded, i.e. , its response time depends only on | Q |, | F m | and the number | V f | of nodes in G with edges across different fragments; and its data shipment depends on | Q | and the number | E f | of crossing edges only. We provide the first algorithms with these performance guarantees. (3) We also identify special cases of patterns and graphs when parallel scalability is possible. (4) We experimentally verify the scalability and efficiency of our algorithms.
In vitro elastogenesis: instructing human vascular smooth muscle cells to generate an elastic fiber-containing extracellular matrix scaffold

Elastic fibers are essential for the proper function of organs including cardiovascular tissues such as heart valves and blood vessels. Although (tropo)elastin production in a tissue-engineered construct has previously been described, the assembly to functional elastic fibers in vitro using human cells has been highly challenging. In the present study, we seeded primary isolated human vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) onto 3D electrospun scaffolds and exposed them to defined laminar shear stress using a customized bioreactor system. Increased elastin expression followed by elastin deposition onto the electrospun scaffolds, as well as on newly formed fibers, was observed after six days. Most interestingly, we identified the successful deposition of elastogenesis-associated proteins, including fibrillin-1 and -2, fibulin-4 and -5, fibronectin, elastin microfibril interface located protein 1 (EMILIN-1) and lysyl oxidase (LOX) within our engineered constructs. Ultrastructural analyses revealed a developing extracellular matrix (ECM) similar to native human fetal tissue, which is composed of collagens, microfibrils and elastin. To conclude, the combination of a novel dynamic flow bioreactor and an electrospun hybrid polymer scaffold allowed the production and assembly of an elastic fiber-containing ECM.
The Double-Strand Break Landscape of Meiotic Chromosomes Is Shaped by the Paf1 Transcription Elongation Complex in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Histone modification is a critical determinant of the frequency and location of meiotic double-strand breaks (DSBs), and thus recombination. Set1-dependent histone H3K4 methylation and Dot1-dependent H3K79 methylation play important roles in this process in budding yeast. Given that the RNA polymerase II associated factor 1 complex, Paf1C, promotes both types of methylation, we addressed the role of the Paf1C component, Rtf1, in the regulation of meiotic DSB formation. Similar to a set1 mutation, disruption of RTF1 decreased the occurrence of DSBs in the genome. However, the rtf1 set1 double mutant exhibited a larger reduction in the levels of DSBs than either of the single mutants, indicating independent contributions of Rtf1 and Set1 to DSB formation. Importantly, the distribution of DSBs along chromosomes in the rtf1 mutant changed in a manner that was different from the distributions observed in both set1 and set1 dot1 mutants, including enhanced DSB formation at some DSB-cold regions that are occupied by nucleosomes in wild-type cells. These observations suggest that Rtf1, and by extension the Paf1C, modulate the genomic DSB landscape independently of H3K4 methylation.
The Ability of Microbial Community of Lake Baikal Bottom Sediments Associated with Gas Discharge to Carry Out the Transformation of Organic Matter under Thermobaric Conditions

The ability to compare the composition and metabolic potential of microbial communities inhabiting the subsurface sediment in geographically distinct locations is one of the keys to understanding the evolution and function of the subsurface biosphere. Prospective areas for study of the subsurface biosphere are the sites of hydrocarbon discharges on the bottom of the Lake Baikal rift, where ascending fluxes of gas-saturated fluids and oil from deep layers of bottom sediments seep into near-surface sediment. The samples of surface sediments collected in the area of the Posolskaya Bank methane seep were cultured for 17 months under thermobaric conditions (80°C, 5 MPa) with the addition of complementary organic substrate, and a different composition for the gas phase. After incubation, the presence of intact cells of microorganisms, organic matter transformation and the formation of oil biomarkers was confirmed in the samples, with the addition of Baikal diatom alga Synedra acus detritus, and gas mixture CH4:H2:CO2. Taxonomic assignment of the 16S rRNA sequence data indicates that the predominant sequences in the enrichment were Sphingomonas (55.3%), Solirubrobacter (27.5%) and Arthrobacter (16.6%). At the same time, in heat-killed sediment and in sediment without any additional substrates, which were cultivated in a CH4 atmosphere, no geochemical changes were detected, nor the presence of intact cells and 16S rRNA sequences of Bacteria and Archaea. This data may suggest that the decomposition of organic matter under culturing conditions could be performed by microorganisms from low-temperature sediment layers. One possible explanation of this phenomenon is migration of the representatives of the deep thermophilic community through fault zones in the near surface sediment layers, together with gas-bearing fluids.
Virtual World Presence for Pre-service Teachers: Does the TAM Model Apply?

In this paper, we would like to present a model framework for testing the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) initially proposed by Davis [5] with pre-service teachers using Virtual Worlds (VWs). The main hypothesis of this study states that the use of VWs will enhance technology acceptance by pre-service teachers, and will also facilitate adoption of technology applications within the classroom environment. There have been plenty of studies which have tested the TAM within work-related environments. Other breakthrough studies have also tried to apply the TAM for an education environment, investigating reasons for the possible lack of adoption of technology by teachers within the classroom environment. However, as yet, the model's effectiveness has not been investigated with immersive technology applications such as VWs and their possible use and adoption within the teacher training framework.
The Two Faces of Capital: Corporations and Individual Capitalists as Political Actors

Widespread access to public records of campaign contributions by corporate political action committees (PACs) have made these the preferred data for analyzing political partisanship within the capitalist class. By comparison, data on political contributions by individual capitalists were, until recently, difficult to obtain and rarely subjected to systematic study. Important differences are demonstrated between these two forms of capitalist political action by directly comparing the campaign contributions of 592 individual capitalists with the contributions of the 394 major corporations with which those capitalists were associated. Campaign contributions by individual capitalists follow a logic different from that of corporate PACs. Corporations are generally more interested in buying influence with incumbents, while individual capitalists are more concerned with bolstering the election prospects of favored candidates. By providing a more direct measure of capitalists’ political preferences, the analysis of campaign contributions by individual capitalists clarifies theoretical questions that remain unresolved in the research based on corporate PACs. Variables that elude measurement when corporations are the units of analysis (e.g., ethnicity) are shown to have important consequences for capitalist political partisanship.
Différentiels salariaux, segmentation et discrimination à l'égard des femmes sur le marché du travail chinois

Cet article analyse conjointement la stratification du marche du travail urbain par type d'entreprise et la discrimination a l'egard des femmes en Chine urbaine pour l'annee 1995, a l'aide d'une extension des methodes de decomposition de type Oaxaca-Blinder. Nous montrons que les deux dimensions sont fortement liees et que l'absence de discrimination a l'egard des femmes dans les entreprises a capitaux etrangers est en grande partie le fait de la structure de segmentation.
The role of deviant-letter position in cognate word processing

The Bilingual Interactive Activation Plus Model (BIA+; Dijkstra & van Heuven, 2002) is perhaps the most relevant computational model on bilingual word recognition. Although interesting it fails to explain modulations on cognate word processing as a function of deviantletter position (Font, 2001). Thus, the present research aimed to further explore the role of deviant-letter position on cognate word processing by using a masked priming lexical decision task. To that purpose 288 stimuli (144 Portuguese-English translation words [72 cognates and 72 noncognates] and 144 pseudowords) were selected. Cognates were assigned to three experimental conditions according to deviant-letter position: 1) at end of the word (matrizMATRIX); 2) at the beginning of the word (coala-KOALA); and 3) at the end and at the beginning (escala-SCALE). Twenty-eight proficient Portuguese-English bilinguals took part in the study. The results revealed faster responses for cognates with greater degree of crosslanguage overlap (Conditions 1 and 2). More important, priming effects were not modulated by deviant-letter position and thus no amendments seems to be needed in the “front-end” of the coding scheme of the BIA+ model, at least regarding cognate processing. Future studies should be developed in order to explore if these results are restricted to outer deviant-letters. Key-words: cognate word processing; BIA+; deviant-letter; letters’ position
MRI in Severe Traumatic Brain Injury: Micro- and Macrostructural Changes

The principal aim of the present PhD project was to study quantitatively the long-term microand macrostructural brain changes in survivors from severe traumatic brain injury (TBI). A total of 31 patients admitted for early rehabilitation following severe TBI were included and underwent magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), including Diffusion Tensor Imaging (DTI), at mean 8 weeks post-injury. Follow-up MRI at mean 12 months post-injury was acquired in 25 of the patients. For comparison, healthy matched controls were scanned twice with a similar time interval. Clinical rating during rehabilitation and at 1-year follow-up was performed by experienced staff. Two papers make up the basis of this thesis. Paper I considers the DTI results. This MRI modality was chosen in order to evaluate diffusional changes in brain tissue, potentially useful for characterising the extent of microscopic white matter injury, as well as for tracking microstructural changes during recovery. Using a region-of-interest approach, four white matter regions were studied with additional regions in grey matter and CSF. At the initial scan, patients had abnormal fractional anisotropy (FA) in all white matter regions, which in the cerebral peduncle correlated with 1-year outcome, suggesting that DTI may have prognostic value. At follow-up, FA had partly normalised in some white matter regions, but deviated even more from normal values in other regions. Although these longitudinal findings warrant cautious interpretation, they might indicate microstructural reorganization. Paper II describes a study on the macrostructural brain changes during recovery. Global and regional brain volume changes between the two scan time points were investigated using voxelwise analyses. Despite remarkable clinical improvement in most patients, they all exhibited continued brain volume loss during the scan interval. Global volume change correlated with clinical injury severity, functional status at both scans, and with 1-year outcome. The areas which underwent the most change were structures particularly susceptible to traumatic axonal injury and consequent Wallerian degeneration, indicating that the long-term atrophy is attributable to consequences of axonal injury. Together, these MRI analyses complemented each other in the quantitative assessment of structural brain changes following severe TBI. Applied in the late subacute/early chronic phase of TBI, DTI may capture biological severity at the microstructural level and provide prognostic information. Serial application of the MRI techniques applied in this study enables the monitoring of the extent and distribution of micro- and macrostructural changes during TBI rehabilitation.
The role of age at the onset of cancer in relation to survivors' long‐term adjustment: A controlled comparison over an eight‐year period

The goal of the study was to explore the role of age in survivors' long‐term adjustment to cancer (n=155). Data, both quantitative and qualitative, was assessed at 3 months, 15 months, and 8 years after diagnosis. A reference group from the general population (n=120) was included to be able to distinguish the effects of cancer from those of aging. The findings showed that, in the first year after diagnosis, survivors' physical functioning (especially in those aged 45–65 years) was strongly affected by cancer. In the long term, their physical functioning was more affected by aging. Regarding psychological functioning, survivors younger than 65 years reported more depressive symptoms than similar‐aged references, but only at 3 months after diagnosis. In the long term, younger survivors reported more cancer‐related thoughts and a greater search for meaning in the cancer experience than older survivors. Overall, the findings provide an intriguing description of the complex and interwoven processes of age and aging in the process of adjustment to cancer. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Soft-input soft-output modules for the construction and distributed iterative decoding of code networks

Soft-input soft-output building blocks (modules) are presented to construct and iteratively decode in a distributed fashion code networks, a new concept that includes, and generalizes, various forms of concatenated coding schemes. Among the modules, a central role is played by the SISO module (and the underlying algorithm): it consists of a four-port device performing a processing of the sequences of two input probability distributions by constraining them to the code trellis structure. The SISO and other soft-input soft-output modules are employed to construct and decode a variety of code networks, including “turbo codes” and serially concatenated codes with interleavers.