Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The influence of firm diversity management competency on diversity-related outcomes and firm performance

An emerging perspective of workplace diversity proposes that a well-managed diverse workforce holds inherent advantages for organisational performance. Little empirical evidence exists to support this view, which may partly be due to a lack of operational frameworks for diversity management at the firm level. This study aims to address two research gaps through (1) the development of a diversity management competency (DMC) framework which can guide diversity management efforts, and (2) the evaluation of the relationship between DMC, different diversity management outcomes (DMO), and firm performance. A mixed method approach was followed, which entailed an initial qualitative phase to explore the DMC construct and to develop a DMC measure. Next, a quantitative phase followed that tested (a) the reliability and validity of the instrument, as well as (b) the hypothesised relationships between DMC and important firm outcomes. Data were generated in the qualitative phase through interviewing managers (N = 12), using the Critical Incident Technique (CIT). Content analysis of the transcribed interviews culminated in distinctive diversity management competencies (DMCs), which represent clusters of diversity management practices, and a DMC measure which was subsequently content validated through both the Content Validity Ratio (Lawshe, 1975) and Cohen's (1960) approaches. The DMC questionnaire was then pilot tested on managers (N = 25) from three large companies to make final modifications. The final questionnaire consisted of eleven subscales (DMCs) and 98 items. The data for the quantitative phase were collected by administering on-line questionnaires measuring the study variables (DMC, DMO and firm performance) to managers (N = 77) from different medium to large companies (k = 33). The measures were item analysed and the hypotheses tested through correlation analysis, using SPSS. The measures indicated high internal consistency. A firm-level analysis of the research data showed that DMC, DMO and firm performance were strongly and significantly correlated, as hypothesised. This study makes three major contributions. First, it develops a firm-level DMC framework that outlines specific clusters of diversity management practices expected to contribute to firm performance by means of enhancing key DMOs. Second, it develops and validates a DMC measure which, along with the DMC framework, has Stellenbosch University http://scholar.sun.ac.za
SEED: solar energy‐aware efficient scheduling for data centers

It is well known that data centers are consuming a large amount of energy that incurs significant financial and environmental costs. Recently, there has been an increasing interest in utilizing green energy for data centers, where green energy sources include solar and wind. This paper studies the crucial problem of maximizing the utilization of green energy through scheduling complex jobs in data centers in order to reduce the use of traditional brown energy. However, it is highly challenging for data centers to make use of green energy. First, the availability of typical green energy is variable to dynamic changes of natural environments, for example, weather. Second, although predictions can be made for the future availability of green energy, it is inevitable that such predictions have errors. Third, jobs are associated with strict deadlines, and it is required that jobs are completed before their deadlines. Finally, because the reliability in a data center relies upon temperature, the awareness of temperature should be taken into account while maximizing the green energy. In this paper, we consider online scheduling of jobs whose arrivals to the data center system dynamically. In addition, we explicitly take the power consumption of switches into account when scheduling jobs onto computing nodes. Two solar energy‐aware algorithms called SEEDMin and SEEDMax have been proposed. Then, we extend SEED to RSEED with the awareness of reliability. To evaluate the effectiveness of the proposed algorithms, comprehensive simulations have been conducted, and the proposed algorithms are compared with other state‐of‐art algorithms. Experimental results demonstrate that both SEEDMin and SEEDMax can significantly increase the utilization of solar energy without violating job deadlines and overall energy budget. The amount of solar energy utilized by SEEDMin and SEEDMax is 33.4%and35.3% larger than that of two traditional scheduling algorithms, MinMin and MinMax, respectively. Also, it can be seen that RSEED greatly improves the reliability by decreasing the temperature. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Mitigation of nonlinear impact on optical fiber

Laser is one of the light sources that transmits wavelength with frequency, phase, and polarization parameters. The response of each dielectric material to light created nonlinear in strong electromagnetic field. Nonlinearity occurs within the optical fiber with high intensity of light at the core with long span. The focus of this paper was to reduce the behavior of nonlinearity SPM (Self Phase Modulation) and GVD (Group Velocity Dispersion) characteristic on optical fiber transmission using frequency dithering technique. This paper showed signal characteristic after passing dithering system. By investigating this, we expected to mitigate and reduce nonlinearity on optical medium transmission for minimum OLP (Optical Launch Power) with varied linewidth. The peak of maximum power after the technique was applied was −30 dBm with respective SNR (Signal to Noise Ratio) and EVM (Error-Vector-Magnitude) value were 65 dB and 0.125 % on linewidth of 0.15 MHz.
A framework for protecting personal information and privacy

User's security and privacy are core issues of network applications. This paper proposes a privacy protection model to evaluate property risk of users, which takes into account both sensitivity of the property and requester's level of assurance. Furthermore, the sensitivity of the property is evaluated by problem of expectation-maximization algorithm. Experiments show that the optimal size of samples for EM is relatively small, which indicates the high efficiency of the algorithm. The proposed privacy protection model cannot only assist users to do correct authorization, but also benefit the privacy reservation of users in online service. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
The impacts of multiple large ownership structure on board independence

The determinants of the composition of corporate boards remain inconclusive. This study investigates the impacts of multiple large ownership structure on board independence for a sample of UK listed companies. Using multiple regression analysis, and controlling for endogeneity, the study shows that the larger the difference in shareholding between the first and second largest owners, the less independent is the board. Monitoring efficiency is enhanced the higher the ratio of the shareholding of the second largest shareholder relative to the shareholding of the first largest shareholder. These findings have significant implications for board monitoring and corporate governance regulations.
Prognostic value of serum IL‐10 and soluble IL‐2 receptor levels in aggressive non‐Hodgkin's lymphoma

Summary We investigated the prognostic significance of interleukin‐10 (IL‐10) and soluble interleuckin‐2 receptor (sIl‐2r) levles in the pretreatment serum of 105 individuals with newly‐diagnosed aggressive non‐Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL). Commercially available enzyem‐linked immunoassay kits were used for cytokine and receptor measurements. Detectable levels of IL‐10 were found in 42 (40%) patients at diagnosis, with no correlation with clinico‐haematological parameters, but in no control samples (P < 0.001).
60GHz Rotman lens and new compact low loss delay line using LTCC technology

In this work, the first μ-strip 60GHz Rotman lens and new compact low loss strip delay line using low temperature co-fired ceramic(LTCC) are proposed. The lens has 3 steering capability for +26°, −26°, 0.1° angle, − 10.86dB of side lobe level(SLL), and 28° of half power beam width (HPBW). The Rotman lens is designed in μ-strip structure for integration capability with the system on package(SoP). In order to replace bulky and lossy meander line of the Rotman lens, new compact low loss delay line is developed and verified. It shows remarkable performance; it has smaller insertion loss. Furthermore, It shows 78% of length reduction than meander line. Also, owing to its simple and symmetrical structure, the delay line is reciprocal and analogous.
3D SEGMENTATION OF WHOLE CELLS AND CELL NUCLEI IN TISSUE USING DYNAMIC PROGRAMMING

We present a highly robust, semi-automatic algorithm for segmenting individual, fluorescence-labeled, whole cells or cell nuclei (objects) from 3D confocal microscope images of tissue. The core of the algorithm is an extension of dynamic programming that finds the surface as a series of overlapping ribbons, where the mean intensity per unit area within each ribbon is a global maximum. Consequently, the segmented surface is not significantly affected by intermittent fluorescence labeling, diffuse borders or by spurious signals away from the borders. Minimal interaction by the user ensures correct segmentation of each object, yet segmenting 10 s to 100 s of objects per sample is feasible. The algorithm enables for the first time quantitative analysis and modeling of communication processes between cells in intact tissue
LANDMARK-BASED SERVICE RECOVERY FOR DISTRIBUTED PUB/SUB SERVICES ON DISASTER MANAGEMENT

A communication system that supports timely, scalable, and highly available information exchanges over a heterogeneous plug-and-play network systems is called an Open Information Gateway (OIGY). Our work focuses on design for disaster resiliency, i.e. means to provide an OIGY with capabilities to deliver critical messages to parties in a disaster management system even when the underlying physical network has sustained serious damages. This article first presents the design of such an information gateway in general. It then presents the design and implementation of a middleware layer service recovery mechanism, essential for the gateway to achieve the aforementioned objectives. The mechanism is called landmark-based service recovery mechanism. It aims at recovering real-time publishing and subscription services within a disaster affected region. The article describes its design, together with its performance, measured in terms of its transmission and recovery overheads as a function of the number of message brokers in the network.
Gastric electrical dysrhythmias and delayed gastric emptying in gastroesophageal reflux disease.

OBJECTIVE Deranged gastric motility and delayed gastric emptying are commonly implicated in the pathophysiology of gastroesophageal reflux disease. We measured gastric electrical activity and gastric emptying time of a solid-liquid meal by electrogastrography and antral ultrasound, respectively, in 42 patients with gastroesophageal reflux disease (age 7.4 +/- 1.6 yr). METHODS Based on endoscopy and histology of the esophageal mucosa, reflux disease was moderate in 20 patients and severe in 22. Electrogastrography was measured by placing two Ag-AgCl electrodes on the epigastric skin, signals were digitized and fed into a personal computer, and data were obtained by running spectrum analysis. The electrogastrographic variables calculated were: 1) percent of electrical dysrhythmias and normal electrical rhythm (bradygastria or 0.5-2.0 cycles/min, tachygastria or 4.0-9.0 cycles/min; normal rhythm is 2.0-4.0 cycles/min); 2) fed:fasting ratio of dominant electrogastrographic power; 3) fed:fasting ratio of the dominant frequency instability coefficient. Gastric emptying time and electrical activity results were compared with those measured in 15 controls (7.1 +/- 1.7 yr). RESULTS Dysrhythmic episodes were more common in both groups of patients than in controls (p < 0.01); furthermore, gastric emptying time was significantly more delayed in patients than in controls (p < 0.01). Children with severe gastroesophageal reflux were distinguished from those with moderate disease for post-feeding gastric electrical abnormalities consisting of reduced electrogastrographic dominant power and increased frequency variability (p < 0.01), as well as for a more prolonged gastric emptying time (p < 0.05). Prevalence of both normal electrical rhythm and dysrhythmias did not discriminate the two groups of patients. In patients and in controls, a significant inverse correlation between fed electrogastrographic power and gastric emptying time was found (r -0.88, p < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS Fed gastric electrical abnormalities consisting of reduced dominant power and increased variability of the electrical dominant frequency are detected in patients with severe gastroesophageal reflux disease and are associated with delayed gastric emptying. Gastric electrical dysrhythmias may be included among the pathogenetic components of gastroesophageal reflux disease.
Design of low-cost, wearable remote health monitoring and alert system for elderly heart patients

Most senior citizens are often neglected and are helpless in times of medical emergencies, as they are alone in their twilight years. To tackle this, we have come up with a prospective Remote Health Monitoring and Alert System (RHMAS). In elderly people heart attacks are associated with symptoms like, body temperature fluctuations, high BP, profuse sweating, improper cardiac rhythm etc. Our solution is to integrate robust sensors capable of sensing and monitoring these symptoms with a microcontroller to alert the next of kin and health services during emergencies. Since most devices for this purpose are wired, a wireless device wouldn't interfere with the movement of the user The proposed system consists of a Photo-Plethysmography (PPG) based pulse sensor, to detect arrhythmia, a temperature sensor to constantly monitor their body temperature and a sweat sensor to monitor the Galvanic Skin Response (GSR). A GSM module will send an alert to the next of kin if the monitored data deviates from the nominal body condition. If the monitored data reaches emergency levels, health services would also be alerted.
Molecular and cellular aspects of the insulin-like growth factor I receptor.

I. Introduction THE insulin-like growth factors (IGFs) and their receptors and binding proteins constitute a family of cellular modulators that play essential roles in the regulation of growth and development. The IGF ligands include three structurally related peptides: insulin, IGF-I, and IGF-II. Unlike insulin, IGF-I and IGF-II are expressed ubiquitously, albeit in a highly regulated manner (see reviews in Refs. 1-5). The biological functions of the IGFs are mediated by a family of transmembrane receptors, which includes the insulin, IGF-I, and IGF-II/mannose-6-phosphate (M-6-P) receptors. While the IGF-I receptor is the primary mediator of IGF action, the insulin and IGF-II/M-6-P receptors may also mediate some of these functions (Fig. 1) (6, 7). The biological actions of the IGFs are modulated by a family of at least six IGF-binding proteins (IGFBPs) that are found in the circulation and in extracellular compartments and are produced by most tissues. The IGFBPs are capable of inhibiting or enhancing I.
The Parallelism error evaluation of line to plane based on new GPS

Based on metrology, Geometrical Product Specifications (GPS) standard system proposes higher specification requirements for position tolerance evaluation. Based on analyzing of the definition of the axis of the plane and the measurement method, the least square method of parallel evaluation model is used for the model coordinate system transformation, so it can unify the elements of the tested elements and reference elements to simplify the assessment mode. The examples show that the method not only accords Geometrical Product Specifications (GPS) standards, but also can evaluate the error of space on the plane parallel to the axis correctly and effectively.
Development of a Novel Sap Extraction Buffer for Simultaneous Detection of Pepper Viruses using VC/RT-PCR

Virion-captured reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (VC/RT-PCR) is able to detect plant viruses without extraction of total nucleic acids from infected plant species. Novel extraction buffers were developed and optimized for the efficient diagnosis of pepper-infecting viruses using VC/ RT-PCR analysis. The most optimal extraction buffer to detect Tomato spotted wilt virus (TSWV), Pepper mild mottle virus (PMMoV), and Pepper mottle virus (PepMoV) was 1M Tris (pH8.0) buffer containing 0.5% sodium sulfate. The three viruses in the optimal buffer could be detected from tobacco (Nicotiana rustica) until 7 post-extraction, showing no significant difference in detection sensitivity of viruses. Meanwhile, the three pepper-infecting viruses in the optimized buffer could be detected from pepper plants until 2 post-extraction, showing significant decrease in detection sensitivity. Single infection of TSWV, PMMoV, or PepMoV and mixed infection of PMMoV and PepMoV were simultaneously detected from pepper plants collected from domestic farms using the combination of the optimal buffer and VC/RTPCR.
Traveling Governance Effect of Shareholder Activism: Evidence from Clawback Provision Adoption

We examine the propagation of governance mechanisms across firms held by the same institutional activist blockholders (IABs). We find that a firm is more likely to adopt clawback provisions when more of other firms held by the same IABs have adopted clawback — an effect we call traveling governance. This effect is stronger when the level and duration of common ownership by IABs are higher, and when IABs have more past activism experiences. This traveling governance effect is distinct from peer-effects stemming from common industry, common location, or board interlocks. Our results are not driven by endogenous selection by IABs. Further, our placebo tests show that this traveling governance is absent for firms held by the same passive institutional blockholders and firms that share common IABs only in the past. Finally, we find that traveling governance substitutes internal board governance, but complements external governance by the product market. Overall, our findings suggest that IABs act as effective gatekeepers to monitor their portfolio firms through an indirect and potentially less costly mechanism.
Big differences in primary care celiac disease serological markers request in Spain

Introduction Celiac disease (CD) prevalence is increasing but the disorder remains undiagnosed. The study compares CD serology markers requested by General Practitioners (GPs) over time and geographical areas. The aim of the current research is to assess the inter-practice and temporal variability in the request of CD serology markers by GPs in Spain, and the differences between regions. Materials and methods A cross-sectional study was conducted enrolling Spanish clinical laboratories. Primary care CD serology markers request in 2010, 2012 and 2014 from 15 autonomous communities (AACC), with more participants was reported. Test-utilization rates were calculated (tissue transglutaminase IgA antibodies (tTG-IgA) and deaminated peptide gliadine IgA antibodies (DGP-IgA) per 1000 inhabitants), and also the ratio of both tests request (DGP-IgA /tTG-IgA). Results The request of tTG-IgA per 1000 inhabitants increased significantly along years (from 3.99 to 5.90 (P < 0.001)). The demand of DGP-IgA per 1000 inhabitants was maintained in 2010 and 2012 (0.68 and 0.6), and decreased in 2014 (0.35) (P = 0.927). DGP-IgA /tTG-IgA diminished over time (from 0.16 to 0.06 (P = 0.548)), and in the 2014 edition, there was a significant regional difference, ranging from 0.01 to 0.57 (P < 0.001). Conclusions The variability in the request in CD serology markers emphasizes the need of inter-regional cooperation to develop strategies to optimize the use of laboratory tests.
Probabilistic Strategies Based on Staged LSH for Speedup of Audio Fingerprint Searching with Ten Million Scale Database

We are developing and improving algorithms to identify audio fingerprints (AFP) in a network router. Staged Locality Sensitive Hashing (LSH) is one of them and nearly as fast as 1Gbps of prevalent network routers. In this paper, we propose two extensions from Staged LSH, both of which take advantage of probabilistic strategies. One is Neighbor Staged LSH, which is to tune up about how to choose buckets for the hash method for searching. The other is Hierarchy Staged LSH, whose strategy is to focus on the popularity of songs. Adopting both achieved at most 182.8 times as fast as the simple Staged LSH and it was equivalent to 1 Gbps. The accuracy rate was 100 % if the BER of AFP is less than 15 %.
Improvement of coastal and mesoscale observation from space: Application to the northwestern Mediterranean Sea

We present an innovative approach to the generation of remotely sensed high‐resolution sea surface topography that improves coastal and mesoscale dynamic characterization. This new method is applied for the period 2002–2010 in the northwestern Mediterranean Sea, an area marked by a small Rossby radius. The spectral content of the new mapped data is closer to that of the along‐track signal and displays higher levels of energy in the mesoscale bandwidth with the probability distribution of the new velocity fields 30% closer to drifter estimations. The fields yield levels of eddy kinetic energy 25% higher than standard altimetry products, especially over regions regularly impacted by mesoscale instabilities. Moreover, qualitative and quantitative comparisons with drifters, glider, and satellite sea surface temperature observations further confirm that the new altimetry product provides, in many cases, a better representation of mesoscale features (more than 25% improvement in correlation with glider data during an experiment).
Losartan may prevent the elevation of plasma glucose, corticosterone and catecholamine levels induced by chronic stress

Introduction Stress is a stimulus that activates the hypothalamic pituitary adrenal (HPA) axis and sympathetic nervous system (SNS). Increased activity of the SNS causes to increment or impairment in blood pressure, heart rate, body temperature and plasma glucose and adrenocorticotrophic hormone (ACTH) levels. Angiotensin II (Ang II), which is a product of the renin-angiotensin system (RAS), is an important factor affecting the activity of the SNS and responses to stress. We suggest that the blockade of Ang II may be worthwhile in the prevention and treatment of diabetes mellitus and cardiovascular diseases affected by stress. Therefore, we investigated the effects of immobilisation stress on blood glucose, norepinephrine (NE), epinephrine (E) and corticosterone levels and the effects of an Ang II receptor antagonist, losartan, on these parameters. Materials and methods The rats were kept in small cylindrical cages for 60 min/day for 10 consecutive days to perform chronic immobilisation stress. Losartan (10 mg/kg) was given daily by gavage to Losartan (L) and Losartan + Chronic Stress (L+CS) groups. Control (C) and Chronic Stress (CS) P groups received an equal volume of saline daily by gavage for 10 days. After the last stress regimen, blood samples were collected for plasma glucose, NE, E and corticosteroid measurements. Results Plasma glucose, NE, E and corticosterone levels in the CS Group increased significantly compared with the C group. In Group L+CS, the plasma glucose, NE, E and corticosterone levels decreased significantly vs. Group CS. In Group L there was no significant difference vs. Group C. Conclusion It can be speculated that chronic blockade of RAS may decrease the excess sympathetic responses to stress in cardiovascular diseases and prevent the likely development of Type II diabetes mellitus.