Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
MALAYSIAN ONLINE JOURNAL OF EDUCATIONAL MANAGEMENT (MOJEM)

It is believed that without high-performing leaders in an educational organization as well as committed academic staff, student academic achievement would be affected, the management will collapse and the overall quality of education will deteriorate. Hence, this research explores the relationship between transformational leadership styles of Heads of Departments and organizational commitment of academic staff in Polytechnic Kuching Sarawak. A total of 165 academic staff from eight major departments were involved in this quantitative research. The findings showed that the Heads of Departments practiced a high level of transformational leadership styles. Besides that, the level of organizational commitment among the academic staff was proven to be high. The findings also revealed that a significant relationship existed between transformational leadership style of Heads of Departments and organizational commitment of academic staff in Polytechnic Kuching Sarawak. This research contributes to the development of an organization by encouraging other polytechnics to practice transformational leadership style to ensure academic staff commitment leading to a more effective and sustainable organization.
Developing early childhood advocates: the role of undergraduate teacher education programs in New South Wales

V STATEMENT OF ORIGINALITY . VII ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS . IX CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION . 1 The issue with early childhood professionalism . 4 The multiple constructions of early childhood professionalism and their influence on systems advocacy . 5 Aim and Research Questions . 11 Thesis Outline . 11 CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW . 13 Literature search strategies . 13 Overview of articles retrieved . 15 Analysis of the literature . 17 What is systems advocacy? 19 Why is engaging in systems advocacy important? 21 Facilitating systems advocacy with knowledge, skills and dispositions . 24 The challenges to systems advocacy . 28 Fragmentation and framing . 29 Reluctance to identify as early childhood advocates . 30 Can advocacy be developed through teacher education programs? 34 CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY . 41 Research paradigm . 41 Research design . 42 Sampling . 43
Metaphyseal chondrodysplasia McKusick type in a Chinese fetus, caused by novel compound heterozygosity 64T> A and 79G >T in RMRPgene

We present the first confirmed case by molecular analysis of a metaphyseal chondrodysplasia, McKusick type, in a 22‐week fetus. Two novel compound heterozygous mutations, 64T> A and 79G > T, were found in the highly conserved regions of the RMRP gene. Twenty‐two heterozygous g.1018 T> C mutations, two homozygous g.1018 T> C mutations, two heterozygous insertion mutations g. 799_g. 800insC and one heterozygous insertion mutation g. 849_g. 850insT were found among 100 normal controls. Careful radiological examination of the fetus for skeletal dysplasia allowed definitive diagnosis, proper genetic counselling and future prenatal diagnosis. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
HIV-related knowledge, beliefs, and behaviors among high school students in the United States: results from a national survey.

The Secondary School Student Health Risk Survey measured the prevalence of sexual intercourse and illegal drug injection among a national probability sample of U.S. high school students and assessed their HIV-related knowledge and beliefs. Ninety-nine (81%) of the 122 selected schools and 8,098 (83%) of the eligible students participated. Nearly all high school students knew the major modes of HIV transmission. Three percent reported injecting illegal drugs, and 1% reported sharing needles used to inject drugs. In addition, 59% of students reported having sexual intercourse and, of students who reported having sexual intercourse, 40% reported having four or more sexual partners. HIV-related knowledge, beliefs, and behaviors among high school students suggest the need for school-based HIV education programs that help young people acquire the knowledge and skills to adopt and maintain behaviors that reduce risk of HIV infection and other related health problems.
Urban Informal Housing and Surface Urban Heat Island Intensity

Urbanization leads to the densification of built-up areas, and thereby increases surface heat island intensity which is one of the growing concerns in the rapidly urbanizing cities. Another notable aspect of cities like Mumbai is the uncontrolled growth of informal slum housing clusters, which have emerged as a significant urban built form in the landscape of cities. This study presents a case of Mumbai that aims to explore the linkages between slum housing—here referred as ‘slum urban form’ (SUF)—and surface urban heat island (SUHI) supported by spatial-statistical analysis. The magnitude of the impact of urban form on SUHI, measured by land surface temperature (LST), is examined using Cohen’s d index, which measures the effect size for two groups—SUF and ‘formal’ housing—on LST. The results confirm a ‘large’ effect indicating a significant difference in mean LST between the two groups. The spatial analysis reveals a statistically significant spatial clustering of LST and SUF (p-value < 0.05), and bivariate local indicator of spatial association (LISA) confirms that the spatial association of SUF is surrounded by ‘high’ LST (Moran I: 0.49). The exploratory spatial analysis indicates that the contribution of SUF in elevating SUHI intensity is more than the formal housing areas and has increased vulnerability to heat stress. The results were validated on the ground using environmental sensors, which confirms the susceptibility of SUF to heat stress.
Pilot-based secret key agreement for reciprocal correlated MIMÓME block fading channels

We consider a wireless communication scenario where two agents aim at agreeing on a secret key, while leaving a passive eavesdropper in the darkness. All terminals are equipped with multiple antennas resulting in a multiple input multiple output (MIMO) scenario with reciprocal correlated flat Rayleigh fading channels among antenna couples. Correlation properties are known to all agents. In order to limit complexity we focus only on pilot-based secret key agreement (SKA), resulting in a source model with wiretapper, where pilot sequences are known to all agents. The contribution of the paper is twofold: a) we derive closed form expressions of lower and upper bounds of the secret key achievable rates, and b) we address the training sequence optimization taking into account the spatial channel correlation. A reduced dimensionality problem is obtained when spatial correlation follows a Kronecker model and looser bounds are discussed. Numerical results in a cellular scenario, with reference to the cellular 3GPP MIMO channel model, show significant gains by the training sequence optimization.
Luteococcus sediminum sp. nov., isolated from deep subseafloor sediment of the South Pacific Gyre.

A Gram-stain-positive, strictly aerobic, coccus-shaped, non-motile, yellow-pigmented bacterium, designated strain XH208(T), was isolated from a deep subseafloor sediment sample collected from the South Pacific Gyre (41° 58' S 163° 11' W) during the Integrated Ocean Drilling Program (IODP) Expedition 329. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences indicated that strain XH208(T) belonged to the genus Luteococcus and showed the highest 16S rRNA gene sequence similarities with Luteococcus peritonei CCUG 38120(T) (96.9%), Luteococcus japonicus DSM 10546(T) (95.4%) and Luteococcus sanguinis CCUG 33897(T) (95.2%). The DNA G+C content of strain XH208(T) was 66.9 mol%. The cell wall of strain XH208(T) possessed a type A3γ peptidoglycan (ll-diaminopimelic acid-glycine), and ribose, glucose and galactose as the major whole-cell sugars. The major fatty acids were C(17 : 1)ω8c, C(17 : 1)ω6c, and C(16 : 1)ω6c and/or C(16 : 1)ω7c (summed feature 3). The major respiratory quinone was menaquinone MK-9(H4). The major polar lipids were phosphatidylglycerol, diphosphatidylglycerol and phosphatidylinositol. On the basis of data from the polyphasic analysis, strain XH208(T) is considered to represent a novel species in the genus Luteococcus, for which the name Luteococcus sediminum sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is XH208(T) ( = DSM 27277(T) = JCM 19259(T)).
Dynamic hand gesture recognition using RGB-D motion history and kernel descriptor

Gesture recognition has important applications in sign language and human - machine interfaces. In recent years, recognizing dynamic hand gesture using multi-modal data has become an emerging research topic. The problem is challenging due to the complex movements of hands and the limitations of data acquisition. In this work, we present a new approach for recognizing hand gesture using motion history images (MHI) [1] and a kernel descriptor (KDES) [2]. We propose to use an improved version of MHI for modeling movements of hand gesture, where MHI is computed on both RGB and depth data. We propose some improvements in patch-level feature extraction for KDES, which is then applied to MHI to represent gesture features. Then SVM classifier is trained for recognizing gestures. Experiments have been conducted on challenging hand gesture data set of CHALEARN contest [3]. An extensive investigation has been done to analyze the performance of both improved MHI and KDES on multi-modal data. Experimental results show the state-of-the-art of our approach in comparison to the results of the contest.
Sulfur Single-wavelength Anomalous Diffraction Crystal Structure of a Pheromone-Binding Protein from the Honeybee Apis mellifera L*

Pheromone binding proteins (PBPs) are small helical proteins (∼13-17 kDa) present in several sensory organs from moth and other insect species. They are involved in the transport of pheromones from the sensillar lymph to the olfactory receptors. We report here the crystal structure of a PBP (Amel-ASP1) originating from the honey-bee (Apis mellifera) antennae and expressed as recombinant protein in the yeast Pichia pastoris. Crystals of Amel-ASP1 were obtained at pH 5.5 using the nano-drops technique of crystallization with a novel optimization procedure, and the structure was solved initially with the single-wavelength anomalous diffraction technique using sulfur anomalous dispersion. The structure of Amel-ASP1 has been refined at 1.6-Å resolution. Its fold is roughly similar to that of other PBP/odorant binding proteins, presenting six helices and three disulfide bridges. Contrary to the PBPs from Bombyx mori (Sandler, B. H., Nikonova, L., Leal, W. S., and Clardy, J. (2000) Chem. Biol. 7, 143-151) and Leucophea maderae (Lartigue, A., Gruez, A., Spinelli, S., Riviere, S., Brossut, R., Tegoni, M., and Cambillau, C. (2003) J. Biol. Chem. 278, 30213-30218), the extended C terminus folds into the protein and forms a wall of the internal hydrophobic cavity. Its backbone groups establish two hydrogen bonds with a serendipitous ligand, n-butyl-benzene-sulfonamide, an additive used in plastics. This mode of binding might, however, mimic that used by one of the pheromonal blend components and illustrates the binding versatility of PBPs.
Assembling Genomic DNA Sequences with PHRAP

The PHRAP assembly program provides rapid comparison, alignment, and assembly of large sets of DNA sequences. PHRAP compares sequences by searching for pairs of perfectly matching “words” or sequence regions that meet certain criteria. If a match is found, PHRAP then tries to extend the alignment into overlapping sections called contigs. PHRAP uses quality values produced by the PHRED basecaller to strike a balance between tolerance of discrepancies and prevention of stacking repeat sequences. The PHRAP assembly algorithm is generally used as part of the PHRED/PHRAP/Consed software suite for sequence analysis. This unit presents instructions for basic usage of the PHRAP assembler, including preparation of the input files (Support Protocols 1 and 2) and explanation of output files (Basic Protocols 1 and 2). Several command line options for changing the PHRAP assembly parameters are also discussed (Basic Protocol 3).
Tracking Matrix Approximation over Distributed Sliding Windows

In many modern applications, input data is represented as matrices and often arrives continuously. The ability to summarize and approximate data matrices in streaming fashion has become a common requirement in many emerging environments. In these applications, input data is usually generated at multiple distributed sites and simply centralizing all data is often infeasible. Therefore, novel algorithmic techniques are required. Furthermore, in most of these applications, queries must be answered solely based on the recently observed data points (e.g., data collected over the last hour/day/month), which makes the problem even more challenging. In this paper, we propose to study the problem of tracking matrix approximations over distributed sliding windows. In this problem, there are m distributed sites each observing a stream of d-dimensional data points. The goal is to continuously track a small matrix B as an approximation to Aw, the matrix consists of data points in the union of the streams which arrived during the last W time units. The quality of the approximation is measured by the covariance error kAT wAw? BTBk = kAk2 F [1], and the primary goal is to minimize communication, while providing provable error guarantee. We propose novel communication-efficient algorithms for this problem. Our sampling-based algorithms continuously track a weighted sample of rows according to their squared norms, which generalize and simplify the sampling techniques in [2]. We also propose deterministic tracking algorithms that require only one-way communication and provide better error guarantee. All algorithms have provable guarantees, and extensive experimental studies on real and synthetic datasets validate our theoretical claims and demonstrate the efficiency of these algorithms.
Managing Software Outsourcing Relationships in Emerging Economies: An Empirical Study of the Chinese Small- and Medium-Sized Enterprises

Small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are facing great challenges in their information systems (IS) outsourcing relationship management, especially with customized software outsourcing under conditions of technological uncertainty and transaction-specific investments. The problem may be even critical for Chinese SMEs in emerging economies characterized by institutional instability. This article draws on multiple theories to examine antecedents and consequences of the effectiveness of three important interorganizational governance mechanisms, namely, contractual-based and relational-based governance and vendor-specific investments. The results of a survey on 83 software outsourcing projects indicate some interesting patterns that Chinese SMEs use to manage their outsourcing relationships. We found that contractual governance is found to be the only effective mechanism when the outsourcing firm (client) perceives technological uncertainty. On the other hand, with the transaction-specific investments, relational governance, and reciprocal-specific investments by IS vendor would be preferred as effective mechanisms by the outsourcing firm. Our analyses also show that Chinese SMEs in emerging economies would rely on multiple governance mechanisms to enhance outsourcing success. Overall, the findings are in line with the studies stressing the importance of building partnership-style relationships and seeking reciprocal actions in sourcing exchanges.
Study on characteristics and detection of DC arc fault in power electronics system

In power electronics System, dc arc, which is difficult to extinguish and to be detected, would easily lead to fire causing great harm to the lines and equipment around[1]. In this paper, a dc arc generation simulation unit is designed. A series DC arc can be generated by dragging the moving electrode away from the fixed one with the help of the stepper motor. During experiments, gap distances, the shape and speed of electrodes are changed to determine the influence factors of the characteristics of series dc arcs. Based on the experimental data, the V-I characteristic of the dc arc is determined. In addition, by analyzing the pulse characteristics of arc current and source output in corresponding window of time, a dc arc fault detection methodology is proposed based on the abrupt change of current and source output, thus makes a good foundation for future works.
Analisis Volatilitas Harga Cabai Keriting di Indonesia dengan Pendekatan ARCH GARCH

EnglishChili includes a strategic commodity in Indonesia because of its high price volatility that makes it a major determinant of national inflation dynamics. The government always tries to improve its capability in implementing the chili price stabilization policy. The objective of the study is to assess the volatility of curly chili price volatility in Indonesia by using the ARCH GARCH approach with daily price data of January 2011 to December 2015. The results showed that the right model to calculate chili price volatility is ARCH (1). The price volatility was low and price movement was only influenced by the volatility in the previous day, not by the price variant, so the chili price volatility in the future will be smaller. Low volatility indicates that demand and supply characteristics were predictable. Price changes gradually and predictable. Farmers’ protection policy through import restrictions improves stability of domestic supply. The policy reduces the risk of drastic decline in prices due to imported chili, so the price volatility of chili in the period 2011–2015 was lower than the previous period. However, the seasonal price variation remains. Therefore, the policy should be supported with all season chili availability assurance.IndonesianCabai termasuk komoditas strategis di Indonesia karena harganya volatil sehingga menjadi salah satu penentu utama dinamika inflasi nasional. Untuk itu, pemerintah senantiasa berusaha meningkatkan kemampuannya dalam melaksanakan kebijakan stabilisasi harga cabai. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengkaji volatilitas harga cabai keriting di Indonesia dengan pendekatan ARCH GARCH dan data harga harian cabai keriting periode Januari 2011 hingga Desember 2015. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa model yang tepat untuk menghitung volatilitas harga cabai keriting adalah ARCH(1). Hasil pendugaan model menunjukkan volatilitas harga cabai keriting rendah dan pergerakan harga hanya dipengaruhi oleh volatilitas pada satu hari sebelumnya, tidak dipengaruhi varian harga, sehingga diperkirakan volatilitas harga cabai keriting di masa datang akan semakin kecil. Volatilitas yang rendah menunjukkan karakteristik waktu permintaan dan penawaran cabai keriting dapat diprediksi. Perubahan harga terjadi bertahap dan dapat diperkirakan. Kebijakan perlindungan petani melalui pembatasan impor cabai menyebabkan penyediaan cabai di dalam negeri menjadi lebih stabil. Kebijakan ini mengurangi risiko penurunan harga secara drastis akibat masuknya cabai impor, sehingga volatilitas harga cabai pada periode 2011–2015 lebih rendah dibandingkan periode sebelumnya. Namun, masih terdapat variasi harga musiman. Oleh karena itu, kebijakan ini perlu diperkuat dengan upaya jaminan sediaan cabai sepanjang musim.
Social identity and perceived income adequacy

Economists are increasingly interested in subjective well-being, but the economic literature on perceptions of income adequacy, which is one of the factors that shapes subjective well-being, is small. Our paper fills this lacuna in the literature. We utilize nationally representative data on perceptions of amounts considered as remunerative earnings from self-employment in India, and examine how these are shaped by social identity, namely, caste. We also investigate if institutional change such as the introduction of an employment guarantee scheme alters these perceptions. Finally, we examine the relationship between caste identity and actual earnings. We find that caste identity does shape both perceptions of income adequacy as well as actual earnings: lower-ranked groups perceive lower amounts as being remunerative, and also earn lower amounts. Further, the employment guarantee scheme alters self-perceptions differentially for different caste groups, but in more nuanced ways than our ex-ante beliefs.
Proposal of Simulated Annealing Algorithms for Optimal Arrangement in a Circular Consecutive-k-out-of-n: F System

Abstract A circular consecutive-k-out-of-n: F system consists of n components arranged along a circular path. This system fails if and only if k or more consecutive components fail. As the number of components n increases, the amount of calculation to solve optimal component arrangement problems in this kind of system exactly would be too much. In this paper, we propose two types of simulated annealing algorithms to obtain quasi optimal solutions for such problems. We compare their performances with a genetic algorithm proposed in the previous research work and demonstrate the advantage of our proposed algorithms through numerical experiments.
Pay reductions and work attitudes: the moderating effect of employee involvement practices

Purpose Since the 2008 financial crisis, the UK workforce in general has experienced a period of stagnant and falling wages in both nominal and real terms. The main parties involved remain unsure of the consequences from such a historically unusual phenomenon. The purpose of this paper is twofold: first, to explore the main effect on job satisfaction and organizational commitment of those employees who had experienced pay reductions (nominal wage cuts or pay freezes under a positive inflation rate) as compared with those who experienced nominal pay rises during the recent recession; and second, to examine the moderating effect of employee involvement (EI) practices on that relationship. This was done by using aggregated employee perception data to measure organizational EI practices. Design/methodology/approach Employee-employer matched data were used, involving 8,489 employees and their associated 497 organizations (medium or large sized). The number of employees from each organization was between 15 and 25. The data used were extracted from the 2011 Workplace Employment Relations Study in the UK to which the authors applied hierarchical linear regression in STATA 13. Findings The results indicate that when compared with those employees who had nominal pay rises during the recession, employees who had wage cuts or freezes (with 5 percent inflation rate) are significantly and negatively associated with their job satisfaction and organizational commitment, even when controlling for important variables such as perception of job insecurity and the degree of adverse impact caused by recession on the organization studied. That is to say, facing the same perception of job loss, those who experienced pay reductions are significantly unhappier and less committed than those who had pay rises. However, the adverse effect of pay reductions on employees’ work attitudes is much less in workplaces characterized by a high, as opposed to a low level, of EI practices. Research limitations/implications Implications, limitations, and further research issues are discussed in light of current employment relations’ practices. Originality/value The intention is to extend the current debate on employment relations under adverse changes such as pay reductions. Thus, the unique contribution of this study is to examine the value of EI in modifying extreme employee reactions to adverse changes.