Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Organisational justice and salesforce motivation

The concept of organisational justice (fairness) has been consistently urged to be researched from motivation perspective, empirical study has yet to address these calls. We reviewed and brought together justice and motivation literature in a research design to investigate how justice may affect salespeoples’ motivation and performance in relation to pay satisfaction. Hypotheses are developed and possible theoretical and managerial contributions are proposed.
Drought‐resistant fungi control soil organic matter decomposition and its response to temperature

Microbial‐mediated decomposition of soil organic matter (SOM) ultimately makes a considerable contribution to soil respiration, which is typically the main source of CO2 arising from terrestrial ecosystems. Despite this central role in the decomposition of SOM, few studies have been conducted on how climate change may affect the soil microbial community and, furthermore, on how possible climate‐change induced alterations in the ecology of microbial communities may affect soil CO2 emissions. Here we present the results of a seasonal study on soil microbial community structure, SOM decomposition and its temperature sensitivity in two representative Mediterranean ecosystems where precipitation/throughfall exclusion has taken place during the last 10 years. Bacterial and fungal diversity was estimated using the terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism technique. Our results show that fungal diversity was less sensitive to seasonal changes in moisture, temperature and plant activity than bacterial diversity. On the other hand, fungal communities showed the ability to dynamically adapt throughout the seasons. Fungi also coped better with the 10 years of precipitation/throughfall exclusion compared with bacteria. The high resistance of fungal diversity to changes with respect to bacteria may open the controversy as to whether future ‘drier conditions’ for Mediterranean regions might favor fungal dominated microbial communities. Finally, our results indicate that the fungal community exerted a strong influence over the temporal and spatial variability of SOM decomposition and its sensitivity to temperature. The results, therefore, highlight the important role of fungi in the decomposition of terrestrial SOM, especially under the harsh environmental conditions of Mediterranean ecosystems, for which models predict even drier conditions in the future.
Compact modeling of DG-Tunnel FET for Verilog-A implementation

In this work, a compact model based on an analytical closed form solution of the 1D Poisson's equation for a double-gate Tunnel FET is derived. Furthermore, the current levels are estimated by implementing an algorithm based on the Kane's band-to-band tunneling model. A good agreement with numerical simulations for varying device parameters is demonstrated and the advantages and limitations of the modeling approach are investigated and discussed. The model is implemented in a Verilog-A based circuit simulator and basic circuit blocks like an inverter, a 2-bit half adder and a 15 stage ring oscillator are simulated to demonstrate the capabilities of the model. The switching energy of a Tunnel FET based circuit block is studied with Vdd scaling revealing interesting aspects of Tunnel FET circuit behavior.
A metaheuristic approach to fisheries survey route planning

Every autumn, a research vessel carries out a sampling survey tour to estimate the abundance of groundfish species of the Portuguese continental waters. The sampling operations are carried out at predefined geographical locations, the fishing stations, within predefined multiple time windows. The vessel route starts and ends at the port of Lisbon, and must visit all fishing stations. According to a predefined periodicity, the vessel must enter a port to supply food, refuel, and/or change crew. Given the geographical locations of the fishing stations/ports and current weather conditions, the objective is to minimize the total traveled distance and completion time. We present a mixed integer linear program to describe the problem and propose two sequential heuristic approaches that combine genetic algorithms and adaptive large neighborhood search to solve it. Computational experience with real data shows that the proposed heuristics are suitable tools to solve the problem.
Characterization of BRCA1 and BRCA2 genetic variants in a cohort of Bahraini breast cancer patients using next‐generation sequencing

Breast cancer is the most common malignancy in women worldwide. About 5%–10% are due to hereditary predisposition. The contribution of BRCA1/2 mutations to familial breast cancer in Bahrain has not been explored. The objective of this study was to investigate the spectrum of BRCA1/2 genetic variants and estimate their frequencies in familial breast cancer. We also aim to test the efficiency of the next‐generation sequencing (NGS) as a powerful tool for detecting genetic variation within BRCA1/2 genes.
Cross-cultural adaptation of the Arabic Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale in schizophrenia: Qualitative analysis of a focus group

As part of a project to translate and validate scales used in the diagnosis and treatment of Arab patients with schizophrenia, this study aimed to explore the experience of clinical research coordinators (CRCs) while administering the Arabic version of the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) on Arab schizophrenia patients. We previously reported that the Arabic version of PANSS is a valid and reliable tool to assess Arab patients with schizophrenia. Five CRCs and the principal investigator attended focus group discussions on cultural issues in administering the PANSS. A thematic analysis approach was utilized for data coding and analysis. The results identified issues related to the translation of the instrument, the structure of the interview, the cultural sensitivity of some questions, and the procedures for rating items of the PANSS. Qualitative analysis also identified four main themes relevant to clinical assessment of patients from Middle Eastern cultures: religion, beliefs and values, gender, and semantic expressions. In conclusion, researchers or clinicians administering the PANSS scale interview in Arabic should be trained to consider the roles of local dialects, familiarity with abstract thinking, religion, and social constructs when assessing psychosis.
Review of Security Approaches for Social Networking

Social networking uses different applications and dedicated websites for the communication to the user located at remote site. People having similar interest are connected through social networking. Online social networking uses different websites. Such websites are called as social networking sites. Social networking creates community of interested users. Online communities shares hobbies, common interest, lifestyle, views, politics, and knowledge. Sharing will helps even reading the profiles of other users, commenting on status, contacting others users indirectly. Ultimately personal information of any user can be known by any other easily. Misuse of personal information disturbs the mental, physical, social, psychological state of mind of user. Economical loss is major impact . Rapid growth in social networking are responsible for giving rise to many attacks that are entering from cyber world to real life. Structural anomaly and psychological profiling helps to identify behavior of attacker. Using Psycho-linguistic cues deception is identified. Protection motivation theory helps to motivate online social networking user for safe surfing. Proposed incident handing framework helps learners to feel confident while online and alerts adults to manage secure online environment. All above approaches will helps social networking users to be secure in online environment.
Correlates of contraceptive behavior among unmarried U.S. college students.

The contraceptive behavior of 213 sexually active never-married U.S. college students was examined using multiple regression analyses. The type of relationship--casual or steady--was a major determinant of contraceptive use: 77 percent of the respondents involved in steady relationships reported using condoms or the pill, compared with 58 percent of the respondents involved in casual relationships. Frequency of intercourse was the best predictor of contraceptive method used within steady relationships. Several variables emerged as predictors of contraceptive method used within casual relationships, including method used at first coital experience, age, and frequency of intercourse. Situational and background factors were found to have an important impact on adolescent contraceptive behavior and to warrant further research.
Posttraumatic growth: why do people grow from their trauma?

Abstract In two experimental studies we found that participants who recalled a highly traumatic autobiographical event (trauma recall) compared with a lesser traumatic event (stress recall) reported having increasingly grown (posttraumatic growth, PTG). Moreover, participants who recalled a traumatic (vs. stressful) event perceived more death-related thoughts (Study 1) and reported coping with this event in a more emotion-focused and in a less problem-focused way (Study 2). Mediation analyzes revealed that the effect of trauma versus stress recall on PTG was mediated by emphasizing the positive, a subscale of emotion-focused coping. These results imply that growth resulting from traumatic events can be traced back to an illusion. No evidence was found that real PTG took place or that the effects shown resulted from death-related thoughts (terror management theory).
Predicting Organisational Performance Through Innovation, Quality And Inter-Organisational Systems: A Public Sector Perspective

There remains a constant need for further empirical research on organisational performance in the public sector, in a bid to generate current and relevant solutions. Such an approach could be a panacea for performance-related problems that continue to affect public organisations in developing countries. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between organisational performance and three input factors; namely, innovation, inter-organisational systems and quality. A quantitative approach using the survey method was used in which a questionnaire was administered to 272 randomly selected managers and employees of a South African government department. Data were analysed using a combination of descriptive and nonparametric statistics. Spearman’s rho was used to measure the strength of the relationships and regression analysis was used to measure the extent to which the input factors predicted organisational performance. Spearman’s correlations showed strong positive relationships between organisational performance and all three factors while regression analysis also revealed that the three factors predicted organisational performance. The study is significant in that managers in public organisations can use the findings as a diagnostic tool in performance problems, with a view to enhance organisational performance among public sector organisations.
Minimizing the Adverse Effects of Asymmetric Links: A Novel Cooperative Asynchronous MAC Protocol for Wireless Sensor Networks

As Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) grow in popularity, researchers are now focusing more on some challenging issues that significantly degrade overall performance, such as energy hole mitigation, link asymmetry minimization, etc. Link asymmetry is a problem that arises when the coverage distance between two adjacent nodes varies. It creates an obstacle to overcome when designing an efficient Medium Access Control (MAC) protocol for WSNs with low duty-cycling. This phenomenon poses an especially difficult challenge for receiver-initiated asynchronous MAC protocols, which are popular due to their relatively higher energy efficiency. Exploiting the benefits of cooperative communication has emerged as one of the viable solutions to overcome this limitation. Cooperative communication in WSNs has received a lot of attention in recent years. Many researchers have worked to create a MAC layer supporting cooperative communication. However, the association of cooperative communication with an asymmetric link is not studied in the literature. In this research work, COASYM-MAC, a cooperative asynchronous MAC protocol for WSNs, is proposed based on a receiver-initiated MAC protocol that uses the fact that nodes have alternate paths between them to reduce link asymmetry. A key feature of the proposed protocol is that the optimal helper node is selected automatically in case of link asymmetry. Simulations exhibited that COASYM-MAC performs significantly better than a state-of-the-art MAC protocol for WSNs that handles asymmetric links, ASYM-MAC.
Relationship Lending in a Financial Turmoil

We investigate whether the shape of relations between banks and firms has had a detectable effect in mitigating the credit contraction that followed Lehman's default in September 2008. Using micro data on a large sample of Italian firms, we analyze the relation between firms' debt concentration and credit availability. We show that firms borrowing from a higher number of banks suffered on average a larger contraction in bank credit and a higher probability of experiencing a reduction in outstanding bank debt. The same results hold for firms diversifying their borrowing, concentrating a smaller proportion with the main bank. The stability of the bank-firm relationship, measured by its duration, also appears to have been of some value in mitigating the credit restriction. Our results also suggest the existence of a different regime in credit supply towards firms experiencing a reduction in outstanding bank debt. If there is a contraction in credit, the decrease is limited if relations are more intense i.e. a lower number of financial institutions from which the firm borrows, more concentrated lending and relations of greater duration. The opposite is true for firms with positive credit growth.
Attentional allocation to task-irrelevant fearful faces is not automatic: experimental evidence for the conditional hypothesis of emotional selection

ABSTRACT A growing body of research indicates that attentional biases toward emotional stimuli are not automatic, but may depend on the relevance of emotion to the top-down search goals of the observer. To determine whether and how this relevance factor modulates attentional allocation to irrelevant fearful faces, four spatial cueing tasks were designed, in which the goal-relevance of completely task-irrelevant (neutral or fearful) cue faces was systematically manipulated by changing the target defining feature. No attentional capture by cue faces (be they neutral or fearful) was observed when the cue faces were completely goal-irrelevant. When faces – but not facial expressions – were goal-relevant, fearful cue faces captured attention, but so did neutral cue faces to a similar extent. Only when facial expressions were explicitly goal-relevant did we observe a difference between attentional allocation to fearful and neutral cue faces, with larger cueing effects for neutral cue faces in the Neutral task, and for fearful cue faces in the Fearful task. Therefore, rather than automatic, attentional allocation to irrelevant fearful faces proved conditional to the explicit relevance of fearful expressions to top-down search goals.
Learning to optimize federated queries

Query optimization is challenging for any database system, even with a clear understanding of its inner workings. Consider then, query planning for a federation of third-party data sources where little detail is known. This is exactly the challenge of orchestrating data execution and movement faced by Tableau's cross-database joins feature, where the data of a query originates from two or more data sources. In this paper, we present our work on using machine learning techniques to address one of the most fundamental challenges in federated query optimization: the dynamic designation of a federation engine. Our machine learning model learns the performance and data characteristics of a system by extracting features from query plans. We further extend the ability of our model to manipulate database settings on a per query level. Our experimental results demonstrate that we can achieve a speedup of up to 10.7x compared to an existing federated query optimizer.
How to Bring Some MAGIC to SPARQL

For SPARQL, the query language to retrieve information from an RDF graph, the optimization of the order of the containing triples is a challenging topical issue. In this paper, we show an approach which passes the information about the already found binding for a variable to all other occurrences of this variable in combination with a cost model in order to minimize the execution time. Different to other approaches our approach as described in this paper can be applied to a SPARQL query, which not only consists of basic graph pattern, but also contains group graph pattern like FILTER or OPTIONAL. Our experiments show the applicability of our approach and function as preliminary proof of concept.
A Practical Authentication Framework for VANETs

In vehicular ad hoc networks (VANETs), conditional privacy preserving authentication (CPPA) scheme is widely deployed to solve security and privacy issues. Existing CPPA schemes usually require ideal tamper-proof devices (TPDs) on vehicles which, however, might be infeasible or do not exist in reality due to high security requirements. To address this problem, we propose a practical framework of CPPA scheme that supports more realistic TPDs which are less secure correspondingly. We demonstrate that this framework also manages to achieve nonframeability in addition to other security objectives including nonrepudiation, conditional privacy preserving, and unlinkability. Moreover, performance analysis shows that our framework has better efficiency in authentication. All these features make our framework practical for VANETs.
Neighborhood label extension for handwritten/printed text separation in Arabic documents

This paper addresses the problem of handwritten and printed text separation in Arabic document images. The objective is to extract handwritten text from other parts of the document. This allows the application, in a second time, of a specialized processing on the extracted handwritten part or even on the printed one. Documents are first preprocessed in order to remove eventual noise and correct document orientation. Then, the document is segmented into pseudo-lines that are segmented in turn into pseudo-words. A local classification step, using a Gaussian kernel SVM, associates each pseudo-word into handwritten or printed classes. This label is then propagated in the pseudo-word's neighborhood in order to recover from classification errors. The proposed methodology has been tested on a set of public real Arabic documents achieving a separation rate of around 90%.
Cell stage appears critical for control of plasma membrane order in plant cells

ABSTRACT Lipids and proteins modulate both the global order of plasma membrane (PM) and its organization in distinct domains. This raises the question of the influence on PM-ordered domain formation of PM composition, which is finely controlled during cell differentiation. Labeling of plant cell PM with an environment-sensitive probe demonstrated that the level of PM order is regulated during anisotropic expansion observed during both cell regeneration from protoplasts and cell differentiation along the growing root. Indeed, PM order progressively decreased during the polarized growth of regenerated tobacco cells, without observed correlation between this parameter and the kinetics of either cell wall regeneration or cell morphology. This suggests that the dynamics of PM formation and renewal could control the PM organization, maybe by involving the secretory pathway.
'So, the circle has grown' - Child Health Services nurses' experiences of giving parental interviews with nonbirthing parents.

BACKGROUND Lately, greater focus has been given to the mental health of nonbirthing parents postpartum. However, mothers, but not nonbirthing parents, are routinely screened for postpartum depression, and until recently, nonbirthing parents have not been given the same opportunity as mothers to discuss their parental role without the other parent present. To strengthen the parental role, a separate parental interview with the nonbirthing parent began to be offered as part of the Swedish Child Health Service's (CHS) general programme. AIM This study aimed to explore CHS nurses' experiences of performing parental interviews with nonbirthing parents. METHODS Content analysis was used when analysing data from six research interviews, of which half were focus group interviews. In total, 11 CHS nurses were interviewed. RESULTS Child Health Service nurses reported that although the interview with the nonbirthing parent was a positive experience and that a more family-oriented perspective was something many of them had been longing for, they could also feel that it demanded a lot from them, including things they had perhaps not previously considered. CHS nurses reported difficulties with having such close contact with both parents, and they also described feeling worried about the information that could come up in a standardised conversation and the knowledge provided. CONCLUSION There are both possibilities and challenges in widening the responsibilities of the CHS nurse to include the nonbirthing parent by offering a postpartum interview. IMPLICATIONS This study provides information to healthcare professionals about the importance of providing proper guidance and education when broadening the duties and responsibilities for CHS nurses to include nonbirthing parents in mental health screening. CHS nurses must be given the resources needed to deal with the challenges they encounter and sufficient time for the interviews to be possible and meaningful.
Phenotype of fatty Due to Gln269Pro Mutation in the Leptin Receptor (Lepr)

The rat fatty (fa) mutation produces profound obesity of early onset caused by hyperphagia, defective nonshivering thermogenesis, and preferential deposition of energy into adipose tissue. Genetic mapping studies indicate that fa and diabetes (db) are homologous loci in the rat and mouse genomes, respectively. It has been shown that db alleles carry mutations in the Lepr (leptin receptor) gene. This paper describes a point mutation in the fatty allele of Lepr. A nucleotide substitution at position 880 (A→C) causes an amino acid substitution at position 269 (Gln → Pro). The mutation generates a novel Msp I site that cosegregates with fa in 1,028 meioses examined in obese F2 progeny from two crosses (BN×13M and WKY×13M) and is still segregating in three rat colonies. PCR-based mutagenesis was used to introduce the fa mutation into the mouse Lepr cDNA. Transient transfection studies indicate that the mutant Lepr cDNA has greatly reduced binding of leptin (Lep) at the cell surface. These data are strong evidence that the single nucleotide substitution in the fa allele of Lepr (Leprfa) is responsible for the obese phenotype.