Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Need for structure predicts leadership preference.

Prototypicality is an important factor for judgments and evaluations of group members and leadership selection. We tested whether these prototypicality perceptions vary as a function of individual differences in cognitive processing preferences. Participants’ need for a structured, stable environment was measured before we independently manipulated the group prototypicality of a leadership candidate. Results revealed that participants’ preference for prototypical leaders, and dislike for nonprototypical leaders, was accentuated for those who preferred structured, stable environments. Participants tolerant of less cognitive structure did not show this bias for prototypical leaders and against nonprototypical leaders. These findings suggest that individual differences in cognitive processing tendencies may moderate how group prototypicality is perceived and used, and can consequently affect the type of leaders people prefer.
Analytical Inverse Kinematic Resolution of a Redundant Exoskeleton for Upper-Limb Rehabilitation

Robot-assisted therapy has played a significant role in helping the disabled patients to restore motor functions. In this paper, a redundant exoskeleton is developed for upper-limb rehabilitation. An analytical methodology for obtaining the inverse kinematic solution of the exoskeleton is presented to provide synchronized movement with patients and ensure natural human–robot interaction. To mathematically express the redundancy problem, the swivel angle of elbow is introduced as an additional parameter to specify the human arm congratulation with a predefined wrist location. A kinematic criterion is proposed to determine the swivel angle by imitating the natural reflexive reaction of human arm. The effectiveness of the proposed strategy is experimentally evaluated via four representative types of upper-limb motion tasks. During the experiments, the actual kinematic data of human arm is collected by utilizing an articulated motion capture system integrated with inertial sensors and, after that, compared to the estimation results generated by the proposed redundancy resolution. The experimental results indicate that the kinematic criterion of swivel angle is suitable to describe the free reaching movement without additional constraints. Moreover, with the estimated swivel angles, the root mean square errors between the actual and calculated joint angles are normally less than 8∘.
Draft Genome Sequence of Polyaromatic Hydrocarbon-Degrading Bacterium Bacillus subtilis SR1, Which Has Plant Growth-Promoting Attributes

ABSTRACT Bacillus subtilis SR1 is a heavy metal-resistant, polyaromatic hydrocarbon-degrading bacterium isolated from rhizospheric soil of contaminated sites. It has the ability to promote plant growth and utilize benzo[a]pyrene as a carbon source. This study reports the characteristics of the genome of B. subtilis SR1, which contains one circular chromosome (4,093,698 bp).
Pyrroloquinoline quinone: a brief overview of its biological potential

The pyrroloquinoline quinone is a redox cofactor in bacteria functioning in dehydrogenases and oxidases. PQQ works as an element of oxidation-reduction on a large number of bacterial substrates, for example glucose, glicerol, ethanol and others. The synthesis enzymatic pathway of PQQ is not known, however, the genes involved in PQQ synthesis in bacteria are known. In the last years it has made progress in largely investigations of PQQ and its effect in eukaryote organisms. It found to be an essential nutrient for various plants, animals and humans. So it has been reported that PQQ mediates the redox reactions in the mitochondrial respiratory chain, it plays also a important role scavenging reactive oxygen species (ROS) and attenuating inmitochondrial oxidative stress. PQQ also attenuated the oxidative stress-induced cell damage in heart and other organs.
The urban housing crisis and a cultural framework for housing policy: the Ajegunle community case study

This study presents the argument that if housing provision should be orientated towards long-term goals and solutions, then housing policy must consider surely the cultural requirements of the people in the community. Cultural dimension as it relates to the study focuses on urban housing as a strategic vehicle for exploring the evolution of the housing crisis by concentrating on real people and their approaches to informal processes within the community. The study views the informal processes of the people as part of the solution and not the problem by drawing from their lived experience and offering a culturally-informed framework for the development of future housing policy. It suggests that the government must view the informal settlement not as a slum, but as a “case” to understand the intricacies and complexities in housing provision and delivery. Thus the cultural dimension derived from the colloquial knowledge of the people is demonstrated as an important element in the maintenance and continuity of an existing community by doing an in-depth investigation of the internal survival strategies relating to urban living and the government’s role in the existing housing crisis. The study expands to issues surrounding the sustainability of the built environment by examining the cultural, economic, environmental and its social aspects in developing countries and challenging the existing practices in the built environment, as regards to urban housing.
Origin of Bentonites and Detrital Zircons of the Paleocene Basilika Formation, Svalbard

The Paleocene was a time of transition for the Arctic, with magmatic activity of the High Arctic Large Igneous Province giving way to magmatism of the North Atlantic Large Igneous Province in connection to plate tectonic changes in the Arctic and North Atlantic. In this study we investigate the Paleocene magmatic record and sediment pathways of the Basilika Formation exposed in the Central Tertiary Basin of Svalbard. By means of geochemistry, Sm–Nd isotopic signatures and zircon U–Pb geochronology we investigate the characteristics of several bentonite layers contained in the Basilika Formation, as well as the provenance of the intercalated clastic sediments. Our data show that the volcanic ash layers of the Basilika Formation, which were diagenetically altered to bentonites, originate from alkaline continental-rift magmatism such as the last, explosive stages of the High Arctic Large Igneous Province in North Greenland and the Canadian Arctic. The volcanic ash layers were deposited on Svalbard in a flat shelf environment with dominant sediment supply from the east. Dating of detrital zircons suggests that the detritus was derived from Siberian sources, primarily from the Verkhoyansk Fold-and-Thrust Belt, which would require transport over ~3000 km across the Arctic.
Resource accumulation for opportunity identification and exploitation by lead academic and non-academic entrepreneurs

Understanding the opportunity identification process represents a core entrepreneurship domain research focus. Many studies focusing on traditional firm performance outcomes neglect the entrepreneurial human and social capital drivers that are linked to opportunity identification. Research on Higher Education Institutes (HEIs) has explored different dynamics associated with the formation of firms emanating from HEIs (e.g. from the perspective of the individual firm; by exploring support and influence offered by the parent organisation; and through analysis of the spinout process). The contribution from the individual entrepreneur in identifying an opportunity for commercialisation has not been fully explored. This study looks at how academic entrepreneurs from HEIs and non-academic entrepreneurs, from the same industrial sector, identify opportunities and accumulate resources for commercialisation during the formation of life-science firms in a geographical life-science cluster in Scotland. Entrepreneurship, studied from a human and social capital perspective, identifies how lead entrepreneurs and other team members use their individual and accumulated experiences to leverage resources. The Resource-Based View (RBV), traditionally used to examine the link between firms’ internal characteristics and competitive advantage, is extended to explore entrepreneurial behaviour during opportunity identification. Emerging themes from extant literature identify entrepreneurial team formation and the external environment as potential resource pools which aid the formation of firms. Using a process-based, case-study research approach, entrepreneurs and team members were interviewed to gather information about the identification of life-science opportunities. A lead entrepreneur’s general human capital, in the form of educational achievement, was found to be a key factor shaping the opportunity identification process. Further, a specific entrepreneurial and scientific human capital was leveraged to circumvent resource barriers. Social capital also facilitated the identification and leverage of scarce resources. Lead entrepreneurs with narrower resource profiles selected a resource munificent sponsored environment to gain access to additional resources. However, a dynamic, yet unreported in empirical research, was revealed from the data. Over time, lead academic entrepreneurs were encouraged to exit sponsored environments to enhance their independence whilst industry entrepreneurs generally sought sponsored environments for physical resources. Theory building ensued during the process of gathering data and analysing the data through comparison and iterating between existing theories.
Prosthetic history, prosthetic charges, and functional outcome of the isolated, traumatic below-knee amputee.

PURPOSE To review the prosthetic history, prosthetic charges, and functional status of traumatic, isolated, unilateral below-knee amputees at select intervals following amputation. METHODS This descriptive study was conducted among patients admitted to Harborview Medical Center between 1980 and 1987 who survived initial trauma, and who required an isolated, below-knee amputation. Hospital and prosthetist records were abstracted to calculate the number of prostheses fabricated and the prosthetic charges since initial amputation. Functional outcomes were determined by personal interview and self-administration of the SF-36 Health Status Profile. RESULTS The average age of patients was 36 with the age range extending from 19 to 59 years. The prosthetic history and prosthetic charges were determined from the medical record and the billing records of the prosthetist. Exact charges were determined for 15 of the 20 patients. During the first 3 years, the mean number of prostheses acquired per patient was 3.4 (range 1-5), with average total prosthetic charges of $10,829 (range $2,558-$15,700). Over the first 5 years the mean number of prostheses acquired per patient was 4.4 (range 2-8), with average total prosthetic charges of $13,945 (range $6,203-$20,070). The SF-36 Health Status Profile scores were significantly decreased from published normal aged-matched scores in the categories of physical function and role limitations because of physical health problems and pain. Scores were not significantly different from published normal aged-matched scores in the other five categories: role limitations due to emotional problems, social functioning, mental health, energy/fatigue, and health perception.
An OLED driving currents compensation method with a CCD camera

In this work, we propose a promising approach that compensates OLED driving currents for large-sized OLED displays. With a CCD camera, pixel-to-pixel brightness differences were determined, and applied to compensate OLED driving currents for the purpose of achieving high luminance uniformity. We also implemented the proposed method as a system comprising a FPGA-based timing controller (T-con) and softwares, and the proposed method shows improved luminance uniformity over 20% at the gray level of 32/256.
Underpricing and CEO Stock Options: Do Board Characteristics Matter?

This paper examines the conditions under which CEOs are able to affect the timing and the price of the stock options they are granted at the time of their firm’s IPO. Contrary to Lowry and Murphy (2007) who do not find a relationship between IPO grants and IPO underpricing, this paper finds such a relationship when board independence, the power of the CEO and venture capital (VC) backing are taken into account. The results suggest that powerful CEOs and VCs are able to reap substantial gains from IPO options to the detriment of the shareholders.
Using Inoculation Messages to Protect "Stay in the Market" Beliefs during Financial Crises

OF DISSERTATION USING INOCULATION MESSAGES TO PROTECT “STAY IN THE MARKET” BELIEFS DURING FINANCIAL CRISES This paper focuses on the problem of collapsed “stay in the market” (SIM) beliefs during financial crises. The primary purpose of this investigation was to ascertain whether or not inoculation messages represent a viable communication strategy to preemptively protect SIM beliefs during forthcoming financial crises. Ancillary purposes of this study were to further investigate the role of print and video crises, explicit instructions regarding post-inoculation talk (PIT), and gain and loss frame inoculation messages on the inoculation process. This study used a between subjects factorial design (3 x 2 plus four additional conditions) to explore ten hypotheses. Data collected from 513 participants were analyzed using multivariate and univariate tests and planned comparisons. The results of this investigation indicate that inoculation messages can serve as a viable preemptive crisis communication strategy, that inoculation can protect beliefs equally well when the crisis message is presented through video or print, and that employing a loss frame can strengthen the inoculation process. Mixed results regarding PIT call for further research. Research and practical implications, as well as limitations, are discussed.
Antecedents of CIO Effectiveness: A Role-Based Perspective

Abstract : Over the past four decades the role of information technology (IT) has evolved from a primarily supporting role to an increasingly strategic role with the potential to provide competitive advantage. With this new found importance, many organizations have created, primarily over the past two decades, an executive position to manage IT; the chief information officer (CIO). However, the literature, and particularly the practitioner literature suggests, that this new executive may be experiencing some problems performing up to expectations. This literature suggests that too many CIOs are not able to focus on business imperatives nor are they able to effectively communicate in business terms, thereby alienating themselves from their CEOs and other top managers. Others argue that CIOs in general tend to focus themselves too narrowly on technical issues as opposed to how IT can add value to the business as a whole. The volume of literature in the practice community reflecting a perception of CIO ineffectiveness provides both the relevance and motivation for this study. What factors contribute to a CIO's effectiveness within his/her organization? Are personal attributes or skills solely responsible for CIO effectiveness or are their other organizational factors that contribute to CIO effectiveness?
COST STRUCTURE COMPLEXITY AND STOCK PRICES VOLATILITY: AN ANALYSIS OF POSSIBLE RELATIONSHIP AMONG ITALIAN LISTED COMPANIES IN THE PERIOD OF CRISIS

This paper analyzes the relationship between complexity in cost structure (Jennings et al., 2013) and stock price volatility concerning Italian Listed Companies to determine over the period of crisis whether firm complexity is associated with risk. Using data collected for 153 available Italian listed companies from AIDA database, I found that there was no relationship between stock market volatility and cost structure complexity among Italian Listed Companies. I also found that cost service was the most relevant element within 40 complex Italian listed companies and suggested an integrating analysis with further measures of complexity approaches.
An institutional theoretic perspective on forces driving adoption of lean production globally

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to assess the current state of implementation of lean production practices in China as compared to the USA. Moreover, an institutional‐theoretic framework is developed that explores the interplay among economic, socio‐cultural and regulative forces that may shape the adoption process of lean production practices in China.Design/methodology/approach – The paper draws its conclusions from an analysis of survey data from samples of Chinese and US manufacturing executives. Lean production implementation is measured via a survey instrument, and the data are analyzed via regression analysis.Findings – The results suggest that the degree of implementation of lean production in China is equal to, if not greater than lean production implementation in the USA. While the results are fairly consistent across industries, they vary across different lean production practice bundles. In light of these findings, an institutional theory perspective is adopted to develop further insigh.
Corporate Social Responsibility in the Financial Sector: Are Financial Cooperatives Ready to the Challenge?

After the crash of financial institutions and the negative effects of the financial crisis, financial service cooperatives (FSCs) emerged as good performer compared to commercial banks. But this condition will not be enough to face the challenges that the new financial panorama will bring on the banking arena. Among them, challenges related to the corporate social responsibility (CSR) sphere will play a special role. In Canada, the financial regulatory framework forces some federal institutions to publish information on social responsibility. Although FSCs are not forced to disclose information they need to provide CSR information to show their role as an institution capable of innovating in sustainable matters. This work analyses public communications of Canadian FSCs to determine the degree of inclusion of CSR information requested from financial institutions. Results show that the CSR Canadian legal framework has a reduced impact on FSCs communication practices, although with significant differences among them.
The evolution of cranial form and function in theropod dinosaurs: insights from geometric morphometrics

Abstract Theropod dinosaurs, an iconic clade of fossil species including Tyrannosaurus and Velociraptor, developed a great diversity of body size, skull form and feeding habits over their 160+ million year evolutionary history. Here, we utilize geometric morphometrics to study broad patterns in theropod skull shape variation and compare the distribution of taxa in cranial morphospace (form) to both phylogeny and quantitative metrics of biting behaviour (function). We find that theropod skulls primarily differ in relative anteroposterior length and snout depth and to a lesser extent in orbit size and depth of the cheek region, and oviraptorosaurs deviate most strongly from the “typical” and ancestral theropod morphologies. Noncarnivorous taxa generally fall out in distinct regions of morphospace and exhibit greater overall disparity than carnivorous taxa, whereas large‐bodied carnivores independently converge on the same region of morphospace. The distribution of taxa in morphospace is strongly correlated with phylogeny but only weakly correlated with functional biting behaviour. These results imply that phylogeny, not biting function, was the major determinant of theropod skull shape.
Regulation of Tetralin Biodegradation and Identification of Genes Essential for Expression of thn Operons

ABSTRACT The tetralin biodegradation genes of Sphingomonas macrogolitabida strain TFA are clustered in two closely linked and divergent operons. To analyze expression of both operons under different growth conditions, transcriptional and translational gene fusions of the first genes of each operon to lacZ have been constructed in plasmids unable to replicate in Sphingomonas and integrated by recombination into the genome of strain TFA. Expression analysis indicated that the transcription of both genes is induced in similar ways by the presence of tetralin. Gene expression in both operons is also subjected to overimposed catabolic repression. Two additional genes named thnR and thnY have been identified downstream of thnCA3A4 genes. ThnR is similar to LysR-type regulators, and mutational analysis indicated that ThnR is strictly required for expression of the thn operons. Unlike other LysR-type regulators, ThnR does not repress its own synthesis. In fact, ThnR activates its own expression, since thnR is cotranscribed with the thnCA3A4 genes. ThnY is similar to the ferredoxin reductase components of dioxygenase systems and shows the fer2 domain, binding a Cys4[2Fe-2S] iron sulfur center, and the FAD-binding domain, common to those reductases. However, it lacks the NAD-binding domain. Intriguingly, ThnY has a regulatory role, since it is also strictly required for expression of the thn operons. Given the similarity of ThnY to reductases and the possibility of its being present in the two redox states, it is tempting to speculate that ThnY is a regulatory component connecting expression of the thn operons to the physiological status of the cell.
The efficacy of a brief motivational enhancement education program on CPAP adherence in OSA: a randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND Poor adherence to CPAP treatment in OSA adversely affects the effectiveness of this therapy. This randomized controlled trial (RCT) examined the efficacy of a brief motivational enhancement education program in improving adherence to CPAP treatment in subjects with OSA. METHODS Subjects with newly diagnosed OSA were recruited into this RCT. The control group received usual advice on the importance of CPAP therapy and its care. The intervention group received usual care plus a brief motivational enhancement education program directed at enhancing the subjects' knowledge, motivation, and self-efficacy to use CPAP through the use of a 25-min video, a 20-min patient-centered interview, and a 10-min telephone follow-up. Self-reported daytime sleepiness adherence-related cognitions and quality of life were assessed at 1 month and 3 months. CPAP usage data were downloaded at the completion of this 3-month study. RESULTS One hundred subjects with OSA (mean ± SD, age 52 ± 10 years; Epworth Sleepiness Scales [ESS], 9 ± 5; median [interquartile range] apnea-hypopnea index, 29 [20, 53] events/h) prescribed CPAP treatment were recruited. The intervention group had better CPAP use (higher daily CPAP usage by 2 h/d [Cohen d = 1.33, P < .001], a fourfold increase in the number using CPAP for ≥ 70% of days with ≥ 4 h/d [P < .001]), and greater improvements in daytime sleepiness (ESS) by 2.2 units (P = .001) and treatment self-efficacy by 0.2 units (P = .012) compared with the control group. CONCLUSIONS Subjects with OSA who received motivational enhancement education in addition to usual care were more likely to show better adherence to CPAP treatment, with greater improvements in treatment self-efficacy and daytime sleepiness. TRIAL REGISTRY ClinicalTrials.gov; No.: NCT01173406; URL: www.clinicaltrials. gov.
Engineering large SONET/SDH management networks

Unless properly engineered, network management of large SONET/SDH networks can severely stress the embedded data communications network, resulting in less responsive communication between the network manager and network elements. At worst, this stress can cause severe operations network instabilities. We explore the types of demands large networks place on the SONET/SDH operations network, as well as ways to make the operations network more robust.