Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Researching intercultural conflict competence

Intercultural conflict competence is about the assessment and usage of appropriate and effective conflict-related behaviours in managing the emotionally frustrating conflict situation and arriving at a conjoint, productive conflict outcome (Canary & Lakey 2006; Ting-Toomey & Oetzel 2001). The implications of the definition of intercultural conflict competence are fourfold: First, conflict competence or incompetence is based on interpretive perception and judgment. Second, conflict competence or incompetence is based on the enactment or exchange of verbal and nonverbal messages during the conflict episode and along the developmental trajectory of a conflict situation. Third, conflict competence is not an either/or construct competence is viewed as a developmental construct and a 'matter of degree' construct. Fourth, conflict competence, at a minimum, rests on two primary criteria: appropriateness and effectiveness (Spitzberg, Canary & Cupach 1994). 'Appropriateness' refers to the degree to which the exchanged verbal and nonverbal conflict behaviours are regarded as proper and match the prescriptive expectancies generated by the insiders of the culture. 'Effectiveness' refers to the degree to which conflict negotiators achieve a mutually shared understanding of the conflict goal issues and are capable of working out a productive outcome in the conflict situation. Intercultural conflict often takes place when visible or invisible cultural group membership factors shape the ebbs and flows of a developmental conflict situation between members of two (or more) cultural parties or systems. Intercultural or intergroup conflict occurs when two or more cultural parties experience emotional frustrations and interaction struggles due to perceived or actual incompatibility of values, norms, face orientations, goals, scarce resources, processes, and/or outcomes in a face-to-face (or mediated) context (Ting-Toomey & Oetzel 2001; Wilmot & Hocker 2007). The greater the cultural distance between the two conflict parties, the
Nexus between Financial Development, Agriculture Raw Material Exports, Trade Openness and Economic Growth of Pakistan

The objective of this of the study is to evaluate the role of financial development, Agriculture raw materials and the extent of openness to trade in economic development of Pakistan for the period 1980-2012, by using Vector Auto Regressive (VAR) model. Empirical results showed that there exist a long-run relationship between financial development, agriculture raw material exports, and output growth. Normalized cointegrating equations revealed that, Raw material exports, trade openness and domestic credit to private sector are positively effecting the Economic growth of Pakistan, while M2 has negative impact on Economic growth of Pakistan. A two way causal relationship has been determined between trade openness and economic growth and raw material exports and economic growth. Our results revealed that raw material exports and finial development are positively related to agriculture growth; however, the impact of financial development is relatively week.
The social construction of financial statement elements under Private Finance Initiative schemes

An episode in the development of accounting for Private Finance Initiative (PFI) scheme transactions is explored from a social constructionist perspective. The “carrying” of meanings between sub‐worlds of the financial accounting world through social processes, principally by means of the standard‐setting body’s conceptual framework, is shown to be implicated in the social construction, maintenance and modification of accounting meanings. The social constructionist model is developed in several ways, some of which respond to particular characteristics of the financial accounting world.
Hemopoietic progenitor cells of W anemic mice studied in vivo and in vitro

The proliferation and differentiation of hemopoietic cells from genetically anemic Wv/Wx,W/Wv, and Wv/Wv mice, and from nonanemic carrier W/+, Wb/+, and Wv/+ mice have been evaluated in vivo by transplantation techniques and in vitro by the agar gel culture method. Marrow from anemic and carrier mice contained progenitor cells which were decreased in number and formed small, often rudimentary, colonies in the spleens of irradiated recipient mice. Proliferation and differentiation of both erythropoietic and leukopoietic progenitor cells were delayed and reduced, but erythropoiesis was more severely affected than leukopoiesis. The severity of the hemopoietic impairment was gene‐dose dependent. The W gene effect on leukopoietic progenitor cells was not secondary to anemia or to abnormal erythropoiesis.
Recognition of NASDAQ stock symbols in Tweets

The massive volume of Twitter data has attracted much attention of researchers to study their correlation with stock market. Tweets with stock symbols can be identified by the prefix with dollar sign or by using some complex techniques. In this paper, we focus on discovering NASDAQ stock symbols in a stream of tweets. We propose a simple but effective methodology to recognize the stock symbols. Stock symbols from NASDAQ company list, WordNet, Wikipedia and sample tweets, as well as a classic method of collocation discovery are employed to filter stock-related tweets. Experimental evaluations show that our methodology outperforms the baseline approach for recognizing NASDAQ stock symbols.
Testing neoclassical and non-neoclassical models of household labour supply

Four models of household labour supply are discussed: (1)the neoclassical model; (2) the wife as a secondary earner model; (3) the intra-household trade model; and (4) the Nash bargaining model. The first three models are tested using data from the 1986 Australian Income Distribution Survey. The study found that none of these three models satisfied their necessary conditions. The results imply that past studies of labour supply may have imposed too restrictive assumptions. The true model is probably more complicated than what has usually been assumed.
A Novel Tool of Measuring Fractal Dimension or Complexity

The fractal dimension or complexity of physiological signal is calculated with a novel tool, dot counting dimension (DCD) in this paper. The definition and algorithm of DCD are given out. DCD of nine arrhythmia records are calculated and linear result of DCD is achieved. The algorithm of DCD is useful for processing physiological signal because of its implementing easy with less calculation, and fast calculation velocity, and the algorithm of DCD does not need too much more data for achieving convergence.
Pathogenesis and treatment of autosomal-dominant nephrogenic diabetes insipidus caused by an aquaporin 2 mutation

Frame-shift mutations within the C terminus of aquaporin 2 (AQP2) cause autosomal-dominant nephrogenic diabetes insipidus (AD-NDI). To identify the molecular mechanism(s) of this disease in vivo and to test possible therapeutic strategies, we generated a mutant AQP2 (763–772 del) knockin mouse. Heterozygous knockin mice showed a severely impaired urine-concentrating ability. However, they were able to slightly increase urine osmolality after dehydration. This milder phenotype, when compared with autosomal-recessive NDI, is a feature of AD-NDI in humans, thus suggesting successful establishment of an AD-NDI mouse model. Immunofluorescence of collecting duct cells in the AD-NDI mouse revealed that the mutant AQP2 was missorted to the basolateral instead of apical plasma membrane. Furthermore, the mutant AQP2 formed a heterooligomer with wild-type AQP2 and showed a dominant-negative effect on the normal apical sorting of wild-type AQP2 even under dehydration. Using this knockin mouse, we tested several drugs for treatment of AD-NDI and found that rolipram, a phosphodiesterase 4 inhibitor, was able to increase urine osmolality. Phosphodiesterase inhibitors may thus be useful drugs for the treatment of AD-NDI. This animal model demonstrates that a mutant monomer gains a dominant-negative effect that reverses the normal polarized sorting of multimers.
Measuring and Imaging Permittivity of Insulators Using High-Frequency Eddy-Current Devices

This paper shows that the high-frequency eddy-current (HFEC) measurement devices can be used not only for characterizing conductivity and magnetic permeability related properties of electrically conductive materials, but also for permittivity characterization of insulators. Maxwell's equations, finite-element method simulations, and experimental research are applied to support this hypothesis. An industrial HFEC device is used to measure the change of dielectric properties during the curing process of the epoxy resin L20. The measurement results are in good agreement with the expected behavior of the parameters relative permittivity and tan δ during cure. Using a capacitive reference device, similar characteristics regarding the change of the complex permittivity of the resin can be observed. In addition, HFEC imaging results on polymethyl methacrylate are presented, discussed, and compared with capacitive imaging. HFEC permittivity mapping benefits from a high spatial resolution with a sensitivity and penetration depth that is at least comparable with those of capacitive imaging technology.
A compact and low power bandpass amplifier for low bandwidth signal applications in 65-nm CMOS

In this paper, we present a compact and low power bandpass amplifier in the frequency range between 1.5 Hz and 21 kHz. It was designed and simulated in a 65-nm standard Complementary Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor process and 1 V power supply. Decreasing the low-cutoff frequency of amplifier to a few Hz in 65-nm technology with modest feedback capacitance is challenging. Thus, this low-cutoff frequency reduction has been performed in two stages: first, by decreasing the OTA's transconductance and second, by using cross-coupled positive feedback that decreased the low-cutoff frequency to around 1 Hz. At the end applying T network-based capacitive feedback in this amplifier decreased the whole capacitance and realized a compact amplifier. The results showed the gain of 30.4 dB for the amplifier and 0.6 μW dissipation from a 1 V power supply.
Worker exposures to chemical agents in the manufacture of rubber tires: solvent vapor studies.

Environmental sampling surveys have been conducted in ten large tire manufacturing plants across the U.S. to characterize the nature and intensity of current exposure to solvent vapors. These plants were chosen to represent a cross-section of the industry and include both old and new plants, plants of four different companies and plants with wide geographic distributions. A variety of organic solvents is used in the manufacture of tires and tubes; accordingly solvent vapors comprise one category of exposure for workers in specific Occupational Title Groups (OTGs). Approximately 1000 determinations of various solvent vapor components in air samples have been made with special emphasis on pentane, hexane, heptane, benzene and toluene vapor levels. Exposures stem from the widespread use of bulk materials including petroleum naphthas, gasoline and aliphatic and rubber solvents in various tire manufacturing operations.
Idiotype Immunity (Natural and Vaccine-induced) in Early Stage Multiple Myeloma

Idiotypic structures expressed on the myeloma immunoglobulin (Ig) protein (M-component) might be regarded as tumor-specific antigens. Naturally occurring, idiotype-specific type I T-cell immunity has been observed preferentially in patients with early stage myeloma. The idiotypic structures on the clonal myeloma B-cells (B lymphocytes and plasma cells) may serve as targets for active immunization. Vaccination using the autologous monoclonal Ig as a vaccine has conferred resistance to tumor cell challenge in murine myeloma. The autologous myeloma Ig protein was used for immunization in patients with progressive stage I and early stage II multiple myeloma. When the idiotype (emulsified in aluminium phosphate) was used alone for immunization, a weak and transient idiotype-specific T-cell response was observed with no clinical effects. In our second series, the idiotype (in alum) was combined with GM-CSF. In all five patients, a specific T-cell response was induced consisting preferentially of MHC class I restricted (CD8 +) T-cells. Ig-specific CD4 + T-cells were also induced. A clinical response (> 50% reduction of the M-component concentration) was observed in one patient. These results indicate that idiotype-specific T-cell immunity may be induced or enhanced by idiotype Ig vaccination in patients with early stage multiple myeloma, in which the tumor load is relatively low and the immune system is functionally less compromized than in patients with chemotherapy-treated, advanced stages of the disease. The use of GM-CSF seems to be mandatory for the frequency and magnitude of the induced T-cell response. The optimal route, schedule and cytokine combination for idiotype immunization remains to be established.
Progress and Problems in Reforming Urban Land Use and Development Regulation in the Russian Federation

As part of the post-Soviet transition of civil law and economic relations, cities of the Russian Federation have sought to reform the system of urban land use and development regulation. Based on changes in the laws on urban development and the Land Code, the reforms have followed two approaches. Some cities have adopted the system of 'zoning' to create pre-defined land uses and parameters of development which apply uniformly to all land parcels in each urban zone. Other cities have retained the system of 'site-specific' definition of uses and development parameters. It appears that the 'zoning' system is more responsive to the new conditions in which private individuals, enterprises and institutions initiate development projects and provide capital funding, in response to market conditions. This can be shown by looking at the process of project development in the city of Novgorod (the Great), where Novgorod's reforms appear to offer to developers/investors an enhanced legal position, a lower level of risk and simpler and more cost-effective methods of acquiring land and development permits. This favourable situation appears to have made the city one of the most attractive locations for private investment in the Russian Federation.
The ghost of crises past: analyzing reform sequences to understand Italy's response to the global crisis

Using a process sequencing approach, this article shows how Italy's response to an earlier fiscal crisis has shaped the response to the current one in two public sector areas that are especially susceptible to fiscal constraints: the budget process and personnel policies. Substantively, it shows the extent to which Italian policymakers have used the repertoire of solutions of the past and the pressures of the current crisis to freeze the expenditure of the public sector. Previous New Public Management-inspired reforms have been sidelined but not completely extinguished.
The new immigration and ethnicity in the United States.

The article assesses the prospects for the assimilation of new immigrant groups and judges their likely effects on the society culture and language of the United States. It places the new immigration in historical perspective and indicates the distinctive features that set it apart from earlier influxes. It appraises the structural context for the incorporation of todays immigrants and argues that because of fundamental differences their assimilation will not be as rapid or complete as that achieved by European immigrants in the past. The article concludes by suggesting how the nature of ethnicity will change as a result of a new immigration that is linguistically concentrated geographically clustered and temporally continuous into an American society that is increasingly stratified and unequal. (SUMMARY IN FRE AND SPA) (EXCERPT)
Sensitivity improvement of resonant sensor with PID controller

In this paper, a method to improve the sensitivity of the resonance mass sensor by incorporating PID controller is proposed. The controller is designed to retain the vibrating frequency of the resonator at its natural frequency with mass loading. The experimental results demonstrate that the resonant mass sensor with PID controller provides 18 times higher sensitivity as compared to the resonant mass sensor without controller.
Sociability Predicts Happiness: World-Wide Evidence from Time Series

We provide macro evidence that in the long run the trends of social capital are a strong predictor of the trends of subjective well-being. Our measure of social capital is the individual membership in groups or associations. We apply the bivariate methodology used in Easterlin and Angelescu (2009) to investigate the long run relationship between subjective well-being and income. We consider all countries for which there exist comparable long time series on social capital, for a total of 14 developed and 5 developing countries. Moreover, we provide several robustness checks of Easterlin and Angelescu’s analysis, confirming confirming that they are unrelated in the long-term.
Contamination Risk of Synovial Biopsy Cultures in Total Hip Arthroplasty: A Prospective Review of 100 Cases

Introduction Cultures of deep synovial biopsies remain an important tool in diagnosing periprosthetic joint infection, a devastating complication following total hip arthroplasty (THA). Recent reports of unexpected positive intraoperative cultures in aseptic revision arthroplasty, however, challenge the validity and interpretation of these cultures. The aim of this study was to evaluate the contamination risk of synovial biopsy cultures collected intraoperatively during primary THA of healthy subjects. Methods Synovial biopsies for culture were collected during primary total hip arthroplasty procedures from 100 consecutive cases. The synovial biopsies were taken within the first 15 minutes after skin incision. Biopsy specimen were cultured on 4 different media for 8 or 15 days. Positive cultures were identified using Maldi-Tof spectrometry. Results 16 cultures yielded a bacterium, suggesting a false positive result of 16%. The mean time for the cultures to become positive was 6.29 days (standard deviation [SD] 3.90) with a maximum of 15 days. Proprionibacterium acnes and Staphylococcus epidermidis were most commonly cultured with 6 positive results for both bacteria. Conclusions Our study yielded a 16% false positive rate in cultures of synovial biopsy taken during primary total hip arthroplasty of healthy subjects, suggesting that contamination risk of these synovial biopsy cultures may be larger than assumed by clinicians.
The management of people across cultures: Valuing people differently

Ethnocentric and parochial human resource systems have been called into question as obstacles to globalization. This is addressed here by examining the way value is attached to people in organizations across cultures. Western managers and HR practitioners who work with affiliates in non-Western emerging countries should particularly be aware of differences in locus of human value. Policies and practices developed in the West along instrumental lines see people primarily as a means to an end. This may be directly opposed to a humanistic view of human value that sees people as having a value in themselves. To provide support for these assumptions, an exploratory study across seven nations was carried out. Its findings indicate potentially important implications for global HRM policies and practices.
Neonatal seizures: controversies and challenges in translating new therapies from the lab to the isolette

Neonatal seizures have unique properties that have proved challenging for both clinicians and basic science researchers. Clinical therapies aimed at neonatal seizures have proven only partially effective and new therapies are slow to develop. This article will discuss neonatal seizures within the framework of the barriers that exist to the development of new therapies, and the challenges inherent in bringing new therapies from the bench to the bedside. With the European Union and USA creating national collaborative project infrastructure, improved collaborative resources should advance clinical research on urgently needed new therapies for this disorder.
Delayed Formal on-the-job Training

The fact that an employer and employee incur a loss when a trained worker changes jobs provides an incentive for on-the-job training to be selectively provided to workers who are less likely to change jobs. Consequently, if there is belated information about employees' future mobility, it may be optimal to delay training, even if doing so means forgoing the returns to training during the early part of the employment relationship. The training literature, however, assumes that training is concentrated at the beginning of the employment relationship. The authors of this paper examine the relationship between tenure and the probability of ever having received training using data from the Current Population Survey and the National Longitudinal Surveys of Youth. Their findings indicate that delayed formal training is the norm rather than the exception.
Intra- and extracranial atherosclerotic stenosis in China: epidemiology, diagnosis, treatment and risk factors.

OBJECTIVE Data regarding the cerebral atherosclerotic stenosis (CAS) and incidence of stroke are conflicting. The number of stroke patients is more than three times that from coronary heart disease in China. The main aim of this report is to review the current status of intracranial and extracranial atherosclerotic stenosis including epidemiology, diagnosis, treatment and risk factors in China. METHODS Data was identified by searches of MEDLINE (January 1966 to December 2008), China Biological Medicine Database (CBM-disc 1979 to 2008), China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI 1994 to December 2008). RESULTS The occurrence of intracranial artery stenosis was more frequent than that of extracranial artery in the Chinese population. TCD, Doppler ultrasound, CTA, MRA and DSA techniques are established to examine intracranial and extracranial atherosclerotic stenosis in China. Evidence-based treatments and CAS are more commonly applied in patients with cerebrovascular stenosis in China. However, the development of carotid endoarterectomy (CEA) is limited in Chinese communities. The risks of cerebral atherosclerotic stenosis include age, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, dyslipidemia, smoking and metabolic syndrome. CONCLUSIONS Further studies are needed to focus on the intracranial atherosclerotic stenosis.
Integrating Kano's model in the planning matrix of quality function deployment

The quality of a product or service is ultimately judged in terms of customer satisfaction. Focusing on listening to the voice of the customer (VOC), quality function deployment (QFD) has been used as a quality improvement and product development technique in many fields. To achieve total customer satisfaction in an effective way, QFD practitioners should go beyond merely listening to the VOC. This paper presents an integrative approach by incorporating Kano's model into the planning matrix of QFD to help accurately and deeply understand the nature of the VOC. Based on the Kano model analysis, an approximate transformation function is proposed to adjust the improvement ratio of each customer attribute. Customers' raw priorities are thereby adjusted accordingly for achieving the desired customer satisfaction performance. An example is presented to illustrate the use of Kano's model in QFD. Some benefits as well as further improvements regarding this approach are discussed.