Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Developing and Leveraging Human Capital Resource to Promote Service Quality

Grounded in Vroom’s motivational framework of performance, we examine the interactive influence of collective human capital (ability) and aggregated service orientation (motivation) on the cross-level relationship between high-performance work systems (HPWS) and individual-level service quality. Results of hierarchical linear modeling (HLM) revealed that HPWS related to collective human capital and aggregated service orientation, which in turn related to individual-level service quality. Furthermore, both HLM and ordinary least squares regression analyses revealed a cross-level interaction effect of collective human capital and aggregated service orientation such that high levels of collective human capital and aggregated service orientation influence individual-level service quality.
Optimization of breakdown voltage and on-resistance of VDMOS transistors

The combined effect of the spacing between adjacent drain junctions, epilayer thickness, and resistivity in VDMOS transistors on both its breakdown voltage andR_{on} \cdot Aproduct is investigated. It is shown that an increase in the breakdown voltage results as the junctions spacing is reduced. That gives a significant difference in theR_{on} \cdot Aproduct when compared with results where this effect is ignored. A design optimization study is carried out to determine the parameters of a VDMOS transistor at 1000-V breakdown.
3 D Lattice Boltzmann Simulation of Droplet Formation in a Cross-Junction Microchannel

This study describes the numerical simulation of three-dimensional droplet formation and the following motion in a cross-junction microchannel by using the Lattice Boltzmann Method (LBM). Our aim is to develop the three-dimensional binary fluids model, consisting of two sets of distribution functions to represent the total fluid density and the density difference, which introduces the repulsive interaction consistent with a free-energy function between two fluids. We validated the LBM code with the velocity profile in a 3-dimentional rectangular channel. Then, we applied our code to the numerical simulation of a binary fluid flow in a cross-junction channel focusing on the investigation of the droplet formulation. Due to the pressure and interfacial-tension effect, one component of the fluids which is injected from one inlet is cut off into many droplets periodically by the other component which is injected from the other inlets. We considered the effect of the boundary conditions for density difference (order parameter) on the wetting of the droplet to the side walls. Key-Words: Lattice Boltzmann Method, Free-Energy Model, Cross-Junction Microchannel, Droplet Formation
Decoupling capacitance study and optimization method for high-performance VLSIs

Decoupling capacitance is necessary to stabilize the power distribution network due to the reduced supply voltage and increased current transitions. Decoupling capacitance planning should be a part of design tasks to minimize the silicon area while maintaining the stability of the power distribution network. This paper shows our study in the on-chip and on-package decoupling capacitors in high-performance microprocessors. At the end, we describe a computer algorithm to optimize the decoupling capacitance allocation based on the power grid analysis.
[Secondary malignant neoplasms in patients with breast cancer].

OBJECTIVE This report analyzes the occurrence of secondary malignancies among patients with breast cancer. MATERIAL AND METHODS We evaluated all women diagnosed with breast cancer who were reported to the National Cancer Institute of the former GDR in 1976. There was a follow up of 5,485 patients from 1976 to 1988 (38,231 person-years at risk). Cancer incidence rates of the whole female population specific for age and calendar year were used for calculation of the standardized incidence ratio (SIR). RESULTS Significantly increased risks were observed for neoplasms of the bilateral breast (SIR 2.44; 95% CI 2.04-2.93), colon (SIR 1.53; 95% CI 1.06-2.12), rectum (SIR 1.65; 95% CI 1.10-2.40), endometrium (SIR 1.55; 95% CI 1.02-2.27), and ovary (SIR 1.71; 95% CI 1.09-2.57). Neoplasms of the lung (SIR 1.65; 95% CI 0.93-2.73), kidney (SIR 1.51; 95% CI 0.69-2.87), bladder (SIR 1.32; 95% CI 0.48-2.87), connective tissue (SIR 3.54; 95% CI 0.73-10.34), and multiple myeloma (SIR 1.98; 95% CI 0.54-5.06) were also increased, not reaching statistical significance. Risk reduction was observed for malignant tumors of the gallbladder (SIR 0.36; 95% CI 0.12-0.83). CONCLUSION In proposing recommendations for the follow-up and management of women with breast cancer, it is important to recognize their long-term predisposition to an array of secondary cancers.
Decolonizing Methodologies: Research and Indigenous Peoples

Foreword Introduction 1. Imperialism, History, Writing and Theory 2. Research through Imperial Eyes 3. Colonizing Knowledges 4. Research Adventures on Indigenous Land 5. Notes from Down Under 6. The Indigenous People's Project: Setting a New Agenda 7. Articulating an Indigenous Research Agenda 8. Twenty-Five Indigenous Projects 9. Responding to the Imperatives of an Indigenous Agenda: A Case Study of Maori 10. Towards Developing Indigenous Methodologies: Kaupapa Maori Research 11. Choosing the Margins: The Role of Research in Indigenous Struggles for Social Justice 12. Getting the Story Right, Telling the Story Well: Indigenous Activism, Indigenous Research Conclusion: A Personal Journey Index
Evaluation of multi-path resolution for millimeter wave channel sounding system

This paper introduces a channel sounder to measure the millimeter wave channel characteristic by using a swept time delayed cross-correlation. The channel sounder is implemented to measure the multipath channel characteristics and a variety of wireless space channel parameters generated at 28 GHz. we present a system parameter of the implemented channel sounder, and show a performance for multi-path resolution. As shown in experimental results, multipath resolution of the system using a PN sequence of 500 MHz chip rate is 2 nsec clearly, and dynamic range of the impulse response obtains more than 45 dB with 4095 PN sequences.
Effects of reproduction on immuno-suppression and oxidative damage, and hence support or otherwise for their roles as mechanisms underpinning life history trade-offs, are tissue and assay dependent

SUMMARY Life history parameters appear to be traded off against each other, but the physiological mechanisms involved remain unclear. One hypothesis is that potentially energetically costly processes such as immune function and protection from oxidative stress may be compromised during reproductive attempts because of selective resource allocation. Lower temperatures also impose energy costs, and hence allocation decisions might be more pronounced when animals are forced to reproduce in the cold. Here, we experimentally tested whether reproduction at different ambient temperatures was associated with elevated oxidative stress and suppressed immune function in Mongolian gerbils (Meriones unguiculatus). Using a variety of different markers for both immune function and oxidative stress, we found that some measures of immune function (serum bactericidal capacity and size of the thymus) were significantly suppressed, while some measures of oxidative protection [serum superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) activity] were also reduced, and a marker of oxidative damage (protein carbonyls in serum) was increased in lactating compared with non-reproductive gerbils. These changes were in line with the selective resource allocation predictions. However, the phytohaemagglutinin response and serum total immunoglobulin (IgG) were not suppressed, and other markers of oxidative damage [malondialdehyde (MDA) (TBARS) and protein carbonyls in the liver] were actually lower in lactating compared with non-reproductive gerbils, consistent with increased levels of SOD activity and total antioxidant capacity in the liver. These latter changes were opposite of the expectations based on resource allocation. Furthermore, other measures of protection (GPx levels in the liver and protein thiols in both serum and liver) and damage [MDA (TBARS) in serum] were unrelated to reproductive status. Ambient temperature differences did not impact on these patterns. Collectively, our results indicated that the inferred effects of reproduction on immunosuppression and oxidative damage, and hence support or otherwise for particular physiological mechanisms that underpin life history trade-offs, are critically dependent on the exact markers and tissues used. This may be because during reproduction individuals selectively allocate protection to some key tissues, but sacrifice protection of others.
Mesoscopic conductance fluctuations in the presence of spin-orbit coupling and Zeeman splitting.

Conductance fluctuations in disordered metals with spin-orbit scattering are calculated diagrammatically in the diffusive regime l\ensuremath{\ll}L. The effect of Zeeman splitting of the conduction electrons is also properly taken into account. It is shown that reductions of the factors (1/2, (1/4, or (1/8 of the conductance fluctuations from the ``universal'' value \ensuremath{\sim}${e}^{2}$/h per phase-coherence volume result for different regimes of the strengths of spin-orbit-scattering rate and magnetic field. Experimental implications of these predictions are briefly discussed.
Sudoku Puzzles Generating: From Easy to Evil

Sudoku puzzle becomes worldwide popular among many players in different intellectual levels.The task is to devise an algorithm that creates Sudoku puzzles in varying level of difficulty.With the analysis of the game rules,we first define the difficulty level from four aspects as: total given cells,distribution of given cells and complexity of enumerating search.By the guidance from the definition of difficulty level,the algorithm for generating puzzles is developed with the "dig-hole" strategy on a valid grid.Thus,the algorithm developed in two steps: to create a valid grid by Las Vegas algorithm,and then to generating puzzles by erasing some digits using five operators:·Determine a sequence of digging holes according to the desirable difficulty level,·Set two restrictions to guide the distribution of given cells,·Judge whether a puzzle being dug out has a unique solution by a solver built using Depth-First Search,·Add pruning technique to avoid digging an invalid cell,and·Perform propagating at a dug-out puzzle to raise the diversity of the output puzzle.Using our developed algorithm,we generate Sudoku puzzles in any five difficulty levels.The difficulty level of output puzzles can be adjusted by a desirable difficulty value input by players.The complexity of the algorithms in space and time is analyzed to demonstrate the effectiveness of the algorithms.Our main contributions in exploring the "dig-hole" strategy are summarized as following three works: to do a massive research on the sequence of digging holes and how it affects the algorithm to create a evil-level puzzle with minimal given cells,to invent a skill for judging the solution′s uniqueness of a puzzle being dug out by the reduction to absurdity,and to reduce the computational time by avoiding backtracking to an explored cell and refilling an empty cell.
Opposition to the European Union in the UK: The Dilemma of Public Opinion and Party Management

The Main Aim Of This Article Is To Understand Some Of The processes at work in the management of European policy formation by political parties in the UK. More specifically, it attempts to apply and extend the model proposed by Aspinwall of institutional constraints on that policy management. Whereas Aspinwall limits the application of his model to parliamentary coalitions and effective power, we push the model further by describing and analysing its interaction with other features of the political landscape, most notably the generally low level of interest in European affairs on the part of the British public.
The Effect of Maternal Stress Activation on the Offspring during Lactation in Light of Vasopressin

Although it is obvious that preconceptional effects as well as stressors during pregnancy profoundly influence the progeny, the lactation period seems to be at least as important. Here we summarize how maternal stressors during the lactation period affect the offspring. As vasopressin is one of the crucial components both for stress adaptation and social behavior, special emphasis was given to this neuropeptide. We can conclude that stressing the mother does not have the same acute effect on the hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenocortical axis (as the main target of stress adaptation) of the pups as stressing the pups, but later endocrine and behavioral consequences can be similar. Vasopressin plays a role in acute and later consequences of perinatal stressor applied either to the mother or to the offspring, thereby contributing to transmitting the mothers' stress to the progeny. This mother-infant interaction does not necessarily mean a direct transmission of molecules, but rather is the result of programming the brain development through changes in maternal behavior. Thus, there is a time lag between maternal stress and stress-related changes in the offspring. The interactions are bidirectional as not only stress in the dam but also stress in the progeny has an effect on nursing.
Lessons from Loricrin-Deficient Mice

The epidermal cornified cell envelope (CE) is a complex protein–lipid composite that replaces the plasma membrane of terminally differentiated keratinocytes. This lamellar structure is essential for the barrier function of the skin and has the ability to prevent the loss of water and ions and to protect from environmental hazards. The major protein of the epidermal CE is loricrin, contributing ∼70% by mass. We have generated mice that are deficient for this protein. These mice showed a delay in the formation of the skin barrier in embryonic development. At birth, homozygous mutant mice weighed less than control littermates and showed skin abnormalities, such as congenital erythroderma with a shiny, translucent skin. Tape stripping experiments suggested that the stratum corneum stability was reduced in newborn Lor−/− mice compared with wild-type controls. Isolated mutant CEs were more easily fragmented by sonication in vitro, indicating a greater susceptibility to mechanical stress. Nevertheless, we did not detect impaired epidermal barrier function in these mice. Surprisingly, the skin phenotype disappeared 4–5 d after birth. At least one of the compensatory mechanisms preventing a more severe skin phenotype in newborn Lor−/− mice is an increase in the expression of other CE components, such as SPRRP2D and SPRRP2H, members of the family of “small proline rich proteins”, and repetin, a member of the “fused gene” subgroup of the S100 gene family.
The 93-kilodalton protein of Borrelia burgdorferi: an immunodominant protoplasmic cylinder antigen

Using immunoblots, we identified proteins of Borrelia burgdorferi recognized by sera from 62 patients with either acute or chronic Lyme disease. In all groups studied, the 41-kDa flagellar protein and a relatively minor 93-kDa protein (p93) were the most commonly recognized antigens in patients with acute and chronic disease due to B. burgdorferi. A murine monoclonal antibody (MAb 181.1) was developed against p93, and the antigen was detected by immunoblot analysis in four European and American strains of B. burgdorferi. On two-dimensional gel electrophoresis, p93 had an apparent pI of 6.8. Immunoelectronmicroscopy with MAb 181.1 demonstrated that p93 is located within the protoplasmic cylinder compartment of the organism. The gene encoding p93 was retrieved from a phage expression library. The derived amino acid sequence of p93 confirmed chemical characterization of the antigen, including its amino-terminal peptide sequence. The derived amino acid sequence predicted it to be predominantly alpha helical. A prominent antigenic domain located at the carboxy portion of the protein was recognized by human and rabbit polyclonal antisera and human (MAb D4) and mouse (MAb 181.1) MAbs.
Improving the safety of cell therapy with the TK-suicide gene

While opening new frontiers for the cure of malignant and non-malignant diseases, the increasing use of cell therapy poses also several new challenges related to the safety of a living drug. The most effective and consolidated cell therapy approach is allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT), the only cure for several patients with high-risk hematological malignancies. The potential of allogeneic HSCT is strictly dependent on the donor immune system, particularly on alloreactive T lymphocytes, that promote the beneficial graft-versus-tumor effect (GvT), but may also trigger the detrimental graft-versus-host-disease (GvHD). Gene transfer technologies allow to manipulate donor T-cells to enforce GvT and foster immune reconstitution, while avoiding or controlling GvHD. The suicide gene approach is based on the transfer of a suicide gene into donor lymphocytes, for a safe infusion of a wide T-cell repertoire, that might be selectively controlled in vivo in case of GvHD. The herpes simplex virus thymidine kinase (HSV-TK) is the suicide gene most extensively tested in humans. Expression of HSV-TK in donor lymphocytes confers lethal sensitivity to the anti-herpes drug, ganciclovir. Progressive improvements in suicide genes, vector technology and transduction protocols have allowed to overcome the toxicity of GvHD while preserving the antitumor efficacy of allogeneic HSCT. Several phase I-II clinical trials in the last 20 years document the safety and the efficacy of HSV-TK approach, able to maintain its clear value over the last decades, in the rapidly progressing horizon of cancer cellular therapy.
Client participation in medical rehabilitation for adults with severe disabilities

The Social Insurance Institution (SII) of Finland arranges medical rehabilitation for people with severe disabilities. The rehabilitation process requires collaboration between the client and several organizations and professionals. The study aimed to find out what kind of experiences persons with disabilities had on their possibilities of participation in the planning and process of rehabilitation, and what factors were associated with the degree of their participation in the rehabilitation process. The study group was chosen using stratified sampling from among rehabilitation clients. The data were gathered using a questionnaire survey. Over half of the clients reported having participated actively in the rehabilitation planning and most found that their opinions had been taken into account at least fairly well during the planning phase. The results indicate that special attention should be paid to developing client-driven approaches in the rehabilitation system and to supporting the participation of clients who have difficulties in expressing their needs because of their illness, disability, or educational and social backgrounds.
Effects of P300-Based BCI Use on Reported Presence in a Virtual Environment

Braincomputer interfaces (BCIs) are becoming more and more popular as an input device for virtual worlds and computer games. Depending on their function, a major drawback is the mental workload associated with their use and there is significant effort and training required to effectively control them. In this paper, we present two studies assessing how mental workload of a P300-based BCI affects participants' reported sense of presence in a virtual environment (VE). In the first study, we employ a BCI exploiting the P300 event-related potential (ERP) that allows control of over 200 items in a virtual apartment. In the second study, the BCI is replaced by a gaze-based selection method coupled with wand navigation. In both studies, overall performance is measured and individual presence scores are assessed by means of a short questionnaire. The results suggest that there is no immediate benefit for visualizing events in the VE triggered by the BCI and that no learning about the layout of the virtual space takes place. In order to alleviate this, we propose that future P300-based BCIs in VR are set up so as require users to make some inference about the virtual space so that they become aware of it, which is likely to lead to higher reported presence.
Comparative Population Analysis of Klebsiella pneumoniae Strains with Extended-Spectrum β-Lactamases Colonizing Patients in Rehabilitation Centers in Four Countries

ABSTRACT The international project MOSAR was conducted in five rehabilitation centers; patients were screened for rectal carriage of extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL)-producing members of the Enterobacteriaceae. Among 229 Klebsiella pneumoniae isolates, four clonal groups (CG) or complexes (CC) prevailed: CG17 in France, CG101 in Italy, CG15 in Spain, and CC147 in Israel. ESBLs, mainly CTX-Ms, were produced by 226 isolates; three isolates expressed AmpC-like cephalosporinases. High genetic diversity of K. pneumoniae populations was observed, with specific characteristics at each center.
Managing performance for effective classrooms

This paper takes the form of a discussion document. A number of ideas surrounding the topics of continuing professional development (CPD), performance management (PM) and effective classrooms in secondary schools are outlined. The paper draws on some of the recent literature in these areas and refers to some current trials within a UK-based context. The paper, however, is not presented as a case study nor as a traditional literature review. Rather, it is a practitioner’s reflection and the main intention is to pose some thoughts and ideas in order to generate debate and open up the issues for wider discussion.
Joint Allocation of Nodes and Links with Load Balancing in Network Virtualization

Network virtualization is seen as the fundamental underlying technology for enabling future Internet services. Mapping virtual networks onto a substrate network is a well-known NP-hard problem. Therefore, some authors propose heuristic based strategies by allocating virtual networks in two uncoordinated steps: mapping virtual nodes and virtual links separately. However, this strategy could result in poor performance. In this work, we propose an algorithm for the joint allocation of virtual nodes and links with the focus on balancing the load in the substrate resources. Such an algorithm is designed to cope with capacity constraints and network delay, it also offers an abstraction to consider functional requirements like geographical location or hardware characteristics. Simulation results show that the proposed algorithm has similar or better performance than other coordinated strategies from the Literature, while requiring a considerably lower processing time, finding solutions up to 269 times faster than others solutions.