Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Integrated 100-Gb/s ETDM Receiver

Ethernet in backbone networks has the potential to provide high-performance and cost-efficient networking solutions. Driven by the rapid growth of Ethernet traffic, it is likely that, in the transport network, the next step in terms of the data rate will be 100 Gb/s. In this paper, we report on an integrated electrical-time-division-multiplexing (ETDM) receiver for 100/107 Gb/s, which comprises 1 : 2 demultiplexing and clock-and-data recovery on a single chip. The ETDM receiver was tested successfully in 100- and 107-Gb/s transmission experiments over 480-km dispersion-managed fiber
Matices de la educación en la condición postglobal

Theoretical reflections on the relationship between current public policy with training in higher education, from a crawl in the National Development Plan and states of art that visualize the concepts metaconceptual marking guidelines and curriculum approach teaching-learning processes experience, learning and teaching in postglobal condition, with the focus of this essay the question: Is there a training process this practice among teachers and students?
‘Soft’ co-ordination meets ‘hard’ politics: the European Union and pension reform in Greece

Abstract The paper examines the process of pension reform in Greece in the context of the ‘soft’ policy constraint (on structural reform) emanating from the European Union. It argues that the EU stimulus to reform complemented a set of domestic pressures. However, the domestic system of interest mediation has largely thwarted reform. The reform process is marked by a strong configuration of institutional conditions undermining the will and capability to adapt. Negotiation reflects a game of ‘non-cooperation’, with those currently privileged fearing zero-sum outcomes and constituting powerful veto-players. Strategies of concertation have proved unsustainable, whilst unilateral approaches by government have failed to build coalitions and offer sufficient incentives. An acute problem of governance prevails, threatening Greek interests in the EU and the Union's ability to co-ordinate economic reform across an increasingly diverse membership.
Unions and the adoption of high-performance work systems in Korea: moderating roles of firms' competitive strategies

An unresolved question about the relationship between union representation and the adoption of high-performance work systems (HPWSs) is which factors affect the roles of unions toward the HPWS adoption. Using data from a 2009 multi-industry survey of 301 Korean firms, the author empirically examines the impacts of unions on the adoption of HPWSs. From the strategic choice perspective, he focuses on the roles of firms’ competitive strategies regarding the unions’ behaviors toward the use of HPWSs. The results indicate that Korean unions are negatively associated with the adoption of HPWSs when employers choose to implement more comprehensive HPWSs. Evidence suggests, however, that employers’ differentiation strategies moderate the union's negative impacts even when the employers comprehensively use the HPWSs. It implies that the differentiation strategy is a key factor to resolve the conflicts between unions and employers concerning the adoption of HPWSs.
Cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator gene mutations and glutathione S-transferase null genotypes in cystic fibrosis patients in Brazil.

OBJECTIVE To determine the effects that mutation of the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) gene and deletion of the glutathione S-transferase (GST) genes mu-1 (GSTM1) and theta-1 (GSTT1) have on the clinical course of cystic fibrosis (CF) in patients residing in the southeastern region of Brazil. METHODS The study sample consisted of all consecutive CF patients treated at the Hospital de Clínicas School of Medical Sciences of the State University at Campinas between March of 2002 and March of 2005. We included 66 CF patients. Genomic DNA was analyzed by polymerase chain reaction and restriction endonuclease digestion for the identification of the genotypes. RESULTS The DF508 mutation of the CFTR gene was found in 44 patients (66.7%). The null genotypes GSTM1, GSTT1 and GSTM1/GSTT1 were found in 40.9%, 15.2%, and 3.0% of the patients, respectively. The DF508 CFTR mutation was more common in patients diagnosed with CF before 2.5 years of age than in those diagnosed later (75.5% vs. 41.2%; p = 0.008). The frequency of the DF508 CFTR mutation, as well as of the GSTM1 and GSTT1 genotypes, was not found to be associated with gender, ethnicity, pulmonary disease status, or pancreatic disease status. CONCLUSIONS When the patients were stratified by clinical and epidemiological features, the frequencies of the GSTM1 and GSTT1 null genotypes were similar, suggesting that the inherited absence of these enzymatic pathways does not alter the course of CF. However, the high frequency of the DF508 CFTR mutation found in younger children suggests that it influences the age at diagnosis of CF in this region of Brazil.
Mere Position Effect in Booking Hotels Online

When travelers book hotels online, they are typically provided with a list of relevant hotels. Although presenting hotels on the screen in a list format seems appropriate for organizing the information, it creates a new (spurious) attribute for them: their position on the list. We tested experimentally whether the hotel’s position on the list affects its likelihood of being selected. Results revealed a nonlinear effect of hotel position on the list on choice: hotels that were listed at the top and bottom of the list were more likely to be chosen than those listed in the middle. This study suggests that even trivial web design choices, such as the choice of presenting data in lists, might result in nontrivial consequences on the behavior of prospective customers.
Contraception as Development? New Evidence from Family Planning in Colombia

There has been considerable debate in the last decade about whether or not family planning programmes in developing countries reduce fertility or improve socio-economic outcomes. This article provides new evidence by studying the expansion of one of the world's oldest and largest family planning organisations – Profamilia of Colombia. It finds that family planning explains less than 10% of Colombia's fertility decline during its demographic transition. As in wealthy countries, however, lowering the costs of first birth postponement produced important socio-economic gains, enabling young women to obtain more education and to work more and live independently later in life.
Pathogen‐specific B‐cell receptors drive chronic lymphocytic leukemia by light‐chain‐dependent cross‐reaction with autoantigens

Several lines of evidence indirectly suggest that antigenic stimulation through the B‐cell receptor (BCR) supports chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) development. In addition to self‐antigens, a number of microbial antigens have been proposed to contribute to the selection of the immunoglobulins expressed in CLL. How pathogen‐specific BCRs drive CLL development remains, however, largely unexplored. Here, we utilized mouse models of CLL pathogenesis to equip B cells with virus‐specific BCRs and study the effect of antigen recognition on leukemia growth. Our results show that BCR engagement is absolutely required for CLL development. Unexpectedly, however, neither acute nor chronic exposure to virus‐derived antigens influenced leukemia progression. Rather, CLL clones preferentially selected light chains that, when paired with virus‐specific heavy chains, conferred B cells the ability to recognize a broad range of autoantigens. Taken together, our results suggest that pathogens may drive CLL pathogenesis by selecting and expanding pathogen‐specific B cells that cross‐react with one or more self‐antigens.
The student as customer model and its impact on the academic leadership role in higher education

This paper posits that the 'student as customer' model has a negative impact upon the academic leadership which in turn is responsible for the erosion of objectivity in the assessment process in the higher education sector. The paper draws on the existing literature to explore the relationship between the student as customer model, academic leadership, and student assessment. The existing research emanating from the literature provides the basis from which the short comings of the student as customer model are exposed. From a practical perspective the arguments made in this paper provide the groundwork for possible future research into the adverse affects of the student as customer model on academic leadership and job satisfaction in the academic work force. The concern for quality may benefit from empirical investigation of the relationship between the student as customer model and quality learning and assessment outcomes in the higher education sector. The paper raises awareness of the faults with the present reliance on the student as customer model and the negative impact on both students and academic staff. The issues explored have the potential to influence the future directions of the higher education sector with regard to the social implications of their quest for quality educational outcomes. The paper addresses a gap in the literature in regard to use of the student as customer model and the subsequent adverse affect on academic leadership and assessment in higher education.
When activism may prove counterproductive: An exploratory study of anti-brand spoof advertising effects in the tobacco industry

First stage of research on the effects of anti-tobacco brand spoof ads on the consumer, this paper proposes an exploratory study of netnographic inspiration of the comments left on YouTube by individuals freshly exposed to anti-tobacco brand spoof ads. The results show that anti-tobacco brand spoof ads generate more positive emotions than negative emotions, particularly among non-smokers, and that individuals respond according to the source to which they attribute the ads (i.e., an activist, the tobacco industry or the government). The discussion of the results led to anticipate that anti-tobacco brand spoof ads could prove counterproductive.
Accommodative amplitude required for sustained near work

Citation information: Wolffsohn JS, Sheppard AL, Vakani S & Davies LN. Accommodative amplitude required for sustained near work. Ophthalmic Physiol Opt 2011, 31, 480–486. doi: 10.1111/j.1475‐1313.2011. 00847.x
Analyst information precision and small earnings surprises

This study proposes and tests an alternative to the extant earnings management explanation for zero and small positive earnings surprises (i.e., analyst forecast errors). We argue that analysts’ ability to strategically induce slight pessimism in earnings forecasts varies with the precision of their information. Accordingly, we predict that the probability that a firm reports a small positive instead of a small negative earnings surprise is negatively related to earnings forecast uncertainty, and we present evidence consistent with this prediction. Our findings have important implications for the earnings management interpretation of the asymmetry around zero in the frequency distribution of earnings surprises. We demonstrate how empirically controlling for earnings forecast uncertainty can materially change inferences in studies that employ the incidence of zero and small positive earnings surprises to categorize firms as suspected of managing earnings.
The I4U Mega Fusion and Collaboration for NIST Speaker Recognition Evaluation 2016

The 2016 speaker recognition evaluation (SRE'16) is the latest edition in the series of benchmarking events conducted by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). I4U is a joint entry to SRE'16 as the result from the collaboration and active exchange of information among researchers from sixteen Institutes and Universities across 4 continents. The joint submission and several of its 32 subsystems were among top-performing systems. A lot of efforts have been devoted to two major challenges, namely, unlabeled training data and dataset shift from Switchboard-Mixer to the new Call My Net dataset. This paper summarizes the lessons learned, presents our shared view from the sixteen research groups on recent advances, major paradigm shift, and common tool chain used in speaker recognition as we have witnessed in SRE'16. More importantly, we look into the intriguing question of fusing a large ensemble of subsystems and the potential benefit of large-scale collaboration .
Creating a virtuous spiral organization

Organizations with outstanding people and outstanding management systems create a self-reinforcing cycle of escalating performance—the virtuous spiral. Laying the groundwork for this win-win condition requires the right management practices in seven key areas: defining the values of the workplace; hiring people who fit those values; making training and development ongoing; designing work as meaningful; delineating the strategies, goals, and values of the organizational mission; devising appropriate reward systems; and hiring and developing the right leadership under whom the organization can thrive. © 2006 Hewitt Associates LLC.
Empirical Analysis on Effects of Share Retention and Lockup on IPO Underpricing

In this paper, with the data of the 226 companies listed on Shanghai Security Exchange and Shenzhen Security Exchange during sample period between January 2006 and September 2008, the effects of company owner’s retention and lockup on underpricing are investigated by using the multivariate regression model. The regression results show that the share retention and lockup ratio is positively correlated to IPO underpricing in Shanghai Stock Market, but in Shenzhen Stock Market these two factors negatively affect on IPO underpricing; The results of the regression of lockup period show that, whether in Shanghai or Shenzhen Stock Market, the lockup period is not related to the underpricing significantly. Keywords-Share retention; Lockup; Underpricing; Multivariate linear regression analysis
Understanding consumers internet purchase intention in Malaysia

This study aims to explore the antecedents relating to the extent of both the attitude and the purchasing intention of online shopping. It examined the factors influencing consumers’ attitude toward online shopping and shopping intention from the Malaysian perspectives. From an e-commerce perspective, the understanding of the Theory of Reasoned Action (TRA), Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB), and Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) could provide a valid basis in explaining and predicting consumers’ intention towards adopting an online shopping behavior. A purposive sampling method was used and the sample comprised of 370 students studying at a public University in Malaysia. Data were collected via self-administered questionnaire. The data were examined using frequency and path analysis. Result of path analysis showed that trust and attitude had stronger direct effect on online shopping intention, whereas utilitarian orientation, convenience, prices wider selection, and income had stronger indirect effect on online shopping intention through the attitude towards online shopping as mediation. This paper outlined the key online shopping intention and events in Malaysia and pioneered the building of an integrated research framework to understand how consumers form their attitude and make purchase intentions toward online shopping. Key words: Intention, attitude, online shopping, consumer, Malaysia.
A test of the market’s pricing of nontransitory dirty surplus flows

This study examines whether the market correctly prices nontransitory dirty surplus flows. Unlike the US Generally Accepted Accounting Principle (GAAP) and International Accounting Standards, Taiwanese Company Law allows employees’ bonuses under the profit-sharing scheme to be directly taken to retained earnings, bypassing the income statement. We find that these compensation costs are positively associated with share price and return, indicating that the market values the incentive effect of the profit-sharing scheme. More importantly, we find that the market correctly prices the persistence of these compensation costs. Overall, this study indicates that investors are able to correctly price nontransitory dirty surplus flows.
Demand for Sport

This article reviews international literature on the demand for professional sport. The first part presents a conceptual framework for understanding the sources and determinants of the demand for professional sporting contests. The second part reviews empirical evidence on key determinants of attendance at sporting events, and on other sources of demand, such as broadcasting, sponsorship, and merchandising. The review concludes that there is still much to be learned about demand for professional sport, and that there are no simple lessons to be drawn from existing literature. But important messages do emerge from studies of demand for attendance with regard to effects of uncertainty of outcome, quality of contest, and quality of viewing. Copyright 2003, Oxford University Press.
Is Delayed Disinflation More Costly

An often-stated piece of monetary policy wisdom is that postponing disinflation raises the ultimate cost of disinflation. However, there is little empirical work that directly tests the validity of this view. This paper is a study of the relation between the duration of inflation and the cost of subsequent disinflation using 67 disinflation episodes in OECD countries from 1960 through 1993. The estimates indicate that delaying disinflation raises the output loss per unit of inflation reduction, although the effect is not statistically significant in all models. The largest marginal effects of delay occur soon after inflation is allowed to get under way, a finding consistent with a rapid decline in the credibility of the inflating central bank.
The retreat from government support for social dialogue in the Australian Public Service

This article explores the impact of the Coalition government's federal public sector reforms since 1996 in the Australian Public Service (APS). Under the Labor governments from 1983 to 1996, a range of measures operated to facilitate the development of social dialogue practices in the APS. There were also various mechanisms for consultation, information sharing and employee participation in decision-making, such as the Joint Council and Departmental Councils, statutory provisions for Industrial Democracy Plans, award provisions for consultation over business restructuring and support for consultative structures under enterprise bargaining and health and safety legislation. Nearly all of these measures have been dismantled or downgraded since the Coalition government came to office, especially those requiring consultation with trade unions or providing unions with a central role in participative mechanisms. It is argued here that the government's reforms have involved a substantial reduction in formal support for social dialogue in the APS, and a rejection of the benefits that such an approach offers.
Thermal oral-pharyngeal stimulation and elicitation of swallowing.

The influence of thermal stimulation of the oral and pharyngeal mucosa on the elicitation of swallowing was studied in 14 healthy volunteers. The Repeated Dry Swallowing Test was used to study the ability to elicit swallows. The test consists of 11 manometrically recorded dry swallows performed at maximum speed. The time between swallows 1 and 11 (Swallowing Test Time) is considered a measure of the ease of eliciting the swallowing reflex. The study includes two controlled experiments, each consisting of an active test done immediately after a cold stimulus and a control done after a stimulus at body temperature. In one experiment the stimulus consisted of stimulation of the fauces with a laryngeal mirror and in the other of swallowing water. Each subject served as his or her own control. The order of the tests was randomized and the results read blindly. In the mirror experiment, the swallowing test times obtained after application of a cold laryngeal mirror did not differ significantly from those obtained after stimulation at body temperature. In the water experiment, swallowing test times were shorter after swallowing cold water compared to those after swallowing water at body temperature in 11 of the 14 volunteers (n.s.). The concept that swallowing is significantly facilitated by cold applied to the oral-pharyngeal mucosa was thus not supported by the present study. The importance of these findings is discussed.
Instructional Design Consideration and Planning in Transforming Simulation Systems to Platform for Delivery for Instruction

Abstract : In this paper we present the view of Intelligent Automation Inc. (IAI) as to the future development of Instructional Systems Design (ISD) when applied to Simulation Based Instruction (SBI). We call for the formalization of the SBI ISD process in a way that will achieve the separation of the ISD process from a specific simulation implementation, and address the complexity and special needs of the process. Additionally we describe a new model for instructional design that can be applied to SBI. Unlike traditional models such as ADDIE that focus on the process, our model focuses on the integration of four design elements: process, ontology, collaboration model and product description. We show how the proposed model integrates with current trends in Simulation-SCORM interoperability, as well as streamlining SBI ISD with the ISD of traditional Web-based training (WBT) used in a similar context. Our suggested approach contains a supporting business model, as well as a new class of automated ISD editors to help instructional designers plan effective simulation instruction interactions.
Simulation of Nonlinear Wave Propagating over Periodic Seabed by Using Multi-layer Boussinesq Model

Numerical experiments based on multi-layer Boussinesq model developed by Lynett & Liu (2004) were performed to study nonlinear wave propagating over periodic seabed. Both one-layer and two-layer models were used. Our results indicate that no visible difference betweeen one-layer and two-layer model is found. Furthermore, to understand the nonlinear effect, the reflection coefficients due to periodic seabed are discussed for two different incident wave heights. Three methods including Goda & Suzuki (1976), Mansard & Funke (1980) and Lin & Huang (2004) for separating incident and reflecitve waves are adopd and compared. The results shows that it is necessary to include higher order term (nonlinear term) under certain circustances where the nonlinear interaction is important. When the vertical wall (total refelction) is considered at transmission side, it is found that the displacement at the wall can be as large as 5 times of incident wave height even under Bragg resonance conditions. This result suggests that the idea by using artifical periodic bars to protect the shoreline may need further consideration.