Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Strategic Management Development: Using Experiential Learning Theory to Assess and Develop Managerial Competencies

Management of change and uncertainty requires that increasingly sophisticated and highly differentiated specialised knowledge be brought to bear on organisational problems and that their specialised viewpoints be integrated into effective solutions to these problems. Integrative learning requires a re‐examination of the role of teachers or trainers. Their role must be to manage the process of learning to facilitate adult learners in the process of learning from their own experiences in life. Communication that shares abstract ideas and personal feelings about them in a spirit of professionalism, mutuality and co‐enquiry is a means to this integration. Integrative learning suggests an open system, networking approach to the management of knowledge and learning resource acquisition. A key function of strategic management development at the integrative level is to provide managers with access to knowledge and relationship networks that can help them become life‐long learners and cope with the issues on their continually changing agendas. The establishment of links between business and higher education will increase the effectiveness of both and allow managers and academics to teach and learn from one another.
The Role of Skin Barrier in the Pathogenesis of Food Allergy

Food allergy is a serious public health problem with an increasing prevalence. Current management is limited to food avoidance and emergency treatment. Research into the pathogenesis of food allergy has helped to shape our understanding of how patients become sensitized to an allergen. Classically, food sensitization was thought to occur through the gastrointestinal tract, but alternative routes of sensitization are being explored, specifically through the skin. Damaged skin barrier may play a crucial role in the development of food sensitization. Better understanding of how patients initially become sensitized may help lead to the development of a safe and effective treatment for food allergies or better prevention strategies.
A noise optimization technique for codesign of CMOS radio-frequency low noise amplifiers and low-quality spiral inductors

Series resistance associated with inductor is usually ignored in noise optimization for CMOS low noise amplifiers (LNAs). With low-quality on-chip inductor the series resistance, however, degrades input matching and increases noise figure considerably. The LNA design is complicated by the fact that the series resistance varies with inductance in some specific pattern determined by physical implementation for on-chip inductor. This paper presents a novel noise optimization technique for the codesign of LNA and low-quality square spiral inductor. Theoretical derivation is given to model the tradeoff between thermal noise of series resistance and transistor channel noise for minimizing noise figure. A figure-of-merit (FOM) is proposed to characterize the relation between quality factor and effective inductance for square spiral inductor. The codesign of LNA and inductor is done by performing noise optimization for constant FOM. Design procedure is developed and validated by post-layout simulation in AMI 0.6um CMOS process with Cadence SpectreRF and Berkeley ASITIC tools.
Exploring Parallel Data Access Methods in Emerging Non-Volatile Memory Systems

The exploitation of internal parallelism over hundreds of NAND flash memories is becoming a key design issue in high-speed solid state disks (SSDs). In this study, we simulate a cycle-accurate SSD platform with diverse parallel data access methods and 24 page allocation strategies, which are geared toward exploiting both system-level parallelism and flash-level parallelism, using a variety of design parameters. Our extensive experimental analysis reveals that 1) the previously proposed channel striping-based page allocation strategy is not the best from a performance perspective, 2) as opposed to the common belief that system-level and flash-level concurrency mechanisms are largely orthogonal, the system-level parallel data access methods employed interferes with flash-level parallelism, 3) when most of the current currency controls and page allocation strategies are implemented, the SSD internal resources are significantly underutilized, and 4) while the performance of all the page allocation strategies on read-intensive workloads (reads <inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$>$</tex-math> <alternatives><inline-graphic xlink:href="jung-ieq1-2588491.gif"/></alternatives></inline-formula> 99 percent) is improved by employing a high frequency flash interface, the performance enhancements are significantly limited. Finally, we present several optimization points to extract the maximum internal parallelism by offering comprehensive evaluations with controllable and easy-to-understand micro-benchmarks.
Assessing and Optimizing Online Monitoring for Securing the Water Distribution System

Municipal water supply and distribution system is large complex network system to deliver water to end customers. The water distribution system includes networks of pumps, pipes and storage tanks, which provide high-quality water to the customers. The complex water distribution network and broad space coverage are vulnerable to face with a range of threat including natural hazard and human-caused threat, such as biochemical contamination. Therefore securing water supply and distribution system are a challenging problem. This paper proposes an effective approach of optimizing the allocated online monitoring points to enhance water distribution system security against the contaminant threat due to the emergency situation. The approach has been applied and evaluated in the real water distribution network in China.
Prevalence and Correlates of Smokeless Tobacco Consumption among Married Women in Rural Bangladesh

Objective To estimate the prevalence and identify correlates of smokeless tobacco consumption among married rural women with a history of at least one pregnancy in Madaripur, Bangladesh. Materials and Methods We conducted a cross-sectional survey using an interviewer administered, pre-tested, semi-structured questionnaire. All women living in the study area, aged 18 years and above with at least one pregnancy in their lifetime, who were on the electoral roll and agreed to participate were included in the study. Information on socio-demographic characteristics and smokeless tobacco consumption was collected. Smokeless tobacco consumption was categorized as ‘Current’, ‘Ever but not current’ and ‘Never’. Associations between smokeless tobacco consumption and the explanatory variables were estimated using simple and multiple binary logistic regression. Results 8074 women participated (response rate 99.9%). The prevalence of ‘Current consumption’, ‘Ever consumption but not current’, and ‘Never consumption’ was 25%, 44% and 31%, respectively. The mean age at first use was 31.5 years. 87% of current consumers reported using either Shadapata or Hakimpuree Jarda. Current consumption was associated with age, level of education, religion, occupation, being an income earner, marital status, and age at first use of smokeless tobacco. After adjustment for demographic variables, current consumption was associated with being over 25 years of age, a lower level of education, being an income earner, being Muslim, and being divorced, separated or widowed. Conclusion The prevalence of smokeless tobacco consumption is high among rural women in Bangladesh and the age of onset is considerably older than that for smoking. Smokeless tobacco consumption is likely to be producing a considerable burden of non-communicable disease in Bangladesh. Smokeless tobacco control strategies should be implemented.
Patriarchy Reasserted

The backlash against gender-sensitive responses to women's victimization, offending, and imprisonment is inseparable from contemporary reaction against feminism and other progressive movements. The backlash against the American Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) provides a prime example of this resistance. Despite widespread support for VAWA and other policies designed to address violence against women, some constituencies object to their existence. The author investigates fathers' rights rhetoric on VAWA as an example of antifeminist backlash.
Optimal allocation of SVC to enhance Total Transfer Capability using Hybrid Genetics Algorithm and Sequential Quadratic Programming

This paper concentrates on studying the effects of SVC controller on Total Transfer Capability (TTC) of power transactions between source and sink areas using Hybrid Genetic Algorithm-Sequential Quadratic Programming (GA-SQP). GA-SQP is a novel algorithm in power systems. The proposed algorithm is used to determine optimal placement of SVC controller and solving optimal power flow (OPF) to enhance TTC simultaneously. The proposed OPF is used to evaluate feasible TTC value within real and reactive power generation limits, line thermal limits, voltage limits and SVC operation limits. A 5 bus test system is used to demonstrate the effectiveness of the GA-SQP algorithm to enhance the TTC of the system. The results clearly indicate that introduction of SVC with proper parameters and location could enhance TTC.
‘Feeling Poorly’: Report of a Pilot Study Aimed to Increase the Ability of People with Learning Disabilities to Understand and Communicate About Physical Illness

There is a current emphasis from Department of Health publications on the need for people to take responsibility for monitoring and improving their own health. This includes people with a learning disability (PLD). This paper presents the findings of a pilot study which investigated whether people with learning disabilities can understand and communicate more effectively symptoms of illness. Assessments for GPs, clients and carers were designed in order to ascertain the nature of consultations currently taking place, and the level of awareness that clients had of their body and being ill. From the assessment information gathered and reviews of the literature on primary health care access for PLD and children's experiences of pain, an appropriate teaching package was designed and a twice weekly group held for ten weeks. This aimed to teach body awareness and necessary skills for communicating with primary health care teams; and included the design, and implementation of a communication aid pack. Repeat assessments following the end of the group and after six months indicated that it is possible to teach people with learning disabilities to understand how their bodies function, to use pictures of pain to describe symptoms of illness and to understand more about the process of going to the doctors. This was facilitated by the use of communication aid resource which both doctors and clients evaluated as useful. For the information to be efficiently retained by the clients it is suggested that a greater degree of follow-up work is undertaken on completion of the teaching group with participants, carers and GPs.
Say Cheese! A Snapshot of Elementary Teachers’ Engagement and Motivation for Classroom Assessment

Assessment is a complex function requiring an understanding of student learning, assessment principles, practices, and purposes of data to implement effective classroom assessment. The purpose of this study was to add to the growing base of knowledge about teachers’ engagement with assessment data and their motivation for classroom assessment. Four full-time elementary schoolteachers in diverse teaching contexts in Alberta and Ontario, Canada, participated in semistructured individual interviews. The results from this study settled into four main categories: (1) teachers use for learning assessment to improve student achievement, (2) an imbalance of formative assessment—assessment as learning was not used consistently, (3) inconsistent formalization of observation into meaningful assessment data, and (4) the tension between internal and external motivators for student assessment.
The Citizen Makes an Entrée: Redefining the National Community in Quebec

This paper focuses on the well-orchestrated and much publicised project regarding the construction and implementation by the Quebec state of a citoyennetéquébécoise. This endeavour is viewed here as the most recent phase of a process of boundary definition that began with the Quiet Revolution in the early 1960s, and that proceeded from the cultural definition of an ethnic nation to a pluralist conception of the territory, and then from a pluralist definition of the community to the present elaboration of a specifically Québécois citizenship, which merges here with nationality. In spite of a shift from a cultural to a territorially based definition of the community, I argue that the citizenship presently developed is anchored in a homogenised notion of cultural belonging, as the Quebec state is attempting to define a 'universal' national identity that would subordinate all others. The national model of citizenship is preferred over the postnational, the republican over the pluralist, the undifferentiated over the differentiated, at least when it comes to cultural identity. Language is viewed as the bearer of a culture, but also as a common property and a threatened good that must be protected by all residents. This fosters the redefinition of a collective project that can include non-French Canadians and be less past-oriented than previously. Whether such a strategy will appear more palatable to non-French Canadians remains to be seen, in a context where the case for multicultural rights and differentiated postnational identities remains very strong on the international scene.
External European influences and indigenous social values in urban development and planning in the Third World: The case of Ibadan, Nigeria

Over the last three centuries or so, a number of local and external forces have shaped the development of Third World cities. Ibadan, Nigeria, founded in the 1820s, is a traditional city of pre‐colonial origin. The British who came in 1893 introduced some modernization in infrastructural development, urban planning and management which conflicted with the Yoruba traditional values of land use control and urban development. This paper examines the interaction between traditional and the modern urban values and practices introduced by the British and the wide‐ranging effects on urban form, especially the quality of core inner city neighbourhoods which differed from rings of modern development in the suburbs. Overall, the paper demonstrates the value of a greater appreciation of historical factors, especially the intermingling of local and external influences, in coming to terms with the contemporary urban planning challenges and management problems of Third World cities. The paper also offers some insights .
Effect of Smad7 expression on metastasis of mouse mammary carcinoma JygMC(A) cells.

BACKGROUND Transforming growth factor beta (TGF-beta) facilitates metastasis during the advanced stages of cancer. Smad6, Smad7, and c-Ski block signaling by the TGF-beta superfamily proteins through different modes of action. We used adenovirus-mediated gene transfer of these natural inhibitors in a mouse model of breast cancer to examine the roles of TGF-beta superfamily signaling in tumor growth and metastasis. METHODS We systemically administered, by intravenous injection, adenoviruses (AdCMV) containing the mouse cDNAs for Smad7, Smad6, c-Ski, the c-Ski mutant c-Ski (ARPG), or LacZ (control) to nude mice (>19 mice/group) bearing tumors derived from mouse mammary carcinoma JygMC(A) cells, which spontaneously metastasize to lung and liver, and examined their effects on survival and metastasis. High-throughput western blotting analysis was used to examine the expression levels for 47 signal transduction proteins in JygMC(A) cells and primary tumors. We also investigated the proliferation, migration, and invasion of JygMC(A) cells that stably overexpressed Smad6 or Smad7. Nonparametric comparisons were done by Kruskal-Wallis H statistic and Wilcoxon's rank sum tests. Parametric comparisons were done by one-way analysis of variance or two-sided unpaired Student's t tests. All statistical tests were two-sided. RESULTS Control mice bearing tumors derived from JygMC(A) cells showed many metastases to the lung and liver; all animals died by 50 days after cell inoculation. By contrast, mice treated with AdCMV-Smad7 or AdCMV-c-Ski demonstrated a dramatic decrease in metastasis and statistically significantly longer survival than control mice (Smad7 versus LacZ: medium survival = 55 days versus 41 days, difference = 14 days [95% confidence interval {CI} = 6 days to 22 days], P < .001), whereas mice treated with AdCMV-Smad6 or AdCMV-c-Ski (ARPG) did not. Expression of Smad7 in JygMC(A) cells was associated with increased expression of major components of adherens and tight junctions, including E-cadherin, decreased expression of N-cadherin, and decreases in the migratory and invasive abilities of the JygMC(A) cells. CONCLUSION Smad7 inhibits metastasis, possibly by regulating cell-cell adhesion. Systemic expression of Smad7 may be a novel strategy for the prevention of metastasis of advanced cancers.
FMEA and BBN for robustness analysis in web-based applications

In this paper we present a general framework for conducting robustness analysis early in the development life cycle of web-based systems. This framework exploits the robustness failure modes and evaluates the impact of modifications that can be applied to reduce the severity of these failures. First, the system is systematically decomposed in its components using Jacobson’s analysis. Next, with Failure Modes and Effects Analysis (FMEA) we identify all failure modes, causes and effects. Finally, by using Bayesian Belief Networks (BBNs) we model each subsystem and evaluate failure severities and possible improvements. A more complex model of the system can also be built up by integrating the subsystem models, giving a better understanding of the overall system behavior. We present a practical example and we discuss the benefits of applying this framework and BBN models to analyze the robustness of web-based systems.
Detection of ATP in Tubular Fluid and Renal Interstitial Fluid Cytosolic

Vallon V. P2 receptors in the regulation of renal transport mechanisms. Am J Physiol Renal Physiol 294: F10–F27, 2008. First published October 31, 2007; doi:10.1152/ajprenal.00432. 2007. —Extracellular nucleotides (e.g., ATP) regulate physiological and pathophysiological processes through activation of nucleotide P2 receptors in the plasma membrane. Examples include such diverse processes as communication from taste buds to gustatory nerves, platelet aggregation, nociception, or neutrophil chemotaxis. Over approximately the last 15 years, evidence has also accumulated that cells in renal epithelia release nucleotides in response to physiological stimuli and that these nucleotides act in a paracrine and autocrine way to activate P2 receptors and play a significant role in the regulation of transport mechanisms and cell volume regulation. This review discusses potential stimuli and mechanisms involved in nucleotide release in renal epithelia and summarizes the available data on the expression and function of nucleotide P2 receptors along the native mammalian tubular and collecting duct system. Using established agonist profiles for P2 receptor subtypes, significant insights have been gained particularly into a potential role for P2Y2-like receptors in the regulation of transport mechanisms in the collecting duct. Due to the lack of receptor subtype-specific antagonists, however, the in vivo relevance of P2 receptor subtypes is unclear. Studies in gene knockout mice provided first insights including an antihypertensive activity of P2Y2 receptors that is linked to an inhibitory influence on renal Na and water reabsorption. We are only beginning to unravel the important roles of extracellular nucleotides and P2 receptors in the regulation of the diverse transport mechanisms of the kidney.
Learning ℓ1-based analysis and synthesis sparsity priors using bi-level optimization

We consider the analysis operator and synthesis dictionary learning problems based on the the $\ell_1$ regularized sparse representation model. We reveal the internal relations between the $\ell_1$-based analysis model and synthesis model. We then introduce an approach to learn both analysis operator and synthesis dictionary simultaneously by using a unified framework of bi-level optimization. Our aim is to learn a meaningful operator (dictionary) such that the minimum energy solution of the analysis (synthesis)-prior based model is as close as possible to the ground-truth. We solve the bi-level optimization problem using the implicit differentiation technique. Moreover, we demonstrate the effectiveness of our leaning approach by applying the learned analysis operator (dictionary) to the image denoising task and comparing its performance with state-of-the-art methods. Under this unified framework, we can compare the performance of the two types of priors.
Response Inhibition in the Parametric Go/No-Go Task and Its Relation to Impulsivity and Subclinical Psychopathy

The current study utilizes the parametric go/no-go task (PGNG), a task that examines changes in inhibitory performance as executive function load increases, to examine the link between psychopathic traits, impulsivity, and response inhibition in a cohort of healthy participants. The results show that as executive function load increased, inhibitory ability decreased. High scores on the Cognitive Complexity subscale of the Barratt Impulsivity Scale (BIS–11) predict poor inhibitory ability in the PGNG. Similarly, high scores on the Psychopathy Personality Inventory–Revised (PPI–R) Blame Externalization subscale predict response inhibition deficits in the PGNG, which loads more on the executive functions than the standard go/no-go task. The remaining BIS–11 as well as PPI–R subscales did not interact with inhibitory performance in the PGNG highlighting the specificity of associations between aspects of personality and impulsivity with inhibitory performance as cognitive load is increased. These data point towards the sensitivity of the PGNG in studying response inhibition in the context of highly impulsive populations and its utility as a measure of impulsivity.
Hg2 plus-induced kidney necrosis. Subcellular localization and structure-linked lysosomal enzyme changes.

in 0.2 MI sodium acetate, pH 4.0. The remaining sample was incubated at 37 C. After 15 min, 0.25 ml was removed, and added to saturated (N'H4) SO solution. After 5 min at 0 C, the precipitated protein was separated by centrifugation at 29,000 rpm for 5 min and the inorganic phosphate determined in the supernatant.13 Protein was measured 14 on non-Triton X-100 treated samples, using human serum albumin as a standard. A statistical degree of significance between means of small populations was calculated from Student's t test and inferred when P < 0.05.