Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The impact of strategy change on morale, performance and commitment

Strategic change within an organisation is inevitable. Due to the competitive global landscape, organisations have to continuously adapt their strategies to remain in the market. Strategy change is most often met with resistance, and more so when the change involves downsizing. The effects of downsizing on employee morale, performance and commitment have been studied by numerous authors and a number of models for strategy change implementation consequently suggested. However, South Africa is faced with very particular challenges when dealing with change, including a high level of unemployment, fierce resistance to change in the form of collective action such as strikes, stay-aways or go-slows, political and social transformation happening simultaneously, global competition and the conflict between social and free markets within an emerging economy. Irrespective of the vast amount of international literature available on change management, there is a distinct lack of literature investigating the impact of strategy change in an emerging economy and a knowledge gap in terms of applying existing change theories in non-Western environments. This study was aimed at determining the impact of strategy change, particularly downsizing, on employee morale, performance and commitment at a global South-African based Telecommunication Company. The objectives of the study was to determine whether employees in South Africa are negatively affected by downsizing, and provide useful information to strategic managers in terms of implementation of strategy change in a South African environment. To determine the impact of downsizing as a strategy change, a questionnaire was designed based on the literature review to ascertain responses to three sections of questions, respectively measuring morale, performance and commitment. A sample of the target population was chosen based on their position/ employment type i.e. management, supervisor or general staff. The results of the empirical study revealed some very interesting points. Although all respondents demonstrated optimism in terms of their morale, performance and commitment, it was found that comparatively, managers are more negatively impacted during times of downsizing. The Telecommunication Company’s structured nature, advances in political and social reform, and solid Training and Development policy shielded the employees from the full negative impacts of downsizing because of their positive core self evaluation. The substantial amount of neutral responses (especially under management) indicated that not all respondents revealed their true feelings, a common characteristic amongst collective people. It also surfaced that even though the majority of responses indicated positive morale and performance, most respondents were considering positions outside the organisation. Based on the literature review and results from the empirical investigation, a model was proposed to assist strategic managers in South Africa with change implementation.
INTERGENERATIONAL TRANSMISSION OF, AND RETURNS TO HUMAN CAPITAL AND CHANGES THEREIN OVER TIME: EMPIRICAL EVIDENCE FROM EGYPT

Over the last fifty years, Egypt has witnessed several reforms and shocks such as the need to absorb a huge influx of new and especially more educated entrants to the labor force. Virtually neglected, however, have been the long run effects of education, including those across generations. The purposes of this study are: (1) to measure and explain changes in the gender-specific short and medium term returns to education in different sectors (private and public, formal and informal, tradable and non-tradable), and (2) to examine the long-run effects of education from generation to generation and, in the process, to measure the extent to which, how and why intergenerational mobility has changed over the last twenty years. In estimating both the determinants of schooling (including its intergenerational transmission) and the returns to schooling and changes therein over time, the study applies a number of estimation techniques to data taken from family members of different generations from the 1988, 1998 and 2006 waves of the Egyptian Labor Market Survey (ELMS). The major substantive findings are: (1) that intergenerational mobility with respect to education has increased across generations, especially for those living in urban areas, (2) that parental education has positive influences on the returns to children’s education, implying that the influence of education of family members goes well beyond its direct influence on children’s education, (3) that both the level of education and the returns to education are strongly affected by location, with locations in rural areas and especially those in Upper Egypt being much less fortuitous than those in urban areas, (4) that there are some significant differences between the effects of the education of particular parents (father or mother) and grandparents on particular children (sons or daughters), (5) the returns to education based on earnings reported in the 2006 ELMS generally fall with the number of controls included and appear to be considerably lower than both estimates in developing countries and estimates for Egypt from the earlier 1988 and 1998 ELMS (especially for males). Educational reforms seem to have contributed to finding (1) (of increased intergenerational mobility over time) but seem to have been insufficient to offset the low and falling rate of return to schooling. The most important methodological conclusions are: (1) that in a context where the role of a parent’s education on that of his/her child is broader than a simple genetic one, grandparents’ education seems to be more suitable as a control variable than as an instrument for parents’ education, (2) that potentially at least a certain educational reform could serve as a suitable instrument for parents’ education but only if further research would allow us to identify differences in the speed of implementation of these reforms across Egypt’s regions.
Robustness and scalability: a dual challenge for autonomic architectures

Several architectures for autonomic systems have been proposed in the past decade. In this research challenge paper, we briefly discuss them with an emphasize on their robustness and scalability. We propose a two-layer autonomic architecture where the global management functions are carried out by a self-organizing feedback loop inspired by the behavior of ant colonies and expect it to be robust and scalable. The proposed architecture is sustained with examples from our past work as well as our plans for future research.
Homologous Recombination Drives Both Sequence Diversity and Gene Content Variation in Neisseria meningitidis

The study of genetic and phenotypic variation is fundamental for understanding the dynamics of bacterial genome evolution and untangling the evolution and epidemiology of bacterial pathogens. Neisseria meningitidis (Nm) is among the most intriguing bacterial pathogens in genomic studies due to its dynamic population structure and complex forms of pathogenicity. Extensive genomic variation within identical clonal complexes (CCs) in Nm has been recently reported and suggested to be the result of homologous recombination, but the extent to which recombination contributes to genomic variation within identical CCs has remained unclear. In this study, we sequenced two Nm strains of identical serogroup (C) and multi-locus sequence type (ST60), and conducted a systematic analysis with an additional 34 Nm genomes. Our results revealed that all gene content variation between the two ST60 genomes was introduced by homologous recombination at the conserved flanking genes, and 94.25% or more of sequence divergence was caused by homologous recombination. Recombination was found in genes associated with virulence factors, antigenic outer membrane proteins, and vaccine targets, suggesting an important role of homologous recombination in rapidly altering the pathogenicity and antigenicity of Nm. Recombination was also evident in genes of the restriction and modification systems, which may undermine barriers to DNA exchange. In conclusion, homologous recombination can drive both gene content variation and sequence divergence in Nm. These findings shed new light on the understanding of the rapid pathoadaptive evolution of Nm and other recombinogenic bacterial pathogens.
The Euro: The Battle for the New Global Currency

This book takes a look at the tumultuous history of the Euro, its status in global economics and politics, and the pressures that present enormous challenges for the Euro's future. This new edition has been fully updated to cover the dramatic events of 2010-2011, including Ireland and Greece's debt crises and the continuing tension between France and Germany over the future of the Euro.
Efficacy and safety of low-dose ganciclovir preemptive therapy in allogeneic haematopoietic stem cell transplant recipients compared with conventional-dose ganciclovir: a prospective observational study.

OBJECTIVES We performed a prospective observational study comparing the efficacy and safety of low-dose ganciclovir (5 mg/kg/day) as initial preemptive therapy in allogeneic haematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) recipients with conventional-dose ganciclovir (10 mg/kg/day). METHODS All adult patients undergoing allogeneic HSCT were enrolled at a transplant centre over a 24 month period. The decision to use low-dose or conventional-dose ganciclovir was at the discretion of each attending haematologist. A logistic regression model with inverse probability of treatment weighting (IPTW) using propensity scores was performed to reduce the effect of the selection bias in assignment for ganciclovir preemptive therapy. RESULTS Of the 252 HSCT recipients, 97 (38%) received preemptive ganciclovir therapy. Of these, 53 (55%) and 44 (45%) received low-dose and conventional-dose ganciclovir, respectively. The viral clearance rate was higher in the low-dose ganciclovir group [98% (52/53)] than in the conventional-dose ganciclovir group [86% (38/44), P = 0.04], while the low-dose ganciclovir group exhibited a longer viral clearance time (median 21.0 days) than the conventional-dose ganciclovir group (median 14.0 days, P = 0.05). The rate of discontinuation of therapy due to neutropenia or nephrotoxicity was similar in the two groups, although conventional-dose ganciclovir was changed to another regimen more frequently than low-dose ganciclovir. There were three cases of cytomegalovirus (CMV) disease in each group after the initial preemptive therapy. The logistic regression models using propensity scores also revealed that there were no significant differences in viral clearance, secondary episodes of CMV infection, CMV disease and overall mortality between the two groups. CONCLUSIONS Low-dose ganciclovir appears to be safe, and to be at least as effective as conventional-dose ganciclovir for CMV viraemia in allogeneic HSCT recipients.
Phylogenetic Conservation and Homology Modeling Help Reveal a Novel Domain within the Budding Yeast Heterochromatin Protein Sir1

ABSTRACT The yeast Sir1 protein's ability to bind and silence the cryptic mating-type locus HMRa requires a protein-protein interaction between Sir1 and the origin recognition complex (ORC). A domain within the C-terminal half of Sir1, the Sir1 ORC interaction region (Sir1OIR), and the conserved bromo-adjacent homology (BAH) domain within Orc1, the largest subunit of ORC, mediate this interaction. The structure of the Sir1OIR-Orc1BAH complex is known. Sir1OIR and Orc1BAH interacted with a high affinity in vitro, but the Sir1OIR did not inhibit Sir1-dependent silencing when overproduced in vivo, suggesting that other regions of Sir1 helped it bind HMRa. Comparisons of diverged Sir1 proteins revealed two highly conserved regions, N1 and N2, within Sir1's poorly characterized N-terminal half. An N-terminal portion of Sir1 (residues 27 to 149 [Sir127-149]) is similar in sequence to the Sir1OIR; homology modeling predicted a structure for Sir127-149 in which N1 formed a submodule similar to the known Orc1BAH-interacting surface on Sir1. Consistent with these findings, two-hybrid assays indicated that the Sir1 N terminus could interact with BAH domains. Amino acid substitutions within or near N1 or N2 reduced full-length Sir1's ability to bind and silence HMRa and to interact with Orc1BAH in a two-hybrid assay. Purified recombinant Sir1 formed a large protease-resistant structure within which the Sir1OIR domain was protected, and Orc1BAH bound Sir1OIR more efficiently than full-length Sir1 in vitro. Thus, the Sir1 N terminus exhibited both positive and negative roles in the formation of a Sir1-ORC silencing complex. This functional duality might contribute to Sir1's selectivity for silencer-bound ORCs in vivo.
Surveying the Knowledge and Practices of Health Professionals in China, India, Iran, and Mexico on Treating Tuberculosis

Research evidence continues to reveal findings important for health professionals' clinical practices, yet it is not consistently disseminated to those who can use it. The resulting deficits in knowledge and service provision may be especially pronounced in low- and middle-income countries that have greater resource constraints. Tuberculosis treatment is an important area for assessing professionals' knowledge and practices because of the effectiveness of existing treatments and recognized gaps in professionals' knowledge about treatment. This study surveyed 384 health professionals in China, India, Iran, and Mexico on their knowledge and practices related to tuberculosis treatment. Few respondents correctly answered all five knowledge questions (12%) or self-reported performing all five recommended clinical practices “often or very often” (3%). Factors associated with higher knowledge scores included clinical specialization and working with researchers. Factors associated with better practices included training in the care of tuberculosis patients, being based in a hospital, trusting systematic reviews of randomized controlled double-blind trials, and reading summaries of articles, reports, and reviews. This study highlights several strategies that may prove effective in improving health professionals' knowledge and practices related to tuberculosis treatment. Facilitating interactions with researchers and training in acquiring systematic reviews may be especially helpful.
AN OBJECT-ORIENTED MODEL FOR SIMULATION OF THE COLD ROLLlNG MILL , USING NEURAL NETWORKS

This paper presents a new object-oriented model for lhe simulation of the coíd rolling processo It introduces a representation of the rolling process in object form, where . context is the cinematic behavior of the processo The model includes uncoiler and coiler subsystems, back and front tensions and roIling mill subsystems. In order to obtain a model for the simulation of a cold roIling rnill, it is necessary a representation to calculate lhe outgoing thickness and the roIling load. The expression must be a function of lhe other operational parameters: input thickness, back and front tensions, average yield stress, friction coefficient and others. In this paper, the representation is based in Artificial Neural Networks and Object-oriented development The object-oriented paradigm allows the description of roIling rnodels in a modular fashion and permits the reuse of these models independently of the environment in which they are embedded. Finally , ·simulation results and conclusions to show the application of the object-oriented model are presented. 335
A Directional Routing Protocol for Ad Hoc Networks with Angle-of-Arrival Estimation

Using adaptive antennas, both the transmission range and spatial reuse of wireless systems can be enhanced. In this paper, we propose a reactive source routing protocol for ad hoc networks using directional antennas. Signal parameter estimation via the rotational invariance technique (ESPRIT) is used for direction-of- arrival (DOA) estimation and hence, alleviating the need for global positioning system (GPS). This also makes our protocol suitable for both outdoor and indoor applications. By maintaining the status of the topology and ongoing neighborhood communications, the routing path is chosen to minimize the interference with any on going transmission. Simulation results demonstrate a clear performance improvement relative to IEEE 802.11.
CONSTRAINING EXPLOSION TYPE OF YOUNG SUPERNOVA REMNANTS USING 24 μm EMISSION MORPHOLOGY

Determination of the explosion type of supernova remnants (SNRs) can be challenging, as SNRs are hundreds to thousands of years old and supernovae are classified based on spectral properties days after explosion. Previous studies of thermal X-ray emission from Milky Way and Large Magellanic Cloud SNRs have shown that Type Ia and core-collapse (CC) SNRs have statistically different symmetries, and thus these sources can be typed based on their X-ray morphologies. In this Letter, we extend the same technique, a multipole expansion technique using power ratios, to infrared (IR) images of SNRs to test whether they can be typed using the symmetry of their warm dust emission as well. We analyzed archival Spitzer Space Telescope Multiband Imaging Photometer 24 μm observations of the previously used X-ray sample, and we find that the two classes of SNRs separate according to their IR morphologies. The Type Ia SNRs are statistically more circular and mirror symmetric than the CC SNRs, likely due to the different circumstellar environments and explosion geometries of the progenitors. Broadly, our work indicates that the IR emission retains information of the explosive origins of the SNR and offers a new method to type SNRs based on IR morphology.
Multiple congenital anomalies and developmental delay in a boy associated with a de novo 16p13.3 deletion

We describe a patient with multiple congenital anomalies including tracheobronchomalacia, CT‐proven metopic craniosynostosis, glandular hypospadias and severe ventral chordee, torticollis, esotropia, strabismus, fifth finger clinodactyly, hallux valgus, and global developmental delay. Using high resolution chromosomal microarray analysis, we identified a de novo deletion of 555 kb on chromosome 16p13.3, 444 kb telomeric to the CREBBP gene and 623 kb centromeric of PKD1. Review of the literature revealed numerous reports of individuals with deletions involving adjacent regions including CREBBP, but only one overlapping with this isolated region of 16p13.3. Haploinsufficiency for one or more of the 25 candidate genes in the deleted genomic region may be responsible for these clinical features. No copy number variants (CNVs) span the entire region, but several small CNVs within the 555 kb genomic region reduce the likelihood for effects due to haploinsufficiency to 18 genes. © 2011 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
EEOA: Improving energy efficiency of mobile cloudlets using efficient offloading approach

Cyber Foraging concepts allow the users to take the benefits of low latency cloud services by offloading the computational requests to the nearest service provider instead of offloading the computational request services to service providers over Wide Area Network (WAN). The cloudlets are major components of cyber foraged systems and are deployed in the physical proximity of the users, where the cloudlets get connected with users through LAN or Wi-Fi. In the mobile state, the cloudlets are deployed over the mobile devices such as smart phones. The performance of mobile cloudlets depends upon the battery life of mobile devices, which is limited. In this work, we propose an energy efficient offloading approach EEOA, which can help in effective resource utilization of mobile cloudlets for optimal energy usage. Based on the simulation results, we observed that the EEOA helps in optimal resource utilization of mobile devices and also minimizes the energy consumption for mobile devices.
Whole-Genome Plasticity among Mycobacterium avium Subspecies: Insights from Comparative Genomic Hybridizations

ABSTRACT Infection with Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis causes Johne's disease in cattle and is also implicated in cases of Crohn's disease in humans. Another closely related strain, M. avium subsp. avium, is a health problem for immunocompromised patients. To understand the molecular pathogenesis of M. avium subspecies, we analyzed the genome contents of isolates collected from humans and domesticated or wildlife animals. Comparative genomic hybridizations indicated distinct lineages for each subspecies where the closest genomic relatedness existed between M. avium subsp. paratuberculosis isolates collected from human and clinical cow samples. Genomic islands (n = 24) comprising 846 kb were present in the reference M. avium subsp. avium strain but absent from 95% of M. avium subsp. paratuberculosis isolates. Additional analysis identified a group of 18 M. avium subsp. paratuberculosis-associated islands comprising 240 kb that were absent from most of the M. avium subsp. avium isolates. Sequence analysis of DNA regions flanking the genomic islands identified three large inversions in addition to several small inversions that could play a role in regulation of gene expression. Analysis of genes encoded in the genomic islands reveals factors that are probably important for various mechanisms of virulence. Overall, M. avium subsp. avium isolates displayed a higher level of genomic diversity than M. avium subsp. paratuberculosis isolates. Among M. avium subsp. paratuberculosis isolates, those from wildlife animals displayed the highest level of genomic rearrangements that were not observed in other isolates. The presented findings will affect the future design of diagnostics and vaccines for Johne's and Crohn's diseases and provide a model for genomic analysis of closely related bacteria.
MEP — A robust algorithm for detecting communities in large scale social networks

Social networks can be modeled by graphs whose vertices represent the actors of the social phenomenon and the edges represent the interactions between them. An important element in the automatic analysis of social networks is the discovery of “communities”. A community is simply a group of people strongly connected. The detection of communities in social networks is equivalent to partitioning the graph representing the network. Among the methods to solve this problem, there are those that consist in defining a function that associates a quality index to any partition graph. In this case, the graph partitioning algorithm aims at optimizing this function. In this work, we define a new function that qualifies a partition and we present an algorithm that optimizes this function in order to find, within a reasonable time, the partition with the best measure of quality.
The Communicating Sequential Elements Pattern A Domain Parallelism Architectural Pattern for Parallel Programming

The Communicating Sequential Elements pattern is an architectural pattern for parallel programming, used when a design problem can be understood in terms of domain parallelism. This pattern proposes a solution in which the same operations are performed simultaneously on different pieces of regular data, and operations in each component depend on partial results of neighbour components. Usually, this pattern is presented as a network or logical structure, conceived from the regular data.