Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Perceptions of and reactions to workplace bullying: A social exchange perspective

The aim of this article is to introduce a social exchange perspective to the study of workplace bullying. Much of the existing research on bullying has had a strong empirical focus, leaving the concept relatively under-theoretized. By applying the social exchange theory based concepts of justice, psychological contract breach, and perceived organizational support, we aim to shed light on a number of aspects of bullying that to date have remained poorly understood. First, drawing on the concepts of justice and contract breach, we highlight the perceptual and subjective element in workplace bullying. Second, the concepts of justice and contract breach allow us to provide insights into how bullying is experienced and the mechanisms through which bullying leads to negative outcomes for both targets and bystanders. Third, the concept of perceived organizational support highlights the importance of appropriate and timely responses to workplace bullying. Finally, we discuss implications for both research and practice.
18F-fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose positron emission tomographic imaging: recent developments in head and neck cancer

Purpose of review Positron emission tomography using 18F-fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose (18FDG-PET) is well established in clinical routine as a metabolism-based whole-body imaging tool for cancer diagnosis and follow-up. Several reports have appeared indicating the potential and limitations of this technique in head and neck cancer (HNC). This review limits its scope to the recent advances using 18FDG-PET in the clinical management of HNC. Recent findings The combination of 18FDG-PET and sentinel node biopsy has been explored for the surgical treatment planning of oral and oropharyngeal cancer. Recent reports indicate that multimodality imaging combining PET with high-end CT scanning increases the diagnostic accuracy. 18FDG-PET has a potential for use in radiation treatment planning and for the prediction of response and early evaluation of treatment efficacy. Summary Increasingly 18FDG-PET is used as a clinical imaging modality in the different stages of the management of HNC. In particular, its clinical value in initial staging of neck lymph nodes and in the evaluation of recurrent or residual disease is well established. In these settings 18FDG-PET has been shown to be more accurate than conventional imaging. Recent studies indicate that 18FDG-PET could be of additional value in staging the N0 neck, in radiation treatment planning, and in prediction of treatment efficacy.
A public dataset of running biomechanics and the effects of running speed on lower extremity kinematics and kinetics

Background The goals of this study were (1) to present the set of data evaluating running biomechanics (kinematics and kinetics), including data on running habits, demographics, and levels of muscle strength and flexibility made available at Figshare (DOI: 10.6084/m9.figshare.4543435); and (2) to examine the effect of running speed on selected gait-biomechanics variables related to both running injuries and running economy. Methods The lower-extremity kinematics and kinetics data of 28 regular runners were collected using a three-dimensional (3D) motion-capture system and an instrumented treadmill while the subjects ran at 2.5 m/s, 3.5 m/s, and 4.5 m/s wearing standard neutral shoes. Results A dataset comprising raw and processed kinematics and kinetics signals pertaining to this experiment is available in various file formats. In addition, a file of metadata, including demographics, running characteristics, foot-strike patterns, and muscle strength and flexibility measurements is provided. Overall, there was an effect of running speed on most of the gait-biomechanics variables selected for this study. However, the foot-strike patterns were not affected by running speed. Discussion Several applications of this dataset can be anticipated, including testing new methods of data reduction and variable selection; for educational purposes; and answering specific research questions. This last application was exemplified in the study’s second objective.
Evaluating feature-selection stability in next-generation proteomics

Identifying reproducible yet relevant features is a major challenge in biological research. This is well documented in genomics data. Using a proposed set of three reliability benchmarks, we find that this issue exists also in proteomics for commonly used feature-selection methods, e.g. [Formula: see text]-test and recursive feature elimination. Moreover, due to high test variability, selecting the top proteins based on [Formula: see text]-value ranks - even when restricted to high-abundance proteins - does not improve reproducibility. Statistical testing based on networks are believed to be more robust, but this does not always hold true: The commonly used hypergeometric enrichment that tests for enrichment of protein subnets performs abysmally due to its dependence on unstable protein pre-selection steps. We demonstrate here for the first time the utility of a novel suite of network-based algorithms called ranked-based network algorithms (RBNAs) on proteomics. These have originally been introduced and tested extensively on genomics data. We show here that they are highly stable, reproducible and select relevant features when applied to proteomics data. It is also evident from these results that use of statistical feature testing on protein expression data should be executed with due caution. Careless use of networks does not resolve poor-performance issues, and can even mislead. We recommend augmenting statistical feature-selection methods with concurrent analysis on stability and reproducibility to improve the quality of the selected features prior to experimental validation.
Judicial decision making: order of evidence presentation and availability of background information

An experiment was conducted to investigate both the effect of the order of presentation of defence and prosecution evidence and the prior availability of background information on assessment of guilt. Subjects were required to judge the defendant's probability of guilt either after each witness statement (step-by-step) or after having read all witness statements (end-of-sequence). In the step-by-step mode, an order effect was observed with later evidence exerting a greater impact on the subjects' judgment. This recency effect probably occurred because subjects used an anchoring-and-adjustment process: each new piece of evidence was averaged with an anchor judgment reflecting the overall assessment of previous items. In the end-of-sequence mode, on the other hand, the order effect depended on the background condition: if background information was provided a recency effect occurred, but if no background information was available a primacy effect was evident. This result might be explained by assuming that subjects tried to integrate witness information into a coherent cognitive pattern. As the judgment is memory-based in the end-of-sequence condition, recent information will be more available than earlier items. However, when no background information was presented, the first evidence items had to be processed at a more semantic, deeper level, resulting in a primacy effect that apparently outweighed the recency effect.
Network Variability Across Human Tissue Samples In Vitro: The Problem and a Solution

Slices prepared from cortical tissue that is surgically removed from patients to treat their epilepsy provide an opportunity to directly study the mechanisms underlying ictal activity. However, human in vitro studies have several limitations. One problem that may severely compromise investigations of network properties in these slices relates to how difficult it is to cut the tissue at angles that optimally preserve columnar connectivity. To address this problem, the authors investigated the degree of network variability in human tissue across samples and, within a single tissue sample, across slices cut at different angles using a novel form of optical imaging based on flavoprotein autofluorescence. The authors found a high degree of variability in the spatial extent, degree, and patterning of activation in slices from different samples. They also found variability across the slices cut from a single tissue sample at different angles. Indeed, these results suggest that human tissue samples have disparate degrees of network activity and that abnormal tissue may be confined to clusters of synchronously oscillating domains. Assessing circuit connectivity in a slice a priori will allow investigators to control for the overall degree of slice connectivity and selectively target active (or inactive) areas, making for better-informed comparisons of data.
Perception of Sexually Transmitted Infection-Preventive Measures among Senior Secondary School Students in Nnewi-North Local Government Area, Anambra State, Nigeria

Background: Sexually transmitted infections-preventive measures are effective methods employed in the prevention of sexually transmitted infections [STIs]. Sexually transmitted infections are among the most common infections in the world and therefore a major public health problem as they cause devastating long term consequences if untreated, especially in adolescents. Sexually transmitted infection-preventive measures, if correctly and consistently used, have been proven to be efficacious. Methodology: This was a cross-sectional descriptive study carried out among SS2 and SS3 students in Nnewi North Local Government Area of Anambra state, Nigeria. A structured, self administered questionnaire was administered to consenting senior secondary students to gather relevant information about socio-demogaraphic characteristics, knowledge about STIs, sexual behaviours. Three hundred and thirty four students participated in the study. Multi stage sampling technique was used. SPSS version 20 was used to analyze the data. Results were represented in tables and graphs. Results: Three hundred and thirty four students participated in the study, of which females and males are 167 each. 89% understood the meaning of STI. The majority of the respondents got the knowledge from TV/radio (34.4%), teachers (28.1%) and mother (27.0%). The majority of respondents knew that HIV/AIDS (89.8%), syphilis (58.1%) and Gonorrhoea (56.9%) were STIs. Good numbers of respondents knew the symptoms of STIs and risk factors of STI with unprotected sex and multiple sexual partners (57.5%) and (42.2%) respectively, as the highest risk factors. About 75.7% of respondents knew that HIV/AIDS cannot be cured. The Majority knew that avoiding sexual intercourse, being faithful to one partner and use of condom are preventive measures respectively. The majority of respondents (71%) felt they cannot be infected with an STI. 92.8% believed that STIs can be prevented. Age range for first sexual intercourse was 13 - 18 years for females and 8 - 19 years for males. Of the 86 that have had sexual intercourse, 48.8% had experienced one or more of the symptoms of STIs and the majority (80.9%) went to a hospital for treatment. Males (31.4%) are more likely to have multiple sexual partners than females (4.7%). Conclusion: The majority of the students had an objective knowledge on STIs transmission and prevention. Their overall attitude was positive but their practices were not satisfactory, especially for the males. Females were more careful and health conscious than their male counterpart.
EVIDÊNCIAS DA FRAGMENTAÇÃO DA POLÍTICA DE REDUCIONISMO ESTATAL: O mito da reforma administrativa gerencial brasileira

Um dos temas recorrentes na agenda de pesquisa da Ciencia Politica tem sido a analise sobre os alcances e limites dos paradigmas das reformas na administracao publica. Dentre os modelos de reformas organizacionais, o modelo gerencial foi aquele encabecou a agenda reformadora da decada de 1990, tendo na logica da elevacao da eficiencia estatal a politica de downsizing. Destarte, o presente artigo recorreu-se a analise do comportamento temporal do quantitativo de servidores e das despesas com pessoal, no periodo de 1995 a 2007, como proxy para identificar a longevidade da implementacao do modelo gerencial no âmbito da administracao publica brasileira. Concluiu-se que a experiencia do pais com o paradigma da administracao publica gerencial fragmentou-se no tempo.
On the Study of VLSI Derivation for Optical Flow Estimation

In this paper we propose studying several ways to implement a realistic and efficient VLSI design for a gradient-based dense motion estimator. The kind of estimator we focus on belongs to the class of differential methods. It is classically based on the optical flow constraint equation in association with a smoothness regularization term and also incorporates robust cost functions to alleviate the influence of large residuals. This estimator is expressed as the minimization of a global energy function defined within the framework of an incremental formulation associated with a multiresolution setup. In order to make possible the conception of efficient hardware, we consider a modified minimization strategy. This new minimization strategy is not only well suited to VLSI derivation, it is also very efficient in terms of quality of the result. The complete VLSI derivation is realized using high-level specifications.
6D Dynamic Camera Relocalization from Single Reference Image

Dynamic relocalization of 6D camera pose from single reference image is a costly and challenging task that requires delicate hand-eye calibration and precision positioning platform to do 3D mechanical rotation and translation. In this paper, we show that high-quality camera relocalization can be achieved in a much less expensive way. Based on inexpensive platform with unreliable absolute repositioning accuracy (ARA), we propose a hand-eye calibration free strategy to actively relocate camera into the same 6D pose that produces the input reference image, by sequentially correcting 3D relative rotation and translation. We theoretically prove that, by this strategy, both rotational and translational relative pose can be effectively reduced to zero, with bounded unknown hand-eye pose displacement. To conquer 3D rotation and translation ambiguity, this theoretical strategy is further revised to a practical relocalization algorithm with faster convergence rate and more reliability by jointly adjusting 3D relative rotation and translation. Extensive experiments validate the effectiveness and superior accuracy of the proposed approach on laboratory tests and challenging real-world applications.
Margins and marginality : Pakistani state and societies.

This year’s Pakistan Workshop provided an intellectually vibrant space in which to reflect on margins and marginalities in Pakistan and Pakistani communities. Scholars presented papers on a variety of topics, ranging from whether Pakistan is or might become a ‘failed state’ as a result of the legal crisis of 2007, to Musharraf’s controversial National Reconciliation Ordinance, to the US drone attacks.
Itinerant Routing in Elastic Optical Networks

We state a new problem of itinerant routing in elastic optical networks, which we define as the establishment and reconfiguration of an itinerant connection. In an itinerant connection, one of the connection end nodes is allowed to change. Itinerant routing could also be considered a form of connection restoration, where a connection has to be restored to a different end node. With the introduction and growth of mobile-network services and content-oriented services, and the eventual deployment of elastic optical networks, there is a need to support this itinerant routing in the elastic optical networks. We present and discuss two major use cases of the itinerant routing, and propose a novel reconfiguration algorithm. Our algorithm does not deteriorate the network performance, and requires half as many new links to configure in comparison with the complete shortest-path reconfiguration algorithm. The performance evaluation was carried out with 46 800 simulation runs using randomly-generated realistic transport networks.
Participation and Environmental Governance: Consensus, Ambivalence and Debate

During the past four decades the governance of environmental problems – the definition of issues and their political and practical resolution – has evolved to include a wider range of stakeholders in more extensive open discussions. In the introduction to this issue of Environmental Values on ‘Environment, Policy and Participation’, we outline some features of these recent developments in participatory environmental governance, indicate some key questions that arise, and give an overview of the collection of papers in this special issue.
A label-free biosensor based on silver nanoparticles array for clinical detection of serum p53 in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma

By using triangular silver (Ag) nanoparticle array, a localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) nanosensor was fabricated and shown to sense serum p53 protein in vitro, which is involved in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). The nanosensor consists of a triangular Ag nanoparticles array with single particle dimension of 120 nm in-plane width and 45 nm out-of-plane height. When examined using LSPR nanobiosensor, the results indicated significant difference in LSPR shifts (Δλmax) between HNSCC patient and control. Although there is need for precise quantification and large-scale prospective, this report shows that the LSPR nanobiosensor provides a promising platform with attractive advantages for serological diagnosis or molecular diagnosis in tumor, such as HNSCC. This is the first clinical application of the LSPR nanosensor in HNSCC.
On the feasibility of a large scale distributed testbed for measuring quality of path characteristics in the Internet

There is a long line of research on measuring the Quality of Service (QoS) path characteristics of the Internet, such as available bandwidth, path capacity, packets reordering, delay and jitter. Most of the measurement techniques are based on active probing using pairs or trains of packets. The packets are either transmitted back-to-back or at a desired spacing (e.g., to achieve a certain rate). In most cases, one-way active probing techniques are preferred over round trip measurements as they gather less measurement noise. However, a large scale study of the Internet using such techniques was not feasible due to the need to deploy and manage a large number of packet emitters and sinks. In this paper, we present the design of a system for conducting large scale QoPC measurements. Our novel design is based on the ability to emit packets either back to back or at desired rates using off the shelf MS Windows hosts, thus achieving the ability to use a volunteer community as measurement hosts. We demonstrate experimentally and explain how this can be done, and discuss the system aspects of such a solution.
Chronic stress and obesity: A new view of “comfort food”

The effects of adrenal corticosteroids on subsequent adrenocorticotropin secretion are complex. Acutely (within hours), glucocorticoids (GCs) directly inhibit further activity in the hypothalamo–pituitary–adrenal axis, but the chronic actions (across days) of these steroids on brain are directly excitatory. Chronically high concentrations of GCs act in three ways that are functionally congruent. (i) GCs increase the expression of corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) mRNA in the central nucleus of the amygdala, a critical node in the emotional brain. CRF enables recruitment of a chronic stress-response network. (ii) GCs increase the salience of pleasurable or compulsive activities (ingesting sucrose, fat, and drugs, or wheel-running). This motivates ingestion of “comfort food. ” (iii) GCs act systemically to increase abdominal fat depots. This allows an increased signal of abdominal energy stores to inhibit catecholamines in the brainstem and CRF expression in hypothalamic neurons regulating adrenocorticotropin. Chronic stress, together with high GC concentrations, usually decreases body weight gain in rats; by contrast, in stressed or depressed humans chronic stress induces either increased comfort food intake and body weight gain or decreased intake and body weight loss. Comfort food ingestion that produces abdominal obesity, decreases CRF mRNA in the hypothalamus of rats. Depressed people who overeat have decreased cerebrospinal CRF, catecholamine concentrations, and hypothalamo–pituitary–adrenal activity. We propose that people eat comfort food in an attempt to reduce the activity in the chronic stress-response network with its attendant anxiety. These mechanisms, determined in rats, may explain some of the epidemic of obesity occurring in our society.
Exploratory Statistics and Empiricism

Exploratory statistics represents the transformation of a realist theory of statistics held by early nineteenth-century astronomers into an empiricist theory of statistics held by biometricians at the turn of the twentieth century. This paper discusses four key ideas in empiricist thought that influenced the form exploratory statistics took: (1) Baconianism, (2) associationism, (3) the search for cognitive calculi, and (4) phenomenalism. Some limitations of and alternatives to exploratory statistics as a hypothesis-generating methodology are discussed.
Understanding Judgment of Information Quality and Cognitive Authority in the WWW

In the WWW, people are engaging in interaction with more, and more diverse information than ever before, so there is an increasing need for information “filtering. ” But because of the diversity of information resources, and the lack of traditional quality control on the WWW, the criteria of authority and quality of information that people have used for this purpose in past contexts may no longer be relevant. This paper reports on a study of people’s decision making with respect to quality and authority in the WWW. Seven facets of judgment of information quality were identified: source, content, format, presentation, currency, accuracy, and speed of loading. People mentioned source credibility with two levels: institutional level and individual level. Authority was identified as a underlying theme in source credibility. Institutional authority involved: institutional domain identified by URL; institution type; and institution reputation recognized by names. Individual authority involved: identification of creator/author; creator/author affiliation; and creator/author’s name. People were more or less concerned with evaluating information quality depending upon: the consequence of use of information; act or commitment based on information; and the focus of inquiry. It was also found that people believed that the web, as an institution, was less authoritative and less credible than other types of information systems.
Epistemology of strategy: some insights from empirical analyses

Purpose – Knowledge is often tapped in the process of strategy making. Yet this is rarely explored in the empirical research literature. However, to better understand strategy making in Chinese minds, a new epistemology of strategy is needed. This is the aim of this paper.Design/methodology/approach – A unique approach is taken here, one that highlights the differences in Eastern and Western thinking but also draws upon recent empirical results to underlie the discussion.Findings – As may be expected, evidence was found that the more business‐oriented a discipline, the more likely ideas from the discipline are being utilized in strategy making. Psychology, sociology and politics are far less relevant for strategy than the other disciplines. Even more intriguing insights are gained as to contextual influences on strategy‐making processes. In terms of economic sectors, the strategy‐making processes are richer in terms of the tapping of ideas than in services.Research limitations/implications – Clearly there.