Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Contemporary developments in information and consultation

The employment relations environment is in a period of significant change. Pressures of globalization have intensified competition in product and labour markets, emphasizing the need for greater efficiency and productivity, and leading to a greater focus on the link between employment practices and organizational strategy. In the area of participation this has led to a renewed focus on employer-sponsored employee involvement arrangements with direct engagement with workers and co-workers in autonomous or semi-autonomous teams. From this perspective, prescriptions are less concerned with voice per se, and the related issues of social justice and organizational democracy, and more focused on the alleged business benefits (Sako, 1998). This agenda has been subsumed most recently within the debate surrounding the implementation of high performance work systems. Leading advocates have described such approaches in terms of high involvement management, high commitment management or high performance work systems under a mutual gains approach (Appelbaum and Batt, 1994; Kochan et al., 1986; Lawler, 1986; Levine, 1995; Levine and Tyson, 1990; Wood, 1996). However, employee voice through participation forms can differ in the scope of decisions, the amount of power workers can exercise over management, and the organizational level at which the decisions are made. Some forms are purposely designed to give workers a very modest role in decision-making, while others are intended to give the workforce a substantial amount of power in organizational governance. At the same time there are pressures to democratize the workplace with an emphasis on the rights of workers (Gratton, 2003). The Industrial Society has suggested that the debate over employee information and consultation is more than just an ‘economic imperative’ (other words for ‘good for business’) or a rationalization of the law (too much and too complex legislation) (Burns, 2000). Fundamental to this debate is the underlying argument that employees and their representatives have a right to be consulted and ‘to have a say at work’ or what is sometimes referred to as ‘industrial citizenship’. The question for the state and policy makers is whether these rights should be of an individual nature or whether there should also be collective rights of employee representation. Hammer (1997) has questioned whether worker involvement in
Cdx1 and cdx2 expression during intestinal development.

BACKGROUND & AIMS The intestine-specific transcription factors Cdx1 and Cdx2 are candidate genes for directing intestinal development, differentiation, and maintenance of the intestinal phenotype. This study focused on the complex patterns of expression of Cdx1 and Cdx2 during mouse gastrointestinal development. METHODS Embryonic and postnatal mouse tissues were analyzed by immunohistochemistry to determine protein expression of Cdx1 and Cdx2 in the developing intestinal tract. RESULTS Cdx2 protein expression was observed at 9. 5 postcoitum (pc), whereas weak expression of Cdx1 protein was first seen at 12.5 pc in the distal developing intestine (hindgut). Expression of Cdx1 increased from 13.5 to 14.5 pc during the endoderm/epithelial transition with predominately distal expression. In contrast to Cdx1, there was intense expression of Cdx2 in all but the distal portions of the developing intestine. Cdx2 expression remained low in the distal colon throughout postnatal development. A gradient of expression formed in the crypt-villus axis, with Cdx1 primarily in the crypt and Cdx2 primarily in the villus. CONCLUSIONS Direct comparison of the patterns of Cdx1 and Cdx2 protein expression during development as performed in this study provides new insights into their potential functional roles. The relative expression of Cdx1 to Cdx2 protein may be important in the anterior to posterior patterning of the intestinal epithelium and in defining patterns of proliferation and differentiation along the crypt-villus axis.
A Microstrip Resonator With Slotted Ground Plane for Complex Permittivity Measurements of Liquids

A novel microstrip resonator is designed to measure complex permittivities of liquids with medium loss. The enclosed resonator is based on a lambda/2 open-circuit microstrip line with a slot in the ground plane. It is immersed into the liquid under test to measure the S-parameter from 2.2 to 2.6 GHz. The complex permittivities of binary liquid mixtures of methanol and ethanol are reconstructed from the resonant frequency and the unloaded quality factor. The experimental results agree with reference values. The maximum errors are 4.4% and 8.6% for the real and imaginary part of the permittivity, respectively.
A Behavioral Assessment of Voters after 17th December 2013 (Corruption) Operation in Turkey: A preview to 30th March Local Elections

In this study, by the results of the survey I will try to asses if Justice and Development Party, ruling for 11 years, will experience a vote loss or electoral realignment in forthcoming 30th March 2014 local elections because the conflict between Justice and Development Party and Fethullah Gulen Community which first started on closing the private tutoring centers is growing more after 17th December Corruption Operation process. According to this survey results, Political participation elements will be handled by categorizing in the criteria of the level of participation regarding to the parties, education, age, gender, income level and occupation criteria. The purpose of this study is not to determine how much vote the parties will gain in 30th of March 2014 Local Elections.
Women's empowerment strategies in NGOs in the city of Jeddah, Saudi Arabia : exploring the complexity and challenges of the cultural context

This thesis explores the complex issue of women’s empowerment strategies in NGOs in Saudi Arabia. The rapid social change, which has taken place in the recent years, has transformed both private and professional roles for women in the country; it has created new spaces and increased visibility for women. The empirical study employed a mixed methods approach consisting of interviews and questionnaire survey. The analysis identified five major strategies employed by Saudi NGOs to promote women’s empowerment, which include: guests and events, building alliances, media, religion, and framing women’s issues. The findings identified religion as a decisive influence in many decisions made by NGOs regarding women’s empowerment strategies. The analysis furthermore identifies contrasting views regarding employing the term “empowerment” these reflecting the rapid social change and ideologies present in the country. Ultimately, the thesis portrays the challenges NGOs face promoting women’s empowerment which is equally reflected in the literature review and the empirical findings of the study.
Two-dimensional crack growth in FRP laminates and sandwich panels

Fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) composite materials are currently being selected for the design of lightweight and efficient structural members in a wide number of engineering applications. Sandwich panels with glass fiber-reinforced polymer (GFRP) face sheets and low-density cores are notably one of the most common applications of FRP materials in the civil engineering field. The load-bearing capacity of FRP structures can be significantly reduced by delamination and debonding damage which, in actual structural members, may extend all around its perimeter, thus constantly changing the size of the crack front. However, most research efforts concerning the fracture characterization of delamination and debonding damage have focused on one-dimensional (1D) fracture specimens where cracks propagate longitudinally with an approximately constant crack width, thus resulting in fracture properties that may lead to inaccurate predictions of fracture behavior in real structures. With the aim of establishing a more realistic fracture approach to delamination and debonding damage in FRP structures and thus improving their fracture characterization, the two-dimensional (2D) crack growth in GFRP laminates and GFRP/balsa sandwich panels is investigated in this research. The 2D quasi-static delamination behavior in GFRP plates with embedded defects subjected to out-of-plane tensile loads was experimentally investigated. Increasing loads were obtained due to the disproportionate increase of the crack area throughout the propagation of the 2D crack. Analysis of the load-bearing and compliance responses indicated that a stiffening of the opened part of the plates occurred as a result of in-plane stretching stresses that developed due to the boundary conditions associated with an embedded 2D crack. To investigate the effect of the stress stiffening and associated fracture mechanisms, the 2D delamination behavior was numerically studied. Results confirmed a 50% increase, compared to 1D fracture, in the total strain energy release rate (SERR) required to propagate the crack. This was correlated to the increase of the fiber-bridging
Treatment of Cognitive Dysfunction in Psychiatric Disorders

Most people with severe and persistent psychiatric disorders have significant cognitive deficits. Both schizophrenia and affective disorders with psychosis are associated with problems in attention, memory, and executive functioning. These deficits are predictive of lower work status, impairments in social skills, and poorer response to psychosocial skills training. Cognitive impairment makes it difficult for individuals to benefit from focused skills interventions that they are offered. This article describes behavioral treatments available to address cognitive dysfunction in individuals with psychiatric disorders. The evidence for efficacy is reviewed and recommendations are made for ways to begin addressing cognitive impairment in mainstream psychiatric practice.
Neutrophil Rolling , Arrest , and Transmigration Across Activated , Surface-Adherent Platelets Via Sequential Action of P-Selectin and the &-Integrin CDllb / CDl 8

Platelets bound to thrombogenic surfaces have been shown to support activation-dependent firm adhesion of neutrophils in flow following selectin-mediated tethering and rolling. The specific receptor(s) responsible for mediating adhesion-strengthening interactions between neutrophils and platelets has not previously been identified. Furthermore, the ability of adherent platelets to support the migration of bound neutrophils has not been tested. We studied neutrophil interactions with activated, surface-adherent platelets as a model for leukocyte binding in vascular shear flow and emigration at thrombogenic sites. Our results demonstrate that the &-integrin Mac-1 (CDI IblCD18) is required for both firm attachment to and transmigration of neutrophils across surface-adherent platelets. In flow assays, neutrophils from patients with leukocyte adhesion deficiency-1 (LAD-I), which lack &-integrin receptors, formed P-selectin-mediated rolling interactions, but were unable to develop firm adhesion
Blood pressure, brain structure, and cognition: opposite associations in men and women.

BACKGROUND Research on associations between blood pressure, brain structure, and cognitive function has produced somewhat inconsistent results. In part, this may be due to differences in age ranges studied and because of sex differences in physiology and/or exposure to risk factors, which may lead to different time course or patterns in cardiovascular disease progression. The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of sex on associations between blood pressure, regional cerebral volumes, and cognitive function in older individuals. METHODS In this cohort study, brachial blood pressure was measured twice at rest in 266 community-based individuals free of dementia aged 68-73 years who had also undergone a brain scan and a neuropsychological assessment. Associations between mean blood pressure (MAP), regional brain volumes, and cognition were investigated with voxel-wise regression analyses. RESULTS Positive associations between MAP and regional volumes were detected in men, whereas negative associations were found in women. Similarly, there were sex differences in the brain-volume cognition relationship, with a positive relationship between regional brain volumes associated with MAP in men and a negative relationship in women. CONCLUSIONS In this cohort of older individuals, higher MAP was associated with larger regional volume and better cognition in men, whereas opposite findings were demonstrated in women. These effects may be due to different lifetime risk exposure or because of physiological differences between men and women. Future studies investigating the relationship between blood pressure and brain structure or cognitive function should evaluate the potential for differential sex effects.
Enhanced natural killer-cell and T-cell responses to influenza A virus during pregnancy

Significance Pregnant women are subject to increased morbidity and mortality after influenza-virus infection. Pregnancy-induced suppression of the cellular immune system to promote fetal tolerance has been suggested as a potential mechanism. Here, we report that, whereas pregnant women indeed have decreased natural killer (NK)- and T-cell functional responses after nonspecific stimulation with phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate and ionomycin, they have significantly increased NK- and T-cell responses to influenza virus compared with nonpregnant women. Intriguingly, these differences were present prior to influenza vaccination and were further enhanced after vaccination. Collectively, our data suggest a model in which an enhanced inflammatory response to influenza during pregnancy results in additional pathology in pregnant women, providing a potential explanation for their disproportionate morbidity and mortality. Pregnant women experience increased morbidity and mortality after influenza infection, for reasons that are not understood. Although some data suggest that natural killer (NK)- and T-cell responses are suppressed during pregnancy, influenza-specific responses have not been previously evaluated. Thus, we analyzed the responses of women that were pregnant (n = 21) versus those that were not (n = 29) immediately before inactivated influenza vaccination (IIV), 7 d after vaccination, and 6 wk postpartum. Expression of CD107a (a marker of cytolysis) and production of IFN-γ and macrophage inflammatory protein (MIP) 1β were assessed by flow cytometry. Pregnant women had a significantly increased percentage of NK cells producing a MIP-1β response to pH1N1 virus compared with nonpregnant women pre-IIV [median, 6.66 vs. 0.90% (P = 0.0149)] and 7 d post-IIV [median, 11.23 vs. 2.81% (P = 0.004)], indicating a heightened chemokine response in pregnant women that was further enhanced by the vaccination. Pregnant women also exhibited significantly increased T-cell production of MIP-1β and polyfunctionality in NK and T cells to pH1N1 virus pre- and post-IIV. NK- and T-cell polyfunctionality was also enhanced in pregnant women in response to the H3N2 viral strain. In contrast, pregnant women had significantly reduced NK- and T-cell responses to phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate and ionomycin. This type of stimulation led to the conclusion that NK- and T-cell responses during pregnancy are suppressed, but clearly this conclusion is not correct relative to the more biologically relevant assays described here. Robust cellular immune responses to influenza during pregnancy could drive pulmonary inflammation, explaining increased morbidity and mortality.
Inhibition of Calpain Cleavage of Huntingtin Reduces Toxicity

Huntington's disease (HD) is a neurodegenerative disorder caused by a polyglutamine (polyQ) tract expansion near the N terminus of huntingtin (Htt). Proteolytic processing of mutant Htt and abnormal calcium signaling may play a critical role in disease progression and pathogenesis. Recent work indicates that calpains may participate in the increased and/or altered patterns of Htt proteolysis leading to the selective toxicity observed in HD striatum. Here, we identify two calpain cleavage sites in Htt and show that mutation of these sites renders the polyQ expanded Htt less susceptible to proteolysis and aggregation, resulting in decreased toxicity in an in vitro cell culture model. In addition, we found that calpain- and caspase-derived Htt fragments preferentially accumulate in the nucleus without the requirement of further cleavage into smaller fragments. Calpain family members, calpain-1, -5, -7, and -10, have increased levels or are activated in HD tissue culture and transgenic mouse models, suggesting they may play a key role in Htt proteolysis and disease pathology. Interestingly, calpain-1, -5, -7, and -10 localize to the cytoplasm and the nucleus, whereas the activated forms of calpain-7 and -10 are found only in the nucleus. These results support the role of calpain-derived Htt fragmentation in HD and suggest that aberrant activation of calpains may play a role in HD pathogenesis.
Current Treatment Strategies for the Painful Lumbar Motion Segment: Posterolateral Fusion Versus Interbody Fusion

Study Design. Review of the literature. Objectives. We discuss the indications and contraindications for posterolateral lumbar fusion and posterior approaches to lumbar interbody fusion. We also review the advances in minimal access surgical techniques, graft materials, and osteobiologics. Summary of Background Data. Previously published data and our own surgical experience form the basis of this report. Methods. A Pub Med online internet search for the keywords was performed. The pertinent articles were then cited. Results. Posterior interbody fusion techniques have theoretical and demonstrable advantages over posterolateral fusion, but the former is also associated with greater morbidity. There are several approaches one may use to perform posterior interbody fusion, as well as multiple minimally invasive techniques and interbody spacer graft options. Bone morphogenetic protein offers an attractive alternative for achieving fusion. Conclusion. Fusion of painful motion segments is widely used to treat patients with degenerative low back pain. Successful arthrodesis may be achieved using either posterolateral fusion with pedicle screw fixation or posterior interbody fusion, depending on the patient's situation. These techniques may be accomplished with a variety of minimal access strategies and various graft and spacer technologies. The modern spine surgeon should be proficient in using all these options to treat the painful lumbar motion segment.
Cystic disease in women: clinical characteristics and medical management.

Autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD) is a dominantly inherited systemic disorder equally inherited in men and women characterized by renal cyst development and expansion ultimately leading to renal failure. ADPKD women have a slower rate of progression to renal failure, with a later age of entry into end-stage renal disease (ESRD) as compared with men. Renal cyst growth and renal expansion are the hallmarks of ADPKD, and women will develop renal insufficiency with smaller renal volume than their male counterparts. As well, women have different rates of occurrence of renal and extrarenal complications in ADPKD. Renal complications related to ADPKD, including hypertension and gross hematuria, occur more frequently in men than in women, whereas liver cystic disease occurs earlier and more frequently in women than in men. The presence of polycystic liver disease is related to pregnancy number and oral contraceptive pill use in ADPKD women. Importantly, massive polycystic liver disease requiring surgical intervention occurs primarily in ADPKD women. ADKPD women have a highly successful reproductive course. The chance of a successful pregnancy is excellent in ADPKD women and comparable to healthy unaffected women as long as prepregnancy blood pressure and renal function are normal. Fetal complication rates are no greater than in the general population; however, maternal complication rates in ADPKD women are high with an increased frequency of new or worsening hypertension as well as an increased occurrence of preeclampsia and preterm deliveries. Finally, increasing pregnancy number has minimal or no effect on renal outcome in ADPKD women.
Performances of variable step-size adaptive algorithms in non-Gaussian interference environments

Two variable step-size normalized least mean square (VSS-NLMS) algorithms, namely the Non-Parametric VSS-NLMS and Switched Mode VSS-NLMS, are reformulated into complex signal form for STAP applications. The performances of these two VSS NLMS algorithms in Gaussian and compound-K clutters are evaluated via a phased array space-slow-time STAP example. We find that the misadjustment behaviors are inconsistent with the excess MSEs which is a better measure of STAP performance. Both VSS-NLMS algorithms outperform conventional fixed step-size (FSS) NLMS algorithms with fast convergence and low steady-state excess MSE. The SM-VSS-NLMS provides a better performance compromise than the NP-VSS-NLMS with much lower steady-state excess MSEs and slightly slower convergence speeds. The performance gain of both VSS algorithms reduces in heavy-tailed clutter environments than that in Gaussian clutters. Their robustness against impulsive interference is better than conventional FSS-NLMS.
Exploring Cultures within University-Industry Partnerships: A Case Study of the California Institutes for Science and Innovation

University-industry partnerships at the California Institutes for Science and Innovation are explored by examining research evidence based on the perspectives of the institutes' faculty, students, administrators, and industry partners. A case study approach is used, including participant observations, interviews, and document analysis. Findings indicate that each of the four California Institutes for Science and Innovation have similar approaches in developing priorities, focusing on building community and developing relationships among their partners. Further, the study indicates that beyond the change from basic to applied science, the collaborations between scientists from different backgrounds may lead to new forms of scientific problem solving that combines basic and applied approaches. It also provides evidence of how scientific information leads to products, publications, and scientific breakthroughs. In addition, understanding is enhanced of the relationship among intellectual property rights, conflict of interest, and secrecy problems. In conclusion, valuable information is provided to the institutes and others interested in forming similar partnerships as they set priorities and make organizational decisions. From a theoretical perspective, the study contributes to an understanding of scientific and commercial cultures and the combining of these two cultures in the implementation of a collaborative venture. (JSD)
Comparison of keyword spotting methods for searching in speech

This paper presents and discusses keyword spotting methods for searching in speech. In contrast with searching in text, the searching in speech or generally in multimedia data still represents a challenge. The aim of the paper is to present a keyword spotting (KWS) method based on a large vocabulary continuous speech recognition (LVCSR) system, based on phonetics decoder