Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Linking Staffing and Training Practices with Business Strategy: A Theoretical Perspective.

There is a growing recognition that in order to remain competitive in a constantly changing environment, firms should make human resources a significant part of their long-range business strategy plans (Burack, 1992; Dyer, 1984; Tichy, Fombrun, and Devanna, 1984; Sandy, 1990). The staffing and training practices that a firm adopts are critical in ensuring that skills match business requirements. This article examines the nature of these practices and proposes that appropriate linkages between a firm's staffing and training practices and its business strategy will lead to higher firm performance. Four kinds of staffing and training practices are examined: (1) skill source used, (2) functional emphasis on skills, (3) emphasis on breadth of skills, and (4) quality emphasis.
The contribution of cognitive and metacognitive strategy use to students' science achievement

This study examined the differences in the level of 7th-grade Turkish students' cognitive and metacognitive strategy use (rehearsal, elaboration, organization, critical thinking, and metacognitive self-regulation) in science and investigated the contribution of cognitive and metacognitive strategy use to students' science achievement. The present study also explored the relationships between students' background characteristics (gender, prior knowledge, socioeconomic status) and their cognitive and metacognitive strategy use and science achievement. The statistical analyses revealed significant differences in the level of students' cognitive and metacognitive strategy use scores. Besides, elaboration, organization, and metacognitive self-regulation strategy use were found to make a significant contribution to students' science achievement. Moreover, prior knowledge, parents' educational level, number of reading materials at home, frequency of buying a daily newspaper, presence of a separate study room, and presence of a computer with internet connection at home were significantly associated with cognitive and metacognitive strategy use and science achievement.
Equity in Irish health care financing: measurement issues

Abstract This paper employs widely used analytic techniques for measuring equity in health care financing to update Irish results from previous analysis based on data from the late 1980s. Kakwani indices are calculated using household survey data from 1987/88 to 2004/05. Results indicate a marginally progressive financing system overall. However, interpretation of the results for the private sources of health financing is complicated. This problem is not unique to Ireland but it is argued that it may be relatively more important in the context of a complex health financing system, illustrated in this paper by the Irish system. Alternative options for improving the analysis of equity in health care financing are discussed.
Perspectives of orthonormal basis functions based kernels in Bayesian system identification?

Kernel-based regularization approaches for linear time-invariant system identification have been introduced recently. This class of methods corresponds to a particular regularized least-squares methodology that may achieve a favorable bias/variance trade-off compared with classical Prediction Error Minimization (PEM) methods. However, to fully exploit this property, the kernel function itself needs to be appropriately designed for the identification problem at hand to be able to successfully capture all relevant aspects of the data-generating system. Hence, there is a need for a methodology that can accomplish this design step without affecting the simplicity of these approaches. In this paper, we propose a systematic kernel construction mechanism to capture dynamic system behavior via the use of orthonormal basis functions (OBFs). Two special cases are investigated as an illustration of the construction mechanism, namely Laguerre and Kautz based kernel structures. Monte-Carlo simulations show that OBFs-based kernels with Laguerre basis perform well compared with stable spline/TC kernels, especially for slow systems with dominant poles close to the unit circle. Moreover, the capability of Kautz basis to model resonant systems is also shown.
Predication-typing : a pilot study in semantic analysis

Abstract : This is a pilot study concerned with developing an inductive method for semantic classification of natural language forms. Consideration is restricted to forms expressing relations between entities or sentence elements. A paraphrasing technique called predication-typing is used to generate the data. This technique consists in paraphrasing sentences or portions of sentences, patterning the paraphrase according to a standard schema so as to incorporate one of a restricted set of expressions called 'predication types' as the connective element between the entities of the relation. The original natural language forms which have prompted selection of particular predication types are called cue forms. They may be then characterized in terms of the variety and frequency of selection of predication types whose use they have prompted in the course of processing a significant quantity of text. This characterization of a cue form in terms of predication types is called its 'semantic spectrum. ' 'Semantic groupings' are derived from the semantic spectra which give promise of allowing for a systematic representation of semantic relations between natural language forms in terms of the meanings of the set of predication types as well as in terms of the two semantic dimensions of generality vs. specificity and vagueness vs. definiteness of meaning. (Author)
The Discourse of Deference and Its Impact on Tourist–Host Power Relations

As tourist-sending organizations involved in humanitarian-oriented tourism, like volunteer and sustainable tourism, become more aware of the criticisms regarding their activities, and thus more concerned about their impacts, they increasingly utilize a discourse that encourages their participants’ deference toward the host populations. While discourse is acknowledged as integral to tourism, rarely are the behavioral impacts of discourse evaluated, and the discourse of deference circulating among tourists has never been examined. By looking at the specific case of the Presbyterian Church of the United States and a group of U.S. Presbyterian missionaries traveling to Cuba, this article provides an example of (1) what the discourse of deference is; (2) how it circulates, becomes internalized, and influences behavior; and (3) how those behavioral changes impact tourist–host power relations. Ultimately, this case provides awareness about the discourse of deference that circulates in broader, humanitarian-oriented tourism contexts.
Le rétablissement du soi dans la schizophrénie

Les avancees medicales et psychosociales dans la prise en charge de la schizophrenie ainsi que la place grandissante accordee aux mouvements d’usagers ont profondement modifie les conceptions evolutives du trouble schizophrenique. La notion de retablissement en constitue le paradigme le plus recent. Nous proposons de developper une reflexion theoricoclinique autour de la conception processuelle du retablissement qui met en lumiere, au travers d’etudes qualitatives, le vecu subjectif de la maladie et de son evolution. Nous tentons de degager une meilleure comprehension des processus de remaniements identitaires propres au retablissement dans la schizophrenie. Nous en declinons deux modalites : le rapport au trouble et le rapport a soi que nous illustrons par les propos de patients issus d’entretiens cliniques. Enfin, nous envisageons les implications cliniques de ces elements de comprehension.
In vivo dynamics of galactose metabolism in Saccharomyces cerevisiae: metabolic fluxes and metabolite levels.

The dynamics of galactose metabolism in Saccharomyces cerevisiae was studied by analyzing the metabolic response of the CEN.PK 113-7D wild-type strain when exposed to a galactose pulse during aerobic growth in a galactose-limited steady-state cultivation at a dilution rate of 0.097 h(-1). A fast sampling technique and subsequent methanol-chloroform/solid phase extractions were applied for in vivo measurements of the dynamic changes of the AMP, ADP, ATP levels and the sugar phosphates of the Leloir pathway. The ATP level was found to be significantly lower for yeast growing under galactose limitation (0.37 +/- 0.05 micromol/g CDW) than what has been reported for growth under glucose limitation. The galactose pulse of 5.58 mM was consumed within 40 min (t = 40) and 7 min after the pulse was added cell growth stopped. Subsequently, the cells started to grow and at t = 30 the specific growth rate had recovered to half the steady-state growth rate (0.047 h(-1)). To evaluate the change in flux distribution at steady state and during the galactose transient, a stoichiometric model describing the aerobic metabolism of S. cerevisiae was set up for quantification of the metabolic fluxes. At t = 7 the flux entering the TCA cycle was low and acetate and ethanol started to be excreted to the extracellular medium. During recovery of cell growth the flux entering the TCA cycle increased again, and at t = 30 this flux exceeded the corresponding steady-state flux. During the pulse an enhanced level of Gal-1P was measured, which may be responsible for a toxic metabolic response in S. cerevisiae. The increase in the Gal-1P concentration is intensified by the low affinity of Gal7 towards Gal-1P and, hence, under the physiological conditions examined Gal7 seems to exert control over flux through the Leloir pathway.
Organizing Employment for High Performance: Theories, Evidence and Policy

There has been increased interest in recent years about the way in which employment is organized. Some commentators have suggested that there has been a qualitative transformation such that new forms of work organization have developed which offer the prospect of improved performance. Among the key propositions are: (1) labour is being deployed in a more flexible manner; (2) productivity increasingly depends on the commitment offered by workers; (3) performance-oriented work practices only work if introduced in an internally consistent manner; and (4), it is crucial that such practices are congruent with the overall strategy of the organization in which they are sited. Empirical evidence has indicated that there is much support for these propositions, but that the link between them and high organizational performance is both complex and variable. In particular, the context in which they are situated is a crucial determinant of their success.
Feminism, Psychology and Social Policy: Constructing Political Boundaries at the Grassroots

Dominant ideologies of motherhood, reproduction and the family powerfully pervade public policies and are perhaps influential enough to define aspects of everyday life. Ideology and how best to challenge it therefore constitute important issues for psychology, social policy and feminism. In this article I argue for a feminist psychology of resistance that departs from a feminist critique of mainstream psychology or academic politics based on voice. Drawing on my experiences as a researcher involved in social activism around reproduction and motherhood, I aim to highlight the dilemmas and possibilities of making challenges through the genre of ‘voice’ (that is, as problematized through the politics of experience and representation). I argue that such dilemmas should not simply be reconciled in a textual way, but that we must use the spaces they create to forge connections between those researching social issues and those who have experience in their everyday lives of resistance and challenge.
A diabetes-predictive amino acid score and future cardiovascular disease.

AIMS We recently identified a metabolic signature of three amino acids (tyrosine, phenylalanine, and isoleucine) that strongly predicts diabetes development. As novel modifiable targets for intervention are needed to meet the expected increase of cardiovascular disease (CVD) caused by the diabetes epidemic, we investigated whether this diabetes-predictive amino acid score (DM-AA score) predicts development of CVD and its functional consequences. METHODS AND RESULTS We performed a matched case-control study derived from the population-based Malmö Diet and Cancer Cardiovascular Cohort (MDC-CC), all free of CVD. During 12 years of follow-up, 253 individuals developed CVD and were matched for age, sex, and Framingham risk score with 253 controls. Amino acids were profiled in baseline plasma samples, using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry, and relationship to incident CVD was assessed using conditional logistic regression. We further examined whether the amino acid score also correlated with anatomical [intima-media thickness (IMT) and plaque formation] and functional (exercise-induced myocardial ischaemia) abnormalities. Compared with the lowest quartile of the DM-AA score, the odds ratio (95% confidence interval) for incident CVD in subjects belonging to quartiles 2, 3, and 4 was 1.27 (0.72-2.22), 1.96 (1.07-3.60), and 2.20 (1.12-4.31) (Ptrend = 0.010), respectively, after multivariate adjustment. Increasing quartile of the DM-AA score was cross-sectionally related to carotid IMT (Ptrend = 0.037) and with the presence of at least one plaque larger than 10 mm(2) (Ptrend = 0.001). Compared with the lowest quartile of the DM-AA score, the odds ratio (95% confidence interval) for inducible ischaemia in subjects belonging to quartiles 2, 3, and 4 was 3.31 (1.05-10.4), 4.24 (1.36-13.3), and 4.86 (1.47-16.1) (Ptrend = 0.011), respectively. CONCLUSION This study identifies branched-chain and aromatic amino acids as novel markers of CVD development and as an early link between diabetes and CVD susceptibility.
Measuring wearing time of knee-ankle-foot orthoses in children with cerebral palsy: comparison of parent-report and objective measurement

Abstract Purpose state: Orthotic wearing time may be an important confounder in efficacy studies of treatment in children with spastic cerebral palsy (SCP). Most studies measure parent-reported wearing time (WTparent) with questionnaires, but it is questionable whether this yields valid results. This study aims to compare WTparent with objectively measured wearing time (WTobj) in children with SCP receiving orthotic treatment. Method: Eight children with SCP participated in this observational study. For one year, they received knee-ankle-foot orthosis (KAFO) treatment. WTparent was measured using questionnaires. WTobj was measured using temperature sensor-data-loggers that were attached to the KAFOs. The 2.5th and 97.5th percentiles and median of differences between methods (per participant) were used to calculate limits of agreement and systematic differences. Results: There was no systematic difference between WTparent and WTobj (0.1 h per week), but high inter-individual variation of the difference was found, as reflected by large limits of agreement (lower limit/2.5th percentile: −1.7 h/week; upper limit/97.5th percentile: 11.1 h/week). Conclusions: Parent-reported wearing time (WTparent) of a KAFO differs largely from objectively measured wearing time (WTobj) using temperature sensors. Therefore, parent-reported wearing time (WTparent) of KAFOs should be interpreted with utmost care. Implications for Rehabilitation Low wearing time of orthoses may be a cause of inefficacy of orthotic treatment and incorrect reported wearing time may bias results of efficacy studies. Results of this study show that parent-reported wearing time is not in agreement with objectively measured wearing time. Parent-reported wearing time of KAFOs should be interpreted with utmost care. Objective methods are recommended for measuring orthotic wearing time.
A Linear Programming Approach to Limited Angle 3D Reconstruction from DSA Projections

Summary Objectives: We investigate the feasibility of binary-valued 3D tomographic reconstruction using only a small number of projections acquired over a limited range of angles. Methods: Regularization of this strongly ill-posed problem is achieved by (i) confining the reconstruction to binary vessel/non-vessel decisions, and (ii) by minimizing a global functional involving a smoothness prior. Results: Our approach successfully reconstructs volumetric vessel structures from three projections taken within 90°. The percentage of reconstructed voxels differing from ground truth is below 1%. Conclusion: We demonstrate that for particular applications – like Digital Subtraction Angiography – 3D reconstructions are possible where conventional methods must fail, due to a severely limited imaging geometry. This could play an important role for dose reduction and 3D reconstruction using non-conventional technical setups.
Practical Position and Yaw Rate Estimation with GPS and Differential Wheelspeeds

This paper compares two different global position estimation strategies for vehicle navigation. Both estimate individual wheel radii with GPS and then use wheelspeed information to estimate the path length travelled. One further uses wheelspeed information to estimate vehicle heading. The other uses GPS to calibrate the bias and scale factor of an automotive grade gyroscope which is then used to estimate vehicle heading. Detailed model assumptions are discussed including the error contributions of several modeling simplifications. Test results show the gyro and wheelspeed-heading schemes perform equally when modeling assumptions hold, such as when navigating smooth road surfaces. However, the wheelspeed-heading estimator exhibits more sensitivity to wheel slip and road surface. Its position errors grow about twice as fast when the vehicle navigates speed bumps and uneven road surfaces. Increasing the resolution of the stock wheelspeed sensors does not increase the positioning accuracy of either estimator. Both schemes may benefit by compensating for wheel slip during braking.
Upending the Grammar of the Conventional Religious School

This article provides an overview and analysis of a relatively new phenomenon: congregational schools that have altered the conventional grammar of schooling, either through their structural arrangements or through their curricular approaches. Five pre-bar/bat mitzvah models are discussed: family schools, schools as communities, informal / experiential programs, afterschool/day care programs, and those that deconstruct and reconstruct the conventional model. In addition, three curricular innovations are examined: project based learning, learning organized around the interests and abilities of the students, and Hebrew Through Movement. Also considered are the factors that are necessary to the survival and proliferation of these new structures and curricular arrangements.
Nanopatterned protein microrings from a diatom that direct silica morphogenesis

Diatoms are eukaryotic microalgae that produce species-specifically structured cell walls made of SiO2 (silica). Formation of the intricate silica structures of diatoms is regarded as a paradigm for biomolecule-controlled self-assembly of three-dimensional, nano- to microscale-patterned inorganic materials. Silica formation involves long-chain polyamines and phosphoproteins (silaffins and silacidins), which are readily soluble in water, and spontaneously form dynamic supramolecular assemblies that accelerate silica deposition and influence silica morphogenesis in vitro. However, synthesis of diatom-like silica structure in vitro has not yet been accomplished, indicating that additional components are required. Here we describe the discovery and intracellular location of six novel proteins (cingulins) that are integral components of a silica-forming organic matrix (microrings) in the diatom Thalassiosira pseudonana. The cingulin-containing microrings are specifically associated with girdle bands, which constitute a substantial part of diatom biosilica. Remarkably, the microrings exhibit protein-based nanopatterns that closely resemble characteristic features of the girdle band silica nanopatterns. Upon the addition of silicic acid the microrings become rapidly mineralized in vitro generating nanopatterned silica replicas of the microring structures. A silica-forming organic matrix with characteristic nanopatterns was also discovered in the diatom Coscinodiscus wailesii, which suggests that preassembled protein-based templates might be general components of the cellular machinery for silica morphogenesis in diatoms. These data provide fundamentally new insight into the molecular mechanisms of biological silica morphogenesis, and may lead to the development of self-assembled 3D mineral forming protein scaffolds with designed nanopatterns for a host of applications in nanotechnology.
University of Huddersfield Repository Sexuality, Space and Intersectionality: The Case of Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Equalities Initiatives in UK Local Government

The notion of intersectionality has been the subject of uncertainty, with debates taking place as to whether intersectionality studies should focus on the interstices between social characteristics, or should encompass approaches that interrogate the structuring effects of specific social forces. This paper contributes to these debates, by exploring intersectionality in relation to lesbian, gay and bisexual (LGB) equalities initiatives in UK local government. The paper demonstrates the importance of two social categories, sexuality and the spatial, in structuring LGB equalities work. By siting analysis partially at the institutional level, it also reveals the way in which an individualising approach to intersectionality studies, which focuses only on the interstices, is problematic. The paper therefore provides an argument for an intersectionality studies that incorporates category-based analysis, whilst retaining a concern with the interstices between foundational categories.
Creating virtual support for lifelong learning

Individuals worldwide are seeking to remain relevant and effective through learning which, if not actually continuous, is an integral part of their working life. Organizations are increasingly recognizing the need to compete on the basis of collective learning and the ability to apply this learning in practice. Technology is increasingly an enabler in this ongoing learning process. Pioneering institutions are developing architectures that support individual and organizational learning. World‐class development programmes are being delivered using the “virtual university” model. So too is support for lifelong learning. Issues being addressed include: creating, maintaining and distributing courseware; ensuring access to current and archival literature; programme supervision and the development of a community of learning. Claims further benefits for scholars of electronic publishing are being realized, but much potential remains untapped.