Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effect of Transformational Leadership and its Components on Organizational Innovation

This study tries to expand the understanding of the relationship between transformational leadership and organizational innovation at the organizational level. This research proposes a conceptual framework to explain the components of transformational leadership while focusing on the relationship between each component and organizational innovation. A sample of 219 managers from 63 companies in the top 100 Iranian companies participated in this research. The results of this study support the expected positive relationship between transformational leadership and organizational innovation. Further findings revealed that among five components of transformational leadership (i.e., idealized influence, attributive charisma, inspirational motivation, intellectual stimulation, and individualized consideration) not all but some of the components (including attributive charisma, inspirational motivation, and intellectual stimulation) are positively related to organizational innovation.
MA(DL) 2 Logical Language Family for Policy Speciflcation and Inference

Security policy speciflcation and inference in semantic-aware environments (e.g., Semantic Web) is one of the main concerns in them. MA(DL) 2 logical languages family is proposed to facilitate speciflcation of security policies and also inference of implicit ones following the semantic relationships deflned in the conceptual (abstract) layer of these environments. This report introduces the four languages in this family. (1) Core MA(DL) 2 that is a kind of normative logic. This logic is obtained by the combination of poly-modal version of deontic logic and description logic ALC that takes the semantic relationships in policy inference into account. (2) MA(DL) 2 [ U ] adds the logic of composite authorities to the core. This allows the composition of security policies of difierent authorities for cooperative security management purpose. (3) MA(DL) 2 [ i ] adds the logic of security domains to the core. Due to the existence of multiple security domains in distributed security management approach, it is required to consider security domains and subdomain relationships between them in the language. (4) MA(DL) 2 [ U ] is a combination of MA(DL) 2 [ U ] and MA(DL) 2 [ i ]. Soundness, completeness, decidability, and flnite model property of these languages are also discussed in this report.
FIABILIDAD Y VALIDEZ DE LA VERSIÓN ESPAÑOLA DEL EORTC QLQ-C30: MEDIDA DE LA CALIDAD DE VIDA EN PACIENTES ONCOLÓGICOS AVANZADOS

El cuestionario EORTC QLQ-C30 se ha utilizado en varios paises para medir la Calidad de Vida en pacientes oncologicos. El objetivo del presente trabajo ha sido evaluar la aplicacion, de la version en espanol, del EORTC QLQ-C30 con pacientes oncologicos avanzados atendidos por Unidades de Cuidados Paliativos. Para investigar las propiedades psicometricas (fiabilidad y validez) del EORTC QLQ-C30 se realizo un estudio de campo con 73 pacientes oncologicos avanzados. Los resultados permiten concluir que el EORTC QLQ-C30 es una medida fiable y valida de la Calidad de Vida en estos pacientes. Este estudio avala su uso intercultural. Palabras Clave: Calidad de Vida, medida de la Calidad de Vida, pacientes oncologicos avanzados, EORTC QLQ-C30
Fueling Transportation Finance: A Primer on the Gas Tax

A study of the collection, allocation, and use of federal and state taxes on motor fuels- the "gas tax"-in recent decades finds that: (1) More than one-third of the $133 billion in total U.S. revenue available for highway spending in 2001 came from federal and state gas taxes. State gas taxes alone made up 21.6 percent of all highway revenues that year. The state gas tax is also the largest single source of highway funding for the states. (2) After years of steady growth, federal and state gas tax receipts have plateaued in the late 1990s. When accounting for inflation, federal and state gas tax revenues are actually declining. (3) Twenty-eight states have raised their gas tax rates since 1992, but only three raised it enough to keep pace with inflation. Although the average state gas tax rate increased by 8.7 percent, in real terms, the average gas tax rate declined by about 14 percent. In other words, many states do not have the same buying power they did in 1991. (4) Thirty states restrict the use of their gas tax revenues to highway purposes only. Such restrictions limit states' ability to finance mass transit, congestion and air quality improvement projects, and other options not related to highways. (5) The distribution of the gas tax within some states appears to penalize cities and urban areas. In several states, urban areas act as "donor regions. " These areas contribute significantly more in tax receipts than they receive in allocations from their state's highway fund or through direct local transfers.
MRI of Autistic Brain Structure and Function

Autism is a complex development disorder defined by particular behaviors, with symptoms generally seen in three areas: deficient sociability, rigid behavior, and impaired communication skills. Early neuroimaging research focused on identifying anatomical differences between the brains of autistic versus non-autistic individuals. More recent work has emphasized the identification of functional brain areas involved in specific cognitive and social behaviors. Over the past decade, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has played a key role in quantifying characteristics of brain structures that possibly play roles in autism. MRI has proven extremely successful in providing functional information about brain activation and the functional connectivity of different brain regions, information that may help shed light on the neurophysiological complexities of autism etiology. [N A J Med Sci. 2009;2(2):44-47. ]
Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD), a Manifestation of the Metabolic Syndrome: New Perspectives on the Nutritional Therapy

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a multifactorial hepatic disease that develops through complex mechanisms that may be strongly influenced by dietary composition. NAFLD treatment is based on multidisciplinary intervention, which includes nutritional aspects. The objective of this review was to elucidate the influence and role of dietary composition, including fatty acid types, antioxidant nutrients, pre and probiotics and vitamin D in the nutritional treatment and prevention of NAFLD. Increased intake of Monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs) and omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA), particularly as replacements for saturated fat and in a higher proportion than carbohydrates, is beneficial to NAFLD patients, improving insulin resistance; increasing plasma levels of adiponectin and its synthesis by the adipose tissue; and restoring the expression of hepatic peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha (PPAR-I±), which in turn reduces cholesterol levels and triacylglycerol accumulation. n-3 PUFAs can reduce lipotoxicity caused by excessive saturated and trans fatty acid ingestion and exert a protective role in inflammatory pathways, promoting resolvins and protectins. Several mechanisms linking gut flora to NAFLD have been proposed, such as inflammation and energy extraction. Studies are often designed to explore the beneficial effects of probiotics, prebiotics and vitamin D in these pathways. The results of this review reveal that the strong positive influence bioactive compounds have on these inflammatory processes must be considered when developing treatment and prevention plans for NAFLD patients.
Past experience, cognitive frames, and entrepreneurship: some econometric evidence from the Indian pharmaceutical industry

The theoretical literature identifies three important entrepreneurial dimensions, namely discovering new opportunities, responsiveness to uncertainty, and coordination of a firm. In the empirical literature, past experience has been identified as having an important influence on organizational behavior. This literature, however, focuses predominantly on the impact of experience on new opportunities using a resource-based view and human capital perspective. In contrast, we draw upon the cognitive science literature to argue that past experience shapes an entrepreneur’s cognitive frame, and, hence, influences entrepreneurship in a more holistic manner. We provide econometric evidence of the impact of past experience on all three entrepreneurial dimensions from the small scale Indian pharmaceutical enterprises.
Diseño de sistemas de predicción por conjuntos: error en las condiciones iniciales

El estado de la atmósfera en un momento dado no puede conocerse a la perfección. Por un lado, este hecho se debe a los errores inherentes a los sistemas de observación, a la distribución imperfecta y/o densidad insuficiente de las redes correspondientes y a los intervalos de tiempo limitados en que dichas observaciones se toman. Por otro lado, los sistemas de asimilación de datos para introducir estas observaciones en los modelos atmosféricos tampoco son perfectos, de modo que cada sistema de asimilación está afectado por errores característicos de las observaciones y, también, del modelo de corto plazo usado para brindar una predicción previa (background o first guess) al propio sistema de asimilación, predicción previa que se ajustará con nuevas observaciones. Todo ello conforma los así llamados errores en las condiciones iniciales. Estos errores o incertidumbres, aunque son pequeños, tal como hemos visto en capítulos anteriores crecen de modo no lineal según la dinámica caótica que describe la atmósfera. Presentamos en este capítulo una introducción a este apasionante tema del tratamiento del error en el estado inicial en predicción por conjuntos.
Influence of biotic and abiotic factors on the metazoan parasite communities of a native prey fish: study in 28 Andean Patagonian lakes

Galaxias maculatus (small puyen) is a prey fish which plays a main role in lake food webs of Patagonia. Previous studies, at local scale, have shown that the richness and composition of parasitic metazoan component communities associated to G. maculatus in a group of small shallow lakes in the surroundings of the Nahuel Huapi Lake, are affected by the composition of the native fish assemblage in each lake. The aims of this work were: a) to characterize the helminth community of G. maculatus at regional scale, including data of 28 Andean lakes of the Neuquen and Rio Negro Provinces, and b) to identify biotic and abiotic factors of these lakes influencing the occurrence and prevalence of the different helminth species parasitizing this highly abundant and widely distributed prey fish in Patagonia. The analysis indicates that the parasite community of different populations of G. maculatus varies according to the basin, lake area, altitude and the fish assemblage of the lake. (Keywords: Galaxias maculatus, parasites, helminth communities, Patagonia, Percichthys trucha) RESUMEN. Influencia de factores bioticos y abioticos sobre las comunidades de parasitos metazoos de un pez presa nativo: estudio en 28 lagos andino patagonicos. Galaxias maculatus (puyen chico) es una especie de pez presa que tiene un rol importante en las redes troficas de los lagos de la Patagonia. Estudios previos, a escala local, muestran que la riqueza y la composicion de las comunidades componentes de parasitos metazoos de G. maculatus en un grupo de pequenos lagos someros en los alrededores del lago Nahuel Huapi, estan afectadas por la composicion del ensamble de peces nativos en cada lago. Los objetivos del presente estudio fueron: a) caracterizar la comunidad de helmintos de G. maculatus incluyendo datos de 28 lagos andinos de las provincias de Rio Negro y Neuquen, y b) identificar los factores bioticos y abioticos de estos lagos que afectan la presencia y la prevalencia de las diferentes especies de helmintos que parasitan a este pez presa abundante y ampliamente distribuido en la Patagonia. El analisis indica que las comunidades de helmintos de las diferentes poblaciones de G. maculatus varian de acuerdo a la vertiente, al area lacustre, a la altitud y al ensamble de peces del lago. (Palabras clave: Galaxias maculatus, parasitos, comunidades de helmintos, Patagonia, Percichthys trucha)
Low-complexity cross-validation design of a linear estimator

Linear signal estimators have extensive applications. Under the minimum mean squared error (MMSE) criterion, the linear MMSE (LMMSE) estimator is optimal but requires knowledge of the covariance matrices. The sample matched filter generally performs worse but requires less a priori knowledge. A composite estimator that combines the sample LMMSE estimator and matched filter is studied, which may lead to noticeable improvements in performance. It is shown that such a gain can be achieved by low-complexity parameter tuning methods based on cross-validation using training or out-of-training data. Numerical results are provided to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed approaches.
ROBUST CONTROL CHART FOR TIME SERIES DATA

Control charts are the most useful tools for controlling the processes statistically. The construction of the control charts requires the estimation of the process parameters using random sample data. Usually the classical estimators of the process parameters are used to construct the control charts. The classical estimators of the parameters of the processes generating autocorrelated data are sensitive to the presence of the outlier observations. Applying classical methods of estimation while outliers are present, introduce biased estimates of the model parameters which result in wrong interpretation of the control chart. In this research a method called Iteratively Robust Filtered Fast Tau (IRFFT) which is insensitive to the presence of the outliers is proposed for estimating the parameters of the autocorrelated models. The newly introduced estimators are used to construct robust control chart for autocorrelated data. The suggested robust control chart is compared with the control chart whose parameters are estimated using LS method. Results of the simulation study for the two methods indicate that the ARL for the suggested robust control chart is much smaller under different scenarios. The findings may be extended to the other time series models.
ISISEMD evaluation framework

With the demographic changes and the ageing population in the most of the European countries, currently we are witnessing emerging pilots with a different scale of e-care services for elderly. Before further investment for wide deployment and uptake of ICT solutions in social care services, there is a need for drawing a baseline for arriving at solid and comparable evidence to facilitate policy decisions. While general rating scales for measuring quality of life of healthy adults are relatively widely used, suitable indicators and methodologies for evaluation of improving quality of life for elderly with mild dementia living in the community and their relatives using assistive technologies, are under discussions among researcher and social care providers who are involved in introducing ICT services for these user groups. One of the challenges is how to best measure the anticipated improved quality of life for the main user groups and the socio-economic benefits for the care systems in a scientifically acceptable way. To fill in this gap, ISISEMD project has worked towards proposing overall evaluation framework to assess the impact of introducing ICT services. This paper presents this framework with the suitable indictors, measurement methodologies and rating scales.
SERVICE COMPOSITION MECHANISMS IN THE MULTI-CLOUD ENVIRONMENTS: A SURVEY

Cloud computing is a serious technological creation in the area of information systems development that supplies the benefits of self-service applications, source mixing, and wide network access. Nowadays, cloud computing to support fastness, easy combination, and low-cost of distributed applications in dissimilar environments have become increasingly famous. Therefore, service combination is a growing method that proliferates the number of applications of cloud computing by reusing attractive services. In this article, we survey the service composition mechanisms such as all clouds, base cloud, smart cloud, COM2 and clustering algorithms which have been used in the cloud environments. Service composition methods can be applied in two main environments: single and multicloud where due to the importance of multi-cloud environments (MCE), some existing and important methods are analyzed in the multi-cloud environment in this article. This paper also provides a discussion of existing methods in terms of running time and finding the optimal cloud composition. Obtained results showed the performance of each method in some terms.
Amyloid Hypothesis: Molecular and Cellular Aspects of Toxicity

The aggregation and accumulation of β-amyloid (Aβ) plays a significant role in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Aβ oligomeric aggregates are believed to be the main toxic species and the causative agent underlying the pathological mechanism for AD, aggregating and accumulating within and around neurons. Excised from the amyloid precursor protein (APP) by βand γ-secretases, the Aβ peptide has the intrinsic property of forming aggregates with β-pleated sheet structure (Hardy and Selkoe, 2002). The amyloid hypothesis has undergone several modifications, mainly concerning the type of Aβ thought to cause AD: initially this was the amyloid plaque, followed by increased concentrations of Aβ1-42, then an increased Aβ1-42 : Aβ1-40 ratio, and finally oligomeric
β-nerve growth factor identification in male rabbit genital tract and seminal plasma and its role in ovulation induction in rabbit does

Abstract The neurotrophin β-nerve growth factor (NGF) has been described as an important mediator of seminal plasma-induced ovulation in reflexive ovulators like camelids, but this action has not been evidenced in rabbits. In this study, the mRNA expression of NGF was analysed in rabbit male organs by PCR and in a purified basic fraction of seminal plasma by liquid chromatography mass spectrometry. Besides, the ovulatory response [ovulation rate (OR), corpora lutea number, LH peak and progesterone profile] of 27 rabbit does was recorded after injection with murine NGF, gonadoreline (GnRH) or saline solution (SS). An empty catheter was introduced through the vagina (n = 4 animals per group) to simulate the nervous/mechanical stimulus of coitus. Molecular studies confirmed the expression of β-NGF mRNA in the prostate, seminal gland and testicles of male adult rabbits, and the presence of the protein in seminal plasma. For the in vivo experiment, all GnRH-group does exhibited a significantly higher OR (100%) compared to females treated with NGF (30%) and SS (25%), who showed significantly lower LH and progesterone concentrations at 120 min. However, in the non-vaginally stimulated animals, only the gonadoreline group ovulated properly, since no ovulation was recorded in the SS group, and only 17% of the NGF does ovulated; this was associated to a tendency to a higher rate of anovulatory haemorrhagic follicles. mRNA expression of NGF and its presence in seminal plasma evidence a role in rabbit reproduction. Nevertheless, murine NGF triggered some stimulatory effect in the females but not enough to elicit a significant ovulatory response.
Energy Balance Quorum System for Wireless Sensor Networks

In recent years, wireless sensor networks (WSNs) technology has been widely used in various fields because of its advantage of low construction cost. Based on the characteristics of sensor-limited power, there are presently many studies that explore how to extend the life cycle of WSNs under limited power conditions. Some research designed sensor wake-up scheduling mechanisms according to the quorum system that can not only achieve the effect of energy-saving, but also ensure the rendezvousing opportunities between the sensors. However, there is a problem of rendezvous idle when the sensor performs a sensing task. In order to improve the power-saving efficiency of the sensors, this paper designs an energy balance quorum system(EBQS). In addition to ensuring the opportunity to rendezvous between the sensors, this system can also balance the remaining capacity of the sensors and improve the power-saving efficiency of the traditional Quorum System depending on the remaining capacity of the sensors and the way they rendezvous. The experimental results show that the EBQS proposed in this paper can effectively reduce the number of slots compared to the traditional quorum system scheduling mechanism.
Municipal wastewater treatment by microsieving, microfiltration and forward osmosis : Concepts and potentials

Conventional wastewater treatment plants are designed for treating manmade wastewater (e.g., from households and industries) and to protect the environment (e.g., receiving water bodies) and humans from adverse effects.The objective of this work was to investigate the feasibility of treating municipal wastewater without a biological treatment step by applying different separation processes, such as microsieving, microfiltration and forward osmosis. The scope of this work was to treat municipal wastewater with a lower area demand while meeting the Swedish wastewater discharge requirements and allowing for the integration of the new separation techniques with existing full-scale wastewater treatment plants. To achieve these goals, pilot-plant and bench scale studies were conducted using raw municipal wastewater on-site at a full-scale wastewater treatment plant.Two different treatment concepts were identified to be feasible for municipal wastewater treatment based on the experimental findings. The first concept comprised coagulation and anionic flocculation before microsieving with subsequent microfiltration. The second concept only included microsieving and forward osmosis. Both concepts were evaluated for their specific electricity, energy and area demands, including sludge treatment, and were compared with five existing conventional wastewater treatment plants.Both concepts complied with the Swedish wastewater discharge demands for only small- and medium-sized wastewater treatment plants because up to only 65% of the nitrogen was retained. Nevertheless, both concepts achieved high retentions, with ≥96% for biochemical oxygen demand, ≥94% for chemical oxygen demand, and ≥99% for total phosphorus. Furthermore, the evaluation of both concepts showed that the specific electricity demand was 30% lower than the average specific electricity demand for 105 traditional Swedish wastewater treatment plants with population sizes of 1 500-10 000. In addition, the specific area demand could be reduced by at least 73% for existing wastewater treatment plants supporting the same population or a population of equivalent magnitude. Moreover, the results indicated that the new method had positive effects on electricity and energy due to the increased biogas potential compared to conventional wastewater treatment. (Less)