Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Student Trade Missions: An Experiential Learning Opportunity

In response to the criticisms addressed to business schools, teaching formulas that foster experiential learning are increasingly being put forward. The Missions Commerciales de l’Université Laval (MCULUniversité Laval Trade Missions) is a training program designed to foster experiential learning. This program extends over an entire academic year in which students are required to find and fulfill an international development mandate on behalf of a business. The objective of this study is to investigate the extent to which participation in such a business consulting project enables students to acquire new skills and modify certain attitudes. Our results show that student participation in an international trade mission has a considerable impact on the acquisition of professional skills and competencies, as well as the development of personality traits and attitudes. Through this experience, students build confidence, develop a sense of initiative and learn to identify business opportunities and adapt quickly. It allows them to sharpen their sales skills and techniques while learning to represent a business. Having completed a trade mission also appears to improve student employability.
Potential for imitation as a dynamic capability of organisation

Summary Potential for imitation as a dynamic capability of organisation Until recently, what was treated as unique resources in strategic management were financial, human and other resources, and their uniqueness was examined mostly in quantitative terms. However, globalisation of economic processes has meant that a degree to which resources are unique determine their quality, as a result of which they cannot be evaluated solely in quantitative terms. Such unique resources include competencies, dynamic capabilities and other intellectual resources within organisations, including their potential for innovation and imitation. The purpose of this article is to discuss the construct of potential for imitation considered in terms of the dynamic capability of organisation. The starting point in the study was to outline the essence of the dynamic capabilities of the organization, then the potential of imitation in the dynamic capacity system was embedded in order to finally refer to the link between innovation and imitation.
Familywise Error Control in Multi-Armed Response-Adaptive Two-Stage Designs

For comparing multiple treatments against a single control with normally distributed observations, we consider two-stage designs of the following form: During the first stage, control and treatments are allocated by response-adaptive randomization; after completion of the first stage, some treatments are selected to proceed to the second stage; during the second stage, control and selected treatments are allocated by block randomization. Tests for such designs that use the data from both stages have been based on simulation under the global null hypothesis. We present an approach that does not rely on simulation and protects the familywise error rate in the strong sense. The main idea is to view the trial as a data-dependent modification of a simpler design, for which we know the distributions of its test statistics. To account for the data-dependent modification, we use the conditional invariance principle (Brannath et al., 2007).
Exploring the Application of Best Practices to TA Awards: One University's Approach

This chapter explores IIOW toadaptbest practices from thegeneral literature on teaching awards in higher education tograduate student teaching assistant (TA) awards. Although mostcriteria apply, theymustbefitted to thecareer stage and aspirations ofTAs. TheDuquesne University Graduate Student AwardforExcellence in Teaching serves asa case studydemonstrating howthese practices canbe modified toboth recognize excellent teaching andpromote tile professional developmentofgraduate student instructors.
Task-level teleoperated manipulation for the HRP-2Kai humanoid robot

This paper presents the strategy used by the team AIST-NEDO at the DARPA Robotics Challenge to deal with the designated manipulation tasks by means of a task-level teleoperation of the HRP-2Kai humanoid robot, considering a disaster-hit scenario that is inherently non-structured and a limited communication between the user and the robot. The strategy, based on the information provided by a laser rangefinder and a set of cameras installed at the head and at both hands, consisted in the alignment of 3D models representing the desired manipulation targets with a measured point cloud, in order to provide a reference frame to describe the manipulation motion required for each task. Each motion was carefully planned in advance by assuming minimum information of the object representing the manipulation target. In order to exemplify the before mentioned approach, two representative tasks of the DARPA Robotics Challenge are described, as well as the corresponding results obtained during the competition.
Regulation of the yeast Rlm1 transcription factor by the Mpk1 cell wall integrity MAP kinase

The Mpk1 MAP kinase of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae cell wall integrity signalling pathway phosphorylates and activates the Rlm1 transcription factor in response to cell wall stress. Rlm1 is related to mammalian MEF2 isoforms, and shares a similar DNA‐binding specificity. Signalling through Rlm1 regulates the expression of at least 25 genes, most of which have been implicated in cell wall biogenesis. We report here the transcriptional induction by agents of cell wall stress of a set of lacZ reporter plasmids derived from several Rlm1‐responsive genes. Analysis of substitution mutations at putative Mpk1 phosphorylation sites within Rlm1 revealed that Ser427 and Thr439 are important for its stress‐induced transcriptional activation of these reporter plasmids. Assessment of Rlm1 activation potency when fused to a heterologous DNA‐binding domain showed that the identified seryl and threonyl residues are necessary for the Rlm1 transcriptional activation function independently of its DNA binding. We also demonstrate that a MAP kinase docking site, shown recently to mediate activation of MEF2A and MEF2C, is conserved in Rlm1 and is required for its ability to mediate transcriptional activation in response to agents that induce cell wall stress. Finally, intracellular localization analyses show that Rlm1 resides in the nucleus regardless of its activation and phosphorylation status. Together these observations support the inference that Mpk1 regulates the Rlm1 transcriptional activation function by phosphorylation of Ser427 and Thr439.
Designing learning paths: Contributions to the organization of b-learning initiatives

This article presents a simple guide that supports the pedagogical planning process. Besides the knowledge that will be shared, structuring an learning unit or a course demands reflection and effort in the teaching/learning development. The work described in this paper proposes a guide that speeds the process of defining online learning strategies by crossing cognitive objectives, pedagogical models, techniques and free web tools. The usefulness of the results obtained can be viewed on the perspectives of both student and teacher, thus it is a mediation instrument among all the players in the learning process. At the same time, it helps the bureaucratic procedures that are usually associated. We conclude this paper by presenting a set of recommendations obtained by the application of the pedagogic planning suggested in an implementation of an online course.
High femoral bone mineral content and density in male football (soccer) players.

PURPOSE This investigation examined the effect that long-term football (soccer) participation may have on areal bone mineral density (BMD) and bone mineral content (BMC) in male football players. METHODS Dual energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA) scans were obtained in 33 recreational male football players active in football for the last 12 yr and 19 nonactive subjects from the same population. Both groups had comparable age (23 +/- 4 yr vs 24 +/- 3 yr), body mass (73 +/- 7 kg vs 72 +/- 11 kg), height (176 +/- 5 cm vs 176 +/- 8 cm), and calcium intake (23 +/- 10 mg.kg(-1). d(-1) vs 20 +/- 11 mg.kg(-1). d(-1) (mean +/- SD). RESULTS The football players showed 8% greater total lean mass (P < 0.001), 13% greater whole-body BMC (P < 0.001), and 5 units lower percentage body fat (P < 0.001) than control subjects. Lumbar spine (L2-L4) BMC and BMD were 13% and 10% higher, respectively, in the football players than in the control subjects (P < 0.05). Furthermore, football players displayed higher femoral neck BMC (24%, 18%, 23%, and 24% for the femoral neck, intertrochanteric, greater trochanter, and Ward's triangle subregions, respectively, P < 0.05) and BMD (21%, 19%, 21%, and 27%, respectively, P < 0.05) than controls. BMC in the whole leg was 16-17% greater in the football players, mainly because of enhanced BMD (9-10%) but also because of bone hypertrophy, since the area occupied by the osseous pixels was 7% higher (867 +/- 63 cm2 vs 814 +/- 26 cm2, P < 0.05). Leg muscle mass was 11% higher in the football players than in the control subjects (20,635 +/- 2,073 g vs 18,331 +/- 2,301 g, P < 0.001). No differences were found between the legs in either groups for BMC, BMD, and muscle mass. Left leg muscle mass was correlated with femoral neck BMC and BMD (P < 0.001), as well as with lumbar spine (L2-L4) BMC and BMD (P < 0.001). CONCLUSION Long-term football participation, starting at prepubertal age, is associated with markedly increased BMC and BMD at the femoral neck and lumbar spine regions.
Changing Lifestyles and Oral Clefts Occurrence in Denmark

Objective The aim of this project was to assess whether any changes in the birth prevalence of cleft lip with/without cleft palate (CL[P]) occurred in Denmark during the period 1988 through 2001. In this period an official recommendation of a supplementation of folic acid to pregnant women was introduced; furthermore, smoking among pregnant women decreased considerably. Design and Settings There are few places in which ecological studies of oral clefts are possible. Denmark provides a particularly good setting for this kind of study because of a high ascertainment and a centralized registration of subjects with cleft over the last 65 years. Participants Cleft occurrence in Denmark from 1936 to 1987 has previously been reported. Here we extend the study to include all live-born children with oral clefts born in Denmark in 1988 through 2001. Among a total of 992,727 live births, 1332 children with CL(P) were born during this period. Results and Conclusions The birth prevalence of CL(P) in Denmark has previously been found to be constant in the period 1962 through 1987, with a frequency of 1.4 to 1.5 per 1000 live births. This study showed a similar occurrence in 1988 through 2001 (birth prevalence = 1.44 per 1000 live births, 95% confidence interval = 1.37 to 1.52). The introduction of folic acid and the decrease in smoking prevalence among pregnant women do not seem to have reduced the birth prevalence. This may be due to noncompliance with the folic acid recommendation and/or only a weak causal association between folic acid and smoking and occurrence of CL(P).
Simulating the practice of daily life social and vocational situations via video modeling

Video modeling is a technique that involves demonstration of desired behaviors through video simulation. A video modeling intervention typically involves an individual watching a video demonstration of an adaptive behavior, and then imitating it. Video self-modeling refers to the watching and learning from one's own positive behavior. We present here a series of studies in which customized simulation software has been used to determine the usability and effectiveness of both techniques for children and adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder.
Crown heights in the permanent teeth of 45,X and 45,X/46,XX females

Abstract Objective. Previous results regarding human sex chromosome aneuploidies have shown that the X and Y chromosomes affect tooth size and morphology. This study looked for the effect of sex chromosome deficiency on permanent tooth crown heights. Materials and methods. The material, from the Finnish KVANTTI Research Project, consisted of 97 45,X females and 15 45,X/46,XX females. The controls were 32 sisters and 28 mothers of the 45,X females, eight sisters and two mothers of the 45,X/46,XX females and 35 female population controls. Crown heights of all the available teeth except third molars on both sides of the jaws were measured from panoramic radiographs with a digital calliper according to the defined procedure. Results. The tooth crown heights were significantly smaller in the 45,X females than in the female population controls, except for the incisors and one canine in the maxilla, whereas the tooth crown heights of the 45,X/46,XX females were close to those of the normal control females. The differences between the 45,X and 45,X/46,XX females were statistically significant, excluding the upper incisor area and a few teeth in the mandible. Conclusions. The effect of the sex chromosome deficiency on permanent tooth crown height is due to the magnitude of lacking sex chromosome material. The present results regarding the 45,X females are parallel to previous findings in Turner patients regarding reduced mesiodistal and labiolingual dimensions and tooth crown heights in the permanent dentition.
Involvement of a novel transcriptional activator and small RNA in post‐transcriptional regulation of the glucose phosphoenolpyruvate phosphotransferase system

RyaA is a small non‐coding RNA in Escherichia coli that was identified by its ability to bind tightly to the RNA chaperone Hfq. This study reports the role of RyaA in mediating the cellular response to glucose‐specific phosphoenolypyruvate phosphotransferase system (PTS)‐dependent phosphosugar stress. Aiba and co‐workers have shown that a block in the metabolism of glucose 6‐phosphate causes transient growth inhibition and post‐transcriptional regulation of ptsG, encoding the glucose‐specific PTS transporter. We found that RyaA synthesis was induced by a non‐metabolizable glucose phosphate analogue and was necessary for relief of the toxicity of glucose phosphate stress. Expression of RyaA was sufficient to cause a rapid loss of ptsG mRNA, probably reflecting degradation of the message mediated by RyaA:ptsG pairing. The ryaA gene was renamed sgrS, for sugar transport‐related sRNA. Expression of sgrS is regulated by a novel transcriptional activator, SgrR (formerly YabN), which has a putative DNA‐binding domain and a solute‐binding domain similar to those found in certain transport proteins. Our results suggest that under conditions of glucose phosphate accumulation, SgrR activates SgrS synthesis, causing degradation of ptsG mRNA. Decreased ptsG mRNA results in decreased production of glucose transport machinery, thus limiting further accumulation of glucose phosphate.
Incremental validity of Useful Field of View subtests for the prediction of instrumental activities of daily living

ABSTRACT Introduction: The Useful Field of View Test (UFOV®) is a cognitive measure that predicts older adults’ ability to perform a range of everyday activities. However, little is known about the individual contribution of each subtest to these predictions, and the underlying constructs of UFOV performance remain a topic of debate. Method: We investigated the incremental validity of UFOV subtests for the prediction of Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADL) performance in two independent datasets, the SKILL (n = 828) and ACTIVE (n = 2426) studies. We then explored the cognitive and visual abilities assessed by UFOV using a range of neuropsychological and vision tests administered in the SKILL study. Results: In the four subtest variant of UFOV, only Subtests 2 and 3 consistently made independent contributions to the prediction of IADL performance across three different behavioral measures. In all cases, the incremental validity of UFOV Subtests 1 and 4 was negligible. Furthermore, we found that UFOV was related to processing speed, general nonspeeded cognition, and visual function; the omission of Subtests 1 and 4 from the test score did not affect these associations. Conclusions: UFOV Subtests 1 and 4 appear to be of limited use to predict IADL and possibly other everyday activities. Future research should investigate whether shortening UFOV by omitting these subtests is a reliable and valid assessment approach.
Epidemiology of Oral Cancer in Iran: a Systematic Review.

BACKGROUND Oral cancer stands among the 10 top causes of cancer death in the world. Considering the role of epidemiologic information on planning and effective interventions, the present study aimed to investigate the epidemiology of oral cancer in Iran. MATERIALS AND METHODS The required information for this systematic review study was obtained from PubMed, Google Scholar, CINAHL,SID, Medlib, Magiran and Iranmedex databases, using key words "cancer", "oral cancer", "squamous cell carcinoma", "oral cavity carcinoma" and their Persian equivalents in combination with keywords of epidemiology, prevalence, etiology, frequency, and Iran from 1990 to 2014. From 1,065 related studies found, finally 25 were included to the study. RESULTS The mean age of 8,248 patients in 25 studies was 54.0±15.1 years. The male/female ratio for oral cancer was 1.91. Tongue with average percentage of 29.9 was the most involved site. Regarding microscopic grade, 65.7% of cases were grade 1. SCCs, accounting for an average of 70.0%, was the most common among all types of oral cancer. In the majority of studies, smoking including cigarette, hookah, and tobacco consumption was found to be a risk factor. CONCLUSIONS The epidemiological pattern of oral cancer in Iran is somewhat similar to that of other countries. Yet the information on hand in this field is limited and considering the role of epidemiological data we suggest conducting more accurate studies to catch data that is required for effective programs and interventions.
In situ click chemistry: a powerful means for lead discovery

Combinatorial chemistry and parallel synthesis are important and regularly applied tools for lead identification and optimisation, although they are often accompanied by challenges related to the efficiency of library synthesis and the purity of the compound library. In the last decade, novel means of lead discovery approaches have been investigated where the biological target is actively involved in the synthesis of its own inhibitory compound. These fragment-based approaches, also termed target-guided synthesis (TGS), show great promise in lead discovery applications by combining the synthesis and screening of libraries of low molecular weight compounds in a single step. Of all the TGS methods, the kinetically controlled variant is the least well known, but it has the potential to emerge as a reliable lead discovery method. The kinetically controlled TGS approach, termed in situ click chemistry, is discussed in this article.
‘We recommend compliance’: bargaining and leverage in Ethiopian–US intelligence cooperation

ABSTRACT Disputes over the costs and benefits of intelligence liaisons between the US and its African allies are routine. The contentious and largely overlooked bargaining processes that stem from these disputes call into question prominent depictions of US–African security partnerships as rigidly hierarchical alliances. Through an assessment of compliance bargaining between Ethiopia and the US over the terms of their intelligence liaison, this article posits that, despite the vast power asymmetry between these allies, Ethiopia routinely dictated and policed the terms of this liaison, while consistently leveraging it as means to acquire political concessions from the US.
Volatile Policy and Private Information: the Case of Monetary Policy

In this paper we study how volatility in monetary policy affects economic performance in the presence of endogenously chosen information structures. To isolate the effects produced by the interaction of uncertainty in monetary policy and (possibly) asymmetric information, we consider a model in which in the absence of either one of these features the equilibrium would be efficient. The equilibria that we find, with volatility and asymmetry of information, are inefficient for two reasons: first, in some cases, economic agents fail to trade, even though it is always efficient to do so; second, to capture the rents associated with being informed, agents spend resources acquiring socially useless information. Thus, in addition to the more standard effects of volatile inflation, our model calls attention to two types of costs associated with monetary uncertainty: the cost of not trading, and the cost of allocating resources to wasteful activities. The model implies that if monetary policy is not volatile all agents are symmetrically informed and hence, the outcome is efficient. Alternatively, making policy transparent,' i.e guaranteeing that all agents share the same information, serves the same purpose.
A review of fault management system in wireless sensor network

Wireless Sensor Networks (WSN) has gathered a considerable amount of attention because of its manifold application in various fields like defense, health monitoring, environment monitoring and disaster management. Though WSN has conquered the world due to its dynamicity still it is very much fault prone because of the reason that the sensors and actuators of the sensor node has to interact directly with the unpredictable environment, where it may be subjected to various physical, chemical and biological forces. To make a WSN more reliable and dependable various fault management systems are employed. Better the fault management higher is the reliability of the WSN. The aim of our paper is to review the functionality of some of the existing fault management systems including their architecture and present a comparative study.
Mitochondrial barcodes are diagnostic of shared refugia but not species in hybridizing oak gallwasps

Mitochondrial DNA barcodes provide a simple taxonomic tool for systematic and ecological research, with particular benefit for poorly studied or species‐rich taxa. Barcoding assumes genetic diversity follows species boundaries; however, many processes disrupt species‐level monophyly of barcodes leading to incorrect classifications. Spatial population structure, particularly when shared across closely related and potentially hybridizing taxa, can invalidate barcoding approaches yet few data exist to examine its impacts. We test how shared population structure across hybridizing species impacts upon mitochondrial barcodes by sequencing the cytochrome b gene for 518 individuals of four well‐delimited Western Palaearctic gallwasp species within the Andricus quercuscalicis species group. Mitochondrial barcodes clustered individuals into mixed‐species clades corresponding to refugia, with no difference in within‐ and between‐species divergence. Four nuclear genes were also sequenced from 4 to 11 individuals per refugial population of each species. Multi‐locus analyses of these data supported established species, with no support for the refugial clustering across species seen in mitochondrial barcodes. This pattern is consistent with mitochondrial introgression among populations of species sharing the same glacial refugium, such that mitochondrial barcodes identify a shared history of population structure rather than species. Many taxa show phylogeographic structure across glacial refugia, suggesting that mitochondrial barcoding may fail when applied to other sets of co‐distributed, closely related species. Robust barcoding approaches must sample extensively across population structure to disentangle spatial from species‐level variation. Methods incorporating multiple unlinked loci are also essential to accommodate coalescent variation among genes and provide power to resolve recently diverged species.