Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Occupational functioning in early non-affective psychosis: the role of attributional biases, symptoms and executive functioning

Aims. Occupational functioning is severely impaired in people with psychosis. Social cognition has recently been found to be a stronger predictor of functioning than neurocognition. This study is the first to investigate if externalizing attributional biases that are typically associated with psychosis play a role in the vocational pathways of people with early psychosis. Methods. A cross-sectional design was used. Fifty participants with early psychosis were recruited from a cohort of 144 participants of the Lambeth Early Onset randomized control trial at 18-month follow-up. Information on occupational functioning was obtained using case notes and interview. Severity of symptoms was assessed and participants completed measures on attributional style and executive functioning. Results. Although executive functioning and positive symptoms were associated with poor occupational functioning, an externalizing attributional style for failures and reduced engagement in occupational activities during the previous 18 months emerged as the only predictors of poor occupational functioning at 18-month follow-up. Conclusions. An externalizing attributional bias is associated with poor occupational functioning. Further research is needed to investigate the direction of this relationship and whether attributional biases mediate the impact of symptoms and cognitive impairment on functioning.
The Effect of Cross‐Listing on Insider Trading Returns

Holding privileged positions within firms, insiders can acquire excessive private benefits based on their informational advantage. The bonding hypothesis suggests that this can be prevented when a firm is cross‐listed on an exchange with higher regulatory and legal costs compared with its home exchange. When cross‐listed insiders buy and sell shares, the returns earned are lower than in domestic firms. This difference is attributable to the increased shareholder protection in cross‐listed firms that constrains the extraction of private benefits, such that when cross‐listed insiders trade, they trade for non‐informational reasons.
Advances in Joint CTC-Attention Based End-to-End Speech Recognition with a Deep CNN Encoder and RNN-LM

We present a state-of-the-art end-to-end Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR) model. We learn to listen and write characters with a joint Connectionist Temporal Classification (CTC) and attention-based encoder-decoder network. The encoder is a deep Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) based on the VGG network. The CTC network sits on top of the encoder and is jointly trained with the attention-based decoder. During the beam search process, we combine the CTC predictions, the attention-based decoder predictions and a separately trained LSTM language model. We achieve a 5-10\% error reduction compared to prior systems on spontaneous Japanese and Chinese speech, and our end-to-end model beats out traditional hybrid ASR systems.
Teaching Multimedia Data Protection Through an International Online Competition

Low-cost personal computers, wireless access technologies, the Internet, and computer-equipped classrooms allow the design of novel and complementary methodologies for teaching digital information security in electrical engineering curricula. The challenges of the current digital information era require experts who are effectively able to counteract piracy, forgery, copyright infringement, and so on. Digital watermarking is one possible technique for fighting piracy, which consists of the insertion of invisible but robust information to protect the data. In this paper, a new teaching approach, designed for testing student skills and progressing in multimedia data protection, is presented. This consists of a distributed security game where students compete by first using the developed watermarking techniques and then attacking each other's methods, thus verifying their robustness. Groups of students from different universities and countries play against each other, trying to compromise other teams' hiding systems while protecting their own data from attacks. The proposed methodology can be considered as an appealing approach for stimulating learning, cooperation, and team competition. The effectiveness of the teaching method is verified by a student survey and their academic results.
Results of Inspections in Health Hazard Industries in a Region of the State of Washington

Results from state of Washington Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) health inspections were reviewed to characterize the level of control that existed at the work sites, identify common problems, and assess the success of targeting programs in finding and correcting uncontrolled health hazards. Data were obtained from 170 inspections conducted by industrial hygienists in a four-county area in 12 industries, including 10 that were targeted. Inspection data were accessed through the use of electronic databases and inspection reports then summarized by the following industries: bathtub refinishing, carbide tool and saw sharpening, fibercement siding installation, furniture refinishing, health care clinics, janitorial floor waxing service, landscaping, lawn maintenance, tree service, road construction, stone countertop fabrication, truck bed lining, warehouse and cold storage, and wood floor finishing. Targeted health hazards included worker exposure to airborne contaminants, noise, and bloodborne pathogens typical of the industry. Method and effectiveness of control of health hazards were evaluated by counting work sites with violations associated with engineering control, personal protective equipment, hearing conservation, or training. Results are presented by industry for the number and percentage of work sites that failed to provide required protection. Poor control of health hazards was generally found across all inspected industries. Follow-up inspections and self-reports of abatement found that more than 85% were able to successfully control the hazards and abate the violations. The results are further discussed as they relate to methods of control and risk and identifying existing and emerging high health hazard industries. Based on employment data and the poor hazard control that was found, most if not all the industries can be described as high health hazard, small-employer industries. The results can be used for the planning of interventions in other regions and industries.
Kidney injury molecule-1 and neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin as prognostic markers in idiopathic membranous nephropathy

Background Urinary excretion of alpha-1-microglobulin and beta-2-microglobulin reflects tubular damage and predicts outcome in patients with idiopathic membranous nephropathy with reasonable accuracy. Urinary kidney injury molecule-1 and neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin are novel biomarkers of tubular damage. We investigated if these markers could improve prediction of outcome in idiopathic membranous nephropathy. Methods We measured kidney injury molecule-1 and neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin in urine samples from patients with idiopathic membranous nephropathy, who had nephrotic proteinuria and normal renal function. Excretion of alpha-1-microglobulin and beta-2-microglobulin had been measured previously. Progression was defined as a serum creatinine rise >30%, a rise in serum creatinine to an absolute value of ≥135 µmol/L, or a clinical decision to start immunosuppressive therapy. Remission was defined as proteinuria <3.5 g/day and >50% reduction from baseline. Results Sixty-nine patients were included. Median follow-up was 35 months (interquartile range 18–63 months). Progression occurred in 30 patients (44%), and spontaneous remission in 36 (52%). Kidney injury molecule-1 and neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin excretion rates were significantly correlated with each other, and with alpha-1-microglobulin and beta-2-microglobulin. The areas under the receiver operating characteristic curves for progression were 0.75 (0.62–0.87) for kidney injury molecule-1 and 0.74 (0.62–0.87) for neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin. In multivariate analysis with either alpha-1-microglobulin and beta-2-microglobulin, kidney injury molecule-1 and neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin did not independently predict outcome. Conclusion Kidney injury molecule-1 and neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin excretion rates correlated with excretion rates of other tubular damage markers and predicted outcome in patients with idiopathic membranous nephropathy. They did not add prognostic value compared to measurement of either alpha-1-microglobulin or beta-2-microglobulin.
Stress and depressed mood in medical students, law students, and graduate students at McGill University

PURPOSE: To investigate stress in medical students, law students, and graduate students at McGill University using a well-validated measure, the Derogatis Stress Profile (DSP). METHOD: The DSP was administered to the medical students in November and December 1994. For comparison, the DSP was also administered to the undergraduate law students and the graduate students. In November 1995 the DSP was administered to the first- and second-year medical students. Results were analyzed with a number of statistical methods. RESULTS: The response rates for the medical students, the law students, and the graduate students in 1994-95 were 70%, 96%, and 43%, respectively. The response rate for the first- and second-year medical students in 1995-96 was 57%. The medical students had subjective feelings of stress that are marginally above population norms, but their total-stress scores (related to environmental factors, personality mediators, and emotional responses) were below those of the general population, the law students, and the graduate students. Elevated depression scores in a minority of the students did not seem to be related directly to the stresses associated with medical school. The transition from basic science training to clinical training was associated with an increase in stress and depressed mood. CONCLUSION: Medical students are not greatly stressed relative to other groups, hence other explanations must be sought for the elevated levels of depression in some students. One situation in which stress appears to be particularly important is in the transition from basic science training to clinical training. Targeted interventions may be an effective way of dealing with this problem.
Organizational Learning: An Empirical Assessment of Process in Small U.K. Manufacturing Firms

Organizational learning is increasingly being mentioned in the literature as a mechanism for assisting small firm survival. There exists, however, limited empirical evidence to validate the benefits claimed for the concept. A survey of small U.K. manufacturing firms was undertaken to ascertain whether entrepreneurial firms use higher‐order (or double‐loop) learning. Additional research aims included assessing whether organizational learning confers information management advantages and contributes to the upgrading of managerial competencies. The results suggest entrepreneurial firms do utilize higher‐order learning and are able to manage information more effectively than non‐entrepreneurial firms. Some evidence was found to support the view that higher‐order learning influences certain managerial competencies. The implications of these findings are discussed and proposals presented on the needs for further research
Combination therapy with digoxin and diltiazem controls ventricular rate in chronic atrial fibrillation in dogs better than digoxin or diltiazem monotherapy: a randomized crossover study in 18 dogs.

BACKGROUND Atrial fibrillation (AF) with excessively high ventricular rates (VR) occurs in dogs with advanced heart disease. Rate control improves clinical signs in these patients. Optimal drug therapy and target VR remain poorly defined. HYPOTHESIS Digoxin-diltiazem combination therapy reduces VR more than either drug alone in dogs with high VR AF. ANIMALS Eighteen client-owned dogs (>15 kg) with advanced heart disease, AF, and average VR on 24-hour Holter > 140 beats per minute (bpm). METHODS After baseline Holter recording, dogs were randomized to digoxin or diltiazem monotherapy, or combination therapy. Repeat Holter evaluation was obtained after 2 weeks; dogs were then crossed over to the other arm (monotherapy or combination therapy) for 2 weeks and a third Holter was acquired. Twenty-four hour average VR, absolute and relative VR changes from baseline, and percent time spent within prespecified VR ranges (>140, 100-140, and <100 bpm) were compared. Correlations between serum drug concentrations and VR were examined. RESULTS Digoxin (median, 164 bpm) and diltiazem (median, 158 bpm) decreased VR from baseline (median, 194 bpm) less than the digoxin-diltiazem combination (median, 126 bpm) (P < .008 for each comparison). With digoxin-diltiazem, VR remained <140 bpm for 85% of the recording period, but remained >140 bpm for 88% of the recording period with either monotherapy. Serum drug concentrations did not correlate with VR. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE At the dosages used in this study, digoxin-diltiazem combination therapy provided a greater rate control than either drug alone in dogs with AF.
Predictive validity of the Slovene Matura exam for academic achievement in humanities and social sciences

Matura is a Slovene national examination, which all the students take after successfully completing secondary education. The Matura has two major functions; it is a high school final examination and a selection instrument for University. The goal of the study was to investigate the predictive validity of Matura for predicting academic success in study programmes in the area of humanities and social sciences. Predictive validity was studied both from the traditional correlational perspective and from the multilevel regression perspective. Additionally, we checked for possible differences in predictive validity between study programmes. According to the expectations, the Matura score was a relatively strong and robust predictor of later academic achievement, even after controlling for the high school overall grade. The results support the use of Matura scores in selection of candidates for undergraduate studies in humanities and social sciences.
The Dual Transformation of Workplace Dispute Resolution

This study examines the impact on grievance rates of variation in the structure of nonunion dispute resolution procedures and in systems of work organization. Nonunion dispute resolution procedures that feature nonmanagerial decision makers had higher grievance rates than nonunion procedures with managerial decision makers. Grievance rates also were lower in workplaces that had adopted self-managed teams.
Does social capital enhance political participation of older adults? A multi-level analysis of older Finns and Swedes

This article contributes to the literature on political gerontology by analysing the role that social capital plays in the political participation of older adults. More specifically, the aim is to test the importance of individual-level and contextual-level social capital for different types of political participation of older adults in a Scandinavian setting by using survey data from Finland and Sweden (N = 6838). The results show that even though membership in voluntary associations, intense social networks and high levels of interpersonal trust tend to be positively correlated with political participation of older adults as a whole, the explanative logic differs between them depending on the kind of political engagement. The only type of social capital with a robust positive impact on all dimensions of political participation was individual-level membership in voluntary associations.
Conservatism bias in the presence of strategic interaction

The phenomena of asset price overreaction and underreaction to new information identified in the empirical literature are inconsistent with the efficient market theory, nor can they be explained by the existing asset pricing models. A few recent behavioral models have provided some explanations for such phenomena. For example, Daniel et al. (1998) use self-attribution bias to explain the causes of asset price underreaction and overreaction to new information. Barberis et al. (1998) use conservatism bias and a representativeness heuristic to produce the asset price underreaction and overreaction to new information. Hong and Stein (1999) regard technical traders’ extrapolation of the past pattern as the cause of asset overreaction to new information and regard asset price underreaction to new information as a result of the gradual diffusion of information across the population. Hirshleifer et al. (2011) use investors’ limited attention to different types of information to explain the causes of both underand overreaction to different earnings components. In addition, two empirical papers (Jegadeesh and Titman 2001, Douks and McKnight 2005) empirically test and support the predictions of the models of Barberis et al. (1998) and Hong and Stein (1999). In spite of this, conservatism bias is popularly viewed as one cause of asset price underreaction to new information in the literature. Conservatism bias is one type of behavioral bias well documented in psychologists’ experiments (Edwards 1968). When forming their posterior beliefs, traders with conservatism bias are slow in updating their beliefs relative to rational Bayesian traders. This paper examines the impact of conservatism bias on the asset price in a security market with strategic interaction among traders. It proves that conservatism bias can cause asset price overreaction to new information. This result is in sharp contrast to the literature attributing conservatism bias as the cause of asset price underreaction to new information. Note that this paper does not attempt to explain the empirical anomaly of asset price overreaction to new information; instead, it focuses on demonstrating that conservatism bias is able to generate
Quality and continuous improvement in medical device manufacturing

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to compare a range of quality and continuous improvement strategies and to investigate whether there is a best choice of strategy for use within the medical devices sector.Design/methodology/approach – A brief literature‐based review of a number of continuous improvement strategies. Comparison of these strategies and a subsequent discussion of the rationale that guides the choice of strategy based on the prevailing conditions. An overview of this process in the context of the medical devices sector is provided.Findings – Quality and continuous improvement strategies can be differentiated in terms of their cultural or process focus. Moreover, the favoured leadership style of an organisation may play a part in determining which strategies are likely to be most appropriate. From the medical device and healthcare product perspective, regulatory and purchasing considerations will have a role in determining the strategy adopted.Practical implications – For managers seeking.
The Locational Determinants of the U.S. Multinationals Activities

This paper examines empirically a range of theoretical hypotheses about the determinants of FDI location in a panel data regression framework. The results of the estimation of a gravity model lend support to the proximity-concentration and internalisation hypotheses. Also, the fact that FDI has been found to be decreasing in the competition posed by alternative locations is suggestive of the superiority of the share version of the gravity model over its classical formulation. A panel data cointegration-type analysis between FDI and GDP, and per capita income differential suggests that GDP has a positive impact on FDI, but provide mixed evidence as to whether per capita income differential reflects demand or supply determinants of FDI. Causality tests between income, income differential and FDI points to FDI playing a positive role on economic growth and convergence.
Effects of Hourly, Low-Incentive, and High-Incentive Pay on Simulated Work Productivity: Initial Findings With a New Laboratory Method

The failures of previous studies to demonstrate productivity differences across different percentages of incentive pay may be partially due to insufficient simulation fidelity. The present study compared the effects of different percentages of incentive pay using a more advanced simulation method. Three payment methods were tested: hourly, low-incentive, and high-incentive (0%, 10%, and 100%) pay. Four participants performed a simulated work task for 30 6-hr sessions. Productivity under the 100% incentive condition was consistently higher than under the 10% condition for all participants. Productivity under the 10% condition was higher than under the 0% condition for two participants. Results suggest that different percentages of incentive pay may in fact produce productivity differences under more realistic simulated work conditions.
Financial Market Integration

In this paper we address some key issues regarding financial market integration. We consider regional indices, country indices as well as sectoral indices for the period 1995–2008. Our main findings are: one, market integration is more prominent among markets, which are at comparable development stage; two, market integration is mostly lead by developed markets; and three, the emerging markets are more vulnerable than the developed markets during times of distress.
Two Nonoverlapping Domains on the Norwalk Virus Open Reading Frame 3 (ORF3) Protein Are Involved in the Formation of the Phosphorylated 35K Protein and in ORF3-Capsid Protein Interactions

ABSTRACT Expression of the Norwalk virus open reading frame 3 (ORF3) in Spodoptera frugiperda (Sf9) cells yields two major forms, the predicted 23,000-molecular-weight (23K) form and a larger 35K form. The 23K form is able to interact with the ORF2 capsid protein and be incorporated into virus-like particles. In this paper, we provide mass spectrometry evidence that both the 23K and 35K forms are composed only of the ORF3 protein. Two-dimensional gel electrophoresis and phosphatase treatment showed that the 35K form results solely from phosphorylation and that the 35K band is composed of several different phosphorylated forms with distinct isoelectric points. Furthermore, we analyzed deletion and point mutants of the ORF3 protein. Mutants that lacked the C-terminal 33 amino acids (ORF31-179, ORF31-152, and ORF31-107) no longer produced the 35K form. An N-terminal truncation mutant (ORF351-212) and a site-directed mutant (ORF3T201V) were capable of producing the larger form, which was converted to the smaller form by treatment with protein phosphatase. These data suggest that the region between amino acids 180 and 212 is phosphorylated, and mass spectrometry showed that amino acids Arg196 to Arg211 are not phosphorylated; thus, phosphorylation of the serine-threonine-rich region from Thr181 to Ser193 must be involved in the generation of the 35K form. Studies of the interaction between the ORF2 protein and full-length and mutated ORF3 proteins showed that the full-length ORF3 protein (ORF3FL), ORF31-179, ORF31-152, and ORF351-212 interacted with the ORF2 protein, while an ORF31-107 protein did not. These results indicate that the region of the ORF3 protein between amino acids 108 and 152 is responsible for interaction with the ORF2 protein.