Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Monetary incentives in participatory sensing using multi-attributive auctions

Participation of people is the most important factor in providing high quality of service in participatory sensing applications. In this paper, we study monetary incentives in order to stimulate user's participation, especially in applications that rely on real-time data. Providing such incentives is hard because the service provider cannot determine the price at which each user would be willing to sell his own sensing data. Introducing traditional reverse auction mechanisms would allow to reveal this value, but they do not take under consideration the fact that sensing data are not all of same quality. This paper applies multi-attributive auction mechanisms that besides negotiation on the price, help service providers select the sensing data of the highest quality and also give users the incentive to further improve on them. We verify the benefits of this scheme using simulation experiments and we identify further research challenges.
The Number of Supernovae from Primordial Stars in the Universe

Recent simulations of the formation of the first luminous objects in the universe predict isolated very massive stars to form in dark matter halos with virial temperatures large enough to allow significant amounts of molecular hydrogen to form. We construct a semianalytic model based on Press-Schechter formalism and calibrate the minimum halo mass that may form a primordial star with the results from extensive adaptive mesh refinement simulations. The model also includes star formation in objects with virial temperatures in excess of 10,000 K. The free parameters are tuned to match the optical depth measurements by the WMAP satellite. The models explicitly include the negative feedback of the destruction of molecular hydrogen by a soft UV background that is computed self-consistently. We predict high-redshift supernova rates as one of the most promising tools to test the current scenario of primordial star formation. The supernova rate from primordial stars peaks at redshifts of ~20. Using an analytic model for the luminosities of pair-instability supernovae, we predict observable magnitudes and discuss possible observational strategies. Such supernovae would release enough metals corresponding to a uniform enrichment to a few hundred thousand solar. If some of these stars produce gamma-ray bursts, our rates will be directly applicable to understanding the anticipated results from the Swift satellite. This study highlights the great potential of the James Webb Space Telescope in probing cosmic structure at redshifts greater than 15.
Person-Group Fit

This article explores antecedents and outcomes of group-level person-group (PG) fit perceptions. Based on the categorization-elaboration model (CEM), the authors explain how social category (gender and age) and informational diversity (education and work experience) in work teams may elicit supplementary and complementary fit perceptions among team members. The authors then examine two mechanisms through which perceived fit might influence leader-rated group performance. Supplementary fit (similarity on values) is hypothesized to work through a relationship-oriented mechanism by influencing social cohesion. Complementary fit (abilities meet job demands) is expected to work through a task-oriented mechanism by influencing the teams’ transactive memory systems. Participants include employees (N = 1,101) and leaders (N = 116) from 116 work teams in two private firms located in Seoul, Korea. Results generally support the hypothesized relationships, with the task-oriented mechanism being more influential of group performance. Post hoc analyses also suggest that a superordinate perception of PG fit may underlie the assessments of the more specific types of fit. The authors conclude that diversity within groups influences an emergent perception of group-level fit, having related supplementary and complementary components, which in turn are associated with group-level outcomes.
Listeners’ perceptual and emotional responses to tonal and atonal music

Research in music and emotion has largely focused on responses to tonal music on isolated occasions. This article presents a novel approach to the study of music and emotion that investigates the effects of familiarity on listeners’ responses to tonal and atonal music. A mixed-methods longitudinal design was adopted to enable access to the familiarization process. Nineteen student participants (10 musicians; nine non-musicians) embarked on the study. Participants used a range of quantitative and qualitative self-report mechanisms to record their emotional responses to music by Clementi, Schoenberg and Berio over a two-week familiarization period. Results suggested that with increased familiarity, participants showed greater understanding of the musical structure and increased awareness of details in the music, which impacted on the emotional triggers identified by participants. There was evidence for increasing anticipation of emotional events with familiarity. The musical language also showed profound effects: participants found it more difficult to identify the musical structure of the atonal pieces than the tonal pieces; emotional responses to the atonal pieces were lower than those for the tonal piece, and these effects were greatest for non-music students. The implications of these results are discussed.
An anti-atherogenic effect of Schistosoma mansoni infections in mice associated with a parasite-induced lowering of blood total cholesterol

In affluent societies the prevalences of so-called ‘Western’ diseases such as atherosclerosis, allergies and autoimmune disorders appear to have increased, while many diseases caused by communicable infections are now relatively less common. To test whether there may be a causal relationship we examined the effects of Schistosoma mansoni infections in mice that develop cardiovascular pathology as a result of a genetic deficiency in apolipoprotein E (apoE−/−). The development of atherosclerotic lesions in the aortic arch and brachiocephalic artery of the apoE−/− mice was reduced by approximately 50% in mice with the parasitic infection, when comparison was made with uninfected control mice fed the same diet. Observations on S. mansoni-infected conventional laboratory mice indicate that patent schistosome infections could be counteracting the effects of an atherogenic diet by modulating host lipid metabolism and inducing a reduction in blood total cholesterol concentrations.
Dynactin's pointed-end complex is a cargo-targeting module

Dynactin serves as an adaptor that allows the dynein motor to bind cargoes, but how dynactin associates with its diverse complement of subcellular binding partners remains mysterious. We show that the “pointed-end complex” of dynactin is a bipartite structural domain that stabilizes dynactin and supports its binding to different subcellular structures.
The effects of maternal alcohol consumption and cigarette smoking during pregnancy on acoustic cry analysis.

During the last trimester of pregnancy, 127 primiparous Irish mothers were interviewed to ascertain their history of alcohol and tobacco use. Confounding effects due to other drugs were not a factor in this sample. Mothers consumed an average of . 21 ounces absolute alcohol (AA) per day, with 62% classified as moderate drinkers, 10.6% as heavy drinkers, and 26% as nondrinkers. Neurobehavioral status was measured using acoustic characteristics of the infant's cry, collected on the third day of life. Multiple regression analysis showed that more ounces AA per day was related to more dysphonation and higher first formant, while more cigarette smoking was related to higher pitch, higher second formant, and more variability in the second formant. Analysis of variance comparisons of these 3 alcohol groups demonstrated significant cry effects on infants of heavy drinking mothers.
Stability of Normal Personality Traits after Traumatic Brain Injury

Objective:To test the hypothesis that changes in personality traits arc evident after traumatic brain injury (TM) using current models of normal adult personality variation. Design:Comparison of inception cohort and control group at two measurement occasions. Setting:A large urban academic medical center. Participants:Retrospective personality assessments were obtained from significant others of 21 TB1 patients within 30 days of injury and at 6-month follow-up and from a control group of significant others of 25 persons without neurological history twice over a 6-month interval. Main Outcome Measures:Five scales—Neuroticism, Extroversion, Openness to Experience, Agreeableness, and Conscientiousness— from the revised NEO Personality Inventory (NEO PI-R), Form R, and an observer rating scale for retrospective estimates of change (REC). Results:Significant score changes were found for only one of the five trait domains in the patient sample; controls showed minimal changes overall. Patients' Extraversion scores declined to average levels at 6-month follow-up, diminishing premorbid differences between patients and controls on this dimension. Subjective change estimates made by raters after follow-up reflected perceptions of increased neuroticism in patients that were inconsistent with the serial NEO PI-R data the raters provided. Conclusions:The absence of systematic changes in personality trait scores among the patients cautions against presuming that such changes account for the behavior of TDI patients.
An integrative model of autism spectrum disorder: ASD as a neurobiological disorder of experienced environmental deprivation, early life stress and allostatic overload

A number of recent convergences within neurobiology, and between neurobiology and psychoanalysis, allow us to view autism through a new lens. This perspective highlights biological risk factors that might operate through final common pathways to produce the ASD syndrome. The goal of this article is to integrate and elaborate upon this confluence of findings, and to develop a working model of ASD that could parsimoniously account for central aspects of ASD, promote greater collaboration in research, and lead to more effective treatment. Converging evidence suggests that ASD is a potentially reversible neurodevelopmental disorder in which neurobiological factors – not poor parenting – interfere with the child–caregiver interaction. The infant then experiences deprivation of growth-promoting parental input even though it is available. The model proposed here adds what seems to have been largely unrecognized in the field of autism: the child's experience of social deprivation and isolation signals threat to the child and may result in overwhelming stress with significant psychological (traumatic or toxic stress) and biological (allostatic overload) components and consequences. Allostatic overload results when attempts to cope with threat impose too great a burden, resulting in a pathophysiological state or process that damages the body and predisposes one to the development of disease. Critically, this model proposes that allostatic overload plays a major role in the course of ASD by amplifying the neurobiological vulnerabilities generally considered to make primary contributions to the development of autism. Furthermore, through the process of allostatic overload, neurobiological and psychological factors interact in a nonlinear fashion and are both seen to underlie the symptoms of ASD which develop through maladaptive coping and neuroplasticity. Thus, this model might explain both the progression to, and the ongoing symptoms of, the ASD syndrome. In addition, the model could also account for successful intervention by promoting the reversal of this process via adaptive coping and neuroplasticity. Factors that may facilitate adaptive neuroplasticity include providing an enriched environment, increasing social and emotional connection, and decreasing anxiety, stress, and allostatic load. Personal descriptions of the experience of ASD, as well as psychoanalytic clinical work with children with ASD, are in accord with this model. Psychoanalysis may thus be considered a research tool that assists in uncovering the child's inner world of feelings and meanings, an under-appreciated element in autism. Making sense of the child's experience of isolation and threat helps the ASD child feel understood and less afraid. Clinical material will illustrate how, for some children on the higher end of the autism spectrum, recovery is made more likely by increasing the sense of connection and decreasing the experience of stress.
The Fiber Diameter of Synthetic Bioresorbable Extracellular Matrix Influences Human Fibroblast Morphology and Fibronectin Matrix Assembly

Background: The ideal scaffold material should provide immediate capacity to bear mechanical loads and also permit eventual resorption and replacement with native tissue of similar mechanical integrity. Scaffold characteristics such as fiber diameter provide environmental cues that can influence cell function and differentiation. In this study, the impact of fiber diameter of scaffolds constructed from a tyrosine-based bioresorbable polymer on cellular response was investigated. Methods: Electrospun bioresorbable poly(desamino tyrosyl-tyrosine ethyl ester carbonate) scaffolds composed of microfibers or nanofibers were constructed and seeded with human dermal fibroblasts. The impact of fiber diameter on actin cytoskeletal morphology, focal adhesion size, fibronectin matrix assembly, and cell proliferation was evaluated using immunofluorescent microscopy and computer-assisted image analysis. Results: Actin stress fibers were more easily observed in cells on microfiber scaffolds compared with those on nanofiber scaffolds. Cells on nanofiber scaffolds developed smaller focal adhesion complexes compared with those on microfiber scaffolds (p < 0.0001). The temporal patterns of fibronectin matrix assembly were affected by scaffold fiber diameter, with cells on microfiber scaffolds showing a delayed response in dense fibril formation compared with nanofiber scaffolds. Cells on nanofiber scaffolds showed higher proliferation compared with microfiber scaffolds at time points under 1 week (p < 0.01), but by 2 weeks significantly higher cell proliferation was observed on microfiber scaffolds (p < 0.01). Conclusions: The fiber diameter of bioresorbable scaffolds can significantly influence cell response and suggests that the ability of scaffolds to elicit consistent biological responses depends on factors beyond scaffold composition. Such findings have important implications for the design of clinically useful engineered constructs.
Dynamic hair manipulation in images and videos

This paper presents a single-view hair modeling technique for generating visually and physically plausible 3D hair models with modest user interaction. By solving an unambiguous 3D vector field explicitly from the image and adopting an iterative hair generation algorithm, we can create hair models that not only visually match the original input very well but also possess physical plausibility (e.g., having strand roots fixed on the scalp and preserving the length and continuity of real strands in the image as much as possible). The latter property enables us to manipulate hair in many new ways that were previously very difficult with a single image, such as dynamic simulation or interactive hair shape editing. We further extend the modeling approach to handle simple video input, and generate dynamic 3D hair models. This allows users to manipulate hair in a video or transfer styles from images to videos.
The Effects of Task Information Training and Frame-of-Reference Training With Situational Constraints on Rating Accuracy

Participants (N = 96) were trained to complete performance evaluations using either (a) traditional frame-of-reference training on the performance dimensions (FORD), (b) FORD and frame-of-reference training on the situational constraints encountered by the ratee (FORD + FORS), (c) FORD and FORS plus training on the weighting strategy used to combine dimension and situational cues in determining deserved ratings (FORCW), or (d) control procedures. Participants read 20 profiles that described lecturers' performance and rated each lecturer on their Observed Performance, Situational Constraints, and Deserved Performance. Results suggest that FORD and FORS training increase rating accuracy for Observed Performance and Situational Constraint ratings, respectively. Furthermore, participants provided with a weighting policy successfully adopted this policy in determining Deserved Performance ratings.
HST STIS Observations of PG 0946+301: The Highest Quality UV Spectrum of a BALQSO

We describe deep (40 orbits) Hubble Space Telescope (HST) Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph observations of the broad absorption line (BAL) quasi-stellar object (QSO) PG 0946+301 and make them available to the community. These observations are the major part of a multiwavelength campaign on this object aimed at determining the ionization equilibrium and abundances (IEAs) in BALQSOs. We present simple template fits to the entire data set, which yield firm identifications for more than two dozen BALs from 18 ions and give lower limits for the ionic column densities. We find that the outflow's metallicity is consistent with being solar, while the abundance ratio of phosphorus to other metals is at least 10 times solar. These findings are based on diagnostics that are not sensitive to saturation and partial covering effects in the BALs, which considerably weakened previous claims for enhanced metallicity. Ample evidence for these effects is seen in the spectrum. We also discuss several options for extracting tighter IEA constraints in future analyses and present the significant temporal changes that are detected between these spectra and those taken by the HST Faint Object Spectrograph in 1992.
Plasma miR-15b-5p, miR-338-5p, and miR-764 as Biomarkers for Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Background Recently, increasing research evidence indicates that miRNA plays important roles in oncogenesis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The objective of this study was to investigate the potential of plasma miRNAs as biomarkers for HCC determination. Material/Methods This trial included 4 phases: (i) miRNAs in tumor tissues were screened with a miRNA array for determining candidate miRNAs. (ii) Candidate miRNAs were measured by RT-qPCR in plasma of 10 HCC patients before and after surgery (7–10 days) for target miRNAs that displayed a pattern of postoperative decrease. (iii) Plasma levels of target miRNAs in 37 HCC patients, 29 cirrhosis patients, and 31 healthy controls were measured by RT-qPCR for determining potential biomarkers. (iv) The powers of biomarkers for differentiating HCC were validated and the correlations with clinicopathological variables of HCC patients were analyzed. Results miRNA array demonstrated an abnormal expression of 92 miRNAs in tumor tissues compared to adjacent non-tumor tissues. Of those molecules with an over-expressed level in tumor tissues and preoperative plasmas, a decrease in postoperative plasma was observed in miR-15b-5p, miR-338-5p, and miR-764. Plasma levels of these miRNAs in HCC patients were higher than in the other 2 groups (P<0.05). Receiver-operator characteristic (ROC) curve analyses suggested these plasma miRNAs could be useful biomarkers for determining HCC. miR-338-5p yielded an area under the ROC curve (AUC) of 0.799 (74.5% sensitivity and 82.8% specificity) and 0.909 (72.3% sensitivity and 99.68% specificity) to discriminate HCC patients from cirrhosis patients and healthy controls, respectively. The expression level of miR-338-5p was negatively correlated with the level of AFP (r=−0.306, P=0.036), and the expression level of miR-764 was positively correlated with the tumor size (r=0.371, P=0.01). Conclusions Circulating miR-15b-5p, miR-338-5p, and miR-764 may be biomarkers for diagnosis of HCC.
Predicting Kidney Graft Failure by HLA Antibodies: a Prospective Trial

HLA antibodies have been shown to be associated with late graft loss of organ transplants in prior studies. Recently they were even shown to appear years BEFORE rejection. ( 1) An international cooperative study of 4763 patients from 36 centers was undertaken to determine the frequency of HLA antibodies in patients with functional transplants. The overall frequency of HLA antibodies among kidney transplant recipients was 20.9%; 19.3% in the liver, 22.8% in the heart, and 14.2% in the lung. Patients treated with CsA‐MMF had significantly lower antibodies (9.8%) than those treated with CsA‐Aza (18.1%) (0.00008). ( 2) Second, a prospective trial was performed in 23 kidney transplant centers to determine whether HLA antibodies could predict failures within 1 year. Among the 2278 patients followed up, 91 grafts failed and 34 patients died. Of 500 patients who had HLA antibodies, 6.6% failed compared with 3.3% among 1778 patients without antibodies (p = 0.0007). Among 244 patients who made de novo antibodies, 8.6% failed compared with 3.0% failures among 1421 patients who did not make antibodies (p = 0.00003). Death occurred in 1.5% of patients and was not associated with antibodies. Thus, after 1 year in this prospective trial, patients with HLA antibodies had graft failure at a significantly higher rate than those without antibodies.
Using the IAT: how do individuals respond to their results?

Abstract Recently, implicit methods have been employed as a method to understand the underlying attitudes of the participant while also bypassing the social desirability biases that explicit measures are vulnerable to. Unfortunately, the literature has not considered the viewpoints of the individuals who participate in this process and the face validity they ascribe to the test’s results. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to explore how individuals respond to engaging in and receiving the results of an implicit test that addresses a sensitive topic and exploring the subsequent methodological implications. Specifically, we conduct a qualitative exploratory study of individuals’ reactions to their scores on the race-based implicit association test (IAT) using publically accessible comments from online message boards. Overall, we discuss four themes: the reporting of results, questioning IAT legitimacy, explicit racism/in-group behavior, and humor. Using a sensemaking theoretical framework, we discuss our findings and make recommendations for the future use of implicit tests.
CEO Pay and Firm Size: An Update after the Crisis

In the "size of stakes" view quantitatively formalized in Gabaix and Landier (2008), CEO compensation is determined in a competitive talent market, and reflects the size of firms affected by talent. This paper offers an empirical update on this view. The years 2004-2011, which include the recent crisis, were not part of the initial study and offer a laboratory to examine the theory as they include new positive and negative shocks to the size of large firms. Executive compensation at the top (ex ante) did closely track the evolution of average firm value during those years. During the crisis (2007 - 2009), average total firm value decreased by 17%, and CEO pay decreased by 28%. During 2009-2011, we observe a rebound of firm value by 19% and of CEO pay increased by 22%. These fairly proportional changes provide a validity check in favor of the "size of stakes" view.