Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Three Essays in Applied Economics

Smith, Austin C. (Ph.D., Economics) Three Essays in Applied Economics Thesis directed by Assistant Professors Brian Cadena and Jonathan Hughes This dissertation examines various topics in applied economics, with particular attention to policy evaluation and to how workers respond to incentives. In the rst chapter, I examine the impact of Daylight Saving Time (DST) on fatal automobile accidents. Despite mounting evidence that DST fails in its primary goal of saving energy, some form of DST is still practiced by over 1.5 billion people in over 60 countries. I demonstrate that DST imposes high social costs on Americans, speci cally, an increase in fatal automobile crashes. DST alters fatal crash risk in two ways: disrupting sleep schedules and reallocating ambient light from the morning to the evening. I nd that shifting ambient light reallocates fatalities within a day, while sleep deprivation caused by the spring transition increases risk. The increased risk persists for the rst six days of DST, causing a total of 302 deaths at a social cost of $2.75 billion over the 10-year sample period. In the second chapter, my coauthor and I examine the impact of alternative compensation structures on worker performance. We use a unique panel dataset that tracks workers as they are able to adjust how they are paid for performance between a pure variable payment scheme based on performance in a rank-order tournament and a hybrid structure with a xed fee and tournament component. We nd that performance is best under the pure variable payment structure, with performance under the hybrid structure improving as more weight is given to the variable component of pay. Importantly, the incentives created by the variable payment scheme have an economically meaningful impact in a setting where output is highly variant. In the nal chapter, I investigate how professional online poker players respond to shocks in expected wages. Using variation in expected wages created by the amateur portion of the player pool, I nd that the top pros respond on the extensive margin, playing more often when expected wages are high, and on the intensive margin, playing more tables simultaneously. In contrast, weaker pros respond only on the intensive margin.
Adaptive assistance for guided force training in chronic stroke

This work describes a novel form of robotic therapy for the upper extremity in chronic stroke. Based on previous results, we hypothesized that a training task that encourages subjects to consciously guide endpoint forces generated by the hemiparetic arm will result in significant gains in functional ability of the arm, superior to more conventional methods of therapy. In addition, since stroke survivors present with varying degrees of arm movement ability, we developed an adaptive algorithm that tailors the amount of assistance provided in completing the guided force training task. The algorithm adapts a coefficient for velocity-dependent assistance based on measured movement speed, on a trial-to-trial basis. The training algorithm has been implemented with a simple linear robotic device called the ARM Guide. One participant completed a two month training program with the adaptive algorithm, resulting in significant improvements in the performance of functional tasks.
The use of exercises in the treatment of scoliosis: an evidence-based critical review of the literature

The loss of flexibility in a spinal curvature defines it as a structural spinal deformity; a curvature sufficiently mobile to resolve with a change in posture is a non-structural or ‘functional’ scoliosis which is within the normal limits of movement for a human spine. It, therefore, seems logical that exercise-based therapies designed to improve and/or maintain flexibility and range of motion of the spine and thorax would be useful in the treatment of scoliosis. Recognition of the importance of maintaining flexibility of the thoracic spinal column to avoid scoliosis-associated pulmonary dysfunction made the use of exercise-based therapies a topic of clinical interest in ancient Greece. In recent years, successful prevention of polio epidemics has resulted in a stable change in patient populations such that most individuals diagnosed with scoliosis do not suffer from irreversible central nervous system compromise. As a result, realistic opportunities to examine the role of exercise in treatment of scoliosis are available for the first time in history. A growing body of evidence from independent sources is consistent with the hypothesis that exercise-based approaches can be used effectively to reverse the signs and symptoms of spinal deformity and to prevent progression in children and adults.
Surface brightness profiles and structural parameters for 53 rich stellar clusters in the Large Magellanic Cloud

We have compiled a pseudo-snapshot data set of two-colour observations from the Hubble Space Telescope archive for a sample of 53 rich LMC clusters with ages of 106–1010 yr. We present surface brightness profiles for the entire sample, and derive structural parameters for each cluster, including core radii, and luminosity and mass estimates. Because we expect the results presented here to form the basis for several further projects, we describe in detail the data reduction and surface brightness profile construction processes, and compare our results with those of previous ground-based studies. The surface brightness profiles show a large amount of detail, including irregularities in the profiles of young clusters (such as bumps, dips and sharp shoulders), and evidence for both double clusters and post-core-collapse (PCC) clusters. In particular, we find power-law profiles in the inner regions of several candidate PCC clusters, with slopes of approximately −0.7, but showing considerable variation. We estimate that 20 ± 7 per cent of the old cluster population of the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) has entered PCC evolution, a similar fraction to that for the Galactic globular cluster system. In addition, we examine the profile of R136 in detail and show that it is probably not a PCC cluster. We also observe a trend in core radius with age that has been discovered and discussed in several previous publications by different authors. Our diagram has better resolution, however, and appears to show a bifurcation at several hundred Myr. We argue that this observed relationship reflects true physical evolution in LMC clusters, with some experiencing small-scale core expansion owing to mass loss, and others large-scale expansion owing to some unidentified characteristic or physical process.
Cloning and Polymorphisms of Yak Lactate Dehydrogenase b Gene

The main objective of this work was to study the unique polymorphisms of the lactate dehydrogenase-1 (LDH1) gene in yak (Bos grunniens). Native polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis revealed three phenotypes of LDH1 (a tetramer of H subunit) in yak heart and longissimus muscle extracts. The corresponding gene, ldhb, encoding H subunits of three LDH1 phenotypes was obtained by RT-PCR. A total of six nucleotide differences were detected in yak ldhb compared with that of cattle, of which five mutations cause amino acid substitutions. Sequence analysis shows that the G896A and C689A, mutations of ldhb gene, result in alterations of differently charged amino acids, and create the three phenotypes (F, M, and S) of yak LDH1. Molecular modeling of the H subunit of LDH indicates that the substituted amino acids are not located within NAD+ or substrate binding sites. PCR-RFLP examination of G896A mutation demonstrated that most LDH1-F samples are actually heterozygote at this site. These results help to elucidate the molecular basis and genetic characteristic of the three unique LDH1 phenotypes in yak.
1H-NMR-Based Endometabolome Profiles of Burkholderia cenocepacia Clonal Variants Retrieved from a Cystic Fibrosis Patient during Chronic Infection

During cystic fibrosis (CF) chronic lung infections, bacteria of the Burkholderia cepacia complex (Bcc) are exposed for several years to a stressful and changing environment. These environmental challenges results in genetic changes of the initial infecting strain with the consequent diversification of genotypes and phenotypes. The exploitation of functional and comparative genomic approaches has suggested that such diversification is associated with massive metabolic remodeling but these alterations are poorly understood. In the present work, we have explored a high resolution 1H-NMR-based metabolomic approach coupled to multivariate analysis to compare the endometabolome of three B. cenocepacia clonal variants retrieved from a CF patient from the onset of infection (IST439) until death with cepacia syndrome after 3.5 years (IST4113 and IST4134), to complement former proteomic and transcriptomic analyses. A fourth clonal variant (IST4129) retrieved from the same CF patient when the clinical condition worsened during the last months of life, was also examined since it was found to lack the third replicon. The metabolomic profiles obtained, based on the complete 1H-NMR spectra, highlight the separation of the four clonal variants examined, the most distinct profile corresponding to IST4129. Results indicate a variable content of several amino acids in the different isolates examined and suggest that glycolysis and the glyoxylate shunt are favored in late variants. Moreover, the concentration of two metabolites with demonstrated cellular protective functions against stress, glycine-betaine and trehalose, is different in the different isolates examined. However, no clear correlation could be established between their content and stress tolerance. For example, IST4113, previously found to be the most resistant variant to antimicrobials of different classes, exhibits low levels of trehalose and glycine-betaine but the highest resistance to heat and oxidative stress. Also, IST4129, with a high level of glycine-betaine but lacking the third replicon, previously associated with stress resistance and virulence, exhibits the highest susceptibility to all the stresses tested. Taken together, results from this study provide insights into the metabolic diversification of B. cenocepacia clonal variants during long-term infection of the CF airways.
The affective amygdala : towards a better understanding of adolescent depressive and anxiety disorders

This thesis aimed to investigate the neurobiological mechanisms of adolescent onset depression and anxiety disorders. A longitudinal fMRI study design was used that included both task related brain activation and resting state functional connectivity. All participants were scanned three times in a six-month period. In between scan sessions the adolescents from the clinical group received treatment as usual. Adolescents from the control group were scanned within the same time interval but did not receive treatment. During a scan session several MRI parameters were collected including task based fMRI (emotional face processing task) and resting state fMRI. We also administered several questionnaires about derpession and anxiety symptomatology. It was demonstrated that adolescents with depressive and anxiety disorders show differentiating patterns of amygdala reactivity and connectivity compared to a healthy control group. Furthermore, using a dimensional approach and taking individual differences in self-reported depression and anxiety symptoms into account highlighted the role of self-reported anxiety symptoms in amygdala reactivity during emotional faces processing. These findings indicate that the amygdala indeed is an important region involved in emotional face processing and that focusing on this region can provide further insights in the development and persistence of depressive and anxiety disorders in adolescents.
Ora Et Non Labora? A Test of the Impact of Religion on Female Labor Supply

This paper examines the influence of religion on female participation to the labor market using data relative to women aged between 18 and 60 years in 47 European countries drawn from the European Values Study (EVS). We investigate the determinants of the probability of being employed rather than jobless in a LOGIT framework. The results show that women belonging to the Orthodox and, even more, Muslim denominations present a higher risk of non-employment than the agnostics, while being a Protestant increases the probability for a woman to be employed. Although its intensity is slightly weakening, the association between religious affiliation and female labor supply is robust to different sets of controls for individual and household heterogeneity as well as for welfare regimes and country specificities. Once disentangling religiously active and non-active women, we find that there are small differences between them in the case of the Orthodox and Muslim women, while active Catholic women tend to work less and non-active Protestant women tend to work more than average.
Enhancement of Cerebrovascular Effect of CO2 by Hypoxia

Internal carotid blood flow, taken as an index of cerebral blood flow (CBF); arterial pressure; and respfrfffffry Ó2 and ĆO2 concentrations, were measured in halothane (1%)-anestbetized, paralyzed and mecJiantcaJly ventilated rabbits. CBF was determined at end-tfdal CO2 of 4% (normocapnla) and 8%, as Inspired O2 ([O2]1) was varied sfepwise over ttte range of 6.5 to 92%. Noraocapnic CBF was constant over the range of If to 92% fO2]1, but ft increased significantly to 240% and 380% of control when [O2]1 was at 10% and 6.5%, respectively. Cerebrovascular response to CO2 was constant orer the range of [O2]1 tested, except for a significant elevation to 180% of control at [O2]1 of 10%.
A New Literacy: The Role of Technology to Develop Student’s Character

Literacy is very important in human life since by being literate, people will be able to gain information. This paper discusses about the changing of old literacy to a new literacy. This changing brings effects to many aspects of life including in education. This paper shows how a new literacy which is known by ICT (information and communication technology) can develop student’s character. This new ICT has positive and negative effects. The counters only focus on explaining the positive effect of technology that is to build and improve the trustworthy, respect, diligence, responsibility, and courage. Building good student’s character can create good future leadership. Because of that student’s should be equipped with the ability of code-breaking, making- meaning, text-using, and text-analyzing. At the end, all parties (government, teachers, parents, etc) have to collaborate to use ICT in order to improve the quality of our education. Literasi sangat penting dalam kehidupan manusia karena dengan menjadi melek, orang akan dapat memperoleh informasi. Makalah ini membahas tentang perubahan literasi lama ke literasi baru. Perubahan ini membawa efek ke banyak aspek kehidupan termasuk dalam bidang pendidikan. Makalah ini menunjukkan bagaimana literasi baru yang dikenal dengan ICT (teknologi informasi dan komunikasi) dapat mengembangkan karakter siswa. ICT baru ini akan memiliki efek positif dan negatif. Kami hanya fokus pada menjelaskan efek positif dari teknologi itu adalah untuk membangun dan meningkatkan kepercayaan, menghormati, ketekunan, tanggung jawab, dan keberanian. Membangun karakter siswa yang baik dapat menciptakan pemimpin masa depan yang baik. Sehubungan dengan itu siswa harus dilengkapi dengan kemampuan pemecahan kode, memaknai hasil, menggunakan teks, dan analisis teks. Pada akhirnya, semua pihak (pemerintah, guru, orang tua, dan lain-lain) harus berkolaborasi untuk menggunakan ICT dalam rangka meningkatkan kualitas pendidikan kita.
Differences between Ca2+ and Mg2+ in DNA binding and release by the SfiI restriction endonuclease: implications for DNA looping

Many enzymes acting on DNA require Mg2+ ions not only for catalysis but also to bind DNA. Binding studies often employ Ca2+ as a substitute for Mg2+, to promote DNA binding whilst disallowing catalysis. The SfiI endonuclease requires divalent metal ions to bind DNA but, in contrast to many systems where Ca2+ mimics Mg2+, Ca2+ causes SfiI to bind DNA almost irreversibly. Equilibrium binding by wild-type SfiI cannot be conducted with Mg2+ present as the DNA is cleaved so, to study the effect of Mg2+ on DNA binding, two catalytically-inactive mutants were constructed. The mutants bound DNA in the presence of either Ca2+ or Mg2+ but, unlike wild-type SfiI with Ca2+, the binding was reversible. With both mutants, dissociation was slow with Ca2+ but was in one case much faster with Mg2+. Hence, Ca2+ can affect DNA binding differently from Mg2+. Moreover, SfiI is an archetypal system for DNA looping; on DNA with two recognition sites, it binds to both sites and loops out the intervening DNA. While the dynamics of looping cannot be measured with wild-type SfiI and Ca2+, it becomes accessible with the mutant and Mg2+.
Convergence Theorems on an Iterative Method for Variational Inequality Problems and Fixed Point Problems

In this paper, we propose an explicit viscosity approximation method for nding a common element of the set of xed points of strict pseudo-contrac- tions and of the set of solutions of variational inequalities with inverse-strongly monotone mappings. Strong convergence theorems are established in the frame- work of Hilbert spaces.
Effect of an inorganic and organic form of dietary selenium on the promotional stage of mammary carcinogenesis in the rat.

The relative effectiveness of either sodium selenite or selenomethionine in the inhibition of mammary carcinogenesis was studied in virgin female Sprague-Dawley rats. In one experiment, rats were given 50 mg of 1-methyl-1-nitrosourea per kg of body weight s.c. at 50 days of age. Beginning 7 days post-1-methyl-1-nitrosourea, they were assigned to a basal diet containing 0.1 ppm of selenium or basal diet supplemented to contain either 4, 5, or 6 ppm of selenium as sodium selenite or 5 or 6 ppm of selenium as selenomethionine. Selenium treatment was continued until termination of the study 135 days after 1-methyl-1-nitrosourea treatment. Sodium selenite, at the 5-ppm level, was the most effective chemopreventive agent. The highest level of selenomethionine (6 ppm) caused grossly apparent liver damage. No liver damage was noted in sodium selenite-treated rats. In a second experiment, rats were given 5 mg of 7,12-dimethylbenz(a)anthracene at 50 days of age. Beginning 7 days after 7,12-dimethylbenz(a)anthracene treatment, rats were assigned randomly to the control group or to one of two selenium treatment groups receiving either 3.4 ppm of selenium as sodium selenite or 3.4 ppm as selenomethionine in their drinking water. Selenium supplementation was continued throughout the study until its termination at 111 days postcarcinogen . Sodium selenite significantly reduced cancer incidence and the average number of cancers per rat. Treatment with selenomethionine was less effective and caused severe liver damage. Although both sodium selenite and selenomethionine can inhibit some aspect of the postinitiation stage(s) of mammary carcinogenesis, selenium provided as sodium selenite was the more effective and less toxic of the two chemicals. Increasing the dose of sodium selenite above 5 ppm did not enhance the inhibitory activity of selenium.
Modeling and analysis of nonstationary low-frequency noise in circuit simulators: Enabling non Monte Carlo techniques

Modeling and analysis of low frequency noise in circuit simulators with time-varying bias conditions is a long-standing open problem. In this paper, we offer a definite solution for this problem and present a model for low-frequency noise that captures the internal, stochastic dynamics of the individual noise sources via dedicated internal pseudo nodes that are coupled with the rest of the circuit. Our method correctly incorporates the inherent nonstationarity of low-frequency noise into the device model and the circuit simulator. It is based on a probabilistic description of oxide traps in nano-scale devices that individually cause the so-called random telegraph signal (RTS) noise, and, en masse, are believed to be the culprits of other low-frequency noise phenomena, such as 1/f and burst noise. Our model captures the dependence of noise characteristics on the state variables of the circuit. Its simple yet precise mathematical formulation allows the utilization of well-established, non Monte Carlo techniques for nonstationary noise analysis. In one embodiment that we present in this paper, the proposed noise model is used to perform frequency-domain, non Monte Carlo, semi-analytical noise evaluation for circuits under periodic large-signal excitations. For this case, we verify that the computed noise spectral densities match the ones obtained via spectral estimation from timedomain Monte Carlo noise simulation data.
All Three Rows of Outer Hair Cells Are Required for Cochlear Amplification

In the mammalian auditory system, the three rows of outer hair cells (OHCs) located in the cochlea are thought to increase the displacement amplitude of the organ of Corti. This cochlear amplification is thought to contribute to the high sensitivity, wide dynamic range, and sharp frequency selectivity of the hearing system. Recent studies have shown that traumatic stimuli, such as noise exposure and ototoxic acid, cause functional loss of OHCs in one, two, or all three rows. However, the degree of decrease in cochlear amplification caused by such functional losses remains unclear. In the present study, a finite element model of a cross section of the gerbil cochlea was constructed. Then, to determine effects of the functional losses of OHCs on the cochlear amplification, changes in the displacement amplitude of the basilar membrane (BM) due to the functional losses of OHCs were calculated. Results showed that the displacement amplitude of the BM decreases significantly when a single row of OHCs lost its function, suggesting that all three rows of OHCs are required for cochlear amplification.
Evaluation of the GOES-R ABI LAP Retrieval Algorithm Using the GOES-13 Sounder

AbstractA physical retrieval algorithm has been developed for deriving the legacy atmospheric profile (LAP) product from infrared radiances of the Advanced Baseline Imager (ABI) on board the next-generation Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES-R) series. In this study, the GOES-R ABI LAP retrieval algorithm is applied to the GOES-13 sounder radiance measurements (termed the GOES-13 LAP retrieval algorithm in this study) for its validation as well as for potential transition of the GOES-13 LAP retrieval algorithm for the operational processing of GOES sounder data. The GOES-13 LAP retrievals are compared with five different truth measurements: radiosonde observation (raob) and microwave radiometer–measured total precipitable water (TPW) at the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement Cloud and Radiation Testbed site, conventional raob, TPW measurements from the global positioning system–integrated precipitable water NOAA network, and TPW measurements from the Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiome.
Delegation, Committees, and Managers

Attempts to economize on decision-making time imply that groups of peers may delegate authority to a small committee of managers even though this means that the information and preferences of the uninvolved players are neglected. Decisions are more likely to be delegated to players with better information and more representative preferences. The possibility of ex post protests may force managers to take the preferences of others into account but may also give them incentives to ignore their private information. The argument may explain employees' willingness to let bosses decide, and thus throw some light on the theory of the firm.