Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Essays in leadership and contests

This thesis uses laboratory experiments to explore issues in leadership and contests within economics. We make two important contributions. First, we contribute to the literature on leadership by investigating, in the first essay, the biases that members suffer from when evaluating their leader’s outcomes. We find that members attribute good outcomes of the leader more to luck and bad outcomes more to effort. Relative to the Bayesian benchmark, leaders are apportioned enough blame for their failures but given too little credit for their successes. Moreover, while the members’ beliefs depend on how the leader has been appointed, the attribution biases that we find do not tend to depend on the appointment mechanisms. Our second contribution is towards improving our understanding of the issues pertaining to the optimal design of economic experiments within both the leadership and contest environments. Extending our design from the first study, the second essay compares two scoring rules commonly used in the literature to incentivize subjects’ belief reports. We evaluate their performance in eliciting truthful reports of the subjects’ beliefs about the decisions made by their leader. Contrary to our theoretical predictions, we find that there are no statistically significant differences in both the elicited beliefs and updating behavior between the two scoring rules. The final essay examines the effectiveness of real-effort tasks as an experimental tool to investigate incentive effects within the contest environment. We find that subjects are motivated by non-monetary incentives in the laboratory. We provide a framework to mitigate the impact of non-monetary incentives, and find that subjects respond to monetary incentives once we mitigate the impact of these non-monetary incentives. Our framework can be useful to researchers who are interested in examining real-effort provision within a contest environment. It may also be used to study behavior in other economic environments, such as in leadership, where researchers may want to examine the factors motivating individuals to compete for leadership positions.
Optimum receiver design for OFDM-based broadband transmission .II. A case study

This paper details on the design of OFDM receivers. Special attention is paid to the OFDM-specific receiver functions necessary to demodulate the received signal and deliver soft information to the outer receiver for decoding. In part I of the paper, the effects of nonideal transmission conditions have been thoroughly analyzed. To show the impact of the synchronization algorithms-which are most critical in OFDM-on system performance and complexity we consider the design of a complete receiver consisting of symbol synchronization, carrier/sampling clock synchronization and channel estimation. The performance of the algorithms is analyzed and a qualitative estimate of the resulting complexity is given. This allows one to draw conclusions concerning the achievable system performance under realistic complexity assumptions.
Plant Communities Suitable for Green Roofs in Arid Regions

: In extensive green roof settings, plant communities can be more robust than monocultures. In addition, native plants might be hardier and more ecologically sound choices than non-native plants in green roof systems. The objectives of this research were to (1) compare the performance of plant communities with that of monocultures and (2) compare the growth of natives to non-natives in a simulated green roof setting. We conducted a two-year experiment at an outdoor site in a desert environment using four plant morphological types (groundcover, forb, succulent and grass). Native plants selected were Chrysactinia mexicana, Melampodium leucanthum , Euphorbia antisyphilitica , and Nassella tenuissima , and non-natives were Delosperma nubigenum , Stachys byzantina , Sedum kamtschiaticum and Festuca glauca . Plants were assigned randomly to either monoculture or community and grown in 1 m × 1 m custom-built trays ﬁlled with 15 cm of a proprietary blend of 50/20/30 lightweight aggregate/sand/compost (by volume). Native forb, Melampodium, in community had greater coverage for four of the ﬁve measurements in the ﬁrst year over native forb in monoculture and non-native forb regardless of setting. Native forb coverage was also greater than non-native forb for three of the four measurements in year 2, regardless of setting. Coverage of native grass was signiﬁcantly greater than non-native grasses throughout the experiment. Coverage was also greater for eight of nine measurements for native succulent over non-natives succulent. However, non-native groundcover coverage was signiﬁcantly greater than native groundcover for seven of nine measurements. On 1 November 2016, relative water content (RWC) for succulents ( p = 0.0424) was greatest for native Euphorbia in monoculture at 88%. Native Euphorbia also had greater RWC than non-native Sedum on 4 April 2017 (78%) and 4 July 2017 (80%). However, non-native Sedum had greater root length (6548 cm), root dry weight (12.1 g), and root-to-shoot dry weight ratio (0.45) than native Euphorbia . At the end of year 2, the relative growth rate (RGR) of native Euphorbia of 0.15 g · g − 1 · d − 1 was greater than that of Sedum . While the native succulent had a smaller root biomass, its greater RWC and RGR would indicate it had better plant water status and grew faster than the non-native. The lack of differences in plant performance regardless of assignment to monoculture or community would imply that communities and monocultures are equally suitable for arid region green roofs.
Prolonged breast feeding, diarrhoeal disease, and survival of children in Guinea-Bissau

Abstract Objective : To analyse the impact of breast feeding on diarrhoeal disease and survival in children above 1 year of age in Guinea-Bissau, west Africa. Design : A community study of an open cohort followed up weekly by interviews over 15 months. Data on feeding practices, anthropometry, and survival were recorded for three years. Setting : 301 randomly selected houses in a semiurban area in the capital, Bissau. Subjects : 849 children aged less than 3 years. Main outcome measures : Incidence and duration of diarrhoea, weight for age, and death of a child. Results : The incidence of diarrhoea was higher in weaned children than in partially breast fed children, both in 1 year olds (relative risk 1.41; 95% confidence interval 1.23 to 1.62) and in 2 year olds (1.67; 1.29 to 2.15). The mean duration of an episode of diarrhoea was 5.3 days in breast fed children compared with 6.3 days in weaned children (P= 0.001). Independent of the age of weaning, a similar increase was found in an analysis comparing, for each child, the rate and duration of diarrhoea one month before and one month after weaning. Children with low weight for age were breast fed longer than the better nourished children (P=0.02). Children aged 12-35 months who were not breast fed had a 3.5 times higher mortality (1.4 to 8.3) than breast fed children. Conclusions : The beneficial effects of breast feeding are not restricted to infancy. Though children who are partially breast fed after infancy may have a lower state of nutrition than the weaned ones, the benefit in terms of lower morbidity may be more important for child survival in places with a high morbidity from diarrhoea and with high mortality.
History and modern concepts in surface replacement

Abstract Hip resurfacing is not a modern concept. Professor Sir John Charnley attempted the first hip resurfacing procedure in the 1950s. This implant failed as a result of unsatisfactory materials and the same problem has troubled hip resurfacing developments over the subsequent forty years. Modern hip resurfacing using metal-on-metal bearings has shown good medium-term results in the most challenging subgroup - young active patients.
Changes in “Inflammatory” Mediators and Total Body Water during Extra-Corporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO). A Preliminary Study

We studied six patients (5 paediatric, 1 neonate) treated with ECMO to quantify changes in inflammatory mediators (neutrophil elastase (NE), free radical activity (FR), interleukin 8 (IL8)) and total body water (TBW). Blood samples were taken before instigation of ECMO, 4, 12, 24 hours post-ECMO and daily for six days. FR activity was quantified using the oxidised IgG FI/UV ration. NE and IL8 levels were measured by ELISA. TBW was assessed by electrical bioimpedance. Statistical analysis was made using repeated measures analysis of variance and modified t-test where appropriate. Results are presented as mean ± standard error of the mean. FR activity increased 4 hours after instigation of ECMO (IgG FI/UV 32.1 ± 3.2 from 24.1 ± 3.0 p=0.005) and remained elevated. NE also increased by 4 hours (94.8 μg/L ± 8.9 to 678 μg/L ± 153.4, p=0.005) but returned to pre-ECMO values by day 6. IL8 levels rose after ECMO (from 98 pg/ml ± 39, to 24 pg/ml ± 117.4) although no statistical difference was noted over time due to the large variation between subjects (p=0.009). TBW (% pre-ECMO body weight) fell by 24 hours (from 118.6 ± 12.6 to 96.5 ± 8.2 p=0.0004). This study demonstrated that ECMO stimulates an ‘inflammatory’ response to extracorporeal perfusion (increased FR, NE) but despite this, results in a reduction in total body water. The complex relationship between the inflammatory response to prolonged extracorporeal perfusion and its effect on tissue oedema merits further investigation.
The Impact of Trade Liberalization on Health: Evidence from Pakistan

The literature predicts both positive and negative health outcomes in developing economies as a result of increasing trade. Does openness to trade help to improve health indicators in the case of Pakistan? This study attempts to answer this question using data from 1975 to 2016. This study uses life expectancy and infant mortality as health indicators while trade to GDP ratio as trade openness indicator. For robustness analysis, the study uses international trade taxes, exports to GDP ratio and imports to GDP ratio. The empirical results of the study show that 1% increase in trade to GDP ratio significantly decreases life expectancy by 0.05 years and significantly increases infant mortality by 0.47 deaths. Thus, trade causes adverse effects on health indicators in the case of Pakistan.
Medical Care Expenditures for Individuals with Prediabetes: The Potential Cost Savings in Reducing the Risk of Developing Diabetes

Abstract The United States has 86 million adults with prediabetes. Individuals with prediabetes can prevent or delay the development of type 2 diabetes through lifestyle modifications such as participation in the National Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP), thereby mitigating the medical and economic burdens associated with diabetes. A cohort analysis of a commercially insured population was conducted using individual-level claims data from Truven Health MarketScan® Lab Database to identify adults with prediabetes, track whether they develop diabetes, and compare medical expenditures for those who are newly diagnosed with diabetes to those who are not. This study then illustrates how reducing the risk of developing diabetes by participation in an evidence-based lifestyle change program could yield both positive net savings on medical care expenditures and return on investment (ROI). Annual expenditures are found to be nearly one third higher for those who develop diabetes in subsequent years relative to those who do not transition from prediabetes to diabetes, with an average difference of $2671 per year. At that cost differential, the 3-year ROI for a National DPP is estimated to be as high as 42%. The results show the importance and economic benefits of participation in lifestyle intervention programs to prevent or delay the onset of type 2 diabetes.
Improved 10 V SINIS Series Arrays for Applications in AC Voltage Metrology

Recent metrological activities with programmable Josephson voltage standards (PJVS) are focused on extending the quantum accuracy to AC voltages, e.g. for the step-wise approximation of sine waves. Stimulated by the progress in this field, new requirements for the quality and availability of 1 V and 10 V circuits have been established. Based on the experience with programmable 1 V SINIS circuits fabricated at PTB and used at present by 13 National Metrological Institutes worldwide, the fabrication process and the microwave design were improved. The experience gained hereby enabled us to improve the properties of programmable 10 V SINIS arrays which were realized by us for the first time in 2000. The new 10 V circuits have 17 bit resolution and develop under 70 GHz microwave irradiation flat Shapiro steps at the 10 V level which are more than 600 muA wide. A direct comparison of the output voltage with a conventional 10 V SIS Josephson voltage standard confirmed the suitability for metrological applications. Incorporating 10 V-PJVS into existing AC metrology setups is expected to reduce their uncertainty budgets by about one order of magnitude.
Prenatal choline availability modulates hippocampal and cerebral cortical gene expression

An increased supply of the essential nutrient choline during fetal development [embryonic day (E) 11‐17] in rats causes life‐long improvements in memory performance, whereas choline deficiency during this time impairs certain aspects of memory. We analyzed mRNA expression in brains of prenatally choline‐deficient, choline‐supplemented, or control rats of various ages [postnatal days (P) 1 to 34 for hippocampus and E16 to P34 for cortex] using oligonucleotide microarrays and found alterations in gene expression levels evoked by prenatal choline intake that were, in most cases, transient occurring during the P15‐P34 period. We selected a subset of genes, encoding signaling proteins, and verified the microarray data by reverse transcriptase‐polymerase chain reaction analyses. Prenatally choline‐supplemented rats had the highest expression of calcium/calmodulin (CaM)‐dependent protein kinase (CaMK) I and insulin‐like growth factor (IGF) II (Igf2) in the cortex and of the transcription factor Zif268/EGR1 in the cortex and hippocampus. Prenatally choline deficient rats had the highest expression of CaMKIIβ, protein kinase Cβ2, and GABAB receptor 1 isoforms c and d in the hippocampus. Similar changes in the expression of the proteins encoded by these genes were observed using immunoblot analyses. These data show that the prenatal supply of choline causes multiple modifications in the developmental patterns of expression of genes known to influence learning and memory and provide molecular correlates for the cognitive changes evoked by altered availability of choline in utero. —Mellott, T. J., Follettie, M. T. , Diesl, V. , Hill, A. A. , Lopez‐Coviella, I. , and Blusztajn, J. K. Prenatal choline availability modulates hippocampal and cerebral cortical gene expression. FASEB J. 21, 1311–1323 (2007)
The Effect of Backpack Load on Muscle Activities of the Trunk and Lower Extremities and Plantar Foot Pressure in Flatfoot

[Purpose] The purpose of this study was to investigate the changes in muscle activation of the trunk and lower extremities and plantar foot pressure due to backpack loads of 0, 10, 15, and 20% of body weight during level walking in individuals with flatfoot. [Methods] Fourteen young flatfoot subjects and 12 normal foot subjects participated in this study. In each session, the subjects were assigned to carry a backpack load, and there were four level walking modes: (1) unloaded walking (0%), (2) 10% body weight (BW) load, (3) 15% BW load, and (4) 20% BW load. Trunk and lower extremity muscle activities were recorded by surface EMG, and contact area and plantar foot pressure were determined using a RS scan system. [Results] The erector spinae, vastus medialis, tibialis anterior and gastrocnemius muscle activities, but not the rectus femoris and rectus abdominis muscle activities of flatfoot subjects significantly and progressively increased as load increased in flatfoot subjects. Contact area and pressure of the lateral and medial heel zones were significantly increased too. [Conclusion] Based on this data, the weight of a backpack could influence muscle activation and plantar foot pressure in flatfoot.
Apolipoprotein specificity for lipid efflux by the human ABCAI transporter.

ABCAI, a member of the ATP binding cassette family, mediates the efflux of excess cellular lipid to HDL and is defective in Tangier disease. The apolipoprotein acceptor specificity for lipid efflux by ABCAI was examined in stably transfected Hela cells, expressing a human ABCAI-GFP fusion protein. ApoA-I and all of the other exchangeable apolipoproteins tested (apoA-II, apoA-IV, apoC-I, apoC-II, apoC-III, apoE) showed greater than a threefold increase in cholesterol and phospholipid efflux from ABCAI-GFP transfected cells compared to control cells. Expression of ABCAI in Hela cells also resulted in a marked increase in specific binding of both apoA-I (Kd = 0.60 microg/mL) and apoA-II (Kd = 0.58 microg/mL) to a common binding site. In summary, ABCAI-mediated cellular binding of apolipoproteins and lipid efflux is not specific for only apoA-I but can also occur with other apolipoproteins that contain multiple amphipathic helical domains.
Influence of potential virulence determinants on Bordetella bronchiseptica-induced ciliostasis

Eighteen strains of Bordetella bronchiseptica, selected on the basis of previously determined phenotypic characteristics, were examined for their ability to induce ciliostasis in canine tracheal outgrowth cultures. Fifteen strains grown on brucella agar caused ciliostasis. Strains that did not cause ciliostasis were stable, nonpiliated, and nonhemolytic, they did not produce extracellular adenylate cyclase, and were morphologically indistinguishable from rough-phase variants on brucella agar. Plasmids were detected in only five of the strains which induced ciliostasis, transfer of plasmids from four of these strains to one which did not induce ciliostasis did not alter its virulence or colony morphology. All strains which were hemolytic on Bordet-Gengou agar produced extracellular adenylate cyclase. Two nonhemolytic strains, one which produced only rough colonies on brucella agar, also induced ciliostasis. Two types of colony (phase) variation were observed: one recognizable on both brucella agar and Bordet-Gengou agar at frequencies of less than or equal to 10(-2), associated with multiple loss of virulence determinants, and the other recognizable only on Bordet-Gengou agar at frequencies of greater than or equal to 10(-2), associated with flagellum expression. The possession of readily detectable somatic pili was the only phenotypic characteristic consistently associated with the ability to induce ciliostasis. Formalin-killed and chloramphenicol-inhibited B. bronchiseptica strain 110H organisms had detectable pili and attached to cilia, but did not cause ciliostasis. Protease-treated B. bronchiseptica strain 110H organisms did not have detectable pili and in the presence of chloramphenicol did not attach to cilia. Attachment to cilia, although not in itself sufficient to cause ciliostasis, is intimately associated with and may be required for the induction of ciliostasis by B. bronchiseptica strains.
Identification of factors contributing to successful self‐directed weight loss: a qualitative study

BACKGROUND Despite the number of weight management programmes and their wide promotion, most overweight and obese individuals tend to lose weight on their own. The present study aimed to understand the characteristics and strategies of those who successfully engage in self-directed weight loss, which could empower other overweight and obese individuals with information and strategies to manage their weight on their own. METHODS Men and women who had lost at least 5% of their body weight without direct interaction with professionals or weight management programmes were recruited. Demographic data were collected by questionnaire and participants' weight-loss experiences were explored using semi- structured interviews to elicit in-depth individual experiences and perspectives. Iterative thematic method data analysis was used to generate themes describing contributing factors to the success of self-directed weight loss identified by participants. RESULTS Most characteristics of those who successfully self-managed their weight loss were in line with those reported by successful weight losers participating in professional-led projects. However, strategies such as early embedding of new lifestyle behaviours into daily routine, the ability to learn from previous weight-loss experiences, and not requiring social support were identified as distinctive factors that contributed to the success of self-directed weight loss by participants of the present study. CONCLUSIONS Overweight or obese individuals with strong internal motivation, problem-solving skills and self-reliance are more likely to be successful at achieving self-directed weight loss. The patients identified with these characteristics could be encouraged to self-manage their weight-loss process, leaving the places available in more resource-intensive professional-led programmes to those individuals unlikely to succeed on their own.
The Neuropsychological Profile of Comorbid Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder in Adult ADHD

Objective: ADHD and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are often comorbid yet despite the increased comorbidity between the two disorders, to our knowledge, no data have been published regarding the neuropsychological profile of adults with comorbid ADHD and PTSD. Likewise, previous empirical studies of the neuropsychology of PTSD did not control for ADHD status. We sought to fill this gap in the literature and to assess the extent to which neuropsychological test performance predicted psychosocial functioning, and perceived quality of life. Method: Participants were 201 adults with ADHD attending an outpatient mental health clinic between 1998 and 2003 and 123 controls without ADHD. Participants completed a large battery of self-report measures and psychological tests. Diagnoses were made using data obtained from structured psychiatric interviews (i.e., Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV, Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia for School-Age Children Epidemiologic Version). Results: Differences emerged between control participants and participants with ADHD on multiple neuropsychological tests. Across all tests, control participants outperformed participants with ADHD. Differences between the two ADHD groups emerged on seven psychological subtests including multiple Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale—Third edition and Rey-Osterrieth Complex Figure Test measures. These test differences did not account for self-reported quality of life differences between groups. Conclusion: The comorbidity with PTSD in adults with ADHD is associated with weaker cognitive performance on several tasks that appear related to spatial/perceptual abilities and fluency. Neuropsychological test performances may share variance with the quality of life variables yet are not mediators of the quality of life ratings.