Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
ℋ2-clustering of closed-loop consensus networks under generalized LQR designs

In this paper we present a Linear Quadratic Regulator (LQR) control design for large-scale consensus networks. When such networks have tens of thousands of nodes spread over a wide geographical span, the design and implementation of conventional LQR controllers become very challenging. Consider an n-node consensus network with both node and edge weights. Given any positive integer r, our objective is to develop a strategy for grouping the states of this network into r distinct non-overlapping groups. The criterion for this partitioning is defined as follows. First, an LQR state-feedback controller is defined over the n-node network for any given Q ≥ 0. Then, an r-dimensional reduced-order network is created by imposing a projection matrix P on the open-loop network, and a reduced-order r-dimensional LQR controller is constructed. The resulting controller is, thereafter, projected back to its original coordinates, and implemented in the n-node network. The problem, therefore, is to find a grouping strategy or P that will minimize the difference between the closed-loop transfer matrix of the original network with the full-order controller and that with the projected controller in the sense of ℋ2 norm. We derive an upper bound on this difference in terms of P, and, thereby propose a design for P using weighted k-means that tightens the bound. The weighting of k-means arises due to the node weights in the network, and the resulting asymmetry in its Laplacian matrix.
Who Migrates Overseas and Is It Worth Their While?: An Assessment of Household Survey Data from Bangladesh

The paper assesses the costs and household level benefits of migrating overseas from Bangladesh. We survey households who have had overseas migrants to assess their characteristics compared to non-migrants. We also compute various types of migration and remittance related transaction costs and discuss the channels by which overseas migration is financed, remittances sent and the constraints faced by the poorest. Using the Propensity Score Matching method to address household level selection bias, the paper finds that overseas migration conveys substantial benefits to families as measured by household consumption, use of modern agricultural inputs, and the level of household savings. We also offer some possible policy directions to strengthen the returns from migration as well as reduce some of the costs.
Functional Analysis of Single-Nucleotide Polymorphisms in the Regulation of Coactivator-Associated Arginine Methyltransferase 1 Expression and Plasma Homocysteine Levels

Background—Hyperhomocysteinemia is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Coactivator-associated arginine methyltransferase 1 (CARM1) participates in the synthesis of homocysteine, but whether the genetic variations regulate CARM1 expression and homocysteine levels remains unknown. Methods and Results—Functional analyses combined with an association study were conducted to identify the causal variant for CARM1 expression and homocysteine levels. Based on functional annotations obtained from Encyclopedia of DNA Elements, we selected 4 potentially functional single-nucleotide polymorphisms in the CARM1 gene and investigated their effect on CARM1 transcription levels in vivo. rs117569851, located in the promoter region of CARM1, as well as rs12460421 and rs4804544, was associated with CARM1 expression levels, and the last 2 single-nucleotide polymorphisms were discovered in high linkage disequilibrium with rs117569851 (r2=0.9 and 1.0) in our study sample. rs117569851 was further identified to be responsible for regulating CARM1 expression. The T allele disrupted the binding of early growth response-1, which led to the downregulation of transcriptional activity in vitro and CARM1 mRNA levels in vivo. In addition, rs117569851 was associated with plasma homocysteine levels in a Chinese population (n=406), with a 2.16 &mgr;mol/L decrease per copy of T allele. Conclusions—The present study suggests that a noncoding variant in the CARM1-promoter functions as a regulator of gene transcription and homocysteine levels.
Occupational skin diseases in Singapore 2003–2004: an epidemiologic update

In this 2‐year retrospective epidemiologic study of occupational skin disease in Singapore, there were 125 patients with occupational contact dermatitis. The mean age of patients was 33.8 years, with a male to female ratio of 5.3:1. Irritant contact dermatitis made up 62.4% of all cases, whereas allergic contact dermatitis constituted 37.6%. Wet work/detergents, oil/grease and solvents remained the 3 commonest irritants. There was also a significant increase in representation of workers from the food/catering industry in our study.
The Role of Prior Entrepreneurial Exposure in the Entrepreneurial Process: A Review and Future Research Implications

Despite considerable research, the current state regarding how and in which context prior entrepreneurial exposure impacts the entrepreneurial process is unclear. The present paper's goal is to systemize and discuss extant quantitative‐empirical research on the role of prior entrepreneurial exposure in the entrepreneurial process to clarify the current state, identify research gaps, and offer future research directions. Results from the systematic literature review of 69 quantitative‐empirical journal articles suggest that prior findings are ambiguous and theoretical shortcomings exist. We contribute to the literature by clarifying the current state and by offering directions for entrepreneurship research and practitioners promoting entrepreneurial activity.
Non-Proportionality and Energy Resolution of CsI(Tl)

Experimental studies of CsI(Tl) crystals with different amounts of Tl activator are presented. Properties such as non-proportionality, energy resolution and the number of photoelectrons per 1 MeV-gamma were inspected at two different shaping time constants, i.e., 3 and 12 mus. A CsI(Tl) crystal was coupled to the XP5212 PMT with a photocathode blue sensitivity of 12.2 muA/lmF. Six CsI(Tl) crystals of different sizes were tested. Among them, three samples were of known Tl concentration, which amounted roughly 0.05, 0.1 and 0.25 mol%. The data analysis showed a much more proportional character of the crystal response, higher number of photoelectrons/MeV-gamma, and consequently, a better overall energy resolution obtained for 12 mus time constant for all tested samples. The calculated intrinsic resolution improved for longer shaping time constants as well, indicating that, for CsI(Tl) crystals, a more proportional response implies better intrinsic energy resolution of the host crystal. In contrast, the intrinsic resolution at the low energy region (below about 30 keV) deteriorated for the longer shaping time constant. An alpha/gamma ratio was also measured for each tested CsI(Tl) crystal in order to find any indication of an explanation of the intrinsic resolution deterioration for low energy photons at the 12 mus integration time.
Changing trends

Dr. Rosenthal, President of the American Cancer Society, notes that in this year's annual cancer statistics article, for the first time a favorable change in direction is reported. The data document a reduction in the total number of new cancer cases and declining cancer death rates in the United States. In addition, 5-year survival rates continue to improve for most cancers. Nevertheless, some areas still need further attention, such as the differences in survival statistics between African Americans and whites and the more favorable decline in mortality among men than among women.
Evidence Supports No Relationship between Obstructive Sleep Apnea and Premolar Extraction: An Electronic Health Records Review.

OBJECTIVE A controversy exists concerning the relationship, if any, between obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and the anatomical position of the anterior teeth. Specifically, there has been speculation that extraction orthodontics and retraction of the anterior teeth contributes to OSA by crowding the tongue and decreasing airway space. This retrospective study utilized electronic medical and dental health records to examine the association between missing premolars and OSA. METHODS The sample (n = 5,584) was obtained from the electronic medical and dental health records of HealthPartners in Minnesota. Half of the subjects (n = 2,792) had one missing premolar in each quadrant. The other half had no missing premolars. Cases and controls were paired in a 1:1 match on age range, gender, and body mass index (BMI) range. The outcome was the presence or absence of a diagnosis of OSA confirmed by polysomnography. RESULTS Of the subjects without missing premolars, 267 (9.56%) had received a diagnosis of OSA. Of the subjects with four missing premolars, 299 (10.71%) had received a diagnosis of OSA. The prevalence of OSA was not significantly different between the groups (OR = 1.14, p = 0.144). CONCLUSION The absence of four premolars (one from each quadrant), and therefore a presumed indicator of past "extraction orthodontic treatment," is not supported as a significant factor in the cause of OSA.
The Changing Latitude: Labor‐Sponsored Venture Capital Corporations in Canada

Manuscript Type. Empirical. Research Question/Issue. This paper seeks to understand the role corporate governance and government policy plays in the portfolio choices of the labor‐sponsored venture capital corporations (LSVCCs) in Canada. We investigate whether or not the change in tax policy announced in Ontario (2005) had an impact on the investment behavior of Ontario LSVCCs and whether the unique corporate governance structure of LSVCCs enables them to focus on their investment mandate subsequent to this announcement. Research Findings/Insights. Our findings suggest that LSVCCs in Ontario are more likely to include public companies in their fund portfolios after the announcement of the change in tax policy. We find that after 2005, LSVCCs have increased their number of investments in public companies by 59.13 percent and in turn decreased their number of investments in private companies by 13.17 percent. On the other hand, we find no significant changes in investment behavior for LSVCCs in other provinces. In terms of the percentage of total investment in public companies, we find that the LSVCCs in Ontario are more likely to increase their total investment in public companies by 50 percent and to decrease their investment in the short term by 46.43 percent. LSVCCs in other provinces, however, are reducing their percentage of investment in public companies by 58.33 percent and increasing their total investment in private entrepreneurial firms by 38.33 percent in the same period. Theoretical/Academic Implications. With a hand‐collected proprietary dataset, we are able to augment existing studies on the unique structure of LSVCCs in Canada with empirical evidence on the style drift due to the changes in government tax policy. We compare and contrast the investment behavior of LSVCCs before and after the tax policy change in Ontario as well as the investment behavior of LSVCCs in other provinces. We hypothesize that as a result of the elimination of the tax credits, the removal of certain investment restrictions, and weaker corporate governance, LSVCCs have drifted from their original mandate to invest in high‐risk venture companies to investing in less risky public companies. Such style drift may be a result of LSVCCs preparing for potential wealth transfer or liquidation by retail investors. More importantly, we find the unique corporate governance structure of LSVCCs may facilitate this drift from their original purpose of providing venture capital to small and medium‐sized entrepreneurial (SME) firms. Practitioner/Policy Implications. We highlight that the style drift of LSVCCs in Ontario may result in such funds behaving more like other types of mutual funds and the deviation from their original mandate to provide venture capital may not only prove detrimental to entrepreneurial investee firms seeking such capital, but also negate any diversification benefits sought by fund investors. Also, such deviation may not necessarily justify the higher management expense ratio charged by LSVCCs.
Formation of the Iberian‐European Convergent Plate Boundary Fault and Its Effect on Intraplate Deformation in Central Europe

With the Late Cretaceous onset of Africa‐Iberia‐Europe convergence Central Europe experienced a pulse of intraplate shortening lasting some 15–20 Myr. This deformation event documents area‐wide deviatoric compression of Europe and has been interpreted as a far‐field response to Africa‐Iberia‐Europe convergence. However, the factors that governed the compression of Europe and conditioned the transient character of the deformation event have remained unclear. Based on mechanical considerations, numerical simulations, and geological reconstructions, we examine how the dynamics of intraplate deformation were governed by the formation of a convergent plate boundary fault between Iberia and Europe. During the Late Cretaceous, plate convergence was accommodated by the inversion of a young hyperextended rift system separating Iberia from Europe. Our analysis shows that the strength of the lithosphere beneath this rift was initially sufficient to transmit large compressive stresses far into Europe, though the lithosphere beneath the rift was thinned and thermally weakened. Continued convergence forced the formation of the plate boundary fault between Iberia and Europe. The fault evolved progressively and constituted a lithospheric‐scale structure at the southern margin of Europe that weakened rheologically. This development caused a decrease in mechanical coupling between Iberia and Europe and a reduction of compressional far field stresses, which eventually terminated intraplate deformation in Central Europe. Taken together, our findings suggest that the Late Cretaceous intraplate deformation event records a high force transient that relates to the earliest strength evolution of a lithospheric‐scale plate boundary fault.
“No alcohol, no party”: An explorative study of young Danish moderate drinkers

Background: Danish youth has for years had the highest alcohol consumption in Europe, however recent surveys show that consumption levels have diminished slightly and that the age of first intoxication has been raised. Aim: To explore young moderate drinkers’ attitudes, values, and behaviour in relation to alcohol consumption. Design, setting, and participants: Data consists of 10 individual semi-structured interviews with 16–17-year-old moderate drinkers attending high school in Copenhagen, Denmark. Results: The study shows that the respondents perceive drinking as a necessity for feeling included at parties, but also that they do not feel a need to drink large amounts of alcohol in order to feel this social inclusion. The study finds that respondents employ a number of different behavioural and cognitive strategies aimed at controlling their own and close friends’ drinking behaviour, and that short-term negative social implications are of much greater concern than long-term health consequences. In addition, the study shows that parents have a limited direct influence in this group. Conclusions: The study identifies a group of young people who have clearly defined restrictions as to what they consider positive drinking behaviour. As parents and long-term health consequences only have an limited influence on the respondents’ drinking behaviour, these elements should not have primary focus in future interventions. In stead, interventions should take into account the social dynamics involved in drinking and recognise that the social qualities surrounding alcohol weighs higher among this group of young people than the quantity of alcohol consumed.
Circadian Variation in the Median Effective Dose of Epidural Ropivacaine for Labor Analgesia

Background: Labor pain perception has been demonstrated to exhibit a circadian rhythm with lower pain scores during the day compared with the night. This study aimed to determine and compare the median effective dose (ED50) of ropivacaine in parturients having epidural labor analgesia during the day vs. during the night. Methods: The study group consisted of 60 nulliparous healthy parturients who were assigned to one of two groups according to the time they requested labor analgesia: Day Group (7:01 am to 7:00 pm) and Night Group (7:01 pm to 7:00 am). A bolus of.15% ropivacaine was administered epidurally and effective analgesia was defined as the attainment of a visual analog scale (VAS) pain score ≤ 10 mm within 30 min. The dose of ropivacaine for the first parturient in each group was 18 mg. The dose for each subsequent parturient was varied with increments or decrements of 3 mg based on the response of the previous subject. The ED50 was calculated using up-down sequential analysis. Probit regression was used to estimate the relative mean potency of ropivacaine between groups. Results: The ED50 (mean [95% CI]) of ropivacaine was lower in the Day Group (17.9 [16.5–19.4] mg) than in the Night Group (20.9 [19.2–22.7] mg) (P = 0.003). The estimate of relative potency for ropivacaine for the Night Group vs. the Day Group was 0.85 (95% CI:0.56–0.98). Conclusions: Under the conditions of this study, the dose requirement for epidural ropivacaine for labor analgesia was ~ 15% greater during the night than during the day. Clinical Trials Registration: Chinese Clinical Trial Registry (No.: ChiCTR1900025269. http://www.chictr.org.cn/showprojen.aspx? proj=36993).
Shareholder Litigation, Shareholder-Creditor Conflict, and the Cost of Bank Loans

I study how the threat of shareholder litigation affects the cost of bank loans using a natural experiment based on a ruling by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. Using a difference-in-differences method, I find that increasing the difficulty of securities class action suits decreases loan spreads. The effect is stronger for firms with higher institutional ownership, which is consistent with the argument that class actions suits help shareholders extract wealth from creditors when the firm is in bankruptcy. Further analysis confirms that the effect is in fact stronger for firms closer to bankruptcy.
Barriers to Research Utilization Scale: psychometric properties of the Turkish version.

AIM This paper is report of a study designed to assess the psychometric properties of the Turkish version of the Barriers to Research Utilization Scale. BACKGROUND The original Barriers to Research Utilization Scale was developed by Funk et al. in the United States of America. Many researchers in various countries have used this scale to identify barriers to research utilization. METHODS A methodological study was carried out at four hospitals. The sample consisted of 300 nurses. Data were collected in 2005 using a socio-demographic form (12 questions) and the Turkish version of the Barriers to Research Utilization Scale. A Likert-type scale composed of four sub-factors and 29 items was used. Means and standard deviations were calculated for interval level data. A P value of <0.05 was considered statistically significant. FINDINGS Language equivalence and content validity were assessed by eight experts. Confirmatory factor analysis revealed that the Turkish version was made up of four subscales. Internal consistency reliability coefficient was 0.92 for the total scale and ranged from 0.73 to 0.80 for the subscales. Total-item correlation coefficients ranged from 0.37 to 0.60. CONCLUSION The Turkish version of the scale is similar in structure to the original English language scale.
Aeromonas hydrophila: a treatable cause of diarrhea.

Aeromonads are bacteria, found in water and soil, which cause a wide spectrum of human infections in normal and compromised hosts.1 Although primarily gastrointestinal pathogens, aeromonads also cause trauma-related infections of skin, soft tissue, muscle and bone, as well as non-trauma-related infections, including endocarditis.1-4 Gastrointestinal infections due to Aeromonas sp are frequently identified in Southeast Asia, India, and Australia3,5-7 but rarely in the United States.2,8 This report describes a case of profuse watery diarrhea due to Aeromonas hydrophila in a child from Maine. CASE REPORT A 5-month-old female infant with Down's syndrome and Hirschsprung's disease developed diarrhea and vomiting.
The Reluctant Analyst

We estimate the dynamics of recommendations by financial analysts, uncovering the determinants of inertia in their recommendations. We provide overwhelming evidence that analysts revise recommendations reluctantly, introducing frictions to avoid frequent revisions. More generally, we characterize the sources underlying the infrequent revisions that analysts make. Publicly available data matter far less for explaining recommendation dynamics than do the recommendation frictions and the long-lived information that analysts acquire but the econometrician does not observe. Estimates suggest that analysts structure recommendations strategically to generate a profitable order flow from retail traders. We provide extensive evidence that our model describes how investors believe analysts make recommendations, and that investors value private information revealed by analysts' recommendations.