Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Task assignments and incentives: generalists versus specialists

I develop an agency model of job assignments where jobs differ based on the breadth of tasks. A tradeoff between task complementarities and relative abilities of workers results in those with balanced skills being assigned to multitask jobs. The same tradeoff between complementarities and relative abilities also influences incentives to sort privately informed workers to jobs. I then draw on a variety of sources (survey data, case studies, and anecdotal evidence) to suggest that relative abilities and multitasking play an important role in managerial assignments of nonacademic research scientists.
Performance of Africanized honeybee colonies settled by queens selected for different traits

We evaluated varroa infestation and the performance of Africanized honeybee colonies with queens selected for honey and royal jelly production, and also unselected queens, correlating with climatic variables. In Campo Alegre, Santa Catarina State, Brazil, the experiment I used 10 Langstroth hives and in Mafra, Santa Catarina State, Brazil, the experiment II was performed with 15 Schenk hives. A mapping in areas of sealed and unsealed brood, honey and pollen was carried out on days zero, 45 and 90 days after the introduction of the queen. In the experiment I, there was interaction between the type of queen selection and the evaluation period for areas of sealed brood, honey, and total stored food. The group selected for royal jelly production presented larger sealed brood area and smaller honey area at 90 days. Varroa infestation was lower (p < 0.05) at 90 days. The type of queen selection and the evaluation period influenced the sealed brood area, the total brood and the total area occupied in the colony. The high relative humidity caused greater honey storage for the local group. The different groups of queens presented different behavior according to the environment in which they are settled.
Job Satisfaction, Job Performance, and Effort: A Reexamination Using Agency Theory

The objective of this article is to clarify ambiguities in the literature regarding the relationships among three key constructs of work relationships: effort, job performance, and job satisfaction. The relationship between job performance and job satisfaction is of central interest to research in organizational psychology. However, empirical research in that area finds that the link between these constructs is weak at best. A negative effect of effort on job satisfaction is consistent with agency theory, but there is limited empirical evidence to support this assumption. Moreover, some studies have found a positive effect of effort on job satisfaction. Using a model that incorporates the main constructs from agency theory and organizational psychology, the current study finds a negative, direct effect of effort and a positive, direct effect of job performance on job satisfaction. The authors show that conflicting findings in the literature are the result of inconsistency in both the measurement and the definition of constructs across studies that do not fully account for all the relationships between constructs. The current findings emphasize the need to distinguish clearly between factors that represent employees' inputs in a work relationship (i.e., effort) and those that represent their outputs (i.e., job performance). The article also demonstrates the importance of properly accounting or controlling for all key variables to eliminate biases that can arise in empirical research on work relationships.
Usage of surrogate endpoints in the design and analysis of clinical trials

There has been a shift in the conduct of early-stage breast cancer trials in recent years from long adjuvant trials with overall or disease-free survival as the efficacy endpoint to shorter neoadjuvant trials with pathological complete response (pCR), a binary marker, at time of surgery as the endpoint. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) currently embraces this transition and deems evidence in pCR improvement sufficient for drug approval on condition that long-term data are collected to eventually show efficacy in survival. Incorporating data on pCR in the design and analysis of such a trial is therefore of public health interest. Here, we propose one method to assess the power and sample size of such a trial with using observed neoadjuvant data and another method to estimate certain causal treatment effects on survival conditional on pCR. In the first part, we propose an exponential mixture model for survival time with parameters for the response rates and an estimated benefit in survival from achieving response. Under a fixed sample size, we obtain the empirical power through simulations from the proposed mixture model. We also propose a more efficient method than the empirical approach by applying an estimated average hazard ratio to the Schoenfeld formula. The performance of our methods is assessed via simulation studies. Data from two neoadjuvant cancer clinical trials are used to illustrate these methods. Second, we propose a method under the principal stratification framework to estimate the causal effect of treatment on a binary outcome, conditional on a post-treatment binary response marker in randomized controlled clinical trials. Specifically, we estimate the treatment effect among those who would achieve response if given the treatment. We are able to identify this causal effect under two assumptions. First, we model the counterfactual probability of achieving response under treatment given baseline clinical markers and the outcome. Second, we assume a monotonicity condition: a patient who responds under control would respond under treatment as well. We compared the performance of proposed method with other standard approaches in simulation studies. Data from a neoadjuvant breast cancer clinical trial are used to demonstrate the proposed method.
Influence of HeNe laser therapy on the dynamics of wound healing in mice treated with anti-inflammatory drugs

We determined the effects of helium-neon (He-Ne) laser irradiation on wound healing dynamics in mice treated with steroidal and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory agents. Male albino mice, 28-32 g, were randomized into 6 groups of 6 animals each: control (C), He-Ne laser (L), dexamethasone (D), D + L, celecoxib (X), and X + L. D and X were injected im at doses of 5 and 22 mg/kg, respectively, 24 h before the experiment. A 1-cm long surgical wound was made with a scalpel on the abdomens of the mice. Animals from groups L, D + L and X + L were exposed to 4 J (cm2)-1 day-1 of He-Ne laser for 12 s and were sacrificed on days 1, 2, or 3 after the procedure, when skin samples were taken for histological examination. A significant increase of collagen synthesis was observed in group L compared with C (168 ± 20 vs 63 ± 8 mm2). The basal cellularity values on day 1 were: C = 763 ± 47, L = 1116 ± 85, D = 376 ± 24, D + L = 698 ± 31, X = 453 ± 29, X + L = 639 ± 32 U/mm2. These data show that application of L increases while D and X decrease the inflammatory cellularity compared with C. They also show that L restores the diminished cellularity induced by the anti-inflammatory drugs. We suggest that He-Ne laser promotes collagen formation and restores the baseline cellularity after pharmacological inhibition, indicating new perspectives for laser therapy aiming to increase the healing process when anti-inflammatory drugs are used. Correspondence
Perception and mathematical intuition

S ET theoretic realism is a view whose main tenets are that sets exist independently of human thought, and that set theory is the science of these entities.1 The foremost advocate of this position, the late Professor Gddel, has stressed an analogy between mathematics and physical science.2 According to G6del, higher set theory bears a relation to the rest of mathematical knowledge and to practical mathematical dealings of everyday life which is analogous to the relation borne by theoretical physics to physical science in general and to common sense knowledge of the world. Sense perception gives us knowledge of simple facts about physical objects, and a faculty of mathematical intuition gives us knowledge of sets, numbers,3 and of some of the simpler axioms concerning them. In both cases, theories involving "unobservable" entities or processes (that is, entities or processes beyond the range of sense perception or mathematical intuition) are formed in order to explain, predict, and systematize the elementary facts (of perception or intuition) and are judged by their success. A view of this sort has several attractive features: i) it allows a straightforward Tarskian semantics for set theoretic discourse, ii) it makes no mystery of how mathematical premises can combine with physical ones to yield testable consequences in physical science (that is, both sorts of premises are true in the same sense), iii) it squares with the prephilosophical views of most working
Xbra and Smad-1 response elements cooperate in PV.1 promoter to inhibit the early neurogenesis in Xenopus embryos

Crosstalk of signaling pathways plays crucial roles in cell fate determination, cell differentiation and proliferation. Both BMP-4/Smad-1 and FGF/Xbra signaling induce the expression of PV.1, leading to neural inhibition. However, BMP-4/Smad-1 and FGF/Xbra signaling crosstalk in the regulation of PV.1 transcription is still largely unknown. In this study, Smad-1 and Xbra physically interacted and regulated the PV.1 transcriptional activation in a synergistic manner. Xbra and Smad-1 directly bound within the proximal region of the PV.1 promoter and cooperatively enhanced the binding of an interacting partner within the promoter. Maximum cooperation was achieved in the presence of intact DNA binding sites of both Smad-1 and Xbra. Collectively, BMP-4/Smad-1 and FGF/Xbra signal crosstalk was required to activate the PV.1 transcription, synergistically. Suggesting that crosstalk of BMP-4 and FGF signaling facilitates the fine-tuning regulation of PV.1 transcription to inhibit neurogenesis during embryonic development of Xenopus. Summary statement FGF/Xbra positively regulates the PV.1 expression in the Xenopus via an unknown mechanism. Our study shows that both BMP-4/Smad-1 and FGF/Xbra exhibits a signaling crosstalk to regulate PV.1 transcription activation, promoting to ectoderm and mesoderm formation and inhibiting the early neurogenesis in Xenopus.
VALIDATE: A New Method for the Receptor-Based Prediction of Binding Affinities of Novel Ligands

VALIDATE is a hybrid approach to predict the binding affinity of novel ligands for receptors of known three-dimensional structure. This approach calculates physicochemical properties of the ligand and the receptor - ligand complex to estimate the free energy of binding. The enthalpy of binding is calculated by molecular mechanics while properties such as complementary hydrophobic surface area are used to estimate the entropy of binding through heuristics. A diverse training set of 51 crystalline complexes was assembled, and their relevant physicochemical properties were computed. These properties were analyzed by partial least squares (PLS) statistics, or neural network analysis (SONNIC), to generate models for the general prediction of the affinity of ligands with receptors of known three-dimensional structure. The ability of the model to predict the affinity of novel complexes not included in the training set was demonstrated with three independent test sets: 14 complexes of known three-dimensional structure including 3 DNA complexes, a class of compound not included in the training set, 13 HIV protease inhibitors fit to HIV-1 protease, and 11 thermolysin inhibitors fit to thermolysin.
Intra-vehicle ranging in ultra-wide and millimeter wave bands

The paper deals with intra-vehicle ranging based on the time of arrival technique. The aim of the presented work is to compare the ranging accuracy in the 3 to 11 GHz ultra-wide band and the 56 to 64 GHz millimeter wave band. The comparison is performed using channel impulse responses calculated from complex transfer functions using a windowed IFFT. The complex transfer functions are measured by a four port vector network analyzer for empty and occupied car scenarios. The obtained results are discussed and differences in ranging accuracy between both bands are explained by means of several reference measurements carried out in an anechoic chamber.
Epidemiological study of adolescent idiopathic scoliosis in Eastern China.

OBJECTIVE Previous epidemiological studies of adole-scent idiopathic scoliosis in mainland China have had diverse results. The aim of this cross-sectional study was to determine the epidemiology of adolescent idiopathic scoliosis based on a representative sample city, Wuxi, in eastern China. METHODS Primary and secondary school students aged 10-16 years were enrolled in the study. Physical examination and Adam's forward bending test, combined with scoliometer measurements were performed at school-based screening. Students with an angle of trunk inclination of 5° or more were referred for whole-spine X-ray. The threshold for confirmed diagnosis was a Cobb angle of 10° or more. RESULTS A total of 79,122 students were screened. The overall prevalence of adolescent idiopathic scoliosis in Wuxi City was estimated as 2.4%. Girls had a higher prevalence in each age subgroup compared with boys. Higher prevalence was found in individuals with lower body mass index. Mild and moderate curves were the most common types in our study. CONCLUSION The prevalence of adolescent idiopathic scoliosis in this region was slightly higher. Medical resources should be considered for children with lower body mass index and high risk of scoliotic progression. Measurement with a scoliometer would be suitable for mild-to-moderate scoliotic deformities, while alternative methods should be developed for those with severe deformities or higher body mass index.
Learning Cnn Lstm Architectures For Image Caption Generation

Applications of Machine LearningNeural Networks with Keras CookbookHuman Activity Recognition ChallengeICDSMLA 2020Intelligent SystemsArtificial Intelligence for Autonomous NetworksMachine Learning Approaches to Human Movement AnalysisStrategic System Assurance and Business AnalyticsIntelligent Data Engineering and Automated Learning ‒ IDEAL 2018Software Technology: Methods and ToolsHandbook of Computer Networks and Cyber SecurityDeep Learning Applications of Short-Range RadarsIntelligent Systems Design and ApplicationsMachine Learning and Artificial IntelligenceDeep Learning Classifiers with Memristive NetworksArtificial Intelligence and Machine Learning in Business ManagementSignal Processing in Medicine and BiologyAdvances in Intelligent Systems Research and InnovationCommunication, Smart Technologies and Innovation for SocietyMachine Intelligence and Signal ProcessingDatabase Systems for Advanced ApplicationsSpeech and ComputerProceedings of International Conference on Communication, Circuits, and SystemsAdvanced Computing and Intelligent EngineeringMachine Learning and Metaheuristics Algorithms, and ApplicationsFundamentals of Deep Learning and Computer VisionProceedings of International Conference on Innovations in Software Architecture and Computational SystemsMediterranean Forum ‒ Data Science ConferenceAdvances in Visual InformaticsDeep Learning Applications for Cyber SecurityFundamentals of Deep Learning and Computer VisionNeural Networks with RAdvances in Computational IntelligenceAdvances in Decision Sciences, Image Processing, Security and Computer VisionFuzzy Machine Learning Algorithms for Remote Sensing Image ClassificationFuturistic Trends in Networks and Computing TechnologiesProceedings of the International Conference on Big Data, IoT, and Machine LearningSimulation and Analysis of Mathematical Methods in Real-Time Engineering ApplicationsDeep Learning Techniques for Biomedical and Health InformaticsDeployable Machine Learning for Security Defense
Development of a Rational Design Methodology for Precast Concrete Slender Spandrel Beams: Part 2, Analysis and Design Guidelines

This paper summarizes the results of an analytical research program undertaken to develop a rational design procedure for normalweight precast concrete slender spandrel beams. The analytical and rational models use test results and research findings of an extensive experimental program presented in the companion paper "Development of a Rational Design Methodology for Precast Concrete Slender Spandrel Beams: Part 1, Experimental Results," which appeared in the Spring 2011 issue of PCI Journal. The overall research effort demonstrated the validity of using open web reinforcement in precast concrete slender spandrel beams and proposed a simplified procedure for design. The webs of such slender spandrels, particularly in their end regions, are often heavily congested with reinforcing cages when designed with current procedures. The experimental and analytical results demonstrate that open web reinforcement designed according to the proposed procedure is safe and effective and provides an efficient alternative to traditional closed stirrups for precast concrete slender spandrel beams.
India's Increasing Skill Premium: Role of Demand and Supply

Abstract Using micro data for India from 1983 to 2005, this paper finds that the tertiary (college)-secondary (high school) wage premium has been increasing in India over the past decade and that this increase differs across age groups. The increase in wage premiums has been driven mostly by younger age groups while older age groups have not experienced any significant increase. Using a demand and supply model with imperfect substitution across age groups (developed in Card and Lemieux, 2001), this paper demonstrates that workers are not perfect substitutes across age groups. The paper finds that the increase in the wage premium has come mostly from demand shifts in favor of workers with a tertiary education. More importantly, the growth rate of demand for tertiary educated workers relative to secondary educated workers was fairly stable in the 1980s and the 1990s. However, the relative supply played an important role not only in determining the extent of increase in wage premium, but also its timing. The increase in relative supply of tertiary workers during 1983-1993 negated the demand shift; as a result, the wage premium did not increase much. But during 1993-1999, the growth rate of the relative supply of tertiary workers decelerated, while relative supply became virtually stagnant during 1999-2004. Both these periods saw an increase in the wage premium as the countervailing supply shift was weak.
Modified gradient profile inversion using multi-frequency data

A method for reconstructing the complex permittivity of a bounded inhomogeneous object from measured scattered field data is presented. Consider the scattering object to be an inhomogeneous lossy dielectric cylinder of arbitrary cross-section embedded in a bounded domain D of free space. The incident excitation consists of electromagnetic waves with the electric field vector polarized along the cylinder axis. To reconstruct the permittivity and conductivity of an unknown scatterer from a knowledge of the scattered field we assume that the object is illuminated successively by a number of line sources at different locations and different frequencies. For each excitation we then have a scalar problem. We assume that, for the description of the material dispersion, the Maxwell model holds. We then introduce the frequency dependent contrast.
Nutritional status and weight gain in pregnant women 1

This study described the nutritional status of 228 pregnant women and the influence of this on birth weight. This is a retrospective study, developed in a health center in the municipality of São Paulo, with data obtained from medical records. Linear regression analysis was carried out. An association was verified between the initial and final nutritional status (p<0.001). The mean of total weight gain in the pregnant women who began the pregnancy underweight was higher compared those who started overweight/obese (p=0.005). Weight gain was insufficient for 43.4% of the pregnant women with adequate initial weight and for 36.4% of all the pregnant women studied. However, 37.1% of those who began the pregnancy overweight/obese finished with excessive weight gain, a condition that ultimately affected almost a quarter of the pregnant women. Anemia and low birth weight were uncommon, however, in the linear regression analysis, birth weight was associated with weight gain (p<0.05). The study highlights the importance of nutritional care before and during pregnancy to promote maternal-infant health.
Prevalence and Predictors of Asymptomatic Urinary Tract Infection among HIV Positive Patients in Jos, North Central Nigeria

Asymptomatic urinary tract infection is the isolation of a specified quantitative count of bacteria in an appropriately collected urine specimen obtained from a person without symptoms or signs referable to urinary infection (Rubin et al., 1992). On the other hand urinary tract infection (UTI) is a term used to describe a variety of clinical conditions ranging from asymptomatic (presence of bacteria in the urine without any declared signs or symptoms) to severe infection of the kidney (Tanagho and Jack, 2004).
Evaluating the usage of Bluetooth Low Energy Beacons and Smartphones for Indoor Positioning Systems

Due to the extensive adaptation of smartphones outdoor positioning by GPS has become an everyday commodity for many people. When it comes to indoor positioning things are different. Topology constraints in indoor environments are much more complex than those in outdoor environments. Many technologies and techniques have been used to solve this problem and as new technologies arrive these need to be evaluated. This papers aims to evaluate the Bluetooth Low Energy protocol, the way it works in indoor environments and explore the possibilities of improving the quality of the received signals so they can be used with smartphones. We conducted tests in a number of different indoor environments in order to identify the key attributes that affect the signals and suggest ways to improve them. To conduct these tests we first built a smartphone application to allow us to make measurements of BLE signals as well as implementing ways to improve them. Data was collected from these tests and used to guide the direction of further improvements. After evaluating the new Bluetooth sensors, it is still unclear if accurate indoor positioning can be achieved but further insights are shared and guidance for future implementation and research is given.
Identification of locally available structural material as co-substrate for organic waste composting in Tamil Nadu, India

Owing to the lack in structural strength while composting certain kinds of organic wastes, 11 co-substrates were tested that are generally locally available in rural areas of northern Tamil Nadu, India. In addition to the classical composting parameters such as carbon/nitrogen ratio, moisture content, dry matter and organic dry matter, a compression test was conducted to evaluate the structural strength and the suitability as bulking agent for composting processes. Additionally, with respect to the climatic conditions in India, the water holding capacity was also evaluated.