Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Task Design, Motivation, and Participation in Crowdsourcing Contests

Firms can seek innovative external ideas and solutions to business tasks by sponsoring co-creation activities such as crowdsourcing. To get optimal solutions from crowdsourcing contest participants, firms need to improve task design and motivate contest solvers' participation in the co-creation process. Based on the theory of extrinsic and intrinsic motivation as well as the theory of job design, we developed a research model to explain participation in crowdsourcing contests, as well as the effects of task attributes on intrinsic motivation. Subjective and objective data were collected from 283 contest solvers at two different time points. We found that intrinsic motivation was more important than extrinsic motivation in inducing participation. Contest autonomy, variety, and analyzability were positively associated with intrinsic motivation, whereas contest tacitness was negatively associated with intrinsic motivation. The findings suggest a balanced view of extrinsic and intrinsic motivation in order to encourage participation in crowdsourcing. We also suggest that crowdsourcing contest tasks should preferably be highly autonomous, explicitly specified, and less complex, as well as require a variety of skills.
Metastatic Bone Disease of the Humerus

Abstract Metastatic bone disease is the most common cause of destructive bone lesions in adults, and involvement of the humerus is common. Patients with destructive lesions involving <50% of the cortex are treated nonsurgically with external beam irradiation. Patients with diaphyseal lesions involving ≥50% of the cortex or those with pain after irradiation can be treated with intramedullary nailing to achieve rigid fixation. Although closed intramedullary nailing is used most often, open nailing with methylmethacrylate is appropriate for destructive lesions in which rigid fixation cannot be achieved with closed nailing. Plate fixation is acceptable when adequate proximal and distal cortical bone is present for screw purchase, although proximal humeral lesions usually are treated with prosthetic arthroplasty. Postoperative external beam irradiation can help prevent disease progression and subsequent loss of fixation. However, when disease progression persists or rigid internal fixation is not feasible because of extensive bone destruction, wide resection and reconstruction with a custom prosthesis can be done.
Ranging the GNSS Constellation

Laser ranging is an indispensable independent tool for validating the precise orbits determined for GNSS satellites using microwave pseudorange observations since decades. SLR allowed it to identify orbit modeling issues. Including albedo radiation pressure and antenna thrust, among others, into the GPS orbit model allowed it to basically eliminate the observed SLR bias. For the first Galileo satellites SLR residuals indicated severe orbit modeling issues caused by the different shape of Galileo compared to GPS satellite bodies. In future all GNSS satellites will be equipped with Laser retro reflectors, a big challenge for the ILRS concerning tracking scenarios and observation planning to make economic use of the ground equipment.
Erythrocytosis associated with gestational hyperandrogenism

was only mild improvement in the hoarseness of her voice. Testosterone is believed to cause erythrocytosis by the following mechanisms: (a) direct stimulation of bone marrow stem cells with increased erythroid colony formation, (b) increased production of erythropoietin, and (c) potentiation of erythropoietin (a greater number of stem cells being differentiated for a given amount of erythropoietin) [3–5]. The elevation in erythropoietin and erythrocytosis seen in our patient is most likely secondary to the markedly increased testosterone levels. Ours is the first reported case of erythrocytosis associated with gestational hyperandrogenism and illustrates the importance of monitoring hematocrit in this rare syndrome.
Factors influencing the sorption of oxytetracycline to soils

Veterinary antibiotics such as oxytetracycline (OTC) increasingly are found in the environment and often come into direct contact with soils via the release of animal wastes. Oxytetracycline is known to sorb strongly to soils by interaction with soil organic matter, clay minerals, and metal oxides. However, current knowledge of the influence of soil properties on OTC sorption is limited, as is our ability to predict OTC sorption to soils. This work was aimed at identifying properties that most influence the extent of OTC sorption in a suite of soils from the eastern United States representing a wide range in soil properties. Thirty soils were well characterized, an OTC soil‐water distribution coefficient (Kd) was determined for each soil, and statistical analyses were employed to determine appropriate soil descriptors of OTC sorption. Soil texture, cation exchange capacity, and iron oxide content seemed to most influence the extent of OTC sorption in soils with organic carbon (OC) content between 0 and 4%. Thus, the knowledge of these three soil properties would be key to anticipating the extent of OTC sorption and gaining insight into OTC fate within a given soil system. Notably, OC content appeared to influence OTC sorption only in a soil with 9% OC.
Design Choices in Needle Steering—A Review

Alignment errors can arise during needle tip placement in deep-seated tissue structures. This can lead to undesired diagnostic and therapeutic outcomes. Path correction by means of needle steering has been investigated in scientific studies for the past decades. Several approaches exist, each of them with their own strengths and weaknesses. This paper describes the various needle-steering techniques, and discusses their applicability in terms of mechanical design choices in order to assess and guide on-going work in this research area. Included steering techniques apply needle base manipulations, bevel tips, precurved stylets, active cannulas, programmable bevels, and tendon actuated tips. Techniques are classified as either passive or active, based on how steering is achieved. Mechanical properties of developed needles differ largely. Flexural rigidity, for instance, was found to vary with a factor 106. Mechanical interactions, such as torsion and buckling, are described individually. Different research objectives have led to different steerable needle designs. Design criteria are typically based on these objectives, and not necessarily on clinical needs. However, the effectiveness of steering techniques depends heavily on this design, the navigation medium, and the intended task. In the proposed classification scheme, this dependence is quantified by the flexural rigidity.
Dyadobacter tibetensis sp. nov., isolated from glacial ice core.

A Gram-stain-negative, rod-shaped, aerobic, non-motile bacterium, designated Y620-1(T), was isolated from a glacier on the Tibetan Plateau, China. The 16S rRNA gene sequence of the novel isolate shared 93.6-95.1 % similarity with type strains of species of the genus Dyadobacter. The major fatty acids of strain Y620-1(T) were summed feature 3 (C16 : 1ω7c and/or iso-C15 : 0 2-OH), iso-C15 : 0, C16 : 1ω5c and iso-C17 : 0 3-OH. The predominant isoprenoid quinone and polar lipid were MK-7 and phosphatidylethanolamine (PE), respectively. The DNA G+C content was 44.4±0.3 mol% (Tm). Flexirubin-type pigment was produced. The novel isolate was classified in the genus Dyadobacter, but a number of phenotypic characteristics distinguished the novel isolate from type strains of species of the genus Dyadobacter. From these genotypic and phenotypic data, it is evident that strain Y620-1(T) represents a novel species of the genus Dyadobacter, for which the name Dyadobacter tibetensis sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is Y620-1(T) ( = JCM 18589(T) = CGMCC 1.12215(T)).
ADHD Research in Arab Countries: A Systematic Review of Literature

Objective: No systematic reviews could be identified in the literature that address ADHD research in Arab countries. In an attempt to help fill this gap, this systematic review was undertaken. Method: An electronic literature search of ADHD studies carried out in Arab countries was done by using Google Scholar, PsycINFO, PubMed, Education Resources Information Center (ERIC), and Arabpsynet. Results: The search yielded 58 studies (10 studies on psychoeducational and social aspects of ADHD, 26 prevalence studies and two reviews of epidemiology of ADHD, and 22 studies on risk factors and comorbidities in ADHD). Conclusion: Although there has been an increase in ADHD research in Arab countries in recent years, this research remains relatively sparse and used methods and procedures that limit the generalizability of the findings.
Effect of Liposomal Phosphatidylcholine Acyl Chain Length on the Bactericidal Activity of Liposome Encapsulated Nisin on Cariogenic Streptococcus mutans

Background: Dental caries is an infectious oral disease caused by cariogenic Streptococcus mutans. The streptococci inhabit dental-biofilms which comprise insoluble glucans. Objectives: To prevent dental caries, liposome-encapsulated nisin prepared from phosphatidylcholines with different acyl chain lengths were tested for bactericidal activity against cariogenic S. mutans. Materials and Methods: Liposomal nisins prepared from dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine (DMPC), dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine (DPPC), and distearoyl phoshatidylcholine (DSPC) were tested for their bactericidal activity against S. mutans 10449 and as a consequence, to inhibit the synthesis of insoluble glucan by the streptococci in vitro. Results: The bactericidal activities by minimum inhibitory concentration assay, DSPC-nisin, DPPC-nisin, and DMPC-nisin were higher by factors of 10, 3.3, and 2.5 compared with unencapsulated nisin. Inhibition of glucan synthesis was sustained the longest by DSPC-nisin. On the release assay of these liposomes, nisin was released at the highest and lowest rates from DMPC-nisin and DSPC-nisin, respectively. The highest and most sustained levels of bactericidal activity correlated with the slow release of encapsulated nisin. Conclusion: The DSPC-nisin may be useful for preventing the formation of dental caries due to sustained release of nisin. Thus, prophylaxis with the liposomal nisin may serve to maintain oral health.
Assessing Implicit Attitudes: What can be Learned from Simulations?

Empirical studies involving the Implicit Association Test (IAT) have often revealed a general implicit preference for European-American as opposed to African-American stimuli. While it has been pointed out that this does not establish the existence of an implicit negative attitude toward the less preferred target concept, the existence (or absence) of such attitudes is empirically difficult to ascertain. We describe a computational model of performance on the Race-IAT through which the influence of attitudinal positivity or negativity on expected IAT performance is explored using simulations in which the strengths and nature of target-attribute associations in memory are manipulated. Results indicate that IAT effects readily emerge from different patterns of implicit associations without any need for absolutely positive or absolutely negative implicit attitudes. Pitting a simulation of the standard IAT against a simulated Sorting Paired Features Task demonstrates an advantage for the latter in distinguish.
A Cascade Model for Restenosis: A Special Case of Atherosclerosis Progression

BackgroundRestenosis presently limits the long-term success of percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA) and allied treatments of atheroma. Current views of the pathophysiology of restenosis fail to explain certain important clinical features: Thrombosis, often invoked as a cause of smooth muscle proliferation, wanes before intimal thickening peaks. Prolonged antithrombotic therapy does not eliminate restenosis after PTCA. Furthermore, only a minority of angioplastied lesions develop clinically significant restenosis. Methods and ResultsWe propose a cytokine-growth factor cascade mechanism of restenosis pathobiology that could explain these features of human restenosis. According to this model, PICA would produce acute local thrombosis and/or mechanical injury that triggers cytokine/growth factor gene expression by resident macrophages and smooth muscle cells. This early acute generation of cytokines could evoke a secondary growth factor and cytokine response that might establish a positive, selfstimulatory autocrine and paracrine feedback loop that would serve to amplify and sustain the proliferative response. This multistage schema would account for the lag between injury and restenosis and the failure of chronic antithrombotic therapy to prevent this process. Human atheromata contain variable numbers of macrophages. The macrophage content of a particular lesion could determine in part propensity to develop restenosis after angioplasty, explaining why all lesions do not develop this process ConclusionsSeveral experimental observations support this novel mechanistic model. Leukocytes and smooth muscle cells express genes for cytokines and growth factors, and products of coagulation and thrombosis can activate mononuclear phagocytes. Cytokines and growth factors often augment their own gene expression and induce one another, providing a potential intralesional amplification loop. Experimental atheroma and advanced human atherosclerotic lesions do not express high levels of growthstimulatory cytokines such as interleukin-1 or tumor necrosis factor in the basal state but exhibit inducible expression in response to an injurious stimulus. Thus, cascades of autocrine or paracrine mediators whose expression is triggered by vascular injury might contribute to deranged smooth muscle behavior during restenosis.
Gender differences in adherence to treatment and illness behavior in HIV/AIDS patients: an exploratory study in Spain

In this paper we have analyzed the gender differences in adherence to treatment and illness behavior of HIV/AIDS patients. The sample consisted of 69 HIV patients, taking HAART, obtained at the Castellon General Hospital Internal Medicine Service. We evaluated, not only the variables directly linked with the adherence such as the patient's report about the change of risk behaviors, the compliance with the drug treatment and the assistance to the medical appointments, but also other illness behavior variables that can be related such as the patient's assessment about the illness seriousness, his/her expectations about the treatment or his/her relationship with the doctor. In general, the results do not show significant statistical differences between men and women. Significant differences are obtained in only 6% of variables, specifically in some risk factors and in the belief (higher in women) that the antiretroviral treatment will be completely ineffective. Logistic regression analysis do not evidence that sex contribute to predict adherence.
Generating Cycle Time-Throughput Curves Using Effective Process Time Based Aggregate Modeling

In semiconductor manufacturing, cycle time-throughput (CT-TH) curves are often used for planning purposes. To generate CT-TH curves, detailed simulation models or analytical queueing approximations may be used. Detailed models require much development time and computational effort. On the contrary, analytical models, such as the popular closed-form queueing expression, may not be sufficiently accurate, in particular, for integrated processing equipment that have wafers of more than one lot in process. Recently, an aggregate simulation model representation of workstations with integrated processing equipment has been proposed. This aggregate model is a type of system with a workload-dependent process time distribution, which is obtained from lot arrival and departure events. This paper presents a first proof of concept of the method in semiconductor practice. We develop the required extensions to generate CT-TH curves for workstations in a semiconductor manufacturing environment where usually only a limited amount of arrival and departure data is available. We present a simulation and an industry case to illustrate the proposed method.
On quadratic stabilizability of linear switched systems with polytopic uncertainties

This paper presents a new approach for quadratic stabilizability via state feedback of linear switched systems with polytopic uncertainties. State feedback means that the switchings among subsystems are dependent on system states. A less conservative result for quadratic stabilizability is given based on a descriptor model transformation of the system. The main result is given within the framework of linear matrix inequalities. The effectiveness of the proposed method is illustrated with an example to compare with the previous result.
Parallel WaveNet: Fast High-Fidelity Speech Synthesis

The recently-developed WaveNet architecture is the current state of the art in realistic speech synthesis, consistently rated as more natural sounding for many different languages than any previous system. However, because WaveNet relies on sequential generation of one audio sample at a time, it is poorly suited to today's massively parallel computers, and therefore hard to deploy in a real-time production setting. This paper introduces Probability Density Distillation, a new method for training a parallel feed-forward network from a trained WaveNet with no significant difference in quality. The resulting system is capable of generating high-fidelity speech samples at more than 20 times faster than real-time, and is deployed online by Google Assistant, including serving multiple English and Japanese voices.
A Necessary and Sufficient Condition for Consensus of Continuous-Time Agents Over Undirected Time-Varying Networks

The average consensus problem of continuous-time agents in undirected time-varying networks is studied. The network is allowed to be disconnected. A notion called infinite integral connectivity is proposed. Based on the notion, a necessary and sufficient condition for achieving consensus is given. That is, when the network topology is described by an undirected time-varying graph G(t), the agents achieve consensus if and only if the infinite integral graph of G(t) over [0,∞) is connected. This criterion does not hold for directed networks.
Comparison of technetium-99m-sestamibi scintimammography with contrast-enhanced MRI for diagnosis of breast lesions.

UNLABELLED Scintimammography using 99mTc-sestamibi and contrast-enhanced MRI were performed to determine the diagnostic accuracy of either method in the diagnostic workup of patients suspicious for breast tumors. METHODS Fifty-six patients (42 with indeterminate mammograms) underwent preoperative prone planar scintimammography and pre- and postcontrast-enhanced MRI. Visually determined signal increase after application of Gd-DTPA was compared with visually scored sestamibi uptake, and the diagnoses of both methods were correlated with the final histopathologic results. RESULTS Overall, sensitivity and specificity of scintimammography for diagnosing breast cancer were 88% and 83%, respectively. In the subgroup of patients with indeterminate mammograms, sensitivity was 79% and specificity was 83%. MRI readings provided a higher sensitivity (91% with respect to all patients and 89% with respect to patients with indeterminate mammograms), but a considerably lower specificity (52% in both groups) due to contrast-enhancement in different benign lesions. CONCLUSION Due to its considerably higher specificity, scintimammography rather than MRI may be suitable to reduce the number of breast biopsies which yield benign results. Thus, this method may be suggested as the preferable tool in the diagnostic workup of patients with indeterminate mammographic findings.
Efficiency of Public Spending in Developing Countries: An Efficiency Frontier Approach

Government spending in developing countries typically account for between 15 and 30 percent of GDP. Hence, small changes in the efficiency of public spending could have a major impact on GDP and on the attainment of the government's objectives. The first challenge that stakeholders face is measuring efficiency. This paper attempts such quantification and has two major parts. The first part estimates efficiency as the distance between observed input-output combinations and an efficiency frontier (defined as the maximum attainable output for a given level of inputs). This frontier is estimated for several health and education output indicators by means of the Free Disposable Hull (FDH) and Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) techniques. Both input-inefficiency (excess input consumption to achieve a level of output) and output-inefficiency (output shortfall for a given level of inputs) are scored in a sample of 140 countries using data from 1996 to 2002. The second part of the paper seeks to verify empirical regularities of the cross-country variation in efficiency. Results show that countries with higher expenditure levels register lower efficiency scores, as well as countries where the wage bill is a larger share of the government's budget. Similarly, countries with higher ratios of public to private financing of the service provision score lower efficiency, as do countries plagued by the HIV/AIDS epidemic and those with higher income inequality. Countries with higher aid-dependency ratios also tend to score lower in efficiency, probably due to the volatility of this type of funding that impedes medium term planning and budgeting. Though no causality may be inferred from this exercise, it points at different factors to understand why some countries might need more resources than others to achieve similar educational and health outcomes.