Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Uncertainty analysis of system identification results obtained for a seven‐story building slice tested on the UCSD‐NEES shake table

A full‐scale seven‐story reinforced concrete building section/slice was tested on the Network for Earthquake Engineering Simulation (NEES) shake table at the University of California San Diego during the period of October 2005 to January 2006. Three output‐only system identification methods were used to extract the modal parameters (natural frequencies, damping ratios, and mode shapes) of the test structure at different damage states. In this study, the performance of these system identification methods is investigated in two cases: (Case I) when these methods are applied to the measured dynamic response of the structure and (Case II) when these methods are applied to the dynamic response of the structure simulated using a three‐dimensional nonlinear finite element model thereof. In both cases, the uncertainty/variability of the identified modal parameters due to the variability of several input factors is quantified through analysis of variance (ANOVA). In addition to ANOVA, meta‐models are used for effect screening in Case II (based on the simulated data), which also capture the effects of linear interactions of the input factors. The four input factors considered in Case I are amplitude of input excitation, spatial density of measurements, length of response data used for system identification, and model order used in the parametric system identification methods. In the second case of uncertainty analysis, in addition to these four input factors, measurement noise is also considered. The results show that for all three methods considered, the amplitude of excitation is the most significant factor explaining the variability of the identified modal parameters, especially the natural frequencies. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Relevance of Forensic Accounting in the Detection and Prevention of Fraud in Nigeria

The increase in the number of cases of financial fraud due to failure of statutory audit to detect and prevent fraudulent activities has given rise for the services of forensic accountants. This paper highlights how forensic accountants can be employed to resolve this challenge. The study was a theoretical research which considered the roles of forensic accountants in combating fraudulent activities, differences between a forensic accountant and traditional accountant, features of a forensic accountant and the impact of forensic accountants to detect and prevent fraud. From the research, it was found out amongst others that their services will assist audit committee members in carrying out their oversight functions by providing them assurance on internal audit report. Some of the recommendations proffered is for government to ameliorate the cost of hiring the services of forensic accountants and to treat culprits equally without any favoritism. Keywords: Forensic Accountant, Financial Fraud, Statutory Audit, Fraud Prevention, Fraud Detection.
Deficiency of IL-22 Contributes to a Chronic Inflammatory Disease: Pathogenetic Mechanisms in Acne Inversa

Overexpression of the T cell cytokine IL-22 is linked to the development of some chronic diseases, but little is known about IL-22 deficiency in humans. As demonstrated in this study, acne inversa (AI; also designated as Hidradenitis suppurativa) lesions show a relative deficiency of IL-22 and IL-20, but not of IL-17A, IL-26, IFN-γ, IL-24, or IL-1β. Moreover, AI lesions had reduced expression of membranous IL-22 and IL-20 receptors and increased expression of the natural IL-22 inhibitor, IL-22 binding protein. AI is a chronic inflammatory skin disease with prevalence up to 4% of the population and in which cutaneous bacterial persistence represents an important pathogenetic factor. Accordingly, we also found a relative deficiency of antimicrobial proteins (AMPs) in AI lesions and a positive correlation between lesional IL-22 and IL-20 versus AMP levels. IL-22, like its tissue cell downstream mediator IL-20, upregulated AMPs in reconstituted human epidermis and was critical for increased AMP levels under inflammatory conditions. The relative IL-22 deficiency in AI was not linked to lesional T cell numbers or Th22/Th1/Th17 subset markers and -inducing cytokines. However, IL-10 was highly expressed in AI lesions and correlated negatively with IL-22 expression. Moreover, IL-10 inhibited IL-22 but not IL-17 production in vitro. The IL-10 overexpression, in turn, was not associated with an elevated presence of regulatory T cells but with the enhanced presence of an IL-10–inducing cytokine. We conclude that IL-22 deficiency may contribute to the pathogenesis of certain chronic disorders as postulated in this paper for AI.
In melanoma, Hippo signaling is affected by copy number alterations and YAP1 overexpression impairs patient survival

To take out a personal subscription, please click here More information about Pigment Cell & Melanoma Research at www.pigment. org In melanoma, Hippo signaling is affected by copy number alterations and YAP1 overexpression impairs patient survival Moritz Menzel, Diana Meckbach, Benjamin Weide, Nora C. Toussaint, Karin Schilbach, Seema Noor, Thomas Eigentler, Kristian Ikenberg, Christian Busch, Leticia Quintanilla-Martinez, Ursula Kohlhofer, Antonia Göke, Friederike Göke, Rupert Handgretinger, Christian Ottmann, Boris C. Bastian, Claus Garbe, Martin Röcken, Sven Perner, Oliver Kohlbacher and Jürgen Bauer
Responses to Interoceptive Exposure in People With Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD): A Preliminary Analysis of Induced Anxiety Reactions and Trauma Memories and Their Relationship to Anxiety Sensitivity and PTSD Symptom Severity

A growing body of evidence suggests that anxiety sensitivity (AS; fear of arousal‐related sensations) plays a role in posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Consistent with this, evidence indicates that interoceptive exposure (IE), which is a method for reducing AS, reduces PTSD symptoms. Clinical observations from our treatment studies indicate that IE triggers both anxiety and trauma memories in people with PTSD. The primary aim of this study was to describe the anxiety responses to a series of IE exercises and to examine whether or not trauma memories were activated. A secondary aim was to explore the relationships among AS, PTSD symptom severity, and IE responses. Data were collected from 23 people with PTSD who completed measures of PTSD symptoms and AS and a standardized battery of 10 IE exercises. Elevated anxiety and strong arousal responses were frequently elicited by the exercises, and trauma memories were also frequently triggered. AS and IE‐triggered trauma memories significantly predicted IE‐induced peak anxiety. The implications of the findings are discussed in terms of how IE might exert its therapeutic effects in the treatment of PTSD.
A Nonrandomized Trial of Progressive Resistance Training Intervention in Women With Polycystic Ovary Syndrome and Its Implications in Telomere Content

Background: Physical activity is known to relieve the metabolic complications of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), and exercise is also associated with telomere biology. We investigated the changes induced by progressive resistance training (PRT) in telomere content and metabolic disorder in women with PCOS and controls. Participants and Methods: Forty-five women with PCOS and 52 healthy women aged 18 to 37 years were submitted to PRT. A linear periodization of PRT was prepared based on a trend of decreasing volume and intensity throughout the training period. The volunteers performed PRT 3 times a week for 4 months. The participants’ physical characteristics and hormonal concentrations were measured before and after PRT, as telomere content that was measured using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. Results: Briefly, Progressive resistance training reduced waist circumference, body fat percentage, plasma testosterone and sex hormone-binding globulin concentrations, glycemia, and free androgen index. Fasting insulin and insulin resistance index were greater in women with PCOS. Androstenedione and homocysteine increased after PRT. There were no differences in telomere content between controls (0.96 ± 0.3 before vs 0.85 ± 0.21 after) and women with PCOS (0.94 ± 0.33 before vs 0.88 ± 0.39 after). Adjusted analysis showed telomere shortening after PRT in all women (0.95 ± 0.31 before vs 0.86 ± 0.31 after; P = .03). In women with PCOS, increased homocysteine levels were related to telomere reduction and increased androstenedione was positively correlated with telomere content after PRT. Conclusions: Progressive resistance training had positive effects on the hormonal and physical characteristics of women with PCOS and controls, but telomere content was reduced and homocysteine level increased in all participants.
A topologically related singularity suggests a maximum preferred size for protein domains

A variety of protein physicochemical as well as topological properties, demonstrate a scaling behavior relative to chain length. Many of the scalings can be modeled as a power law which is qualitatively similar across the examples. In this article, we suggest a rational explanation to these observations on the basis of both protein connectivity and hydrophobic constraints of residues compactness relative to surface volume. Unexpectedly, in an examination of these relationships, a singularity was shown to exist near 255–270 residues length, and may be associated with an upper limit for domain size. Evaluation of related G‐factor data points to a wide range of conformational plasticity near this point. In addition to its theoretical importance, we show by an application of CASP experimental and predicted structures, that the scaling is a practical filter for protein structure prediction. Proteins 2007. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Comparing two alternative measures of general personality in the assessment of psychopathy: a test of the NEO PI-R and the MPQ.

This study examined the interrelations between two measures of personality, the Revised NEO Personality Inventory (NEO PI-R; P. T. Costa & R. R. McCrae, 1992) and the Multidimensional Personality Questionnaire (MPQ; Tellegen & Waller, 2008), and their relations with psychopathy in a sample of undergraduates. Results revealed good convergence between conceptually related personality traits; however, the NEO PI-R facets accounted for more variance in the MPQ subscales (mean R(2)=. 49) than did MPQ subscales in NEO PI-R facets (mean R(2)=. 35). Both accounted for substantial proportions of variance in psychopathy scores, although the NEO PI-R accounted for larger proportions and manifested greater incremental validity when using the broader domains of each measure; the differences decreased when the narrower facets/subscales were used. The results suggest that, although both measures assess psychopathy-related traits, the NEO PI-R provides a more complete description because of its assessment of interpersonal antagonism and the central role of this construct in psychopathy.
Market Imperfections and Regulatory Intervention: The Case of Insider Trading Regulation in the Indian Stock

This paper’s aim is two-fold. First, to investigate whether regulatory intervention, to improve insider trading transparency, leads to higher information production. Second, to understand how market imperfections can distort uniform impact expected out of regulatory intervention. We use Indian stock market regulator-SEBI’s regulatory intervention on insider trading as a natural experiment for our investigation. Using 22,571 insider trades, that occurred between 2007 to 2011, we report the following main findings: (1) Our estimates show that, Firm Officers, on average, made around Rs.4 profit per share more than ordinary shareholders for every round trip transaction during pre-regulatory intervention period. Regulatory intervention reduces such profiteering activity. (2) Regulatory intervention significantly improved information production associated with insider trades. (3) Market imperfections in the form of variations in firm organisation structure and competition environment, can explain lack of uniform impact due to regulatory intervention. Our results lead us to conclude that regulatory intervention is generally effective (Brochet, 2010), however the efficacy cannot be uniform unless regulatory intervention goes hand-in-hand with regulatory investment and coordination aimed at addressing market imperfections (Fernandes and Ferreira, 2008).
Distributed mean-field-type filter for vehicle tracking

Particle filter is an effective tool for vehicle tracking. However, we need to maintain a large number of particles to keep a reasonable tracking accuracy for multi-target tracking in large scale state space. This paper proposes a new distributed mean-field-type filter to handle those noisy, partial-observed and high-dimensional data. The state space is decomposed and the particles are deployed locally and updated independently in the simplified subspaces. The filtering framework contains four operations: sampling, prediction, decomposition and correction. A mean-field term is included in the system dynamic so that the prediction is based on the previous state as well as its statistic distribution, which is estimated by a multi-frame learning procedure. The experiment on real data shows that our approach can achieve accurate tracking results with a small number of particles.
Digital Transformation in the Automotive Industry: towards a Generic Value Network

The emergence of digital innovations is accelerating and intervening existing business models by delivering opportunities for new services. Drawing on the automotive industry, leading trends like self-driving cars, connectivity and car sharing are creating new business models. These are simultaneously giving rise for innovative market entrants, which begin to transform the automotive industry. However, literature does not provide a generic value network of the automotive industry, including new market players. The paper aims to visualize the current automotive ecosystem, by evolving a generic value network using the e³-value method. We define different roles, which are operating in the automotive industry by analyzing 650 companies reported in the Crunchbase database and present the value streams within the ecosystem. To validate the proposed generic value network we conducted five preliminary interviews with experts from the automotive industry. Our results show the central role of mobility service platforms, emerging disruptive technology providers and the dissemination of industries, e.g., as OEMs collaborate with mobile payment providers. Scholars in this field can apply the developed generic value network for further research, while car manufacturers may apply the model to position themselves in their market and to identify possible disruptive actors or potential business opportunities
Abnormal response to cholinergic stimulation in the circular muscle layer of the human colon in diverticular disease.

BACKGROUND Diverticular disease is characterized by the occurrence of small herniations of the colonic mucosa, through the external muscle coats of the colon. The muscle wall is thickened, high intraluminal pressures can be recorded, and often constipation develops. The aim of the present study was to investigate whether an abnormality in the electric myogenic control activity could be found to help explain the etiology and symptoms of the disease. METHODS Electric activity was studied by extracellular electrodes on tissues from both the circular and the longitudinal muscle of the colon from 12 patients. RESULTS In tissues from 10 patients a distinctly abnormal response to cholinergic stimulation was observed. A characteristic development of bursts of action potentials did not develop; instead, slow-wave activity of relatively low frequency was maintained throughout the period of stimulation. This slow-wave activity showed a lack of synchronization. CONCLUSIONS The results indicate that, in diverticular disease, local changes in electric activity occur that change the response to cholinergic stimulation. When this happens, development of periodic bursts of action potentials normally associated with propulsive activity do not develop, favoring segmental contractile activity associated with low-frequency slow-wave activity.
Organizational Infrastructure in the Collegiate Athletic Training Setting, Part III: Benefits of and Barriers in the Medical and Academic Models.

CONTEXT Academic and medical models are emerging as alternatives to the athletics model, which is the more predominant model in the collegiate athletic training setting. Little is known about athletic trainers' (ATs') perceptions of these models. OBJECTIVE To investigate the perceived benefits of and barriers in the medical and academic models. DESIGN Qualitative study. SETTING National Collegiate Athletic Association Divisions I, II, and III. PATIENTS OR OTHER PARTICIPANTS A total of 16 full-time ATs (10 men, 6 women; age = 32 ± 6 years, experience = 10 ± 6 years) working in the medical (n = 8) or academic (n = 8) models. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS We conducted semistructured telephone interviews and evaluated the qualitative data using a general inductive approach. Multiple-analyst triangulation and peer review were completed to satisfy data credibility. RESULTS In the medical model, role congruency and work-life balance emerged as benefits, whereas role conflict, specifically intersender conflict with coaches, was a barrier. In the academic model, role congruency emerged as a benefit, and barriers were role strain and work-life conflict. Subscales of role strain included role conflict and role ambiguity for new employees. Role conflict stemmed from intersender conflict with coaches and athletics administrative personnel and interrole conflict with fulfilling multiple overlapping roles (academic, clinical, administrative). CONCLUSIONS The infrastructure in which ATs provide medical care needs to be evaluated. We found that the medical model can support better alignment for both patient care and the wellbeing of ATs. Whereas the academic model has perceived benefits, role incongruence exists, mostly because of the role complexity associated with balancing teaching, patient-care, and administrative duties.
Tests of the Fama Model in India

This study empirically examines the Fama-French three-factor model of stock returns for India. We find evidence for pervasive market, size and book-to-market factors in India stock returns. We find that cross-section means returns are explained by exposures to these three factors, and not by the market factor alone. We find mixed evidence for parallel market, size and book-to-market factors in earnings, we do not find any reliable link between the common risk factors in earnings and those in stock returns. The empirical results, as a whole, are reasonably consistent with the Fama-French three-factor model.
Scorpion Envenomations and Climate Conditions : the case of Naama Province in Algeria

Scorpion envenomations represent an actual public health problem in Algeria, at various levels, in three-fourths of the country provinces. A total of 903, 461 scorpion sting cases and 1996 induced deaths were reported in the country between 1991 and 2012. As the scorpion envenomation surveillance is based on passive system, the present study aims to analyse and to interpret the reported scorpion sting cases and to develop a forecasting model in order to perceive changes in the incidence early enough in Naama province, one of the endemic zone for scorpion envenomations. In addition to the epidemiological profile of scorpion stings, we performed time series analysis and regression analysis to estimate the relationship between scorpion sting cases and climate conditions. We also have explored the predictive power of alternative model incorporating seasonality. The epidemiological survey revealed that scorpion envenomations are observed through the year, round the clock, reaching peaks in July-August, and the more prone human body parts are upper and lower limbs. The time series analysis and regression analysis have shown that the scorpion activity in Naama province is climate dependent phenomenon; the temperature and precipitation are the main factors; they were used to derive the best predictive model for scorpion sting cases. Regression models produce reliable models to predict the number of scorpion stings provided that involved climate variables are on hand, and could therefore assist public health services as to be in state of preparedness by providing in advance the health facilities by the appropriate number of antivenom vials necessary.
WILL FARMERS USE SAFER PESTICIDES

Virtually all technology adoption studies are conducted ex post, yet policy makers often need to assess the likely level of adoption before the technology is introduced. This study uses data from a contingent valuation survey of Michigan corn growers to assess what factors would influence the adoption of two safer corn herbicides, one that is not carcinogenic and one that does not leach. Results indicate that price, risk perception, and sources of pest control information are all important. This suggests that public policies designed to change perceptions and improve information dissemination may encourage voluntary use of more environmentally friendly technologies.
Capital Structure, Equity Ownership and Firm Performance: Evidence from India

This study investigated the relationship between capital structure, equity ownership and firm performance using a sample of 438 BSE-Listed Indian companies over the period of five years (2005-2010). The study constructs efficiency through data envelopment analysis (DEA). Using panel data analysis to examine the effect of efficiency on leverage and the empirical validity of the two competing hypotheses such as efficient risk hypothesis and franchise value hypothesis. The study results were consistent with the Jensen and Meckling (1975) agency cost model and we didn't found any significant impact of efficiency on leverage. There is evidence towards nonlinearities in the relationship between ownership type with capital structure and firms performance. During the study time period the efficiency and the number of efficient companies had been decreasing due to the recession that broke out at mid-2008. During the study time period the efficiency and the number of efficient companies had been decreasing due to the recession that broke out at mid-2008.
catena‐Poly[[[diaqua(3‐nitrobenzoato‐κ2O,O′)erbium(III)]‐di‐μ‐3‐nitrobenzoato‐κ4O:O′] 2,2′‐diamino‐4,4′‐bi‐1,3‐thiazole]

In the title compound, {[Er(C7H4NO4)3(H2O)2]·C6H6N4S2}n, the ErIII ion displays a distorted tetra­gonal-anti­prismatic coordination geometry, formed by five 3-nitro­benzoate anions and two water mol­ecules. Among the three crystallographically independent nitro­benzoate anions, one chelates an ErIII ion and two bridge adjacent ErIII ions to form a one-dimensional polymeric chain extending along the a axis. The uncoordinated diamino­bithia­zole mol­ecules are centrosymmetric and link with the ErIII complex via hydrogen bonding.