Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Information Asymmetry and the Productivity of Information Workers

To understand how IT affects worker productivity we need to understand the factors that shape information worker productivity in the first place. Typical characteristics of information work (in particular, highly intangible output and significant measurement problems) and the managerial response to them are likely to play significant roles in determining information worker productivity. We examine the impact of information asymmetry in a team production environment to develop insights into how team design and monitoring are changing the incentives facing information workers and thus their productivity. Using a detailed dataset of human resources records and timecards from a large multi-national software development firm, we examine the influence of these incentives on novel measures of information worker productivity. We find that skill redundancy reduces individual productivity, and that both team composition and task content have predictable effects on the manager’s ability to leverage monitoring effort across several workers. We explore some implications of these results for managing teams of information workers, specifically related to task design elements such as substitutability and complementarity between team members.
Immunological response and overall survival in a subset of advanced renal cell carcinoma patients from a randomized phase 2/3 study of naptumomab estafenatox plus IFN-α versus IFN-α

Naptumomab estafenatox/ABR-217620/ANYARA (Nap) has been evaluated in clinical phase 1 and 2/3 studies. RCC patients in the phase 2/3 trial were randomized 1:1 in an open label study to receive Nap+IFN-α or IFN-α. In this study, we analyzed the UK patients for their immunological response in relation to prolonged overall survival (OS). We found that Nap-specific T cells were reduced after 3 treatment days in patients' peripheral blood. Levels of both Nap-specific CD4+ and CD8+ T cells were significantly higher 8 days after the first treatment. Patients with such pattern of reduction and expansion of Nap-binding T cells also showed increased levels of IL-2 and IFN-γ in plasma 3 hours after the first Nap treatment. In addition, Nap caused an increase of IL-6, IL-10 and TNF-α. The patients in the UK subset showed a tendency of OS benefit after Nap treatment. Most Nap treated patients with long OS had low baseline IL-6 and normal levels of anti-SEA/E-120 antibodies. Furthermore, patients with pronounced Nap induced IL-2 and T cell expansion had long OS. In conclusion, patients with low baseline IL-6 and normal anti-SEA/E-120 may respond well to Nap by T cell activation and expansion paving the way for anti-tumour effects.
Learning Taxonomies by Dependence Maximization

We introduce a family of unsupervised algorithms, numerical taxonomy clustering, to simultaneously cluster data, and to learn a taxonomy that encodes the relationship between the clusters. The algorithms work by maximizing the dependence between the taxonomy and the original data. The resulting taxonomy is a more informative visualization of complex data than simple clustering; in addition, taking into account the relations between different clusters is shown to substantially improve the quality of the clustering, when compared with state-of-the-art algorithms in the literature (both spectral clustering and a previous dependence maximization approach). We demonstrate our algorithm on image and text data.
THE LOCAL INDEX FORMULA FOR A HERMITIAN MANIFOLD

Let M be a compact complex manifold of real dimension m = 2m with a Hermitian metric. Let an(x,∆) be the heat equation asymptotics of the complex Laplacian ∆. Then TrL2(fe−t∆ p,q ) ∼ Σn=0t ∫ M fan(x,∆) for any f ∈ C∞(M); the an vanish for n odd. Let ag(M) be the arithmetic genus and let an(x, ∂) := Σq(−1)an(x,∆) be the supertrace of the heat equation asymptotics. Then ∫ M an(x, ∂)dx = 0 if n 6= m while ∫ M am(x, ∂)dx = ag(M). The Todd polynomial Tdm is the integrand of the Riemann Roch Hirzebruch formula. If the metric on M is Kaehler, then the local index theorem holds:
An iterative solution of the two‐dimensional electromagnetic inverse scattering problem

A new method, based on an iterative procedure, for solving the two‐dimensional inverse scattering problem is presented. This method employs an equivalent Neumann series solution in each iteration step. The purpose of the algorithm is to provide a general method to solve the two‐dimensional imaging problem when the Born and the Rytov approximations break down. Numerical simulations were calculated for several cases where the conditions for the first order Born approximation were not satisfied. The results show that in both high and low frequency cases, good reconstructed profiles and smoothed versions of the original profiles can be obtained for smoothly varying permittivity profiles (lossless) and discontinuous profiles (lossless), respectively. A limited number of measurements around the object at a single frequency with four to eight plane incident waves from different directions are used. The method proposed in this article could easily be applied to the three‐dimensional inverse scattering problem, if computational resources are available.
Effects of translation initiation factor eIF-5A on the functioning of human T-cell leukemia virus type I Rex and human immunodeficiency virus Rev inhibited trans dominantly by a Rex mutant deficient in RNA binding

The viral transactivator proteins Rex and Rev are necessary for the expression of structural proteins of human T-cell leukemia virus type I and human immunodeficiency virus type 1, respectively. Although the interaction of Rex/Rev with a cellular cofactor(s) has been thought to be required for Rex/Rev action, there is no suitable system to search for the cofactor(s) in mammalian cells. We found that a Rex mutant, TAgRex, which contains a simian virus 40 nuclear localization signal in place of the N-terminal 19 amino acids of Rex, could dominantly inhibit wild-type Rex/Rev functions. The inhibition did not require either Rev response element/Rex response element binding or the oligomerization ability of the mutant, but it did require a region around amino acid 90 of the Rex protein, suggesting that TAgRex sequestered the cellular cofactor. Complementation with the eukaryotic translation initiation factor 5A (eIF-5A) in this system could restore the impaired Rex function. These results indicate that eIF-5A is the cofactor indispensable for Rex function. Additionally, by using a two-hybrid system, the homo-oligomer formation of Rex was found to be mediated by the region around amino acid 90 in addition to Tyr-64 and Trp-65 of Rex protein. Thus, eIF-5A may play a part in the formation of the Rex homo-oligomer.
Organization and regulation of an operon that encodes a sporulation-essential sigma factor in Bacillus subtilis

Deletion of sigE, the structural gene for the sporulation-induced RNA polymerase sigma factor, sigma E, prevented endospore formation by Bacillus subtilis. The effects of integration of plasmids into the sigE region of the chromosome and the use of complementation analyses demonstrated that sigE is part of an operon that includes a promoter-proximal gene, spoIIGA, that is essential for sporulation. Gene fusions to the promoter of this operon, spoIIG, demonstrated that transcription from this promoter is induced at the beginning of sporulation and is dependent on several spoO genes.
THE EFFECT OF SURFACTANTS ON ACTIVATED SLUDGE PROCESS

The effect of anionic surfactant sodium dodecylbenzene sulphonate (SDBS) on biological treatment of wastewater was investigated. The activated sludge method was applied. It was stated that SDBS concentration higher than 50 ppm affect strongly phosphorus and ammonium nitrogen transformations while nitrates and COD changes are not so sensitive to SDBS presence. The distribution of SDS between activated sludge and supernatant was also investigated and it was stated that some of 25-32% of SDBS was lost.
Learning Analytics via Sparse Factor Analysis

Introduction Textbooks, lectures, and homework assignments were the answer to the main educational challenges of the 19th century, but are now the main bottleneck of the 21st century. In particular, today’s textbooks are typically static, linear in organization, time-consuming to develop, soon out-of-date, and expensive. Lectures remain a primarily passive experience of copying down what an instructor says. Homework assignments that are not graded for weeks provide poor feedback to students on their learning progress. Even more importantly, today’s courses provide only a “one-size-fits-all” learning experience that does not cater to the background, interests, and goals of individual students. In contrast, we envision a statistically-minded, machine-learning based, cognitive tutor that is able to learn about the student as the student learns about the subject material being taught. This approach would allow the cognitive tutor to naturally assess which knowledge areas the student understands well, as well as the areas that remain problematic, enabling crucial tasks such as the automatic recommendation of remedial study material or additional practice problems [1].
Pathophysiological Effects of Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Receptor-2-Blocking Antibody plus Fractionated Radiotherapy on Murine Mammary Tumors

Although clinical trials of antiangiogenic strategies have been disappointing when administered as single agents, such approaches can play an important role in cancer treatment when combined with conventional therapies. Previous studies have shown that DC101, an antiangiogenic monoclonal antibody against vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-2, can produce significant growth inhibition in spontaneous and transplanted tumors but can also induce substantial hypoxia. Because DC101 appears to potentiate radiotherapy in some tumors, the present studies were undertaken to characterize pathophysiological changes following combined therapy and to determine whether radioresponse is enhanced despite the induction of hypoxia. MCa-4 and MCa-35 mammary carcinomas were treated with: (a) DC101; (b) 5 × 6 Gy radiation fractions; or (c) the combination. Image analysis of frozen tumor sections was used to quantitate: (a) hypoxia; (b) spacing of total and perfused blood vessels; and (c) endothelial and tumor cell apoptosis. For MCa-4, combination treatment schedules produced significant and prolonged delays in tumor growth, whereas single-modality treatments had minor effects. For MCa-35, radiation or the combination led to equivalent growth inhibition. In all tumors, hypoxia increased markedly after either radiation or DC101 alone. Although combination therapy produced no immediate pathophysiological changes, hypoxia ultimately increased after cessation of therapy. Preferential increases in endothelial apoptosis following combination treatment suggest that in addition to blocking tumor angiogenesis, DC101 enhances radiotherapy by specifically sensitizing endothelial cells, leading to degeneration of newly formed blood vessels.
Adaptive Evolution of Gene Expression in Antarctic Fishes: Divergent Transcription of the 5′-to-5′ Linked Adult α1- and β-Globin Genes of the Antarctic Teleost Notothenia coriiceps is Controlled by Dual Promoters and Intergenic Enhancers1

Abstract Unlike temperate fishes, Antarctic fishes of the notothenioid suborder, whose body temperatures (−2 to +1°C) conform to the Southern Ocean, must express their genomes in an extremely cold thermal regime. To determine whether these fishes have evolved compensatory adjustments that maintain efficient gene transcription at low temperatures, we have initiated studies of the cis-acting regulatory elements that control globin gene expression in the Antarctic rockcod Notothenia coriiceps and in its close relative, the temperate New Zealand black cod N. angustata (habitat temperature = +6 to +15°C). The genes encoding the major α1 and β globins of these fishes are tightly linked in head-to-head (5′ to 5′) orientation. The intergenic regions separating the globin genes in the two fishes, ∼4.3 kb in N. coriiceps and ∼3.2 kb in N. angustata, are highly similar in sequence, the major difference being the absence of a 1.1-kb, repeat-containing segment in the latter. To assess the promoter and enhancer activities of the intergenic regions, each was cloned into the luciferase-reporter vector pGL3-Basic, and the constructs were transfected into MEL cells. Upon DMSO induction of MEL cell differentiation, each of the α/β-intergenic regions functioned in both orientations as erythroid-responsive transcriptional regulators. However, expression of luciferase mediated by the N. coriiceps intergene was 6-fold greater in the α orientation than that for the N. angustata intergene and 2-fold greater for the β. The greater transcription-stimulating activity of the N. coriiceps intergene can be attributed to two enhancers composed of combinations of CAC/Sp1 and GATA motifs and located in direct repeat elements. N. angustata, which lacked repetitive structure in its intergene, contained a single copy of the enhancer. We propose that cold adaptation of globin gene expression in N. coriiceps evolved in part through duplication and refinement of critical cis-acting regulatory elements as the Southern Ocean cooled during the past 25 million years.
The management of Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia.

Although advances in the management of human immune-deficiency virus (HIV) have dramatically reduced the incidence of opportunistic infections, Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia (PCP) remains an important respiratory infection, particularly when it is the presenting feature of previously undiagnosed HIV infection. The incidence of PCP as an AIDS indicator disease amongst those previously known to have HIV has fallen in the United Kingdom from 35% in 1990 to 22% in 1997, but the incidence amongst those in whom HIV infection was unrecognized has remained unaltered at 42% [1] and mortality is highest in this group. Here, we present a case of PCP and discuss the treatment, prophylaxis, complications and current debate about the management of this disease.
Experiments on Motivational Feedback for Crowdsourced Workers

This paper examines the relationship between motivational design and its longitudinal effects on crowdsourcing systems. In the context of a company internal web site that crowdsources the identification of Twitter accounts owned by company employees, we designed and investigated the effects of various motivational features including individual / social achievements and gamification. Our 6-month experiment with 437 users allowed us to compare the features in terms of both quantity and quality of the work produced by participants over time. While we found that gamification can increase workers’ motivation overall, the combination of motivational features also matters. Specifically, gamified social achievement is the best performing design over a longer period of time. Mixing individual and social achievements turns out to be less effective and can even encourage users to game the system.
Neurobiology of social and individual choice

In the course of our everyday lives, we are constantly faced with situations in which we must choose. Do we invest in the bank or the stock-market? Is a new wage deal so unfair that we should resort to a strike? These situations are elegantly described mathematically by Rational Choice Theory (RCT), which dominates the quantitative social sciences such as economics. However, unfortunately RCT often fails to predict how humans actually behave. Here I investigate choice using paradigms derived from the RCT framework, but aim to better predict actual choices by using a biological level of explanation. First, I examine simple choices that involve no social interaction, asking how choices are influenced by risk in potential outcomes, and by whether outcomes reflect potential gains or losses. The data reveal independent impacts of risk and loss on choice, findings not predicted by extant economic theories. Instead, I then harness functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) to suggest a biological mechanism by which risk and loss bias approach behaviour, and test this hypotheses in further behavioural experiments. Secondly, I examine social choices. Specifically, I examine biological systems that enable social behaviour to respond flexibly to environmental contingencies. I investigate the neural basis of the human fairness motivation using fMRI, and show how it flexibly adapts to external social context. Next, I show how this fairness motivation adapts to changes in an individual’s internal physiological state. Finally, I show how cooperation is modulated by the androgen hormone testosterone. Overall, in light of these non-social and social findings, I propose that a biologically-based account of choice can explain choices that are not predicted by existing theory.
Evaluating Driving Styles by Normalizing Driving Behavior Based on Personalized Driver Modeling

Driving style evaluation is important for vehicle calibrations and intelligent transportation. In this paper, we propose to quantitatively evaluate driving styles by normalizing driving behavior based on personalized driver modeling. First, a personalized driver model is established for each driver to be evaluated by using the neural network, e.g., the radial basis function, and real-world vehicle test data, with respect to vehicle and road situations. Second, the established driver model is employed to perform the simulated standard driving cycle test for driving behavior normalization, where the desired speed profile is adopted from the standard driving cycle test, e.g., federal test procedure-75. Third, based on the energy spectral density analysis on normalized behavior, an aggressiveness index is proposed to quantitatively evaluate driving styles. Finally, this index is applied to detect abnormal driving behavior. Simulations are conducted to verify the effectiveness of the proposed scheme.
Prospective Study of Plasma Folate, Vitamin B12, and Cognitive Function and Decline

Background: The relation between B vitamins and cognitive decline is controversial. In this study, we explored the association of plasma folate and vitamin B12 with cognitive function measured approximately 10 years later. Methods: We determined plasma folate and vitamin B12 levels from blood samples collected in 1989 to 1990 and initially evaluated cognition in 1995 to 2001 among 635 women, age 70+ years, from the Nurses’ Health Study. In a subset of 391, 3 repeated cognitive tests were completed for evaluation of cognitive decline over 4 years; repeated testing is ongoing for the remaining women. Our primary outcome was a global composite score of 6 neuropsychologic tests administered by telephone. We used linear regression models to estimate multivariable-adjusted mean cognitive performance across quartiles of the vitamins and longitudinal models for cognitive decline. Results: Higher vitamin levels were not associated with either initial cognitive performance or subsequent cognitive decline. Mean difference in initial global score for top versus bottom quartiles was 0.06 standard units for folate (95% confidence interval [CI] = −0.10 to 0.22) and 0.15 units for vitamin B12 (0.00 to 0.31). There were no dose–response trends for either nutrient. Women with high levels of both nutrients initially performed better than women low in both nutrients (global score, mean difference = 0.34; 95% CI = 0.05 to 0.62); this association did not hold for subsequent cognitive decline. Conclusions: Combined B vitamin deficiency may be associated with impaired cognition, but in these healthy, well-nourished women, plasma folate and vitamin B12 were not related to cognitive function.
The myth of achievement tests : the GED and the role of character in American life

Achievement tests play an important role in modern societies. They are used to evaluate schools, to assign students to tracks within schools, and to identify weaknesses in student knowledge. The GED is an achievement test used to grant the status of high school graduate to anyone who passes it. GED recipients currently account for 12 percent of all high school credentials issued each year in the United States. But do achievement tests predict success in life? The Myth of Achievement Tests shows that achievement tests like the GED fail to measure important life skills. James J. Heckman, John Eric Humphries, Tim Kautz, and a group of scholars offer an in-depth exploration of how the GED came to be used throughout the United States and why our reliance on it is dangerous. Drawing on decades of research, the authors show that, while GED recipients score as well on achievement tests as high school graduates who do not enroll in college, high school graduates vastly outperform GED recipients in terms of their earnings, employment opportunities, educational attainment, and health. The authors show that the differences in success between GED recipients and high school graduates are driven by character skills. Achievement tests like the GED do not adequately capture character skills like conscientiousness, perseverance, sociability, and curiosity. These skills are important in predicting a variety of life outcomes. They can be measured, and they can be taught. Using the GED as a case study, the authors explore what achievement tests miss and show the dangers of an educational system based on them. They call for a return to an emphasis on character in our schools, our systems of accountability, and our national dialogue. Contributors Eric Grodsky, University of Wisconsin-Madison Andrew Halpern-Manners, Indiana University Bloomington Paul A. LaFontaine, Federal Communications Commission Janice H. Laurence, Temple University Lois M. Quinn, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Pedro L. Rodriguez, Institute of Advanced Studies in Administration John Robert Warren, University of Minnesota, Twin Cities.
Membrane Elastic Properties and Cell Function

Recent studies indicate that the cell membrane, interacting with its attached cytoskeleton, is an important regulator of cell function, exerting and responding to forces. We investigate this relationship by looking for connections between cell membrane elastic properties, especially surface tension and bending modulus, and cell function. Those properties are measured by pulling tethers from the cell membrane with optical tweezers. Their values are determined for all major cell types of the central nervous system, as well as for macrophage. Astrocytes and glioblastoma cells, which are considerably more dynamic than neurons, have substantially larger surface tensions. Resting microglia, which continually scan their environment through motility and protrusions, have the highest elastic constants, with values similar to those for resting macrophage. For both microglia and macrophage, we find a sharp softening of bending modulus between their resting and activated forms, which is very advantageous for their acquisition of phagocytic functions upon activation. We also determine the elastic constants of pure cell membrane, with no attached cytoskeleton. For all cell types, the presence of F-actin within tethers, contrary to conventional wisdom, is confirmed. Our findings suggest the existence of a close connection between membrane elastic constants and cell function.