Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
“Staying native”: coproduction in mental health services research

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to describe a recent experiment in research coproduction in an evaluation of service planning at a London Mental Health NHS Trust. The paper aims to consider whether members of the research team who have themselves been users of mental health services are able to contribute to the research process as “experts by experience”, or if their experiential knowledge is “colonized” within the academic research team. Design/methodology/approach – A qualitative, comparative case study approach was adopted, using structured observations and semi-structured interviews. Researchers' reflective accounts and a reflective focus group were employed to explore the process of coproduction. Findings – The paper concludes that, far from “colonising” expertise by experience, the experiment builds local capacity in research coproduction and usefully informs a service planning process that reflects the priorities and concerns of a range of stakeholders. Research limitations/implications – The paper describes a small, local experiment in research coproduction and so findings are limited in their scope. However, the study demonstrates an effective methodological approach to evaluating, empirically, the impact of coproduction on the health services research (HSR) process. Practical implications – The paper demonstrates the potential for repeated exercises in coproduction to build capacity in collaborative approaches to both HSR and service planning. Originality/value – The involvement of experts by experience is increasingly a policy requirement in the domains of both health service planning and HSR in the UK. There are very few empirical studies that evaluate the impact of that coproduction.
Comparison of Mixed-Integer Programming and Genetic Algorithm Methods for Distributed Generation Planning

This paper applies recently developed mixed-integer programming (MIP) tools to the problem of optimal siting and sizing of distributed generators in a distribution network. We investigate the merits of three MIP approaches for finding good installation plans: a full AC power flow approach, a linear DC power flow approximation, and a nonlinear DC power flow approximation with quadratic loss terms, each augmented with integer generator placement variables. A genetic algorithm-based approach serves as a baseline for the comparison. A simple knapsack problem method involving generator selection is presented for determining lower bounds on the optimal design objective. Solution methods are outlined, and computational results show that the MIP methods, while lacking the speed of the genetic algorithm, can find improved solutions within conservative time requirements and provide useful information on optimality.
Leader–Follower Consensus of Multiagent Systems With Energy Constraints: A Markovian System Approach

This paper is concerned with the leader-follower consensus of multiagent systems with wireless communications with the main objective of reducing the power consumption. First, by assuming that the sampling period jumps from one to another only from a given set, a new stochastic sampling approach is introduced to reduce the sampling frequency of each agent. Then, only 1-D of the sampled data is selected, and transmitted to its neighboring agents. Finally, each agent is scheduled to communicate with others intermittently. A unified Markovian system model is proposed to capture the above stochastic sampling, measurement selection scheme and intermittent transmission process, and such a novel protocol can significantly reduce the power consumption. Based on the Lyapunov stability theory and the Markovian jump system approach, the distributed consensus-based controller gain is obtained by solving an optimization problem. The advantage of the proposed consensus protocol is verified by two simulation examples. The simulation results explicitly show our result is more energy-efficient than that of existing one.
Generating Look-alike Names via Distributed Representations

Abstract—Motivated by applications in login challenge and privacy protection, we consider the problem of large-scale construction of realistic-looking names to serve as aliases for real individuals. We seek these look-alike names to preserve name characteristics like gender, ethnicity, and frequency of occurrence while being unlinkable back to the source individual. We introduce the technique of distributed name embeddings, representing names in a high-dimensional space such that distance between name components reflects the degree of cultural similarity between these strings. We present different approaches to constructing name embeddings, and evaluate their cultural coherence. We demonstrate that name embeddings strongly encode gender and ethnicity, as well as name frequency.
Effects of Farm Size on Economic Efficiency: The Case of Pakistan

Many agricultural policy decisions in underdeveloped countries are affected by the belief that the price of increased equity is reduced growth. An important argument used frequently against land reforms, for example, is that large farms are more efficient than small farms. If true, land reforms cannot achieve the dual goals of equity and efficiency. The relative efficiency of large farms, however, may be an illusion if national policies have consistently favored these farms in such a way that their apparent relative efficiency is due to market imperfections in which specific public policies have played a crucial role (Berry and Cline, Griffin). It is evident that better information on the true relative efficiency of large farms would provide a better indication of how agrarian structures affect resource use and thereby of the likelihood of being able to achieve both growth and equity. This paper provides such information for Pakistan. The concept of efficiency has been interpreted in various ways. An operational concept of economic efficiency has been developed by Lau and Yotopoulos (1971, 1972) and Yotopoulos and Lau, to measure and compare performance of farm firms. Differences in economic efficiency among groups of farms (say large and small) may result from variations in technical efficiency (larger output with equal amounts of inputs) and price efficiency (higher profits). Profit maximization is implied if the value of marginal product of each variable input is equal to its price. Thus we can test relative economic efficiency of large versus small farms by comparing their actual profit functions. Although the question of relative economic efficiency of large farms is central to a discussion of land reform in underdeveloped countries, there is little empirical research due to lack of adequate disaggregated data. Some evidence for India has been presented by Yotopoulos and Lau (1973), indicating that small farms are more efficient than large farms. However, in studies by Sidhu for wheat in the Indian Punjab and by Khan and Maki for wheat and rice in Pakistan, there was no difference in efficiency by farm size. In this paper, the Lau-Yotopoulos model is used to derive values of technical and price efficiency parameters in order to identify and isolate possible differences between large and small farms. These estimates are based on farm-level data collected from a sample of 728 farms in the Punjab and Sind provinces of Pakistan. Because there are wide differences between these provinces in their agrarian structures, any conclusi ns drawn from the overall sample would be of dubious value. We, therefore, present estimation re ults for the provincial samples separately.
Modelling pesticide leaching under climate change: parameter vs. climate input uncertainty

Assessing climate change impacts on pesticide leaching requires careful consideration of different sources of uncertainty. We investigated the uncertainty related to climate scenario input and its importance relative to parameter uncertainty of the pesticide leaching model. The pesticide fate model MACRO was calibrated against a comprehensive one-year field data set for a well-structured clay soil in south-western Sweden. We obtained an ensemble of 56 acceptable parameter sets that represented the parameter uncertainty. Nine different climate model projections of the regional climate model RCA3 were available as driven by different combinations of global climate models (GCM), greenhouse gas emission scenarios and initial states of the GCM. The future time series of weather data used to drive the MACRO model were generated by scaling a reference climate data set (1970–1999) for an important agricultural production area in south-western Sweden based on monthly change factors for 2070–2099. 30 yr simulations were performed for different combinations of pesticide properties and application seasons. Our analysis showed that both the magnitude and the direction of predicted change in pesticide leaching from present to future depended strongly on the particular climate scenario. The effect of parameter uncertainty was of major importance for simulating absolute pesticide losses, whereas the climate uncertainty was relatively more important for predictions of changes of pesticide losses from present to future. The climate uncertainty should be accounted for by applying an ensemble of different climate scenarios. The aggregated ensemble prediction based on both acceptable parameterizations and different climate scenarios has the potential to provide robust probabilistic estimates of future pesticide losses.
Optimal Entry Timing for a Product Line Extension

When should a firm introduce a line extension or improved product in order to maximize total profits from the original product and the line extension? We identify three critical issues which affect the answer to this question: the interrelationship of sales of the two products because of substitution and diffusion, the relative margins of the two products, and the relationship of the length of the firm's planning horizon to the original product's diffusion time. We develop a model in which the first product contributes a higher unit margin; however, sales develop slowly. The line extension contributes a lower unit margin and partially cannibalizes sales of the original product, but also broadens the market, causing sales to develop more rapidly. The timing of the introduction of the line extension affects the subsequent sales pattern for both products and the total profit to be made within the planning period. The optimal entry time depends upon the product pair's substitutability. We show that it is best either to introduce the line extension at a time early in the life cycle of the original product or not to introduce it at all. Consideration of dynamic phenomena can make a difference. For example, our results indicate that in some cases the line extension should be introduced early, whereas a simpler static analysis which neglects diffusion and the implications of a finite planning horizon would indicate that the line extension should never be introduced.
Human Babesiosis in Japan: Isolation ofBabesia microti-Like Parasites from an Asymptomatic Transfusion Donor and from a Rodent from an Area Where Babesiosis Is Endemic

ABSTRACT To determine the source of infection for the Japanese index case of human babesiosis, we analyzed blood samples from an asymptomatic individual whose blood had been transfused into the patient. In addition, we surveyed rodents collected from near the donor's residence. Examination by microscopy and PCR failed to detect the parasite in the donor's blood obtained 8 months after the donation of the blood that was transfused. However, we were able to isolateBabesia parasites by inoculating the blood sample into SCID mice whose circulating red blood cells (RBCs) had been replaced with human RBCs. A Babesia parasite capable of propagating in human RBCs was also isolated from a field mouse (Apodemus speciosus) captured near the donor's residential area. Follow-up surveys over a 1-year period revealed that the donor continued to be asymptomatic but had consistently high immunoglobulin G (IgG) titers in serum and low levels of parasitemia which were microscopically undetectable yet which were repeatedly demonstrable by inoculation into animals. The index case patient's sera contained high titers of IgM and, subsequently, rising titers of IgG antibodies, both of which gradually diminished with the disappearance of the parasitemia. Analysis of the parasite's rRNA gene (rDNA) sequence and immunodominant antigens revealed the similarity between donor and patient isolates. The rodent isolate also had an rDNA sequence that was identical to that of the human isolates but that differed slightly from that of the human isolates by Western blot analysis. We conclude that the index case patient acquired infection by transfusion from a donor who became infected in Japan, that parasitemia in an asymptomatic carrier can persist for more than a year, and that A. speciosus serves as a reservoir of an agent of human babesiosis in Japan.
Short-Term Influence of Aspirating Speculum Use on Dry Eye After Cataract Surgery: A Prospective Study

Purpose: The aim of this study was to investigate the short-term influence of the use of an aspirating speculum on dry eye after performing cataract surgery. Methods: This study was conducted using a prospective, consecutive, comparative, interventional case series of 58 eyes of 58 patients who underwent clear corneal cataract surgery; 29 eyes were treated using an aspirating speculum, and 29 eyes were treated without using a nonaspirating speculum. The main outcome measures were sequential changes of dry eye parameters including conjunctival staining, tear film break-up time (tBUT), conjunctivochalasis grades, and ocular surface disease index (OSDI). Results: In the nonaspirating speculum group, tBUT and conjunctivochalasis grades were aggravated on day 1 postoperatively (P < 0.001), but conjunctival staining and OSDI did not show any significant change during the follow-up. In the aspirating speculum group, significant aggravation was observed by conjunctival staining on day 1 postoperatively (P = 0.001), tBUT and conjunctivochalasis grades were evaluated on day 1 and day 7 postoperatively (P < 0.001), and the OSDI was evaluated on day 7 postoperatively (P = 0.011). Conclusions: The use of an aspirating speculum aggravated dry eye parameters during the early postoperative period. Although these parameters returned to their preoperative values at 1 month postoperatively, the use of an aspirating speculum has the potential to aggravate dry eyes after cataract surgery is performed.
Innovation, Identities and Resistance: The Social Construction of an Innovation Network

This paper explores the process of diffusion of a socio‐technical innovation among workers of a large microelectronics firm. Actor–network theory (ANT), which draws on the sociology of science and technology, is applied to the analysis of socio‐technical innovation in order to understand the actions of creating and putting the actors’ arguments into action. Actors constructed and organized these arguments with the aim of diffusing innovation among workers whose support was essential to the project’s success. The authors of the innovation project wanted to change the state of relations between different actors. In the present study, the aligment of identities was established according to the criteria defined by the managers and engineers but the expected benefits of the innovation, in this case, technology and teamwork, were not automatically accepted. Network analysis reveals how persuasive arguments that repudiate the old reality and justify steps to create the new reality are constructed. This article will reveal how innovation is constituted and the form it takes by following the chain of arguments and the responses of the actors involved.
The Phase-Dependent Infrared Brightness of the Extrasolar Planet ʊ Andromedae b

The star υ Andromedae is orbited by three known planets, the innermost of which has an orbital period of 4.617 days and a mass at least 0.69 that of Jupiter. This planet is close enough to its host star that the radiation it absorbs overwhelms its internal heat losses. Here, we present the 24-micrometer light curve of this system, obtained with the Spitzer Space Telescope. It shows a variation in phase with the orbital motion of the innermost planet, demonstrating that such planets possess distinct hot substellar (day) and cold antistellar (night) faces.
Projected Changes in Greater St. Louis Summer Heat Stress in NARCCAP Simulations

AbstractA matrix of four GCM–RCM combinations from the NARCCAP project is examined for changes in heat stress between contemporary and future scenario climates in the greater St. Louis region in Missouri. The analysis also compares the contemporary simulations with observation-based results from the North American Regional Reanalysis. The character of heat-stress days in one of the RCMs, the CRCM, tends to be like that of heat-stress days in the North American Regional Reanalysis, with high temperatures accompanied by high humidity. In contrast, heat-stress days in the other RCM, the Weather Research and Forecasting Model with Grell-Devenyi Cumulus Scheme (WRFG), have high temperature, but typically the humidity is similar to or even slightly drier than climatological values.Although specific magnitudes of change differ between the simulations, all show a marked increase in projected heat stress, from a variety of perspectives. Increases in temperature contribute more to these increases than do increases .
A lifetime of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: diagnostic challenges, treatment and neurobiological mechanisms

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a common, early-onset and enduring neuropsychiatric disorder characterized by developmentally inappropriate deficits in attention, hyperactivity, increased impulsivity and emotional dysregulation, resulting in impairments in multiple domains of personal and professional life. ADHD has long been considered a disorder of childhood that resolves gradually with maturation during adolescence; however, this view was contested by systematic follow-up studies documenting the persistence of ADHD across the lifespan. In this article, we present converging evidence from clinical and genetic studies arguing for a remarkable perseverance of ADHD-related symptomatology, taking into account the disorder’s variable and changing phenotype moderated by a high rate of comorbidity throughout the lifecycle. We also cover findings highlighting alterations in structural and functional neuroanatomy based on neuropsychological, psychophysiological and brain imaging approaches, and discuss options for deficit-focused pharmacological and psychotherapeutic interventions at different stages of life. In addition, we develop a fusion model of disease risk underlying the pathway to ADHD etiology. Finally, we argue for large-scale, systematic studies to explore factors predicting the long-term outcome of the disease and the possibilities to exploit those predictors with more personalized treatment strategies to enhance remittance and/or coping.
Fiscal Policy and the Firm: Do Low Corporate Tax Rates Attract Multinational Corporations?

In this paper, I explore the relationship between corporate tax rates and multinational production in the OECD from 1980-2000. I utilize a time-series-cross-sectional general error correction model to explore the impact of corporate taxation rates and FDI inflows in 19 OECD economies from 1990-2000. I find that there is no relationship between corporate taxation and the investments of multinational corporations.
Does Training Generally Work? The Returns to in-Company Training

Using data from surveys of enterprises in Ireland in 1993 and 1996–97, the authors estimate the productivity effects of general training, specific training, and all types of training combined. Statistically significant positive effects on productivity are found both for all training and for general training, but not for specific training. The positive effect of general training remains when the researchers control for factors such as changes in work organization, corporate re-structuring, firm size, and the initial level of human capital in the enterprise. The impact of general training varies positively with the level of capital investment.
Trading foreign exchange portfolios with volatility filters: the carry model revisited

The rejection of the simple risk-neutral efficient market hypothesis in the foreign exchange (FX) market opens the possibility of the profitable use of a carry model taking full advantage of interest rate differentials to trade currencies. A first motivation for this paper is to study whether a simple passive carry model can outperform a typical currency fund manager replicated by dynamic technical moving average convergence and divergence (MACD) models as in Lequeux and Acar (1998). Secondly, we study whether the addition of volatility filters can further improve the carry model performance. We consider the period starting from the introduction of the Euro (EUR) on 4 January 1999 to 31 March 2005 (1620 datapoints). To assess the consistency of the carry model performance on a portfolio of the nine most heavily traded exchange rates, the whole review period is further split into two sub-periods. Our results show that in the three periods considered and after inclusion of transaction costs, the simple carry model performs much better than the benchmark MACD model in terms of annualized return, risk-adjusted return and maximum potential loss, while a combined carry/MACD model has the lowest trading volatility. Moreover, the addition of two volatility filters adds significant value to the performance of the three models studied.
Does the Labor Market Reward Easy Certificates? Evidence from Bangladesh

Using a “natural experiment” in the secondary school exit exam in Bangladesh, this paper evaluates the labor market effects of lowering exam difficulty. When exam standards are high, passing the exit exam increases the likelihood of attaining formal employment by 12–13 percentage points (compared to those who completed a similar number of years of education but did not pass the exam) for the male sample and by about 7 percentage points for females. When exam standards are low, these labor market gains disappear. The results indicate the need for greater emphasis on exam standards to improve labor market outcomes for the graduates.
Transcriptional regulation of mammalian autophagy at a glance

ABSTRACT Macroautophagy, hereafter referred to as autophagy, is a catabolic process that results in the lysosomal degradation of cytoplasmic contents ranging from abnormal proteins to damaged cell organelles. It is activated under diverse conditions, including nutrient deprivation and hypoxia. During autophagy, members of the core autophagy-related (ATG) family of proteins mediate membrane rearrangements, which lead to the engulfment and degradation of cytoplasmic cargo. Recently, the nuclear regulation of autophagy, especially by transcription factors and histone modifiers, has gained increased attention. These factors are not only involved in rapid responses to autophagic stimuli, but also regulate the long-term outcome of autophagy. Now there are more than 20 transcription factors that have been shown to be linked to the autophagic process. However, their interplay and timing appear enigmatic as several have been individually shown to act as major regulators of autophagy. This Cell Science at a Glance article and the accompanying poster highlights the main cellular regulators of transcription involved in mammalian autophagy and their target genes. Summary: This Cell Science at a Glance and the accompanying poster highlights the main cellular regulators of transcription factors that are involved in mammalian autophagy and their target genes.