Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Use of Non-Verifiable Information Regarding the Agent’s Action in Compensation Contracts

Subjective, non-verifiable information (such as satisfaction rating) is often used to supplement objective, verifiable information (such as financial numbers) in contracting. Empirical research finds that non-verifiable information can be used in contracting as a subjective performance measure or as subjective weighting on an objective performance measure. The differences between the two options have not yet been thoroughly explored analytically. This paper considers a multi-task setting where the non-verifiable performance signal provides incremental information about an aspect of the agent’s action. The research finds that when the agent has unlimited liability, both contracting schemes deliver the same payoff to the principal. However, the principal may strictly prefer a subjective weighting scheme in a setting where the agent has limited liability.
Effects of Legal Mechanisms on Perceived Coercion and Treatment Adherence Among Persons with Severe Mental Illness

This study takes preliminary steps to examine the effects of 2 legal mechanisms—outpatient commitment (OPC) and representative payeeship (rep payee)—on perceived coercion and treatment adherence in persons with severe mental illness (SMI). Data were collected in structured interviews from 258 involuntarily-admitted inpatients with SMI who were followed for 1 year after discharge. Subjects’ clinicians and family members were also interviewed. The analyses show that subjects with both OPC and a rep payee perceived their mental health treatment to be significantly more coercive than subjects who did not receive these legal interventions. Duration of OPC and having a newly-appointed rep payee were both significantly associated with increased treatment adherence over the course of 1 year. For treatment-adherent subjects, neither form of legal mechanism was associated with perceived coercion in treatment, whereas subjects who were nonadherent perceived legal mechanisms as significantly more coercive. The data suggest that these legal tools both affect adherence to treatment, but when used together significantly increase the perceived coerciveness of treatment. Questions remain concerning the underlying mechanism of these effects.
Estimating marbling score in live cattle from ultrasound images using pattern recognition and neural network procedures.

Neural network processing of texture statistics (which parameterized longissimus muscle echograms of live cattle) resulted in marbling estimates that differed from corresponding USDA carcass marbling scores by an average of . 42 marbling score units. This was more accurate (P < .001) than using the same features in a multiple regression model. Images were used from 53 cattle in the training set and from 108 cattle in the validation set. Over 500 texture statistics (including variations in direction, resolution, and step size) were screened to identify three candidates (Markovian homogeneity--step size = one; third quadrant emphasis from the bit-4, normalized run length/gray level matrix; and 12-pixel local standard deviation) for intensive analysis. The differences between the live animal estimates and carcass marbling were not much greater than the human error in assigning carcass marbling scores. When the results were subjected to receiver operating characteristic analysis, accuracies in grade classification were comparable to clinical, diagnostic imaging evaluations. It is feasible to incorporate this procedure into a computer interfaced with an ultrasound system to provide unsupervised instrument evaluation of live cattle in "near real time" (2 or 3 s).
Inhibition of Phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/Akt Signaling Attenuates Hypoxia-induced Pulmonary Artery Remodeling and Suppresses CREB Depletion in Arterial Smooth Muscle Cells

Abstract: Hypoxia-induced pulmonary hypertension is characterized by progressive remodeling of the pulmonary artery (PA) system and loss of the transcription factor, cAMP response element binding protein (CREB) in PA smooth muscle cells (SMCs). Previous in vitro studies suggested that platelet-derived growth factor, a mitogen produced in the hypoxic arterial wall, elicits loss of CREB in medial SMCs via the PI3K/Akt pathway. These events trigger switching of SMCs from a quiescent, contractile phenotype to a proliferative, migratory, dedifferentiated, and synthetic phenotype, which contributes to PA thickening. Here, we investigated whether inhibition of PI3K or Akt could attenuate arterial remodeling in the lung and prevent CREB loss in PA medial SMCs in rats subjected to chronic hypoxia. Inhibition of either enzyme-blunted hypoxia-induced PA remodeling and SMC CREB depletion and diminished SMC proliferation and collagen deposition. Inhibition of Akt, but not PI3K, suppressed muscularization of distal arterioles and blunted right ventricular hypertrophy. Interestingly, mean PA pressure was elevated equally by hypoxia in untreated and inhibitor-treated groups but was normalized acutely by the Rho kinase inhibitor, Fasudil. We conclude that PI3K and Akt inhibitors can attenuate hypoxia-induced PA remodeling and SMC CREB depletion but fail to block the development of pulmonary hypertension because of their inability to repress Rho kinase–mediated vasoconstriction.
A session-GMM generative model using test utterance Gaussian mixture modeling for speaker verification

Test utterance parameterization (TUP) using Gaussian mixture models (GMMs) has recently been shown to be beneficial for speaker indexing due to its computational efficiency and identical accuracy compared to classic GMM-based recognizers. We show that TUP can also lead to more accurate speaker recognition. On the NIST-2004 evaluation corpus, recognition error rate was reduced by 8% compared to the classic GMM-based algorithm. Furthermore, we introduce a novel generative statistical model for generation of test utterances by speakers. This model is incorporated naturally into the TUP framework and improves speaker recognition accuracy. On the NIST-2004 evaluation corpus, recognition error rate was reduced by 15% compared to the classic GMM-based algorithm.
An Innovative Method to Assess Negotiation Skills Necessary for Quality Improvement

Quality improvement (QI) initiatives require leaders who can facilitate change through negotiation. Although a few education programs teach these skills, there is no published literature on methods to assess competency in negotiation. This study's purpose was to determine the psychometric properties of an Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE) to assess negotiation skills. The OSCE uses an actor trained to respond to the learner in a standardized fashion. The negotiation station was part of an 8-station QI OSCE piloted in the Mayo Clinic Endocrinology and Preventive Medicine fellowship programs. External experts judged the content validity to be excellent. Interrater reliability was outstanding for the global competency assessment (0.80) and moderate for checklist scores (0.53). All participating faculty strongly agreed (33.3%) or agreed (66.7%) that the OSCE station was an authentic assessment tool. Further research is needed to study the predictive validity of such an OSCE and its application to assessing other quality improvement competencies. (Am J Med Qual 2008;23:350-355)
HSC: A Novel Method for Clustering Hierarchies of Networked Data

Hierarchical clustering is one of the most powerful solutions to the problem of clustering, on the grounds that it performs a multi scale organization of the data. In recent years, research on hierarchical clustering methods has attracted considerable interest due to the demanding modern application domains. We present a novel divisive hierarchical clustering framework called Hierarchical Stochastic Clustering (HSC), that acts in two stages. In the first stage, it finds a primary hierarchy of clustering partitions in a dataset. In the second stage, feeds a clustering algorithm with each one of the clusters of the very detailed partition, in order to settle the final result. The output is a hierarchy of clusters. Our method is based on the previous research of Meyer and Weissel Stochastic Data Clustering and the theory of Simon and Ando on Variable Aggregation. Our experiments show that our framework builds a meaningful hierarchy of clusters and benefits consistently the clustering algorithm that acts in the second stage, not only computationally but also in terms of cluster quality. This result suggest that HSC framework is ideal for obtaining hierarchical solutions of large volumes of data.
Nocebo hyperalgesia: contributions of social observation and body-related cognitive styles

PURPOSE Recently, it has been shown that nocebo hyperalgesia can be acquired through observational learning. The aim of this study was to investigate socially induced nocebo hyperalgesia and its relationship with pain catastrophizing, somatic complaints, hypochondriacal concerns, and empathy. PARTICIPANTS AND METHODS Ninety-seven women (43.1±15.5 years) were randomly assigned to one of the two conditions. Participants in the nocebo condition (NC) watched a video in which a female model displayed more pain when an ointment was applied and less pain when no ointment was applied. In the control condition (CC), the model demonstrated low pain with and without the ointment. Subsequently, all participants received three pressure pain stimuli (60 seconds) on each hand. On one hand, the ointment was applied prior to the stimulation. The order of the stimulation of the fingers (middle, index, or ring finger), the side of ointment application (left or right hand), and the side with which the stimulation began were randomized within each group and balanced across the groups. Depending on the randomization, the pressure pain application started with or without ointment and on the left or right hand. Pain ratings on a numerical rating scale (0-10) were collected. In addition, the participants completed questionnaires regarding body-related cognitive styles and empathy. RESULTS There was a significant difference in the pain ratings between the CC and the NC. The effect of ointment application was also significant, but no interaction between condition and ointment application was found. Only in the CC did the nocebo response correlate with hypochondriacal concerns and somatic complaints. CONCLUSION Application of an ointment as well as the observation of a model demonstrating more pain after a treatment produced elevated pain ratings. Cognitive styles were not related to the socially induced nocebo response, but were related to the nocebo response in the CC.
Multimodal system for public speaking with real time feedback: a positive computing perspective

A multimodal system for public speaking with real time feedback has been developed using the Microsoft Kinect. The system has been developed within the paradigm of positive computing which focuses on designing for user wellbeing. The system detects body pose, facial expressions and voice. Visual feedback is displayed to users on their speaking performance in real time. Users can view statistics on their utilisation of speaking modalities. The system also has a mentor avatar which appears alongside the user avatar to facilitate user training. Autocue mode allows a user to practice with set text from a chosen speech.
Endoplasmic reticulum stress enhances fibrosis through IRE1α‐mediated degradation of miR‐150 and XBP‐1 splicing

ER stress results in activation of the unfolded protein response and has been implicated in the development of fibrotic diseases. In this study, we show that inhibition of the ER stress‐induced IRE1α signaling pathway, using the inhibitor 4μ8C, blocks TGFβ‐induced activation of myofibroblasts in vitro, reduces liver and skin fibrosis in vivo, and reverts the fibrotic phenotype of activated myofibroblasts isolated from patients with systemic sclerosis. By using IRE1α−/− fibroblasts and expression of IRE1α‐mutant proteins lacking endoribonuclease activity, we confirmed that IRE1α plays an important role during myofibroblast activation. IRE1α was shown to cleave miR‐150 and thereby to release the suppressive effect that miR‐150 exerted on αSMA expression through c‐Myb. Inhibition of IRE1α was also demonstrated to block ER expansion through an XBP‐1‐dependent pathway. Taken together, our results suggest that ER stress could be an important and conserved mechanism in the pathogenesis of fibrosis and that components of the ER stress pathway may be therapeutically relevant for treating patients with fibrotic diseases.
Construct Measurement in Social Entrepreneurship: A Review and Assessment

Abstract Purpose The purpose is to assess current construct measurement in social entrepreneurship and provide recommendations for future construct measurement on the topic. Methodology/design We use content analysis to assess the construct measurement practices in social entrepreneurship research. Prior studies were coded and analyzed to assess the way social entrepreneurship researchers have developed measures for key constructs in the social entrepreneurship literature. The content analysis allows for the examination of the number, type, and measures associated with social entrepreneurship research and for the comparison with the construct measurement practices in entrepreneurship research, in general. Findings We suggest that, while initial quantitative research has provided a useful start for empirical analysis of social entrepreneurship, future research can be improved by developing and applying stronger measures of key constructs, such as social value, mission consistency, and performance of social enterprises. Originality/value This chapter takes a content analytic approach to provide evidence regarding how a foundational element such as construct measurement has developed within social entrepreneurship research. We also propose directions for improving future research by validating and strengthening measurements of core constructs in social entrepreneurship.
Pilotin–secretin recognition in the type II secretion system of Klebsiella oxytoca

A crucial aspect of the functionality of bacterial type II secretion systems is the targeting and assembly of the outer membrane secretin. In the Klebsiella oxytoca type II secretion system, the lipoprotein PulS, a pilotin, targets secretin PulD monomers through the periplasm to the outer membrane. We present the crystal structure of PulS, an all‐helical bundle that is structurally distinct from proteins with similar functions. Replacement of valine at position 42 in a charged groove of PulS abolished complex formation between a non‐lipidated variant of PulS and a peptide corresponding to the unfolded region of PulD to which PulS binds (the S‐domain), in vitro, as well as PulS function in vivo. Substitutions of other residues in the groove also diminished the interaction with the S‐domain in vitro but exerted less marked effects in vivo. We propose that the interaction between PulS and the S‐domain is maintained through a structural adaptation of the two proteins that could be influenced by cis factors such as the fatty acyl groups on PulS, as well as periplasmic trans‐acting factors, which represents a possible paradigm for chaperone–target protein interactions.
Dynamic economic dispatch for microgrids: A fully distributed approach

Based on alternating direction method of multipliers (ADMM), this paper presents a fully distributed algorithm, which can flexibly handle dynamic economic dispatch (DED) problem for both interconnected and isolated microgrids. In this scheme, each microgrid only solves its local problem with very few interchange of information among its neighboring microgrids. Numerical tests show that all microgrids can cooperate to attain global optimum without central coordinator.
Slow‐pressor angiotensin II hypertension and concomitant dendritic NMDA receptor trafficking in estrogen receptor β–containing neurons of the mouse hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus are sex and age dependent

The incidence of hypertension increases after menopause. Similar to humans, “slow‐pressor” doses of angiotensin II (AngII) increase blood pressure in young males, but not in young female mice. However, AngII increases blood pressure in aged female mice, paralleling reproductive hormonal changes. These changes could influence receptor trafficking in central cardiovascular circuits and contribute to hypertension. Increased postsynaptic N‐methyl‐D‐aspartate (NMDA) receptor activity in the hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus (PVN) is crucial for the sympathoexcitation driving AngII hypertension. Estrogen receptors β (ERβs) are present in PVN neurons. We tested the hypothesis that changes in ovarian hormones with age promote susceptibility to AngII hypertension, and influence NMDA receptor NR1 subunit trafficking in ERβ‐containing PVN neurons. Transgenic mice expressing enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) in ERβ‐containing cells were implanted with osmotic minipumps delivering AngII (600 ng/kg/min) or saline for 2 weeks. AngII increased blood pressure in 2‐month‐old males and 18‐month‐old females, but not in 2‐month‐old females. By electron microscopy, NR1‐silver–intensified immunogold (SIG) was mainly in ERβ‐EGFP dendrites. At baseline, NR1‐SIG density was greater in 2‐month‐old females than in 2‐month‐old males or 18‐month‐old females. After AngII infusion, NR1‐SIG density was decreased in 2‐month‐old females, but increased in 2‐month‐old males and 18‐month‐old females. These findings suggest that, in young female mice, NR1 density is decreased in ERβ‐PVN dendrites thus reducing NMDA receptor activity and preventing hypertension. Conversely, in young males and aged females, NR1 density is upregulated in ERβ‐PVN dendrites and ultimately leads to the neurohumoral dysfunction driving hypertension. J. Comp. Neurol. 522:3075–3090, 2014. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Optimization of electrostatic energy harvesting device for wireless sensors application

In this paper, we put forward a coupled electromechanical model with differential equation arrays for an electret-based energy harvester with out-of-the plane gap closing scheme. The model is numerically solved for output voltage and displacement of the moveable electrode with given parameters by Matlab/Simulink software. Furthermore, system optimization is carried out using the coupled model to find the optimal values for the load resistance and the initial air gap to maximize the output power. For instance, at an external load resistance of 1 GΩ, a power output of 67 μW is achieved with the initial gap of 380 μm. This output power is promising for the potential applications on the wireless sensor networks and the internet of things.
Qualitative Analysis of the Experience of Mental Fatigue of Family Caregivers of Patients With Cancer in Phase I Trials.

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVES To examine family caregivers' experience of mental fatigue, identify strategies they use to manage it, and ascertain the kind of help they would like from healthcare professionals. RESEARCH APPROACH Descriptive, qualitative study that was part of a larger mixed-methods study. SETTING Metropolitan comprehensive cancer center in the midwestern United States. PARTICIPANTS 79 family caregivers of patients with advanced cancer who were participating in phase I clinical trials. METHODOLOGIC APPROACH Caregivers completed a semistructured, open-ended questionnaire and demographic and health history forms. FINDINGS Caregivers were able to define mental fatigue and give many examples of it. They reported that mental fatigue did not interfere with patient care, but that it did have a negative effect on their own self-care. They identified strategies to manage mental fatigue. They wanted more information and support from professionals. CONCLUSIONS The majority of caregivers experienced mental fatigue, which manifested as trouble concentrating, difficulty remembering things, and irritability. The majority worked outside of the home and had health problems of their own. INTERPRETATION Healthcare professionals need to assess caregivers for mental fatigue and find ways to help them reduce mental fatigue and restore their attention. Nurses are in a prime position to mobilize resources for caregivers to effectively manage burden and reduce mental fatigue.
Risky decision making in Huntington's disease

In the clinical setting, Huntington's disease is associated with problems in judgment and decision making, however, the extent of these problems and their association with clinical characteristics have not been assessed. Recently, a laboratory-based simulated gambling task has been used to quantify similar decision-making deficits in ventromedial frontal lobe damaged participants. We hypothesized that participants with Huntington's disease (HD) would show deficits on this gambling task. For this study, 14 HD participants were asked to make 100 selections from four decks of cards with varied payoffs in order to maximize winnings of play money. They were compared to 22 participants with Parkinson's disease (PD) and 33 healthy controls. After an initial period in which participants had to learn contingencies of the decks, the HD group made fewer advantageous selections than the PD and control groups. In HD, the number of advantageous selections in the gambling task was correlated with measures of memory and conceptualization but not disinhibition. Thus, people with HD may have had difficulties learning or remembering win/loss contingencies of the decks, or they may have failed to consistently take these into account in their card selections. These findings are consistent with current models of frontal-subcortical brain circuits and behavior. (JINS, 2001, 7, 92–101.)
Feature selection with a supervised similarity-based k-medoids clustering

A supervised similarity-based k-medoids (SSKM) clustering algorithm is proposed for feature selection in classification problems. The set of original features is iteratively partitioned into k clusters, each of which is composed of similar features and represented by a feature yielding the maximum total of similarities with the other features in the duster. A supervised similarity measure is introduced to evaluate the similarity between two features for incorporating information of class labels of training patterns during clustering and representative selection. Experimental results show that our proposed method can select a more effective set of features for classification problems.
Bone marrow transplantation prolongs survival after relapse in aggressive-lymphoma patients treated with the LNH-84 regimen.

PURPOSE Of the 737 patients with aggressive lymphoma who were treated with the LNH-84 regimen, 244 with progressive disease after complete remission or partial response were analyzed retrospectively to determine the influence of intensive chemotherapy with bone marrow transplantation (BMT) on survival. PATIENTS AND METHODS Forty-four patients were treated with salvage chemotherapy, followed by autologous bone marrow transplantation (ABMT) in 40 and allogeneic BMT in four. The other 200 patients were treated with chemotherapy only. RESULTS Salvage treatment produced an objective response in 57% of the patients; 23% achieved a second complete remission. Median overall survival was longer for patients who were treated with ABMT than for those who were treated with chemotherapy only (12.4 v 6.7 months), as was median freedom from progression (FFP) survival (7.7 v 4 months). In multiparametric analysis, ABMT and normal initial lactic dehydrogenase (LDH) level were the primary parameters associated with longer survival. This is also true when (1) only patients younger than 60 years of age, (2) only patients who responded to salvage regimen, or (3) only patients with both conditions were included in the analysis. Patients who were not transplanted had a 1.69 to 2.26 relative risk of dying from their disease compared with those who were treated with intensive chemotherapy plus ABMT. CONCLUSION This study produced more evidence of the favorable impact of intensive chemotherapy with bone marrow rescue on survival in lymphoma patients who had relapsed.