An optimal time incentive/disincentive -based compensation in contracts with multiple agents

This paper establishes an optimal time incentive/disincentive-based compensation in a contract between a principal and a team of agents. The establishment is based on solving an optimization problem. In order to validate the paper's theoretical development practitioners were engaged in a designed exercise. The paper demonstrates that, at the optimum: the proportion of time incentive/disincentive compensation among agents with the same risk-attitude should reflect the levels of their contributions; the proportion of time incentive/disincentive among agents with the same level of contribution should be lowered for agents with higher levels of risk aversion; and the proportion of time incentive/disincentive to a team of risk averse agents should reduce, and the fixed component of the team fee should increase, when the agents in the team become more risk-averse or the level of the uncertainty in project completion time increases. The paper’s outcome provides guidance to those involved in contracts design for choosing the best way to reward (penalise) multiple agents, form a team, and allow for any time saving (overrun) through the terms of a contract.   

The potential of Manitoba chokecherry as a source of high natural antioxidants

Consumption of fruits and vegetables is shown to be beneficial for protecting health and preventing some chronic diseases such as cancer, cardiovascular disease, and stroke. The positive health effects have been mainly due to the contributions of their natural antioxidant capacity. Chokecherry (Prunus virginiana), a unique fruit, is a member of the Rose family and native to North America. Here we demonstrate that chokecherry fruit with strong antioxidant capacity is available in Manitoba, and that its potent antioxidant potential can be developed for health benefits in value-added applications.These findings are useful for developing novel value-added antioxidant products from chokecherry because of its phytochemical profile associated with health protection and prevention of disease. The results provide evidence essential for breeding novel cultivars of fruit plants with strong natural antioxidants

Optimal outcome sharing with a consortium of contractors

Where a consortium of contractors is involved, there exist no guidelines in the literature on what the outcome sharing arrangement should be. The paper addresses this shortfall. It derives the optimal outcome sharing arrangement for risk-neutral and risk-averse contractors within the consortium, and between the consortium and a risk-neutral owner. Practitioners were engaged in a designed exercise in order to validate the paper’s propositions. The paper demonstrates that, at the optimum: the proportion of outcome sharing among contractors with the same risk-attitude should reflect the levels of their contributions; the proportion of outcome sharing among contractors with the same level of contribu­tion should be lower for contractors with higher levels of risk aversion; a consortium of risk-neutral contractors should receive or bear any favourable or adverse project outcome respectively; and the proportion of outcome sharing to a con­sortium of risk-averse contractors should reduce, and the fixed component of the consortium fee should increase, when the contractors become more risk-averse or the level of the project outcome uncertainty increases. The paper proposes an original solution to the optimal sharing problem in contracts with a consortium of contractors, thereby contributing to current practices in contracts management. First published online: 14 Sep 201

Fault Type Estimation in Power Systems

Abstract: This paper presents a novel approach for fault type estimation in power systems. The Fault type estimation is the first step to estimate instantaneous voltage, voltage sag magnitude and duration in a three-phase system at fault duration. The approach is based on time-domain state estimation where redundant measurements are available. The current based model allows a linear mapping between the measured variable and the states to be estimated. This paper shows a possible for fault instance detection, fault location identification and fault type estimation utilizing residual analysis and topology error processing. The idea is that the fault status does not change measurement matrix dimensions but changes some elements of the measurement matrix. The paper addresses how to rebuilt measurement matrix for each type of faults. The proposed algorithm is shown that the method has high effectiveness and high performance for forecasting fault type and for estimating instantaneous bus voltage. The performance of the novel approach is tested on IEEE 14-bus test system and the results are shown

The effect of tactile-kinesthetic stimulation on growth indices of healthy neonates

Abstract Therapeutic touch is emphasized by healthcare professionals for improvement of neonates' growth and development. However, inconsistencies exist regarding effects and methods of massage in neonates. The purpose of this clinical trial is to assess and comprise intervention and control groups regarding the effects of tactile-kinesthetic stimulation (TKS) by mothers on growth indices of healthy term neonates. Sixty healthy term neonates were randomly assigned into intervention and control groups. Mothers of neonates in the experimental group were trained to perform TKS for their newborns at home before feeding for at least 28 consecutive days, two times a day, and 15 min each time. Neonates in the control group were not required to receive this intervention. The neonates’ growth indices were measured within 24 h after birth, and then at days 14 and 28. During the study and the three consecutive measurements, no significant difference was found between the mean weights, heights, and head circumferences of the neonates in the two groups (p > 0.05). Keywords: Tactile-kinesthetic stimulation Growth indices Neonates Mother's touc

Psychometric properties of the sexual five-facet mindfulness questionnaire (FFMQ-S): validation among a community sample of Persian-speaking women.

Sex is one of the most important relationships in people's lives, and mindfulness during sex helps to improve sex. This study validated the Persian version of the Sexual mindfulness Scale (FFMQ-S). Methods A sample of 668 Persian-speaking women (ages = 19–61) were selected by multi-stage cluster sampling. Data collection tools were Sexual Five Facets Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ-S), short form of marital instability questionnaire (MI) and Sexual Satisfaction Questionnaire (ISS). Results Data analysis was performed by SPSS26 and AMOS24 software using descriptive statistics and confirmative factor analysis (Cronbach's alpha, Pearson correlation and construct validity and reliability). The factor structure of FFMQ-S, which has five factors was confirmed. Cronbach's alpha was.89 for the whole questionnaire and for observing, describing, acting with awareness, nonjudging of inner experience, nonreactivity to inner experience were .58, .77, .78, .64 and .80, respectively and the reliability of the construct and five factors was confirmed. Fit indices (GFI = .9, IFI = .9, CFI = .9, CMIN/df = 4.62) were in acceptable range. Conclusion The results in the analysis confirmed the reliability of psychometric properties of the FFMQ-S. The FFMQ-S version translated into Persian can be used as a valid tool to measure the mindfulness in sexual interactions and treatment clinics of Iran

Immuno-Transcriptomic Profiling of Blood and Tumor Tissue Identifies Gene Signatures Associated with Immunotherapy Response in Metastatic Bladder Cancer.

Blood-based biomarkers represent ideal candidates for the development of non-invasive immuno-oncology-based assays. However, to date, no blood biomarker has been validated to predict clinical responses to immunotherapy. In this study, we used next-generation sequencing (RNAseq) on bulk RNA extracted from whole blood and tumor samples in a pre-clinical MIBC mouse model. We aimed to identify biomarkers associated with immunotherapy response and assess the potential application of simple non-invasive blood biomarkers as a therapeutic decision-making assay compared to tissue-based biomarkers. We established that circulating immune cells and the tumor microenvironment (TME) display highly organ-specific transcriptional responses to ICIs. Interestingly, in both, a common lymphocytic activation signature can be identified associated with the efficient response to immunotherapy, including a blood-specific CD8+ T cell activation/proliferation signature which predicts the immunotherapy response

Presence of Caffeic Acid in Flaxseed Lignan Macromolecule

Phenolic compounds were extracted from defatted flaxseeds using ethanol-dioxane (1:1, v/v). The crude extract obtained was purified using Amberlite XAD-16 column chromatography with water and methanol as mobile phases. RP-HPLC and SE-HPLC showed a lignan macromolecule (LM) as a dominant phenolic compound in the purified extract. After the alkaline hydrolysis of LM caffeic acid glucoside (CaAG) was isolated using a semi-preparative HPLC and its structure was confirmed by LC-ESI-MS. In LM of the investigated flaxseed, one molecule of caffeic acid corresponded with five molecules of p-coumaric acid and two molecules of ferulic acid. The presence of caffeic acid in the lignan molecule might be very beneficial due to its high antioxidant activity

Flaxseed supplementation improved insulin resistance in obese glucose intolerant people: a randomized crossover design

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Obesity leads to an increase in inflammation and insulin resistance. This study determined antioxidant activity of flaxseed and its role in inflammation and insulin resistance in obese glucose intolerant people.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Using a randomized crossover design, nine obese glucose intolerant people consumed 40 g ground flaxseed or 40 g wheat bran daily for 12 weeks with a 4-week washout period. Plasma inflammation biomarkers (CRP, TNF-α, and IL-6), glucose, insulin, and thiobaribituric acid reactive substance (TBARS) were measured before and after of each supplementation.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Flaxseed supplementation decreased TBARS (p = 0.0215) and HOMA-IR (p = 0.0382). Flaxseed or wheat bran supplementation did not change plasma inflammatory biomarkers. A positive relationship was found between TBARS and HOMA-IR (r = 0.62, p = 0.0003).</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The results of the study weakly support that decreased insulin resistance might have been secondary to antioxidant activity of flaxseed. However, the mechanism(s) of decreased insulin resistance by flaxseed should be further determined using flaxseed lignan.</p

Plant Food Delphinidin-3-Glucoside Significantly Inhibits Platelet Activation and Thrombosis: Novel Protective Roles against Cardiovascular Diseases

Delphinidin-3-glucoside (Dp-3-g) is one of the predominant bioactive compounds of anthocyanins in many plant foods. Although several anthocyanin compounds have been reported to be protective against cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), the direct effect of anthocyanins on platelets, the key players in atherothrombosis, has not been studied. The roles of Dp-3-g in platelet function are completely unknown. The present study investigated the effects of Dp-3-g on platelet activation and several thrombosis models in vitro and in vivo. We found that Dp-3-g significantly inhibited human and murine platelet aggregation in both platelet-rich plasma and purified platelets. It also markedly reduced thrombus growth in human and murine blood in perfusion chambers at both low and high shear rates. Using intravital microscopy, we observed that Dp-3-g decreased platelet deposition, destabilized thrombi, and prolonged the time required for vessel occlusion. Dp-3-g also significantly inhibited thrombus growth in a carotid artery thrombosis model. To elucidate the mechanisms, we examined platelet activation markers via flow cytometry and found that Dp-3-g significantly inhibited the expression of P-selectin, CD63, CD40L, which reflect platelet α- and δ-granule release, and cytosol protein secretion, respectively. We further demonstrated that Dp-3-g downregulated the expression of active integrin αIIbβ3 on platelets, and attenuated fibrinogen binding to platelets following agonist treatment, without interfering with the direct interaction between fibrinogen and integrin αIIbβ3. We found that Dp-3-g reduced phosphorylation of adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase, which may contribute to the observed inhibitory effects on platelet activation. Thus, Dp-3-g significantly inhibits platelet activation and attenuates thrombus growth at both arterial and venous shear stresses, which likely contributes to its protective roles against thrombosis and CVDs