New Hampshire Effect: Behavior in Sequential and Simultaneous Multi-Battle Contests

Sequential multi-battle contests are predicted to induce lower expenditure than simultaneous contests. This prediction is a result of a “New Hampshire Effect” – a strategic advantage created by the winner of the first battle. Although our laboratory study provides evidence for the New Hampshire Effect, we find that sequential contests generate significantly higher (not lower) expenditure than simultaneous contests. This is mainly because in sequential contests, there is significant over-expenditure in all battles. We suggest sunk cost fallacy and utility of winning as two complementary explanations for this behavior and provide supporting evidence

Multi-Battle Contests: An Experimental Study

We examine behavior of subjects in simultaneous and sequential multi-battle contests, where each individual battle is modeled as an all-pay auction with complete information. In simultaneous best-of-three contests, subjects are predicted to make positive bids in all three battles, but we find that subjects often make positive bids in only two battles. In sequential contests, theory predicts sizable bids in the first battle and no bids in the subsequent battles. Contrary to this prediction, subjects significantly underbid in the first battle and overbid in subsequent battles. Consequently, instead of always ending in the second battle, contests often proceeds to the third battle. Finally, although the aggregate bid in simultaneous contests is similar to that in sequential contests, in both settings, subjects make higher aggregate bids than predicted. The observed behavior of subjects can be rationalized by a combination of multi-dimensional iterative reasoning and a non-monetary utility of winning

MEDIATOR: TOWARDS A NEGOTIATION SUPPORT SYSTEM

MEDIATOR is a negotiation support system (NSS) based on evolutionary systems design (ESD) and database-centered implementation. It supports negotiations by consensus seeking through exchange of information and, where consensus is incomplete, by compromise. The negotiation problem is shown --graphically or as relational data in matrix form-- in three spaces as a mapping from control space to goal space (and through marginal utility functions) to utility space. Within each of these spaces the negotiation process is characterized by adaptive change, i.e., mappings of group target and feasible sets by which these sets are redefined in seeking a solution characterized by a single-point intersection between them. This concept is being implemented in MEDIATOR, a data-based micro-mainframe NSS intended to support the players and a human mediator in multi-player decision situations. Each player employs private and shared database views, using his/her own micro-computer decision support system enhanced with a communications manager to interact with the mediator DSS. Sharing of views constitutes exchange of information which can lead towards consensus. The human mediator can support compromise, as needed, through use of solution concepts and/or concession-making procedures in the NSS model base. As a concrete example, we demonstrate the use of the system for group car buying decisions.Information Systems Working Papers Serie

Successful outcome of pregnancy in a case of Guillain Barre syndrome-report of a rare case and review of literature

Guillain Barre syndrome (GBS) is a rare autoimmune neurological disorder that has been reported to carry a high maternal risk and maternal mortality risk of >10% if occurred during pregnancy. It is characterized by acute onset of symmetrical ascending paralysis with or without respiratory depression and autonomic dysfunction secondary to gastrointestinal or respiratory infection. This is case report of 30 years old multigravida who presented at 19 weeks period of gestation with sudden onset back pain and bilateral lower limb weakness that progressed to involve bilateral upper limbs with respiratory insufficiency.  Based on clinical presentation and relevant investigations like serum electrolyte, arterial blood gas analysis and nerve conduction studies, provisional diagnosis of GBS was made. In collaboration with the physician, she was managed with ventilator support for 12 days, intravenous immunoglobulin and supportive therapy. This was followed by complete and rapid recovery as she was extubated on 12th day and discharged on day 16. Patient was followed by strict maternal and fetal surveillance. She successfully delivered a healthy boy at 38 weeks of period of gestation by caesarean section done in view of meconium-stained liquor grade 3 in early labour and she was discharged on day 3 of LSCS.

MEDIATOR: TOWARDS A NEGOTIATION SUPPORT SYSTEM

MEDIATOR is a negotiation support system (NSS) based on evolutionary systems design (ESD) and database-centered implementation. It supports negotiations by consensus seeking through exchange of information and, where consensus is incomplete, by compromise. The negotiation problem is shown --graphically or as relational data in matrix form-- in three spaces as a mapping from control space to goal space (and through marginal utility functions) to utility space. Within each of these spaces the negotiation process is characterized by adaptive change, i.e., mappings of group target and feasible sets by which these sets are redefined in seeking a solution characterized by a single-point intersection between them. This concept is being implemented in MEDIATOR, a data-based micro-mainframe NSS intended to support the players and a human mediator in multi-player decision situations. Each player employs private and shared database views, using his/her own micro-computer decision support system enhanced with a communications manager to interact with the mediator DSS. Sharing of views constitutes exchange of information which can lead towards consensus. The human mediator can support compromise, as needed, through use of solution concepts and/or concession-making procedures in the NSS model base. As a concrete example, we demonstrate the use of the system for group car buying decisions.Information Systems Working Papers Serie

Insulin Status and Vascular Responses to Weight Loss in Obesity

ObjectivesThe aim of this study was to determine whether the effects of weight loss on arterial function are differentially modified by insulin status.BackgroundClinical studies suggest that plasma insulin levels may predict the extent of cardiovascular benefit achieved with weight loss in obese individuals, but mechanisms are currently unknown.MethodsWe prospectively followed 208 overweight or obese patients (body mass index [BMI] ≥25 kg/m2) receiving medical/dietary (48%) or bariatric surgical (52%) weight-loss treatment during a median period of 11.7 months (interquartile range: 4.6 to 13 months). We measured plasma metabolic parameters and vascular endothelial function using ultrasound at baseline and following weight-loss intervention and stratified analyses by median plasma insulin levels.ResultsPatients age 45 ± 1 years, with BMI 45 ± 9 kg/m2, experienced 14 ± 14% weight loss during the study period. In individuals with higher baseline plasma insulin levels (above median >12 μIU/ml; n = 99), ≥10% weight loss (compared with <10%) significantly improved brachial artery macrovascular flow-mediated vasodilation and microvascular reactive hyperemia (p < 0.05 for all). By contrast, vascular function did not change significantly in the lower insulin group (≤12 μIU/ml; n = 109) despite a similar degree of weight loss. In analyses using a 5% weight loss cut point, only microvascular responses improved in the higher insulin group (p = 0.02).ConclusionsInsulin status is an important determinant of the positive effect of weight reduction on vascular function with hyperinsulinemic patients deriving the greatest benefit. Integrated improvement in both microvascular and macrovascular function was associated with ≥10% weight loss. Reversal of insulin resistance and endothelial dysfunction may represent key therapeutic targets for cardiovascular risk reduction in obesity

WNT5A-JNK regulation of vascular insulin resistance in human obesity

Obesity is associated with the development of vascular insulin resistance; however, pathophysiological mechanisms are poorly understood. We sought to investigate the role of WNT5A-JNK in the regulation of insulin-mediated vasodilator responses in human adipose tissue arterioles prone to endothelial dysfunction. In 43 severely obese (BMI 44±11 kg/m2) and five metabolically normal non-obese (BMI 26±2 kg/m2) subjects, we isolated arterioles from subcutaneous and visceral fat during planned surgeries. Using videomicroscopy, we examined insulin-mediated, endothelium-dependent vasodilator responses and characterized adipose tissue gene and protein expression using real-time polymerase chain reaction and Western blot analyses. Immunofluorescence was used to quantify endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) phosphorylation. Insulin-mediated vasodilation was markedly impaired in visceral compared to subcutaneous vessels from obese subjects (pWNT5A and its non-canonical receptors, which correlated negatively with insulin signaling. Pharmacological JNK antagonism with SP600125 markedly improved insulin-mediated vasodilation by sixfold (p

Martian Atmospheric Spectral End-Members Retrieval From ExoMars Thermal Infrared (TIRVIM) Data

Key knowledge about planetary composition can be recovered from the study of thermal infrared spectral range datasets. This range has a huge diagnostic potential because it contains diagnostic absorptions from a planetary surface and atmosphere. The main goal of this study is to process and interpret the dataset from the Thermal Infrared channel (TIRVIM) which is part of the Atmospheric Chemistry Suite of the ExoMars2016 Trace Gas Orbiter mission to find and characterize dust and water ice clouds in the atmosphere. The method employed here is based on the application of principal component analysis and target transformation techniques to extract the independent variable components present in the analyzed dataset. Spectral shapes of both atmospheric dust and water ice aerosols have been recovered from the analysis of TIRVIM data. The comparison between our results with those previously obtained on Thermal Emission Spectrometer (TES) data and with previous analysis on TIRVIM data, validates the methodology here applied, showing that it allows to correctly recover the atmospheric spectral endmembers present in the TIRVIM data. Moreover, comparison with atmospheric retrievals on PFS, TES and IRIS data, allowed us to assess the temporal stability and homogeneity of dust and water ice components in the Martian atmosphere over a time period of almost 50 years

The Atmospheric Chemistry Suite (ACS) of Three Spectrometers for the ExoMars 2016 Trace Gas Orbiter

The Atmospheric Chemistry Suite (ACS) package is an element of the Russian contribution to the ESA-Roscosmos ExoMars 2016 Trace Gas Orbiter (TGO) mission. ACS consists of three separate infrared spectrometers, sharing common mechanical, electrical, and thermal interfaces. This ensemble of spectrometers has been designed and developed in response to the Trace Gas Orbiter mission objectives that specifically address the requirement of high sensitivity instruments to enable the unambiguous detection of trace gases of potential geophysical or biological interest. For this reason, ACS embarks a set of instruments achieving simultaneously very high accuracy (ppt level), very high resolving power (>10,000) and large spectral coverage (0.7 to 17 μm—the visible to thermal infrared range). The near-infrared (NIR) channel is a versatile spectrometer covering the 0.7–1.6 μm spectral range with a resolving power of ∼20,000. NIR employs the combination of an echelle grating with an AOTF (Acousto-Optical Tunable Filter) as diffraction order selector. This channel will be mainly operated in solar occultation and nadir, and can also perform limb observations. The scientific goals of NIR are the measurements of water vapor, aerosols, and dayside or night side airglows. The mid-infrared (MIR) channel is a cross-dispersion echelle instrument dedicated to solar occultation measurements in the 2.2–4.4 μm range. MIR achieves a resolving power of >50,000. It has been designed to accomplish the most sensitive measurements ever of the trace gases present in the Martian atmosphere. The thermal-infrared channel (TIRVIM) is a 2-inch double pendulum Fourier-transform spectrometer encompassing the spectral range of 1.7–17 μm with apodized resolution varying from 0.2 to 1.3 cm−1. TIRVIM is primarily dedicated to profiling temperature from the surface up to ∼60 km and to monitor aerosol abundance in nadir. TIRVIM also has a limb and solar occultation capability. The technical concept of the instrument, its accommodation on the spacecraft, the optical designs as well as some of the calibrations, and the expected performances for its three channels are described