Distribution Of Preferences Research Articles

Design strategy for hierarchical structure of carbon black on microporous elastomer surface toward stretchable and compressive strain sensors

Flexible mechanical sensors capable of sensing both compressive and tensile strains with high sensitivity and linear piezoresistive response are of great significance for the development of wearable devices, flexible electronic skins, and robotics. However, it is still of challenge to develop simple 3-dimensional (3D) porous polymer/carbon nanomaterial composite strain sensors capable of sensing both tensile and compressive strains with reproducible electrical signals. Herein, we report a simple and scalable morphology-engineering strategy, i.e., selective location of carbon black (CB) in polyoxyethylene (PEO)/ethylene-α-octene random copolymer (ORC) blends via phase separation, to fabricate isotropic 3D continuous porous composite strain sensors. Such a composite consists of a continuous porous ORC matrix inlaid with preferable CB distribution on ORC surface after PEO removal, enabling distinguishable detection of both compressive and tensile strains with opposite resistance changes. Specifically, the as-fabricated strain sensors exhibit linear response with a sensitivity of 16 for 0–46% compressive strain, a detection limit of 0.3% strain with 16/16 ms response/recovery time. Besides, it has a large gauge factor for tensile strain of 0–300%, a detection limit strain of 0.06% with 16/47 ms response/recovery time, and low hysteresis degree. As such, it allows for full-range body motion monitoring and Morse code communication.

Analysing the Listening Texts in the Textbooks Used in Teaching Turkish to Foreigners in Terms of Word Types: New Istanbul Turkish for International Students Course Book A1

The purpose of this study is to examine the vocabulary included in listening texts in the textbooks used in teaching Turkish to foreigners according to their types. The study was limited to New Istanbul Turkish For International Students Course Book—A1 level. Accordingly, a total of eighteen listening texts in six units were analyzed. The document analysis method was used in the study. For this purpose, the words in the listening texts were analyzed as nouns, verbs, and phrases according to the distinction in the word list in the source of the study. In the analysis of the texts, the word types in the listening texts were compared with the word list shared with the reader at the end of each unit, and this ratio was reflected in the word types of tables with numerical values. Accordingly, a total of 592 words were included in eighteen listening texts. Of these, 429 are nouns, 129 are verbs and 34 are phrases. While a total of 957-word types are included in the word lists given in the book, 754 of them are nouns, 179 of them are verbs and 24 of them are phrases. When the word types within the listening texts in the book were analyzed, it was found that 149 out of 592-word types were used again. Another comparison is related to common uses. The word types in the listening texts were compared with the word lists in the textbook and 137 common word types were found. When at the distribution of word type preferences in the listening texts from the first unit to the last unit, it is observed that nouns, verbs, and phrases are partially distributed in a balanced way.

Taking a chance: How likely am I to receive my preferred treatment in a clinical trial?

Researchers should ideally conduct clinical trials under a presumption of clinical equipoise, but in fact trial patients will often prefer one or other of the treatments being compared. Receiving an unblinded preferred treatment may affect the study outcome, possibly beneficially, but receiving a non-preferred treatment may induce 'reluctant acquiescence', and poorer outcomes. Even in blinded trials, patients' primary motivation to enrol may be the chance of potentially receiving a desirable experimental treatment, which is otherwise unavailable. Study designs with a higher probability of receiving a preferred treatment (denoted as 'concordance') will be attractive to potential participants, and investigators, because they may improve recruitment and hence enhance study efficiency. Therefore, it is useful to consider the concordance rates associated with various study designs. We consider this question with a focus on comparing the standard, randomised, two-arm, parallel group design with the two-stage randomised patient preference design and Zelen designs; we also mention the fully randomised and partially randomised patient preference designs. For each of these designs, we evaluate the concordance rate as a function of the proportions randomised to the alternative treatments, the distribution of preferences over treatments, and (for the Zelen designs) the proportion of patients who consent to receive their assigned treatment. We also examine the equity of each design, which we define as the similarity between the concordance rates for participants with different treatment preferences. Finally, we contrast each of the alternative designs with the standard design in terms of gain in concordance and change in equity.

Herding and Contrarianism: A Matter of Preference?

Abstract Herding and contrarian strategies produce informational inefficiencies when investors ignore private information, instead following or bucking past trends. In a simple market model, I show theoretically that investors with prospect theory preferences generically follow herding or contrarian strategies, but do so because of future returns as opposed to past trends. I conduct a laboratory experiment to test the theory and obtain an estimate of the distribution of preferences in the subject population. I find that approximately 70% of subjects have preferences that induce herding. Using the preference estimates, I quantify informational efficiencies and predict trade behavior in more general environments.

Consumer Preference Analysis of Phalaenopsis Orchid Variety

The majority of new Phalaenopsis orchid varieties circulating in Indonesia are still imported from abroad. To limit imports, orchid breeders was trying to produce new crossbred varieties that were needed by orchid producers and lovers in Indonesia. Before being distributed to orchid lovers, a consumer preference test was conducted to find out which orchid varieties were favored by consumers. In this regard, the aim of the study was to assess consumer preferences of Phalaenopsis orchid variety. The survey was carried out online on June 20-27, 2022, among 215 respondents from DKI Jakarta and West Java, with questionnaires distributed personally via social media links (WhatsApp). Respondent selection was done by simple randomization (simple random sampling). The Chi Square test was used to analyze the data. The results showed that there is sufficient evidence to reject H0 and accept H1. Candidate varieties of Phalaenopsis 1 (Puspita Devi Agrihorti) are preferred over other varieties. There is a considerable variation in the distribution of preferences between the candidate variety and the comparison variety of Phalaenopsis. The implication of this research was that the existence of new varieties of orchids can reduce our dependence on Phalaenopsis orchid varieties from abroad.

Collision-free Navigation with Unknown and Heterogeneous Social Preferences

In this study, we address cooperative navigation using multiple agents with social preferences such as egoism and altruism. Previous studies have proposed collision-free navigation with social preferences under the assumption that the social preferences of other agents are available. However, if some agents cannot express their social preferences to others, this method is unavailable. In this study, we consider the cooperative navigation problem where agents do not know the social preference of the others. Our social preference estimation scheme can realize provably collision-free navigation. Agents estimate social preferences based on their trajectories. Then, they modify existing Voronoi cells by using their positions and the estimated social preferences of other agents. Moving within the modified Voronoi cells enables all agents to avoid collision with others, even if the actual social preferences are unknown. Through a simulation study for various distributions of social preferences, we show that the proposed method can avoid collision and achieve navigation performance close to that of the existing method using the actual social preferences.

Ontogenetic habitat partitioning among four shark species within a nursery ground

Context Nursery areas provide refuge from predators, rich foraging grounds, and physical conditions conducive to growth and development of juvenile inhabitants. Specifically, the Mississippi Sound in the northern Gulf of Mexico is likely a nursery ground for multiple large and small coastal sharks. Aims and methods Using over a decade of shark survey catch data, we employed habitat modelling approaches to identify preferred environmental conditions and spatial distribution, and quantify core habitat overlap within the Mississippi Sound for young-of-year (YOY), juvenile and adult life stages of four coastal shark species. Results YOY Atlantic sharpnose (Rhizoprionodon terraenovae), blacktip (Carcharhinus limbatus) and finetooth (Carcharhinus isodon) sharks showed a preference for a combination of shallow, warm, low salinity, low dissolved oxygen and turbid waters. Corresponding to shared environmental preferences, spatial distributions of YOY sharks showed a high degree of overlap, particularly in the northern portion of the Mississippi Sound where few adult sharks were observed, suggesting that these life stages partition themselves to avoid predation. Conclusion and implications With a continued rise in US coastal shark populations, we hope this study can help further refine essential fish habitat for these coastal species and provide a framework analysis that can be used to understand habitat partitioning in other regions.

Preferences for Decision Control among a High-Risk Cohort Offered Lung Cancer Screening: A Brief Report of Secondary Analyses from the Lung Screen Uptake Trial (LSUT).

Preferences for involvement in decision making about lung cancer screening are heterogeneous among high-risk individuals in the United Kingdom and vary by educational attainment.Further work is needed to understand how policy makers might implement hybrid approaches to accommodate individual preferences and optimize lung cancer screening program outcomes.

A synthesized distribution model: Asymmetric information, agency problem, and intertemporal optimization

A firm’s policy of distribution over current and future time periods influences the capital structure of the firm and its profitability. Managers decide on the amount of effort input in such a context of financial structure to maximize their utility. Nevertheless, shareholders’ preferred distribution of income is determined by the goal of corporate value maximization. The study aims to reach an optimal level of income distribution and reinvestment over current and future periods in which both the manager’s utility and shareholders’ corporate value have been maximized. The study adopts Lagrange’s multipliers method and the discounted cash flow valuation model of corporate value maximization. By processing a method of mathematical deduction and optimization, the study aims to reach an optimal equilibrium level of the dividend distribution model and explore key factors in the model for the determination of the distribution of income. As a result, the study concluded an optimal dividend distribution model, in which six factors jointly determine a theoretical equilibrium of optimization. These factors consist of the capital structure of the firm, the tax shield from debt financing, the growth rate of the dividend, dividend tax, the investment strategy of the principal, and the cost of capital.

대학생의 학습스타일이 학습동기 및 학습태도에 미치는 영향

The purpose of this study was to examine the distribution and pattern of learning style preferences of college students and to investigate the effect of major learning styles on their learning motivation and learning attitude. To achieve the purpose, the Perceptual Learning Style Preference Questionnaire was conducted for college students. Learning styles were divided into perceptual learning types (visual, auditory, tactile, and kinetic style) and social learning types (group and individual style). The responses of 514 were used, and using SPSS 27.0 program, cross tabulation analysis and multivariate analysis were conducted. The results of the study are as follows: college students generally preferred visual and group types. Male students preferred group styles, and female students preferred individual styles. The most variable period for learning style of college students was assumed the third school year. More than half the students showed over two major learning styles. Finally, the higher the number of major learning styles, the higher learning motivation and learning attitude.

Game Simulation of Choosing the Optimal Strategy for Providing a Tourist Product, Taking Into Account the Preferences of Consumers in the Tourist Market

Purpose of the study. The purpose of this study is to identify models and model parameters for modeling the demand for tourism services. The growing uncertainty in the tourism market requires a review of the decision-making process. A significant role in improving the quality of decisions is traditionally assigned to economic cybernetics, in particular its section – game theory. Within the framework of this article, many tasks are identified, the solution of which will contribute to a wider application of game modeling in conditions of heterogeneity of demand for tourist products. Materials and methods. The solution of these tasks implies the choice of control parameters (the price of tourist products, the quality of tourist services provided, the number of tourists accepted, the number of rooms of various classes, etc.), taking into account the preferences of consumers in the tourist market for choosing a hotel category and accommodation class, loyalty to the pricing policy of hotels, etc., creating a variety of strategies of the player (hotel manager), creating multiple states of nature and meaningful interpretation of each state of nature in terms of the considered situation of the tourism industry, a quantitative assessment of the usefulness of implementing each player’s strategy taking into account all possible states of nature, an assessment of the probability (possibility) of each state of nature and justification for choosing the level of confidence in the available information and the selection of the necessary criteria for the study of the constructed game model. Results. A game model of choosing the optimal strategy for providing a tourist product is constructed, the distinctive feature of which is taking into account the preferences of consumers in the tourist market. The construction and analysis of a model for choosing the optimal strategy for providing a tourist product makes it possible to compare in a new way the various strategies of decision makers who form tourist products, taking into account the existing probabilistic distribution of demand and consumer preferences. Conclusion. Game modeling of situations in the market of tourist services can be supplemented by the use of multicriteria optimization methods. In the process of analyzing situations in the tourism market, it is necessary to pay more attention to the formation of a set of criteria, as well as obtaining additional information about the hierarchy of criteria.

Heterogeneity, coordination and competition: the distribution of individual preferences in organisations

This paper experimentally investigates how inter- and intragroup heterogeneity (related to individual cooperative preferences) influences intergroup coordination. Coordination incentives are implemented through an intergroup rank-order competition. A pre-competition phase determines how individual heterogeneity is distributed across groups within an organisation. Two treatments are compared: a horizontal-heterogeneity treatment (H-Hetero, baseline), where individual differences are randomly distributed within and between groups, and a vertical-heterogeneity treatment (V-Hetero), in which groups are internally homogeneous but differ considerably from each other. In contrast to expectations, I find that vertical (intergroup) heterogeneity, when being accompanied by intragroup homogeneity, does not reduce the ability of groups to coordinate and keeps overall performance at very high levels. Indeed, subjects react more strongly to the coordination/competition incentives in vertically heterogenous organisations. Further analysis suggests that group dynamics are mainly driven by a positive orientation towards inequality (distributional preferences) of the members of the initially least cooperative groups, and their non-conditional cooperative behaviour. These results have implications for the design of group-based incentives and governance in organisations and societies.

Jungle cat (Felis chaus) in farmlands: potential benefits of coexistence and human-wildlife conflicts in West Bengal, India

Human-wildlife coexistence has increasingly been known for providing diverse ecological services to humans. However, the global repercussions of the Anthropocene epoch have changed the status and future of human-wildlife relationships. In this paper, we shed light on the significance of a positive attitude towards sharing space with animals in identifying and managing both conflict and ecological aspects of human-wildlife interactions in an agrarian landscape. We tried to understand how interactions between meso-carnivores like jungle cats (Felis chaus) and humans influence their survival in dense human populations. We evaluate the abundance and habitat use by jungle cats seasonally and diet, as well as their interactions with farmers in West Bengal, India. The mean encounter rate of jungle cats was assessed and used as a proxy for their abundance. Using a combination of direct sign surveys, we found that the habitat preference and seasonal distribution of jungle cats were influenced by the change in seasons with respect to different habitats. Our results indicate that jungle cats were more associated with human settlements during the monsoon. Scat analysis revealed the dominance of rodents in the diets of jungle cats. This activity helps to control the rodent population from destroying crops. However, our interactions with farmers showed their negative attitude towards the species due to the instances of livestock (poultry birds) depredation. We suggest that, more interdisciplinary researches are required to address how affectively socioeconomic structures shape up positive human-wildlife interaction. Planning and implementation of conservation education programmes are also necessary to help people for understanding the economic and ecological benefits provided by jungle cats and other wide-ranging carnivores.

Modeling the Urology Residency Application and Match Process: A Mathematical Argument for Application and Interview Caps

ObjectiveTo develop a mathematical model to predict the effects of an application and interview cap on the urology match success rate. Materials and MethodsUsing 2020-2021 AUA data, we created a mathematical model in MATLAB that simulated 481 applicants applying to a total of 357 training positions distributed across 143 urology residency programs. Applicants were divided into top (16%), middle (68%), and bottom (16%) strata based on a normal distribution. Programs were divided into 3 equally sized strata (1/3, 1/3, 1/3) based on Doximity rankings. Outcomes include results of a simulated AUA Match: percentage of training positions filled, percentage of interview spots filled, percentage of applicants matching from each stratum, applicant preference distribution (the percentage breakdown of applicants matching at their first, second, third, fourth, or >fourth choice), and cost/time savings of a capped application process. ResultsBased on the results of our simulated model, match parameters were optimized with caps of 50 applications and 20 interviews per applicant. Programs filled all training positions and nearly all interview spots. Top applicants matched more frequently than middle applicants who matched more frequently than bottom applicants. Applicant preference distribution remained stable with these caps compared to the true match results. ConclusionApplication and interview caps of 50 and 20, respectively, would reduce average applications by at least 39% from the 2021-2022 cycle. This would lead to over 17,000 fewer applications, $832 saved per applicant, and over 4400 hours of time saved across all Urology programs.

STUDY OF LASER CLADDING OF COMPOSITE COATINGS

Laser cladding is often used for manufacturing of protective coatings due to limited heat input. The thermal conditions are decisive for the microstructure and thus the properties. In this study Ni-based powder with addition of WC particles was used laser cladding with the TruDisk 3302 laser. Tests were conducted at different energy input (heat transfer efficiency not considered). Powder was fed directly into the melt pool by a single coaxial nozzle set in front of the melt pool. The influence of basic laser cladding parameters on the geometry, microstructure and hardness was determined. The heat input of laser cladding has significant effect on chemical and phase composition, as well as microstructure. The obtained coatings have typical composite structure with NiCr metallic matrix and WC carbides. The lower energy input of laser cladding is beneficial providing limited penetration depth, dilution, and preferable distribution and high share of tungsten carbides. However, too low energy input at the chosen technological conditions will lead to the lack of fusion. The share of carbides on cross section of the coatings produced at minimum heat input is over 50%, while for the maximum heat input the share is below 20%.

Friendly Lobbying under Time Pressure

AbstractLobbyists often target legislators who are aligned with them rather than opponents. The choice of whom to lobby affects both what information becomes available to legislators and how much influence special interest groups exert on policies. However, the conditions under which aligned legislators are targeted are not well understood. We investigate how the pressure to conclude policies quickly affects the strategic decision of whom to lobby. We derive conditions on the cost of delaying policies and on the distribution of legislators' preferences for lobbyists to prefer targeting allies. We show that the use of allied intermediaries has important implications for the duration of policymaking and the quality of policies. Counterintuitively, an increase in time pressure can increase the duration of policymaking and a longer duration does not always lead to better informed policies.

Differences in preferences for appreciation across various work settings

PurposePrevious research has documented the distribution of preferences of various appreciation languages by employees in general work settings. This paper aims to explore if employee preferences for appreciation vary across different types of workplace settings.Design/methodology/approachThe Motivating By Appreciation Inventory assesses individuals’ preferred ways of receiving appreciation from their workplace colleagues, determining each person’s primary language of appreciation in one of four appreciation languages. Results for 114,827 individuals were examined across the general workforce and in six work settings (government agencies, medical settings, military personnel, nonprofit organizations, remote employees and schools).FindingsPreferences within four work settings (government, nonprofits, remote, schools) were consistent with those from general work settings. But employees in medical settings and in the military choose Acts of Service more frequently than other employees. Quality Time is more valued by school and remote employees. Tangible Gifts are chosen at lower rates by government employees and military personnel.Research limitations/implicationsThe subjects are all English-speaking and predominately in the USA. The results may not be generalizable to other cultures and language speakers.Practical implicationsHuman resource professionals should be aware that employees in different types of workplaces vary in their appreciation preferences. Adjusting appreciation programs and practices should mirror these differences.Originality/valueTo the best of the author’s knowledge, this research is the first known to document differences in preferences for appreciation across various types of workplaces.

Thyroid Hormone Transporters in Pregnancy and Fetal Development

Thyroid hormone is essential for fetal (brain) development. Plasma membrane transporters control the intracellular bioavailability of thyroid hormone. In the past few decades, 15 human thyroid hormone transporters have been identified, and among them, mutations in monocarboxylate transporter (MCT)8 and organic anion transporting peptide (OATP)1C1 are associated with clinical phenotypes. Different animal and human models have been employed to unravel the (patho)-physiological role of thyroid hormone transporters. However, most studies on thyroid hormone transporters focus on postnatal development. This review summarizes the research on the thyroid hormone transporters in pregnancy and fetal development, including their substrate preference, expression and tissue distribution, and physiological and pathophysiological role in thyroid homeostasis and clinical disorders. As the fetus depends on the maternal thyroid hormone supply, especially during the first half of pregnancy, the review also elaborates on thyroid hormone transport across the human placental barrier. Future studies may reveal how the different transporters contribute to thyroid hormone homeostasis in fetal tissues to properly facilitate development. Employing state-of-the-art human models will enable a better understanding of their roles in thyroid hormone homeostasis.

Learning personalized preference: A segmentation strategy under consumer sparse data

Personalization is crucial to consumer satisfaction and repeat purchases. Learning personalized preferences from consumer data is often challenged by data sparsity because each consumer’s history only accounts for a small part of the total data. Since consumer segmentation and personalized preference are often highly correlated and can be mutually reinforcing, the segmentation strategy to alleviate the data sparsity problem is proposed. The proposed strategy utilizes a Nonparametric Hierarchal Bayesian method to integrate Preference learning and consumer Segmentation into a unified model, named as NHBPS, that estimates the number of segmentations and preferences in a data-adaptive way. The NHBPS model is applied to a real-world dataset containing consumer behavior history and demographics. The analysis results show the following: (1) at least 17.50% improvement in consumer segmentation compared to benchmark methods. (2) personalized preference distributions and insightful interpretations are learned successfully. (3) the NHBPS model outperforms benchmarks in predicting consumer behaviors and demographics.

DACSR: Decoupled-Aggregated End-to-End Calibrated Sequential Recommendation

Sequential recommendations have made great strides in accurately predicting the future behavior of users. However, seeking accuracy alone may bring side effects such as unfair and overspecialized recommendation results. In this work, we focus on the calibrated recommendations for sequential recommendation, which is connected to both fairness and diversity. On the one hand, it aims to provide fairer recommendations whose preference distributions are consistent with users’ historical behaviors. On the other hand, it can improve the diversity of recommendations to a certain degree. But existing methods for calibration have mainly relied on the post-processing on the candidate lists, which require more computation time in generating recommendations. In addition, they fail to establish the relationship between accuracy and calibration, leading to the limitation of accuracy. To handle these problems, we propose an end-to-end framework to provide both accurate and calibrated recommendations for sequential recommendation. We design an objective function to calibrate the interests between recommendation lists and historical behaviors. We also provide distribution modification approaches to improve the diversity and mitigate the effect of imbalanced interests. In addition, we design a decoupled-aggregated model to improve the recommendation. The framework assigns two objectives to two individual sequence encoders, and aggregates the outputs by extracting useful information. Experiments on benchmark datasets validate the effectiveness of our proposed model.