cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
From IT Leveraging Competence to Competitive Advantage in Turbulent Environments: The Case of New Product Development

A burning question for information systems (IS) researchers and practitioners is whether and how IT can build a competitive advantage in turbulent environments. To address this question, this study focuses on the business process level of analysis and introduces the construct of IT leveraging competence---the ability to effectively use IT functionalities. This construct is conceptualized in the context of new product development (NPD). IT leveraging competence is shown to indirectly influence competitive advantage in NPD through two key mediating links: functional competencies (the ability to effectively execute operational NPD processes) and dynamic capabilities (the ability to reconfigure functional competencies to address turbulent environments). Environmental turbulence is also shown to moderate the process by which IT leveraging competence influences competitive advantage in NPD. Empirical data were collected from 180 NPD managers. Through the construct of IT leveraging competence, the study shows that the effective use of IT functionalities, even generic functionalities, by business units can help build a competitive advantage. The study also shows that the strategic effect of IT leveraging competence is more pronounced in higher levels of environmental turbulence. This effect is not direct: It is fully mediated by both dynamic capabilities and functional competencies. Taken together, these findings suggest that IS researchers should look beyond the direct effects of firm-level IT infrastructures and focus their attention on how business units can leverage IT functionalities to better reconfigure and execute business processes. In turbulent environments, focusing on these aspects is even more vital.
Buyer–Supplier Collaboration Quality in New Product Development Projects

Previous research has found that buyer�supplier collaboration in new product development can contribute to project success. Empirical evidence is mixed, however, and the concept of buyer�supplier collaboration is under-developed. This work develops a new construct, buyer�supplier collaboration quality, defined as the extent to which a buyer and supplier exploit shared resources while minimizing waste through interacting during project planning and execution. We use resource dependence theory to formulate interfirm and project-level antecedents of buyer�supplier collaboration quality and argue how it affects new product development project outcomes. Data from an empirical survey of 214 buying organizations validate the measurement structure of the new construct and support its positive associations with design quality and project efficiency. We also find that goal congruence, complementary capabilities and interfirm coordination efforts increase buyer�supplier collaboration quality, while interfirm relationship-specific investment reduces it.
Development of a new α-aminonitrile synthesis

Abstract α‐Aminonitriles are prepared upon reaction of aryl carboxaldehydes with LiHMDS and acetone cyanohydrin. This new method provides a general route to the synthesis of various substituted α‐amino‐arylacetonitriles in high yield and purity, and avoids the use of the highly toxic cyanide salts.
Enantioselective cyanation/Brook rearrangement/C-acylation reactions of acylsilanes catalyzed by chiral metal alkoxides.

New catalytic enantioselective cyanation/1,2-Brook rearrangement/C-acylation reactions of acylsilanes (4) with cyanoformate esters (7) are described. The products of the reaction are fully substituted malonic acid derivatives (8). Catalysts for this transformation were discovered via a directed candidate screen of 96 metal−ligand complexes. Optimization of a (salen)aluminum complex revealed significant remote electronic effects and concentration effects. The scope of the reaction was investigated by using a number of aryl acylsilanes and cyanoformate esters. Chemoselective reduction of the reaction products (8) afforded new enantioenriched α-hydroxy-α-aryl-β-amino acid derivatives (32−34) and β-lactams (35 and 36). This reaction provides a simple method for the construction of new nitrogen-containing enantioenriched chiral building blocks.
Nanoscale thermal transport. II. 2003–2012

A diverse spectrum of technology drivers such as improved thermal barriers, higher efficiency thermoelectric energy conversion, phase-change memory, heat-assisted magnetic recording, thermal management of nanoscale electronics, and nanoparticles for thermal medical therapies are motivating studies of the applied physics of thermal transport at the nanoscale. This review emphasizes developments in experiment, theory, and computation in the past ten years and summarizes the present status of the field. Interfaces become increasingly important on small length scales. Research during the past decade has extended studies of interfaces between simple metals and inorganic crystals to interfaces with molecular materials and liquids with systematic control of interface chemistry and physics. At separations on the order of ∼1 nm, the science of radiative transport through nanoscale gaps overlaps with thermal conduction by the coupling of electronic and vibrational excitations across weakly bonded or rough interface...
Shocks inside CMEs: A survey of properties from 1997 to 2006

We report on 49 fast-mode forward shocks propagating inside coronal mass ejections (CMEs) as measured by Wind and ACE at 1 AU from 1997 to 2006. Compared to typical CME-driven shocks, these shocks propagate in different upstream conditions, where the median upstream Alfven speed is 85 km s−1, the proton β = 0.08 and the magnetic field strength is 8 nT. These shocks are fast with a median speed of 590 km s−1 but weak with a median Alfvenic Mach number of 1.9. They typically compress the magnetic field and density by a factor of 2–3. The most extreme upstream conditions found were a fast magnetosonic speed of 230 km s−1, a plasma β of 0.02, upstream solar wind speed of 740 km s−1 and density of 0.5 cm−3. Nineteen of these complex events were associated with an intense geomagnetic storm (peak Dst under −100 nT) within 12 h of the shock detection at Wind, and 15 were associated with a drop of the storm time Dst index of more than 50 nT between 3 and 9 h after shock detection. We also compare them to a sample of 45 shocks propagating in more typical upstream conditions. We show the average property of these shocks through a superposed epoch analysis, and we present some analytical considerations regarding the compression ratios of shocks in low β regimes. As most of these shocks are measured in the back half of a CME, we conclude that about half the shocks may not remain fast-mode shocks as they propagate through an entire CME due to the large upstream and magnetosonic speeds.
New considerations for MOSFET power clamps

Abstract Two ESD clamp circuit design techniques have been developed to reduce cell size and to combat the effects of gate leakage that have become significant in recent generations of digital CMOS process technology. Such clamps have proven to be able to withstand HBM stresses of 6 kV and CDM pulses of 1.2 kV.
Regulation of H2O and CO in Tropical Tropopause Layer by the Madden-Julian Oscillation

Impacts of the Madden-Julian oscillation (MJO) on the water vapor (H2O) and carbon monoxide (CO) abundances in the tropical tropopause layer (TTL) are investigated using Aura Microwave Limb Sounder (MLS) data for November 2004 to May 2005. The effects of the eastward propagation of MJO on H2O and CO abundances in the TTL are evident. Deep convection transports H20 into the upper troposphere up to about the 355-365 K level. Around the 365-375 K level, a dry anomaly is collocated with a cold anomaly, which is above a warm anomaly located near the region of convection enhancement. Tropical mean H20 at 375 K is regulated by the MJO through convection enhancement and coherent with the local MJO-related temperature variation. The locations of dehydration follow the eastward propagation of convection enhancement and its area extent depends on the phase of the MJO. Enhancement of deep convection associated with the MJO also injects CO from the lower troposphere to the TTL up to 375 K. However, tropical mean CO at 375 K responds instantaneously to the large injection event occurring over the African continent.
Space-Based-Laser Wavelength Selection for Existing Beam Control Technology Levels

Although conventional wisdom suggests that, for space-based-laser missions, the shortest wavelength is most desirable, this is not always the case. We show, for reasonable values of wave front error and jitter (with the majority of the wave front error in the high spatial frequencies), that deuterium fluoride (DF) is the preferred choice over shorter, e.g., hydrogen fluoride, wavelengths. Here we have considered only free-space propagation; atmospheric effects, which give further advantage to DF, are not considered.
Telescoping Recursive Representations and Estimation of Gauss–Markov Random Fields

We present telescoping recursive representations for both continuous and discrete indexed noncausal Gauss-Markov random fields. Our recursions start at the boundary (a hypersurface in ) and telescope inwards. For example, for images, the telescoping representation reduce recursions from to , i.e., to recursions on a single dimension. Under appropriate conditions, the recursions for the random field are linear stochastic differential/difference equations driven by white noise, for which we derive recursive estimation algorithms, that extend standard algorithms, like the Kalman-Bucy filter and the Rauch-Tung-Striebel smoother, to noncausal Markov random fields.
Positive Effects of Negative Publicity: When Negative Reviews Increase Sales

Can negative information about a product increase sales, and if so, when? Although popular wisdom suggests that “any publicity is good publicity,” prior research has demonstrated only downsides to negative press. Negative reviews or word of mouth, for example, have been found to hurt product evaluation and sales. Using a combination of econometric analysis and experimental methods, we unify these perspectives to delineate contexts under which negative publicity about a product will have positive versus negative effects. Specifically, we argue that negative publicity can increase purchase likelihood and sales by increasing product awareness. Consequently, negative publicity should have differential effects on established versus unknown products. Three studies support this perspective. Whereas a negative review in the New York Times hurt sales of books by well-known authors, for example, it increased sales of books that had lower prior awareness. The studies further underscore the importance of a gap between publicity and purchase occasion and the mediating role of increased awareness in these effects.
Fruit size and stage of ripeness affect postharvest water loss in bell pepper fruit (Capsicum annuum L.)

Quality of bell peppers after harvest is largely influenced by water loss from the fruit. The objective of this study was to determine the effect of fruit fresh weight, size, and stage of ripeness on the rate of water loss and permeance to water vapor. Fruit diameter was correlated with fresh weight, and surface area was associated with fresh weight and diameter. Fruit surface area decreased logarithmically with increases in fruit size, with smaller fruit showing larger changes in surface area than larger fruit. Mean water loss rate for individual fruit and permeance to water vapor declined with increases in fruit size and as fruit ripeness progressed. Fruit surface area/fresh weight ratio and rate of water loss were both highest in immature fruit and showed no differences between mature green and red fruit. In mature fruit, permeance to water vapor for the skin and calyx were 29 µmol m−2 s−1 kPa−1 and 398 µmol m−2 s−1 kPa−1, respectively. About 26% of the water loss in mature fruit occurred through the calyx. There was a decline in firmness, water loss rate, and permeance to water vapor of the fruit with increasing fruit water loss during storage. Copyright © 2006 Society of Chemical Industry
Small-world file-sharing communities

Web caches, content distribution networks, peer-to-peer file sharing networks, distributed file systems, and data grids all have in common that they involve a community of users who generate requests for shared data. In each case, overall system performance can be improved significantly if we can first identify and then exploit interesting structure within a community's access patterns. To this end, we propose a novel perspective on file sharing that considers the relationships that form among users based on the files in which they are interested. We propose a new structure that captures common user interests in data - the data-sharing graph - and justify its utility with studies on three data-distribution systems: a high-energy physics collaboration, the Web, and the Kazaa peer-to-peer network. We find small-world patterns in the data-sharing graphs of all three communities. We analyze these graphs and propose some probable causes for these emergent small-world patterns. The significance of small-world patterns is twofold: it provides a rigorous support to intuition and, perhaps most importantly, it suggests ways to design mechanisms that exploit these naturally emerging patterns.
Enantioselective Organo‐Photocatalysis Mediated by Atropisomeric Thiourea Derivatives

Can photocatalysis be performed without electron or energy transfer? To address this, organo-photocatalysts that are based on atropisomeric thioureas and display lower excited-state energies than the reactive substrates have been developed. These photocatalysts were found to be efficient in promoting the [2+2] photocycloaddition of 4-alkenyl-substituted coumarins, which led to the corresponding products with high enantioselectivity (77–96 % ee) at low catalyst loading (1–10 mol %). The photocatalytic cycle proceeds by energy sharing via the formation of both static and dynamic complexes (exciplex formation), which is aided by hydrogen bonding.
Reynolds Equations for Common Generalized Newtonian Models and an Approximate Reynolds-Carreau Equation:

AbstractExact, closed-form, one-dimensional Reynolds equations are presented for the Ostwald-DeWaele model, the Ellis model, the Spriggs model, and the double-Newtonian Rabinowitsch and Ferry model...
Optimal Rates for Zero-Order Convex Optimization: The Power of Two Function Evaluations

We consider derivative-free algorithms for stochastic and nonstochastic convex optimization problems that use only function values rather than gradients. Focusing on nonasymptotic bounds on convergence rates, we show that if pairs of function values are available, algorithms for $d$ -dimensional optimization that use gradient estimates based on random perturbations suffer a factor of at most $\sqrt {d}$ in convergence rate over traditional stochastic gradient methods. We establish such results for both smooth and nonsmooth cases, sharpening previous analyses that suggested a worse dimension dependence, and extend our results to the case of multiple ( $ {m}\ge 2$ ) evaluations. We complement our algorithmic development with information-theoretic lower bounds on the minimax convergence rate of such problems, establishing the sharpness of our achievable results up to constant (sometimes logarithmic) factors.
Perspectives on Interstellar Dust Inside and Outside of the Heliosphere

Measurements by dust detectors on interplanetary spacecraft appear to indicate a substantial flux of interstellar particles with masses >10−12 g. The reported abundance of these massive grains cannot be typical of interstellar gas: it is incompatible with both interstellar elemental abundances and the observed extinction properties of the interstellar dust population. We discuss the likelihood that the Solar System is by chance located near an unusual concentration of massive grains and conclude that this is unlikely, unless dynamical processes in the ISM are responsible for such concentrations. Radiation pressure might conceivably drive large grains into “magnetic valleys”. If the influx direction of interstellar gas and dust is varying on a ∼10 yr timescale, as suggested by some observations, this would have dramatic implications for the small-scale structure of the interstellar medium.
A parallel-connected single phase power factor correction approach with improved efficiency

In this paper, a new parallel-connected single phase power factor correction (PFC) topology using two flyback converters is proposed to improve the output voltage regulation with simultaneous input power factor correction and control. This approach offers lower cost and higher efficiency by parallel processing of the total power. Flyback converter-I primarily regulates output voltage with fast dynamic response and processes 55% of the power. Flyback converter-II with ac/dc PFC stage regulates input current shaping and PFC, and processes the remaining 45% of the power. This paper presents a design example and circuit analysis for 200 W power supply. A parallel-connected interleaved structure offers smaller passive components, less losses even in continuous conduction inductor current mode, and reduced volt-ampere rating of dc/dc stage converter. TI-DSP, TMS320LF2407, is used for implementation. Simulation and experimental results show the performance improvement.
Approaches to open fullerenes: synthesis and kinetic stability of diels-alder adducts of substituted isobenzofurans and C60.

We have examined the reactions of 1,3-disubstituted isobenzofurans with the fullerene C60 in the context of an approach to open a large orifice on the fullerene framework. A variety of substituted isobenzofurans (6a−h), generated from the reaction of 1,4-substituted 1,4-epoxynaphthalenes 3a−h with 3,6-bis(2-pyridyl)-1,2,4,5-tetrazine (4a) or 1,2,4,5-tetrazine (4b), were added to C60 to afford the Diels−Alder adducts 7a−h. The thermal stability of these adducts toward retro-Diels−Alder fragmentation differs greatly in solution from that in the solid state. In solution, the relatively facile retro-Diels−Alder fragmentation of monoadducts 7a and 7c, to give C60 and the free isobenzofurans 6a and 6c, have rate constants (and activation barriers) of k = 9.29 × 10-5 s-1 at 70 °C (Ea = 32.6 kcal mol-1) and k = 1.36 × 10-4 s-1 at 40 °C (Ea = 33.7 kcal mol-1), respectively, indicating that the addition of isobenzofurans to C60 is readily reversible at those temperatures. In the solid state, thermogravimetric analy...
Folding a stack of equal width components

We consider two versions of the problem of folding a stack of equal width components. In both versions, when a stack is folded, a routing penalty is incurred at the fold. In one version, the height of the folded layout is given and we are to minimize width. In the other, the width of the folded layout is given and its height is to be minimized. We develop a normalization technique that permits the first version to be solved in linear time by a greedy algorithm. The second version can be solved efficiently using normalization and parametric search. Experimental results are presented. >
Fault-Induced Transient Detection Based on Real-Time Analysis of the Wavelet Coefficient Energy

In the few years, wavelet-based methodologies have been proposed as a good alternative for real-time fault detection. However, these methodologies usually fail to detect faults with overdamped transients and they are highly influenced by the choice of the mother wavelet, presenting time delay in the real-time analysis. By using the discrete wavelet transform (DWT) or the maximal overlap discrete wavelet transform (MODWT), the wavelet coefficient energy has been also used for fault analysis and presents the same drawbacks of the wavelet coefficient analysis. However, this paper presents a novel wavelet-based methodology for real-time detection of fault-induced transients in transmission lines, where the wavelet coefficient energy takes into account the border effects of the sliding windows. As a consequence, the performance of the proposed energy analysis is not affected by the choice of the mother wavelet, presenting no time delay in real-time fault detection, and the fault detection is scarcely influenced to the fault inception angle, fault resistance, and fault location, even if in critical situations where there are no fault-induced transients. The performance of the proposed methodology was assessed by using actual and simulated data. Some records were reproduced to be analyzed in real time with a digital signal processor.
Cauchy sequences in quasi-uniform spaces: categorical aspects

In [1% 79] and [Fr 80], Fr61icher showed how certain cartesian closed categories can arise from a given monoid of self maps of a set. In [He 85], using similar techniques, Herrlich introduced a method of studying certain axiomatic systems for sequential structures. The idea is that the category of all spaces satisfying a given set of axioms can sometimes be represented as a final completion of a category which has only a single object, tha t object being a prototypic space of the given type. Using this idea, Herrlieh was able to so represent several categories of convergence structures or Cauchy structures (unders tood in the sense of sequences, not f~ters). In this paper, we apply the methods of Frhlicher and Herrtich to a ra ther natural notion of Cauchy sequence, defined for any quasi-uniform space, to arrive at a representa t ion of non-symmetric Cauchy structures as a final completion of a single object, that single object being, essentially, a prototypic increasing sequence visualized as a Cauchy sequence.
Understanding the Economic Factors Influencing Farm Policy Preferences

A survey conducted in Mississippi, Texas, Indiana, and Nebraska elicited producers' preferences for various farm policy changes. This permitted examination of the diversity of preferences that single-state studies have not allowed. Five policy choices, including deficiency payments, loan programs, crop insurance, export programs, and disaster payments were examined. Logit model results predicting producer preferences for each of the five dichotomous policy choices are reported. Explanatory variables based on expected utility theory such as risk aversion, price and yield variability, and price-yield correlation are significant in various models.
Reaction mechanisms: pericyclic reactions

This review summarizes a number of articles published in 2011 describing mechanisms of pericyclic reactions. The types of reactions studied were of the cycloaddition sort (e.g., [2+1], [2+2], [3+2], [4+2], etc.), as well as sigmatropic (e.g., [1,2], [1,3], [3,3] shifts, etc.), group transfer (e.g., ene), and electrocyclic types. Interestingly, the literature on pericyclic cascade reactions was quite rich in 2011.
The Long-Term Psychological Sequelae of Orofacial Injury

Significant subsets of patients who experience orofacial injury are at risk for developing adverse psychological sequelae such as PTSD and depression. If undetected and untreated, the psychopathology can become recalcitrant and burden the social and vocational functioning of the patients and greatly diminish their quality of life. The hospital encounter and follow-up care visits provide the oral and maxillofacial surgeon with opportunities to screen for emerging psychological problems. Several screening instruments are available to assist the surgeon in identifying individuals at risk for subsequent mental health problems. Facilitated referrals to mental health services can be a practical approach for improving comprehensive medical care for vulnerable individuals and for reducing the potential morbidity of these covert, but disabling, sequelae.
Impact of Health Care Employees’ Job Satisfaction on Organizational Performance Support Vector Machine Approach

This study was undertaken to search for key factors that contribute to job satisfaction among health care workers, and also to determine the impact of these underlying dimensions of employee satisfaction on organizational performance. Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) was applied to initially uncover the key factors, and then, in the next stage of analysis, a popular data mining technique, Support Vector Machine (SVM) was employed on a sample of 249 to determine the impact of job satisfaction factors on organizational performance. According to the proposed model, the main factors were revealed to be management’s attitude, pay/reward, job security and colleagues.
Hydraulic fracturing chemicals reporting: Analysis of available data and recommendations for policymakers

Abstract Twenty-eight states require disclosure of hydraulic fracturing chemicals. Twenty-three states direct reporting to FracFocus; additionally, companies in other states use this registry. FracFocus contains the most comprehensive dataset on fracturing chemicals but faces data quality and transparency criticisms. In response, FracFocus announced upgrades, and since May 2015, publishes aggregated data. We used Linux and R version 3.2.0 to clean and analyze 96,449 forms submitted between March 9, 2011 and April 13, 2015 for accuracy, completeness, and timeliness. We characterize data, and compare results to state law and industry practice, to suggest how to induce more accurate and complete disclosures. We find that rates of withheld chemical information have increased since 2013, and appear unaffected by different legal requirements. However, when companies report fracturing chemicals without attribution to the specific products in the fracturing fluid (a “systems approach” to reporting), withholding rates drop four-fold. State deadlines shortened reporting timelines, but compliance rates are low absent indication states will enforce. Automatic field population and prompts in FracFocus can reduce data error, while enforcement signals, education, and harmonized requirements may boost compliance and enhance disclosure. Systems reporting should occur, with states retaining authority to request product-specific ingredient lists.
Social consensus and tipping points with opinion inertia

Abstract When opinions, behaviors or ideas diffuse within a population, some are invariably more sticky than others. The stickier the opinion, behavior or idea, the greater is an individual’s inertia to replace it with an alternative. Here we study the effect of stickiness of opinions in a two-opinion model, where individuals change their opinion only after a certain number of consecutive encounters with the alternative opinion. Assuming that one opinion has a fixed stickiness, we investigate how the critical size of the competing opinion required to tip over the entire population varies as a function of the competing opinion’s stickiness. We analyze this scenario for the case of a complete-graph topology through simulations, and through a semi-analytical approach which yields an upper bound for the critical minority size. We present analogous simulation results for the case of the Erdős–Renyi random network. Finally, we investigate the coarsening properties of sticky opinion spreading on two-dimensional lattices, and show that the presence of stickiness gives rise to an effective surface tension that causes the coarsening behavior to become curvature-driven.
A DISCOVERY PROCEDURE FOR CERTAIN PHONOLOGICAL RULES

Acquisition of phonological systems can be insightfully studied in terms of discovery procedures. This paper describes a discovery procedure, implemented in Lisp, capable of determining a set of ordered phonological rules, which may be in opaque contexts, from a set of surface forms arranged in paradigms.
Sparse Dynamic Programming and Aggregate Fluctuations

This paper proposes a way to model boundedly rational dynamic programming in a parsimonious and tractable way. It first illustrates the approach via a boundedly rational version of the consumption-saving life cycle problem. The consumer can pay attention to the variables such as the interest rate and his income, or replace them, in his mental model, by their average values â€“this way using a "sparse" model of the world. Endogenously, the consumer pays little attention to the interest rate but pays keen attention to his income. This helps resolve some extant puzzles in consumption behavior, especially the tenuous link between interest rates and consumption growth. The model is then applied to a Merton-style portfolio choice problem. This problem is usually quite complex and formidable. We see how a sparse agent will handle the problem, and will have a simpler solution to it: the agent may for instance pay limited or no attention to the varying equity premium and hedging demand terms. Finally, the paper studies the impact of bounded rationality on macroeconomic outcomes, in a prototypical DSGE model with one variable, capital. We find that in general equilibrium, bounded rationality leads to more persistent shocks, and to larger aggregate fluctuations.
Clock Games: Theory and Experiments

Timing is crucial in situations ranging from currency attacks, to product introductions, to starting a revolution. These settings share the feature that payoffs depend critically on the timing of a few other key players—and their moves are uncertain. To capture this, we introduce the notion of clock games and experimentally test them. Each player’s clock starts on receiving a signal about a payoff relevant state variable. Since the timing of the signals is random, clocks are desynchronized. A player must decide how long, if at all, to delay his after receiving the signal.
Investigation of the Lipid Binding Properties of the Marburg Virus Matrix Protein VP40.

ABSTRACT Marburg virus (MARV), which belongs to the virus family Filoviridae, causes hemorrhagic fever in humans and nonhuman primates that is often fatal. MARV is a lipid-enveloped virus that during the replication process extracts its lipid coat from the plasma membrane of the host cell it infects. MARV carries seven genes, one of which encodes its matrix protein VP40 (mVP40), which regulates the assembly and budding of the virions. Currently, little information is available on mVP40 lipid binding properties. Here, we have investigated the in vitro and cellular mechanisms by which mVP40 associates with lipid membranes. mVP40 associates with anionic membranes in a nonspecific manner that is dependent upon the anionic charge density of the membrane. These results are consistent with recent structural determination of mVP40, which elucidated an mVP40 dimer with a flat and extensive cationic lipid binding interface. IMPORTANCE Marburg virus (MARV) is a lipid-enveloped filamentous virus from the family Filoviridae. MARV was discovered in 1967, and yet little is known about how its seven genes are used to assemble and form a new viral particle in the host cell it infects. The MARV matrix protein VP40 (mVP40) underlies the inner leaflet of the virus and regulates budding from the host cell plasma membrane. In vitro and cellular assays in this study investigated the mechanism by which mVP40 associates with lipids. The results demonstrate that mVP40 interactions with lipid vesicles or the inner leaflet of the plasma membrane are electrostatic but nonspecific in nature and are dependent on the anionic charge density of the membrane surface. Small molecules that can disrupt lipid trafficking or reduce the anionic charge of the plasma membrane interface may be useful in inhibiting assembly and budding of MARV.
Polynomial recurrence with large intersection over countable fields

We give a short proof of polynomial recurrence with large intersection for additive actions of finite-dimensional vector spaces over countable fields on probability spaces, improving upon the known size and structure of the set of strong recurrence times.
Statistical significance and scientific misconduct: improving the style of the published research paper

A science, business, or law that is basing its validity on the level of p-values, t statistics and other tests of statistical significance is looking less and less relevant and more and more unethi...
Population models with partial migration

Populations exhibiting partial migration consist of two groups of individuals: Those that migrate between habitats, and those that remain fixed in a single habitat. We propose several discrete-time population models to investigate the coexistence of migrants and residents. The first class of models is linear, and we distinguish two scenarios. In the first, there is a single egg pool to which both populations contribute. A fraction of the eggs is destined to become migrants, and the remainder become residents. In a second model, there are two distinct egg pools to which the two types contribute, one corresponding to residents and another to migrants. The asymptotic growth or decline in these models can be phrased in terms of the value of the basic reproduction number being larger or less than one respectively. A second class of models incorporates density dependence effects. It is assumed that increased densities in the various life history stages adversely affect the success of transitioning of individual...
The Leaky Integrator with Recurrent Inhibition as a Predictor

The leaky integrator, the basis for many neuronal models, possesses a negative group delay when a time-delayed recurrent inhibition is added to it. By means of this delay, the leaky integrator becomes a predictor for some frequency components of the input signal. The prediction properties are derived analytically, and an application to a local field potential is provided.
Dehydrogenation Adjacent to Carbonyls Using Palladium–Allyl Intermediates

Palladium–allyl chemistry has historically been used as a means of allylation of nucleophiles, as developed by Tsuji and Trost in the 1970s. Also during this decade, the Saegusa oxidation, the most prominent palladium-catalyzed dehydrogenation reaction, was developed. This Synpacts article provides a historical overview of dehydrogenation adjacent to carbonyls and our recent contribution to this area: palladium–allyl catalyzed dehydrogenation of nitriles and esters.
QED radiative corrections in processes of exclusive pion electroproduction

Formalism for radiative correction (RC) calculation in exclusive pion electroproduction on the proton is presented. A FORTRAN code EXCLURAD is developed for the RC procedure. The numerical analysis is done in the kinematics of current Jefferson Lab experiments.
Development of Outcome-Based Practice Guidelines: A Method for Structuring Problems and Synthesizing Evidence

Article-at-a-Glance Background The growth in guideline development projects has focused attention on the methods used in developing the guideline. For a guideline to be sound, it should be linked on the basis of scientific evidence to the very health outcome that the guideline is designed to promote. Methods Structuring a health intervention as an influence diagram, a decision model (1) allows for the identification of the relevant benefits, harms, and costs that may result from an intervention; (2) provides an explicit link between the intervention and these outcomes, a crucial prerequisite for the development of an outcome-based guideline; and (3) identifies the evidence that must be synthesized to predict the effect of the intervention on the health outcomes. Example In the development of a guideline related to prevention of opportunistic infections in HIV-infected persons, we would define the interventions (for example, use of medication for PCP pneumonia), the intended health outcome (a potential reduction in the number of opportunistic infections), and the evidence that demonstrates that the intervention produces the desired outcome. If PCP prophylaxis is delayed, the HIV-infected person is exposed to an undue risk of PCP, with its attendant morbidity and mortality. If it is initiated too early, the person incurs excess monetary costs and may experience additional side-effect-associated morbidity. Example The intervention in question is screening for HIV infection, and the outcomes of interest are the medical benefits and harms associated with screening and the financial costs (and savings) that a screening program would incur. Screening for HIV infection differs from many clinical questions because it has potential benefit both to the persons screened and to public health if the screened person reduces risk behaviors that might transmit HIV infection. Conclusions Structuring a problem with an influence diagram ■ delineates an explicit link between interventions and outcomes ; ■ focuses the questions to be addressed (a series of more sharply defined questions, each of which we may be able to answer based on direct evidence, replaces a much broader question [Should we screen for HIV?], which cannot be answered directly); and ■ highlights the importance of a clear, unambiguous statement whose benefit and costs are under consideration .
The Vertical Structure of the Eddy Diffusivity and the Equilibration of the Extratropical Atmosphere

Observations suggest that the time- and zonal-mean state of the extratropical atmosphere adjusts itself such that the so-called ‘‘criticality parameter’’ (which relates the vertical stratification to the horizontal temperature gradient) is close to one. T. Schneider has argued that the criticality parameter is kept near one by a constraint on the zonal momentum budget in primitive equations. The constraint relies on a diffusive closure for the eddy flux of potential vorticity (PV) with an eddy diffusivity that is approximately constant in the vertical. The diffusive closure for the eddy PV flux, however, depends crucially on the definition of averages along isentropes that intersect the surface. It is argued that the definition favored by Schneider results in eddy PV fluxes whose physical interpretation is unclear and that do not satisfy the proposed closure in numerical simulations. An alternative definition ,fi rst proposed by T.-Y. Koh and R. A. Plumb, is preferred. A diffusive closure for the eddy PV flux under this definition is supported by analysis of the PV variance budget and can be used to close the near-surface zonal momentum budget in idealized numerical simulations. Following this approach, it is shown thatO(1) criticalities are obtained if the eddy diffusivity decays from its surface value to about zero over the depth of the troposphere, which is likely to be the case in Earth’s atmosphere. Large criticality parameters, however, are possible if the eddy diffusivity decays only weakly in the vertical, consistent with results from quasigeostrophic models. This provides theoretical support for recent numerical studies that have found supercritical mean states in primitive equation models.
International Organization of Production with Heterogeneous Firms

This paper presents a North-South model with differentiated goods being produced in the North. Each differentiated final good requires both management and manufacturing services as inputs, and firms are heterogeneous with regard to their productivity levels in providing these inputs. Moving manufacturing to the South lowers part of a firm's variable costs. Two scenarios, which are interpreted to correspond to vertical FDI and offshoring, are investigated. In both cases there is a minimum level of management productivity required for firms to benefit from relocation of manufacturing to the South. In the case of offshoring, productivity and profit gains are relatively larger for firms with low initial manufacturing productivity. In addition, firms with very high initial productivity in both aspects choose not to offshore due to the presence of fixed costs. The model is subsequently used to examine the implications of changes in economic integration on the type of firms that exit an industry, change production location or keep manufacturing domestically.
Teacher Salaries and Teacher Unions: A Spatial Econometric Approach:

This paper uses the Schools and Staffing Survey to examine the determinants of teacher salaries in the U.S. using a spatial econometric framework. These determinants include teacher salaries in nearby districts, union activity in the district, union activity in neighboring districts, and other school district characteristics. The results confirm that salaries for both experienced and beginning teachers are positively affected by salaries in nearby districts. Investigations of the determinants of teacher salaries that ignore this spatial relationship are likely to be mis-specified. Including the effects of union activity in neighboring districts, the study also finds that union activity increases salaries for experienced teachers by as much as 18-28 percent but increases salaries for beginning teachers by a considerably smaller amount.
Developing a Chained Fisher Construction Cost Index for a State Highway Agency

Construction cost indexes (CCI) are important to state highway agencies (SHA) to provide an indicator of construction cost escalation over time and to update old bid cost information to current year pricing. The Federal Highway Administration publishes a National Highway Construction Cost Index (NHCCI) based upon cost data from several states for SHA to use. The Wisconsin Department of Transportation (DOT) uses a CCI to measure the changes in purchasing power of their construction dollar from one year to the next. Currently, the Wisconsin DOT uses a fixed-weight index to compute the CCI for a fixed basket of seven construction items. However, the current Wisconsin DOT CCI is subject to considerable short-term variation and does not accurately reflect the project bid costs that the department is experiencing. This paper presents results of a study requested by the Wisconsin DOT to develop an approach for calculating a more representative, reliable, and objective CCI. The paper presents various approaches t...
A high-resolution speleothem record of western equatorial Pacific rainfall: Implications for Holocene ENSO evolution

Abstract The El Nino-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) is the primary driver of interannual climate variability in the tropics and subtropics. Despite substantial progress in understanding ocean–atmosphere feedbacks that drive ENSO today, relatively little is known about its behavior on centennial and longer timescales. Paleoclimate records from lakes, corals, molluscs and deep-sea sediments generally suggest that ENSO variability was weaker during the mid-Holocene (4–6 kyr BP) than the late Holocene (0–4 kyr BP). However, discrepancies amongst the records preclude a clear timeline of Holocene ENSO evolution and therefore the attribution of ENSO variability to specific climate forcing mechanisms. Here we present δ 18 O results from a U–Th dated speleothem in Malaysian Borneo sampled at sub-annual resolution. The δ 18 O of Borneo rainfall is a robust proxy of regional convective intensity and precipitation amount, both of which are directly influenced by ENSO activity. Our estimates of stalagmite δ 18 O variance at ENSO periods (2–7 yr) show a significant reduction in interannual variability during the mid-Holocene (3240–3380 and 5160–5230 yr BP) relative to both the late Holocene (2390–2590 yr BP) and early Holocene (6590–6730 yr BP). The Borneo results are therefore inconsistent with lacustrine records of ENSO from the eastern equatorial Pacific that show little or no ENSO variance during the early Holocene. Instead, our results support coral, mollusc and foraminiferal records from the central and eastern equatorial Pacific that show a mid-Holocene minimum in ENSO variance. Reduced mid-Holocene interannual δ 18 O variability in Borneo coincides with an overall minimum in mean δ 18 O from 3.5 to 5.5 kyr BP. Persistent warm pool convection would tend to enhance the Walker circulation during the mid-Holocene, which likely contributed to reduced ENSO variance during this period. This finding implies that both convective intensity and interannual variability in Borneo are driven by coupled air-sea dynamics that are sensitive to precessional insolation forcing. Isolating the exact mechanisms that drive long-term ENSO evolution will require additional high-resolution paleoclimatic reconstructions and further investigation of Holocene tropical climate evolution using coupled climate models.
Age-Specific Signatures of Glioblastoma at the Genomic, Genetic, and Epigenetic Levels

Age is a powerful predictor of survival in glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) yet the biological basis for the difference in clinical outcome is mostly unknown. Discovering genes and pathways that would explain age-specific survival difference could generate opportunities for novel therapeutics for GBM. Here we have integrated gene expression, exon expression, microRNA expression, copy number alteration, SNP, whole exome sequence, and DNA methylation data sets of a cohort of GBM patients in The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) project to discover age-specific signatures at the transcriptional, genetic, and epigenetic levels and validated our findings on the REMBRANDT data set. We found major age-specific signatures at all levels including age-specific hypermethylation in polycomb group protein target genes and the upregulation of angiogenesis-related genes in older GBMs. These age-specific differences in GBM, which are independent of molecular subtypes, may in part explain the preferential effects of anti-angiogenic agents in older GBM and pave the way to a better understanding of the unique biology and clinical behavior of older versus younger GBMs.
A Service System with Randomly Behaving On-demand Agents

We consider a service system where agents (or, servers) are invited on-demand. Customers arrive as a Poisson process and join a customer queue. Customer service times are i.i.d. exponential. Agents' behavior is random in two respects. First, they can be invited into the system exogenously, and join the agent queue after a random time. Second, with some probability they rejoin the agent queue after a service completion, and otherwise leave the system. The objective is to design a real-time adaptive agent invitation scheme that keeps both customer and agent queues/waiting-times small. We study an adaptive scheme, which controls the number of pending agent invitations, based on queue-state feedback.We study the system process fluid limits, in the asymptotic regime where the customer arrival rate goes to infinity. We use the machinery of switched linear systems and common quadratic Lyapunov functions to derive sufficient conditions for the local stability of fluid limits at the desired equilibrium point (with zero queues). We conjecture that, for our model, local stability is in fact sufficient for global stability of fluid limits; the validity of this conjecture is supported by numerical and simulation experiments. When the local stability conditions do hold, simulations show good overall performance of the scheme.