cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A typology of remanufacturing in closed-loop supply chains

This manuscript defines a typology of remanufacturing based on multiple decades of direct observations across various remanufacturing industries. The manuscript also details how managers adapt their remanufacturing operations and strategies to the idiosyncrasies of the varied remanufacturing industries. The typology identifies four distinct typological groupings based on the dimensions of a firm’s strategic focus and product design philosophy. Before delving into typology and implications on strategic and design issues, the manuscript provides recent information on the current state of the remanufacturing industry based on governmental and industry reports. To assist readers who may be less familiar with the remanufacturing industry and closed-loop supply chains, the discussion also provides a brief overview of remanufacturing processes and the overall remanufacturing industry.
QM/MM Alchemical Free Energy Simulations: Challenges and Recent Developments

Abstract The difference between free energy changes occurring at two chemical states can be rigorously estimated via alchemical free energy (AFE) simulations. Traditionally, most AFE simulations are carried out under the classical energy potential treatment; then, accuracy and applicability of AFE simulations are limited. Following the natural evolution, employing the quantum mechanical (QM)-based potentials, particularly the combined QM and molecular mechanical (QM/MM) potentials, in AFE simulations is a natural next step. To make such QM/MM AFE simulations routinely applicable and reliable to complex systems, several major challenges have to be met: (1) to ensure structural integrities for robust electronic structural calculations when unphysical states are simulated; (2) to accurately describe long-range electrostatic interactions; and (3) to efficiently sample the configuration space to guarantee free energy convergence when costly QM/MM potentials are applied. This review summarizes recent developments related to these challenges.
Medical Malpractice Liability Exposure and OB/GYN Physician Delivery Decisions

Objective This study examines the effect of physician medical malpractice liability exposure on primary Cesarean and vaginal births after Cesarean (VBACs). Data sources/study setting Secondary data on hospital births from Florida Hospital Inpatient File, physician characteristics from American Medical Association Physician Masterfile, and physician malpractice claim history from Florida Office of Insurance Regulation. Study design Our study estimates the effects of physician malpractice liability exposure on Cesareans and VBACs using panel data and a multivariate, fixed effects model. Data collection We merge three secondary data sources based on unique physician license numbers between 1994 and 2010. Principal findings We find no evidence that the first malpractice claim affects primary Cesarean deliveries. We find, however, that the first malpractice claim decreases the likelihood of a VBAC (conditional on a prior Cesarean delivery) by 1.2-1.9 percentage points (approximately 10 percent relative to mean VBAC incidence). This finding is robust to focusing on obstetrics-related malpractice claims, as well as to considering different malpractice claims (first report, first severe report, and first lawsuit). Conclusions Given the increase in both primary and repeat Cesarean deliveries, our results suggest that physician malpractice liability exposure is responsible for a relatively small share of the VBAC decrease.
The effect of non-ionic detergents on the growth of Tetrahymena.

Abstract An investigation of the effects of a number of non-ionic detergents on the growth rate, maximum yield, and cytology of Tetrahymena pyriformis W was carried out. It was found that certain oleic acid-containing detergents were stimulatory during early growth phases. Other detergents were either inhibitory or inert. It was found that the organisms appeared to break down the detergent molecule and to store large quantities of the fatty acid. The cell numbers at the end of a four-day growth period were the same for Tweengrown organisms and the controls, as was the cellular nitrogen content. The turbidimetric readings, however, were very much lower for the controls. The differences in turbidity were found to be due to the larger lipid-filled and more opaque cells in the Tween cultures. The use of detergents is not recommended when Tetrahymena is to be used for experiments where cells must undergo manipulative procedures.
Competitive Human Resource Advantage Through the Strategic Management of Performance

Increased competition has obvious implications for all levels of jobs—executive, professional, technical, and entry. The 1950’s corporate structure was characterized as the traditional organization, with few at the top of the pyramid and many more below. But by 1980, corporate structures had significantly changed; they were often comprised of very few top-level executives with large middle management complements and often nearly as many professional, technical, and service workers. These organizations had become “fat” in the middle-management level. They had not rigorously assessed their workforce size and its contributions to strategic objectives, and they had not achieved a competitive human resource advantage. Competitive structures—both domestic and international—have lean, efficient organizational structures with few managers and more entry-level employees to do the organization’s “work.” The structures of these organizations may resemble a Hershey’s Kiss more than the traditional organizational pyramid—they are very tough competitors. Organizations with “fat” structures created corporate cultures that embraced a philosophy of “cradle to grave” security. They rewarded seniority, not performance. Traditional organizations have begun to respond to this new competition by becoming performance conscious, especially with respect to a very neglected system for the management of organizational resources—strategic performance management systems to plan, measure and reward human resources.
The influence of energy group structure and nonlinearities on the calculation of xenon-induced flux oscillations

A nonlinear model is developed for the xenon-induced flux oscillation problem that occurs in nuclear power plants. The model is based on Galerkin's method of weighted residuals applied to multigroup diffusion theory. A similar linear model is developed by the same methods in order to consider the effects of the nonlinearities of the system. The effects of multi- and single-energy group considerations are also examined. The one- and three-energy group models give substantial differences in results for a 0.25% perturbation in the absorption cross section in various regions of the core.
Motion-compensated reconstruction of magnetic resonance images from undersampled data

Magnetic resonance imaging of patients who find difficulty lying still or holding their breath can be challenging. Unresolved intra-frame motion yields blurring artifacts and limits spatial resolution. To correct for intra-frame non-rigid motion, such as in pediatric body imaging, this paper describes a multi-scale technique for joint estimation of the motion occurring during the acquisition and of the desired uncorrupted image. This technique regularizes the motion coefficients to enforce invertibility and minimize numerical instability. This multi-scale approach takes advantage of variable-density sampling patterns used in accelerated imaging to resolve large motion from a coarse scale. The resulting method improves image quality for a set of two-dimensional reconstructions from data simulated with independently generated deformations, with statistically significant increases in both peak signal to error ratio and structural similarity index. These improvements are consistent across varying undersampling factors and severities of motion and take advantage of the variable density sampling pattern.
Results-based aid with lasting effects: sustainability in the Salud Mesoamérica Initiative.

The Salud Mesoamerica Initiative is a public-private partnership aimed at reducing maternal and child morbidity and mortality for the poorest populations in Central America and the southernmost state of Mexico. Currently at the midpoint of implementation and with external funding expected to phase out by 2020, SMI’s sustainability warrants evaluation. In this study, we examine if the major SMI components fit into the Dynamic Sustainability Framework to predict whether SMI benefits could be sustainable beyond the external funding and to identify threats to sustainability. Through the 2016 Salud Mesoamerica Initiative Process Evaluation, we applied qualitative methods including document review, key informant interviews, focus group discussions, and a social network analysis to address our objective. SMI’s design continuously evolves and aligns with national needs and objectives. Partnerships, the regional approach, and the results-based aid model create a culture that prioritizes health care. SMI’s sector-wide approach and knowledge-sharing framework strengthen health systems. Evidence-based practice promotes policy dialogue and scale-up of interventions. Most SMI elements fit within the Dynamic Sustainability Framework, suggesting a likelihood of sustainability after external funding ceases, and subsequent application of lessons learned by the global community. This includes a flexible design, partnerships and a culture of prioritizing healthcare, health systems strengthening mechanisms, policy changes, and scale-ups of interventions. However, threats to sustainability, including possible transient culture of prioritizing health care, dissipation of reputational risk and financial partnerships, and personnel turnover, need to be addressed.
EFFECT OF INTELLECTUAL STIMULATION ON EMPLOYEE PERFORMANCE IN REGULATORY STATE CORPORATIONS IN KENYA

Purpose: The purpose of the study was to determine the effect of intellectual stimulation on employee performance in regulatory state corporations in Kenya Methodology : Descriptive correlation design was employed. Proportionаtе strаtifiеd rаndom sаmpling mеthod wаs usеd to sеlеct 130 senior level managers from the target population. Primary data was collected using a closed ended questionnaire. Pearson’s correlation and regression techniques were used to analyse the data. Findings : The study revealed a positive and significant correlation between intellectual stimulation and employee performance (r = 0.776, p= 0.002 (p<0.05). Intеllеctuаl stimulation predicted еmployее pеrformаncе (β = .176, t =2.888, p < .05). Policy Recommendation : Thе study rеcommеnds that for high employee performance to be achieved, lеаdеrs must еmpowеr еmployееs аnd givе considеrаtion for whаt works for thе еmployееs by еncourаging thеm to tаkе somе risks аnd chаllеngе аssumptions. Consеquеntly, аllowing for somе еxpеrimеntаtion аmong thе еmployееs in ordеr to аrrivе аt new wаys of doing puzzling tаsks would be necessary. These mаy howеvеr cаusе disruptions in businеss opеrаtions in thе short tеrm, but producе long tеrm improvеmеnts in orgаnizаtionаl еffеctivеnеss.
Structural Communication and Web Based Instruction

O presente artigo, inicialmente reve experiencias anteriores com a metodologia denominada Comunicacao Estrutural, que alcancou sucesso na automatizar e individualizar discussoes criativas e interativas intensivas de forma que compete com metodologias facilitadoras de pequenos grupos. Em seguida, o artigo descreve a metodologia que combina alguns aspectos da Comunicacao Estrutural com Discussoes baseadas na WEB, para criar uma alternativa efetiva e eficiente para discussoes baseadas em estudo de caso. Um exemplo especifico de um caso de discussao online que foi usada no estudo e apresentada e explicada. Finalmente, alguns resultados-chave de pesquisas sao resumidos. Sugerindo que esta metodologia hibrida pode ser mais efetiva que pequenos grupos facilitados para promoverem?// ideias criativas, assim como sendo mais eficiente e multiplicavel.
THE PROGNOSIS OF PATIENTS WITH MODERATE AORTIC STENOSIS

The natural history of moderate aortic stenosis (mod AS) requires clarification to provide optimal management strategy. Patients with aortic valve area > 1 and ≤1.5cm2 in 2012 were identified and stratified by stroke volume index (SVI) and left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF). All-cause
Improved Mortality Associated With the Use of Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation.

Background Our objective was to evaluate the association of bridge to transplant (BTT) extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) on survival after lung transplantation (LTx) and determine the degree to which transplant center volume affects this relationship. Methods Using the United Network for Organ Sharing database, we performed a retrospective cohort study evaluating the survival of patients undergoing LTx between 2005 and 2017. On the basis of previous literature, LTx centers were classified into 3 groups using their average annual LTx volume over the preceding 5 years: less than 25, 25 to 49, and more than 50. Survival of BTT ECMO and non-ECMO patients was analyzed using a log-rank test. Propensity scores for BTT ECMO were calculated, and a weighted proportional hazards model was used to compare BTT ECMO and non-ECMO patients by center volume. Results There were 20,976 patients who met inclusion criteria, with 611 (2.9%) undergoing BTT ECMO. Overall, BTT ECMO was associated with increased posttransplantation hazard of mortality (hazard ratio, 1.37; 95% confidence interval, 1.14 to 1.64). Kaplan-Meier plots by center volume suggest that BTT ECMO–associated mortality may be mitigated at high-volume LTx centers. In the propensity score–weighted proportional hazards model, we determined that when centers perform more than 35 LTxs per year, the increased hazard of BTT ECMO on mortality is no longer observed. Conclusions BTT ECMO can be performed as a bridge to LTx without significantly increasing patient mortality in high-volume centers. Patients undergoing BTT ECMO at LTx centers that perform more than 35 LTxs annually have equivalent mortality to those who do not require ECMO before transplantation.
Autotuning of Integrated Inductive Voltage Regulator Using On-Chip Delay Sensor to Tolerate Process and Passive Variations

This paper demonstrates autotuning of the coefficients of the feedback loop of an inductive integrated voltage regulator (IVR) using an on-chip delay sensor. The proposed approach improves the effective performance of the digital core under variations in the on-die/package integrated passives and transistor process. A 130-nm CMOS test-chip is designed containing a multisampled 125-MHz IVR with a wirebond inductor, on-die capacitor, and all-digital proportional-integral-differential (PID) controller powering a parallel Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) engine. The autotuning is performed using a Vernier delay line based on-chip delay sensor and an all-digital tuning engine. The measurement results demonstrate up to 5.2% improvement in the maximum operating frequency of the AES core using performance-based autotuning.
Chemical compatibility of silicon carbide in molten fluoride salts for the fluoride salt-cooled high temperature reactor

Abstract Silicon carbide is widely appreciated for its high temperature strength, radiation tolerance and neutronic transparency in applications for fuel particles and core internals of nuclear reactors. In the Fluoride Salt-Cooled High Temperature Reactor, silicon carbide ceramic matrix composites are candidate construction material for regions of higher neutron fluxes. Silicon carbide is wettable and reacts electrochemically with dissolved metals. Metallic impurities, tritium, moisture-based impurities and fission products, as well as thermal gradients can accelerate hot corrosion of silicon carbide in molten fluoride salt. Tritium can become trapped in radiation defects of silicon carbide. Thus, an understanding of the potential for tritium absorption, impurities reactions and thermal gradient-assisted corrosion mechanisms along with tritium recovery and redox control systems are necessary to mitigate silicon carbide corrosion in molten fluoride salt systems. Here, we survey current research on silicon carbide corrosion in molten fluoride salts and critically evaluate the research and development gaps.
Who Made Early Christianity? The Jewish Lives of the Apostle Paul: by John G. Gager, New York, Columbia University Press, 2017, vii+192 pp., $21.00/£15.00 (paper)

In his scholarly treatise Who Made Early Christianity? Emeritus Professor John G. Gager traces the progress of anti-Jewish feelings in Rome (in the main) with the growth of an upstart religion to b...
An investment case for maternal and neonatal tetanus elimination.

Abstract Introduction Globally, 13 countries have yet to eliminate maternal and neonatal tetanus. While efforts have improved access to tetanus toxoid containing vaccines (TTCVs) and increased clean delivery practices, reaching elimination targets ( Methods We estimated the cost to achieve maternal and neonatal tetanus elimination (MNTE) in three years in the remaining 13 countries: Afghanistan, Angola, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Guinea, Mali, Nigeria, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, and Yemen. Costs were estimated for: (1) vaccination campaigns using standard TTCVs and TT-Uniject™ targeting women of reproductive age in high risk areas, (2) additional vaccinations delivered to pregnant women at antenatal care (ANC) clinics, (3) clean delivery and umbilical cord care promotion, (4) neonatal tetanus surveillance strengthening, and (5) validation activities. We forecasted the averted mortality to assess the cost-effectiveness of achieving MNTE. Results It will cost an estimated US$197.7 million to realize MNTE over three years. These costs include $161.4 million for vaccination campaigns, $6.1 million for routine vaccination during ANC, $23.3 million for promotion of clean delivery practices, $4 million for surveillance, and $3 million for validation of MNTE. Achieving MNTE will avert approximately 70,000 neonatal deaths over ten years of vaccine protection, resulting in approximately 4.4 million life years gained. It will cost $2,900 per death averted and $45 per life year gained. Conclusion Maternal and neonatal tetanus can be eliminated with significant financial investment, high prioritization, and strong political will. While substantial costs must be incurred to reach hard-to-reach populations, MNTE should be accomplished as a matter of health equity, and will significantly contribute to reaching the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals.
Successful liver transplantation for acute sickle cell intrahepatic cholestasis: A case report and review of the literature.

Background Sickle cell hepatopathy (SCH) is an inclusive term referring to any liver dysfunction among patients with sickle cell disease. Acute sickle cell intrahepatic cholestasis is one of the rarest and most fatal presentations of SCH. We present the 23rd reported case of liver transplantation (LT) for SCH; a rare case of acute sickle cell intrahepatic cholestasis managed with LT from a hepatitis C virus (HCV) nucleic acid amplification test positive donor. Case summary A 29-year-old male with a past medical history of sickle cell disease presented with vaso-occlusive pain crisis. On examination, he had jaundice and a soft, non-tender abdomen. Initially he was alert and fully oriented; within 24 h he developed new-onset confusion. Laboratory evaluation was notable for hyperbilirubinemia, leukocytosis, anemia, thrombocytopenia, acute kidney injury and elevated international normalized ratio (INR). Imaging by ultrasound and computed tomography scan suggested a cirrhotic liver morphology with no evidence of biliary ductal dilatation. The patient was diagnosed with acute sickle cell intrahepatic cholestasis after excluding competing etiologies of acute liver injury. He underwent LT from an HCV nucleic acid amplification test positive donor 9 d after initial presentation. The liver explant was notable for widespread sinusoidal dilatation with innumerable clusters of sickled red blood cells and cholestasis. On postoperative day 3, HCV RNA was detectable in the patient's peripheral blood and anti-HCV therapy with glecaprevir/pibrentasvir was initiated on postoperative day 23. He subsequently achieved sustained virologic response after completing 3 mo of therapy and has been followed clinically for 12 mo post-transplant. Conclusion This case highlights the utility of LT as a viable treatment option for acute sickle cell intrahepatic cholestasis.
Robust Optical Flow Algorithm for General, Label-free Cell Segmentation

ABSTRACT Cell segmentation is crucial to the field of cell biology, as the accurate extraction of cell morphology, migration, and ultimately behavior from time-lapse live cell imagery are of paramount importance to elucidate and understand basic cellular processes. Here, we introduce a novel segmentation approach centered around optical flow and show that it achieves robust segmentation by validating it on multiple cell types, phenotypes, optical modalities, and in-vitro environments without the need of labels. By leveraging cell movement in time-lapse imagery as a means to distinguish cells from their background and augmenting the output with machine vision operations, our algorithm reduces the number of adjustable parameters needed for optimization to two. The code is packaged within a MATLAB executable file, offering an accessible means for general cell segmentation typically unavailable in most cell biology laboratories.
Strictly capturing non-strict closures

All functional languages need closures. Closure-conversion is a compiler transformation that embeds static code into the program for creating and manipulating closures, avoiding the need for special run-time closure support. For call-by-value languages, closure-conversion has been the focus of extensive studies concerning correctness, such as type preservation and contextual equivalence, and performance, such as space usage. Unfortunately, non-strict languages have been neglected in these studies. This paper aims to fill this gap. We begin with both a call-by-name and a call-by-need source language whose semantics automatically generates closures at run-time. Next, we give type-preserving closure-conversions for these two non-strict languages into a lower-level target language without automatic closure generation at run-time. Despite the fact that our source languages are non-strict, we show that closures must be created eagerly, which requires a strict notion of product in the target language. We extend logical relation techniques used to prove compiler correctness for call-by-value languages, to apply to non-strict languages too. In doing so, we identify some important properties for reasoning about memoization with a heap.
Drivers of Cost Associated With Minimally Invasive Esophagectomy.

Background In this era of value-based healthcare, costs must be measured alongside patient outcomes to prioritize quality improvement and inform performance-based reimbursement strategies. We sought to identify drivers of costs for patients undergoing minimally invasive esophagectomy for esophageal cancer. Methods Patients who underwent minimally invasive esophagectomy for esophageal cancer from December 2008 to March 2020 were included. Our institutional Society of Thoracic Surgeons database was merged with financial data to determine inpatient direct accounting costs in 2020 US dollars for total, operative (surgery and anesthesia), and postoperative (intensive care, floor, radiology, laboratory, etc) services. A supervised machine learning quantitative method, the lasso estimator with 10-fold cross-validation, was applied to identify predictors of costs. Results In the study cohort (n = 240) most had ≥cT2 pathology (82%), adenocarcinoma histology (90%), and received neoadjuvant therapy (78%). Mean length of stay was 8.00 days (SD, 4.13) with 45% inpatient morbidity rate and no deaths. The largest proportions of cost were from the operating room (30%), inpatient floor (30%), and postanesthesia care/intensive care units (20%). Preoperative predictors of operative costs were age (–5.18% per decade [95% confidence interval {CI}, –9.95 to –0.27], P = .039), body mass index ≥ 30 (+12.9% [95% CI, 0.00-27.5], P = .050), forced expiratory volume in 1 second (–3.24% per 10% forced expiratory volume in 1 second [95% CI, –5.80 to –0.61], P = .017), and year of surgery (+2.55% [95% CI, 0.97-4.15], P = .002). Predictors of postoperative costs were postoperative renal failure (+91.6% [95% CI, 9.93-233.8], P = .022), respiratory failure (+414.6% [95% CI, 158.7-923.6], P Conclusions Costs associated with minimally invasive esophagectomy are driven by preoperative risk factors and postoperative outcomes. These data enable surgeons and policymakers to reduce cost variation, improve quality through standardization, and ultimately provide greater value to patients.
Smartphone-based symbol-digit modalities test reliably captures brain damage in multiple sclerosis.

As the burden of neurodegenerative diseases increases, time-limited clinic encounters do not allow quantification of complex neurological functions. Patient-collected digital biomarkers may remedy this, if they provide reliable information. However, psychometric properties of digital tools remain largely un-assessed. We developed a smartphone adaptation of the cognitive test, the Symbol-Digit Modalities Test (SDMT) by randomizing the test’s symbol-number codes and testing sequences. The smartphone SDMT showed comparable psychometric properties in 154 multiple sclerosis (MS) patients and 39 healthy volunteers (HV). E.g., smartphone SDMT achieved slightly higher correlations with cognitive subscores of neurological examinations and with brain injury measured by MRI (R2 = 0.75, Rho = 0.83, p < 0.0001) than traditional SDMT. Mathematical adjustment for motoric disability of the dominant hand, measured by another smartphone test, compensates for the disadvantage of touch-based test. Averaging granular home measurements of the digital biomarker also increases accuracy of identifying true neurological decline.
Hepatocytes Cultured on Collagen Modified Micropatterned Agarose for Evaluating Inflammatory and Oxidative Stress Responses

Introduction: Evaluation of hepatocyte response to inflammatory and oxidative stress inducing agents has been hampered by limited availability of appropriate in vitro testing methods. There is an u...
Differences between Financial Accounting and Tax for Valuation in MAA

This technical note outlines the differences between financial accounting standards and tax law that affect the valuation of potential targets depending on the deal structure employed. Valuation models typically rely on financial accounting information to estimate the value of the deal; but tax laws, not financial accounting standards, affect the after-tax cash flows attributable to the deal. The note provides steps to determine a target's tax basis from information in the financial statement, which allows for a better assessment of after-tax cash flows. This technical note can be used in conjunction with several other technical notes: UVA-F-1862, UVA-F-1863, UVA-F-1875, and UVA-C-2256. Excerpt UVA-C-2421 Rev. Apr. 21, 2020 Differences between Financial Accounting and Tax for Valuation in M&A Tax consequences affect the after-tax cash flows attributable to an acquisition, and thus the value of the deal. Tax laws, not financial accounting standards, affect the tax consequences. Yet valuation models of potential targets typically rely on financial accounting information to estimate the value of the deal because access to the target's (T's) tax information is typically not available before due diligence begins. The ability to better assess the after-tax cash flows resulting from an acquisition before comprehensive due diligence begins offers strategic and financial value to potential acquirers. A key to that better assessment comes from a reliable estimate of T's basis in its assets and liabilities. "Basis" is a concept for tax purposes analogous to "book value" for financial accounting purposes. A more accurate estimate of T's basis helps the acquirer (A) forecast T's pro forma after-tax cash flows with greater accuracy and infer both parties' preferences for particular deal structures. Generally, A uses T's financial statements to model pro forma cash flows, which are used as inputs in a discounted cash flows valuation model. To the extent the valuation model doesn't incorporate material differences between financial accounting and tax, such as future depreciation, T's future after-tax cash flows can be grossly misestimated. The differences affect more than the standalone valuation of T's after-tax cash flows. They also affect A's assessment of the benefits and costs of various deal structures and the negotiating room between A and T. In the end, the differences ultimately affect the deal price. . . .
Finite Element Methods for Partial Differential Equations for Option Pricing

This manuscript gives introduction to parabolic Partial Differential Equations (PDE) in one-dimensional case. It recalls the notion and main limitations of Black-Scholes model and establishes the Black-Scholes formula. It recalls the standard machinery of solving the parabolic PDE which is well-known in standard literature such as text-book of Bass (1999). Here we recall the notion of infinitesimal generator of the diffusion process and recall some basic well-known results on the infinitesimal generator of the Markov process. We avoid giving complete proofs of known results and provide reader with a short hint of proofs. Here, we recall again the theory of solving the parabolic PDE, we recall machinery of changes of variables and unknown functions. Then, we derive the Black-Scholes formula and give some intuition of application to some classes of options, such as a Vanilla European Call and Put. The next section is devoted to giving some notions of the classical solution to the parabolic PDE. It is immediately followed by the variational framework. The introduction to the reader of weighted Sobolev spaces on which the solution to the class of parabolic PDE under study lives is a subject to the next section in this Chapter. Straight after that we give a notion of weak formulation of the Black-Scholes equation followed by proving the regularity property of the weak solutions, application of the maximum principle for weak solutions which is a powerful tool to provide the solution to parabolic PDE and work further on derivation of various bounds. We give more insight into the localization procedure. We apply this methodology to option pricing, via Put-Call parity relation we derive a payoff function for a European Vanilla Put and Call. Among the further examples are General European Options, Barrier Options, European Options on a Basket of Asset, American Options, Asian Options. The chapter continues with giving some introduction to application of Finite Element methods where we recall the main steps of using this machinery. We recall as well more innovative Finite Element methods for the class of stochastic volatility models.
Optical and Transport Properties

The iron-based superconductors are in general multiband materials with both electron and hole pockets at the Fermi surface. The presence of multiple carrier types complicates the interpretation of dc transport measurements. However, in the normal state the complex optical properties allow the different contributions to be disentangled, permitting the behavior of the electrons and the holes to be studied using the two-Drude model. The strong, broad Drude term associated with the hole pockets is essentially temperature independent and almost incoherent. Coherent transport originates from the electron pockets where the Drude term is weaker, but the temperature-dependent scattering rate is typically much smaller. The crossover in the optical scattering rates is associated with anomalies observed in transport measurements. Interestingly, the electron pocket can display either a Fermi liquid or a non-Fermi liquid behavior, depending on the nature of the chemical substitution. In the superconducting state the strength of the condensate may be determined as well as the magnitude of the superconducting energy gaps.
Did the Great Recession keep bad drivers off the road

Motorists’ fatalities and the fatality rate (roadway deaths per vehicle-mile traveled (VMT)) tend to decrease during recessions. Using a novel data set of individual drivers, we establish that recessions have differential impacts on driving behavior by decreasing the VMT of observably risky drivers, such as those over age 60, and by increasing the VMT of observably safer drivers. The compositional shift toward safer drivers associated with a one percentage point increase in unemployment would save nearly 5000 lives per year nationwide. This finding suggests that policymakers could generate large benefits by targeting new driver-assistance technology at vulnerable groups.
Abstract P102: Risk of Incident Hypertension and Diabetes Mellitus in Habitual Snorers and Sleep Apneic Individuals; The Multiethnic Study of Atherosclerosis

Background: Data regarding temporal association of sleep apnea and snoring with incident hypertension (HTN) and diabetes mellitus(DM) are limited. Hypothesis: We hypothesized that sleep apnea and snoring are associated with incident HTN and DM. Methods: Participants of age 45 - 65 years from 4 ethnicities (Asian, Hispanic, African American and Caucasian) without known cardiovascular disease from Multi Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA) were administered a sleep questionnaire. HTN was defined as being on antihypertensive medication or blood pressure ≥140/90 mmHg. DM was defined as fasting blood glucose ≥126 mg/dL or use of antidiabetic medications. Participants with baseline HTN and DM were excluded. Cox proportional hazard models were constructed to evaluate the association of habitual snoring (defined as snoring on ≥3 days of week) and sleep apnea (self-report of diagnosis by doctor) with hypertension or diabetes. The analysis was adjusted for age, gender, race, body mass index (BMI), exercise, education. Two separate analyses were performed after excluding hypertensives and diabetics at baseline. Results: Out of 6618 participants, 6206 responded to the sleep questionnaire. There were 213 (3.4%) participants with sleep apnea and 1481 (23.8%) were categorized as habitual snorers. 98% of participants reporting sleep apnea also reported snoring. There were 1364 (38.7%) cases of incident hypertension and 619 (11.3%) incident DM over a period of 10 years. Habitual snoring and sleep apnea both were not associated with incident HTN. Habitual snoring was also not associated with incident DM. Sleep apnea was independently associated with incident DM (see table). Conclusion: Despite potential misclassification of sleep apnea due to self -report, our study shows a strong association between sleep apnea and incident DM but not with incident hypertension. The findings support future research addressing role of sleep apnea in development of DM.
Switchable reflectivity on silicon from a composite VO 2-SiO 2 protecting layer

Surfaces whose reflectivity can be thermally controlled were formed on single crystals of silicon by using ion beams to create a nanocomposite layer consisting of VO2 precipitates embedded in a thin-film matrix of amorphous SiO2. The surface nanocomposite layer was produced by first thermally oxidizing a Si crystal to produce an overlying SiO2 film with a desired thickness. Stoichiometric coimplantation of vanadium and oxygen ions and subsequent thermal processing were then employed to form embedded VO2 nanoparticles in the SiO2 film. The reflectivity of the vanadium dioxide particles undergoes large changes at the VO2 semiconductor-to-metal phase transition, thereby providing the mechanism for thermally controlling the reflectivity of the VO2∕SiO2∕Si layer and, effectively, the Si crystal surface. The VO2∕SiO2 nanocomposite layer was applied in a device configuration in which heating via current through the Si substrate is used to control the surface reflectivity.
Coping with Moral Uncertainty

More than we usually let on, I suspect, we moral philosophers appreciate that rival moral theories stand a decent chance of being right. I might be a consequentialist, but I cannot deny the existence of compelling arguments and intuitions on the deontological side. Moreover, although it seems to me extremely implausible that there really is nothing bad about torment or wrong with cruelty, I cannot entirely shut out worries that the moral nihilists might be right. It is high time we moral philosophers owned up to our doubts and squarely faced the question of how to incorporate such uncertainty into moral thought and practice. A few philosophers have pioneered this sort of inquiry. Among them, no one has thought as long, hard, and well about moral epistemology as Walter Sinnott-Armstrong. Unlike most of us in ethics, Sinnott-Armstrong does not come to questions of moral epistemology as an amateur he has made original contributions to epistemology proper, especially on the subject of skepticism. So I come to his excellent book, Moral Skepticisms, x less as a critic than as someone eager to learn more and understand his view better. My comment therefore will consist primarily in a request for clarification.
Signaling through OX40 (CD134) breaks peripheral T-cell tolerance

Peripheral T-cell tolerance is a mechanism to limit autoimmunity, but represents a major obstacle in diseases such as cancer. Tolerance is due to limited accumulation of antigen-specific T cells accompanied by functional hypo-responsiveness, and is induced by antigen encounter in a non-inflammatory environment. In contrast to advances in preventing induction of T-cell tolerance, there has been little progress in defining targets to reverse established tolerance. Here we show that signals from a single dose of an agonistic antibody against OX40 (CD134, a member of the tumor necrosis-factor family of receptors) can break an existing state of tolerance in the CD4+ T-cell compartment. OX40 signals promote T-cell expansion after the hypo-responsive phenotype is induced and restore normal functionality. These data highlight the potent costimulatory capacity of OX40, and indicate OX40 as a target for therapeutic intervention in a variety of related diseases.
Comparison of bite size, biting rate and grazing time of beef heifers from herds distinguished by mature size and rate of maturity.

Sixteen-month-old heifers from herds having known genetic growth patterns were compared for differences in grazing behavior in a 3-yr study. Treatments were heifers from four size-maturity groups defined by the mature size and maturing rate of cow herds in which they originated. Average growth curve parameters indicating mature BW and rate of maturing in these cow herds were 387 kg and .19%/d for treatment Group I; 413 kg and .18%/d for Group II; 468 kg and .15%/d for Group III; and 589 kg and .16%/d for treatment Group IV. Data were from three heifers per treatment group grazing Midland bermudagrass during June and July observation periods. With the exception of the Group II vs Group III comparison, bite size increased with current or mature BW. Biting rate values were similar for all treatment groups but lower than those previously reported on other grass swards. Grazing time increased (P less than .01) in treatment groups defined by larger mature BW. Differences in grazing time for Group IV vs the other treatments and Group I vs Group II and Group III were observed repeatedly; the Group II vs Group III comparison was significant in one period during each of the 3 yr. Diurnal variations in grazing patterns among the treatments were observed. Period of observation affected (P less than .001) bite size and grazing time. These effects were not associated with month but could best be explained by differences in forage height and total mass. Forage availability had a direct influence on bite size, and a compensating effect of longer grazing time with smaller bite size was demonstrated as a regulator of intake. Differences in ingestive behavior were associated with genetic growth patterns in cattle.
Characterization of sea-urchin sperm deoxyribonucleoproteins (DNP) extracted with glycine

Abstract 1. 1. Solubility, electrophoretic, ultracentrifugal, and electron microscopic evidence indicates that glycine-extracted DNP from sea-urchin sperm behaves as a mono-dispersed solution. 2. 2. If these mono-dispersed DNP solutions are exposed to salt solutions (o.o3–o.o7 M ) they give rise to three fractions. These fractions have a DNA to protein ratio of 30–70 per cent by weight respectively. These fractions are shown by electrophoresis. ultracentrifugation, and electron microscopy. 3. 3. In salt concentrations greater than 0–07 M more fractions are formed whose DNA to protein ratios are different, indicating a separation of proteins from DNA. 4. 4. The glycine extraction is compared with the salt extraction. There are strong indications that the usual washing of the nuclei and of the DNP with 0–1 M Nacl solutions damages the native DNP.
Enthalpies of formation of pyrrhotite Fe1–0.125xS (0 ≤ x ≤ 1) solid solutions

Binary iron sulfides are of major interest and importance in environmental, geological, and planetary science. Oxidative high-temperature oxide melt drop-solution calorimetry in molten sodium molybdate (3Na 2 O·4MoO 3 ) solvent at 975 K was applied to determine the energetics of formation of the binary iron monosulfide solid solution (pyrrhotite) (Fe 1–0.125x S, 0 ≤ x ≤ 1). The enthalpies of formation from elements are consistent with earlier data in the literature, available for a few compositions. Within the experimental errors, the enthalpies of formation of the solid solution from the end-members Fe 0.875 S and FeS (Δ H mix , kJ/mol) at 25 °C equal to zero. Under the assumption of random distribution of Fe vacancies, the Gibbs free energies of mixing of Fe 1–0.125x S (0 ≤ x ≤ 1) are estimated. Our data support the two-sublattice model proposed by Waldner and Pelton (2005).
Adolescent heavy drinkers' amplified brain responses to alcohol cues decrease over one month of abstinence.

Introduction Heavy drinking during adolescence is associated with increased reactivity to alcohol related stimuli and to differential neural development. Alcohol cue reactivity has been widely studied among adults with alcohol use disorders, but little is known about the neural substrates of cue reactivity in adolescent drinkers. The current study aimed to identify changes in blood-oxygen level dependent (BOLD) signal during a cue reactivity task pre- and post-monitored abstinence from alcohol.
Critical fields of Josephson-coupled superconducting multilayers.

The lattice-gauge representation of the Ginzburg-Landau free-energy functional introduced by Doria, Gubernatis, and Rainer is generalized to treat Josephson-coupled superconductor-insulator multilayer materials. Numerical calculations are performed for an applied field parallel to the layers, primarily for \ensuremath{\kappa}=5. Results are presented for the upper and lower critical fields as well as the slope of the magnetization at the upper critical field. The calculations for the lower critical field are compared with the recent analytical formulation of Clem and Coffey and Clem, Coffey, and Hao. No previous prediction is available for the slope of the magnetization curve in a layered system.
What caused the slack demand for metals after 1974

Abstract This paper explores the general reasons for the sudden decline in the growth of world metal demand which began after 1974 and continues to impact the metal industries. For all of the eight metals studied, except aluminium, the dominant cause of this atrophy in demand is the stagnation in total world economic growth, which has caused reduced demand for all goods and services. In addition, consumer preferences have shifted away from metal-intensive goods, further reducing the need for metals. However, materials substitutions and manufacturing technologies have continued to evolve towards lower use of metal in each product at much the same rate after 1974 as before. Therefore, these aspects do not explain the sudden shortfall after 1974 except in the case of aluminium which experienced a dramatic change during the energy crisis years.
Lattice dynamics of layered-structure compounds: PdTe 2

A complete data set for the phonon dispersion curves of ${\mathrm{PdTe}}_{2}$ along the [\ensuremath{\zeta}00], [\ensuremath{\zeta}\ensuremath{\zeta}0], and [00\ensuremath{\zeta}] symmetry directions has been measured. A lattice-dynamical model consisting of axially symmetric Born--von K\'arm\'an interactions to seventh-nearest neighbors together with shell-model contributions, introduced specifically to model dips in the low-energy optic branches in the vicinity of the \ensuremath{\Gamma} point, provides a reasonable fit to the measured dispersion curves. The results are discussed in relation to the known properties of ${\mathrm{PdTe}}_{2}$ and the dispersion data already available for related layered-structure compounds.
LONG-TERM, STABLE EXPRESSION OF GREEN FLUORESCENT PROTEIN IN MAMMALIAN CELLS

Despite the proven utility of green fluorescent protein (GFP) as a reporter molecule for transient gene expression, the adequacy of this marker for models requiring durable, high-level gene expression has not been fully tested. To address this issue, we performed the transfection of Chinese Hamster Ovary (CHO) cells with plasmid DNA encoding both GFP and neomycin phosphotransferase (neo) cassettes. The expression of GFP was measured after the cells were cultured in the presence or absence of G418-mediated selective pressure. After removal of G418 from the growth medium, the percentage of pooled G418 resistant transfectants which co-expressed the GFP transgene increased or remained unchanged. Flow cytometric and visual isolation of GFP-expressing cells was possible without continued selection in G418. One cloned cell line, C463, maintained high-level green fluorescence for 18 weeks in G418 and an additional 12 weeks in nonselective medium. Our data suggest expression of GFP does not confer a growth disadvantage in mammalian cells.
Consequences of auditor reputation loss for client firms: deterioration of financial reporting quality after the Andersen collapse

This paper examines how Andersen’s role in the Enron collapse may have influenced the perceived financial reporting quality of its audit clients. We examine investor response to quarterly earnings announcements by Andersen clients and a sample of matched companies audited by other Big Five auditors. We find that investor response to fourth quarter 2001 earnings announcements for Andersen clients worsened compared to the prior year. In addition, this response to 2001 earnings was more negative for Andersen clients than for clients of other Big Five auditors after the Enron scandal was revealed. Such findings suggest that the loss of auditor reputation was not only a generally stigmatising event for clients, but also specifically undermined confidence in the clients’ financial reporting integrity.