cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Management Compensation and Project Life

The goal of this paper is to empirically examine the relation between management compensation and project life. Prior theoretical research suggests that short-term compensation, in the form of bonus plans, have a tendency to induce managers to invest in projects with short lives. Initially, we develop a model that relates management compensation, earnings announcement and project life defined in terms of duration. Our testable hypothesis states that a greater weight placed on short-term compensation induces managers to invest in projects with shorter duration and is reflected in a lower earnings response coefficient (ERC) for a concurrent earnings announcement. We empirically examine whether there is a relation between type of managerial compensation and ERC. After controlling for the firm's investment opportunity set and other variables known to affect the ERC, we find strong evidence indicating a negative relation between project life and the fraction of short-term compensation in the total compensation package. This result provides evidence that managers with greater proportionate earnings-based compensation tend to invest in shorter-term projects.
Synthesis and crystal structure of Li2[(UO2)(MoO4)2], a uranyl molybdate with chains of corner-sharing uranyl square bipyramids and MoO4 tetrahedra

Abstract Crystals of Li 2 [(UO 2 )(MoO 4 ) 2 ] have been synthesized by solid-state reaction of Li 2 CO 3 , UO 3 and MoO 3 . The crystal structure of the compound (triclinic, P 1 , a =5.3455(4), b =5.8297(4), c =8.2652(6) A, α =108.267(2), β =100.566(2), γ =104.121(2)°, V =227.56(3) A 3 , Z =1) has been solved by direct methods and refined to R 1 =0.027 ( wR 2 =0.047). The structure is based upon chains of composition [(UO 2 )(MoO 4 ) 2 ] 2− composed of UrO 4 square bipyramids that share corners with MoO 4 tetrahedra. The chains are parallel to the a axis and are linked into a three-dimensional framework by Li + cations in trigonal bipyramidal coordination. The LiO 5 trigonal bipyramids form edge-sharing chains parallel to the a axis.
Channel-Adaptive Packetization Policy for Minimal Latency and Maximal Energy Efficiency

This paper considers the problem of delay-optimal bundling of the input symbols into transmit packets in the entry point of a wireless sensor network such that the link delay is minimized under an arbitrary arrival rate and a given channel error rate. The proposed policy exploits the variable packet length feature of contemporary communications protocols in order to minimize the link delay via packet length regularization. This is performed through concrete characterization of the end-to-end link delay for zero-error tolerance system with first come first serve (FCFS) queuing discipline and automatic repeat request (ARQ) re-transmission mechanism. The derivations are provided for an uncoded system as well as a coded system with a given bit error rate. The proposed packetization policy provides an optimal packetization interval that minimizes the end-to-end delay for a given channel with certain bit error probability. This algorithm can also be used for near-optimal bundling of input symbols for dynamic channel conditions provided that the channel condition varies slowly over time with respect to symbol arrival rate. This algorithm complements the current network-based delay-optimal routing and scheduling algorithms in order to further reduce the end-to-end delivery time. Moreover, the proposed method is employed to solve the problem of energy efficiency maximization under an average delay constraint by recasting it as a convex optimization problem.
The Effect of Code Section Knowledge on Tax‐Research Performance

This study investigates whether Code section knowledge, which allows direct access to relevant authority, affects tax‐research performance. This understanding is important because tax professionals are constantly searching the Code for relevant authority to resolve their clients' research questions, and because the Code is the ultimate source of tax authority. The research question is examined through an experiment that compares the research performance of experienced tax professionals and inexperienced graduate tax students when performing either a Code section or a topical search. The results indicate that experienced subjects are better able than inexperienced subjects to use Code section knowledge in tax research. In addition, the experienced subjects using the Code section method retrieved more relevant authority than any other group of subjects. Taken together, the results provide empirical evidence that Code section knowledge complements tax professionals' technical knowledge and improves tax‐resea...
Elevated Atmospheric CO2 Magnifies Intra-specific Variation in Seedling Growth of Honey Mesquite: An Assessment of Relative Growth Rates

The shrub honey mesquite (Prosopis glandulosa var. glandulosa Torr.) readily encroaches into rangelands in the southwestern United States that vary in annual rainfall by almost a factor of 5 (200 to 1 000 mm). This occurs partly because mesquite seedlings grow rapidly and become uncoupled from competition with established herbaceous vegetation. Species that occupy such a wide precipitation gradient frequently include plants that differ genetically in seedling growth rate. Whether atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) enrichment affects seedling biomass uniformly across mesquite genotypes or magnifies the expression of genetic variation in seedling growth remains unresolved. We measured the effects of CO2 enrichment on growth of seedlings derived from 14 adult plants (open-pollinated families), 7 plants each from rangelands located near extremes of the rainfall gradient occupied by the shrub (arid southeastern New Mexico vs. mesic central Texas). Growth was measured over days 10 to 30 following emergence on well-watered seedlings in glasshouses at ambient and elevated CO2 concentrations (391 and 706 μmol·mol−1, respectively). Proportional responses of biomass (day 30) to CO2 enrichment varied from 1.03 to 1.74 among families. CO2 enrichment did not consistently favor the largest or fastest-growing families at ambient CO2. Rather, proportional responses of biomass to elevated CO2 were highly correlated across families with the stimulation of relative growth rate (RGR) at elevated CO2. Biomass at ambient CO2 was 19% greater, on average, in families from mesic rangeland than from arid rangeland, but families from extremes of the precipitation gradient did not diverge by seedling size or response to CO2. Selection for greater RGR could augment the mean growth response of mesquite seedlings to CO2. Even in the absence of selection, CO2 enrichment could increase mesquite establishment by enhancing seedling growth and thereby exacerbate the management challenge of minimizing woody encroachment.
Phylogenomic species tree estimation in the presence of incomplete lineage sorting and horizontal gene transfer

Species tree estimation is challenged by gene tree heterogeneity resulting from biological processes such as duplication and loss, hybridization, incomplete lineage sorting (ILS), and horizontal gene transfer (HGT). Mathematical theory about reconstructing species trees in the presence of HGT alone or ILS alone suggests that quartet-based species tree methods (known to be statistically consistent under ILS, or under bounded amounts of HGT) might be effective techniques for estimating species trees when both HGT and ILS are present. We evaluated several publicly available coalescent-based methods and concatenation under maximum likelihood on simulated datasets with moderate ILS and varying levels of HGT. Our study shows that two quartet-based species tree estimation methods (ASTRAL-2 and weighted Quartets MaxCut) are both highly accurate, even on datasets with high rates of HGT. In contrast, although NJst and concatenation using maximum likelihood are highly accurate under low HGT, they are less robust to high HGT rates. Our study shows that quartet-based species-tree estimation methods can be highly accurate under the presence of both HGT and ILS. The study suggests the possibility that some quartet-based methods might be statistically consistent under phylogenomic models of gene tree heterogeneity with both HGT and ILS.
Comparative Evaluation of Light-Emitting Diode Cap Lamps With an Emphasis on Visual Performance in Mesopic Lighting Conditions

Conducted at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health's (NIOSH) Office of Mine Safety and Health Research, the experiment described in this paper is part of ongoing mine illumination research designed to explore the benefits of solid-state lighting technologies when applied to the underground mining industry. This experiment involves the comparative evaluation of cap lamps with similar spectral power distributions, focusing on the electrical and battery discharge characteristics, with a secondary objective being the benefits gained through alternative light beam distributions. NIOSH researchers conducted the investigation by comparing three commercially available light-emitting diode cap lamps and an NIOSH prototype cap lamp at varying power settings. Visual performance for the detection of hazards was quantified by recording times of detection for finding rotating targets in the peripheral field of view and objects representing trip and fall hazards on the ground. The NIOSH prototype cap lamp resulted in improvements ranging from 15% to 43% for peripheral motion detection time and 5%-23% for slip, trip, and fall object detection time, respectively, as compared with the referent incandescent cap lamp.
Area aggregation and time-scale modeling for sparse nonlinear networks☆

Model reduction and aggregation are of key importance for simulation and analysis of large-scale systems, such as molecular dynamics, large swarms of robotic vehicles, and animal aggregations. We study a nonlinear network which exhibits areas of internally dense and externally sparse interconnections. The densely connected nodes in these areas synchronize in the fast time-scale, and behave as aggregate nodes that dominate the slow dynamics of the network. We first derive a singular perturbation model which makes this time-scale separation explicit and, next, prove the validity of the reduced-model approximation on the infinite time interval.
Authoritarian Legacies in Post–New Order Indonesia: Evidence from a New Dataset

Democratisation has fundamentally changed the formal institutional structure of Indonesian politics, but a wealth of contemporary research has demonstrated that the informal mechanisms of power and influence have survived the transition. This article uses a unique, hand-collected dataset of information on Indonesian public figures to empirically catalogue the changes and continuities in Indonesian politics since democratisation. Our results provide quantitative evidence of a substantial shift in Indonesia’s political economy over the last decade and a half: the simultaneous rise of the private sector and decline of the military and the state as avenues to political influence at the national level. Our evidence also suggests that the origins of this shift pre-date democratisation itself.
Immune response to Mycobacterium lepraemurium: assessment of the humoral immune response in mice.

Abstract Intraperitoneal infection of mice with Mycobacterium lepraemurium produced a primary immune response as represented by direct (IgM) plaque-forming cells at the splenic level within a short period after infection. This response was enhanced when animals were administered a second infection fifteen days after the first one. An identical situation was observed with the developed (IgG) plaques, although the magnitude of these plaques in animals given the second challenge was of a higher order than those given only one infection. In both instances, the number of plaques declined within a very short time after reaching a peak. Higher levels of both direct and developed plaques in animals given second infection was a consequence of the dual effect of antigenic stimulus offerred through the extracellular organisms in the second challenge and intracellular organisms from the previous challenge. The rapid decline, indicated a dampening of the immune response through restricted antigenic stimulus, not only due to all organisms becoming intracellular during the course of infection but also due to structural alterations in the spleens, caused by extensive proliferation of the infecting pathogen. Comparative analysis of the humoral immune response in animals infected with M. leprae, M. marinum and M. lepraemurium indicated similarities in terms of the latent period of induction and decline of the immune response and some very distinct differences in other respects. These differences could be attributed to various factors, such as the site and dose of infection, nature of the disease induced in the animal host and the ability of the respective organisms to become intracellular. Based on these observations, it is suggested that neither the M. lepraemurium nor the M. marinum models can fully satisfy the requirements, at least immunologically, needed to consider these models as possible substitutes for evaluation of the host-parasite interactions in M. leprae infection of mice, although such a concept has been proposed previously, especially in regard to the M. marinum model.
Optimizing Biofuels Production in an Uncertain Decision Environment

The question of increasing biofuels production and the development of different biofuels production technologies has become controversial. On the one hand, production of corn-based biofuels creates a ‘food/feed vs. fuel’ tradeoff condition, along with subsequent uncertainties for both consumers and producers (farmers). On the other, advanced biofuels (from, e.g., switchgrass, miscanthus, algae), although acknowledged as environmentally friendly, are not available yet on a large commercial scale. In addition, the resource availability for the production of biofuels feedstocks and the question of a sustainable biofuels production are major issues impacting decision making. By using a multi-objective optimization model and fuzzy logic, the paper presents an approach of modeling sustainable biofuels production from conventional and advanced biofuels feedstocks, under the condition of limited resources and uncertainty resulting from incomplete information or missing knowledge about resource availability for biofuels production.
Strategic interactions and portfolio choice in money management : evidence from Colombian pension funds

This paper studies the portfolio choice of strategic fund managers in the presence of a peer-based underperformance penalty. Evidence is taken from the Colombian pension fund management industry, where six asset managers are in charge of portfolio allocation for the mandatory contributions of the working population. These managers are subject to a peer-based underperformance penalty, known as the Minimum Return Guarantee. The trading behavior by the managers is studied before and after a change in the strictness of the guarantee in June 2007. The evidence suggests that a tighter minimum return guarantee results in more trading in the direction of peers, a behavior that is more pronounced for underperforming managers. These managers rebalance their portfolios by buying securities in which they are underexposed relative to their peers, as opposed to selling assets in which they are overexposed. Overall, the results suggest that incentives for managers to be close to industry benchmarks play an important role in the portfolio allocation of these funds.
Observations, inferences, and mechanisms of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation: A review

This is a review about the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC), its mean structure, temporal variability, controlling mechanisms, and role in the coupled climate system. The AMOC plays a central role in climate through its heat and freshwater transports. Northward ocean heat transport achieved by the AMOC is responsible for the relative warmth of the Northern Hemisphere compared to the Southern Hemisphere and is thought to play a role in setting the mean position of the Intertropical Convergence Zone north of the equator. The AMOC is a key means by which heat anomalies are sequestered into the ocean's interior and thus modulates the trajectory of climate change. Fluctuations in the AMOC have been linked to low-frequency variability of Atlantic sea surface temperatures with a host of implications for climate variability over surrounding landmasses. On intra-annual timescales, variability in AMOC is large and primarily reflects the response to local wind forcing; meridional coherence of anomalies is limited to that of the wind field. On interannual to decadal timescales, AMOC changes are primarily geostrophic and related to buoyancy anomalies on the western boundary. A pacemaker region for decadal AMOC changes is located in a western “transition zone” along the boundary between the subtropical and subpolar gyres. Decadal AMOC anomalies are communicated meridionally from this region. AMOC observations, as well as the expanded ocean observational network provided by the Argo array and satellite altimetry, are inspiring efforts to develop decadal predictability systems using coupled atmosphere-ocean models initialized by ocean data.
Massive quiver matrix models for massive charged particles in AdS

We present a new class of $$ \mathcal{N}=4 $$ supersymmetric quiver matrix models and argue that it describes the stringy low-energy dynamics of internally wrapped D-branes in four-dimensional anti-de Sitter (AdS) flux compactifications. The Lagrangians of these models differ from previously studied quiver matrix models by the presence of mass terms, associated with the AdS gravitational potential, as well as additional terms dictated by supersymmetry. These give rise to dynamical phenomena typically associated with the presence of fluxes, such as fuzzy membranes, internal cyclotron motion and the appearance of confining strings. We also show how these models can be obtained by dimensional reduction of four-dimensional supersymmetric quiver gauge theories on a three-sphere.
A Survey on Social Media Anomaly Detection

Social media anomaly detection is of critical importance to prevent malicious activities such as bullying, terrorist attack planning, and fraud information dissemination. With the recent popularity of social media, new types of anomalous behaviors arise, causing concerns from various parties. While a large amount of work have been dedicated to traditional anomaly detection problems, we observe a surge of research interests in the new realm of social media anomaly detection. In this paper, we present a survey on existing approaches to address this problem. We focus on the new type of anomalous phenomena in the social media and review the recent developed techniques to detect those special types of anomalies. We provide a general overview of the problem domain, common formulations, existing methodologies and potential directions. With this work, we hope to call out the attention from the research community on this challenging problem and open up new directions that we can contribute in the future
Evaluating discourses of dissent: Questions of Moralität and Sittlichkeit

This article contends that the language of dissident movements should be analyzed through the lenses of two modes of moral reasoning in order to evaluate the potential success of those movements. T...
Experience With Fatigue Analysis and Inspection Results in the North Sea

This paper describes a comparison of observed defects on two similar North Sea jackets to theoretical fatigue lives. In order to appreciate the limitations of the study, brief details are given of the fatigue analysis of each platform and the scope and method of inspection used in finding the defects. The observed defects are compared on a statistical basis with the probability level suggested by API RP 2A. The implications on the long term inspection strategy for these platforms are then considered.
Electromagnetic structure of light nuclei

Here, the present understanding of nuclear electromagnetic properties including electromagnetic moments, form factors and transitions in nuclei with A ≤ 10 is reviewed. Emphasis is on calculations based on nuclear Hamiltonians that include two- and three-nucleon realistic potentials, along with one- and two-body electromagnetic currents derived from a chiral effective field theory with pions and nucleons.
Physics of the reactor meltdown accident

The various sources and sinks for heat in the reactor fuel and in the containment atmosphere are followed as a function of time, and they are used to determine what combinations of failures would lead to fuel meltdown and to rupture of the containment. Heat transfer problems are discussed and it is shown that their rates are not generally limiting. In some cases, it is indicated that the Rasmussen study assumptions were highly conservative. 8 refs.
Living with a new mathematical species

In 1985 the International Commission on Mathematical Instruction (ICMI) convened a meeting in France of mathematicians, computer scientists, and mathematics educators from around the world to discuss the impact of “informatics” (the common European term for computer science) on mathematics—specifically, on mathematical research, on the mathematical curriculum, and on mathematical pedagogy.
Perspectives of family medicine physicians on the importance of adolescent preventive care: a multivariate analysis

The study objective was to identify commonalities amongst family medicine physicians who endorse annual adolescent visits. A nationally weighted representative on-line survey was used to explore pediatrician (N = 204) and family medicine physicians (N = 221) beliefs and behaviors surrounding adolescent wellness. Our primary outcome was endorsement that adolescents should receive annual preventive care visits. Pediatricians were significantly more likely (p < .01) to endorse annual well visits. Among family medicine physicians, bivariate comparisons were conducted between those who endorsed an annual visit (N = 164) compared to those who did not (N = 57) with significant predictors combined into two multivariate logistic regression models. Model 1 controlled for: patient race, proportion of 13-17 year olds in provider’s practice, discussion beliefs scale and discussion behaviors with parents scale. Model 2 controlled for the same first three variables as well as discussion behaviors with adolescents scale. Model 1 showed for each discussion beliefs scale topic selected, family medicine physicians had 1.14 increased odds of endorsing annual visits (p < .001) and had 1.11 greater odds of endorsing annual visits with each one-point increase in discussion behaviors with parents scale (p = .51). Model 2 showed for each discussion beliefs scale topic selected, family medicine physicians had 1.15 increased odds of also endorsing the importance of annual visits (p < .001). Family medicine physicians that endorse annual visits are significantly more likely to affirm they hold strong beliefs about topics that should be discussed during the annual exam. They also act on these beliefs by talking to parents of teens about these topics. This group appears to focus on quality of care in thought and deed.
Body weight: estimation of risk for breast and endometrial cancers.

Consistent, positive, and independent associations between body weight or body mass index (BMI), weight gain, and various measures of central adiposity and the incidence of endometrial cancer exist. Increases in relative risks of 2-3.5 are reported for women with BMIs (in kg/m 2 ) ≥ 28-30, for women in the fourth compared with the first quartile of measures of central adiposity, and for women with weight gains from young adulthood to middle age of ≥ 27 kg. Furthermore, endometrial cancer mortality is increased in heavier and taller women. Associations between breast cancer incidence and these measures of adiposity vary by age and menopausal status at the time of diagnosis. Heavier women appear to be at decreased risk for developing premenopausal breast cancer ; relative risks of 0.6 were reported for women with BMIs ≥26-27. Conversely, heavier women are at increased risk of developing and dying from postmenopausal breast cancer. Although contradictory findings have been observed in cohort studies, modest increases in relative risks on the order of 1.2-1.5 were reported in older postmenopausal women with BMIs of ≥28-30. Furthermore, adult weight gain and increased central adiposity have been consistently and independently associated with an increased risk for postmenopausal breast cancer. No significant associations have been observed between weight loss and postmenopausal breast cancer incidence. These findings indicate that avoidance of weight gain and accumulation of central body fat during adult life may reduce risk of both endometrial and postmenopausal breast cancer.
Coupled dynamics of flow, microstructure, and conductivity in sheared suspensions

We propose a model for the evolution of the conductivity tensor for a flowing suspension of electrically conductive particles. We use discrete particle numerical simulations together with a continuum physical framework to construct an evolution law for the suspension microstructure during flow. This model is then coupled with a relationship between the microstructure and the electrical conductivity tensor. Certain parameters of the joint model are fit experimentally using rheo-electrical conductivity measurements of carbon black suspensions under flow over a range of shear rates. The model is applied to the case of steady shearing as well as time-varying conductivity of unsteady flow experiments. We find that the model prediction agrees closely with the measured experimental data in all cases.
Why nature eschews the concerted [2 + 2 + 2] cycloaddition of a nonconjugated cyanodiyne. Computational study of a pyridine synthesis involving an ene-Diels-Alder-bimolecular hydrogen-transfer mechanism.

An intramolecular formal metal-free intramolecular [2 + 2 + 2] cycloaddition for the formation of pyridines has been investigated with M06-2X and B3LYP density functional methods, and compared to t...
Some Properties of Polymer Networks Formed from Oriented Chains of Natural Rubber

Abstract Highly oriented natural rubber samples prepared by a modification of the racking process described by Feuchter were crosslinked by means of γ-radiation. Some of the physical properties of the networks prepared in this manner were studied and compared with networks formed from chains which were randomly arranged prior to the introduction of the crosslinks. In accord with the theoretical considerations of Flory it was found that the swelling behavior, isotropic length, and isotropic melting temperature of the networks depend not only on the fraction of units crosslinked but also very markedly on the arrangement of the chains prior to network formation. It also was observed that the crystalline oriented racked rubber was crosslinked twice as effectively by γ-radiation as was the amorphous rubber.
Optimal Power Flow in Direct Current Networks

The optimal power flow (OPF) problem determines power generations/demands that minimize a certain objective such as generation cost or power loss. It is non-convex and NP-hard in general. In this paper, we study the OPF problem in direct current (DC) networks. A second-order cone programming (SOCP) relaxation is considered for solving the OPF problem. We prove that the SOCP relaxation is exact if either 1) voltage upper bounds do not bind; or 2) voltage upper bounds are uniform and power injection lower bounds are negative. Based on 1), a modified OPF problem is proposed, whose corresponding SOCP is guaranteed to be exact. We also prove that SOCP has at most one optimal solution if it is exact. Finally, we discuss how to improve numerical stability and how to include line constraints.
Fermat's last theorem in combinatorial form

(1988). A Difference Equation for Strings of Ones. The American Mathematical Monthly: Vol. 95, No. 7, pp. 636-638.
Development of a Suzuki cross-coupling reaction between 2-azidoarylboronic pinacolate esters and vinyl triflates to enable the synthesis of [2,3]-fused indole heterocycles.

The scope and limitations of a Suzuki reaction between 2-azidoarylboronic acid pinacolate esters and vinyl triflates are reported. This cross-coupling reaction enables the regioselective synthesis of indoles after a subsequent RhII2-catalyzed sp2-C–H bond amination reaction.
Wisdom, Alterability, and Social Rules

This paper uses cost–benefit analysis to evaluate the relative efficiency of three competing sources of social rules: legislation, norms, and private rules. On the benefit side, we consider the ‘wisdom’ and ‘alterability’ of social rules produced under each source. Wisdom refers to the extent to which social rules reflect society members' rule demands. Alterability refers to the ease with which society members can change social rules when their rule demands change. On the cost side, we consider the production and external costs associated with producing social rules under each source. We find that legislation is relatively alterable but unwise. Norms are wiser but unalterable. Private rules avoid the wisdom–alterability tradeoff and are both wise and alterable. However, private rules have higher external costs than legislation and may have higher production costs than norms. Many societies may be able to produce more efficient social rules privately. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Sex and Race Differences in the Relationship between Obesity and C-Reactive Protein

C-reactive protein (CRP) is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease and mortality; it is known to be positively associated with obesity but there is some evidence that this association differs by race or sex. We used nationally representative data of adults aged >50 years to investigate sex and race modifiers of the associations between obesity and CRP in non-Hispanic White males (n=3,517) and females (n=4,658), and non-Hispanic Black males (n=464) and females (n=826). Using multiple linear regression models with the natural logarithm of CRP as the dependent variable, we sequentially included body mass index (BMI), a body shape index (ABSI), and socioeconomic, health and health behavior covariates in the model. The association between BMI and CRP was significantly stronger in females than males. Obese White females had mean CRP values slightly above 3 mg/liter (vs 2 for White males) and Black females had mean CRP values >4 mg/liter (vs 3 for Black males). More than 50% of Black females in the United States have obesity. Continued research into racial and sex differences in the relationship between obesity, inflammation, and health risks may ultimately lead to more personalized weight loss recommendations.
Why So Many Measures of Nonprofit Financial Performance? Analyzing and Improving the Use of Financial Measures in Nonprofit Research

Financial measures provide an empirical basis from which nonprofit researchers and practicing managers can approximate organizational capacity, financial health, and performance. These measures are used in nonprofit research to predict organizational activities and funding opportunities. Yet, little empirical evidence exists to tell us what these measures assess and whether they capture underlying concepts in the way we assume. Using Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Form 990 data, this article explores the following research question: Can accounting measures be organized into theoretically intuitive and empirically defensible constructs? To answer this question, a literature review of nonprofit financial health studies and textbooks was conducted, and dimension reduction techniques were employed. The findings suggest that the answer to the research question is not as simple as expected, and we should exercise more caution in how we use financial measures in nonprofit research.
TRANEXAMIC ACID IN MORBIDLY OBESE PATIENTS

Background Tranexamic acid (TXA) is a lysine analog that has been shown to reduce intra-operative blood loss in total joint replacements. Effect of TXA in morbid obese patients has not been established. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of TXA on change of haematocrit (HCT) and packed RBC (PRBC) blood transfusion rate in our institution, especially in morbid obese patients. Methods Between January 2014 and December 2014, 216 primary and revision hip and knee arthroplasty were identified from our prospective institutional database. All cases were performed by two adult reconstruction specialists. All primary total hip arthroplasties (THA) were non-cemented and all primary total knee arthroplasties (TKA) were cemented with similar implant and technique. Use of TXA in our institution was initiated on August of 2014. TXA was given intravenously (IV) as one gram prior to incision and one gram at the time of femoral preparation in THA or cementation in TKA, not exceeding 10mg/kg. In cases where IV TXA was contraindicated, topical was used. We analyzed pre- and post-operative hematocrit and transfusion rate. Criteria for transfusion was HCT Results In the non-TXA group, 50 out of 126 cases (40%) were transfused (17 THA, 25 TKA, 5 revision THA, 3 revision TKA), ranging from 1–5 PRBC. In the TXA group, 13 out of 90 cases (14%) were transfused (3 THA, 8 TKA, 2 revision THA), ranging 1–2 PRBC. This difference was statistically significant (p=0.0001). The overall drop in the TXA group HCT was 5.9 ± 3.9, as compared to 9.8 ± 4.3 in the non-TXA groups, which was statistically significant (p=0.0001). The mean pre- and post-operative HCT was 37.4 ± 4.3 and 28.2 ± 3 in the transfused patients without TXA. The average drop in HCT was 9.3 ± 4.3. The mean pre- and post-operative HCT was 34.3 ± 4.1 and 27.4 ± 1.9 in the transfused patients without TXA. The average drop in HCT was 7.3 ± 2.9. In the morbid obese patients, 45 did not receive TXA, 17 had transfusion with average drop in HCT of 9.6 ± 3.9; 29 received TXA and 2 had transfusion with average drop in HCT of 5.9 ± 3.1. There transfusion and drop in HCT was significantly less for morbid obese patients that received TXA (p=0.0001). Discussion and Conclusions Since initiating TXA in our institution, the overall transfusion rate in both primary and revision arthroplasty cases have dramatically declined (26%). This was more evident in morbidly obese patients. In cases that needed transfusion with TXA, only one or two PRBC was given, which was a drastic improvement.
Ultrasound-guided cannulation of the femoral vein in electrophysiological procedures: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Aims In an effort to minimize periprocedural stroke risk, increasingly, electrophysiological (EP) procedures are being performed on anticoagulation. The decrease in stroke has been accompanied by an increase in potentially devastating vascular access complications. Ultrasound guidance for femoral vein cannulation reduces complications in other applications. The aim of this study is to determine the utility of real-time two-dimensional (2D) ultrasound guidance for femoral vein cannulation in EP. Methods and results A comprehensive literature search of Medline, Embase, Google Scholar, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials was performed. Five years of conference abstracts from the Heart Rhythm Society, European Heart Rhythm Association, and European Cardiac Arrhythmia Society were reviewed. Two independent reviewers identified trials comparing ultrasound-guided with standard cannulation in EP procedures. Data were extracted on study design, study size, operator and patient characteristics, use of anticoagulation, vascular complication rates, first-pass success rate, and inadvertent arterial puncture. Four trials, with a total of 4065 subjects, were included in the review, with 1848 subjects in the ultrasound group and 2217 subjects in the palpation group. Ultrasound guidance for femoral vein cannulation was associated with a 60% reduction of major vascular bleeding (relative risk, 0.40; 95% confidence interval, 0.28–0.91). Additionally, there was a 66% reduction in minor vascular complications (relative risk, 0.34; 95% confidence interval, 0.15–0.78). Conclusion The use of real-time 2D ultrasound guidance for femoral vein cannulation decreases access-related bleeding rates and life-threatening vascular complications.
PATIENT SPECIFIC INSTRUMENTS: OVERPROMISED, UNDERDELIVERED – AFFIRMS

Patient-specific instruments for total knee arthroplasty shift the bone landmark registration and implant positioning of computer navigation from intraoperative to the pre-operative setting. A preoperative MRI or CT scan is mandatory, with the specifications determined by the instrument manufacturer. Default implant sizing and alignment targets must be templated by the surgeon and mapped onto the virtual knee. The surgeon must also review and modify the preoperative computer plan to incorporate any clinical findings, such as flexion contracture or fixed deformity. The finalised preoperative plan is sent back to the implant vendor for fabrication of patient-specific cutting blocks in 4–6 weeks. The supposed advantages of these instruments include more accurate coronal alignment, fewer outliers, no instrumentation of intramedullary canal, decreased operative time, and decreased hospital costs to clean-sterilise instruments. There are many disadvantages of patient-specific instruments, including: cost, preoperative scheduling of imaging, the learning curve for the surgeon, and the uncalculated preoperative planning time. A set of conventional instruments should be available if the custom instruments do not fit properly. One study of 66 knees using PSI reported that frequent surgeon-directed changes were required, 2.4 per knee, implant sizes were changed in 77% of femurs and 53% of tibias, and tourniquet time was not improved. A Markov model study reported an increased cost of $4600 for 4.6 QALYs for patient-specific instruments and that the rate of revision must be reduced by 50% or more for these instruments to be cost-effective. There is little evidence to support the claims made by the manufacturers of these instruments. We advise against the widespread use of these instruments for total knee arthroplasty.
PEDICLE INTEGRITY TESTING: IS IT WORTH IT?

To determine whether neurophysiological electrical pedicle testing (EPT) is a useful aid in the detection of malpostioned pedicle screw tracts EPT data from 246 screws in 32 spinal operations on 32 patients over a 5 year period (2009–2014) were recorded and analysed. In addition to physical palpation, a ball-tipped electrode delivered stimuli and the output was recorded by evoked electromyogram (EMG). When breach threshold values were recorded, the surgeon rechecked the tract for breaches and responded appropriately. In addition, standard motor evoked potential (MEP) and sensory evoked potential(SEP) spinal cord monitoring was performed. There were 24(9.8%) pedicle breaches by tract testing and 8(3.3%) by screw testing. In 11 instances in 7 patients where the tract testing showed a breach, the tract was redirected and subsequent screw testing showed adequate integrity of the pedicle. The total time for tract and screw testing was 25 seconds. There were no associated changes in MEP or SEP monitoring with any of the recorded pedicle breaches and none of the patients had any post-operative neurological deficit. EPT for the pedicle screw and tract is a safe, simple, practical and reliable technique which improves the accuracy of screw placement. Further studies would be required to confirm (and possibly revise) the threshold levels and to demonstrate whether EPT reduces the risk of misplaced screws or post-operative neurological deficit.
Oxygen Balance of an Estuary

Field data from estuarine surveys of Delaware and James Rivers; net seaward movement of organic impurities is due to displacement by land runoff and to longitudinal diffusion of tidal action; differential equation for concentration of organic material, its rate of oxidation, and resulting rate of reaeration under steady state condition; turbulent diffusion coefficient and deoxygenation rate are determined from analysis of survey data.
Brain heating induced by near-infrared lasers during multiphoton microscopy

New optical tools are transforming neuroscience, allowing increasingly comprehensive control and readout of neural circuits. However, emerging parallel microscopy methods rely on higher total illum...
15N and 1H Solid-State NMR Investigation of a Canonical Low-Barrier Hydrogen-Bond Compound: 1,8-Bis(dimethylamino)naphthalene

Strong or low-barrier hydrogen bonds have often been proposed in proteins to explain enzyme catalysis and proton-transfer reactions. So far 1H chemical shifts and scalar couplings have been used as the main NMR spectroscopic signatures for strong H-bonds. In this work, we report simultaneous measurements of 15N and 1H chemical shifts and N–H bond lengths by solid-state NMR in 15N-labeled 1,8-bis(dimethylamino)naphthalene (DMAN), which contains a well-known strong NHN H-bond. We complexed DMAN with three different counteranions to examine the effects of the chemical environment on the H-bond lengths and chemical shifts. All three DMAN compounds exhibit significantly elongated N–H distances compared to the covalent bond length, and the 1HN chemical shifts are larger than ∼17 ppm, consistent with strong NHN H-bonds in the DMAN cation. However, the 15N and 1H chemical shifts and the precise N–H distances differ among the three compounds, and the 15N chemical shifts show opposite dependences on the proton loca...
A Partial Defense of the IRS as Health Care Agency

Despite the fact that the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) is overburdened and struggling to meet the needs of taxpayers, Congress continues to add to IRS responsibilities in areas that appear far removed from the agency’s core revenue raising function. The Affordable Care Act (“ACA”) is a commonly cited example of the non-revenue raising regulatory roles the IRS is increasingly asked to play, to the criticism of many. After providing an historical overview of the IRS’s involvement in health care regulation, the article provides a partial defense of the expanded role that the IRS has been given as a result of the ACA. The article concludes that much of the IRS’s involvement in health care regulation appears not only defensible, but efficient. For better or for worse, there is no better system for processing payments to or from a large number of taxpayers than the federal income tax system. Additionally, the use of excise taxes to shape taxpayer behavior appears to offer the best of both worlds: a powerful incentive that requires very few enforcement resources. The article concludes, however, that significant burden could be removed from the IRS by modifying or removing the IRS’s substantive rulemaking authority with respect to health care matters, deferring instead to other federal agencies, such as the Department of Health and Human Services, that have particular health policy expertise.
Reversing course: Competing technologies, mistakes, and renewal in flat panel displays

Research summary: The study explores renewal in a novel but understudied context—an era of ferment with competing technological options. It focuses on IBM's transition from market leadership in a failed path (plasma) to leadership in the emerging dominant technology (LCD) in the 1980s. Interviews and internal documents offer two primary factors explaining renewal at IBM. First, IBM Research had a hybrid structure that captured the benefits of both centralized and decentralized R&D. Second, middle managers shaped senior management cognitive frames to focus on business-related issues instead of specific technical issues, thus bypassing biases often resulting from failure. The study offers an integrated framework on what facilitates flexibility at the technology, organization, and decision-making levels. This flexibility helps firms survive a turbulent era of ferment. Managerial summary: Firms facing technological uncertainty may need to recover from unlucky bets. But responding to failure is politically and organizationally difficult. This study explores how IBM recovered from its failed bet on plasma displays to lead the LCD display market. This study identifies six key factors, highlighting two. First, IBM's researchers received centralized funding, but could also receive funding directly from division managers. This structure helped preserve options and variety. Second, internal LCD champions focused on the business case for displays and not technology. This fostered technology agnosticism and helped avoid managerial biases from failure. For managers looking to use real options to maintain flexibility in an uncertain environment, this study offers clear suggestions related to design and decision making that can foster flexibility. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Differential Optical Dispersion Spectroscopy

By providing access to the optical phase information associated with the probed sample laser dispersion spectroscopy enables new strategies in spectroscopic sensing and has a potential to overcome some of the limitations of conventional, absorption-based molecular sensing methods. Here we demonstrate a differential optical dispersion spectroscopy, which offers a unique capability of direct, optical-domain processing of spectroscopic signatures and provides information inaccessible through conventional methods. The underlying physical principle and concepts of potential applications have been experimentally demonstrated.
Epsilon-Lexicase Selection for Regression

Lexicase selection is a parent selection method that considers test cases separately, rather than in aggregate, when performing parent selection. It performs well in discrete error spaces but not on the continuous-valued problems that compose most system identification tasks. In this paper, we develop a new form of lexicase selection for symbolic regression, named e-lexicase selection, that redefines the pass condition for individuals on each test case in a more effective way. We run a series of experiments on real-world and synthetic problems with several treatments of e and quantify how e affects parent selection and model performance. e-lexicase selection is shown to be effective for regression, producing better fit models compared to other techniques such as tournament selection and age-fitness Pareto optimization. We demonstrate that e can be adapted automatically for individual test cases based on the population performance distribution. Our experiments show that e-lexicase selection with automatic e produces the most accurate models across tested problems with negligible computational overhead. We show that behavioral diversity is exceptionally high in lexicase selection treatments, and that e-lexicase selection makes use of more fitness cases when selecting parents than lexicase selection, which helps explain the performance improvement.