cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Executive Compensation Consultants and CEO Pay

This Article surveys recent empirical studies on the relation between compensation consultants and CEO pay. The economic rationale for using executive compensation consultants is that they supply valuable data, information, and professional expertise to client firms. However, critics argue that the consultant’s independence might be compromised because of conflicts of interest arising from the cross selling of business services or because of the consultant’s desire to obtain repeat business. The emergent empirical evidence suggests that pay consultants are important in explaining executive compensation, although the findings are sometimes mixed and the precise effects of consultants on pay are yet to be fully understood. In addition, this Article provides some new evidence on the correlation between CEO pay and consultants using U.S. and U.K. data. Adopting a slightly different approach to prior studies, I show that there is a positive cross-section correlation between executive pay and compensation consultants. Conditional on the estimation strategy, the existing evidence supports the hypothesis that CEOs of U.K. firms using consultants receive higher pay than those that do not use compensation consultants. There is less evidence that firms facing conflicts of interest, such as supplying other business services, are associated with higher levels of CEO pay. However, the findings may be sensitive to the type of estimation methods employed, and addressing this concern is a challenge for future research. I also find little support for the hypothesis that firms switch consultants as a mechanism of increasing CEO pay. Again, interpreting the data is fraught with difficulties because of selection effects and the possibility of reverse causation. Finally, the recent Dodd-Frank Act significantly upgrades disclosure about executive compensation and compensation advisors. Future research on the efficacy of compensation consultants will undoubtedly take advantage of these new provisions. At present, it is difficult to unambiguously conclude that pay consultants simply promote executive interests at the expense of shareholders, or that pay outcomes and contracts are not optimal.
Hormonal Control of Pancreatic Islet Functions

A hormonal control of the pancreatic islets has been suspected for many decades, and a number of mechanisms have been implicated. In particular, the association of diabetes mellitus with pituitary- and adrenal-related aberrations (acromegaly, Cushing’s syndrome), the alleviation of diabetic symptoms by removal of pituitary and adrenal glands, and the induction of diabetic symptoms or islet alterations by injections of pituitary and adrenal hormones, raises the question of specific insulotropic hormonal effects (see e. g., Bratusch-Marrain 1983; Ganda and Soeldner 1983; Pek and Spangler 1983; Schade and Eaton 1983; Volk and Wellmann 1985e). However, no specific adenohypophysial or pituitary-dependent insulotropic hormones have been identified with certainty. Rather, the effects of these hormones (with the possible exception of the ovarian and thyroid secretions) seem to have been due to indirect, mainly metabolic, interactions. On the other hand, direct insulotropic effects of adrenomedullary hormones have been identified, and new insulotropic candidates have been ascribed to two additional endocrine systems: (1) hypothalamus; (2) gastrointestinal mucosa. The hypothalamic insulotropic secretions require further studies; the gastrointestinal “incretins” are poorly characterized even in mammals. Since we discussed the hypothalamic insulotropic factors in Chap. 7, we will deal in the following only with the adrenomedullary secretions and the incretins.
Type 2 diabetes: the modern epidemic

Type 2 diabetes is a major clinical and public health problem. It is estimated that in the year 2000, 171 million people worldwide had type 2 diabetes, including about 18 million Americans, and it is estimated that these numbers will grow to 366 million people worldwide and 30 million Americans by the year 2030.
Coronary Blood Flow During Interventional Procedures: Implications for Vascular Remodeling

Restenosis after coronary angioplasty remains one of the most critical problems associated with long term clinical benefit. The restenotic process is thought to be due to 2 components, neointimal formation and proliferation from arterial trauma and vascular remodeling with arterial constriction or in some cases compensatory enlargement. Both processes are inextricably linked to the on-going physiology of the pathobiologic milieu of the intervention and underlying morphologic substrate of the arterial wall.
Facilitation of maternal-fetal oxygen transfer in fishes: Anatomical and molecular specializations

Oxygen transfer in viviparous vertebrates is facilitated by the close proximity of fetal and maternal circulatory systems. Among the fishes, facilitation is accomplished by a remarkable diversity of maternal-fetal anatomical specializations. Maternal-fetal O2 transfer is further enhanced by a fetal blood which has a higher O2 affinity than that of the adult. The diversity of anatomical specializations suggests that there may be a similar variety of molecular specializations as well to ensure a relatively high fetal blood O2 affinity. Study of adult and fetal bloods of the seaperch, Embiotoca lateralis have shown that fetal blood has a higher O2 affinity than that of the adult. It appears that the E. lateralis fetus utilizes a different hemoglobin and a lower organic phosphate concentration to ensure this higher blood O2 affinity; a lower mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration may contribute to the higher O2. affinity as well. A higher fetal than adult O2 affinity of whole blood exists in at least some sharks. The molecular basis for such affinity differences also appears to involve different fetal and adult hemoglobins; different intraerythrocytic organic phosphate concentrations may contribute as well. However, further studies are required to clarify the molecular basis of the facilitation of maternal-fetal O2 transfer in the fishes.
Creating Settings for Undergraduate Students’ Involvement in Engaged Learning: The Case of the Michigan State University Adolescent Project

The Michigan State University Adolescent Project (MSUAP) is an experiential learning opportunity, which teaches students to work with adolescent youth and their families through referrals from the juvenile justice system. Through its engaged learning approach, students are taught to emphasize assets, build relationships, and recognize the context which influence social problems. The MSUAP is a two semester course where undergraduates receive 10 weeks of manual based training followed by assignment to work with a youth one on one. The student works with the youth for eight hours per week in the community setting. This article will describe the evolution of MSUAP as a model of pedagogy congruent with the outreach and engagement mission of today’s higher education, summarize past research on the multiple impacts of the MSUAP model, and provide an in depth case study of the educational experience from the perspective of a participating student.
Life After Life: Spiritual Life in Christianity

Christian theology began to truly divide physiology and psychology with the introduction of a second life. In Jewish thinking, all life was an expression of Divine action in the world. The New Testament shows elements of this, but also speaks of a second birth and a second death. Spiritual life became associated with this new life and with resurrection, each of which had vegetable, animal, and rational elements. Trying to understand biology in light of both Greek souls and the New Testament, the earliest Christian authors took two approaches. Tertullian embraced the materialist approach of the Stoics while Origen embraced the transcendent approach of Plato.
Elimination of CO2/N2 Langmuir Sorption and Promotion of “N2-Phobicity” within High-Tg Glassy Membranes

We demonstrate that the CO2/N2 gas separation performance of alkoxysilyl-substituted vinyl-added polynorbornenes (VAPNBs) may be significantly enhanced via incorporation of the monomer 5-tris(2-methoxyethoxy)silyl-2-norbornene. As the molar ratio of this monomer is increased, substantial increases in CO2/N2 selectivity are realized with minimal decrease in CO2 permeability. This trend ignores the traditional permeability/selectivity “trade-off” relationship and yields an optimal membrane whose performance reaches the 2008 upper bound for CO2/N2 separations. Though the inclusion of 5-tris(2-methoxyethoxy)-silyl-2-norbornene units was initially hypothesized to maximize CO2 solubility, detailed gas sorption studies reveal that these highly glassy materials essentially lack any Langmuir sorption component and indicate that their improved CO2/N2 selectivity is due to decreased N2 solubility within the matrix. Computational modeling suggests that the source of this apparent “N2-phobicity” is likely explained th...
Evidence-based digital literacy class for older, low-income African-American adults

Based on our community engagement project involving 47 older, low-income African-American adults from a senior community center, this study analyzes how an underserved population acquires knowledge...
Preparation of Non-Surface-Active Langmuir Trough Subphases from Milk.

Milk polar lipid interfacial behavior continues to be analyzed using Langmuir trough experiments, but the reported Langmuir trough subphases commonly used are not fully representative of milk. A method to transform liquids of biological origin, such as milk, into appropriate Langmuir trough subphases does not currently exist, which hinders the applicability of Langmuir trough experiments to nature. Here, a procedure to manufacture milk-derived Langmuir trough subphases with insignificant amounts of surfactants from bovine milk is presented. Ultrafiltration is used to remove the bulk of protein surfactants from milk followed by the creation of solvent-induced emulsions that remove trace proteins and lipids from collected skim milk permeates. Change in surface tension upon compression of resulting washed permeates from the surfactant removal process was ≤0.1 mN/m, terming the permeates non-surface-active (NSA). NSA permeates (72.4 ± 0.2 mN/m) had a surface tension similar to that of ultrapure water (72.6 ± ...
Scoping review study to identify how communities in the USA, Australia, New Zealand and Canada use quality improvement (QI) approaches to address community health and well-being.

Introduction Both US and global communities lag on key health indicators. There has been limited progress in building capacity to improve health beyond the healthcare field. Yet, communities also need to engage in health improvement initiatives. A substantial body of literature describes standards and core components for quality improvement (QI) approaches in clinical settings. This study aims to determine how communities in the USA, Australia, New Zealand and Canada use QI approaches for health and well-being improvement and how such approaches compare to those in clinical settings. Methods and analysis We developed a study protocol based on scoping review framework by Arksey and O’Malley, methodological advancements for scoping studies (Levac et al) and other published protocols. We developed research questions in an iterative process and used the Population, Intervention, Comparison, Outcomes strategy to determine eligibility criteria. Electronic databases deemed appropriate (Web of Science, Scopus, and Proquest Health Management) will be searched for studies that meet inclusion criteria. References of included studies will be included when relevant. Two reviewers will independently screen all abstracts and full-text studies for inclusion. A third reviewer will adjudicate disagreements that arise. An instrument will be developed to extract data from included studies. Quantitative and qualitative results will be reported. Ethics and dissemination We developed this protocol to systematically conduct a scoping review of how US communities use QI approaches to address community health and well-being. Results will benefit multiple stakeholders by informing how to better support, design and evaluate community well-being improvement interventions. Results will be distributed through peer-reviewed journals, conferences, presentations and a public health graduate course.
Single-Shot Characterization of High Transformer Ratio Wakefields in Nonlinear Plasma Acceleration

Plasma wakefields can enable very high accelerating gradients for frontier high energy particle accelerators, in excess of $10\text{ }\text{ }\mathrm{GeV}/\mathrm{m}$. To overcome limits on single stage acceleration, specially shaped drive beams can be used in both linear and nonlinear plasma wakefield accelerators (PWFA), to increase the transformer ratio, implying that the drive beam deceleration is minimized relative to acceleration obtained in the wake. In this Letter, we report the results of a nonlinear PWFA, high transformer ratio experiment using high-charge, longitudinally asymmetric drive beams in a plasma cell. An emittance exchange process is used to generate variable drive current profiles, in conjunction with a long (multiple plasma wavelength) witness beam. The witness beam is energy modulated by the wakefield, yielding a response that contains detailed spectral information in a single-shot measurement. Using these methods, we generate a variety of beam profiles and characterize the wakefields, directly observing transformer ratios up to $\mathcal{R}=7.8$. Furthermore, a spectrally based reconstruction technique, validated by 3D particle-in-cell simulations, is introduced to obtain the drive beam current profile from the decelerating wake data.
Kashmir in the Aftermath of Partition

Kashmir remains one of the world's most militarized areas of dispute, having been in the grips of an armed insurgency against India since the late 1980s. In existing scholarship, ideas of territoriality, state sovereignty, and national security have dominated the discourses on the Kashmir conflict. This book, in contrast, places Kashmir and Kashmiris at the center of historical debate and investigates a broad range of sources to illuminate a century of political players and social structures on both sides of divided Kashmir and in the wider Kashmiri diaspora. In the process, it broadens the contours of Kashmir's postcolonial and resistance history, complicates the meaning of Kashmiri identity, and reveals Kashmiris' myriad imaginings of freedom. It asserts that 'Kashmir' has emerged as a political imaginary in postcolonial era, a vision that grounds Kashmiris in their negotiations for rights not only in India and Pakistan, but also in global political spaces.
Framing racial position and political standing: Hmong Americans in the Wisconsin State Journal and the Chico Enterprise-Record:

Although membership is regarded as an important condition of immigrants’ capacities to influence the political system, the literature on immigrant political incorporation has tended to focus on for...
Observation of a distinct transition in the mode of interconversion of ring pucker conformers in non-crystalline d-ribose-2'-d from 2H NMR spin-alignment.

Internal motions of d-ribose selectively 2H-labeled at the 2′ position were measured using solid state 2H NMR experiments. A sample of d-ribose-2′-d was prepared in a hydrated, non-crystalline state to eliminate effects of crystal-packing. Between temperatures of −74 and −60 °C the C2′–H2′ bond was observed to undergo two kinds of motions which were similar to those of C2′–H2′/H2′′ found previously in crystalline deoxythymidine (Hiyama et al. (1989) J. Am. Chem. Soc., 111, 8609–8613): (1) Nanosecond motion of small angular displacement with an apparent activation energy of 3.6 ± 0.7 kcal mol−1, and (2) millisecond to microsecond motion of large amplitude with an apparent activation energy ≥4 kcal mol−1. At −74 °C, the slow, large-amplitude motion was best characterized as a two-site jump with a correlation time on the millisecond time scale, whereas at −60 °C it was diffusive on the microsecond time scale. The slow, large-amplitude motions of the C2′–H2′ bond are most likely from interconversions between C2′-endo and C3′-endo by way of the O4′-endo conformation, whereas the fast, small-amplitude motions are probably librations of the C2′–H2′ bond within the C2′-endo and C3′-endo potential energy minima.
Computational Optimization of Notch Spacing for a Transnasal Ear Endoscopy Continuum Robot

This paper presents a computational framework to optimize the visual coverage attainable by a notched-tube continuum robotic endoscope inside the middle ear cavity. Our framework combines anatomically-accurate geometric (mesh) models of the middle ear with a sampling-based motion planning algorithm (RRT) and a ray-casting procedure to quantify what regions of the middle ear can be accessed and visualized by the endoscope. To demonstrate the use of this framework, we run computer simulations to investigate the effect of varying the distance between each pair of consecutive flexure elements (i.e., notches) in our robotic endoscope.
Organizational Slack in Decentralized Firms: The Role of Business Unit Controllers

We study the determinants of organizational slack in large decentralized firms and focus in particular on how management accounting systems (represented by business unit controllers) affect slack. We rely on an adverse selection model to derive several predictions and to motivate our tests. Consistent with this framework, we find that organizational slack (measured by achievability of business unit managers' performance targets) is higher in settings where business unit controllers focus relatively more on providing decision-making information to business unit managers than on providing information for corporate control. We also find that organizational slack is persistent over time and positively associated with business unit growth, our proxy for the extent of information asymmetry between corporate headquarters and local business unit management.
Genomic, Clinical, and Behavioral Characterization of 15q11.2 BP1-BP2 Deletion (Burnside-Butler) Syndrome in Five Families

The 15q11.2 BP1-BP2 deletion (Burnside-Butler) syndrome is emerging as the most common cytogenetic finding in patients with neurodevelopmental or autism spectrum disorders (ASD) presenting for microarray genetic testing. Clinical findings in Burnside-Butler syndrome include developmental and motor delays, congenital abnormalities, learning and behavioral problems, and abnormal brain findings. To better define symptom presentation, we performed comprehensive cognitive and behavioral testing, collected medical and family histories, and conducted clinical genetic evaluations. The 15q11.2 BP1-BP2 region includes the TUBGCP5, CYFIP1, NIPA1, and NIPA2 genes. To determine if additional genomic variation outside of the 15q11.2 region influences expression of symptoms in Burnside-Butler syndrome, whole-exome sequencing was performed on the parents and affected children for the first time in five families with at least one parent and child with the 15q1l.2 BP1-BP2 deletion. In total, there were 453 genes with possibly damaging variants identified across all of the affected children. Of these, 99 genes had exclusively de novo variants and 107 had variants inherited exclusively from the parent without the deletion. There were three genes (APBB1, GOLGA2, and MEOX1) with de novo variants that encode proteins evidenced to interact with CYFIP1. In addition, one other gene of interest (FAT3) had variants inherited from the parent without the deletion and encoded a protein interacting with CYFIP1. The affected individuals commonly displayed a neurodevelopmental phenotype including ASD, speech delay, abnormal reflexes, and coordination issues along with craniofacial findings and orthopedic-related connective tissue problems. Of the 453 genes with variants, 35 were associated with ASD. On average, each affected child had variants in 6 distinct ASD-associated genes (x¯ = 6.33, sd = 3.01). In addition, 32 genes with variants were included on clinical testing panels from Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA) approved and accredited commercial laboratories reflecting other observed phenotypes. Notably, the dataset analyzed in this study was small and reported results will require validation in larger samples as well as functional follow-up. Regardless, we anticipate that results from our study will inform future research into the genetic factors influencing diverse symptoms in patients with Burnside-Butler syndrome, an emerging disorder with a neurodevelopmental behavioral phenotype.
Does the digital sector produce surplus value? The case of Facebook

This article shows that the digital economy can, as opposed to the opinion of many, be analysed on the basis of Marx’s theory of surplus value and profit. What we have shown through a study of the political economy of Facebook is that the product produced by the company in question is a commodity just like others. Moreover, the surplus value produced by the productive workers of Facebook is the main source of the profits of the company and the wages of its unproductive workers.
Exploring the feasibility of using real-world data from a large clinical data research network to simulate clinical trials of Alzheimer's disease.

In this study, we explored the feasibility of using real-world data (RWD) from a large clinical research network to simulate real-world clinical trials of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). The target trial (i.e., NCT00478205) is a Phase III double-blind, parallel-group trial that compared the 23 mg donepezil sustained release with the 10 mg donepezil immediate release formulation in patients with moderate to severe AD. We followed the target trial’s study protocol to identify the study population, treatment regimen assignments and outcome assessments, and to set up a number of different simulation scenarios and parameters. We considered two main scenarios: (1) a one-arm simulation: simulating a standard-of-care (SOC) arm that can serve as an external control arm; and (2) a two-arm simulation: simulating both intervention and control arms with proper patient matching algorithms for comparative effectiveness analysis. In the two-arm simulation scenario, we used propensity score matching controlling for baseline characteristics to simulate the randomization process. In the two-arm simulation, higher serious adverse event (SAE) rates were observed in the simulated trials than the rates reported in original trial, and a higher SAE rate was observed in the 23 mg arm than in the 10 mg SOC arm. In the one-arm simulation scenario, similar estimates of SAE rates were observed when proportional sampling was used to control demographic variables. In conclusion, trial simulation using RWD is feasible in this example of AD trial in terms of safety evaluation. Trial simulation using RWD could be a valuable tool for post-market comparative effectiveness studies and for informing future trials’ design. Nevertheless, such an approach may be limited, for example, by the availability of RWD that matches the target trials of interest, and further investigations are warranted.
Large metasurface-based optical concentrators for infrared photodetectors

We demonstrate a modular design approach for large metasurface-based optical concentrators. In this approach, each concentrator is split into a collection of sublens modules. Each sublens module has an off-axis focal point, and this point is located between the concentrator center and the intended detector center. This reduces the necessary deflection angle, thus improving the concentrator design. Moreover, each concentrator module is designed individually, thereby reducing the required computational resources and improving the design versatility. We designed, fabricated, and tested 300-μm-diameter metasurface-based optical concentrators operating in the 3–5 μm mid-wavelength infrared range. These optical concentrators are fabricated on a gallium antimonide substrate, which can be used for epitaxial growth of infrared detectors. This allows future monolithic integration of these concentrators with detectors epitaxially grown on the front side of the substrate and concentrators fabricated on the backside. The optical concentrators enhanced the measured optical intensity at the intended detector position up to a factor of 6.4; in the future, this will improve the signal-to-noise ratio of detectors and increase their operating temperature.
Government Spending and Productivity Shock in a Small Open Economy

This paper tries to better explain the business cycle data in a small open economy. We consider two shocks generating the dynamics of the model, a domestic productivity shock, on the domestic productivity, and a government spending shock, generating positive correlations between savings and investment without overestimating or underestimating the pro-cyclical behaviors of the two as in Mendoza (1991). We use stationary cardinal utility functions (SCU) to make discount factor endogenous to the model. We also incorporate different capital adjustment cost in private and public sector to explain the counter-cyclical fluctuations of trade balance. In line with Mendoza (1991), we use post-war Canadian business cycle data as the target of our calibration. The results have been significantly improved in most of the moments among interested variables.
Detection time of data breaches

Abstract Recent security reports point to an alarming increase in the number and frequency of data breach attacks against organizations worldwide. With the rise of data breaches, how quickly a firm detects a breach determines the extent of the incident impact on the business and its customers. Although prior studies have focused on several important factors that deal with the functions of detection, prevention and prediction of breach incidents, these studies have overlooked the time factor of breach detection. This research seeks to fulfill the lack of research and attempts to explore the factors that affect detection time of data breaches. Using survival analysis, we examine 696 publicly reported breaches between 2010 and 2017 and measure the impact of threat actors, attack types, affected confidentiality data, affected assets, and industries on breach detection time. Findings show that the time to detect data breaches caused by privilege misuse is 2.5 times slower, followed by 1.4 times for breaches that target servers. On the other hand, data breaches that involve payment card skimmers are 79% faster to detect. To gain further insight into these factors that slow down detection time, we perform subgroup analyses. Findings show that data breaches involving privilege misuse through LAN access are 2.2 times slower to detect. Furthermore, data breaches targeting servers are 5.7 times slower to detect in the accommodation industry, followed by 2.8 times in the administrative industry, and 2.4 times in the healthcare industry.
Mass Spectrometry Adduct Calculator

We describe the Mass Spectrometry Adduct Calculator (MSAC), an automated Python tool to calculate the adduct ion masses of a parent molecule. Here, adduct refers to a version of a parent molecule [M] that is charged due to addition or loss of atoms and electrons resulting in a charged ion, for example, [M + H]+. MSAC includes a database of 147 potential adducts and adduct/neutral loss combinations and their mass-to-charge ratios (m/z) as extracted from the NIST/EPA/NIH Mass Spectral Library (NIST17), Global Natural Products Social Molecular Networking Public Spectral Libraries (GNPS), and MassBank of North America (MoNA). The calculator relies on user-selected subsets of the combined database to calculate expected m/z for adducts of molecules supplied as formulas. This tool is intended to help researchers create identification libraries to collect evidence for the presence of molecules in mass spectrometry data. While the included adduct database focuses on adducts typically detected during liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry analyses, users may supply their own lists of adducts and charge states for calculating expected m/z. We also analyzed statistics on adducts from spectra contained in the three selected mass spectral libraries. MSAC is freely available at https://github.com/pnnl/MSAC.
Cost as a Standard for Price

An act of Congress is an invocation of the judiciary. It is alike an appeal to the courts to subdue a new process to law and order and a body of general directions which are to be hammered into standards and rules. It takes years, a procession of cases from out of life, and a succession of judgments to assimilate a statute within the august corpus of the law. The time was when a bargain was a bargain, and that was legally the end of the matter. The ordinary course of buying and selling, if untainted by fraud and untouched by collusion, was a private affair and no fit subject for judicial inquiry. But a growing complexity in the marketing process has made private bargains a matter of concern to the mercantile community. The older line of manufacturer to wholesaler to retailer has been twisted into an intricate diagram. The manufacturer may sell through his own retail outlets; the retailer may take over the work of wholesaler or even of manufacturer; in a trend towards celerity of movement functions may become confused. In the marketing struggle between types of organization the chains and mail-order houses have prospered and the wholesaler and independent store have declined. It is not easy to garner all that is responsible for mercantile change into a concept called cause. The chain, the mail-order house, the department store have made the first serious attack upon the wastes and inefficiencies of distribution. A careful analysis has enabled them to eliminate unnecessary steps in the marketing process; andi their purchases in large quantities have reduced costs. But they have also been able to turn their bargaining power to account and to extract from manufacturers exceptional terms which they could not afford to extend to other mercantile buyers. To the extent that lower costs are the result of efficiency, they are hardly open to attack. To the extent that they rest upon "price discriminations" which have no
Teaching Leadership Through a Cultural–Psychological Lens

Leadership education is in a unique position at the college level. The study of leadership is both multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary, and is often found in different academic departments at different institutions. The educational aspect of leadership is often overlooked, leaving many college teachers with an opportunity to further develop their pedagogy and practice. In the current paper, a cultural–psychological approach to leadership education, grounded in a review of prominent educational psychologist and educator Jerome Bruner's (2008) book The Culture of Education, is presented. The educational framework along with implications as to how this approach adds value to curricular design and classroom instruction in the undergraduate leadership studies classroom are provided.
Only Skin Deep?: The Cost of Partisan Politics on Minority Diversity of the Federal Bench

This article explores the difficulties encountered in diversifying the federal bench and why the partisanship of the confirmation process decreases the diversity of viewpoints on the bench. Presidents value diversity in nominating judges. While Bill Clinton and George W. Bush had very contrasting political styles and judicial philosophies, the judges appointed by these two presidents now account for almost 80% of the current active federal minority judges. There has been progress in the area of descriptive diversity; currently 18% of the active federal bench is made up of minority judges according to data compiled from the Judicial Center. However, there is less diversity of viewpoints. Recent judicial behavioralist studies show that there is very little difference in the judging outcomes between white and Latina/o judges appointed by Presidents Clinton and W Bush. In hot button areas of civil rights, voting behavior of this cohort of white and minority judges is almost identical. This article posits that the unbridled partisanship of the confirmation process has resulted in less diversity among minority judges. Analyzing the confirmation wars of the W. Bush and Clinton administrations, this article posits that minorities face an additional burden in the confirmation process -- how they and partisan opponents depict a nominee's racial identity. Even if nominees do not trumpet their racial identity as a reason as to why they should qualify for ascent to the federal court, partisans will deploy meanings as to a nominee's racial identity as part of their strategy to either defeat or confirm the nominee. Minority nominees must perform a public racial identity that is appealing, and does not stir controversy. They must avoid triggering stereotypes that make them appear as being too liberal and therefore out of step with America; or conversely, of being too conservative and posing the threat of another Clarence Thomas. The article concludes that the confirmation process should not weed out diversity among minority voices, just as the process should not weed out judges who are too conservative, too gifted, or too prone to write down their thoughts.
Actuators based on PVDF sheets with flexible PEDOT polymer electrodes

Piezoelectric polymer sheets traditionally have metallic electrodes that increase considerably the stiffness of the sheet and correspondingly decrease its piezoelectric response, whether as an actuator or a sensor. We have developed methods for applying electrodes of the conducting polymer poly(ethylene dioxythiophene) (PEDOT) to sheets of poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF). Our most recent method involves printing the PEDOT onto the PVDF. PEDOT electrodes of reasonable thickness have considerably higher resistance than metal electrodes, so we have calculated the response of the voltage and current as a function of position on the electrodes of a single electroded PVDF sheet. We have done this both for a rectangular sheet with an ac voltage applied at one end, and for a semicircular sheet with ac voltage applied to a small semicircular metal tab at the center of the circle. In this way we find the response as a function of frequency, and determine the necessary electrode thickness for various applications. We have made bimorphs of two such electroded sheets that are glued together to give a bending response. We have also constructed actuators made of two bimorphs attached together at both ends. Better response is achieved than for similar actuators constructed from sheets with metal electrodes.
Finding Feasible Counter-examples when Model Checking Abstracted Java Programs

Despite recent advances in model checking and in adapting model checking techniques to software, the state explosion problem remains a major hurdle in applying model checking to software. Recent work in automated program abstraction has shown promise as a means of scaling model checking to larger systems. Most common abstraction techniques compute an upper approximation of the original program. Thus, when a specification is found true for the abstracted program, it is known to be true for the original program. Finding a specification to be false, however, is inconclusive since the specification may be violated on a behavior in the abstracted program which is not present in the original program. We have extended an explicit-state model checker, Java PathFinder (JPF), to analyze counter-examples in the presence of abstractions. We enhanced JPF to search for "feasible" (i.e. nondeterminismfree) counter-examples "on-the-fly", during model checking. Alternatively, an abstract counter-example can be used to guide the simulation of the concrete computation and thereby check feasibility of the counterexample. We demonstrate the effectiveness of these techniques on counterexamples from checks of several multi-threaded Java programs.
Network Theory: Concepts and Applications

This article summarizes fundamental concepts, definitions, notations and formulations of network-flow models, and illustrates their applicability. We focus on deterministic network-flow models of frequent use to solve significant problems in business and industry. Each topic is introduced, mathematically defined, and illustrated by means of an example. The applications presented can be classified into two broad categories. The first category includes applications where the solution is achieved by selecting a chain or cycle that optimizes a suitable objective function. Each arc is interpreted as a directed link that allows the movement of one unit of flow from the start node to the end node of the arc. The arc parameter or length is a generic cost of using the arc. Usually, these models are referred to as distance networks. In the second category, a more general interpretation of an arc is used, namely, that of a channel used for shipping multiple units of flow. The arc parameter represents the maximum amount of flow per unit time that can be shipped along the arc at any time. This parameter is called the capacity of the arc, and the network models are referred to as capacitated flow networks. Keywords: network-flow models; network analysis; maximum-flow; minimum cut; unimodularity and total unimodularity
A Parallel Nonnegative Tensor Factorization Algorithm for Mining Global Climate Data

Increasingly large datasets acquired by NASA for global climate studies demand larger computation memory and higher CPU speed to mine out useful and revealing information. While boosting the CPU frequency is getting harder, clustering multiple lower performance computers thus becomes increasingly popular. This prompts a trend of parallelizing the existing algorithms and methods by mathematicians and computer scientists. In this paper, we take on the task of parallelizing the Nonnegative Tensor Factorization (NTF) method, with the purposes of distributing large datasets into each cluster node and thus reducing the demand on a single node, blocking and localizing the computation at the maximal degree, and finally minimizing the memory use for storing matrices or tensors by exploiting their structural relationships. Numerical experiments were performed on a NASA global sea surface temperature dataset and result factors were analyzed and discussed.
INHALATION OF N 2 O/O 2 VERSUS CONSCIOUS SEDATION FOR COLONOSCOPY

Trojan J, Saunders BP, Woloshynowych HS et al. Immediate Recovery of Psychomotor Function After Patient-Administered Nitrous Oxide/Oxygen Inhalation for Colonoscopy Endoscopy 1997;29:17–22
Frequency of extra-axillary sentinel lymph nodes identified by lymphoscintigraphy using intradermal periareolar injection technique

2707 Objectives Technetium-99m filtered sulfur colloid (FSC) lymphoscintigraphy is a useful technique for identifying sentinel lymph nodes prior to surgical biopsy in patients with diagnosed breast carcinoma. The majority of the lymphatic drainage from the breast tissue goes to the axillary lymph nodes. Metastatic disease can also be present in extra-axillary (EA) lymph nodes, which could warrant adjuvant systemic therapy or adjustment of the postoperative radiotherapy field. We sought to evaluate the frequency of identification and impact of extra-axillary lymph nodes. Methods A retrospective chart review was performed of patients who were diagnosed with breast carcinoma and underwent breast lymphoscintigraphy from 2006 through 2012. The standard lymphoscintigraphy procedure used four intradermal, periareolar injections of Tc-99m FSC in the breast quadrant of the known tumor. A nuclear medicine physician blindly reviewed the reports to verify EA node visualization and location. Clinical information was collected to identify specific features of patients with EA lymph node drainage and to document any patient management changes due to lymphoscintigraphy results. Results A review of 1472 patients identified 33 (2%) with EA node visualization. Demographics showed patients with a mean age of 59±14 years (range 32-82). Diagnosed carcinomas included ductal (N=28) and lobular (N=2), as well as one prophylactic injection. Of the 33 cases, 68 lymph nodes (axillary= 28; EA= 40) were visualized with lymphoscintigraphy, and 113 nodes were removed for biopsy (axillary= 107; EA= 6). Biopsy results showed metastatic disease in seven percent of axillary nodes and 17% of EA nodes. In all cases of EA node removal, the patient had a history of prior surgery or treatment. Patient management changes occurred in four patients, most commonly adjustment of radiation field based on scintigraphic findings. Conclusions Although visualization of EA lymph nodes is infrequent with superficial injections, EA nodal visualization impacts patient treatment.
Turbulence in Thermal and Material Transport

Publisher Summary The development of effective basic correlations of thermal and material transport in turbulent shear flow rests primarily upon an extension of the understanding of the mechanics of turbulence. This chapter presents some elementary considerations of the nature of turbulent flow with particular emphasis upon thermal and material transport. The present approach to the prediction of thermal transport in turbulent flow neglects the effect of thermal flux and temperature distribution upon the relationship of thermal to momentum transport. In a description of thermal transport in steady, uniform flow it is necessary to consider the conservation of internal and kinetic energy under conditions involving gross motion of the fluid. The chapter discusses the significance of Prandtl number and Reynolds number of fluid. Prediction of convective thermal transport to turbulent streams has usually been sufficient to determine the corresponding thermal flux at the boundary for a specified area. It is clear from the discussion that it relates to material transport in turbulent streams under conditions where no chemical reactions occur and where the influence of temperature and gravitational gradients can be neglected. Because the gross motion of the fluid is of particular importance, a complete understanding of the transport of momentum is usually necessary to permit an evaluation of the over-all material transport.
Resistance exercise-induced fluid shifts: change in active muscle size and plasma volume

The purpose of this study was to test the hypothesis that the reduction in plasma volume (PV) induced by resistance exercise reflects fluid loss to the extravascular space and subsequently selective increase in cross-sectional area (CSA) of active but not inactive skeletal muscle. We compared changes in active and inactive muscle CSA and PV after barbell squat exercise. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was used to quantify muscle involvement in exercise and to determine CSA of muscle groups or individual muscles [vasti (VS), adductor (Add), hamstring (Ham), and rectus femoris (RF)]. Muscle involvement in exercise was determined using exercise-induced contrast shift in spin-spin relaxation time (T2)-weighted MR images immediately postexercise. Alterations in muscle size were based on the mean CSA of individual slices. Hematocrit, hemoglobin, and Evans blue dye were used to estimate changes in PV. Muscle CSA and PV data were obtained preexercise and immediately postexercise and 15 and 45 min thereafter. A hierarchy of muscle involvement in exercise was found such that VS > Add > Ham > RF, with the Ham and RF showing essentially no involvement. CSA of the VS and Add muscle groups were increased 10 and 5%, respectively, immediately after exercise in each thigh with no changes in Ham and RF CSA. PV was decreased 22% immediately following exercise. The absolute loss of PV was correlated (r2 = 0.75) with absolute increase in muscle CSA immediately postexercise, supporting the notion that increased muscle size after resistance exercise reflects primarily fluid movement from the vascular space into active but not inactive muscle.
High-frequency leader sequence switching during coronavirus defective interfering RNA replication

A system was developed that exploited defective interfering (DI) RNAs of coronavirus to study the role of free leader RNA in RNA replication. A cDNA copy of mouse hepatitis virus DI RNA was placed downstream of the T7 RNA polymerase promoter to generate DI RNAs capable of extremely efficient replication in the presence of a helper virus. We demonstrated that, in the DI RNA-transfected cells, the leader sequence of these DI RNAs was switched to that of the helper virus during one round of replication. This high-frequency leader sequence exchange was not observed if a nine-nucleotide stretch of sequence (UUUAUAAAC) at the junction between the leader and the remaining DI sequence was deleted. This observation suggests that a free leader RNA generated from the genomic RNA of mouse hepatitis virus may participate in the replication of DI RNA.
Kidney Development in the Absence of Gdnf and Spry1 Requires Fgf10

GDNF signaling through the Ret receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK) is required for ureteric bud (UB) branching morphogenesis during kidney development in mice and humans. Furthermore, many other mutant genes that cause renal agenesis exert their effects via the GDNF/RET pathway. Therefore, RET signaling is believed to play a central role in renal organogenesis. Here, we re-examine the extent to which the functions of Gdnf and Ret are unique, by seeking conditions in which a kidney can develop in their absence. We find that in the absence of the negative regulator Spry1, Gdnf, and Ret are no longer required for extensive kidney development. Gdnf-/-;Spry1-/- or Ret-/-;Spry1-/- double mutants develop large kidneys with normal ureters, highly branched collecting ducts, extensive nephrogenesis, and normal histoarchitecture. However, despite extensive branching, the UB displays alterations in branch spacing, angle, and frequency. UB branching in the absence of Gdnf and Spry1 requires Fgf10 (which normally plays a minor role), as removal of even one copy of Fgf10 in Gdnf-/-;Spry1-/- mutants causes a complete failure of ureter and kidney development. In contrast to Gdnf or Ret mutations, renal agenesis caused by concomitant lack of the transcription factors ETV4 and ETV5 is not rescued by removing Spry1, consistent with their role downstream of both RET and FGFRs. This shows that, for many aspects of renal development, the balance between positive signaling by RTKs and negative regulation of this signaling by SPRY1 is more critical than the specific role of GDNF. Other signals, including FGF10, can perform many of the functions of GDNF, when SPRY1 is absent. But GDNF/RET signaling has an apparently unique function in determining normal branching pattern. In contrast to GDNF or FGF10, Etv4 and Etv5 represent a critical node in the RTK signaling network that cannot by bypassed by reducing the negative regulation of upstream signals.
TERRORISM: Ready to blow?

(2003). TERRORISM: Ready to blow? Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists: Vol. 59, No. 4, pp. 16-18.
Pigments from a marine red water population of the dinoflagellate Prorocentrum micans.

Abstract Extracts of a practically pure sample of the dinoflagellate Prorocentrum micans occurring in “red water” along the coast of southern California were subjected to chromatographic analysis. The main carotenoid was identified as peridinin; minor carotenoids belonged chiefly to the xanthophyll type, but carotenes were found in small quantities. Phytofluene or a similar fluorescent colorless polyene was absent, although other fluorescent compounds were encountered. Preserved extracts yielded pheophytin a in place of the corresponding chlorophyll; however, in freshly heat-killed cells the presence of chlorophyll a was demonstrated.