cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Do Underwater Executive Stock Options Still Align Incentives? The Effect of Stock Price Movements on Managerial Incentive-Alignment

The concern that out-of-the-money stock options are not an effective way to motivate managers has led boards of directors to consider measures such as lowering the exercise price of underwater options, or issuing new option grants, to restore the incentive managers have to increase shareholder value. This paper explores whether such measures are needed: do out-of-the-money options lose their power to align incentives? We address this question by estimating how the incentive-alignment power of options changed over the course of the year 2000, a year that for many firms marked the derailment of the long-running bull stock market. Examining the sensitivity in the value of the manager's stock option to changes in the firm's stock price (one metric for incentive-alignment power), we find that in general the ability of options to align incentives remained remarkably intact. This resilience in incentive-alignment power stems from the long maturity of executive stock options, the relatively high stock price volatility of firms that experienced stock price declines, and to a lesser extent, the increase in volatility levels that accompanied weakening stock prices. We test the robustness of these results to the metric of incentive-alignment power, replacing market values with the value that managers place on their stock and option holdings, adjusting for managers' inability to fully diversify their portfolios. We also test how sensitive our results are to volatility assumptions. We conclude that even a steep decline in stock price can leave incentive levels intact, so restoring incentive-alignment is seldom a good justification for resetting the stock price or issuing new option grants. Before rejecting such measures, however, boards must examine whether the ability of stock and option holdings to retain key managerial talent deteriorated as the stock price declined, for our findings suggest that in selected firms or industries, the value of those holdings declined substantially.
Essential trace metals in man: manganese. A study in homeostasis.

MANGANESE, a transitional metal with atomic number 25, has been considered essential for the normal physiological function of mammals and birds for 30 years. In spite of incontrovertible but indirect evidence of a requirement for dietary manganese, however, deficiency in man has not been recognized. There is considerable interest in the physiological and biochemical role of manganese by nutritionists, enzymologists and pathologists. The subject has been excellently reviewed on two occasions by COTZIAS$ [l, 21. There are gaps, however, in some of the basic data and, at the risk ofbeing repetitious, we have surveyed the field from biogeochemical and analytical viewpoints, as we have other trace elements, in order to answer certain questions pertinent to manganese metabolism in man. These are: (1) What are the environmental sources of manganese? (2) How good is the human homeostatic mechanism for the metal? (3) Does manganese deficiency exist in man, even if slight? (4) Do diseases caused by accumulation of manganese occur in man? (5) What is the actual daily intake of manganese by normal human beings? (6) What living organisms have homeostatic mechanisms for manganese? This report is the tenth of a series on trace elements in human beings [3-111 and represents the first on an essential one. Although there are much older data in the literature, we have attempted to present newer material not available elsewhere as well as to repeat many analyses done by others in order to arrive at our own viewpoint.
Is intrajurisdictional resource allocation equitable? An analysis of campus-level spending data for Texas elementary schools

Considerable research has focused on the allocation of resources across jurisdictions. However, much less work has been directed toward understanding the pattern of intrajurisdictional resource allocation. This study adds to the local public economics literature by carrying out an empirical study of variation in spending per pupil across elementary schools within Texas school districts. Results from estimating a district fixed-effects model reveal that the discretionary resources of school districts are skewed toward schools in low-income, minority neighborhoods, beyond the amounts that would be allocated based on the state aid formula. The findings suggest that attempts by Texas state lawmakers to raise the level of resources allocated to poor schools have been reinforced by district-level decisions regarding intrajurisdictional discretionary spending. However, the dollar magnitude of this incremental funding is relatively small, and hence impacts on educational outcomes are also likely to be small.
The influence of temperature, stress, and environment on the oxidation and life of C/SiC composites

Experimental tests were conducted to determine the effect of temperature, sustained tensile load, and environment on the oxidation of continuous carbon fibers within a C/SiC composite. Stressed oxidation (stress rupture) tests were conducted in air and oxygen environments at temperatures of 800°C and 1200°C at sustained loads corresponding to initial stresses of 35, 69, and 138 MPa. The influence of these variables on carbon consumption and composite lives will be discussed. The microstructural analysis of polished cross-sections showing oxidation trends will be presented. It was found that stress and temperature influenced crack openings and thus the oxidation of carbon fibers in the pre-cracked composites. Temperature determined the kinetic regime in which carbon-oxygen reactions occurred as demonstrated by oxidation trends. The oxygen environment contributed to faster rates of carbon consumption compared to the rate in an air environment and therefore time to failure was dependent on the oxidizing environment as well as temperature. Coupon failure was dependent on the volume of carbon fibers consumed and the applied load.
FeCo Coating on SmCo 5 Nanochips by a Sonochemical Method

To study the influence of soft magnetic phase coating on magnetic properties of hard/soft phase nanocomposite materials, the coating of soft magnetic FeCo on hard magnetic SmCo5 nanochips was performed via a sonochemical process. First, anisotropic hard magnetic SmCo5 nanochips were prepared by surfactant-assisted high-energy ball milling in the presence of oleic acid as a surfactant and heptane as a solvent. Then, the soft magnetic FeCo was coated on SmCo5 nanochips by the reduction of FeCl3 and CoCl2 with hydrazine using ultrasonic waves in the presence of NaOH. The amount of the soft phase coating on the hard magnetic nanochips was controlled by varying the initial ratio of soft-phase precursors to hard magnetic particles during the reaction. The soft-phase coating on the hard phase chips has lead to an enhanced remanence due to an exchange coupling between the soft and the hard magnetic phases at optimal hard/soft phase ratios. The composite chips also show a strong magnetic anisotropy when aligned in a magnetic field. The anisotropic SmCo5/FeCo core/shell nanocomposite chips are promising candidates as building blocks for high-performance anisotropic nanocomposite bonded or fully dense magnets via a bottom-up fabrication approach.
Buying Policy? The Effects of Lobbyists’ Resources on Their Policy Success1:

This study tests the common assumption that wealthier interest groups have an advantage in policymaking by considering the lobbyist’s experience, connections, and lobbying intensity as well as the organization’s resources. Combining newly gathered information about lobbyists’ resources and policy outcomes with the largest survey of lobbyists ever conducted, I find surprisingly little relationship between organizations’ financial resources and their policy success—but greater money is linked to certain lobbying tactics and traits, and some of these are linked to greater policy success.
Agricultural Sustainability, Water Pollution, and Governmental Regulations: Lessons from the Sugar Creek Farmers in Ohio

Agricultural sustainability requires that farmers must face an entanglement of regulations regarding not only conservation measures but also water quality. These entail learning the intricacies of conservation measures and water qualities as legally defined by the USDA and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as well as dealing with the bureaucracy of multiple agencies and paperwork. The lessons from the Sugar Creek Watershed in Ohio, classified as Ohio's second most polluted watershed, include proactive behavior based on a partnership between farmers and university researchers. The farmers had to confront the regulations of the EPA and in so doing insisted on high-density sampling to find out whether their own farms had polluted the watershed. The researchers who teamed with them were unexpectedly led into new headwaters and participatory research areas. The farmers were able to improve their profitability while decreasing pollution levels through innovative and culturally based solutions. This case, presently endorsed as a model by both the EPA and the USDA, is being replicated in Ohio and has the potential for replication in other states and countries.
Stationary density profiles in the Levitated Dipole Experiment: toward fusion without tritium fuel

The Levitated Dipole Experiment (LDX) is used to study high-temperature plasma confined by the magnetic field produced by a high-current superconducting ring. Multiple-frequency electron cyclotron resonance heating (ECRH) heats and sustains plasma discharges for long, quasi-steady periods, and conditions of high plasma beta are reached by adjusting the rate of neutral fueling. When the superconducting ring is levitated by attraction to a coil located above the vacuum chamber, cross-field transport becomes the main loss channel for plasma particles and energy. We find operation with a levitated dipole always leads to centrally peaked density profiles, even when the plasma ionization source occurs near the plasma edge. In recent experiments, we also observe the normalized gradient, or shape, of the density profile to be 'stationary' while the ECRH heating power and gas fueling rates are strongly modulated. Theoretically, stationary profiles result in an energy confinement time (of the thermal plasma) that greatly exceeds the particle confinement time. This condition, along with high-beta plasma stability, is a necessary condition for utilizing advanced fuels in a fusion power source.
Design of biomedical nanodevices for dissolution of blood clots

Abstract Currently, tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) is administered intravenously after myocardial infarction and stroke to ensure blood-clot dissolution. One problem associated with such treatment is systemic toxicity of tPA, which can act upon plasminogen both in circulation and at the clot site, generating systemic plasmin and rendering the patient highly vulnerable to hemorrhaging. Here we report the synthesis and in vitro characterization of prototype nanodevices capable of binding to fibrin clots and initiating their dissolution. The devices consist of tPA and antifibrin antibody covalently attached to a 40 nm polystyrene-latex nanoparticles. These nanoscale devices can directly deliver tPA to the clot site through fibrin-specific antibody. In vitro fibrinolysis assay showed that protein–nanoparticle conjugates were only slightly less potent than free tPA. Moreover, tPA activity in the absence of clots was more than 3-fold less than that of the free enzyme. This property can be critical for therapeutic applications because nanoparticles can be expected to dissolve clots at approximately the same rate as free tPA while simultaneously cleaving much less plasminogen in the circulation, lowering the risk of hemorrhage. This system could therefore become a promising agent for thrombolytic treatment.
A Single Mutation in the Nonamyloidogenic Region of Islet Amyloid Polypeptide Greatly Reduces Toxicity

Islet amyloid polypeptide (IAPP or amylin) is a 37-residue peptide secreted with insulin by β-cells in the islets of Langerhans. The aggregation of the peptide into either amyloid fibers or small soluble oligomers has been implicated in the death of β-cells during type 2 diabetes through disruption of the cellular membrane. The actual form of the peptide responsible for β-cell death has been a subject of controversy. Previous research has indicated that the N-terminal region of the peptide (residues 1−19) is primarily responsible for the membrane-disrupting effect of the hIAPP peptide and induces membrane disruption to a similar extent as the full-length peptide without forming amyloid fibers when bound to the membrane. The rat version of the peptide, which is both noncytotoxic and nonamyloidogenic, differs from the human peptide by only one amino acid residue: Arg18 in the rat version while His18 in the human version. To elucidate the effect of this difference, we have measured in this study the effects ...
New details on transition zone below western United States

At certain depths in Earth's mantle, increased pressures cause minerals to undergo phase changes, transforming to different crystal structures. Seismic waves change speed at these discontinuities, so analyzing seismic waves at various depths gives scientists information about the structure of the mantle.
Sotalol: A New Agent for the Treatment of Ventricular Arrhythmias

ABSTRACT Sotalol was developed as a nonselective beta-blocker in the 1960s for the treatment of hypertension and later for cardiac risk management after myocardial infarction. Extensive research has since well described class III type electrophysiologic effects on the repolarization of myocardial fibers. Sotalol prolongs and homogenizes ventricular refractoriness, resulting in good antifibrillatory/antitachycardia protection. The unique combination of betablockade and antiarrhythmic effects probably will promote sotalol’s use in postmyocardial infarction patients with ventricular tachycardia and sudden death. This article summarizes the pharmacologic and cardiovascular effects of this new drug, outlining its clinical use.
Use of clinical services compared with patients' perceptions of and satisfaction with oral health status.

Objectives: To examine the relationship between rates of clinical service use and self-reported perception of and satisfaction with oral health status. Methods: Dental services provision rates were calculated using health maintenance organization electronic data for members 55 years of age and older with at least four years of eligibility between 1990 and 2000. A mail survey yielded 986 responses (response rate=65.7%). Poisson regression was used to examine the relationship between service utilization rates and self-reported perception of and satisfaction with oral health status, controlling for age, education, sex, and marital status. Results: Perceptions of oral health status and levels of satisfaction with oral health status generally were closely associated. Greater dissatisfaction with oral health status and perception of poorer oral health status were associated with higher usage of nonpreventive dental services. Less satisfaction with oral health status was associated with higher restorative services usage and lower preventive services usage and slightly associated with periodontal service usage. Perception of a less favorable oral health status was strongly associated with higher restorative and periodontal services usage, but had only a weak association with preventive services usage. Conclusions: Dental plan members' service use is associated with their perception of their oral health status and their level of satisfaction with it. Future work should seek to clarify whether opinions on oral health status and satisfaction are a result of clinical experiences over time or whether the behavior and the values associated with seeking and obtaining care instead shape opinions on status and satisfaction.
Orderliness and activity in the exploratory behavior of rats

An experiment and reanalysis of previous studies by the author indicated that there is, in general, a negative correlation between activity and orderliness in Y-maze exploration by rats.
Case-Based Reasoning for Evolutionary MEMS Design

A knowledge-based computer-aided design tool for microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) design synthesis called case-based synthesis of MEMS (CaSyn-MEMS) has been developed. MEMS-based technologies have the potential to revolutionize many consumer products and to create new market opportunities in areas such as biotechnology, aerospace, and data communications. However, the commercialization of MEMS still faces many challenges due to a lack of efficient computer-aided design tools that can assist designers during the early conceptual phases of the design process. CaSyn-MEMS combines a case-based reasoning (CBR) algorithm and a MEMS case library with parametric optimization and a multi-objective genetic algorithm (MOGA) to synthesize new MEMS design topologies that meet or improve upon a designer's specifications. CBR is an artificial intelligence methodology that uses past design solutions and adapts them to solve current problems. Having the ability to draw upon past design knowledge is advantageous to MEMS designers, allowing reuse and modification of previously successful designs to accelerate the design process. To enable knowledge reuse, a hierarchical MEMS case library has been created. A reasoning algorithm retrieves cases with solved problems similar to the current design problem. Focusing on resonators as a case study, case retrieval demonstrated an 82% success rate. Using the retrieved cases, approximate design solutions were proposed by first adapting cases with parametric optimization, resulting in a 25% reduction in design area on average while bringing designs within 2% of the frequency goal. In situations where parametric optimization was not sufficient, a more radical design adaptation was performed through the use of MOGA. CBR provided MOGA with good starting points for optimization, allowing efficient convergence to higher quantities of Pareto optimal design concepts while reducing design area by up to 43% and meeting frequency goals within 5%.
Functional, Textural and Microstructural Properties of Low-fat Bologna (Model System) with a Konjac Blend

The form (dry vs prehydrated) and level (0, 0.5, 1.0 and 1.5%) of a konjac blend (KB) were evaluated to determine their effects on the characteristics of a low-fat bologna model system (LFBMS). The system had a pH range of 6.01 to 6.12, moisture 74 to 76%, fat < 2.0% and protein 17 to 18%. Prehydrated KB had higher (P<0.05) texture profile analysis (TPA) hardness values than dry addition, whereas lower TPA values (P<0.05) were observed as the level of KB increased. In microstructural observation, the addition of prehydrated KB gels caused the protein matrix to appear more swollen in structure as compared to that after inclusion of a dry powder.
Transient Freezing of a Liquid in a Convectively Cooled Tube

The transient freezing of a liquid in laminar flow inside a circular tube subjected to convection heat transfer on the external surface is investigated analytically. The effects of Biot number, fluid inlet temperature, and the external ambient temperature on the length of this freeze-free zone are illustrated. The variation of the thickness of the freeze layer as a function of time and position along the tube is determined.
Behavior of cementitious materials for high-strain rate conditions

An experimental study aimed at characterization of the combined effects of confinement and high strain rate on the deformation and strength of cementitious materials was conducted. Quasi-static triaxial compression tests for confining pressures ranging from 0 to 6.89 MPa were performed. Dynamic tests for strain rates in the range 40/s to 160/s, under unconfined and confined conditions, were conducted using a split Hopkinson pressure bar. A decrease in strain rate sensitivity with increasing confining pressure was observed. The materials susceptibility to damage under shear loading appears to be more a function of confinement than loading rate. Also, though the uniform stress requirements were not met under uniaxial conditions, minimal levels of confinement yielded valid constitutive property data over the majority of the duration of the experiments.
Transport-Dependent Alterations of Membrane Properties of Mammalian Colon Measured Using Impedance Analysis

Direct current (DC) measurement methods have been commonly used to characterize the conductance properties of the mammalian colon. However, these methods provide no information concerning the effects of tissue morphology on the electrophysiological properties of this epithelium. For example, distribution of membrane resistances along narrow fluid-filled spaces such as the lateral intercellular spaces (LIS) or colonic crypts can influence DC measurements of apical and basolateral membrane properties. We used impedance analysis to determine the extent of such distributed resistance effects and to assess the conductance and capacitance properties of the colon. Because capacitance is proportional to membrane area, this method provides new information concerning membrane areas and specific ionic conductances for these membranes. We measured transepithelial impedance under three conditions: control conditions in which the epithelium was open-circuited and bathed on both sides with NaCl-HCO3 Ringer's solutions, amiloride conditions which were similar to control except that 100 microM amiloride was present in the mucosal bathing solution, and mucosal NaCl-free conditions in which mucosal Na and Cl were replaced by potassium and sulfate or gluconate ("K+ Ringer's"). Three morphologically-based equivalent circuit models were used to evaluate the data: a lumped model (which ignores LIS resistance), a LIS distributed model (distributed basolateral membrane impedance) and a crypt-distributed model (distributed apical membrane impedance). To estimate membrane impedances, an independent measurement of paracellular conductance (Gs) was incorporated in the analysis. Although distributed models yielded improved fits of the data, the distributed and lumped models produced similar estimates of membrane parameters. The predicted effects of distributed resistances on DC microelectrode measurements were largest for the LIS-distributed model. LIS-distributed effects would cause a 12-15% underestimate of membrane resistance ratio (Ra/Rb) for the control and amiloride conditions and a 34% underestimate for the "K Ringer's" condition. Distributed resistance effects arising from the crypts would produce a 1-2% overestimate of Ra/Rb. Apical and basolateral membrane impedances differed in the three different experimental conditions. For control conditions, apical membrane capacitance averaged 21 microF/cm2 and the mean apical membrane specific conductance (Ga-norm) was 0.17 mS/microF. The average basolateral membrane capacitance was 11 microF/cm2 with a mean specific conductance (Gb-norm) of 1.27 mS/microF.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
Ground-state fine structures for the B and F isoelectronic sequences using the extended regular doublet law

Semiempirical screening parametrizations are used to specify accurately the fine-structure separations of the $^{2}P$ ground states in the boron and fluorine isoelectronic sequences.
Experimental results for a photonic time reversal processor for the adaptive control of an ultra wideband phased array antenna

This paper describes a new concept for a photonic implementation of a time reversed RF antenna array beamforming system. The process does not require analog to digital conversion to implement and is therefore particularly suited for high bandwidth applications. Significantly, propagation distortion due to atmospheric effects, clutter, etc. is automatically accounted for with the time reversal process. The approach utilizes the reflection of an initial interrogation signal from off an extended target to precisely time match the radiating elements of the array so as to re-radiate signals precisely back to the target's location. The backscattered signal(s) from the desired location is captured by each antenna and used to modulate a pulsed laser. An electrooptic switch acts as a time gate to eliminate any unwanted signals such as those reflected from other targets whose range is different from that of the desired location resulting in a spatial null at that location. A chromatic dispersion processor is used to extract the exact array parameters of the received signal location. Hence, other than an approximate knowledge of the steering direction needed only to approximately establish the time gating, no knowledge of the target position is required, and hence no knowledge of the array element time delay is required. Target motion and/or array element jitter is automatically accounted for. Presented here are experimental results that demonstrate the ability of a photonic processor to perform the time-reversal operation on ultra-short electronic pulses.
A Novel Quantification Method for Determining Previously Undetected Silent Infarcts on MR-perfusion in Patients Following Carotid Endarterectomy

1. ABSTRACT The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the post-opera tive Magnetic Resonance Perfusion (MRP) scans of patients undergoing carotid endarterectomy (CEA), using a novel image-analysis algorithm, to determine if post-operative neurocognitive decline is associated with cerebral blood flow changes. CEA procedure reduces the risk of stroke in appropriately selected patients with significant carotid artery stenosis. However, 25% of patients experience subtle cognitive deficits after CEA compared to a control group. It was hypothesized that abnormalities in cerebral blood flow (CBF) are responsible for these cognitive deficits. A novel algorithm for analyzing MRperfusion (MRP) scans to identify and quantify the amount of CBF asymmetry in each hemisphere was developed and to quantify the degree of relative difference between three corresponding vascular regions in the ipsilateral and contralateral hemispheres, the Relative Difference Map (RDM). Patients undergoing CEA and spine surgery (controls) were examined preoperatively, and one day postoperatively with a battery of neuropsychometric (NPM) tests, and labeled “injured” patients with significant cognitive deficits, and “normal” if they demonstrated no decline in neurocognitive function. There are apparently significant RDM differences with MRP scans between the two hemispheres in patients with cognitive deficits which can be used to guide expert reviews of the imagery. The proposed methodology aids in the analysis of MRP parameters in patients with cognitive impairment.
Bodily memory: Introducing immigrant organizations and the family

This is an article about war survivors who ended up in migration in the aftermath of World War II: former Division soldiers from Poland and former Ostarbeiterinnen from the Soviet Union who settled in Belgium. It analyzes how these migrants dealt in their post-war lives with experiences of harm to their bodies undergone during the war. Often, attempts to ascribe meaning to the physical and/or psychological remnants of this harm were not made through words, but through non-verbal performances. However, such bodily memory could also, consciously or not, become socialized. In this article, I investigate the performance of bodily memory over time within two of the migrants' social entities: immigrant organizations and families, focusing in particular on their interaction.
Lessons learned from daily uplink operations during the Deep Impact Mission

The daily preparation of uplink products (commands and files) for Deep Impact was as problematic as the final encounter images were spectacular. The operations team was faced with many challenges during the six-month mission to comet Tempel One of the biggest difficulties was that the Deep Impact Flyby and Impactor vehicles necessitated a high volume of uplink products while also utilizing a new uplink file transfer capability. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) Multi-Mission Ground Systems and Services (MGSS) Mission Planning and Sequence Team (MPST) had the responsibility of preparing the uplink products for use on the two spacecraft. These responsibilities included processing nearly 15,000 flight products, modeling the states of the spacecraft during all activities for subsystem review, and ensuring that the proper commands and files were uplinked to the spacecraft. To guarantee this transpired and the health and safety of the two spacecraft were not jeopardized several new ground scripts and procedures were developed while the Deep Impact Flyby and Impactor spacecraft were en route to their encounter with Tempel-1. These scripts underwent several adaptations throughout the entire mission up until three days before the separation of the Flyby and Impactor vehicles. The problems presented by Deep Impact's daily operations and the development of scripts and procedures to ease those challenges resulted in several valuable lessons learned. These lessons are now being integrated into the design of current and future MGSS missions at JPL.
Detecting suspicious behavior using a graph-based approach

The ability to discover illicit behaviour in complex, heterogeneous data is a daunting problem. In the VAST 2014 competition, one of the challenges involves identifying for local law enforcement which employees are involved and where they should be concentrating their efforts. One approach to handling this problem is a graph-based approach. In this paper, we present a graph-based anomaly detection approach for discovering suspicious employees and geographic locations.
Nucleotide sequence and expression of the algE gene involved in alginate biosynthesis by Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

Abstract Alginate (Alg), a random polymer of mannuronic acid and guluronic acid residues, is synthesized and secreted by Pseudomonas aeruginosa primarily during its infection of the lungs of cystic fibrosis patients. The molecular biology and biochemistry of the enzymatic steps leading to the production of the Alg precursor GDP-mannuronic acid have been elucidated, but the mechanism of polymer formation and export of Alg are not understood. We report the nucleotide sequence of a 2.4-kb DNA fragment containing the algE gene, previously designated alg76 , encoding the AlgE protein ( M r 54361) that is believed to be involved in these late steps of Alg biosynthesis. Expression of algE appears to occur from its own promoter. The promoter region contains several direct and inverted repeat sequences and shares structural similarity with promoters of several other alg genes from P. aeruginosa . In addition, the AlgE protein was overproduced from the tac promoter in P. aeruginosa . N-terminal amino acid sequence analysis showed that the polypeptide contains a signal peptide which is cleaved to form the mature protein during AlgE export from the cell cytoplasm.
Carbon nanotube-based nonvolatile random access memory for molecular computing

A concept for molecular electronics exploiting carbon nanotubes as both molecular device elements and molecular wires for reading and writing information was developed. Each device element is based on a suspended, crossed nanotube geometry that leads to bistable, electrostatically switchable ON/OFF states. The device elements are naturally addressable in large arrays by the carbon nanotube molecular wires making up the devices. These reversible, bistable device elements could be used to construct nonvolatile random access memory and logic function tables at an integration level approaching 10 12 elements per square centimeter and an element operation frequency in excess of 100 gigahertz. The viability of this concept is demonstrated by detailed calculations and by the experimental realization of a reversible, bistable nanotube-based bit.
Valuation and Performance of Reacquisitions Following Equity Carve‐Outs

While existing literature reports a positive market reaction to parent companies conducting carve-outs, we find that the response to carve-outs that are ultimately reacquired is negative or insignificant. Reacquired units perform considerably worse than those that are not reacquired. Thus, parents may perceive that the market does not recognize the potential of these poorly performing units, and reacquires them to capitalize on the parents' private information. The reacquisition announcement results in a favorable market reaction for the parents and the units. However, parents experience negative long-term buy-and-hold abnormal returns when they reacquire less than 100% of units' shares.
Optimal regulatory control of bioreactor nutrient concentration incorporating system identification

Abstract Control of nutrient level is one of the essential components for successful bioreactor operation. This paper reports optimal regulation results for glucose concentration in yeast fermentations. By modeling the process as a stochastic process, optimal values of the state variables of the culture biomass and glucose concentration, and optimal model parameters of specific growth rate and yield are obtained. A system identification algorithm extracts the maximum amount of information possible from the measurements and the process model on a sound statistical basis. An optimal regulatory control law is designed to utilize these outputs of system identification in a conservative manner so that robust control performance is maintained even with errors in the system identification. The proposed optimal regulatory control law incorporating system identification is tested experimentally by regulation of culture glucose concentration at different setpoint conditions. After successful performance evaluation, the proposed optimal control framework is applied to regulation along optimal singular arcs of glucose level that define the optimal policy needed to maximize foreign secreted protein production in fed batch reactors.
Measuring contact area, force, and pressure for bioengineering applications: Using Fuji Film and TekScan systems

The goal of this study was to compare the TekScan I-Scan Pressure Measurement System with two methods of analysis involving the Fuji Film Prescale Pressure Measuring System in estimating area, force and pressure. Fuji Film and TekScan sensors were alternately placed between a cylindrical peg and a finely ground steel base plate, and compressed with known forces. All Fuji stains were digitally scanned and analyzed. The Erase method of Fuji Film analysis consisted of manually removing portions of the image judged by the user to be outside the perimeter of the stain. The second method of Fuji Film analysis, termed the Threshold method, used the threshold tool to analyze only those pixels that were stained from loading. The TekScan system utilized special matrix-based sensors interfaced with a Windows compatible desktop computer that was equipped with specialized data acquisition hardware and analysis software. The data from this study did not support the hypothesis that all three methods would have accuracies within +/-5% of a known value, when estimating area, force and pressure. Specifically, the TekScan system was found to be more accurate than either of the Fuji Film methods when estimating area and pressure.
Optics and intermolecular forces

The influence of long-range intermolecular forces upon the refractive index and optical rotation of molecular fluids is examined using quantum electrodynamics and many-body theory. An expression for this effect, analogous to the McLachlan formula for the dispersion energy, and involving the molecular polarizability and second hyperpolarizability, is derived in the case of a non-polar fluid.
Lattice-preferred orientation and microstructure of peridotites from ODP Hole 1274A (15°39′N), Mid-Atlantic Ridge: Testing models of mantle upwelling and tectonic exhumation

Abstract Eleven harzburgites and one dunite from Ocean Drilling Program Leg 209 Hole 1274A preserve high-temperature mantle textures. Electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) analysis shows moderately developed crystal lattice preferred orientations (LPOs) in olivine and orthopyroxene (M-indices ≈ 0.1) indicative of crystal-plastic deformation at ~ 1250 °C. These rocks preserve a protogranular texture with a weak olivine foliation, a very weak or absent orthopyroxene foliation that may be decoupled from the orthopyroxene LPO, and minor interstitial clinopyroxene and spinel. Olivine grain size distributions, along with melt-related microstructures in orthopyroxene, clinopyroxene and spinel suggest that high-temperature deformation textures have been overprinted by pervasive post-deformation melt-rock interaction. Paleomagnetic data constrain the olivine [100] axes to be subhorizontal and oriented at low angle (≤ 28.6° ± 10.6°) to the ridge axis at the onset of serpentinization. This orientation is consistent with either complex 3-D mantle upwelling or 2-D mantle upwelling coupled with complex 3-D tectonic emplacement to the seafloor.
α 2 Macroglobulin-proteinase complexes stimulate prostaglandin E 2 synthesis by peritoneal macrophages

α2Macroglobulin is a proteinase inhibitor which is converted from its native form into an electrophoretically “fast” form by reaction with a proteinase or methylamine. All α2M “fast” forms bind to a specific high-affinity receptor on macrophages. α2M “fast” forms inhibit the interferon-γ (IFN)-induced increase in macrophage Ia expression. This study examined whether α2M-proteinase complexes alter prostaglandin (PG) E2 synthesis, and whether PGE2 mediates α2M “fast” forms effects on macrophage Ia expression. Culture with α2M “fast” forms increased PGE2 accumulation in the medium over control values in a dose-dependent manner. Culture with IFN alone did not increase PGE2 levels, but potentiated the effect of α2M-proteinase complexes on PGE2 levels. Inhibition of PGE2 synthesis did not alter the PGE2 did suppress IFN-induced Ia expression. Thus, α2M-proteinase complexes increase macrophage PGE2 synthesis, but increased synthesis of PGE2 or other cyclooxygenase products is not the mediator of antagonism of IFN-induced Ia expression by α2M-proteinase complexes.
Analyzing generalized tubes

Many objects in the real world are tubular in shape and this paper is about understanding this object class, which we refer to in the paper as generalized tubes (hereafter GTs). Intuitively, a GT is constructed by sweeping some planar closed curve (the GT cross-section) along a 3D space curve (the GT axis). First, we examine the GT class as a whole and identify two important GT subclasses where the parametric curves and the set of intrinsic directions are related: (1) GTs with circular cross-sections (hereafter CGTs) and (2) GTs with zero-torsion axes (hereafter ZGTs). Then, these two classes of generalized tube are analyzed with respect to their surface and projective properties. For example, CGT occluding edges are shown to project to parallel contours, and the contour image of a CGT is shown to have at least one degree of freedom. An algorithm is then given that uses both image contour and reflectance to recover CGT shape parameters modulo scale.
PDE4 inhibitor, roflumilast protects cardiomyocytes against NO-induced apoptosis via activation of PKA and Epac dual pathways

Myocyte apoptosis plays an important role in myocardial infarction and cAMP is crucial in the regulation of myocyte apoptosis. Phosphodiesterase-4 (PDE4) inhibitor blocks the hydrolysis of cAMP via inhibition of PDE4 and is attractive candidate for novel anti-inflammatory drugs. However, its function in cardiovascular diseases and cardiomyocyte apoptosis is unclear. Therefore, we investigated whether roflumilast, a PDE4 inhibitor, exerts protective effect against NO-induced apoptosis in both of H9c2 cells and neonatal rat cardiomyocytes (NRCMs), focusing on cAMP downstream molecules such as protein kinase A (PKA) and exchange protein directly activated by cAMP (Epac). According to our data, intracellular cAMP was increased by roflumilast treatment in H9c2 cells and NRCMs. Roflumilast inhibited SNP-induced apoptosis and this effect was reversed by PKA specific inhibitor H-89 and KT-5720. In addition, PKA specific activator N(6)-benzoyladenosine 3',5-cyclic monophosphate (N(6)Bz-cAMP) mimicked the effects of roflumilast. CREB phosphorylation by roflumilast was also inhibited by H-89, indicating that roflumilast protects SNP-induced apoptosis via PKA-dependent pathway. Roflumilast increased Epac1/GTP-Rap1 and the protective effect was abolished by Epac1 siRNA transfection, demonstrating that Epac signaling was also involved in this protective response. In support, Epac specific activator 8-(4-chlrorophenylthio)-2'-O-methyladenosine-3',5'-cyclic monophosphate (8CPT-2Me-cAMP) protected SNP-induced apoptosis. PI3K/Akt inhibitor LY294002 blocked roflumilast-induced Akt phosphorylation and protective effect. Furthermore, inhibition of Epac1 with siRNA had no effect on roflumilast-induced CREB phosphorylation, whereas inhibited Akt phosphorylation, implicating that Akt phosphorylation was regulated by Epac pathway. In addition, it was also observed that rolipram and cilomilast exert similar effects as roflumilast. In summary, our data indicate that roflumilast protects NO-induced apoptosis via both cAMP-PKA/CREB and Epac/Akt-dependent pathway. Our study suggests a possibility of PDE4 inhibitor roflumilast as a potential therapeutic agent against myocardial ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury.
On Padé approximants associated with Hamburger series

We discuss three (only loosely connected) aspects of Pade approximants associated with Hamburger series: (i) Normality criteria, expressed in terms of orthogonal polynomials (ii) Inequalities for expansion coefficients (iii) Computational methods.
The Role of Dependence Balancing in Safeguarding Transaction-Specific Assets in Conventional Channels:

The authors develop a theoretical extension to the basic transaction cost model by combining insights from dependence theory with the TCA approach. They introduce offsetting investments as a means ...
A Multiresolution Tree-Structured Spatial Linear Model

Multiresolution spatial models are able to capture complex dependence correlation in spatial data and are excellent alternatives to the traditional random field models for mapping spatial processes. Because of the multiresolution structures, spatial process prediction can be obtained by direct and fast computation algorithms. However, the existing multiresolution models usually assume a simple constant mean structure, which may not be suitable in practice. In this article, we focus on a multiresolution tree-structured spatial model and extend the model to incorporate a linear regression mean. We explore the properties of the multiresolution tree-structured spatial linear model in depth and estimate the parameters in the linear regression mean and the spatial-dependence structure simultaneously. An expectation-maximization algorithm is adopted to obtain the maximum likelihood estimates of the model parameters and the corresponding information matrix. Given the estimated parameters, a one-pass change-of-res...
Incidence of sugarcane yellow leaf virus in clones maintained in the world collection of sugarcane and related grasses at the United States national repository in Miami, Florida

Sugarcane yellow leaf virus (SCYLV) was detected in sugarcane clones in the world collection located in United States National Germplasm Repository for Sugarcane and Related Grasses in Miami, Florida. Incidence of SCYLV ranged among the fiveSaccharuin spp. from 7.0% in S.spontaneum to 75.8% inS. officinarum. Incidence of SCYLV inS. robustum, S. sinense andS. barberi was 62.5, 46.2 and 13.6%, respectively.S. spontaneum as a group was found to be most resistant and S.officinarum was the most susceptible.
Structure of the immunodominant surface antigen from the Toxoplasma gondii SRS superfamily.

Toxoplasma gondii is a persistent protozoan parasite capable of infecting almost any warm-blooded vertebrate. The surface of Toxoplasma is coated with a family of developmentally regulated glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI)-linked proteins (SRSs), of which SAG1 is the prototypic member. SRS proteins mediate attachment to host cells and interface with the host immune response to regulate the virulence of the parasite. The 1.7 A structure of the immunodominant SAG1 antigen reveals a homodimeric configuration in which the dimeric interface is mediated by an extended β-sheet that forms a deep groove lined with positively charged amino acids. This basic groove seems to be conserved among SRS proteins and potentially serves as a sulfated proteoglycan-binding site on target cell surfaces, thus rationalizing the promiscuous attachment properties of Toxoplasma to a broad range of host cell types.
Measuring the Frictional Costs of Online Transactions: The Case of a Name-Your-Own-Price Channel

We study the offers submitted by consumers to a large Name-Your-Own-Price (NYOP) online retailer. A distinctive feature of this retailer is that it allows consumers to repeatedly submit offers on one and the same product. While consumers could identify the threshold price (the minimum price for which the retailer is willing to sell) by incrementing their offer in small steps in each consecutive round, such a strategy would require them to go through many additional online transactions. We define frictional cost as the disutility that the consumer experiences when conducting an online transaction, such as submitting an offer. Thus, in our setting, consumers trade off a direct financial value (lower price) for frictional costs. Based on a consumer choice model capturing this trade-off, we use the observed consumer behavior to reconstruct the frictional cost parameters for the consumers in our sample. We show that, perhaps contrary to the general wisdom, frictional costs in electronic markets are substantial, with median values ranging from EUR 3.54 for a portable digital music player (MP3) to EUR 6.08 for a personal digital assistant (PDA). We find that consumers who have gathered experience with the NYOP channel in previous transactions exhibit lower frictional costs than consumers who use the channel for the first time. Surprisingly, sociodemographic variables do not help to explain the variation in frictional costs.
The Accuracy Assessment of Weapon System Using Grey Linear Regression Method

The accuracy assessment of weapon system is always a complex engineering. How to make the most of the information given in only a few tests and obtain reasonable estimate is always a problem. Based on the fuzzy theory and grey theory, a grey linear regression method is presented. From the numerical example, we can see that this method provides an easy access to deal with data in small sample case and may have potential use in the analysis of weapon performance.
Plasma volume during heat stress and exercise in women.

Five women were studied during exercise and passive heating to determine whether PV dynamics were affected by the menstrual cycle. The exercise bout (80% \(\dot V_{{\text{O}}_{\text{2}} } \) peak) on a modified cycle ergometer and the passive heat stress were done in a hot environment (Ta=50°C, Pw=1.61kPa) during the follicular and luteal phase. Esophageal temperature (Tes) was measured continuously. Blood samples were drawn after each 0.2° C increase in Tes and \(\dot V_{{\text{O}}_{\text{2}} } \) was measured at that time. Initial PV was estimated at rest during the follicular phase. PV changes from rest were calculated at each Tes from Hb and Hct. During passive heating, PV decreased by a mean volume of 156 (±80) ml to 2.83 (±0.09)l in the follicular phase. During the luteal phase, there was a larger volume reduction (300±100 ml) during passive heating, and the final PV was lower than in the follicular phase and averaged 2.47±0.181. During exercise, PV decreased 463 (±90) ml to 2.50 (±0.11) l in the follicular and 381 (±70) ml to 2.50 (±0.23) l in the luteal phase. These data indicate that there is a menstrual cycle effect on PV dynamics during passive heating such that more fluid is shifted out of the vasculature during the luteal phase. During severe exercise there is a greater fluid loss during the follicular phase, yet the final PV is not different between phases.