cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Liquidity Crisis, Investor Sentiment, and REIT Returns and Volatility

The real estate investment trust (REIT) industry experienced a liquidity crisis resulting from reduced access to credit commitments as banks were restoring their balance sheets during the 2007-2009 financial crisis. Employing generalized autoregressive conditional heteroscedasticity (GARCH) models we examine the impact of the liquidity crisis and investor sentiment on REIT returns and volatility over the sample period from December 2001 to February 2013. We find that the liquidity crisis negatively impacts REIT returns and helps explain increases in volatility; this finding is robust to multiple specifications. We show that investor sentiment is a significant factor in explaining the REIT return generating process with institutional sentiment playing a dominating role over individual sentiment; furthermore, institutional sentiment was the only relevant sentiment variable during liquidity crisis.
The Relationship Between Video Game Play and the Acquired Capability for Suicide: An Examination of Differences by Category of Video Game and Gender

Abstract This study examined the relationship between video game (VG) play and the acquired capability for suicide (ACS), as well as the moderating effects of VG category and gender on this relationship. Participants were 228 college students who played VGs on a weekly basis and who completed self-report assessments of VG play, painful and provocative events, and the ACS. Results indicated that there was a significant positive association between hours of VG play and the ACS. The action category of VGs was a significant moderator of the relationship between hours of VG play and the ACS after adjusting for previous painful and provocative events. Gender did not significantly moderate the relationship between hours of VG play and the ACS, and there was no significant three-way interaction between hours of VG play, playing action category VGs, and gender. This suggests that individuals who play many hours of action VGs may be more capable of lethal self-harm if they experience suicide ideation, although this...
Impacts of Changes in Federal Crop Insurance Programs on Land Use and Environmental Quality

This paper integrates economic and physical models to assess how federal crop revenue insurance programs might affect land use, cropping systems, and environmental quality in the U.S. Corn Belt region. The empirical framework includes econometric models that predict land conversion, crop choices, and crop rotations at the parcel level based on expectation and variance of crop revenues, land quality, climate conditions, and physical characteristics at each site. The predictions are then combined with site-specific environmental production functions to determine the effect of revenue insurance on nitrate runoff and leaching, soil water and wind erosion, and carbon sequestration. Results suggest that crop insurance will have small impacts on conversions of non-cropland to cropland, but more significant impacts on crop choice. These changes in crop mix have moderate impacts on agricultural pollution.
Transportation Issues of Adults on the Autism Spectrum: Findings from Focus Group Discussions

Approximately 1.5 to 3.5 million Americans have autism spectrum disorder (ASD), a developmental disability characterized by social communication impairments, repetitive behaviors, and restricted interests. In the coming decade, a half-million persons with ASD in the United States will enter adulthood. Information on the transportation needs and challenges facing this population is limited, which hinders the development of sound policies and strategies to meet those needs successfully. This paper presents the findings from a series of focus groups conducted in New Jersey with adults with ASD and their parents or guardians. The focus groups were part of a larger study that included stakeholder interviews and a survey of this population on transportation-related issues and concerns. The findings provide evidence of the vital role of transportation in the lives of persons with ASD, especially as they seek to navigate the often difficult transition to adulthood. Transportation issues of special concern among a...
Blepharokeratoconjunctivitis in children.

Purpose of reviewThis article reviews the current literature on pediatric blepharokeratoconjunctivitis (BKC) to enhance the understanding on the incidence, clinical course, and treatment options.Recent findingsPediatric BKC is a disorder with a wide spectrum of clinical manifestations. Therapies tar
Nanopore sequencing detects structural variants in cancer.

ABSTRACTDespite advances in sequencing, structural variants (SVs) remain difficult to reliably detect due to the short read length (<300 bp) of 2nd generation sequencing. Not only do the reads (or paired-end reads) need to straddle a breakpoint, but repetitive elements often lead to ambiguities in the alignment of short reads. We propose to use the long-reads (up to 20 kb) possible with 3rd generation sequencing, specifically nanopore sequencing on the MinION. Nanopore sequencing relies on a similar concept to a Coulter counter, reading the DNA sequence from the change in electrical current resulting from a DNA strand being forced through a nanometer-sized pore embedded in a membrane. Though nanopore sequencing currently has a relatively high mismatch rate that precludes base substitution and small frameshift mutation detection, its accuracy is sufficient for SV detection because of its long reads. In fact, long reads in some cases may improve SV detection efficiency.We have tested nanopore sequencing to ...
Preventing abortion as a test case for the justifiability of violence

This paper explores the rationale for violence and coercion aimed at preventing abortion conceived as the killing of an innocent person. Some important arguments for personhood at conception are examined, and in the light of the examination the paper considers whether they warrant concluding that a free and democratic society should pass laws recognizing personhood at conception. The wider concern is what principles such a society should use as a basis for legal coercion and what principles conscientious individuals should use insofar as they judge that self-defense or, especially, protection of the innocent, requires violence.
Enhancing the Practical Relevance of Research

This article seeks to encourage scholars to conduct research that is more relevant to the decisions faced by managers and policymakers, and addresses why research relevance matters, what relevance means in terms of a journal article, and how scholars can increase the relevance of their research. I define relevant research papers as those whose research questions address problems found (or potentially found) in practice and whose hypotheses connect independent variables within the control of practitioners to outcomes they care about using logic they view as feasible. I provide several suggestions for how scholars can enhance research relevance, including engaging practitioners in on-campus encounters, at managerial conferences, and at crossover workshops; conducting site visits and practitioner interviews; working as a practitioner; and developing a practitioner advisory team. I describe several ways that scholars can convey relevant research insights to practitioners, including presenting at practitioner conferences, writing for practitioners in traditional crossover journals and in shorter pieces like op-eds and blogs, and attracting the interest of those who write columns, blogs, and articles about research for practitioners. I conclude by describing a few ways that academic institutions can encourage more relevant research, focusing on journals, professional societies, and doctoral programs.
Diffeomorphism invariant cosmological symmetry in full quantum gravity

This paper summarizes a new proposal to define rigorously a sector of loop quantum gravity at the diffeomorphism invariant level corresponding to homogeneous and isotropic cosmologies, thereby enabling a detailed comparison of results in loop quantum gravity and loop quantum cosmology. The key technical steps we have completed are (a) to formulate conditions for homogeneity and isotropy in a diffeomorphism covariant way on the classical phase-space of general relativity, and (b) to translate these conditions consistently using well-understood techniques to loop quantum gravity. Some additional steps, such as constructing a specific embedding of the Hilbert space of loop quantum cosmology into a space of (distributional) states in the full theory, remain incomplete. However, we also describe, as a proof of concept, a complete analysis of an analogous embedding of homogeneous and isotropic loop quantum cosmology into the quantum Bianchi I model of Ashtekar and Wilson-Ewing. Details will appear in a pair of forthcoming papers.
The Merits of Universal Scholarships: Benefit-Cost Evidence from the Kalamazoo Promise

As higher education costs rise, many communities have begun to adopt their own financial aid strategy: place-based scholarships for students graduating from the local school district. In this paper, we examine the benefits and costs of the Kalamazoo Promise, one of the more universal and more generous place-based scholarships. Building upon estimates of the program’s heterogeneous effects on degree attainment, scholarship cost data, and projections of future earnings by education, we examine the Promise’s benefit-cost ratios for students differentiated by income, race, and gender. Although the average rate of return of the program is 11%, rates of return vary greatly by group. The Promise has high returns for both low-income and non-low-income groups, for non-Whites, and for women, while benefit assumptions matter more for Whites and men. Our results show that universal scholarships can reach many students and have a high rate of return, particularly for places with a high percentage of African American students. They also highlight the importance of disaggregating benefits and costs by subgroup when performing benefit-cost analysis when the treatment is heterogeneous.
Monadic regions

Region-based type systems provide programmer control over memory management without sacrificing type-safety. However, the type systems for region-based languages, such as the ML-Kit or Cyclone, are relatively complicated, so proving their soundness is non-trivial. This paper shows that the complication is in principle unnecessary. In particular, we show that plain old parametric polymorphism, as found in Haskell, is all that is needed. We substantiate this claim by giving a type- and meaning-preserving translation from a region-based language based on core Cyclone to a monadic variant of System F with region primitives whose types and operations are inspired by (and generalize) the ST monad.
Capital market frictions and conservative reporting: Evidence from short selling constraints

I use a natural experiment, Reg SHO, that relaxed short selling constraints on a random sample of U.S. stocks to study how capital market frictions affect conditional conservatism in financial reporting, defined as earnings reflecting bad news more quickly than good news. Since reducing short selling constraints increases the sensitivity of stock prices to bad news, managers may decrease conditional conservatism to delay the recognition of bad news in earnings. However, if equity investors anticipate this, then they may demand an increase in conditional conservatism such that there is no net effect. With a difference-in-differences design, I find that a decrease in short selling constraints causes a decrease in conditional conservatism. The result improves our understanding of how market regulation affects accounting choices and suggests that relaxing equity market frictions can have potentially negative consequences for financial reporting quality.
Practical Implementation of Dual-Purpose No-Voltage Drives for Bearingless Motors

Practical implementations of the power electronics required to operate bearingless machines with the so-called “dual-purpose no-voltage” (DPNV) windings are proposed. These windings enable a bearingless machine to use the same coils to produce both radial suspension forces and torque, which has been shown in the literature to enable better machine performance. In this paper, the use of two-level inverters is investigated for the two configurations of DPNV windings: the “parallel” and “bridge” configurations. The investigation is valid for conventional $p \pm 1$ pole-pair bearingless motors (i.e., bearingless permanent magnet and induction motors) and $p=1$ bearingless motors (bearingless ac homopolar and consequent-pole motors). The advantages and disadvantages of each configuration are explored in terms of control complexity and required hardware, potential paths for circulating currents are identified along with mitigation strategies, and experimental results are presented to validate the proposed power electronic implementation.
Modeling and Sensitivity Analysis of the Meridian Unmanned Aircraft

This paper describes the modeling and sensitivity analysis of an unmanned aerial vehicle in development for glacial ice research. The Meridian UAV is a single-engine research aircraft with fixed landing gear designed by engineers at the University of Kansas. Linear state space models are developed for both longitudinal and lateral dynamics of the UAV in a large range of airspeeds. The modeling and simulation of the Meridian were done using Advanced Aircraft Analysis and Athena Vortex Lattice software. Stability and control derivatives are estimated for use in a 6-DOF simulator for pilot training and mission planning. A sensitivity analysis is performed evaluating the effect of changing Clβ, Cnβ, and Cyβ on aircraft dynamics to investigate the effects of eight flat plate antennas attached below the wings. Conclusions are drawn from analysis of vehicle dynamics to consider precautions and special preparations for flight test operations.
Esclarecer o Habitus

Taking sociologist Pierre Bourdieu’s work as a reference, the present article offers a reconstitution of the genesis of the notion of habitus present in the author’s works and, in a synthetic perspective, seeks to document some of its major theoretical properties. It also draws a brief portrait of the main horizons of sociological mobilization such notion has been addressed with, emphasising that the notion of habitus , for Bourdieu, is a stenographic way of designating a research attitude adequate to the methodical observation of the social constitution of agents in several institutional settings.
Rh2(II)-catalyzed selective aminomethylene migration from styryl azides.

Rh2(II)-Carboxylate complexes were discovered to promote the selective migration of aminomethylenes in β,β-disubstituted styryl azides to form 2,3-disubstituted indoles. Mechanistic data are also presented that suggest that the migration occurs stepwise before diffusion of the iminium ion.
Immunological Specificity of Sulfonamide Azoproteins

amides.1 Such work so far with patients has given no significant results. Experimentation with laboratory animals is reported here. The immunological aspect of the toxic manifestations2?3'4 which occur during the course or sulfonamide therapy has been little studied. Some of the skin reactions and drug fevers particularly may have an allergic basis. From the paper by Tedder.5 and the remarks following it, a possible classification appears: (1) allergy, (2) photoallergy, and (3) toxic dermatitis or fever. Such reactions have been reported frequently for sulfanilamide and sulfapyridine,6'7*8 and more recently for sulfathiazole,9,10
Tear Strength and Tensile Strength of Model Filled Elastomers

Measurements have been made of the tear strength, tensile strength, and energy dissipated during stretching for model filled elastomers consisting of polybutadiene with glass beads incorporated. The glass beads were pretreated with various silanes, some of which could, in principle, form covalent bonds with the polybutadiene matrix during free-radical crosslinking of the latter and some of which could not. The tear strength of the elastomer was increased by the addition of glass beads, by about 25% for the largest beads, having a mean diameter of 150μm. This effect is attributed to increased roughness of the tear path. The breaking elongation in tension was reduced by the addition of glass beads but the breaking stress was only seriously reduced for the least-well-adhering beads. The stored strain energy density at break was reduced in all cases. This is attributed to large glass beads acting as fracture nuclei in tension. Calculated sizes of a Griffith crack, 150–300 μm, are consistent with this hypothesis. Strain energy dissipated due to dewetting was found to be in the range 4–13% of the input energy, depending upon the degree of interfacial adhesion, in addition to about 10% dissipated in the unfilled material. The maximum value observed is in reasonable agreement with theoretical predictions.
Market Visions: Expenditure Surveys, Market Research, and Economic Planning in the New Deal

Materialistic desire may be the engine of capitalism, but those seeking to redress eco nomic inequities in America have also found it valuable for building and strengthening unions, regulating production and retail practices, attacking monopolies and business collusion, and championing redistributive economic policies.1 Consumption is the uni versal virtue for capitalism; what better weapon to trim that system's excesses? But, prote an like capitalism itself, the tactics used to muster the reformist potential of consumption have also evolved. Thus prior to World War I, consumption-based calls for higher wages relied heavily on a mixture of ethical and loosely physiological claims as labor activists implicitly or explicitly defined an appropriate (and continually advancing) "American standard of living" and demanded wages sufficient to reach that level. As the 1920s pro gressed, union leaders and their liberal allies emphasized a different justification: rising industrial productivity would require increasing working-class "purchasing power" to provide an expanded market for the abundance of goods now rolling out of American factories. This shift in justifications benefited labor activists in multiple ways: It coun tered conservative arguments that a minimum "living wage" was economically unsound; it moved the debate from a moral grounding (which had often proved ineffective) to one of pragmatic business self-interest; and it helped labor representatives build alliances with moderate or liberal mass-producers and retailers who recognized a similar logic, such as the auto manufacturer Henry Ford, General Electric's chairman Owen D. Young, and the department store magnate Edward Filene.2 It also bound proponents more tightly to
Experimental Verification of the Concept of Optical Lumped Circuit Elements at IR wavelengths

Using FTIR spectrometry, we experimentally verify that arrays of Si3N4nanorods with deep subwavelength cross sections may operate as two-dimensional optical lumped circuit elements connected in series or parallel depending on polarization of incident field.
Cryptanalysis of a modern rotor machine in a multicast setting

At FSE ’93, Anderson presented a modern byte-oriented rotor machine that is suitable for fast software implementation. Building on a combination of chosen ciphertexts and chosen plaintexts, the authors show that in a setting with multiple recipients, the recovery of an equivalent secret key can be feasible within minutes in a standard computer algebra system.
Chemical intercalation of zerovalent metals into 2D layered Bi2Se3 nanoribbons.

We have developed a chemical method to intercalate a variety of zerovalent metal atoms into two-dimensional (2D) layered Bi2Se3 chalcogenide nanoribbons. We use a chemical reaction, such as a disproportionation redox reaction, to generate dilute zerovalent metal atoms in a refluxing solution, which intercalate into the layered Bi2Se3 structure. The zerovalent nature of the intercalant allows superstoichiometric intercalation of metal atoms such as Ag, Au, Co, Cu, Fe, In, Ni, and Sn. We foresee the impact of this methodology in establishing novel fundamental physical behaviors and in possible energy applications.
New Approach for Managing Pavement Friction and Reducing Road Crashes

Evaluation of crash count data as a function of roadway characteristics allows departments of transportation (DOTs) to predict expected average crash risks to assist in identifying segments that could benefit from various treatments. Crash risk is modeled using negative binomial regression, as a function of annual average daily traffic (AADT) and other variables. For this paper, a crash study was carried out for the Interstate, primary, and secondary routes in the Salem District of Virginia. The data used in the study included the following information obtained from Virginia DOT records: 2010 to 2012 crash data, 2010 to 2012 AADT, and horizontal radius of curvature. In addition, tire–pavement friction, or skid resistance, was measured with a continuous friction measurement, fixed-slip device called a GripTester. Negative binomial regression was used to relate the crash data to the AADT, skid resistance, and horizontal radius of curvature. To determine which of the variables to include in the final models,...
Performance of Polycrystalline Silicon Thin Film Transistors with Double Layer Gate Dielectric

The electrical characteristics of n- and p-channel poly-Si thin film transistors having a double layer gate dielectric structure are reported. The gate dielectric consists of a silicon dioxide layer and a nitrogen-rich silicon nitride layer, both deposited by PECVD at low temperatures (≤ 400° C). When the silicon nitride was in contact with the poly-Si film, the effective carrier mobility (μeff), threshold voltage (Vth) and subthreshold swing (St) for n-channel devices were 36 cm2/Vsec, −1.8 V and 1.65 V/decade, respectively, while for p-channel devices were 6 cm2/Vsec, −37 and 2.47 V/decade, respectively. These devices were not stable under negative gate bias stress, due to the injection of holes into the silicon nitride. When silicon dioxide was in contact with the poly-Si film, the μeff, Vth and St for n-channel devices were 26 cm2/Vsec, 3 V and 1.63 V/decade, respectively, while for p-channel devices were 10 cm2/Vsec, −22 V and 1.52 V/decade, respectively. These devices were stable under d.c. bias stress.
A two-week regimen of high-dose integrase inhibitors does not cause nephrotoxicity in mice:

BackgroundThe integrase inhibitors, raltegravir and dolutegravir, are nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor-sparing agents which may be used as part of first-line antiretroviral therapy for HIV. These drugs inhibit creatinine secretion through organic cation transporters, thus elevating serum creatinine without affecting glomerular filtration. We sought to determine whether subtle signs of nephrotoxicity could be observed in mice administered a two-week regimen of high-dose integrase inhibitors.MethodsC57BL/6 mice were fed standard water (CTRL, n = 6), raltegravir-containing water (40 mg/kg/day, n = 6), or dolutegravir-containing water (2.7 mg/kg/day, n = 6) for two weeks and sacrificed. Endpoints were assessed including urine microalbumin, kidney injury molecule-1 renal tissue gene expression, renal histopathology, serum creatinine, and blood urea nitrogen.ResultsThe results are NOT consistent with a direct nephrotoxic effect of the integrase inhibitors in mice. Serum creatinine was significantly el...
JOINT REPLACEMENT OUTCOMES AFTER ABDOMINAL ORGAN TRANSPLANTATION

Background Joint replacement surgery has been shown to be successful in post solid organ transplantation patients. However, complication rates, revision rates, and overall mortality can be higher in this population compared to patients who have not undergone solid organ transplantation. Many transplant patients have a decreased life expectancy. Therefore, literature suggests that joint replacement surgery be offered to qualifying patients early on when symptomatic. This study compares the outcomes of patients who have undergone solid organ transplantation as well as a joint replacement to patients that have only undergone joint replacement surgery. Methods We retrospectively gathered 42 transplant (T) patients over a ten year period, 2003–2013, that underwent a liver (21) or kidney (21) transplant as well as primary total knee arthroplasty (TKA) (23) or total hip arthroplasty (THA) (19). We then gathered 42 non-transplant (NT) patients matched for procedure, age, body mass index (BMI), American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) score, and age adjusted Charlson co-morbidity index (ACCI) score who only underwent TKA or THA with no transplant. We used Chi-Square, T test, and multivariate analysis to compare the two groups with regard to number of complications (NOC), readmissions at 30 and 90 days post surgery, length of stay (LOS), number of intensive care unit (ICU) admissions, and total direct cost (TDC) per hospital stay. Results We found no significant difference between the two groups with regard to LOS ( P =0.267), readmissions at 30 days ( P =0.843) or 90 days ( P =0.265), ICU admissions ( P =0.326), or TDC per hospital stay ( P =0.343). The T group had significantly higher NOC compared to the NT group ( P =0.022). The type of transplant was associated with a higher NOC with kidney transplant patients having 6.75 (95% CI 1.318–34.565) times higher odds of complications compared to liver transplant patients ( P =0.022). The average time between transplant surgery and joint replacement surgery was 2.9 years. Conclusion Solid organ transplant patients are considered to be at higher risk for opportunistic infections compared to the general population. Limited data is available regarding the time at which transplant patients are at the highest risk for infection, or if one type of transplant is more at risk for complications than another after THA or TKA. This study suggests that transplant patients undergoing joint replacement surgery at an average of 2.9 years post-transplant are at higher risk for complications than a matched cohort of patients undergoing joint replacement alone, with kidney transplant patients being more at risk to experience a complication than liver transplant patients. To our knowledge, this is the first study to acknowledge the higher risk associated specifically with kidney transplant patients.
Real-time management of complex resource allocation systems: Necessity, achievements and further challenges

Abstract Many contemporary applications, ranging from flexibly automated production systems, to automated material handling and intelligent transportation systems, to internet-based workflow management systems, and more recently, to the massively parallelized software systems that emerge in the context of the novel multi-core computing architectures, can be perceived as a set of finite resources that support a number of concurrently running processes. These processes execute in a staged manner and, at each stage, they vie for the allocation of various subsets of the system resources. To effectively support and manage the extensive levels of concurrency and operational flexibility that are contemplated for these environments, and the ensuing complexity, there is a substantial need for formal models and tools that will enable the modeling, analysis and eventually the control of the aforementioned resource allocation function so that the resulting dynamics are, both, behaviorally correct and operationally efficient. This article overviews a research program that seeks to address the aforementioned need by using the unifying abstraction of the resource allocation system (RAS) and supporting modeling frameworks, like automata, Petri nets, and Markov reward and decision processes, borrowed from the area of Discrete Event Systems (DES) theory. The presented results take advantage of the special structure that exists in the considered RAS classes, and they are characterized by their analytical rigor and computational tractability. The article also highlights the further challenges that must be addressed for the successful completion and promotion of the pursued framework.
The Scale of Mission-Embeddedness as a Nonprofit Revenue Classification Tool: Different Earned Revenue Types, Different Performance Effects:

Nonprofits rely on earned revenue to remain sustainable. Prior studies have generally aggregated all earned revenue and evaluated its influence on financial sustainability. Our study takes a different approach, assessing the effects of three different types of earned revenue on an immediate program outcome. We use Cultural Data Project data from 2,000 arts and culture nonprofits from 2004-2012. We find that embedded and integrated earned revenue are linked to better program outcomes while external earned revenue is related to poorer program outcomes. Results depend on type (performing vs. visual arts) and funding structure (donative vs. commercial).
MIGRAINE AND PREGNANCY.

Abstract migraine is an episodic headache disorder that occurs in four percent of children, six percent of men, and 18 percent of women. Most women with migraine improve during pregnancy. Some women have their first attack during pregnancy. Migraine can recur postpartum; it can also begin at that time. Despite their drug use, migraineurs do not differ from nonmigraineurs in their incidence of miscarriages, toxemia, congenital anomalies or stillbirths. Drugs are commonly used during pregnancy and, although medication use should be limited, it is not absolutely contraindicated. Most drugs are not teratogenic. Adverse effects such as spontaneous abortion, developmental defects, and various postnatal effects depend on the dose and route of administration and the timing of the exposure relative to the period of fetal development. In migraine, the risk of status migrainosus to the fetus may be greater than the potential risk of the medication used to treat the mother. Nonpharmacologic treatment is the ideal solution; however, analgesics such as acetaminophen and opioids can be used on a limited basis. Preventive therapy is a last resort.
Subways and urban growth: evidence from earth

We investigate the relationship between the extent of a city’s subway network, its population and its spatial configuration. To accomplish this investigation, for the 632 largest cities in the world, we construct panel data describing the extent of each of the 138 subway systems in these cities, their population, and measures of centralization calculated from lights at night data. These data indicate that large cities are more likely to have subways, but that subways have an economically insignificant effect on urban population growth. Consistent with economic theory and with other studies of the effects of transportation improvements on cities, our data also indicate that subways cause cities to be more decentralized. For a subset of subway cities we also observe panel data describing subway and bus ridership. We find that a 10% increase in subway extent causes about a 6% increase in subway ridership and has no effect on bus ridership. Consistent with the available literature describing the effect of roads on cities, our results are consistent with subways having a larger effect on the configuration of cities than on their sizes, and with subways having a larger effect on discretionary than commute travel.
Green Cloudlet Network: A Distributed Green Mobile Cloud Network

This article introduces a green cloudlet network (GCN) architecture in the context of mobile cloud computing. The proposed architecture is aimed at providing seamless and low end-to-end delay between a UE and its Avatar (its software clone) in the cloudlets to facilitate the application workloads offloading process. Furthermore, an SDN-based core network is introduced in the GCN architecture by replacing the traditional Evolved Packet Core in the LTE network in order to provide efficient communications connections between different end points. The Cloudlet Network File System (CNFS) is designed based on the proposed architecture in order to protect the Avatars’ dataset against hardware failures and improve Avatars’ performance in terms of data access latency. Moreover, a green energy supplement is proposed in the architecture in order to reduce the extra OPEX and CO2 footprint incurred by running the distributed cloudlets. Due to the temporal and spatial dynamics of both the green energy generation and energy demands of green cloudlet systems (GCSs), designing an optimal green energy management strategy based on the characteristics of green energy generation and the energy demands of eNBs and cloudlets to minimize the on-grid energy consumption is critical to the cloudlet provider.
Chromium and zinc contamination of parenteral nutrient solution components commonly used in infants and children

Chromium and zinc contamination of components of parenteral nutrient (PN) solutions used in infants and children was studied. Solutions of amino acids, L-cysteine hydrochloride, dextrose, electrolytes, minerals, vitamins, multiple trace elements, and individual trace elements were obtained. A variety of manufacturers, lots, and expiration dates were represented when possible. The solutions were analyzed for chromium and zinc by flame atomic absorption spectrophotometry. In all amino acid products, chromium concentration was below the limit of detection and zinc concentration ranged from 0.06 to 4.97 mg/L. In the L-cysteine hydrochloride products, chromium was measurable in only two lots (0.11 and 0.23 mg/L); zinc was measurable in all lots (32-86 mg/L). Sodium and potassium salts of chloride and acetate had chromium concentrations of 0.02-0.23 mg/L and zinc concentrations of 0.35-0.56 mg/L. Phosphate salts contained chromium 0.39-0.44 mg/L and zinc 0.91-2.33 mg/L. In calcium gluconate, zinc concentration was 0.28-2.38 mg/L. In four lots of multiple trace elements, chromium was 92-104% and zinc was 100-113.5% of the labeled amount. A PN solution for a < 10-kg infant compounded from the components assayed would provide up to an additional 0.7 microgram of chromium per kilogram and 200 micrograms of zinc per kilogram. Zinc and chromium contaminants were detected in many of the products that are common components of PN solutions for infants and children; the contamination may be sufficient to result in the administration of zinc and chromium in amounts exceeding current recommendations.
Adaptive methodologies for futuristic phased array systems

In the adaptive beamforming methodology used in the signal processing community, typically the adaptive weights are connected to each one of the antenna elements in the array and the processing information is generated over time, as the correlation matrix of the data needs to be formed. In the electromagnetic community however, the procedure is to carry out beam forming. However, in a system implementation, the practical requirements are quite different for these two disjoint theoretical philosophies, as in a real system the objective is to extract the signal of interest out of interferers, clutter, jammers and on. What makes the problem interesting and the classical solution methodologies not relevant in practice, as illustrated by the non-existence of a real system after fifty years of the discovery the adaptive methodologies, is because it is not only necessary to cancel the interferers and extract the signal of interest when they are located by less than a beam width of the array, but also, the direction of the arrival of the interferers are not known a priori as it is a part of the solution process itself and therefore beam forming has little use! In addition there can be blinking jammers which make a temporal implementation of the adaptive methodology not meaningful.
Cluster analysis of urban water supply and demand: Toward large-scale comparative sustainability planning

Abstract The sustainability of urban water systems is often compared in small numbers of cases selected as much for their familiarity as for their similarities and differences. Few studies examine large urban datasets to conduct comparisons that identify unexpected similarities and differences among urban water systems and problems. This research analyzed a dataset of 142 cities that includes annual per capita water use (m3/yr/cap) and population. It added a 0.5 ° grid annual water budget value (P-PET/yr) as an index of hydroclimatic water supply. With these indices of urban water supply and demand, we conducted a hierarchical cluster analysis to identify relative similarities among, and distances between, the 142 cases. While some expected groupings of climatically similar cities were identified, unexpected clusters were also identified, e.g., cities that use water at greater rates than local climatic water budgets provide. Those cities must seek water from greater distances and greater depths. They face greater water and wastewater treatment costs. To become more sustainable they must increase water use efficiency, demand management, reuse, and recycling. The significance of the population variable suggests that adding other explanatory socio-economic variables, as well as more precise water system indices, are logical next steps for comparative analysis of urban water sustainability.
Fusion Ignition Research Experiment Vacuum Vessel Design and Configuration

The design status of the vacuum vessel for the Fusion Ignition Research Experiment (FIRE) is presented. The purpose and configuration of the various components of the vessel are described, along with the results of preliminary structural analysis. It appears that a vessel can be designed to meet the requirements within the rather restricted space constraints.
Laser Noise Induced Heating in Far Off Resonance Optical Traps

We calculate the heating rates arising from laser intensity noise and beam pointing fluctuations in far off resonance optical traps. Achievement of long heating time constants imposes stringent requirements on the laser noise spectra.
Decentralization and Corruption : The Bumpy Road to Public Sector Integrity in Developing Countries

The relationship between decentralization and corruption has intrigued experts in recent years. Decentralization proponents do not explicitly identify anti-corruption as a goal, but its potential as a tool is attractive to public sector ethicists if the appropriate connection can be shown. This article argues that decentralization of government can foster civic engagement and public-spirited public administration and promote honesty and accountability. Two major strands in the literature are examined: those that associate decentralization with greater corruption, and those that link it with greater public sector accountability. In the end, the proximity between government and people enabled by decentralization gives administrators and citizens a better opportunity to change public service values while reforming the structure of governance.
A pilot randomized clinical trial of intermittent occlusion therapy liquid crystal glasses versus traditional patching for treatment of moderate unilateral amblyopia.

Purpose To compare the effectiveness of intermittent occlusion therapy (IO therapy) using liquid crystal glasses and continuous occlusion therapy using traditional adhesive patches for treating amblyopia. Methods Children 3-8 years of age with previously untreated, moderate, unilateral amblyopia (visual acuity of 20/40 to 20/100 in the amblyopic eye) were enrolled in this randomized controlled trial. Amblyopia was associated with strabismus, anisometropia, or both. All subjects had worn any optimal refractive correction for at least 12 weeks without improvement. Subjects were randomized into two treatment groups: a 4-hour IO therapy group with liquid crystal glasses (Amblyz), set at 30-second opaque/transparent intervals (occluded 50% of wear time), and a 2-hour continuous patching group (occluded 100% of wear time). For each patient, visual acuity was measured using ATS-HOTV before and after 12 weeks of treatment. Results Data from 34 patients were available for analysis. Amblyopic eye visual acuity improvement from baseline was 0.15 ± 0.12 logMAR (95% CI, 0.09-0.15) in the IO therapy group (n = 19) and 0.15 ± 0.11 logMAR (95% CI, 0.1-0.15) in the patching group (n = 15). In both groups improvement was significant, but the difference between groups was not ( P = 0.73). No adverse effects were reported. Conclusions In this pilot study, IO therapy with liquid crystal glasses is not inferior to adhesive patching and is a promising alternative treatment for children 3-8 years of age with moderate amblyopia.
Institutional holdings, investment opportunities and dividend policy

Abstract This paper examines the relationship between institutional holdings and dividend policy by jointly considering investment style and firms’ growth opportunities. It helps to resolve the apparent low-dividend-preference puzzle in which institutional investors have higher holdings in dividend-paying firms, but among dividend payers, prefer firms that pay low dividends. We find that, controlling for style, institutional investors’ preferences for dividends are based on whether payout levels are consistent with firms’ needs to fund growth opportunities. High payout is preferred for firms with low growth opportunities, and low or no payout is preferred for firms with high growth opportunities. The results enhance our understanding of payout preferences of institutions by demonstrating the interactions of investment opportunities and investing style with respect to institutional investors’ payout preferences.
Design of an interactive lumbar puncture simulator with tactile feedback

Lumbar puncture for purposes of administering spinal or epidural anesthesia is a complex clinical skill which requires the clinician to precisely correlate a detailed mental map of hidden three-dimensional anatomy with tactile feedback from the spinal needle as it's being inserted. At Dartmouth, a collaborative work between the engineering and medical schools is aimed at developing a computer-based simulation utilizing high-resolution 3D graphics and a force-feedback device to simulate the "feel" of inserting the needle. This paper describes the mechanical design, hardware and software issues and some of the technical challenges being addressed in this project. >
A Neural Model of MST and MT Explains Perceived Object Motion during Self-Motion.

When a moving object cuts in front of a moving observer at a 90° angle, the observer correctly perceives that the object is traveling along a perpendicular path just as if viewing the moving object from a stationary vantage point. Although the observer9s own (self-)motion affects the object9s pattern of motion on the retina, the visual system is able to factor out the influence of self-motion and recover the world-relative motion of the object (Matsumiya and Ando, 2009). This is achieved by using information in global optic flow (Rushton and Warren, 2005; Warren and Rushton, 2009; Fajen and Matthis, 2013) and other sensory arrays (Dupin and Wexler, 2013; Fajen et al., 2013; Dokka et al., 2015) to estimate and deduct the component of the object9s local retinal motion that is due to self-motion. However, this account (known as “flow parsing”) is qualitative and does not shed light on mechanisms in the visual system that recover object motion during self-motion. We present a simple computational account that makes explicit possible mechanisms in visual cortex by which self-motion signals in the medial superior temporal area interact with object motion signals in the middle temporal area to transform object motion into a world-relative reference frame. The model (1) relies on two mechanisms (MST-MT feedback and disinhibition of opponent motion signals in MT) to explain existing data, (2) clarifies how pathways for self-motion and object-motion perception interact, and (3) unifies the existing flow parsing hypothesis with established neurophysiological mechanisms. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT To intercept targets, we must perceive the motion of objects that move independently from us as we move through the environment. Although our self-motion substantially alters the motion of objects on the retina, compelling evidence indicates that the visual system at least partially compensates for self-motion such that object motion relative to the stationary environment can be more accurately perceived. We have developed a model that sheds light on plausible mechanisms within the visual system that transform retinal motion into a world-relative reference frame. Our model reveals how local motion signals (generated through interactions within the middle temporal area) and global motion signals (feedback from the dorsal medial superior temporal area) contribute and offers a new hypothesis about the connection between pathways for heading and object motion perception.
Heads or Tails: The Impact of a Coin Toss on Major Life Decisions and Subsequent Happiness

Little is known about whether people make good choices when facing important decisions. This article reports on a large-scale randomized field experiment in which research subjects having difficulty making a decision flipped a coin to help determine their choice. For important decisions (e.g. quitting a job or ending a relationship), individuals who are told by the coin toss to make a change are more likely to make a change, more satisfied with their decisions, and happier six months later than those whose coin toss instructed maintaining the status quo. This finding suggests that people may be excessively cautious when facing life-changing choices.
The Prowess of Photogenerated Amine Radical Cations in Cascade Reactions: From Carbocycles to Heterocycles

ConspectusCascade reactions represent a class of ideal organic reactions because they empower efficiency, elegance, and novelty. However, development of cascade reactions remains a daunting task for synthetic chemists. Radicals are known to be well suited for cascade reactions. Compared with widely used carbon-based radicals, nitrogen-based radicals, such as neutral aminyl radicals and protonated aminyl radicals (amine radical cations), are underutilized, although they are behind some notable synthetic methods such as the Hofmann–Loffler–Freytag reaction. The constraint on their usage is generally attributed to the limited number of available stable precursors. Since amine radical cations offer increased reactivity and selectivity in chemical transformations compared with neutral aminyl radicals, their generation is of utmost importance. Recently, a surge of reports has been revealed using visible light photoredox catalysis. It has been demonstrated that amines can act as an electron donor in a reductive ...
Monetary Policy Implementation and Volatility Transmission Along the Yield Curve: The Case of Kenya

This paper analyses the degree to which volatility in interbank interest rates leads to volatility in financial instruments with longer maturities (e.g. T-bills) in Kenya since 2012, year in which the monetary policy framework switched to a forward-looking approach, relative to seven other inflation targeting (IT) countries (Ghana, Hungary, Poland, South Africa, Sweden, Thailand and Uganda). Kenya shows strong volatility transmission and high persistence similar to other countries in transition to a more forwardlooking monetary policy framework. These results emphasize the importance of a strong commitment to an interbank rate as an operational target and suggest that the central bank could reduce uncertainty in short-term yields significantly by smoothing out the overnight interest rates around the policy rate.