cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Resident Bid Preference, Affiliation, and Procurement Competition: Evidence from New Mexico

In public procurement auctions, governments typically offer preferences to qualified businesses in the form of bid discounts. Previous studies that examine how these bid preferences affect auction outcomes fail to address affiliation -- a particular type of correlation among costs that can be generated in a public procurement setting. This paper addresses that issue by studying the joint effect of bid preferences and affiliation in project-completion costs on procurement auctions using novel data from the New Mexico Department of Transportation's Resident Preference Program. Bidders, heterogeneous in residency status, compete in an auction with endogenous entry and affiliated project-completion costs for the opportunity to complete a construction project. Here affiliation is modeled using copulas, and an empirical model is developed to disentangle a bidder's participation and bidding decisions. I find that accounting for affiliation in project-completion costs considerably changes the evaluation of how offering preferences to resident bidders affects the cost of procurement and the number of resident bidders who ultimately win these preference auctions. The estimates indicate that the New Mexico Department of Transportation can increase the current level of preference to increase the number of winning resident bidders without a major change in the cost of procurement.
Lessons from the United States Economy in the 1980s and their Applicability to Europe

Whether one calls it a revolution, an experiment, or merely an episode, the economic program of Ronald Reagan, both as proposed and implemented, presents a challenge and opportunity to the rest of the world. Since economic, political, demographic, and social circumstances differ widely among nations, some parts of the Reagan program that were sensible and successful in the United States may not be immediately applicable elsewhere. However, many others are not only applicable to other economies but are likely to be even more successful in their circumstances.
MP3s and copyright collectives: a cure worse than the disease?

This innovative and insightful book, written by some of the leading academics in the field, advances research frontiers on intellectual property and copyright issues. Topics addressed include: peer-to-peer music file sharing, optimal fair use standards, the benefits of copyright collectives, copyright and market entry, alternatives to copyright, the impact of copyright on knowledge production, the proper balance between copyright and competition law, and the application of systematic principles to issues that arise at the periphery of intellectual property law – all with an eye toward economics.
Total Synthesis of (−)-Chromodorolide B

The first total synthesis of a chromodorolide diterpenoid is described. The synthesis features a bimolecular radical addition/cyclization/fragmentation cascade that unites butenolide and trans-hydrindane fragments while fashioning two C-C bonds and stereoselectively forming three of the ten contiguous stereocenters of chromodorolide B.
Metaphilosophical Reflections on the Idea of Metaphysics

One constant in Wittgenstein’s thought, early and late, is his denial not only of metaphysical naturalism, but of methodologically monistic scientism, a broadly epistemological view that is often taken to be a consequence of such a metaphysical view. This is the claim, roughly, that scientific knowledge is the form of knowledge, and scientific understanding is the only kind of understanding that deserves the name. “Philosophy is not one of the natural sciences,” he says in the Tractatus, and this view seems to be part of what lies behind the theoretical quietism of the later work. In fact, I think Wittgenstein thinks that if systematic philosophical theorizing were possible, it would mean that philosophy is an empirical science. Since it is not, philosophers must eschew theorizing, restricting themselves instead to light, local descriptions of discursive practices, where such descriptions might provide helpful reminders in freeing ourselves from the sort of misunderstandings and puzzlements that arise precisely from the theories implicit in inherited pictures of what is going on when we think and talk. Whether or not Wittgenstein himself reasoned in this way, I Philosophia (2012) 40:13–26 DOI 10.1007/s11406-011-9332-7
‘Minimum Government, Maximum Governance’: The Restructuring of Power in Modi's India

This article examines the politics of development during the first year of the new Modi government. In particular, it explores the meaning of its guiding maxim, ‘Minimum Government, Maximum Governance’, by analysing specific reforms and broader changes in state–society relations. First, the Modi government has imposed greater discipline in public administration through a personalistic, centralised and technocratic style of rule. But it has bolstered executive power by limiting political transparency, parliamentary government and social dissent. Second, the new government has promoted urbanisation, manufacturing and infrastructure through greater economic liberalisation, public investment and institutional reform. Yet it has weakened many labour protocols, environmental regulations and participatory mechanisms regarding land acquisition and forest conservation. Lastly, the Modi administration has introduced new insurance schemes and championed digitally-enabled cash transfers to deliver social entitlements...
Keynote lecture I: distributed estimation using wireless sensor networks

Envisioned applications of wireless sensor networks (WSNs) include surveillance, monitoring and tracking tasks. These motivate well decentralized estimation and smoothing of deterministic and (non)stationary random signals using (possibly correlated) observations collected across distributed sensors. In this talk we present state-of-the-art algorithms for consensus-based distributed estimation using ad hoc WSNs where sensors communicate over single-hop noisy links. The novel framework reformulates basic estimation criteria such as least-squares, maximum-likelihood, maximum a posteriori, and linear mean-square error, as decomposable, constrained, convex optimization problems that are amenable to distributed solutions. The resultant distributed estimators are provably convergent to their centralized counterparts and robust to communication noise. Besides stationary, the framework encompasses adaptive filtering and smoothing of non-stationary signals through distributed LMS and Kalman filtering.
Mangroves as Protection from Storm Surges in a Changing Climate

Adaptation to climate change includes addressing sea level rise and increased storm surges in many coastal areas. Mangroves can substantially reduce the vulnerability of the adjacent coastal land from inundation and erosion. However, climate change poses a large threat to mangroves. This paper quantifies the coastal protection provided by mangroves for 42 developing countries in the current climate, and a future climate change scenario with a one-meter sea level rise and 10 percent intensification of storms. The benefits of the coastal protection provided by mangroves are measured in terms of population and gross domestic product at a reduced risk from inundation; the loss of benefits under climate change is measured as the increased population and gross domestic product at risk. The findings demonstrate that although sea level rise and increased storm intensity would increase storm surge areas and the amounts of built resources at risk, the greatest impact is the expected loss of mangroves. Under current climate and mangrove coverage, 3.5 million people and roughly $400 million in gross domestic product of are at risk. In the future climate change scenario, the vulnerable population and gross domestic product at risk would increase by 103 and 233 percent, respectively. The greatest risk is in East Asia, especially in Indonesia, the Philippines, and Myanmar.
Integration of Orthogonal Signaling by the Notch and Dpp Pathways in Drosophila.

The transcription factor Suppressor of Hairless and its coactivator, the Notch intracellular domain, are polyglutamine (pQ)-rich factors that target enhancer elements and interact with other locally bound pQ-rich factors. To understand the functional repertoire of such enhancers, we identify conserved regulatory belts with binding sites for the pQ-rich effectors of both Notch and BMP/Dpp signaling, and the pQ-deficient tissue selectors Apterous (Ap), Scalloped (Sd), and Vestigial (Vg). We find that the densest such binding site cluster in the genome is located in the BMP-inducible nab locus, a homolog of the vertebrate transcriptional cofactors NAB1/NAB2. We report three major findings. First, we find that this nab regulatory belt is a novel enhancer driving dorsal wing margin expression in regions of peak phosphorylated Mad in wing imaginal discs. Second, we show that Ap is developmentally required to license the nab dorsal wing margin enhancer (DWME) to read out Notch and Dpp signaling in the dorsal compartment. Third, we find that the nab DWME is embedded in a complex of intronic enhancers, including a wing quadrant enhancer, a proximal wing disc enhancer, and a larval brain enhancer. This enhancer complex coordinates global nab expression via both tissue-specific activation and interenhancer silencing. We suggest that DWME integration of BMP signaling maintains nab expression in proliferating margin descendants that have divided away from Notch–Delta boundary signaling. As such, uniform expression of genes like nab and vestigial in proliferating compartments would typically require both boundary and nonboundary lineage-specific enhancers.
Rhodium Thiavinyl Carbenes from 1,2,3-Thiadiazoles Enable Modular Synthesis of Multisubstituted Thiophenes

The rhodium-catalyzed transannulation reaction between 1,2,3-thiadiazoles and alkynes, proceeding via intermediacy of the previously unknown Rh thiavinyl carbene, toward a highly efficient and regioselective synthesis of up to fully substituted thiophenes is described.
Improving The Directional Solidification of Complex Geometries through Taper Addition

The Niyama criterion identifies centerline shrinkage in simulations of directionally solidifying alloys. Adding taper to the casting surface is an effective strategy to eliminate regions of critical Niyama in and improve the soundness of castings. This taper addition is straightforward to apply to flat plates and will improve the Niyama result. However for complex geometries, there may not be an intuitive taper solution. The Niyama criterion will validate these complex tapers but not guide the design of that taper. When evaluated near the end of solidification, a thermal criterion such as the cooling rate on the surface of the casting can serve as an identification of efficient areas to taper. Once the taper location is found, the overall goal is to reduce design time by using the Niyama criterion to develop a response surface of taper solutions with varying lengths and heights to achieve a minimum addition of material with required soundness. With a moderate number of simulations, the response surface can give us an optimum choice of taper length and height of that region.
Are patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis at risk of a therapeutic misconception

Objectives To assess whether persons with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) are at risk of a therapeutic misconception (TM) in which they misconceive research as treatment or overestimate the likelihood of its benefit. Methods 72 patients with ALS recruited via academic and patient organisations were surveyed using a hypothetical first-in-human intervention study scenario. We elicited their understanding of the purpose of the study (‘purpose-of-research question’) and then asked how they interpreted the question. We then asked for an estimate of the likelihood that their ALS would improve by participating and asked them to explain the meaning of their estimates. Results Although 10 of 72 (14%) subjects incorrectly said that the intervention study was ‘mostly intending to help [me]’ in response to the purpose-of-research question, 7 of those 10 thought that the question was asking them about their own motivations for participating. Overall, only one of 72 respondents (1.4%) both understood the purpose-of-research question as intended and gave the incorrect response. Subjects’ mean estimate of likelihood of benefit was 31% (SD 26). This was due to 29 of 72 of respondents providing high estimates (50%–54% likelihood), which they said were expressions of hope and need for a positive attitude; among those who said their estimates meant ‘those are the facts’ or ‘there is a lot of uncertainty’, the estimates were much lower (12.6% and 18.5%, respectively). Conclusions In this group of patients with ALS considering a hypothetical first-in-human intervention study, apparent TM responses have alternative explanations and the risk of true TM appears low.
In pursuit of scientific excellence: sex matters.

the year 2012 marks the 125th anniversary of the American Physiological Society (APS). Throughout its history, APS has been a leader in innovation and excellence in scientific technology, discovery, education, and publication. Consistent with this history, APS is leading the scientific publication
Effect of Module Inclination Angle on Air Gap Membrane Distillation

Air gap membrane distillation (AGMD) experiments were performed with varied temperature and varied module inclination angles to characterize the effect of module angle on permeate production and thermal performance. While AGMD is potentially one of the most energy efficient membrane distillation configurations, transport resistances in the air gap typically dominate the thermal performance, resulting in degraded permeate production. Tilting the module away from vertical offers the opportunity to manipulate the condensate layer and its associated thermal resistance. In this study, we report experiments on varying module tilt angle performed with a flat plate AGMD module under fully characterized heat and mass transfer conditions. Numerical modeling is also performed to better understand the experimental results. The tests indicated that the AGMD system behaves as a “permeate gap”, or flooded membrane distillation system for declined and extremely inclined positions. A key finding relevant to all AGMD systems is that at highly negative tilt angles (more than 30 degrees), condensate may fall onto the membrane causing thermal bridging and increased permeate production. Near vertical and positive tilt angles (<15 degrees from vertical) show no significant effect of module tilt on performance, in line with model predictions.
Sequence Distribution in Copolymers Chemical Studies

Various chemical procedures are available for studying the sequence distribution in copolymers, but none can be applied routinely. The run-number approach permits the results of such studies to be treated with ease; all results obtained to date are consistent with classical copolymerization theory.
Ceramics, Chronology, and Horizon Markers at Wickliffe Mounds

The area around the confluence of the Ohio and Mississippi rivers has become a sharp focus of discussion about late Mississippian developments. The debate largely is based on the presence or absence of artifacts thought to be protohistoric or contact period horizon markers. Late deposits at Wickliffe Mounds (15BA4) have produced two such artifacts: astragalus dice and a head-effigy pot. Close study of the ceramic sequence and associated radiocarbon dates indicates that both “horizon markers” belong to the late prehistoric period of western Kentucky, and that neither can settle the debate about protohistoric occupation.
Reductive homocondensation of benzylidene- and alkylidenepyruvate esters by a P(NMe2)3-mediated tandem reaction.

A reductive homocondensation of E-benzylidenepyruvate esters mediated by P(NMe2)3 is described. The transformation, initiated by the Kukhtin–Ramirez addition of the phosphorus reagent to the vinyl-substituted α-dicarbonyl substrate, proceeds via a resonance delocalized oxyphosphonium dienolate intermediate to provide access to diverse oxygenated heterocycles as a function of the substituent.
Laser Patterning and Electrical Properties of Submicron Lines of Y-Ba-Cu-O

0.6 µm-wide lines of high Tc Y-Ba-Cu-O have been fabricated by direct laser writing on mirror-like thin films which were grown by laser deposition without post annealing. Laser ablation etching had no effect on the Tc and Jc until the lines were < 1µm wide. The 0.6 µm-wide strip showed some degradation of Tc and Jc. The critical current densities for these patterned lines were measured to be ∼5×106 A/cm2 at 50 K.
Corrections to star catalogues from satellite observations.

Theoretical investigation of the possibility of obtaining systematic corrections to star catalogs from observations of artificial satellites. A model is established to represent the system of equations formed when such corrections are determined simultaneously with corrections to the geocentric position of the observer. An analytical expression for the covariance matrix is set up for the two-dimensional (planar) case. The resulting correlations and weights are discussed. Since this method presents an independent way of obtaining the systematic errors in star catalogs, apart from the orientation to the equatorial system, it is related to the measurement of all quantities which depend on star positions. This institutes a completely new principle of obtaining systematic corrections to star catalogs. It is based not on rotation, but on comparing the angle subtended at the satellite by two stars to the angle subtended at the satellite by two points on the surface of the earth.
Femtosecond laser-induced ionization/dissociation of amino acids and their derivatives

Ultrafast photodissociation mass spectra are presented for the protonated amino acids and their derivatives. The spectral library is used to better understand the mechanism by which a Ti:Sapphire laser activates trapped ions to induce fragmentation.
Summer U.S. Surface Air Temperature Variability: Controlling Factors and AMIP Simulation Biases

AbstractThis study documents and investigates biases in simulating summer surface air temperature (SAT) variability over the continental United States in the Atmospheric Model Intercomparison Project (AMIP) experiment from phase 5 of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP5). Empirical orthogonal function (EOF) and multivariate regression analyses are used to assess the relative importance of circulation and the land surface feedback at setting summer SAT over a 30-yr period (1979–2008). Regions of high SAT variability are closely associated with midtropospheric highs, subsidence, and radiative heating accompanying clear-sky conditions. The land surface exerts a spatially variable influence on SAT through the sensible heat flux and is a second-order effect in the high-variability centers of action (COAs) in observational estimates. The majority of the AMIP models feature high SAT variability over the central United States, displaced south and/or west of observed COAs. SAT COAs in models tend to be...
ASEAN in the Asia Pacific: Central or Peripheral?

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is an enduring regional organization in the Asia Pacific. However, its claim of being central to any talks on regional architecture is challenged by a multiplicity of external and internal factors. This article assesses ASEAN's centrality by looking into the possible challenges facing it, which inevitably affect its claim to be the central organization in managing the direction of the wider region. It then offers possible ways forward so that ASEAN can retain its leadership and prove to be a credible driver for regional cooperation.
Maternal Deaths Averted by Contraceptive Use: An Analysis of 172 Countries

Summary Background Family planning is one of the four pillars of the Safe Motherhood Initiative to reduce maternal death in developing countries. We aimed to estimate the effect of contraceptive use on maternal mortality and the expected reduction in maternal mortality if the unmet need for contraception were met, at country, regional, and world levels. Method We extracted relevant data from the Maternal Mortality Estimation Inter-Agency Group (MMEIG) database, the UN World Contraceptive Use 2010 database, and the UN World Population Prospects 2010 database, and applied a counterfactual modelling approach (model I), replicating the MMEIG (WHO) maternal mortality estimation method, to estimate maternal deaths averted by contraceptive use in 172 countries. We used a second model (model II) to make the same estimate for 167 countries and to estimate the effect of satisfying unmet need for contraception. We did sensitivity analyses and compared agreement between the models. Findings We estimate, using model I, that 342 203 women died of maternal causes in 2008, but that contraceptive use averted 272 040 (uncertainty interval 127 937–407 134) maternal deaths (44% reduction), so without contraceptive use, the number of maternal deaths would have been 1·8 times higher than the 2008 total. Satisfying unmet need for contraception could prevent another 104 000 maternal deaths per year (29% reduction). Interpretation Numbers of unwanted pregnancies and unmet contraceptive need are still high in many developing countries. We provide evidence that use of contraception is a substantial and effective primary prevention strategy to reduce maternal mortality in developing countries. Funding Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
A Simplified Extrusion Plastometer for Unvulcanized Rubber

A new extrusion plastometer for unvulcanized rubber is described. In this plastometer, the rubber sample is cut automatically and the extrusion chamber is filled in a single operation. The time of extrusion, which is measured by an accurate elapsed time indicator, is chosen as an index of plasticity. The plastometer is shown to be rugged, simple, and rapid in operation. Data are presented which establish the sensitivity and accuracy of the instrument. The results of the extrusion plastometer are discussed with respect to their correlation with those of the Williams plastometer and the United States Rubber Company shearing disk plastometer.
Molecular iodine initiates hydroborations of alkenes with N-heterocyclic carbene boranes.

The hydroboration of alkenes of diverse structural types by assorted N-heterocyclic carbene boranes can be accomplished by addition of 5–10% diiodine. For example, reaction of 1,3-dimethylimidazol-2-ylidene borane (diMe-Imd-BH3) with 10% I2 followed by addition of 2,3-dimethyl-2-butene provided the corresponding thexyl NHC-borane (diMe-Imd-BH2thexyl) in 75% yield. This and related monohydroboration products are stable to chromatography and storage. The scope of the new reaction is described, and the mechanism is probed by 11B NMR experiments.
Exchange Rate Policy and Global Supply Chains: The Case of the Chinese Renminbi and Global Soybean and Soybean Product Markets

A policy debate on widespread currency manipulation has generated economic analyses to inform policymakers regarding both the extent and impact of the problem. Such analyses typically focus on commodity trade and price impacts while ignoring potentially important supply chain linkages. Using Chinese exchange rate policy and global soybean and soybean product markets as an example, this paper illustrates that substantial measurement errors are possible if supply chain linkages are ignored in exchange rate policy analyses. As a consequence, policy responses to foreign currency manipulation informed by such analyses may be misguided or imprecise at best.
Cost of capital: spot rate or forward rate?

ABSTRACTIn this study, we intend to reveal some problems with the classic valuation method – the weighted average cost of capital (WACC) method. We first address a fundamental question about WACC, that is, should WACC be interpreted as a spot rate, a forward rate or any kind of average of either of them? We show that the nature of WACC is the expected forward rate. We next demonstrate that without understanding this nature, we may misinterpret the famous MM formula and MM Proposition II, as well as develop incorrect valuation framework. Our findings provide insightful implications to academia and practitioners for the proper interpretation and implementation of the WACC method.
CORONAL PLANE DEFORMITY IN TOTAL KNEE ARTHROPLASTY: SUPINE MAGNETIC RESONANCE IMAGING VS. STANDING LONG-LEG FILMS

Introduction Current techniques in total knee arthroplasty aim to restore the coronal mechanical axis to neutral. Preoperative planning has historically been based on long-leg standing films (LLSF) which allow surgeons to plan bony resection and soft tissue releases. However, LSSF can be prone to error if malrotated. Recently, patient-specific guides (PSG) utilizing supine magnetic resonance imaging (sMRI) have become an accepted technique for preoperative planning. In this study we sought to compare the degree of coronal deformity using LLSF and sMRI. Methods Two hundred thirty knees underwent planning for total knee arthroplasty with sMRI and LLSF. Coronal plane deformity was determined based on the femoral-tibial angle (FTA) as defined by the angle formed between a line from the center of the femoral head to the intercondylar notch and a line from the middle of the tibial spines to the middle of the ankle joint. Mechanical axis values from the sMRI were compared with values obtained from LLSF Results There were 172 varus knees and 58 valgus knees. There was significant correlation (r=0.9215) between LLSF and sMRI for the measurement of coronal plane deformity for all knees. sMRI underestimated the severity of deformity by 2.19 degrees of varus (p Conclusion sMRI based imaging can help approximate coronal plane deformity in the preoperative planning of TKA but it has limitations. This MRI-based technique tended to underestimate deformity in varus knees and patients with extreme deformity. Surgeons may use sMRI for pre-operative planning but must understand that they tend to underestimate the severity of deformity.
A Human Rights Lens on Full Employment and Decent Work in the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda

On September 25, 2015, the United Nations General Assembly adopted the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as the blueprint for a global partnership for peace, development, and human rights for the period 2016 to 2030. The 2030 agenda follows on the heels of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), adopted in 2001, which set the international development agenda for the period 2001 to 2015. This article uses a human rights lens to demonstrate that the MDGs and the SDGs have not addressed full employment and decent work in a manner that is consistent with the Decent Work Agenda of the International Labour Organization and international human rights legal obligations of the UN member countries. It concludes that the new 2030 development agenda sadly aligns with market-based economic growth strategies rather than the realization of the human rights to full employment and decent work for all.
Control Analysis of Periodic Phenomena in Biological Systems

Principles of the control and regulation of steady-state metabolic systems have been identified in terms of the concepts and laws of metabolic control analysis (MCA). With respect to the control of periodic phenomena MCA has not been equally successful. This paper shows why in case of autonomous (self-sustained) oscillations for the concentrations and reaction rates, time-dependent control coefficients are not useful to characterize the system: they are neither constant nor periodic and diverge as time progresses. This is because a controlling parameter tends to change the frequency and causes a phase shift that continuously increases with time. This recognition is important in the extension of MCA for periodic phenomena. For oscillations that are enforced with an externally determined frequency, the time-dependent control coefficients over metabolite concentration and fluxes (reaction rates) are shown to have a complete meaning. Two such time-dependent control coefficients are defined for forced oscilla...
High-Resolution MR Imaging of Sequestered Lumbar Intervertebral Disks

We retrospectively reviewed the MR examinations of 20 patients with surgically documented sequestered lumbar disks (free fragments). Sixteen of 20 cases demonstrated extradural masses that were distinct from the interspace of origin and had intermediate signal on T1-weighted images but increased signal on T2-weighted images. In 12 cases there was migration of the sequestered fragment. Sequestered disks that migrated away from the interspace had an irregular, oblong appearance, while those near the interspace were round in configuration. Additionally, the interspace of origin consistently demonstrated loss of signal on T2-weighted images when compared with intact lumbar disks. Sagittal 12-weighted images best depicted the absence of a high-signal pedicle contiguous with the interspace of origin in sequestered disks. These findings were applied to a prospective group of 20 patients undergoing lumbar diskectomy. There was an 89% sensitivity, 82% specificity, and 85% accuracy for MR in distinguishing sequestered disks from other forms of lumbar disk herniation. We conclude that high-resolution MR imaging is sensitive in detecting disk disease and specific in characterizing various subtypes of extradural defects. MR uses morphology as well as changes in signal intensity to make these distinctions.
The Use of Ureates as Activators for Samarium Diiodide.

A novel mode of SmI2 activation has been developed using ureates as reaction promoters. Several ureates formed by treatment of the corresponding ureas with n-BuLi have been shown to activate SmI2 to a substantial extent toward the reduction of 1-chlorodecane. Complexes formed from SmI2 and various ureates have been shown to be useful for the reduction of a variety of organohalides, including substrates of low reactivity such as aryl fluorides. Because of ease of synthesis and low molecular weight, the conjugate base of triethylurea (TEU–) was of primary focus. Visible spectroscopy and reactivity data are consistent with the hypothesis that the same complex is being formed when SmI2 is combined with either 2 or 4 equiv of TEU–, in spite of the greater reactivity of SmI2/4 TEU– with some alkyl halides. We propose that the active reductant is an N,O chelate formed between SmI2 and 2 equiv of TEU–.
Insights into small molecule activation by multinuclear first-row transition metal cyclophanates

The rational design of trimetallic transition metal clusters supported by a trinucleating cyclophane ligand, L3−, and the reactivities of these complexes with dinitrogen and carbon dioxide are discussed. Emphasis is placed on the differences in the observed reactivity between these trimetallic cyclophane complexes and that of the mono- and dinuclear transition metal compounds.
METASTATIC FX'S: MAINTAINING QUALITY OF LIFE

The orthopaedist may need to act as an important adjunct to the oncologist in management of the cancer patient with hip disease. Management of the cancer patient with routine hip pathology may be relatively straightforward but the surgeon should note that the cancer patient may be on treatment protocols which affect wound healing, the immune system and the risk of DVT. The principles of managing metastatic disease include recognising the presence of lesions in bone about the hip, the occasional need for biopsy, the use of radiation in sensitive tumors and finally surgical stabilization or replacement when needed. In some cases percutaneous cementation of metastatic disease or radiofrequency ablation may be appropriate. Factors which can complicate management of patients who have completed treatment of peri-pelvic cancer, may include radiation therapy which can lead to osteonecrosis of the acetabulum. Greater than 500Cgy of radiation has been associated with high rates of acetabular fixation failure regardless of fixation type in several series. Decision making in these patients can be aided by consultation with previous radiation therapy providers to estimate the dose sustained by the local tissues under consideration. Increased rates of infection and wound healing have also been noted secondary to long term lymphatic obliteration caused by radiation. These concerns also affect the surgeon who must manage patients with acute metastatic disease where radiation and immune-compromise secondary to chemotherapy are often present.
"Star Wars" revisited-a continuing case study in ethics and safety-critical software

Safety-critical software is a core topic in courses on "ethics and computing" or "computers and society," as well as in software engineering courses. The Reagan-era Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI) was the focus of a great deal of technical argument relating to design and testing of safety-critical software. Most of today's students have no familiarity with the substance of the SDI arguments. However, with presidents Clinton and Bush considering various versions of a national missile defense system, the topic has again become quite current. This paper describes a curriculum module developed around a Reagan-era SDI debate sponsored by the Computing Professionals for Social Responsibility.
S&P 500 Membership and Managers’ Supply of Conservative Financial Reports

Our study is motivated by economic theory and the debate among practitioners, standard setters, and academics on the role of conditional conservatism in financial reporting. We find that managers provide less conditionally conservative financial reports after their firms are added to the Standard and Poor's (S&P) 500 index. S&P 500 membership is expected to reduce information asymmetry between managers and outside stakeholders due to an increased flow of public and private information. As a result, the contracting benefits of conservative accounting choices are reduced, and managers are less willing to provide conditionally conservative reports. In contrast, we find that managers provide more conditionally conservative financial reports after their firms are deleted from the index. Firms being deleted from the S&P 500 index probably incur an increase in information asymmetry. Overall, our results provide evidence consistent with conditional conservatism being a response by managers to the information needs of financial statements users.
Do Firms Engage in Risk-Shifting? Empirical Evidence

I empirically test whether firms engage in risk-shifting. Contrary to what risk-shifting theory predicts, I find that firms reduce investment risk when they approach financial distress. To identify the effect of distress on risk-taking, I use a natural experiment with exogenous changes to leverage. Risk reduction is most prevalent among firms that have shorter maturity debt, bank debt, and tighter bank loan financial covenants. These findings suggest that debt composition and financial covenants serve as important mechanisms to mitigate debt-equity agency conflicts, such as risk-shifting, that are not explicitly contracted on.Received January 8, 2015; accepted May 27, 2016 by Editor David Denis.
CFD modeling of air flow distribution in rice bin storage system with different grain mass configurations

Poor airflow distribution in grain mass during in-bin aeration, drying and storage may lead to moisture content variations that could be detrimental to grain quality. The effects of grain mass configuration and porosity on airflow distribution inside a rice bin were investigated using three-dimensional computational fluid dynamics simulations and experiments. A finite volume method with porous media formulation was used to simulate air flow characteristics in peaked, inverted, and levelled grain mass configurations for long-grain rough rice with a porosity of 0.55, and mean particle size distribution of 2.94 mm. The airflows through the rough rice masses were simulated for airflow rates of 0.55, 0.825 and 1.1 m 3 min −1 [air] t −1 [rice]. The model was validated using a bench scale pressure drop system and an actual long-grain rice in-bin storage with peaked grain mass configuration having a capacity of 700 Mt. The results showed that long-grain rice has viscous and inertial resistance coefficients of 9.72E+06 and 36,185, respectively. Non-uniform airflow distribution dominated peaked and inverted grain mass configurations with peaked configuration having the highest restriction to airflow. Airflow at peak positions in the bed were significantly (p
The effect of pets on happiness: A data-driven approach via large-scale social media

Psychologists have demonstrated that pets have a positive impact on owners' happiness. For example, lonely people are often advised to have a dog or cat to quell their social isolation. Conventional psychological research methods of analyzing this phenomenon are mostly based on surveys or self-reported questionnaires, which are time-consuming and lack of scalability. Utilizing social media as an alternative and complimentary resource could potentially address both issues and provide different perspectives on this psychological investigation. In this paper, we propose a novel and effective approach that exploits social media to study the effect of pets on owners' happiness. The proposed framework includes three major components: 1) collecting user-level data from Instagram consisting of about 300,000 images from 2905 users; 2) constructing a convolutional neural network (CNN) for pets classification, and combined with timeline information, further identifying pet owners and the control group; 3) measuring the confidence score of happiness by detecting and analyzing selfie images. Furthermore, various factors of demographics are employed to analyze the fine-grained effects of pets on happiness. Our experimental results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed approach and we believe that this approach can be applied to other related domains as a large-scale, high-confidence methodology of user activity analysis through social media.
Orthogonal Random Features

We present an intriguing discovery related to Random Fourier Features: replacing multiplication by a random Gaussian matrix with multiplication by a properly scaled random orthogonal matrix significantly decreases kernel approximation error. We call this technique Orthogonal Random Features (ORF), and provide theoretical and empirical justification for its effectiveness. Motivated by the discovery, we further propose Structured Orthogonal Random Features (SORF), which uses a class of structured discrete orthogonal matrices to speed up the computation. The method reduces the time cost from $\mathcal{O}(d^2)$ to $\mathcal{O}(d \log d)$, where $d$ is the data dimensionality, with almost no compromise in kernel approximation quality compared to ORF. Experiments on several datasets verify the effectiveness of ORF and SORF over the existing methods. We also provide discussions on using the same type of discrete orthogonal structure for a broader range of kernels and applications.
MODEL ATMOSPHERES FOR X-RAY BURSTING NEUTRON STARS

National Nuclear Security Administration of the U.S. Department of Energy at Los Alamos National Laboratory; [DE-AC52-06NA25396]; [DEFG02-87ER40317]
Hierarchical decomposition and axial shape description

A method for producing a segmented axial description of a given shape together with a hierarchical decomposition of the shape into its parts is presented. The novelty of this approach lies in the combination of several competing approaches and tools into a unified scheme and an efficient implementation producing natural descriptions. Smooth local symmetries are used for the axial description of parts, which are suggested by curvature sign changes. Parallel symmetries are used to provide information on global relationships within the shape. This information is used for parsing shape into a hierarchy of parts. This approach uses both region and contour information, can handle shapes with corners, and addresses the issue of local versus global information, the issue of scale, and the notion of part. The method is computationally efficient, robust, and stable. Results that show that it provides an intuitive shape description are included. >
Circular polarization with crossed-planar undulators in high-gain FELs

We propose a crossed undulator configuration for a high-gain free-electron laser to allow versatile polarization control. This configuration consists of a long (saturation length) planar undulator, a dispersive section, and a short (a few gain lengths) planar undulator oriented perpendicular to the first one. In the first undulator, a radiation component linearly polarized in the x-direction is amplified to saturation. In the second undulator, the x-polarized component propagates freely, while a new component, polarized in the y-direction, is generated and reaches saturation in a few gain lengths. By adjusting the strength of the dispersive section, the relative phase of two radiation components can be adjusted to obtain a suitable polarization for the total radiation field, including the circular polarization. The operating principle of the high-gain crossed undulator, which is quite different from that of the crossed undulator for spontaneous radiation, is illustrated in terms of 1-D FEL theory.
Gain-degradation effects in continuous-dynode electron multipliers

The development and commercial availability of continuous dynode electron multipliers has provided a useful capability for substantial current amplification (gains of 106to 108) in a small, light, simple, reliable low-power device that can be subjected to atmospheric exposure. For space probe particle sampling and other applications, long-term gain stability (or predictable gain variations for which compensation can be provided) is highly desirable.
Global a priori estimates for the inhomogeneous Landau equation with moderately soft potentials

Abstract We establish a priori upper bounds for solutions to the spatially inhomogeneous Landau equation in the case of moderately soft potentials, with arbitrary initial data, under the assumption that mass, energy and entropy densities stay under control. Our pointwise estimates decay polynomially in the velocity variable. We also show that if the initial data satisfies a Gaussian upper bound, this bound is propagated for all positive times.
Assembling genomes on large-scale parallel computers

Assembly of large genomes from tens of millions of short genomic fragments is computationally demanding requiring hundreds of gigabytes of memory and tens of thousands of CPU hours. The advent of high throughput sequencing technologies, new gene-enrichment sequencing strategies, and collective sequencing of environmental samples further exacerbate this situation. In this paper, we present the first massively parallel genome assembly framework. The unique features of our approach include space-efficient and on-demand algorithms that consume only linear space, and strategies to reduce the number of expensive pairwise sequence alignments while maintaining assembly quality. Developed as part of the ongoing efforts in maize genome sequencing, we applied our assembly framework to genomic data containing a mixture of gene enriched and random shotgun sequences. We report the partitioning of more than 1.6 million fragments of over 1.25 billion nucleotides total size into genomic islands in under 2h on 1024 processors of an IBM BlueGene/L supercomputer. We also demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed approach for traditional whole genome shotgun sequencing and assembly of environmental sequences.
Emerging Biological Principles of Metastasis

Metastases account for the great majority of cancer-associated deaths, yet this complex process remains the least understood aspect of cancer biology. As the body of research concerning metastasis continues to grow at a rapid rate, the biological programs that underlie the dissemination and metastatic outgrowth of cancer cells are beginning to come into view. In this review we summarize the cellular and molecular mechanisms involved in metastasis, with a focus on carcinomas where the most is known, and we highlight the general principles of metastasis that have begun to emerge.
On positive local combinatorial dividing-lines in model theory

We introduce the notion of positive local combinatorial dividing-lines in model theory. We show these are equivalently characterized by indecomposable algebraically trivial Fraisse classes and by complete prime filter classes. We exhibit the relationship between this and collapse-of-indiscernibles dividing-lines. We examine several test cases, including those arising from various classes of hypergraphs.
Is Economics Useful for Public Policy

Economists have always played an important role in major public policy debates. Even so, I believe that the role of economists in these public policy discussions has often been misguided because it has typically relied upon “best practices,” stated in the form of “general guidelines” or even “universal principles.” However, “best practices” are not best if the specific situation does not conform with the assumptions that underlie the advice. So my first conclusion is a cautionary, and negative, one: Specific circumstances differ so profoundly across individuals, firms, markets, countries, and time that most any attempt to define “best practices” that apply in all circumstances will lead to profoundly misleading public policy recommendations. However, even if economics cannot identify “the” truth, it can often identify “a” truth. So my second conclusion is a more positive one: Economists should continue to develop multiple theories that inform public policies, but we should also focus our efforts on identifying and testing the critical assumptions that drive the results of these theories, recognizing that the validity of any assumptions will depend intimately on specific circumstances. I illustrate these two main conclusions with specific examples from my own work. I conclude with some “best practices” recommendations of my own, recognizing the obvious irony of such an effort.
Design of an Optimal Frequency Reward Program in the Face of Competition

We optimize the design of a frequency reward program against traditional pricing in a competitive duopoly, where customers measure their utilities in rational economic terms. We assume two kinds of customers: myopic and strategic [19]. Every customer has a prior loyalty bias [6] toward the reward program merchant, a parameter drawn from a known distribution, indicating an additional probability of choosing the reward program merchant over the traditional pricing merchant. Under this model, we characterize the customer behavior: the loyalty bias increases the switching costs [11] of strategic customers until a tipping point, after which they strictly prefer and adopt the reward program merchant. Subsequently, we optimize the reward parameters to maximize the revenue objective of the reward program merchant. We show that under mild assumptions, the optimal parameters for the reward program design to maximize the revenue objective correspond exactly to minimizing the tipping point of customers and are independent of the customer population parameters. Moreover, we characterize the conditions for the reward program to be better when the loyalty bias distribution is uniform - a minimum fraction of population needs to be strategic, and the loyalty bias needs to be in an optimal range. If the bias is high, the reward program creates loss in revenues, as customers effectively gain rewards for “free”, whereas a low value of bias leads to loss in market share to the competing merchant. In short, if a merchant can estimate the customer population parameters, our framework and results provide theoretical guarantees on the pros and cons of running a reward program against traditional pricing.
Fabrication of Ceramic Components for Use in Plutonium Electrorefining

Fabrication methods have been developed to produce cells, sheaths, and stirrers of monolithic, impervious, high purity Al2O3 and MgO ceramics to satisfy the rigorous requirements for the electroref...