cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Opacity, Crash Risk, and the Option Smirk Curve

We investigate three facets of cross-sectional variation in the risk of stock price crashes: actual crash incidence, and two predictors of that risk, accounting opacity and the option smirk curve. We show that all three of these variables are related. Option smirks and accounting opacity each independently predict cross-sectional variation in crash risk and crash magnitude. The slope of the smirk curve and opacity are themselves correlated at extremely high levels of statistical significance, indicating that the market is aware of the link between opacity and crash risk. Nevertheless, even controlling for the option smirk, several measures of accounting opacity continue to be reliably associated with crash risk, suggesting that the options market does not fully utilize the predictive value of accounting opacity. Moreover, some of our results are consistent with behavioral models in which strong recent performance is extrapolated too far into the future, only to result in a major reversal when those expectations are disappointed.
Potentials of Zero Charge for Platinum(111)−Aqueous Interfaces: A Combined Assessment from In-Situ and Ultrahigh-Vacuum Measurements

The nature and magnitude of corrections to published estimates of the potentials of zero charge Epzc for Pt(111)−aqueous interfaces obtained by the “CO charge-displacement” strategy are assessed by comparing such in-situ electrochemical data with surface charge−potential information extracted from work function−surface composition data for related interfaces in ultrahigh vacuum (UHV). The corrections involve estimating the excess metal charge densities remaining upon displacement of the aqueous inner layer by chemisorbed CO. While the resulting adjustment to the so-called potential of zero total charge for the Pt(111)−aqueous 0.1 M HClO4 interface is only small (ca. 25 mV), a larger correction to the corresponding “free-charge” value is deduced, yielding ≈ 0.2 V versus SHE. A closely concordant estimate of is also extracted from UHV-based work function data. The substantial discrepancies in such Epzc values for the Pt(111)−acidic aqueous interface with those extracted by means of an ex−situ/electrode imme...
After-Loading Transperineal Iridium-192 Wire Implantation of the Prostate

Aided by suprapubic surgical access, after-loading transperineal iridium-192 wire implantations have been done for prostatic cancer in 16 patients, with major complications in 3. Personnel exposure is reduced, and, more especially, precision and flexibility of dose control and source geometry are improved. The technique is thought to render permanent implantation with grains or seeds obsolete.
Using interactive planning in the entrepreneurial class: a live fieldwork-based case and simulation exercise

Interactive planning is a technique used by large corporations to plan and implement innovative changes in strategy. This article prepares the instructor to teach students the technique for entrepreneurial and small businesses. The process used to teach interactive planning is an experiential simulation based on "live case" principles using small groups. Students learn to work with actual entrepreneurs and existing businesses. They learn the need for question asking as well as question answering and how to handle choices about which data to select. They directly experience the messiness and ambiguity of the entrepreneur's world. Concepts of strategic planning, problem framing, and stakeholders are introduced and the relationship between interactive planning and the traditional business plan can be examined. At the end of the simulation, both the entrepreneur or small business owner and the instructor contribute to debriefing.
Enhanced matrix metalloproteinase expression by Tisseel in mesothelial cells, normal peritoneal fibroblasts, and adhesion fibroblasts

Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) and tissue inhibitors of matrix metalloproteinases (TIMPs) are important in regulating tissue remodeling of extracellular matrix. Dysregulation of MMPs is considered to be important to postoperative adhesion development. To examine whether Tisseel, a fibrin sealant, exerts an effect on expression of MMPs from human peritoneal mesothelial cells, normal peritoneal fibroblasts, and adhesion fibroblasts, a tissue culture study was conducted for 6, 12, 24, and 48 h under normoxic conditions. A multiplex reverse transcriptase–polymerase chain reaction technique using β-actin as a housekeeping gene was used to determine relative change in MMP-1, MMP-2, and TIMP-1 mRNA levels under six conditions (five fibrin sealant preparations and a control). Our results demonstrate that MMP-1, MMP-2, and TIMP-1 are all expressed by human peritoneal mesothelial cells and fibroblasts. All fibrin sealant compositions increased MMP-1 mRNA levels by all cell types, although the time course and pattern varied. The fibrin sealant compositions had variable effects on MMP-2 mRNA expression. Interestingly, in mesothelial cells, TIMP-1 mRNA levels were reduced by fibrin-sealant-containing aprotinin at both concentrations, while being further reduced by fibrin sealant without aprotinin, particularly at 6 and 12 h. In adhesion fibroblasts, there was generally no effect, while in normal fibroblasts, expression of TIMP-1 increased after 24 h. These results suggest that fibrin sealant, in addition to assisting in the achievement of hemostasis, exerts biological effects on human peritoneal mesothelial cells and fibroblasts and modulates MMP expression. Thus, fibrin sealant may influence tissue remodeling and may thereby be able to alter postoperative adhesion development.
X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy of oxygen adsorption on clean Ni(100) surfaces

We have recorded photoelectron spectra of oxygen (1s) and nickel (2p32) and measured work functions of a Ni(100) surface as they depend on exposure to oxygen from 1 to > 500 × 10−6 Torr sec. O(1s) intensity as a function of exposure shows a fast chemisorption at low coverage, a region of slow oxygen adsorption in the 14 monolayer region [p(2 × 2) LEED periodicity] followed by an increasing rate of adsorption, and finally saturation. Sticking coefficients estimated from these data vary with coverage by more than an order of magnitude. Two adsorbed states of oxygen are apparent in the O(1s) spectra; a low coverage state with EbF = 531.6 eV and a high coverage state at EbF = 530.0 eV, but the Ni (2p32) spectrum does not reflect the presence of adsorbed oxygen until the coverage exceeds one monolayer. Comparison of the vacuum referenced binding energy in the condensed state (EbV = EbΓ + φ) to Evb for gas phase atomic oxygen shows that Evb[O(1s)] is reduced by 6.3–10.2 eV on adsorption. This change in measured binding energy is due in part to extra atomic relaxation (polarization) and in part to electron transfer to oxygen, both of which lower the binding energy. The shift of O(1s) binding energy at low oxygen coverage compared to that at saturation, however, appears to reflect increased charge transfer at saturation.
Design and interpretation of opiate antagonist trials in dementia

Abstract Tariot Pierre N., Trey Sunderland, Dennis L. Murphy, Martin R. Cohen, Julie A. Welkowitz, Herbert Weingartner, Paul A. Newhouse and Robert M. Cohen: Design and interpretation of opiate antagonist trials in dementia. Prog. Neuro-Psychopharmacol. & Biol. Psychiat. 1986, 10 (3–5): 611–626. 1. 1. In view of the reports of possible beneficial effects of naloxone in dementia, rationales and strategies for studying endogenous opiate systems are reviewed. Important considerations in the design and interpretation of clinical investigations using naloxone are also reviewed. 2. 2. The nature and distribution of endogenous opiate systems are summarized from an historical perspective. Endogenous opiate systems are distributed throughout the central nervous system and play important roles in a variety of brain functions, including memory and learning. 3. 3. In view of this, several rationales are evident for studying endogenous opiate systems in dementia, since it is a syndrome in which structures known to contain opiate systems are disturbed, functions modulated by opiate systems are disturbed, and other neurotransmitter systems (functionally linked to endogenous opiate systems) are disturbed. 4. 4. Different strategies for studying endogenous opiate systems are reviewed, including examination of body fluids and pharmacologic challenge studies. Naloxone hydrochloride, a competitive opiate receptor antagonist, is a commonly used pharmacologic agent. 5. 5. The design of a multidose naloxone study of 12 dementia patients is discussed, with reference to the pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, and specificity of naloxone as well as to the nature of the dependent measures selected for this study. 6. 6. No cognitive benefit was observed in this study. Behavioral arousal was observed at naloxone doses, with more evident psychomotor retardation at higher doses. These findings are contrasted with the results of naloxone challenges in other studies. 7. 7. The varying effects of naloxone within and across populations can be conceptualized in terms of the basic and clinical considerations previously discussed. The importance of dose-finding studies is stressed for this and other drug trials.
Polymer Self-Assembly in Carbon Dioxide

The foreseeable future should find carbon dioxide used in an ever-increasing number of industrial applications, from materials production to lithography. Many such processes will involve the use of amphiphilic compounds, which have greatly enhanced the versatility and potential of CO2 as a solvent. In a relatively short period of time, research on the self-assembly of amphiphilic polymers in CO2 has undergone remarkable maturation. The growth is largely due to strong fundamental and practical interest, as well as a cache of techniques available to characterize the self-assembly process. This article serves to summarize what has thus far been discovered about polymer self-assembly in CO2, what needs further examination, and where the field is headed.
What price languages in contact: Is there Russian language influence on the syntax of Moldovan?

(1998). What price languages in contact: Is there Russian language influence on the syntax of Moldovan? Nationalities Papers: Vol. 26, Moldova: The forgotten Republic, pp. 73-86.
Neuro-Muscular Control of Coordinated and Effective Movements: Revisiting Modular Concepts in the CNS

Neurophysiologic analysis of motor behavior has become one of the prime research areas in the domain of Physiology and hence it has seen tremendous development integrated research in this field over the years. This short review discusses the broad approaches which favors to understand effective neural control of motor behavior. The focus of this review is to recognize the gradual evolution of basic ideas regarding execution of coordinated and effective movements. The integrated roles of the spinal cord, the cerebellum and the motor cortex in context of voluntary movements have been delineated with citation of important research observations made in the field of motor control. Internet database related to human motor behavior studies were extensively searched to map the chronological development of important research methods and newer findings in this field. The span of the text ranges from the development of the idea of Motor Primitives to Brain-Machine Interfaces. It is observed that several ‘basic’ neural modules are preserved through ontogeny and phylogeny. Different combination of hierarchical modular functioning provides a wide range of plasticity required for coordinated and effective skillful movements. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/jbsp.v9i1.22795 Bangladesh Soc Physiol. 2014, June; 9(1): 42-47
Optimization of Particle Image Velocimeters

The spatial resolution, detection rate, accuracy and reliability of a particle image velocimeter depend critically upon careful selection of a number of parameters of the PIV system and the fluid. An analytical model has been developed to analyze the effects of variation of experimental parameters which optimize the system. A set of six nondimensional parameters which are most significant in optimizing the PIV autocorrelation algorithm are derived. They are the data validation criterion, the particle image density, the relative in-plane image displacement, the relative out-of-plane displacement, a velocity gradient parameter and the ratio of the mean image diameter to the interrogation spot diameter. A comparison is made with the method of analysis by Young’s fringes to show this set of parameters is most significant there and the analysis is valid for both methods of PIV system interrogation.A study of a range of specific velocity fields has been undertaken to determine the influence of these parameters in each case and recommendations are made for interrogation of these velocity fields. The presence of velocity gradients in the velocity field has been examined for the cases of pure shear and solid body rotation. Corrections for the statistical bias are developed, with recommendations for minimizing bias effects and loss of signal strength.The spatial resolution, detection rate, accuracy and reliability of a particle image velocimeter depend critically upon careful selection of a number of parameters of the PIV system and the fluid. An analytical model has been developed to analyze the effects of variation of experimental parameters which optimize the system. A set of six nondimensional parameters which are most significant in optimizing the PIV autocorrelation algorithm are derived. They are the data validation criterion, the particle image density, the relative in-plane image displacement, the relative out-of-plane displacement, a velocity gradient parameter and the ratio of the mean image diameter to the interrogation spot diameter. A comparison is made with the method of analysis by Young’s fringes to show this set of parameters is most significant there and the analysis is valid for both methods of PIV system interrogation.A study of a range of specific velocity fields has been undertaken to determine the influence of these parameters ...
Public Management, TQM, and Quality Improvement: Toward a Contingency Strategy

The spectrum of opinions on TQM applications in government agencies presently stretches from exaggerated claims regarding its universal applicability and potency to more "agnostic" reservations related to its unspecified or undeveloped theoretical linkages to outright dismissals spawned by its alleged naivete in the face of organizational realpolitik. Marshalling evidence culled from TQM, organizational-behavior, bureaucratic-politics, and public-policy literatures, the purposes of this heuristic essay are threefold: to identify those factors most likely to foster successful applications of TQM in government agencies; to suggest what proponents must yet clarify, refine, or amend in their thinking before TQM can be consistently and confidently applied within this context; and to offer a propositional inventory suitable for advancing a contingency theory of TQM applications in government organizations. Framing the analysis is Frederickson's (1971) typology of basic organizational processes.
The paleoecological significance of diversity: The effect of time averaging and differential preservation on macroinvertebrate species richness in death assemblages

Abstract The effect of time averaging on species richness of the preservable component (animals with preservable hard parts) of living benthic communities was investgated using long-term (24–30 mo) data sets obtained by recurrent sampling in estuarine and euhaline (30–40 ppt) habitats. About 20–40% of all living species collected were preservable. Species richness of the living community increased with salinity and water depth. Cumulative species richness increased with increasing duration of study. The percentage of preservable species, however, declined with increasing depth. As many preservble species were collected over time in some physically variable estuarine habitats as were collected in the physically less variable, euhaline habitats. Changing environmental factors allowed different species to inhabit these estuarine areas as time passed, whereas species richness was usually higher in euhaline habitats at any particular time. Hence, species richness in the death assemblages may be as high in some physically variable, estuarine habitats as in more invariant euhaline habitats. The species composition of the preservable component of the living community was more persistent than the nonpreservable component. That is, on the average, species additions or replacements occurred more frequently in the nonpreservable component. This increased persistence of the preservable component, however, could not offset the inherently more rapid temporal changes in faunal composition that occurred in physically variable habitats. Therefore, the classic ecologic relationship between increased species richness and reduced environmental variability may not be preserved. Additional evidences must be used to distinguish between species-rich assemblages produced by time averaging of noncontemporaneous taxa in environmentally variable habitats and those produced by diversedcommunities in less variable habitats.
Operating characteristics of X-bar charts with asymmetric control limits

When the assumptions behind the Shewhart chart are not met, policies other than the traditional 3-sigma limits may enable speedier and more economical detection of process change. If a process has unequal probabilities of downward and upward shifts, downward shifts of differing magnitude from upward shifts, and/or standard deviations after downward shifts different from those after upward shifts, then increases in the in-control average run length and decreases in the out-of-control average run length are simultaneously achievable with control limits placed at unequal distances from the process mean. The magnitude of these improvements is investigated for several types of process. The results are then extended to median charts for processes with output that is not normally distributed.
Unexploded ordnance discrimination using time-domain electromagnetic induction and self-organizing maps

Self-organizing maps (SOM) are implemented for discrimination of geologic noise, buried metal objects and unexploded ordnance using the geophysical method of time-domain electromagnetic induction. The learning and misfit measures are based on a Euclidean metric. The U*-matrix method is shown to be a reliable tool for determining data clusters and cluster boundaries. The performance of SOM for data-type discrimination was tested using three synthetic, idealized geophysical datasets consisting of exponential, multi-exponential and stretched-exponential decaying transients. In addition, experimental data were acquired using a modified Geonics EM63 instrument. Results from the synthetic examples show that SOM clusters the data based on their functional origin, when represented using U*-matrices. The percentage of correct classification is 100%. Unsupervised learning using the field dataset obtained with the Geonics EM63 succeeded in producing a multi-clustered map in which the background transients cluster themselves and are separated from clusters associated with metal clutter objects and UXO. Even though in some cases the SOM did not produce a single cluster for each type of causative body, it was able to separate clutter data from target data by producing several small clusters. The results are encouraging in view of the heterogeneity and sparsity of the training dataset.
Protonated 2‘-Aminoguanosine as a Probe of the Electrostatic Environment of the Active Site of the Tetrahymena Group I Ribozyme†

We have probed the electrostatic environment of the active site of the Tetrahymena group I ribozyme (E) using protonated 2'-aminoguanosine (G NH 3), in which the 2'-OH of the guanosine nucleophile (G) is replaced by an -NH 3 group. At low concentrations of divalent metal ion (2 mM Mg 2+ ), GNH 3 binds at least 200-fold stronger than G or GNH2, with a dissociation constant of e1 µM from the ribozyme‚oligonucleotide substrate‚GNH 3 complex (E‚S‚GNH 3). This strong binding suggests that the -NH 3 group interacts with negatively charged phosphoryl groups within the active site. Increasing the concentration of divalent metal ion weakens the binding of G NH 3 to E‚S more than 10 2 -fold. The Mn 2+ concentration dependence suggests that MC, the metal ion that interacts with the 2'-moiety of G in the normal reaction, is responsible for this effect. MC and GNH 3 compete for binding to the active site; this competition could arise from electrostatic repulsion between the positively charged -NH 3 and MC and, possibly, from their competition for interaction with active site phosphoryl groups. The reactive phosphoryl group of S increases the competition between MC and G NH 3, consistent with a network of interactions involving MC that help position the reactive phosphoryl group and the guanosine nucleophile with respect to one another. The chemical step with bound G NH 3 is at least 10 4 -fold slower than with G or GNH2 . These results provide additional support for an integral role of MC in catalysis by the Tetrahymena ribozyme, and demonstrate the utility of the -NH 3 moiety as an electrostatic probe within a structured RNA.
Femininity-Masculinity of Blacks and Whites over a Fourteen-Year Period

From 1973 through 1986 black and white college students took the Gough Femininity Scale. 1528 black females were not different from 936 white females, nor were 664 black males different from 554 white males. There were no apparent trends of increasing or decreasing femininity or masculinity, nor decreasing differences between men and women over the length of the study. Scores from 1973 through 1986 were not different from Gough's 1952 standardization sample.
The low temperature specific heat of amorphous alloys (invited)

Increased availability of amorphous metal alloys, particularly the transition‐metal‐metalloid metallic glasses has permitted more studies of the low temperature specific heat (CP) in recent years. The contributions to CP due to phonons (CL), electrons (CE) and magnetic effects (CM) are discussed. In CL the contribution of low‐energy phonons is sensitive to composition, structure and annealing state. In analyzing CE in the [FeNi] [PB] alloys a split‐band model offers the best description of present data. Spin‐glass contributions to CM provide entropy distribution near the spin‐glass anomaly and show the spin‐glass state persisting up to 20% iron in the [FeNi] [P14B6] series. Preliminary results on annealing effects in CP are presented and areas for future research through CP measurements summarized.
Histograms of helicity and strain in numerical turbulence.

Histograms of the normalized values of the helicity and the smallest principal component of the rate of strain are found for one realization of a ${128}^{3}$ isotropic simulation of forced turbulence. In regions of high dissipation the strain has a structure indicating sheets. Peak-to-valley ratios in the helicity histograms are less than in other numerical flows and this ratio decreases further when the helical large scales are filtered or active regions characterized by the strain are sampled.
Knowledge-based architecture for airborne mine and minefield detection

One of the primary lessons learned from airborne mid-wave infrared (MWIR) based mine and minefield detection research and development over the last few years has been the fact that no single algorithm or static detection architecture is able to meet mine and minefield detection performance specifications. This is true not only because of the highly varied environmental and operational conditions under which an airborne sensor is expected to perform but also due to the highly data dependent nature of sensors and algorithms employed for detection. Attempts to make the algorithms themselves more robust to varying operating conditions have only been partially successful. In this paper, we present a knowledge-based architecture to tackle this challenging problem. The detailed algorithm architecture is discussed for such a mine/minefield detection system, with a description of each functional block and data interface. This dynamic and knowledge-driven architecture will provide more robust mine and minefield detection for a highly multi-modal operating environment. The acquisition of the knowledge for this system is predominantly data driven, incorporating not only the analysis of historical airborne mine and minefield imagery data collection, but also other “all source data” that may be available such as terrain information and time of day. This “all source data” is extremely important and embodies causal information that drives the detection performance. This information is not being used by current detection architectures. Data analysis for knowledge acquisition will facilitate better understanding of the factors that affect the detection performance and will provide insight into areas for improvement for both sensors and algorithms. Important aspects of this knowledge-based architecture, its motivations and the potential gains from its implementation are discussed, and some preliminary results are presented.
Laser manipulation of atoms and particles

A variety of powerful techniques to control the position and velocity of neutral particles has been developed. As examples of this new ability, lasers have been used to construct a variety of traps, to cool atoms to temperatures below 3 x 10(-6) kelvin, and to create atomic fountains that may give us a hundredfold increase in the accuracy of atomic clocks. Bacteria can be held with laser traps while they are being viewed in an optical microscope, and organelles within a cell can be manipulated without puncturing the cell wall. Single molecules of DNA can now be stretched out and pinned down in a water solution with optical traps. These new capabilities may soon be applied to a wide variety of scientific questions as diverse as precision measurements of fundamental symmetries in physics and the study of biochemistry on a single molecule basis.
The structure of Fd fragments of G myeloma proteins

Abstract The Fd fragments of the heavy chains of normal γG glogulin andG myeloma proteins contain a number of peptides common to all of them and several variable peptides. The precise localization of these peptides remains to be determined by sequence studies. In the light of the results of sequence studies with Bence Jones proteins, it appears most likely that the heterogeneity of the heavy chain is largely limited to restricted stretches of the Fd fragment.
Chondrodystrophic mice with coincidental agnathia: Evidence for the tongue obstruction hypothesis in cleft palate

Mice homozygous for either of two mutations, chondrodysplasia (cho) or cartilage matrix deficiency (cmd), have short-limbed chondrodystrophy. This phenotype includes retrognathia, relative macroglossia, and cleft palate. It has been postulated that the cleft palate in these mice is the result of tongue obstruction during palatogenesis. Agnathia associated with microglossia is an independent spontaneously occurring defect in the strains bearing these mutations. The coincidental occurrence of agnathia-microglossia with chondrodystrophy lends itself to the study of the mechanism of cleft palate formation. We examined approximate midsagittal histological sections of normal and chondrodystrophic newborn mice, both with and without agnathia. Mandibular measurements and examinations of palate closure and tongue structure were made from photographic prints. Typical chondrodystrophic mutants with cleft palates had a mean mandibular length that was 66% of normal and a tongue that appeared large relative to the shortened mandible. Chondrodystrophic mutants with agnathia and microglossia had a mean mandibular length that was further reduced to 30% of normal, yet had a closed palate. We also observed two nonagnathic chondrodystrophic mutants that had slightly decreased mandibular lengths, microglossia, and closed palates. These observations suggest that tongue obstruction during palatogenesis is the pathogenetic mechanism of cleft palate in chondrodystrophic mice. A similar tongue obstruction hypothesis has been proposed as the mechanism of cleft palate formation in the human Pierre Robin sequence, which consists of retrognathia, glossoptosis, and cleft palate. This mechanistic hypothesis has been challenged, but our findings support the tongue obstruction hypothesis in the Robin cleft.
Software reliability for flight crew training simulators

Flight crew simulator failures are costly and may have an impact on the timing or efficiency of a mission; thus, reliability is one of the most important issues facing simulator developers today. The reliability of a simulator is the probability that a training session of length t can be completed without a failure. This paper defines simulator failure and then identifies and compares the three sources of simulator failure: hardware, software, and human, focusing on the cost of software failure. The paper next describes a model for software reliability measurement and proposes a method for establishing a software reliability objective. Data from the NASA Shuttle Mission Training Facility illustrate the technique. Finally, the paper examines the implications of using the method on the software testing successes.
Culture's role in conflict and conflict management: Some suggestions, many questions

Abstract The contributions to this edition of the Journal are viewed as identifying two roles of culture in intergroup conflict. One is that culture separates people into an in-group and out-group based on the criterion of whether or not they share a common culture. According to social identity theory, this division creates the necessary condition for intergroup (intercultural) conflict. The second role is that culture shapes the individual's perception of conflict and how he or she will respond to the conflict. It is argued that embedded within the history and myths of a culture are stories that identify specific out-groups as likely protagonists. A model for achieving peaceful co-existence between cultural groups is presented. Peaceful co-existence has three components: cognition (acceptance of the right of the out-group to exist), emotion (low fear of the out-group), and behavior (willingness to engage in cooperative interaction with the out-group). It is argued that in order to achieve peaceful co-existence between cultural groups, intergroup contract must promote the security and identity of the ingroup, reduce the perceived threat of the out-group, and promote the perception of diversity within the out-group. The difficulties of achieving positive relations between cultural groups is recognized, and that a focus on intercultural relations should be prevention of hostility rather than reducing violent conflict after it has occurred.
History Of Holography

Holograms existed in the nineteenth century, though they were not so called and were not very exciting or newsworthy. Going back even farther into the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries we find the diffraction of light being studied with keen interest by Grimaldi, Newton, Hooke, Delisle, Young, Fresnel and numerous others. All could have had holograms if they had had photography. All looked at the diffraction patterns but had no method of recording them except by drawings.
Spatio-temporal patterns of stratification on the Northwest Atlantic shelf

Abstract A spatially explicit stratification climatology is constructed for the Northwest Atlantic continental shelf using daily averaged hydrographic fields from a 33-year high-resolution, data-assimilated reanalysis dataset. The high-resolution climatology reveals considerable spatio-temporal heterogeneity in seasonal variability with strong interplay between thermal and haline processes. Regional differences in the magnitude and phasing of the seasonal cycle feature earlier development/breakdown in the Middle Atlantic Bight (MAB) and larger peaks on the shelf than in the Gulf of Maine (GoM). The relative contribution of the thermal and haline components to the overall stratification is quantified using a novel diagram composed of two key ratios. The first relates the vertical temperature gradient to the vertical salinity gradient, and the second relates the thermal expansion coefficient to the haline contraction coefficient. Two distinct regimes are identified: the MAB region is thermally-dominated through a larger portion of the year, whereas the Nova Scotian Shelf and the eastern GoM have a tendency towards haline control during the year. The timing of peak stratification and the beginning/end of thermally-positive and thermally-dominant states are examined. Their spatial distributions indicate a prominent latitudinal shift and regionality, having implications for the seasonal cycle of ecosystem dynamics and its interannual variability.
M&A Decisions and U.S. Firms’ Voluntary Adoption of Clawback Provisions in Executive Compensation Contracts

We examine whether U.S. firms’ MA (2) firms that acquire targets with relatively poor accounting quality are more likely to adopt clawbacks; (3) clawbacks improve investor perception of MA and (4) executives are more responsive to the market when completing M&A deals if their compensation contracts include clawbacks. These results suggest that boards take a pro-active approach and consider factors that may lead to restatements when adopting clawbacks. Our results have implications for U.S. policymakers, as the Dodd-Frank Act of 2010 requires mandatory adoption of clawbacks. Our results also suggest that non-U.S. firms can reduce managerial incentives to manipulate post-takeover earnings by using clawbacks.
Endrin and dieldrin: A comparison of hepatic excretion in the rat

The excretion of radioactivity from radiolabeled endrin and dieldrin, chlorinated hydrocarbon insecticide stereoisomers, has been compared in whole rats, bile-fistula rats, and isolated perfused rat livers. Male Holtzman rats, with and without bile fistulas were given intravenous doses (0.25 mg/kg) of endrin-14C or dieldrin-14C. Urine and feces were collected daily. Bile was collected at 1, 3, 6, 12, and 24 hours and daily thereafter. The animals were maintained for 5–7 days, then were sacrificed. Isolated, perfused rat liver experiments were performed with radiolabeled insecticides in the perfusates (0.003 or 0.0003 mg/ml). Bile and perfusate were sampled hourly. The liver was sampled at the end of the 4–6-hour experiment. Radioactivity in all excreta, carcasses, bile, perfusates, and liver tissue was measured by liquid scintillation counting. Over 90% of the excreted activity was found in the feces of the intact animals and in the bile of fistula animals. The cumulative mean daily excretion of radioactivity from endrin was greater than that from dieldrin in the feces of intact animals, bile of bile-fistula animals, and bile of isolated, perfused rat liver preparations. The more rapid fecal elimination of endrin can be explained by its more rapid biliary excretion. Intestinal absorption and fatty tissue sequestration have been excluded as major factors, and the liver has been identified as the source of the difference. These results may explain the greater storage of dieldrin in the body fat of mammals.
ON SUBGROUPS RELATED TO THE TENSOR CENTER

The tensor center of a group G is the set of elements a in G such that a ⊗ g = 1⊗ for all g in G.I t is ac haracteristic subgroup of G contained in its center. We introduce tensor analogues of various other subgroups of a group such as centralizers and 2-Engel elements and investigate their embedding in the group as well as interrelationships between those subgroups.
"More on respect for embryos and potentiality: does respect for embryos entail respect for in vitro embryos?".

It is commonly assumed that persons who hold abortions to be generally impermissible must, for the same reasons, be opposed to embryonic stem cell research [ESR]. Yet a settled position against abortion does not necessarily direct one to reject that research. The difference in potentiality between the embryos used in ESR and embryos discussed in the abortion debate can make ESR acceptable even if one holds that abortion is impermissible. With regard to their potentiality, in vitro embryos are here argued to be more morally similar to clonable somatic cells than they are to in vivo embryos. This creates an important moral distinction between embryos in vivo and in vitro. Attempts to refute this moral distinction, raised in the recent debate in this journal between Alfonso Gomez-Lobo and Mary Mahowald, are also addressed.
The International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea: A Great Mistake?

This article discusses the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea and questions its role and value. The U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea seems to contemplate fairly extensive jurisdiction for the Tribunal, but since its inception, the Tribunal has heard a very limited number and scope of cases, in part because disputants have other options for adjudication. This article provides a detailed discussion of the jurisdiction of the Tribunal. The Tribunal has compulsory jurisdiction in "prompt release" cases and in claims for provisional measures where the arbitral tribunal before which the claim will ultimately be brought has not yet been constituted. These two types of jurisdiction comprise the majority of applications to the Tribunal. This article suggests ways that the Tribunal might seek to expand its competence and relevance and contribute to the interpretation of the Convention.
Kinetics of diketopiperazine formation using model peptides.

□ The intramolecular aminolysis of Phe-Pro-p-nitroaniline (Phe-Pro-pNA) to Phe-Pro-diketopiperazine (Phe-Pro-DKP) was studied as a function of pH, temperature, buffer concentration, and buffer species using an HPLC assay that permits simultaneous analysis of the disappearance of the starting material and the appearance of degradation products. The degradation followed pseudo-first-order kinetics and showed significant dependence on pH. Phosphate (pH 5–8) and glycine (pH 9–10) buffers exhibit general base catalysis. The pH–rate profile suggested that the rate of Phe-Pro-DKP formation depends on the degree of ionization of the N-terminal amino group, with the unprotonated reactant being more reactive than the protonated form. The pKa value of 6.1, determined kinetically, and three microscopic rate constants were adequate to describe the shape of the pH–rate profile. In the pH range studied, Phe-Pro-DKP was the only product generated upon degradation of Phe-Pro-pNA. At pH values between 3 and 8, Phe-Pro-DKP was stable, while at pH less than 3 and greater than 8 it undergoes hydrolysis to the dipeptide, Phe-Pro-OH. Sequence inversion, a reaction normally associated with DKP formation, was not observed. The influence of primary sequence on the formation of DKP was also investigated using X-Pro-pNA analogues, where X = Gly, Ala, Val, Phe, β-cyclohexylalanine, and Arg. Changing the amino acid preceding the proline residue had a significant effect on the rate of DKP formation at pH 7.0.
MOXE: a model of gas exchange for hyperpolarized 129Xe magnetic resonance of the lung.

We present a model of gas exchange for hyperpolarized 129Xe in the lung, which we refer to as the Model of Xenon Exchange. The model consists of two expressions and characterizes uptake of dissolved xenon in the lung at two different resonance frequencies. The two expressions are governed by the following five critical pulmonary parameters that characterize both lung function and structure: the surface-area-to-volume ratio, barrier-to-septum ratio (ratio between air–blood barrier thickness and septal thickness), hematocrit, gas-exchange time constant, and pulmonary capillary transit time. The model is first validated by computer simulation. We show that Model of Xenon Exchange can be used to measure the pulmonary parameters mentioned above under various pathological or physiological conditions and is robust against moderate noise. Model of Xenon Exchange is further used to fit an existing data set of xenon uptake, thereby we demonstrate that the data can be well interpreted with Model of Xenon Exchange and reasonable parameters from the fitting routine. The good results obtained in both simulation and fitting to real data indicate that the model is sensitive to various functional and structural changes of the lung, and that it will allow for screening for a variety of pulmonary diseases by using hyperpolarized 129Xe of the lung. Magn Reson Med, 2013. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Adult thymus expresses an embryonic nicotinic acetylcholine receptor-like protein

Abstract The subunit composition of acetylcholine receptor-like protein(s) (AChR-LP) expressed by normal thymus was investigated. In skeletal muscle, the AChR exists in two forms, an embryonic form which contains the γ-subunit and an adult form where the γ-subunit is substituted by a different, homologous subunit called ϵ. Antibodies against unique sequence segments of the embryonic γ-subunit and of the adult ϵ-subunit of bovine muscle AChR, in addition to antibodies specific for the α-, β-, and δ-subunits of bovine muscle AChR, were used to probe immunoblots of AChR-LP(s) from bovine thymus. Subunits of approximate M r 41 kDa, 48–54 kDa, 57 kDa and 67–72 kDa were recognized by anti-α, anti-β, anti-γ and anti-δ antibodies respectively. Anti-ϵ antibodies did not recognize any protein band from bovine thymus. AChR-LP similar or identical to the embryonic muscle AChR is therefore expressed in normal thymus.
Public Private Partnership: A Prospective in the Development of Sustainable Transport Infrastructures and Services in Bangladesh

Bangladesh with limited revenues and development budgets falls far of a short of funding to meet current and future transportation needs. Recently, Bangladesh government has taken a fresh public private partnership (PPP) policy initiative to encourage private sector investors in the development of public infrastructures. In light of such a policy, this paper examines the importance of strengthening policies, institutions particularly in handling design/build contract procurements, developing transparent risk allocation mechanisms, and managing projects and programs for successful policy executions. Government institutions must also define overall goals and objectives of projects and explore PPP opportunity in the early development stage of the project to take advantage of not only private investment but also assistance in the planning, designing and building of projects with appropriate skilled manpower and technology for quick and successful implementations of projects.
Isotopic analysis of uranium in NIST SRM glass by femtosecond laser ablation MC-ICPMS

We employed femtosecond Laser Ablation Multicollector Inductively Coupled Mass Spectrometry for the determination of uranium isotope ratios in a series of standard reference material glasses (NIST 610, 612, 614, and 616). The uranium in this series of SRM glasses is a combination of isotopically natural uranium in the materials used to make the glass matrix and isotopically depleted uranium added to increase the uranium elemental concentration across the series. Results for NIST 610 are in excellent agreement with literature values. However, other than atom percent 235U, little information is available for the remaining glasses. We present atom percent and isotope ratios for 234U, 235U, 236U, and 238U for all four glasses. Our results show deviations from the certificate values for the atom percent 235U, indicating the need for further examination of the uranium isotopes in NIST 610-616.
Mechanisms and rates of birth and death of dispersed duplicated genes during the evolution of a multigene family in diploid and tetraploid wheats.

A family of 5 genes that evolved within the past 1.9 Myr in diploid wheat was characterized. The ancestral gene, ALP-A1, is on chromosome 1A and encodes an aci-reductone dioxygenase-like protein. The duplicated genes ALP-A2, ALP-A3, ALP-A4.1, and ALP-A4.2 acquired complete coding sequences but lost the original promoter. They are on chromosomes 4A, 2A, 6A and 6A, respectively, and evolved sequentially, the youngest duplicated gene always producing the next duplicate. It is shown that dispersed gene duplication rate consists of the primary rate (duplications of ancestral genes) and the secondary rate (duplications of genes that had been generated by recent duplications). The primary rate was 2.5 × 10 −3 gene −1 Myr −1 in diploid wheat. The secondary rate was 5.2 × 10 −2 gene −1 Myr −1 in the ALP family. The 20-fold acceleration of the secondary rate was caused by the insertion of the ALP-A2 gene into a novel type transposon. Only the ALP-A1 and ALP-A3 genes are transcribed. The transcription of ALP-A3 is directed by a promoter within a DNA fragment similar to a CACTA type of DNA transposons, making ALP-A3 a new gene. The ALP-A3 transcript is longer than that of the ALP-A1. The half-life of ALP duplicated genes was estimated to be 0.87 Myr. Strong purifying selection acting on the ancestral gene ALP-A1 was undiminished by the evolution of duplicated genes. The evolution of the ALP family shows that repeated elements facilitate both gene duplication and expression of duplicated genes and highlights their importance for the evolution of gene repertoire in large plant genomes.
Receptor Inhibitors in Acute Coronary Syndromes: What Is New on the Horizon?

Dual antiplatelet therapy with aspirin and a P2Y12 receptor inhibitor represents the cornerstone therapy for patients with acute coronary syndromes or undergoing percutaneous interventions, leading to a reduction of subsequent ischemic events. Variable response to clopidogrel has received close attention, and pharmacokinetic, pharmacodynamic, and pharmacogenomic factors have been identified as culprits. This led to the introduction of newer, potentially safer, and more effective antiplatelet agents (prasugrel and ticagrelor). Additionally, several point-of-care assays of platelet function have been developed in recent years to rapidly screen individuals on antiplatelet therapy. While the routine use of platelet function testing is uncertain and not currently recommended, it may be useful in instances when the degree of platelet inhibition may be uncertain such as high-risk patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention or when there may be a suspected pharmacodynamic interaction with other drugs. The current paper focuses on the P2Y12 receptor inhibitors and their pharmacogenetics and indications in patients with acute coronary syndromes or receiving percutaneous coronary interventions as well as the applicability of platelet function testing in this clinical context.
Semantic feature catalogue service

Geospatial catalogue services have been widely used to facilitate the discovery of geospatial data. By importing geospatial feature semantics in catalogue services, it is possible to provide semantics-supported feature discovery. This paper presents an approach to develop a semantic feature catalogue service by combining the Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC) Catalogue Services for the Web (CSW) with distributed Web Feature Services (WFS) services. Feature semantics are registered in CSW by extending the ebRIM information model. The approach not only facilitates the discovery at the feature type level, but also allows feature instances to be returned through the catalogue interface.