cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Direction-of-Arrival Estimation Enhancement for Closely Spaced Electrically Small Antenna Array

In this paper, compact direction finding systems using a scatterer of a high dielectric constant in between adjacent closely spaced electrically small antennas are examined. By adding a high-permittivity scatterer, the directional sensitivity can be enhanced. However, due to limited physical dimension, an electrically small antenna has highly reactive impedance. To enhance the received power level, a matching network is included. The highest directional sensitivity satisfying a given power constraint is compared for with and without scatterer cases. In addition, widely used matching approaches such as multiport-conjugate matching (MCM), self-conjugate matching (SCM), and eigenmode decoupling matching are investigated to increase the received power. The impact of these matching networks on the directional sensitivity is studied. The power and the directional-sensitivity bandwidth after matching are also analyzed. Finally, the two-monopole and a high-permittivity scatterer system with SCM and MCM circuits is fabricated and tested.
Cellular gene therapy: An overview

Recombinant DNA technology has provided the tools for gene-based cellular therapies. The increasing ability to characterize disease in molecular terms affords the scientific rationale for gene therapy, while advances in cell biology, cytokine physiology, and gene delivery have made somatic cell gene therapy feasible. In 1990, the first successful human gene therapy was performed to correct severe combined immunodeficiency resulting from an inherited disorder, adenosine deaminase deficiency. Peripheral blood lymphocytes were used to deliver a gene product as temporary therapy. Today more than a dozen clinical protocols, using a variety of cell types and gene vectors, are in different stages of development. Some promise to be curative. Potential target illnesses include a variety of inherited genetic diseases, as well as such acquired disorders as cancer and AIDS. Although basic problems relating to gene transfer efficiency and expression, assay systems, and quality assurance remain, the technology to collect large numbers of cells, to purify cell subsets, to gene-modify these cells, and to expand them for human infusion suggest practical new strategies for cellular gene therapy.
Visualizing adenosine-to-inosine RNA editing in single mammalian cells

Conversion of adenosine to inosine is a frequent type of RNA editing, but important details about the biology of this conversion remain unknown because of a lack of imaging tools. We developed inoFISH to directly visualize and quantify adenosine-to-inosine-edited transcripts in situ. We found that editing of the GRIA2, EIF2AK2, and NUP43 transcripts is uncorrelated with nuclear localization and paraspeckle association. Further, NUP43 exhibits constant editing levels between single cells, while GRIA2 editing levels vary.
Cellular economies of scale and why disparities in spectrum holdings are detrimental

Abstract Now that traffic volumes are increasing rapidly, the cost of expanding capacity has become a large portion of expenditures for Mobile Network Operators (MNOs). This paper uses an engineering-economic model to show that there are strong economies of scale when expanding capacity, because an MNO with more spectrum benefits more from every new cell tower, and an MNO with more towers benefits more from every new MHz of spectrum. While it is technically possible to expand capacity by increasing either towers or spectrum holdings, we find that the cost-effective approach is to increase both types of assets at a similar rate. In the absence of countervailing policies, the big MNOs are well positioned to get bigger, in terms of spectrum holdings, towers, and ultimately market share. For policymakers, this economy of scale creates a trade-off between two important objectives: reducing the cost of cellular capacity, and increasing competition. This paper derives the Pareto optimal division of spectrum with respect to these two competing objectives, and shows that any Pareto optimal assignment will split the spectrum fairly evenly among competing MNOs. This is not simply a method of ensuring that there are many competitors; spectrum should be divided fairly evenly regardless of whether the number of competitors is large or small. A large disparity in spectrum holdings may yield poor results with respect to both objectives, i.e. the lower cost-effectiveness of a larger number of MNOs, and the lower competitive pressure of a smaller number of MNOs. One effective way to achieve a division of spectrum that is close to Pareto optimal is a spectrum cap, provided that this cap is set at a level consistent with other policies and policy objectives, including antitrust policy.
Estimation Based on Hotelling's Theory: Transitory and Permanent Effects

Abstract This paper distinguishes variants of Hotelling's theory based on which variables are believed to be time invariant. The effects of observable changes in demand are classified as permanent or transitory. Permanent and transitory changes lead to different restrictions for estimation. The redwood market is used as a test of these theories.
The Development of Lhermitte’s Sign During Cisplatin Chemotherapy: Possible Drug-Induced Toxicity Causing Spinal Cord Demyelination

Cisplatin is a recognized neurotoxic agent that commonly causes ototoxicity and peripheral neuropathy. In conjunction with characteristic peripheral neuropathy, two patients treated with high-dose cisplatin developed Lhermitte's sign, a manifestation of posterior column spinal cord pathology. After cisplatin therapy was stopped, this symptom gradually resolved. This suggests that at high doses cisplatin may also cause demyelinating central nervous system lesions involving the spinal cord.
THE EPIDEMIOLOGY OF PERTHES' DISEASE

Introduction 2010 marked a century since Perthes9 disease was first described, but the aetiology and mechanism remain unknown. Worldwide, the incidence of Perthes9 disease varies widely, yet this may be through differences in study design, population denominators or case ascertainment. It is suggested that differential exposure to adverse socioeconomic circumstances may be a key precipitant, although this remains the subject of debate. This work draws on several epidemiological studies that have sought to develop the understanding of Perthes9 disease by examining a case register from Merseyside, discharge data from Scotland and the world9s largest community disease register. A systematic review was performed to ensure a robustness and homogeneity between published studies in order to allow meaningful comparisons. Methods Studies were based on data from the Merseyside Perthes9 Disease Register (1976–2008), the UK General Practice Research Database (GPRD, 1990–2008) and hospital discharge data for Scotland (2000–2009). Temporal trends and geographic patterns were analysed and the relationship to deprivation investigated. A systematic review of the published literature was used to explore international variations in incidence up to December 2010 focusing upon the influence of race and latitude. Analyses were conducted using Poisson regression. Results Systematic Review: 21 studies were included which described 27 populations in 16 countries, observing 124 million person years. The annual incidence ranged from 0.2 – 19.1 per 100,000 0–14 year-olds. Race was a key determinant with East Asians least affected and Whites most affected (East Asian IRR 1.0 (Ref), South Asian IRR 2.9 (2.4, 3.5), White IRR 8.8 (8.2, 9.6)). Latitude was a strong predictor of disease, even after adjusting for race. Each 10 degree increase in latitude resulted in the incidence rate increasing by a factor of 1.44 (1.30, 1.58). GPRD Study There was a dramatic decline in Perthes9 disease incidence within the UK, with annual incidence rates falling from 12.2 to 5.7 cases/100,000 0–14 year-olds over the 19 year study period (p Merseyside There was a dramatic decline in Perthes9 disease incidence within Liverpool with rates falling from 14.2 to 7.7 cases/100,000 0–14 year-olds over the 34-year study period (p Scotland Hospital discharge rates due to Perthes9 disease fell annually by 5.6% (95% CI 2.4% – 8.8% p Conclusions These studies provide strong evidence to suggest a declining incidence of Perthes9 disease within the UK and a strong relationship to socioeconomic deprivation. Although Perthes9 disease incidence is falling it remains an important cause of child morbidity and exemplifies socioeconomic inequalities in health. The striking UK North–South divide is similar to that seen in adult diseases such as cardiovascular disease and osteoporosis. Latitude has an independent association with disease which may be through the action of sunlight and Vitamin D. A deprivation-related exposure (probably acting prenatally) appears critical but the aetiological determinants remain elusive.
Papillary Mucinous Cystadenoma of Probable Renal Pelvic Origin in a Horseshoe Kidney

A 59-year-old woman underwent a partial nephrectomy to remove a 7-cm cystic mass involving the left portion of a horseshoe kidney. Microscopically, the cyst was lined by tall columnar mucosecretory cells resembling endocervical cells. The lesion is believed to represent the benign counterpart of mucinous adenocarcinoma of the renal pelvis.
Treatment of Hirsutism With a Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone Agonist (Nafarelin)

GnRH analogs inhibit the secretion of gonadotropins and, therefore, that of estrogens and androgens of ovarian origin. The purpose of this study was to investigate the use of one superactive agonistic GnRH analog, nafarelin, in the treatment of hirsutism. Six hirsute women were treated with nafarelin (1000 µg/day) for 6 months. An acute rise in serum gonadotropin levels occurred in response to nafarelin administration initially, but it lasted less than 2 weeks. Serum gonadotropin, testosterone, free testosterone, and androstenedione concentrationsdecreased significantly during treatment. Mean serum LH levels decreased from 17.9 ± 4.6 (±SE) to 5.0 ± 0.5 mlU/ml (P < 0.01), and FSH decreased from 9.3 ± 0.7 to 7.2 ± 0.9 mlU/ml (P < 0.05) after 1 month of treatment. The total testosterone concentration fell from 0.77 ± 0.10 to 0.40 ± 0.14 ng/ml (P < 0.01) after 1 month of therapy, and free testosterone decreased from 10.7 ± 2.7 to 4.1 ± 1.6 pg/ml (P < 0.01) after 3 months. Androstenedione levels decreased from...
Precocious Puberty and Chronic Renal Failure

• A 7½-year-old boy with chronic renal failure (CRF) experienced transient central isosexual precocious puberty. Simultaneously, he demonstrated hyperprolactinemia with galactorrhea and apparent secondary or tertiary hypothyroidism. These findings could have been a consequence of an unexplained hypothalamic dysregulation. During this period, marked linear growth ensued (8.7 cm during nine months) associated with rapid bone age advancement (four years during a 21-month period). Whereas most boys with CRF demonstrate delayed pubertal development and suppressed linear growth, our patient's transient condition demonstrated that both growth and puberty can occur in the presence of uremia. ( Am J Dis Child 1983;137:956-958)
Autonomous navigation using x-ray pulsars and multirate processing

In this paper, autonomous pulsar-based spacecraft navigation problem is formulated in terms of a nonlinear filtering problem. The spacecraft dynamics, pulsar-timing model, and clock deviation model are combined to form the navigation system. An extended Kalman filter that uses epoch folding and leverages the timescale of the system is developed to more efficiently estimate the spacecraft states from four simultaneous X-ray pulsar measurements. Simulation results of an orbiter mission and a deep space mission are presented to show the accuracy of pulsar-based navigation in space.
Do tournaments solve the adverse selection problem

This paper provides a solution to a puzzle in the analysis of tournaments, that of why there is no agent discrimination or differential contracting in certain business practice settings. The paper examines the problem of a principal contracting with multiple agents whose activities are subject to common shocks. The presence of common shocks invites the use of relative performance evaluation to minimize the costs of moral hazard. But, in the additional presence of adverse selection, the analysis shows that there may be no need for ex ante screening through menus of offers. This is so because the principal becomes better informed ex post about agent types, via the realization of common uncertainty, and can effectively penalize or reward the agents ex post. Thus, unlike the standard adverse selection problem without common uncertainty where the principal always benefits from ex ante screening, it is shown that ex post sorting through relative performance evaluation reduces the scope for ex ante screening through menus, and can eliminate it completely if agents are known to not be very heterogeneous. This is consistent with observed practice in industries where the primary compensation mechanism is a cardinal tournament which is uniform among employees. The analysis connotes that by using relative instead of absolute performance measures, firms with employees who are not substantially heterogeneous not only can alleviate the agency problem, but there is also no need to extract the agents' ex ante private information about their innate abilities via a screening menu.
Who Believes in Conspiracy Theories in Venezuela

Conspiracy theories are central to political discourse in Venezuela and are widely supported. In the Americas Barometer Venezuela survey from 2016 to 2017, 54 percent of respondents expressed agreement for at least one of three political conspiracy narratives unsupported by evidence. Political loyalties to Chavismo or to the anti-Chavista opposition drive much conspiracy theory belief, but not all. Politically motivated reasoning pushes some citizens toward a given conspiracy narrative but others away. Other factors that are distinct from political loyalties, including low education levels, predispositions toward Manichaeanism and fatalism, and belief in the supernatural are associated with conspiracism. This article presents new data on conspiracy theory beliefs in Venezuela as well as analysis of its individual-level correlates, then discusses how the current Venezuelan political environment fosters conspiracy and what changes might mitigate this phenomenon. Resumen Las teorias de conspiracion son fundamentales para el discurso politico en Venezuela y son ampliamente apoyadas. En la encuesta de Venezuela del Barometro de las Americas de 2016 a 2017, el 54 por ciento de los encuestados expreso su acuerdo con al menos una de las tres narrativas presentadas de conspiracion politica que no estaban respaldadas por evidencia. Las lealtades politicas al chavismo o a la oposicion anti-chavista impulsan muchas creencias de las teorias de la conspiracion, pero no todas. El razonamiento motivado politicamente empuja a algunos ciudadanos a una narrativa de conspiracion dada, pero a otros a alejarse. Otros factores que son distintos de las lealtades politicas, como los bajos niveles de educacion, las predisposiciones hacia el maniqueismo y el fatalismo, y la creencia en lo sobrenatural estan asociados con el conspiracismo. Este articulo presenta datos sobre las creencias de la teoria de la conspiracion en Venezuela, asi como el analisis de sus correlatos a nivel individual, luego analiza como el entorno politico venezolano fomenta la conspiracion y que cambios podrian mitigar este fenomeno.
Magnetized Reverse Shock: Density-fluctuation-induced Field Distortion, Polarization Degree Reduction, and Application to GRBs

The early optical afterglow emission of several gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) shows a high linear polarization degree (PD) of tens of percent, suggesting an ordered magnetic field in the emission region. The light curves are consistent with being of a reverse shock (RS) origin. However, the magnetization parameter, $\sigma$, of the outflow is unknown. If $\sigma$ is too small, an ordered field in the RS may be quickly randomized due to turbulence driven by various perturbations so that the PD may not be as high as observed. Here we use the "Athena++" relativistic MHD code to simulate a relativistic jet with an ordered magnetic field propagating into a clumpy ambient medium, with a focus on how density fluctuations may distort the ordered magnetic field and reduce PD in the RS emission for different $\sigma$ values. For a given density fluctuation, we discover a clear power-law relationship between the relative PD reduction and the $\sigma$ value of the outflow. Such a relation may be applied to estimate $\sigma$ of the GRB outflows using the polarization data of early afterglows.
How Do Sectoral Interests Shape Distributive Politics? Evidence from Gasoline and Diesel Subsidy Reforms

Sectoral interests play an important role in distributive politics, but their influence is difficult to measure. We compare the effect of international oil prices on subsidies for domestic gasoline and diesel consumption. Because diesel is used by a smaller number of organized agricultural and transportation interests, they are more capable of collective action than the dispersed beneficiaries of gasoline subsidies. The conventional wisdom holds that sectoral interests could mobilize to stop reform (e.g., price increases, deregulation). Challenging this view, we consider the possibility that sectoral interests promote reform by facilitating the targeted allocation of compensation and exemptions. An empirical analysis of gasoline and diesel prices, 1991-2012, strongly supports the second hypothesis: diesel prices respond to international oil prices more strongly than do gasoline prices. Quantitative tests and case studies allow us to explore causal mechanisms, verify that the gasoline-diesel difference is related to actual policy reforms, and reject alternative explanations.
Corporate Lobbying and Labor Relations: Evidence from Employee-Level Litigations

Abstract In this study, we analyze employee litigation and other work-related complaints to examine if the judicial process favors firms that engage in lobbying. We gather data for 27,794 employee lawsuits (after their initial court hearings) filed between 2000 and 2014 and test the relationship between employee allegations and firms' lobbying strategies. We find that employee litigation increases the number of labor-related bills in our sample. We document that an increase in employee lawsuits may drive firms into lobbying to change policy proposals. We also find robust evidence that case outcomes are different for lobbying firms compared to non-lobbying rivals, which may protect shareholder wealth in the long run. Our results suggest lobbying activities may make a significant difference in the effects of employee lawsuits. Our findings highlight the benefit of building political capital to obtain biased outcomes in favor of politically connected firms.
The Brain Compass: A Perspective on How Self-Motion Updates the Head Direction Cell Attractor

Head direction cells form an internal compass signaling head azimuth orientation even without visual landmarks. This property is generated by a neuronal ring attractor that is updated using rotation velocity cues. The properties and origin of this velocity drive remain, however, unknown. We propose a quantitative framework whereby this drive represents a multisensory self-motion estimate computed through an internal model that uses sensory prediction errors of vestibular, visual, and somatosensory cues to improve on-line motor drive. We show how restraint-dependent strength of recurrent connections within the attractor can explain differences in head direction cell firing between free foraging and restrained passive rotation. We also summarize recent findings on how gravity influences azimuth coding, indicating that the velocity drive is not purely egocentric. Finally, we show that the internal compass may be three-dimensional and hypothesize that the additional vertical degrees of freedom use global allocentric gravity cues.
Macro needs micro

An emerging consensus on the future of macroeconomics views the incorporation of a role for financial intermediation, labor market frictions, and household heterogeneity in the presence of uninsurable unemployment risk as key needed extensions to the benchmark macro framework. I argue that this is welcome, but not sufficient for macro—and international macro—to tackle the menu of issues that have been facing policymakers since the recent global crisis. For this purpose, macro needs more micro than the benchmark setup has been incorporating so far. Specifically, artificial separations between business cycle analysis, the study of stabilization policies, and growth macro, as well as between international macroeconomics and international trade, must be overcome. I review selected literature contributions that took steps in this direction; outline a number of important, promising directions for future research; and discuss methodological issues in the development of this agenda.
Wavenumber selection via spatial parameter jump

The SwiftHohenberg equation describes an instability which forms finite-wavenumber patterns near onset. We study this equation posed with a spatial inhomogeneity; a jump-type parameter that renders...
Strength in Numbers: Using Big Data to Simplify Sentiment Classification

Abstract Sentiment classification, the task of assigning a positive or negative label to a text segment, is a key component of mainstream applications such as reputation monitoring, sentiment summarization, and item recommendation. Even though the performance of sentiment classification methods has steadily improved over time, their ever-increasing complexity renders them comprehensible by only a shrinking minority of expert practitioners. For all others, such highly complex methods are black-box predictors that are hard to tune and even harder to justify to decision makers. Motivated by these shortcomings, we introduce BigCounter: a new algorithm for sentiment classification that substitutes algorithmic complexity with Big Data. Our algorithm combines standard data structures with statistical testing to deliver accurate and interpretable predictions. It is also parameter free and suitable for use virtually “out of the box,” which makes it appealing for organizations wanting to leverage their troves of un...
Velocity space degrees of freedom of plasma fluctuations

We present the first measurements of a plasma velocity-space cross-correlation matrix. A singular value decomposition is applied to this inherently Hermitian matrix, and the relation between the eigenmodes and the plasma kinetic fluctuation modes is explored. A generalized wave admittance is introduced for these eigenmodes.
Trade Integration in Colombia: A Dynamic General Equilibrium Study with New Exporter Dynamics

Abstract We study Colombia’s trade integration over a 30 year period through the lens of a general equilibrium model in which non-exporters have access to a risky exporting technology and exporters must invest in accumulating a better exporting technology. Our model is calibrated to match producer and exporter lifecycles and yields a novel estimate of the various costs of exporting. We find the up-front costs of starting to export are much lower than in previous analyses but that this technology is quite risky in that most firms that incur the cost do not end up exporting. We also find that for existing exporters, expanding exports requires sustained export-specific investments. We then examine the transition following Colombia’s 89-91 trade reform. We show that the relationship between the firm-level export intensity and aggregate export intensity disciplines the technology and policy changes accounting for this integration. We find that a common decline in tariffs can account for about 75 percent of the growth in exports as a share of manufacturing sales. We attribute the remaining 25 percent to an increase in the success of investments in export market access. About 10 percent of the increase in trade is accounted for by the endogenous accumulation of an improved exporting technology by existing exporters. These changes in policy and exporting technology boost welfare by about 7.1 percent. The transition following the reforms is characterized by an overshooting of output and consumption, with consumption peaking 15 years after the policy. Further tariff reductions are expected to increase welfare another 6.2 percent.
An evaluation of border management reforms in a technical agency

Impact evaluations of trade facilitation reforms have almost exclusively focused on reforms by data-rich customs agencies. Other "technical" agencies also intervene in the logistics of international trade, and do so in ways that can cause significant interruptions in the flow of the imported products they oversee. This paper is the first to evaluate a reform by a technical agency, namely, the agency responsible for food safety and animal health in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. The data environment is much more challenging than in customs, but enables the investigation of novel questions. The study finds that on-the-ground practices regarding sampling of import shipments departed substantially from those planned in the reform. It finds little evidence that the reform was successful in its attempt to improve the targeting of risky shipments. There is limited evidence that the reform increased trade flows, but circumstances make it difficult to establish a strong causal link to the specific reform studied.
The Moral Wrestler: Ignored by Maslow

Maslow assumes that people are not merely economic creators who seek to maximize their happiness. He holds that once people’s basic needs are satisfied, they will find contentment in seeking to address “higher” needs—famously esteem and self-actualization. However, Maslow’s theory is self-centered. To view people as moral creatures, social sciences need to draw much more on a view of human nature found in the three Abrahamic religions, namely that people are able to tell right from wrong, but they keep straying. They are assumed to engage in a life-long wrestle between the better angels of their nature and their debased self. In contrast each social science has its own conceptions of human nature. Some lost sight of the moral wrestling, while others are exploring it but in the process opened a Pandora’s box.
Behavioral Communities and the Atomic Structure of Networks.

We develop a theory of `behavioral communities' and the `atomic structure' of networks. We define atoms to be groups of agents whose behaviors always match each other in a set of coordination games played on the network. This provides a microfoundation for a method of detecting communities in social and economic networks. We provide theoretical results characterizing such behavior-based communities and atomic structures and discussing their properties in large random networks. We also provide an algorithm for identifying behavioral communities. We discuss applications including: a method of estimating underlying preferences by observing behavioral conventions in data, and optimally seeding diffusion processes when there are peer interactions and homophily. We illustrate the techniques with applications to high school friendship networks and rural village networks.
Active matter clusters at interfaces

Collective and directed motility or swarming is an emergent phenomenon displayed by many self-organized assemblies of active biological matter such as clusters of embryonic cells during tissue development, cancerous cells during tumor formation and metastasis, colonies of bacteria in a biofilm, or even flocks of birds and schools of fish at the macro-scale. Such clusters typically encounter very heterogeneous environments. What happens when a cluster encounters an interface between two different environments has implications for its function and fate. Here we study this problem by using a mathematical model of a cluster that treats it as a single cohesive unit that moves in two dimensions by exerting a force/torque per unit area whose magnitude depends on the nature of the local environment. We find that low speed (overdamped) clusters encountering an interface with a moderate difference in properties can lead to refraction or even total internal reflection of the cluster. For large speeds (underdamped), where inertia dominates, the clusters show more complex behaviors crossing the interface multiple times and deviating from the predictable refraction and reflection for the low velocity clusters. We then present an extreme limit of the model in the absence of rotational damping where clusters can become stuck spiraling along the interface or move in large circular trajectories after leaving the interface. Our results show a wide range of behaviors that occur when collectively moving active biological matter moves across interfaces and these insights can be used to control motion by patterning environments.
Stable Configurations with (Meta)Punishing Agents

We consider an adaptation of Axelrod’s metanorm model, where a population of agents choose between cooperating and defecting in bilateral interactions. Because punishing incurs an enforcement cost, Axelrod proposes using metanorms, to facilitate the stability of a norm of punishing defectors, where those who do not punish defectors can themselves be punished. We present two approaches to study the social effects of such metanorms when agents can choose their interaction partners: (a) a theoretical study, when agent behaviors are static, showing stable social configurations, under all possible relationships between system parameters representing agent payoffs with or without defection, punishment, and meta-punishment, and (b) an experimental evaluation of emergent social configurations when agents choose behaviors to maximize expected utility. We highlight emergent social configurations, including anarchy, a “police” state with cooperating agents who enforce, and a unique “corrupt police” state where one enforcer penalizes all defectors but defects on others!
Hybrid Consensus: Efficient Consensus in the Permissionless Model

Consensus, or state machine replication is a foundational building block of distributed systems and modern cryptography. Consensus in the classical, "permissioned" setting has been extensively studied in the 30 years of distributed systems literature. Recent developments in Bitcoin and other decentralized cryptocurrencies popularized a new form of consensus in a "permissionless" setting, where anyone can join and leave dynamically, and there is no a-priori knowledge of the number of consensus nodes. So far, however, all known permissionless consensus protocols assume network synchrony, i.e., the protocol must know an upper bound of the network's delay, and transactions confirm slower than this a-priori upper bound. We initiate the study of the feasibilities and infeasibilities of achieving responsiveness in permissionless consensus. In a responsive protocol, the transaction confirmation time depends only on the actual network delay, but not on any a-priori known upper bound such as a synchronous round. Classical protocols in the partial synchronous and asynchronous models naturally achieve responsiveness, since the protocol does not even know any delay upper bound. Unfortunately, we show that in the permissionless setting, consensus is impossible in the asynchronous or partially synchronous models. On the positive side, we construct a protocol called Hybrid Consensus by combining classical-style and blockchain-style consensus. Hybrid Consensus shows that responsiveness is nonetheless possible to achieve in permissionless consensus (assuming proof-of-work) when 1) the protocol knows an upper bound on the network delay; 2) we allow a non-responsive warmup period after which transaction confirmation can become responsive; 3) honesty has some stickiness, i.e., it takes a short while for an adversary to corrupt a node or put it to sleep; and 4) less than 1/3 of the nodes are corrupt. We show that all these conditions are in fact necessary - if only one of them is violated, responsiveness would have been impossible. Our work makes a step forward in our understanding of the permissionless model and its differences and relations to classical consensus.
LISFRANC FRACTURE DISLOCATIONS: PERCUTANEOUS REDUCTION AND FIXATION USING SCREWS

Aim Anatomical reduction and Stable fixation of Lisfranc injuries is considered the gold standard. There is controversy about how it is best achieved. Some surgeons would advocate routine open anatomical reduction, which as a concept was popular in 1980s but the same anatomical reduction and fixation can be achieved percutaneously. We describe our method of close reduction and percutaneous fixation and present our results. Materials and methods 22 patients with a minimum follow up of 12 months were included. We achieved satisfactory anatomical reduction percutaneously in all patients and internal fixation was performed using cannulated screws for medial and middle columns. Functional outcome was evaluated using Foot and Ankle Disability Index (FADI) and components of this score were analysed individually to assess which domain was most affected. Vertical ground reaction forces were measured using a force plate in a walking platform. Results The average age at operation was 48 years (17–67). Mean follow up was 20 months (13–60). The average Foot & Ankle Disability Index at final follow up was 79 (66–94). No loss of reduction or metal breakage was noted. Walking on uneven surface, going down stairs, heavy work and pain first thing in the morning were the domains of functional Index that showed poor recovery. None of the patients had pain at rest. Only three patients found it extremely hard to return to recreational activities. None of the patients had problems related to wound. Gait analysis showed a prolonged push-off (p=0.22) and significantly prolonged pre-swing phase (p=0.015) of the affected limb. Conclusions Percutaneous reduction and fixation technique for Lisfranc injuries provides predicatable good functional outcome and gait pattern similar to open tecchinques with a potentially decreased risk of wound problems.
Integrated Tokamak modeling: When physics informs engineering and research planning

Modeling tokamaks enables a deeper understanding of how to run and control our experiments and how to design stable and reliable reactors. We model tokamaks to understand the nonlinear dynamics of plasmas embedded in magnetic fields and contained by finite size, conducting structures, and the interplay between turbulence, magneto-hydrodynamic instabilities, and wave propagation. This tutorial guides through the components of a tokamak simulator, highlighting how high-fidelity simulations can guide the development of reduced models that can be used to understand how the dynamics at a small scale and short time scales affects macroscopic transport and global stability of plasmas. It discusses the important role that reduced models have in the modeling of an entire plasma discharge from startup to termination, the limits of these models, and how they can be improved. It discusses the important role that efficient workflows have in the coupling between codes, in the validation of models against experiments an...
Structure and hydrodynamics of colloidal systems

Invited paper Colloidal phases (for example, micellar solutions, latex suspensions, ferrofluids and microemulsions) provide excellent model systems with which to test structural and hydrodynamic theories of the liquid state. Interparticle potentials may be attractive or repulsive, and the experimentalist is often free to control the strength, range and symmetry of the interactions. Small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) and small-angle neutron spin-echo (SANSE) provide excellent complementary tools for studying the structure and time-dependence of these systems, where correlation lengths typically vary from about one to several tens of nm. Correlation times are usually in the nsec to μsec range, but may be of order minutes in certain systems. This paper will review some of the current theories and their recent experimental tests, using colloidal systems in which the direct interaction potentials may have spherical, dipolar or cylindrical symmetry and the hydrodynamic interactions may be weak or strong.
Fee competition among Big 4 auditors and audit quality

Both the GAO (Public accounting firms: mandated study on consolidation and competition. GAO, Washington, 2003; Audits of public companies: continued concentration in audit market for large public companies does not call for immediate action. GAO, Washington, 2008) and the US Treasury (Advisory committee on the auditing profession: final report, 2008. http://www.tres.gov/offices/domestic-finance/acap/docs/final-report.pdf ) have implied that the Big 4 dominated US audit market lacks competition. More recently, the PCAOB has expressed a somewhat different concern, i.e., that because audit committees may be primarily interested in negotiating a lower audit fee (rather than championing higher audit quality) for their clients, fee competition in the US audit market could pressure the incumbent auditor to compromise on audit quality (Doty in Keynote address: the reliability, role and relevance of the audit: a turning point, 2011. www.pcaobus.org ). We utilize the notion of counterfactual fees chargeable by auditors to assess fee competition and investigate competing views on the relation between fee competition among Big 4 auditors and audit quality in US local audit markets. To operationalize fee competition at the client-level in the context of each local audit market, we compute a separate counterfactual audit fee that would be charged by every other Big 4 auditor for that particular engagement and use the minima of the counterfactuals. We validate our audit fee competition metric by showing a positive relation with the incumbent auditor’s switching risk. Collectively, our findings suggest that fee competition is useful as a mechanism for improving audit quality in the highly concentrated US audit market, albeit only in local audit markets where the incumbent auditor has below-median market power and only for higher quality clients. Overall, our findings speak to the interplay between fee competition and auditor incentives and are of potential interest to regulators such as the PCAOB concerned about competition in US audit markets.
Nonrelativistic bound states in quantum field theory

Abstract Nonrelativistic bound states are studied using an effective field theory. Large logarithms in the effective theory can be summed using the velocity renormalization group. For QED, one can determine the structure of the leading and next-to-leading order series for the energy, and compute corrections up to order α8 ln3 α, which are relevant for the present comparison between theory and experiment. For QCD, one can compute the velocity renormalization group improved quark potentials. Using these to compute the renormalization group improved t t production cross-section near threshold gives a result with scale uncertainties of 2%, a factor of 10 smaller than existing fixed order calculations.
Ninety-Minute Daratumumab Infusion is Safe in Multiple Myeloma

Background: Daratumumab, an anti-CD38 monoclonal antibody, was first approved for the treatment of relapsed and refractory multiple myeloma (MM) in December of 2015. The approved initial infusion lasts at least 6.5 hours, second infusion for 4.5 hours and all subsequent infusions over 3.5 hours. The risk of infusion related reactions (IRRs) is very low after the second infusion, and the prolonged continued infusion time results in long days for patients. Because of our success infusing other monoclonal antibodies over shorter times, such as rituximab (Dotson et al Support Care Cancer, 2016), we hypothesized that shortening the daratumumab infusion from 3.5 hours to 90 minutes beginning with the third infusion would not increase the incidence of IRRs. Methods: This is a single-center safety study of an accelerated daratumumab infusion in patients receiving standard of care daratumumab therapy. Patients were eligible once they received at least 2 prior doses of daratumumab, administered per standard prescribing information. Previous IRR was not an exclusion criterion. The accelerated infusion was calculated to deliver 20% of the dose over the first 30 minutes, then the remaining 80% over 60 minutes, resulting in an estimated 90 minute infusion (Table 1). Patients who tolerated the infusion well were allowed to continue the accelerated rate. Premedication regimens were allowed to be altered based on previous tolerability. Simon9s two-stage optimal design was utilized to design the study based on the incidence of grade 3 or above IRR. With 80% power the design allows 7 patients to be treated in the first stage, and if no patients experienced ≥ grade 3 IRR, an additional 21 patients would be treated. Out of all 28 patients, if 2 or more experienced ≥ grade 3 IRR, the regimen would be declared as too toxic. The protocol was approved by the cancer institutional review board. Results: Baseline characteristics are listed in Table 2. Twenty eight patients were treated with daratumumab utilizing the accelerated rate, 8 of which received the accelerated infusion with their third dose of daratumumab. The premedication regimen varied patient-to-patient and did not impact tolerability of the accelerated infusion. There were 5 patients who did not receive any steroid premedication and 3 who received reduced doses ( Conclusion: An accelerated infusion rate of daratumumab delivering 20% of the dose over 30 minutes and 80% over 60 minutes is feasible and well-tolerated in patients who have received 2 prior doses of daratumumab at standard infusion rates. Starting with the third dose of daratumumab therapy, the 90-minute infusion is now standard practice at our institution. Disclosures Hofmeister: Janssen: Research Funding; Roche: Research Funding; Bristol-Myers Squibb: Research Funding; Takeda: Research Funding; Karyopharm: Research Funding; Celgene: Research Funding; Adaptive Biotechnologies: Honoraria, Membership on an entity9s Board of Directors or advisory committees; Thrassos: Honoraria, Membership on an entity9s Board of Directors or advisory committees.
Incorrect Inferences When Using Residuals as Dependent Variables

We analyze a procedure common in empirical accounting and finance research where researchers use ordinary least squares to decompose a dependent variable into its predicted and residual components and use the residuals as the dependent variable in a second regression. This two‐step procedure is used to examine determinants of constructs such as discretionary accruals, real activities management, discretionary book‐tax differences, and abnormal investment. We show that the typical implementation of this procedure generates biased coefficients and standard errors that can lead to incorrect inferences, with both Type I and Type II errors. We further show that the magnitude of the bias in coefficients and standard errors is a function of the correlations between model regressors. We illustrate the potential magnitude of the bias in accounting research in four commonly used settings. Our results indicate significant bias in many of these settings. We offer three solutions to avoid the bias.
On general type surfaces with $q=1$ and $c_2 = 3 p_g$

Let S be a minimal surface of general type with irregularity $$q(S) = 1$$ . Well-known inequalities between characteristic numbers imply that $$\begin{aligned} 3 p_g(S) \le c_2(S) \le 10 p_g(S), \end{aligned}$$ where $$p_g(S)$$ is the geometric genus and $$c_2(S)$$ the topological Euler characteristic. Surfaces achieving equality for the upper bound are classified, starting with work of Debarre. We study equality in the lower bound, showing that for each $$n \ge 1$$ there exists a surface with $$q = 1$$ , $$p_g = n$$ , and $$c_2 = 3n$$ . The moduli space $$\mathcal {M}_n$$ of such surfaces is a finite set of points, and we prove that $$\#\mathcal {M}_n \rightarrow \infty $$ as $$n \rightarrow \infty $$ . Equivalently, this paper studies the number of closed complex hyperbolic 2-manifolds of first betti number 2 as a function of volume; in particular, such a manifold exists for every possible volume.
Aggregate effects of minimum wage regulation at the zero lower bound

Abstract The Fair Minimum Wage Act of 2007 increased the U.S. nominal minimum wage by 41%, just as interest rates hit the zero lower bound. I study the interaction of these events in a parsimonious extension of the sticky-price New Keynesian model with heterogeneous labor. A “minimum-wage augmented” Phillips Curve relates inflation to output and the real minimum wage, which I estimate with aggregate data. Consistent with theory, controlling for the real minimum wage reduces the effect of output on inflation and increasing the minimum wage is inflationary. I then calibrate the equilibrium model to match microeconomic elasticities of earnings with respect to the minimum wage. On aggregate, the ZLB’s contractionary effects are dampened because nominal wages cannot decline rapidly, thereby halting the deflationary spiral caused by low aggregate demand. The effect can be large - in the calibrated economy, GDP losses from the ZLB are cut by half, even though only 3% of earnings accrue to minimum wage earners. Furthermore, increasing the minimum wage at the ZLB is expansionary, generating expected accumulated output gains of 14%.
Demonstration of Parent Training to Address Early Self-Injury in Young Children with Intellectual and Developmental Delays

Individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) are at a high risk for engaging in self-injurious behavior (SIB). Prognosis is poor when SIB emerges early. Limited research exists on interventions teaching parents how to manage their young child’s SIB. This investigation assessed the feasibility of adapting an applied behavior analytic parent training program with 11 parents of children 1–5 years of age with IDD and SIB. Quantitative and observational measures were used to assess outcomes; semi-structured interviews assessed caregiver satisfaction. Outcomes yielded preliminary data suggesting the adapted curriculum was feasible and acceptable to parents. Initial efficacy outcomes yielded decreases in SIB and observed negative parent–child interactions on pre- and post-measures. Qualitative data provided areas for further curriculum refinement.