cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Hormone replacement therapy and the risk of colorectal cancer: a meta-analysis.

Abstract Objective: To review systematically the association between hormone replacement therapy (HRT) and the risk of developing or dying from colorectal cancer. Data Sources: We searched the English-language literature using MEDLINE, Current Contents, CancerLit, and bibliographies of selected studies. Methods of Study Selection: We included studies that specifically addressed the association of HRT with colorectal cancer, had adequate controls, and had retrievable risk estimates. We excluded letters, reviews, and multiple publications of the same data. Tabulation, Integration, and Results: Studies were evaluated independently by two of the authors. The exposures of interest were ever, recent, or former use of HRT, and the main outcome measures were colon and rectal cancer incidence and mortality. To reduce the risk of a “healthy estrogen user” bias, we defined recent HRT use as either at time of assessment or within the previous year. The most adjusted risk estimates were extracted. We used a random-effects model to calculate summary relative risks (RRs) and confidence intervals (CIs). Recent use of HRT was associated with a 33% reduction in the risk of colon cancer (RR = 0.67; 95% CI 0.59, 0.77). Protection was limited to recent users; the risk of colon cancer with ever use of HRT was 0.92 (95% CI 0.79, 1.08). Duration of use was not significant. Three studies addressed the risk of fatal colon cancer; the summary RR for death from colon cancer in HRT users was 0.72 (95% CI 0.64, 0.81) compared with nonusers. Rectal cancer incidence was not associated with HRT. Conclusion: The risk of colon cancer may be decreased among recent postmenopausal HRT users. Although data are limited, the risk of fatal colon cancer also may be lower in HRT users.
Concentration of broadband terahertz radiation using a periodic array of conically tapered apertures

We describe the optical concentration properties of periodic arrays of conically tapered metallic apertures. We also discuss possible future transmission enhancement that utilize cascaded structures by tilting the apertures towards the array center.
Enantioselective Addition of Nitrones to Activated Cyclopropanes

In this paper, we demonstrate the first examples of chiral Lewis acid catalysis in the formation of tetrahydro-1,2-oxazines with very high enantioselectivity starting with diactivated cyclopropanes and nitrones (>90% yields and ee). Reactions with racemic substituted cyclopropanes provide ∼1:1 diastereomeric tetrahydro-1,2-oxazine products with high enantioselectivity. Mechanistic information for the formation of the tetrahydro-1,2-oxazines is also detailed.
Effect of remote sensing spatial resolution on interpreting tower-based flux observations

Abstract Validation comparisons between satellite-based surface energy balance models and tower-based flux measurements over heterogeneous landscapes can be strongly influenced by the spatial resolution of the remote sensing inputs. In this paper, a two-source energy balance model developed to use thermal and visible /near-infrared remotely sensed data is applied to Landsat imagery collected during the 2004 Soil Moisture Experiment (SMEX04) conducted in southern Arizona. Using a two dimensional flux-footprint algorithm, modeled surface fluxes are compared to tower measurements at three locations in the SMEX04 study area: two upland sites, and one riparian site. The effect of pixel resolution on evaluating the performance of the land surface model and interpreting spatial variations of land surface fluxes over these heterogeneous areas is evaluated. Three Landsat scenes were examined, one representing the dry season and the other two representing the relatively wet monsoon season. The model was run at three resolution scales: namely the Landsat visible/near-infrared band resolution (30 m), the Landsat 5 thermal band resolution (120 m), and 960 m, which is nominally the MODIS thermal resolution at near-nadir. Comparisons between modeled and measured fluxes at the three tower sites showed good agreement at the 30 m and 120 m resolutions — pixel scales at which the source area influencing the tower measurement (∼ 100 m) is reasonably resolved. At 960 m, the agreement is relatively poor, especially for the latent heat flux, due to sub-pixel heterogeneity in land surface conditions at scales exceeding the tower footprint. Therefore in this particular landscape, thermal data at 1-km resolution are not useful in assessing the intrinsic accuracy of the land-surface model in comparison with tower fluxes. Furthermore, important spatial patterns in the landscape are lost at this resolution. Currently, there are no definite plans supporting high resolution thermal data with regular global coverage below ∼ 700 m after Landsat 5 and ASTER fail. This will be a serious problem for the application and validation of thermal-based land-surface models over heterogeneous landscapes.
Online Reputation Management: Estimating the Impact of Management Responses on Consumer Reviews

Failure to meet a consumer's expectations can result in a negative review, which can have a lasting, damaging impact on a firm's reputation, and its ability to attract new customers. To mitigate the reputational harm of negative reviews many firms now publicly respond to them. How effective is this reputation management strategy in improving a firm's reputation? We empirically answer this question by exploiting a difference in managerial practice across two hotel review platforms, TripAdvisor and Expedia: while hotels regularly respond to their TripAdvisor reviews, they almost never do so on Expedia. Based on this observation, we use difference-in-differences to identify the causal impact of management responses on consumer ratings by comparing changes in the TripAdvisor ratings of a hotel following its decision to begin responding against a baseline of changes in the same hotel's Expedia ratings. We find that responding hotels, which account for 56% of hotels in our data, see an average increase of 0.12 stars in the TripAdvisor ratings they receive after they start responding. Moreover, we show that this increase in ratings does not arise from hotel quality investments. Instead, we find that the increase is consistent with a shift in reviewer selection: consumers with a poor experience become less likely to leave a negative review when hotels begin responding.
Holography at an extremal De Sitter horizon

Rotating maximal black holes in four-dimensional de Sitter space, for which the outer event horizon coincides with the cosmological horizon, have an infinite near-horizon region described by the rotating Nariai metric. We show that the asymptotic symmetry group at the spacelike future boundary of the near-horizon region contains a Virasoro algebra with a real, positive central charge. This is evidence that quantum gravity in a rotating Nariai background is dual to a two-dimensional Euclidean conformal field theory. These results are related to the Kerr/CFT correspondence for extremal black holes, but have two key differences: one of the black hole event horizons has been traded for the cosmological horizon, and the near-horizon geometry is a fiber over dS2 rather than AdS2.
Singlet Delta Oxygen Production from a Gas–Solid Reaction

Abstract : Spontaneous reactions between alkali metal or alkaline earth peroxides and hydrogen (deuterium) halide gases demonstrate the efficient production of singlet delta oxygen in a non-liquid medium. These reactions occur under ambient conditions without the need for any external energy source. The production of singlet delta oxygen was verified by direct emission spectroscopy at 1.27 microns with a calibrated optical multichannel analyzer. These reactions overcome the severe quenching problems encountered in liquid-phase reactions and the dangers/inconvenience associated with the use of basic hydrogen peroxide for the chemical oxygen iodine laser (COIL).
Electromechanical properties of high coupling single crystals under large electric drive and uniaxial compression

This work investigates the 33-mode electromechanical response of relaxor-ferroelectric lead magnesium niobate-titanate (PMN-PT) single crystals when driven with large fields /spl sim/0.4 MV/m under a combined direct current (DC) field and mechanical bias similar to those used in the design of sound projectors. It demonstrates that the remarkable small signal length extensional coupling (k/sub 33/ > 90) and other electromechanical properties morphotropic PMN-PT single crystals prevail under large drive. The observed k/sub 33/ roll-off at 42 MPa compressive stress is analyzed in terms of the recent structural data arid the high-order Devonshire theory of possible ferroelectric-ferroelectric transition trajectories.
Vinyl anion synthesis in the gas phase

Abstract A general and convenient method for the preparation of vinyl anions in a flowing afterglow apparatus is reported. The reactivity of these ions with nitrous oxide has been examined.
Application of chimera technique to projectiles in relative motion

Abstract : This report describes the application of the versatile Chimera numerical technique to a time-dependent, multibody projectile configuration. A computational study was performed to determine the aerodynamics of small cylindrical segments being ejected into the wake of a flared projectile. The complexity and uniqueness of this problem results from the segments being in relative motion to each other, embedded in a nonuniform wake flow, and requiring a time-dependent solution. Flow field computations for this multibody problem have been performed for supersonic conditions. The predicted flow field over the segments was found to undergo significant changes as the segments separated from the parent projectile. Comparison of the unsteady Chimera results with the quasi-static approach shows the difference in drag history to be significant which indicates the need for time-dependent solution techniques. A subsequent experimental program was conducted in the Army Research Laboratory's (ARL) transonic Range and the computed segment positions and velocities were found to be in good agreement with the experimental data. Aerodynamics, Multiple bodies, Unsteady flow, Chimera, Wake, Drag
Projective varieties covered by isotrivial families

Let X,Y be projective schemes over a discrete valuation ring R, where Y is generically smooth and g:X \to Y a surjective R-morphism such that g_*\mathcal{O}_X = \mathcal{O}_Y. We show that if the family X \to Spec(R) is isotrivial, then the generic fiber of the family Y \to Spec(R) is isotrivial.
Cellular and molecular mechanisms of osteoporosis

Osteoblasts and osteoclasts are derived from progenitors originating in the bone marrow, and the process of bone remodeling is controlled by growth factors and cytokines which regulate the birth and death of these cells. An overproduction of osteoclasts relative to the need for remodeling, and an undersupply of osteoblasts relative to the need for cavity repair, represent the fundamental pathophysiologic changes in postmenopausal and age-related osteopenia, respectively. As in these two forms of the disease, the osteoporosis induced by glucocorticoid excess is also caused by changes in the birth and death of bone cells, and in particular a decrease in osteoblastogenesis in the bone marrow, and an increased rate of osteoblast and osteocyte apoptosis.
Seeking Channels for Engagement: Media Use and Political Communication by China's Rising Middle Class

As the main beneficiaries of the economic reforms, members of China's middle class are primarily preoccupied with maintaining their status. Participation in politics is not high on their agenda. The mass media in China has become apolitical, largely to cater to the middle class' consumer and popular culture. It is in fact weakening the political and civic interests of the middle class, reducing their motive for direct political participation or interaction with the government.
The comparative advantage of public ownership: evidence from U.S. electric utilities

. Studies of the performance effects of public vs private ownership have found mixed evidence. This paper draws on theory suggesting that public enterprise may have an advantage in producing goods and services whose quality attributes are difficult to specify a priori. Using a comprehensive data set of U.S. electric utilities to estimate cost functions, we find that while privately owned systems achieve lower costs in generation, public systems generally have an advantage in the end-user-oriented distribution function with its more non-contractible quality attributes. Other evidence on quality differences by ownership type and by enterprise size supports this distinction. JEL classification: L33, L94 L’avantage comparatif de la propriete publique : resultats pour la production d’electricite auxEtats-Unis. Les etudes de la performance des entreprises publiques et privees ont produit des resultats qui ne sont pas determinants. Ce memoire se fonde sur la theorie qui suggere que l’entreprise publique peut avoir un avantage dans la production de biens et services dont la qualite est difficile a definir a priori. A partir de donnees extensives sur les producteurs d’electricite aux Etats-Unis, on definit des fonctions de couts. Il appert que, quand ils sont entre des mains privees, les systemes de production reussissent a obtenir des couts de generation plus bas; d’autre part, les systemes publics ont un avantage pour ce qui est de la fonction de distribution orientee vers les besoins de l’usager a cause des attributs de qualite plus difficiles a contractualiser. D’autres resultats quant aux differences de qualite par types de propriete et par tailles d’entreprises viennent confirmer l’importance de cette distinction.
Edge density profile effects for lower hybrid waveguide coupling

The usual predictions of linear coupling theory for lower hybrid waves are altered by including an overdense edge plasma (ω < ωpe) in the plasma model. Coupling is found to depend strongly on the value of the edge density, as well as the density gradient. The regimes, where one or the other of these parameters is important, are investigated. Typically, only the first few millimetres of the edge plasma are important in determining coupling. The major implications of the problem of coupling to an overdense plasma can be derived from a simple impedance-matching argument. In general, coupling is optimum for an edge density, n0, determined by , where nc = ω2me/4πe2 and n|| is the parallel index of refraction of the lower hybrid wave.
Design and Testing of Custom FPAA Hardware With Improved Scalability for Emulation of Smart Grids

In this paper, the authors present work in the field of analog emulation of electric power system dynamics via field-programmable analog array (FPAA) technology. Specifically, they discuss development of a new emulation tool with increased modularity and operator density for analysis of larger power systems and smart grids. One innovative aspect of this work is the fact that it employs custom FPAA boards developed by researchers at The College of New Jersey and Drexel University. The work places emphasis on decreased prototype size, increased density of computational analog blocks (CABs), more effective FPAA interconnection scheme, and batch-mode FPAA configuration.
Error and symmetry analysis of Misner's algorithm for spherical harmonic decomposition on a cubic grid

Computing spherical harmonic decompositions is a ubiquitous technique that arises in a wide variety of disciplines and a large number of scientific codes. Because spherical harmonics are defined by integrals over spheres, however, one must perform some sort of interpolation in order to compute them when data are stored on a cubic lattice. Misner (2004 Class. Quantum Grav. 21 S243) presented a novel algorithm for computing the spherical harmonic components of data represented on a cubic grid, which has been found in real applications to be both efficient and robust to the presence of mesh refinement boundaries. At the same time, however, practical applications of the algorithm require knowledge of how the truncation errors of the algorithm depend on the various parameters in the algorithm. Based on analytic arguments and experience using the algorithm in real numerical simulations, I explore these dependences and provide a rule of thumb for choosing the parameters based on the truncation errors of the underlying data. I also demonstrate that symmetries in the spherical harmonics themselves allow for an even more efficient implementation of the algorithm than was suggested by Misner in his original paper.
Lexicographic shellability, matroids, and pure order ideals

In 1977 Stanley conjectured that the h-vector of a matroid independence complex is a pure O-sequence. In this paper we use lexicographic shellability for matroids to motivate a new approach to proving Stanley's conjecture. This suggests that a pure O-sequence can be constructed from combinatorial data arising from the shelling. We then prove that our conjecture holds for matroids of rank at most four, settling the rank four case of Stanley's conjecture. In general, we prove that if our conjecture holds for all rank d matroids on at most 2d elements, then it holds for all matroids of rank d.
The Thermal Regulation of Gravitational Instabilities in Protoplanetary Disks. II. Extended Simulations with Varied Cooling Rates

In order to investigate mass transport and planet formation through gravitational instabilities (GIs), we have extended our three-dimensional hydrodynamic simulations of protoplanetary disks from a previous paper. Our goal is to determine the asymptotic behavior of GIs and how it is affected by different constant cooling times. Initially, Rdisk = 40 AU, Mdisk = 0.07 M☉, M* = 0.5 M☉, and Qmin = 1.5. Sustained cooling, with tcool = 2 ORPs (outer rotation periods; 1 ORP ≈ 250 yr), drives the disk to instability in about 4 ORPs. This calculation is followed for 23.5 ORPs. After 12 ORPs, the disk settles into a quasi-steady state with sustained nonlinear instabilities, an average Q = 1.44 over the outer disk, a well-defined power law Σ(r), and a roughly steady ≈ 5 × 10-7 M☉ yr-1. The transport is driven by global low-order spiral modes. We restart the calculation at 11.2 ORPs with tcool = 1 and ORPs. The latter case is also run at high azimuthal resolution. We find that shorter cooling times lead to increased -values, denser and thinner spiral structures, and more violent dynamic behavior. The asymptotic total internal energy and the azimuthally averaged Q(r) are insensitive to tcool. Fragmentation occurs only in the high-resolution tcool = ORP case; however, none of the fragments survive for even a quarter of an orbit. Ringlike density enhancements appear and grow near the boundary between GI-active and GI-inactive regions. We discuss the possible implications of these rings for gas giant planet formation.
Coupled effects of applied load and surface structure on the viscous forces during peeling

Tree frogs are able to take advantage of an array of epithelial cells in their toe pads to modulate their adhesion to surfaces under dry, wet, and flooded environments. It has been hypothesized that the interconnected channels separating the epithelial cells could reduce the hydrodynamic repulsion to facilitate contact under a completely submerged environment (flooded conditions). Using a custom-built apparatus we investigate the interplay between surface structure and loading conditions on the peeling force. By combining a normal approach and detachment by peeling we can isolate the effects of surface structure from the loading conditions. We investigate three surfaces: two rigid structured surfaces that consist of arrays of cylindrical posts and a flat surface as a control. We observe three regimes in the work required to separate the structured surface that depend on the fluid film thickness prior to pull out. These three regimes are based on hydrodynamics and our experimental results are compared with a simple scaling argument that relates the surface features to the different regimes observed. Overall we find that the work of separation of a structured surface is always less than or equal to that for a smooth surface when considering purely viscous contributions.
Disjoint empty disks supported by a point set

For a planar point-set P, let D(P) be the minimum number of pairwise-disjoint empty disks such that each point in P lies on the boundary of some disk. Further define D(n) as the maximum of D(P) over all n-element point sets. Hosono and Urabe recently conjectured that $${D(n) = \lceil n/2 \rceil}$$ . Here we show that $${D(n) \geq n/2 + n/236 - O(\sqrt{n})}$$ and thereby disprove this conjecture.
The Amplitude Evolution and Harmonic Content of Millisecond Oscillations in Thermonuclear X-Ray Bursts

We present a comprehensive observational and theoretical analysis of the amplitudes and profiles of oscillations that occur during thermonuclear X-ray bursts from weakly magnetized neutron stars in low-mass X-ray binaries. Our sample contains 59 oscillations from six sources observed with the Rossi X-Ray Timing Explorer. The oscillations that we examined occurred primarily during the decaying portions of bursts and lasted for several seconds each. We find that the oscillations are as large as 15% during the declines of the bursts and that they appear and disappear because of intrinsic variations in their fractional amplitudes. However, the maxima in the amplitudes are not related to the underlying flux in the burst. We derive folded profiles for each oscillation train to study the pulse morphologies. The mean rms amplitudes of the oscillations are 5%, although the eclipsing source MXB 1659-298 routinely produces 10% oscillations in weak bursts. We also produce combined profiles from all of the oscillations from each source. Using these pulse profiles, we place upper limits on the fractional amplitudes of harmonic and half-frequency signals of 0.3% and 0.6%, respectively (95% confidence). These correspond to less than 5% of the strongest signal at integer harmonics and less than 10% of the main signal at half-integer harmonics. We then compare the pulse morphologies with theoretical profiles from models with one or two antipodal bright regions on the surface of a rotating neutron star. We find that if one bright region is present on the star, it must either lie near the rotational pole or cover nearly half the neutron star in order to be consistent with the observed lack of harmonic signals. If an antipodal pattern is present, the hot regions must form very near the rotational equator. We discuss how these geometric constraints challenge current models for the production of surface brightness variations during the cooling phases of X-ray bursts.
Misleading anomaly matchings

Abstract We investigate the low energy dynamics of N =1 supersymmetric SO(N) gauge theories with a single symmetric tensor matter field. These theories exhibit non-trivial matching of global 't Hooft anomalies at the origin of moduli space. We argue that their quantum moduli spaces possess distinct Higgs and confining branches which touch at the origin in an interacting non-Abelian Coulomb phase. The matching of anomalies between microscopic degrees of freedom and colorless moduli therefore appears to be coincidental. We discuss a formal mathematical relation between the SO(N) model and an analogous Sp(2N) theory with a single antisymmetric matter field which provides an explanation for the anomaly matching coincidence.
Openness and Inflation: Theory and Evidence

Because unanticipated monetary expansion leads to real exchange rate depreciation, and because the harms of real depreciation are greater in more open economies, the benefits of unanticipated expansion are decreasing in the degree of openness. Models in which the absence of precommitment in monetary policy leads to excessive inflation therefore predict lower average inflation in more open economies. This paper tests this prediction using cross-country data. The data show a strong and robust negative link between openness and inflation.
Interacting staggered domain wall fermions

Abstract The behavior of staggered domain wall fermions in the presence of gauge fields is presented. In particular, their response to gauge fields with nontrivial topology is discussed.
Consequences of Interstellar Absorption for Models of Anomalous X-Ray Pulsars

We examine properties of thermal radiation emitted by strongly magnetized neutron stars (NSs). In particular, we show that the pulsation amplitudes of the energy-integrated flux are an increasing function of the absorption column density to the source. This is especially important for the interpretation of the anomalous X-ray pulsars as cooling NSs with high magnetic fields. We show that the high-pulsation amplitudes observed in these objects are consistent with cooling models if the large amount of absorption to these sources is taken into account. We also show that cooling models imply inferred radii of the emitting regions on the order of ~5-6 times smaller than the actual NS radii, again in agreement with observations.
A Method for Constructing the C44−C51 Side Chain of Altohyrtin C

A method to construct the C44−C51 side chain of altohyrtin C has been developed and applied to a model aldehyde derived from d-glucose. The approach relies on a Wittig reaction to couple the side chain to an aldehyde and utilizes an allylic diazene rearrangement to place the C45 double bond in the correct position.
An assessment of Landsat data acquisition history on identification and area estimation of corn and soybeans

Abstract In the past decade, numerous studies have demonstrated the potential of satellite remote sensing for providing accurate timely crop area information. This study assessed the impact of Landsat data acquisition history on classification and area estimation accuracy of corn and soybeans in the U.S. Corn Belt. The results illustrate the importance of selecting Landsat acquisitions based on spectral differences in crops at certain development stages. Although early season information can provide estimates of total corn and soybean areas, acquisitions from about emergence and after tasseling of the corn seem to provide a minimal set for accurate identification of corn and soybeans in the U.S. Corn Belt. Additional acquisitions provide only marginally greater separability for corn and soybeans.
Kergin approximation in Banach spaces

We explore the convergence of Kergin interpolation polynomials of holomorphic functions in Banach spaces, which need not be of bounded type. We also investigate a case where the Kergin series diverges.
Erratum: The likelihood ratio test under nonstandard conditions: Testing the Markov switching model of GNP

SUMMARY A theory of testing under non-standard conditions is developed. By viewing the likelihood as a function of the unknown parameters, empirical process theory enables us to bound the asymptotic distribution of standardized likelihood ratio statistics, even when conventonal regularity conditions (such as unidentified nuisance parameters and identically zero scores) are violated. This testing methodology is applied to the Markov switching model of GNP proposed by Hamilton (1989). The standardized likelihood ratio test is unable to reject the hypothesis of an AR(4) in favour of the Markov switching model. Instead, we find strong evidence for an alternative model. This model, like Hamilton's, is characterized by parameters which switch between states, but the states arrive independently over time, rather than following an unrestricted Markov process. The primary difference, however, is that the second autoregressive parameter, in addition to the intercept, switches between states.
Herrero's Approximation Problem for Quasidiagonal Operators

Let T be a quasidiagonal operator on a separable Hilbert space. It is shown that there exists a sequence of operators {Tn} such that dim(C*(Tn))<∞ and ‖T−Tn‖→0 if and only if C*(T) is exact.
Responsibility for global health

There are several reasons for the current prominence of global health issues. Among the most important is the growing awareness that some risks to health are global in scope and can only be countered by global cooperation. In addition, human rights discourse and, more generally, the articulation of a coherent cosmopolitan ethical perspective that acknowledges the importance of all persons, regardless of where they live, provide a normative basis for taking global health seriously as a moral issue. In this paper we begin the task of translating the vague commitment to doing something to improve global health into a coherent set of more determinate obligations. One chief conclusion of our inquiry is that the responsibilities of states regarding global health are both more determinate and more extensive than is usually assumed. We also argue, however, that institutional innovation will be needed to achieve a more comprehensive, fair distribution of concrete responsibilities regarding global health and to provide effective mechanisms for holding various state and nonstate actors accountable for fulfilling them.
Geometry and entropy of generalized rotation sets

For a continuous map f on a compact metric space we study the geometry and entropy of the generalized rotation set Rot(Φ). Here Φ = (ϕ1, ..., ϕ m ) is a m-dimensional continuous potential and Rot(Φ) is the set of all µ-integrals of Φ and µ runs over all f-invariant probability measures. It is easy to see that the rotation set is a compact and convex subset of ℝ m . We study the question if every compact and convex set is attained as a rotation set of a particular set of potentials within a particular class of dynamical systems. We give a positive answer in the case of subshifts of finite type by constructing for every compact and convex set K in ℝ m a potential Φ = Φ(K) with Rot(Φ) = K. Next, we study the relation between Rot(Φ) and the set of all statistical limits Rot Pt (Φ). We show that in general these sets differ but also provide criteria that guarantee Rot(Φ) = Rot Pt (Φ). Finally, we study the entropy function w ↦ H(w),w ∈ Rot(Φ). We establish a variational principle for the entropy function and show that for certain non-uniformly hyperbolic systems H(w) is determined by the growth rate of those hyperbolic periodic orbits whose Φ-integrals are close to w. We also show that for systems with strong thermodynamic properties (sub-shifts of finite type, hyperbolic systems and expansive homeomorphisms with specification, etc.) the entropy function w ↦ H(w) is real-analytic in the interior of the rotation set.
The Importance of Starting Right: The Influence of Accurate Intuition on Performance in Salesperson–Customer Interactions

Salespeople make two types of judgments about customers in face-to-face interactions: those that are more intuitive and those that are more deliberative. The authors evaluate the influence of accurate intuitive and deliberative judgments on the performance of salespeople. To evaluate this influence, the authors employ matched survey, observational, and objective field data obtained before, during, and after salesperson–customer interactions. The results reveal that accurate intuitive judgments improve selling performance by enabling more appropriate initial sales strategies. These judgments not only help increase the effectiveness of salespeople's selling efforts but also reduce the amount of selling time, resulting in improved selling efficiency. However, performance is compromised when inaccurate deliberative judgments follow accurate intuitive judgments. The findings also identify different antecedents to judgment accuracy. Intuitive accuracy is influenced by domain-specific experience, similarity to t...
Fast clustering using MapReduce

Clustering problems have numerous applications and are becoming more challenging as the size of the data increases. In this paper, we consider designing clustering algorithms that can be used in MapReduce, the most popular programming environment for processing large datasets. We focus on the practical and popular clustering problems, k-center and k-median. We develop fast clustering algorithms with constant factor approximation guarantees. From a theoretical perspective, we give the first analysis that shows several clustering algorithms are in MRC0, a theoretical MapReduce class introduced by Karloff et al. [26]. Our algorithms use sampling to decrease the data size and they run a time consuming clustering algorithm such as local search or Lloyd's algorithm on the resulting data set. Our algorithms have sufficient flexibility to be used in practice since they run in a constant number of MapReduce rounds. We complement these results by performing experiments using our algorithms. We compare the empirical performance of our algorithms to several sequential and parallel algorithms for the k-median problem. The experiments show that our algorithms' solutions are similar to or better than the other algorithms' solutions. Furthermore, on data sets that are sufficiently large, our algorithms are faster than the other parallel algorithms that we tested.
A quantitative assessment of dominance relations among bottlenose dolphins

Agonistic behavior of bottlenose dolphins was studied at Brookfield Zoo for nearly 4.5 yr, and dominance relationships were determined using a quantitative technique adapted from primate behavioral research. Dominance relations among dolphins were influenced by the gender of participants. Male dolphins were clearly and consistently dominant to females, and intersexual agonism occurred at moderate rates with seasonal peaks in spring and fall. Dominance relationships among female dolphins were age-ordered and stable, even though agonism among females did occur at uniformly low rates. In contrast, the two males had a changeable dominance relationship in which periods of stability and low-level agonism were interspersed with episodes of intense competition. Zoo-based research revealed patterns of behavior that conformed to current knowledge about bottlenose dolphin social structure. Moreover, research in a zoo setting facilitated development of a quantitative technique that can be used to assess cetacean dominance relationships in field research.
Enantioselective and practical syntheses of R- and S-fluoxetines

Abstract An efficient synthetic route to either R - or S -fluoxetine is described which depends on the use of a chiral, enzyme-like catalyst (chemzyme) to establish the stereocenter and which makes these important therapeutic agents readily available in enantiomerically pure form.
The synthesis of pyrimidineisothiazolones. The effect of temperature on the addition of aryl amines to functionalized pyrimidines

A new synthesis for the hither-to-unknown pyrimidine isothiazolones 1 and 2 is detailed. The low tempetature selectivity of amine nucleophiles on 6-chloropyrimidine-5-acylbromides (12) for the acylbromide over the ring chloride provides a new procedure for the functionalization of 5-carboxypyrimidines.
Changes in wage distributions, wage gaps and wage inequality by gender in Kenya

Using data from Kenya, the determinants of gender differences in the overall distribution of earnings are estimated as part of explaining the positive association between the return to measured and unmeasured human capital attributes as formalised by human capital theory (Mincer in 'Schooling Experience, and Earnings', New York: National Bureau of Economic Research, Columbia University Press, 1974). The Kenyan data allows us to demonstrate that males possess relatively more human capital, and once gender differences in measured and unmeasured skills are accounted for, males receive relatively higher returns to both their measured and unmeasured human capital attributes. These findings support the notion that gender differences in the return to human capital trigger male and female earnings differences in Kenya. Copyright 2009 The author 2008. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Centre for the Study of African Economies. All rights reserved. For permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oxfordjournals.org, Oxford University Press.
Surface roughness-controlled superelastic hysteresis in shape memory microwires

Superelasticity in Cu–Zn–Al shape memory alloy microwires is studied as a function of surface roughness. Wires with a rough surface finish dissipate more than twice as much energy per unit volume during a superelastic cycle than do electropolished wires with smooth surfaces. We attribute the increased damping in wires with large surface roughness to the increased density of surface obstacles where frictional energy is dissipated as heat during martensitic phase transformation.
Postpartum Return of Ovarian Activity in Nonbreastfeeding Women Monitored by Urinary Assays

Assays of first morning urine samples for pregnanediol - 3α - glucuronide (PdG), estradiol -17β - glucuronide (E2G), and LH were used to monitor endocrine function in 16 regularly cycling women and 22 postpartum nonbreastfeeding women. Twice weekly blood samples were also obtained from the postpartum group. Ovulation was inferred by a significant rise in LH and PdG, and reversal of the E2G to PdG ratio. Luteal phase PdG excretion was measured by the peak of smoothed PdG levels and the area under the smoothed luteal phase PdG curve. The lower limits of normal established in 16 cycling women were a peak luteal phase PdG of 4 μg/ml and an area under the PdG curve of 20 μg/ml. In the postpartum women, 32% of first cycles were anovulatory, and among ovulatory cycles, 73% had abnormally low luteal phase PdG excretion or short luteal phases. In second and subsequent cycles, 15% were anovulatory and 26% had luteal phase abnormalities. There was a progressive increase in luteal PdG excretion from the first to thir...
Longitudinal study of the effects of maternal smoking on pulmonary function in children

We investigated the effects of maternal cigarette smoking on pulmonary function in a cohort of children and adolescents observed prospectively for seven years. A multivariate analysis revealed that after correction for previous forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1), age, height, change in height, and cigarette smoking in the child, or adolescent, maternal cigarette smoking significantly lowered the expected average annual increase in FEV1 (P = 0.015). On the basis of this analysis, it is estimated that if two children have the same initial FEV1, age, height, increase in height, and personal cigarette-smoking history, but the mother of one has smoked throughout the child's life whereas the mother of the other has not, the difference in the change in FEV1 over time in the exposed child, as compared with that in the unexposed child, will be approximately 28, 51, and 101 ml after one, two, and five years, respectively, or a reduction of 10.7, 9.5, and 7.0 per cent, respectively, in the expected increase. These results suggest that passive exposure to maternal cigarette smoke may have important effects on the development of pulmonary function in children.
The LHCD launcher for Alcator C-Mod—Design, construction, calibration and testing

MIT and PPPL have joined together to fabricate a high-power lower hybrid current drive (LHCD) system for supporting steady-state AT regime research on Alcator C-Mod. The goal of the first step of this project is to provide 1.5 MW of 4.6 GHz rf power to the plasma with a compact launcher which has excellent spectral selectivity and fits into a single C-Mod port. Some of the important design, construction, calibration and testing considerations for the launcher leading up to its installation on C-Mod are presented here.
Why the general Zakharov-Shabat equations form a hierarchy

The totality of all Zakharov-Shabat equations (ZS), i.e., the zero-curvature equations with rational dependence on a spectral parameter, if properly defined, can be considered as a hierarchy. The latter means a collection of commuting vector fields in the same phase space. Further properties of the hierarchy are discussed, such as additional symmetries, an analogue to the string equation, a Grassmannian related to the ZS hierarchy, and a Grassmannian definition of soliton solutions.
Charge Generation and Propagation in Igneous Rocks

Various electrical phenomena have been reported prior to or concurrent with earthquakes such as resistivity changes, ground potentials, electromagnetic (EM), and luminous signals. Doubts have been raised as to whether some of these phenomena are real and indeed precursory. One of the reasons for uncertainty is that, despite decades of intense work, there is still no physically coherent model. Using low- to medium-velocity impacts to measure electrical signals with microsecond time resolution, it has now been observed that when dry gabbro and diorite cores are impacted at relatively low velocities, approximately 100 m/s, highly mobile charge carriers are generated in a small volume near the impact point. They spread through the rocks, causing electric potentials exceeding +400 mV, EM, and light emission. As the charge cloud spreads, the rock becomes momentarily conductive. When a dry granite block is impacted at higher velocity, approximately 1.5 km/s, the propagation of the P and S waves is registered through the transient piezoelectric response of quartz. After the sound waves have passed, the surface of the granite block becomes positively charged, suggesting the same charge carriers as observed during the low-velocity impact experiments, expanding from within the bulk. During the next 2-3 ms the surface potential oscillates, indicating pulses of electrons injected from ground and contact electrodes. The observations are consistent with positive holes, e.g., defect electrons in the O(2-) sublattice, traveling via the O 2p-dominated valence band of the silicate minerals. Before activation, the positive holes lay dormant in the form of electrically inactive positive hole pairs (PHP), chemically equivalent to peroxy links, O3X/OO\XO3, with X=Si(4+), Al(3+), etc. PHPs are introduced into the minerals by way of hydroxyl,O3X-OH, which all nominally anhydrous minerals incorporate when crystallizing in H2O-laden environments. The fact that positive holes can be activated by low-energy impacts, and their attendant sound waves, suggests that they can also be activated by microfracturing. Depending on where in the stressed rock volume the charge carriers are activated, they will form rapidly moving or fluctuating charge clouds that may account for earthquake-related electrical signals and EM emission. Wherever such charge clouds intersect the surface, high fields are expected, causing electric discharges and earthquake lights.
Expanding organoboron chemistry: epoxidation of potassium organotrifluoroborates.

Most organoboron reagents are highly susceptible to oxidation by a variety of oxidants. In these processes, the valuable carbon−boron bond is cleaved. The organotrifluoroborates examined in this contribution appear resistant to many common oxidants. Consequently, thioether-substituted alkyltrifluoroborates can be oxidized to the corresponding sulfones, while retaining the trifluoroborate moiety. 1-Trifluoroboratoalkenes are oxidized by dioxirane, providing air-stable, crystalline oxiranyltrifluoroborates. These interesting materials are structurally analogous to oxiranyl anions, unstable intermediates that would otherwise be of tremendous synthetic utility. Finally, the first Suzuki−Miyaura coupling of an epoxytrifluoroborate has been accomplished. The chemistry described begins to expand organoboron chemistry in significant new directions.
A discrepancy principle for equations with monotone continuous operators

A discrepancy principle for solving nonlinear equations with monotone operators given noisy data is formulated. The existence and uniqueness of the corresponding regularization parameter a(δ) are proved. Convergence of the solution obtained by the discrepancy principle is justified. The results are obtained under natural assumptions on the nonlinear operator.
Hierarchical multiscale modeling of macromolecules and their assemblies

Soft materials (e.g., enveloped viruses, liposomes, membranes and supercooled liquids) simultaneously deform or display collective behaviors, while undergoing atomic scale vibrations and collisions. While the multiple space-time character of such systems often makes traditional molecular dynamics simulation impractical, a multiscale approach has been presented that allows for long-time simulation with atomic detail based on the co-evolution of slowly varying order parameters (OPs) with the quasi-equilibrium probability density of atomic configurations. However, this approach breaks down when the structural change is extreme, e.g., when nearest-neighbor connectivity between structural subsystems is not maintained. In the current study, a self-consistent approach is presented wherein OPs and a reference structure co-evolve slowly to yield long-time simulation for dynamical soft-matter phenomena such as structural transitions and self-assembly. The development begins with the Liouville equation for N classical atoms and an ansatz on the form of the associated N-atom probability density. Multiscale techniques are used to derive Langevin equations for the coupled OP-configurational dynamics. The net result is a set of equations for the coupled stochastic dynamics of the OPs and centers of mass of the subsystems that constitute a soft material body. The theory is based on an all-atom methodology and an interatomic force field, and therefore enables calibration-free simulations of soft matter, such as macromolecular assemblies.
Crystallization kinetics of BaO-Al2O3-SiO2 glasses

Barium aluminosilicate glasses are being investigated as matrix materials in high-temperature ceramic composites for structural applications. Kinetics of crystallization of two refractory glass compositions in the barium aluminosilicate system were studied by differential thermal analysis (DTA), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). From variable heating rate DTA, the crystallization activation energies for glass compositions (wt percent) 10BaO-38Al2O3-51SiO2-1MoO3 (glass A) and 39BaO-25Al2O3-35SiO2-1MoO3 (glass B) were determined to be 553 and 558 kJ/mol, respectively. On thermal treatment, the crystalline phases in glasses A and B were identified as mullite (3Al2O3-2SiO2) and hexacelsian (BaO-Al2O3-2SiO2), respectively. Hexacelsian is a high-temperature polymorph which is metastable below 1590 C. It undergoes structural transformation into the orthorhombic form at approximately 300 C accompanied by a large volume change which is undesirable for structural applications. A process needs to be developed where stable monoclinic celsian, rather than hexacelsian, precipitates out as the crystal phase in glass B.
D shear velocity heterogeneity, anisotropy and discontinuity structure beneath the Caribbean and Central America

The D �� region in the lowermost mantle beneath the Caribbean and Central America is investigated using shear waves from South American earthquakes recorded by seismic stations in North America. We present a large-scale, composite study of volumetric shear velocity heterogeneity, anisotropy, and the possible presence of a D �� discontinuity in the region. Our data set includes: 328 S(Sdiff )-SKS differential travel times, 300 ScS-S differential travel times, 125 S(Sdiff ) and 120 ScS shear wave splitting measurements, and 297 seismograms inspected for Scd, the seismic phase refracted from a high-velocity D �� layer. Broadband digital data are augmented by high-quality digitized analog WWSSN data, providing extensive path coverage in our study area. In all, data from 61 events are utilized. In some cases, a given seismogram can be used for velocity heterogeneity, anisotropy, and discontinuity analyses. Significant mid-mantle structure, possibly associated with the ancient subducted Farallon slab, affects shear wave travel times and must be corrected for to prevent erroneous mapping of