cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Crossing thresholds: Critical information literacy pedagogy and the ACRL framework

ABSTRACTThe new Framework for Information Literacy is a dramatic break from the previous Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) Information Literacy Competency Standards, but it does not depart as radically from actual library practice. Many librarians have already been trying to help students acquire a deeper, more contextual understanding of “information” and research. In this article, we review some of the practice-based literature on information literacy instruction that reflects efforts to teach this more nuanced view of “information,” and we highlight examples of ongoing instructional practices from a number of college and university libraries that teach in ways that are compatible with the new Framework.
Deciduous Teeth in Tuberous Sclerosis

The diagnostic significance of enamel pits in shed deciduous teeth from 20 patients with tuberous sclerosis was investigated at the University of Copenhagen, Denmark.
Magical contracts, numinous capitalism

One suspects that anthropology’s long preoccupation with magic has much to do with the widespread sense, famously articulated by Weber, that becoming modern involves disenchantment, literally losing the sense that life is magical. This chapter takes issue with that suspicion and suggests that magic itself is a shifting thing, strangely hard to lose, perhaps more durable than often feared. Very mundane and seemingly secular things, legal doctrines and jurisprudence concerning contracts, require rather breathtaking faith in the efficacy of words to shape reality. (“Contracts” here means nothing more exotic than the economic transactions that inhabitants of contemporary society engage in daily.) Functioning at all in our very commercial society requires something akin to enchantment, or perhaps enchantment without the wonder.
Ergonomic Evaluation of an Alternative Tool for Cake Decorating

Abstract Aim Cake decorating involves several hand intensive steps with high grip force during the application of icing. The purpose of this laboratory study was to evaluate forearm muscle activity, discomfort, productivity, and usability of an alternative tool for cake decorating compared to decorating with the traditional piping bag. Methods Participants (n = 17) performed 2 h of cake decorating tasks using the two tools. Subjective hand and arm fatigue, usability, upper extremity posture, and muscle activity from three forearm muscles were assessed for each tool. Outcome measures were evaluated using the Wilcoxon Signed Rank test and the paired t-test. Results Less fatigue was reported in the dominant hand (p = 0.001), forearm (p = 0.003) and shoulder (p = 0.02) for the alternative tool when compared to the piping bag. Average median (APDF 50%) and peak (APDF 90%) muscle activity was significantly less for the alternative tool across all three forearm muscles. The alternative tool significantly reduced grip force, an important risk factor for distal upper extremity pain and disorders. Participants rated usability of the alternative tool superior for refill and comfort but the traditional method was rated better for accuracy, stability, positioning and control. Conclusions The alternative tool was associated with less dominant arm fatigue, muscle activity, and grip force when compared with the piping bag. However, the alternative tool did not receive the best overall usability rating due to problems with accuracy and overflow, especially with smaller decorating tips. Recommendations were made for addressing these problems with the alternative tool.
In Support of Diversity in Doctoral Nursing Education

Nursing is a relatively new profession throughout the world. In the USA, the first Bachelor of Science in nursing (BSN) degree was granted by Yale University in 1937, and it was not until the mid-1950s that there were graduate degrees in nursing science. Thus, nursing education is uniquely positioned to be nimble and build an infrastructure appropriate to the complexity of contemporary and future healthcare challenges. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
ANASEN: The array for nuclear astrophysics and structure with exotic nuclei

Abstract An active target detector array, ANASEN, has been developed for nuclear reaction studies with rare isotope beams at low energies. It aims at measurements of the excitation functions for proton and α - particle elastic and inelastic scattering and direct measurements of ( α , p) reactions with exotic nuclei in inverse kinematics. ANASEN is composed of three types of charged particle detectors. The length of the active area is 340 mm and the total covered area is 1300 cm 2 (almost 3 π steradian solid angle coverage) providing high efficiency for experiments with low intensity radioactive beams. A mix of 78 conventional electronics channels (for Proportional Counter and CsI-detectors) and 480 dedicated high-density ASICs electronics channels for the silicon detector are used for readout.
Endocardial Activation Drives Activation Patterns During Long-Duration Ventricular Fibrillation and Defibrillation

Background Understanding the mechanisms that drive ventricular fibrillation is essential for developing improved defibrillation techniques to terminate ventricular fibrillation (VF). Distinct organization patterns of chaotic, regular, and synchronized activity were previously demonstrated in VF that persisted over 1 to 2 minutes (long-duration VF [LDVF]). We hypothesized that activity on the endocardium may be driving these activation patterns in LDVF and that unsuccessful defibrillation shocks may alter activation patterns. Methods and Results The study was performed using a 64-electrode basket catheter on the left ventricle endocardium and 54 6-electrode plunge needles inserted into the left ventricles of 6 dogs. VF was induced electrically, and after short-duration VF (10 seconds) and LDVF (7 minutes), shocks of increasing strengths were delivered every 10 seconds until VF was terminated. Endocardial activation patterns were classified as chaotic (varying cycle lengths and nonsynchronous activations), regular (highly repeatable cycle lengths), and synchronized (activation that spreads rapidly over the endocardium with diastolic periods between activations). Conclusions The results showed that the chaotic pattern was predominant in early VF, but the regular pattern emerges as VF progressed. The synchronized pattern only emerged occasionally during late VF. Failed defibrillation shocks changed chaotic and regular activation patterns to synchronized patterns in LDVF but not in short-duration VF. The regular and synchronized patterns of activation were driven by rapid activations on the endocardial surface that blocked and broke up transmurally, leading to an endocardial to epicardial activation rate gradient as LDVF progressed.
Inscrutable Decision Makers: Knightian Uncertainty in Machine Learning

In building models that causally explain observed data and future data, econometricians must grapple with quantifiable uncertainty, or risk, and unquantifiable Knightian uncertainty, or ambiguity. In contrast, machine learning practitioners work with statistical models for a data set that enable predictions about data items imputed to be in the data set. Recently these two distinct modeling concepts have become topics of mutual interest in economics and machine learning. We take the viewpoint here that a data set implicitly embodies the ambiguity of the generating processes from which it arises. We present a data model incorporating ambiguity that we dub the Inscrutable Decision Maker (IDM) derived from the Anscombe-Aumann model of subjective utility.
No question too small: development of a question prompt list for parents of critically ill infants

To develop a question prompt list tailored to the needs of parents of critically ill infants at risk of neurodevelopmental impairment. Question content was derived from audio-recorded neonatal intensive care unit family meetings and interviews with parents of infants treated with therapeutic hypothermia. Question content was refined using clinician focus groups. Acceptability testing was performed with parents and clinicians caring for infants in the neonatal intensive care unit. All clinicians and parents found the QPL content acceptable. Parents universally endorsed that the question prompt list was useful to them and would help them prepare for a meeting with their infant’s healthcare team. This question prompt list, designed for parents of critically ill infants, is acceptable to parents and clinicians, and can be used in the acute neonatal course to facilitate parent engagement in family meetings.
Boundary Spanning, Group Heterogeneity and Engineering Project Performance

This study examines the concept of intra-organizational links as a way for boundary spanners to bring into the project group the information needed to deal with task uncertainty. Several studies ha...
POLYMER-BASED ACTUATORS INTEGRATED INTO MICROFLUIDIC SYSTEMS

An in-plane polymer-based microactuator integrated into microfluidic systems is presented. Actuation is provided by thermal expansion of a polymer (SU-8) through resistive heating of a thin gold layer attached selectively at the bottom of the suspended polymer structure. The actuator can be easily integrated to any fluidic configuration, providing possibly a general tool for controlling and handling fluids and biological samples in microdevices.
The Clays of Yucatan, Mexico: A Contrast in Genesis

Abstract The Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico provides an excellent site to examine the formation of clay minerals by pedogenic processes, detrital sedimentation and direct crystallization. Clays formed by each of these mechanisms are widespread and can be found in all stages of maturity, depending upon climate and the geo-morphic age of the site. Poorly crystallized kaolinite, boehmite, talc and chlorite characterize the most youthful clays, whereas those in an advanced stage of maturity consist almost entirely of well crystallized kaolinite. Detrital clays, in contrast, are uncommon on the northern peninsula, because of an almost complete lack of surface streams and, for the most part, are restricted to the Eastern Block Fault District and a number of old basin-like areas. Smectite clays are abundant in these basins and give evidence of having been deposited in marginal lagoons that were later transformed into saline lakes by tectonic uplift. The ultimate source of the detrital material appears to be related to pyroclastic debris carried northward from Belize and Guatemala. Talc, chlorite, palygorskite-sepiolite, and mixed-layer kaolinite-montmoril-lpnitc constitute the third generic type of clays found on the peninsula and all are believed to be related to an origin by direct crystallization. These clays are essentially restricted to the northern region of the peninsula and have crystallized either directly from marine waters of elevated salinity or have formed diagenetically by alteration of dolomite.
The Development of a School-Based Curriculum to Enhance Wellbeing Among Somali Immigrant Children in the United States

This chapter explains the use of Somali cultural knowledge to develop a school-based curriculum to strengthen the wellbeing of Somali immigrant children living in an urban setting in the northeast region of the United States. Children such as the Somali children who have experienced war trauma sought refuge in neighboring countries, and with the help of international agencies like the United Nation High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR), these children were transferred to developed countries such as the United States (US). The Somali children brought with them some baggage of emotional turmoil due to war trauma experiences that have derailed their normative development. In school systems, especially in the US, teachers and other school personnel not only lack necessary Somali cultural knowledge but also lack an understanding of what these children had gone through in their home country, in refugee camps, as well as their difficulties in adapting to a society that is different from theirs. This chapter explores the immigration experiences of these refugee children and impact of mass trauma which these children had gone through; it also explains the development of a culturally appropriate curriculum, based on Somali cultural knowledge, and how the curriculum could be used in working with these children in schools.
CONTROLS IN THE NICU

Medication dosage errors cause too many adverse clinical events in both inpatient and outpatient settings. In this disguised and partially fictionalized teaching case a hospital administrator considers whether the skills she recently acquired in an MBA Accounting Information System class could be adapted for use in a quality improvement program related to medication errors. The case illustrates how the preparation of a system flowchart mapped to a control matrix – a technique that auditors commonly use to support analysis of the adequacy of controls over financial processes – can be adapted to support analysis of clinical process controls and controls over related information. The case offers an opportunity for students to discuss some of the benefits and limitations of this technique, and possible extensions of it to non-financial processes in health care and elsewhere.
Optimizing the Synthesis of Monodisperse Colloidal Spheres Using Holographic Particle Characterization

Holographic particle characterization measures the sizes and compositions of individual colloidal particles dispersed in fluid media and rapidly amasses statistics on the distributions of these pro...
Hot spot generation, reactivity, and decay in mechanochemical reactors

Abstract In this work, a bottom-up modeling approach to describe the reactive conditions in mechanochemical reactors is presented. The approach is focused on the creation of hot spots as the mechanism of enhanced reaction. In this model, energy dissipated during a collision is converted to heat in the milling media, and the reaction proceeds thermochemically. The first step of the model, determining the energy dissipated during the collision, is done by treating the ball and powder bed as viscoelastic materials and using a Kelvin Voigt model. The energy dissipation profile from the collision model is imported into a COMSOL® simulation. The heat transfer through the powder bed, treated as a continuous medium, is calculated, providing the temperature, volume, and time needed to calculate reaction rates. The final result of the model is the extent of reaction over a single collision. To verify the approach, the mechanochemical decomposition of calcium carbonate is studied. The real-time CO2 production under varying milling frequencies is measured using an in-line mass spectrometer. The ball and mill velocities, as well as, collision frequencies is determined by analyzing high speed video of a transparent milling vessel. The model describes hot spots with temperatures exceeding 1000 K that persist for tens of milliseconds.
Identification of Novel Pathways Associated with Patterned Cerebellar Purkinje Neuron Degeneration in Niemann-Pick Disease, Type C1.

Niemann-Pick disease, type C1 (NPC1) is a lysosomal disease characterized by progressive cerebellar ataxia. In NPC1, a defect in cholesterol transport leads to endolysosomal storage of cholesterol and decreased cholesterol bioavailability. Purkinje neurons are sensitive to the loss of NPC1 function. However, degeneration of Purkinje neurons is not uniform. They are typically lost in an anterior-to-posterior gradient with neurons in lobule X being resistant to neurodegeneration. To gain mechanistic insight into factors that protect or potentiate Purkinje neuron loss, we compared RNA expression in cerebellar lobules III, VI, and X from control and mutant mice. An unexpected finding was that the gene expression differences between lobules III/VI and X were more pronounced than those observed between mutant and control mice. Functional analysis of genes with anterior to posterior gene expression differences revealed an enrichment of genes related to neuronal cell survival within the posterior cerebellum. This finding is consistent with the observation, in multiple diseases, that posterior Purkinje neurons are, in general, resistant to neurodegeneration. To our knowledge, this is the first study to evaluate anterior to posterior transcriptome-wide changes in gene expression in the cerebellum. Our data can be used to not only explore potential pathological mechanisms in NPC1, but also to further understand cerebellar biology.
Leukoaraiosis and collateral blood flow in stroke patients with anterior circulation large vessel occlusion.

Background Leukoaraiosis and collateral blood flow are processes that involve small vessels, the former related to flow within the deep perforating arterioles and the latter involving the small, cortical pial-pial connections, both of which are independently used to predict cerebrovascular events and treatment outcomes. The aim of this study was to investigate their relationship to each other. Methods We retrospectively reviewed patients who underwent mechanical thrombectomy for stroke with pre-procedural CT imaging within 24 hours of the onset of symptoms. Leukoaraiosis was graded by the total Fazekas score on non-contrast CT, periventricular white matter (PVWM) and deep white matter (DWM) scores, both ranging from 0 to 3. Collateral cerebral blood flow was measured by the American Society of Interventional and Therapeutic Radiology/Society of Interventional Radiology (ASITN/SIR) collateral scale. Results 178 patients were included with a mean age of 67.6±14.8 years. We found an inverse relationship between total Fazekas score and collateral flow (p Conclusions Increasing severity of leukoaraiosis is associated with poor collateral grade among ischemic stroke patients with anterior circulation large vessel occlusion. These findings suggest that leukoaraiosis may be a marker for global cerebrovascular dysfunction.
Energy modeling with meteorological data and multiobjective optimization of a confectionery stove

Abstract Confectionery stoving is the process used to produce soft-jelled candies. The stoving process has many steps, but the most energy-intensive step is heating and drying the candies, which can consume up to 84% of the energy at a factory. Drying is achieved by heating and ventilating the candy stove with large volumes of outside air, so the impact of the local climate on confectionery facilities can be significant. However, there is a lack of literature investigating local climate impact on the stoving process. This work demonstrates how Multiobjective Optimization (MOO) can be used to find a balanced solution between first cost and energy usage. Furthermore, the work investigates local climate impact to study whether strategic facility siting in a specific climate zone can significantly reduce energy needs and installation costs. The paper proposes a generic energy model that uses actual meteorological data and a product-driven recipe for calculating the energy requirement of a confectionery stove. Four distinct climate zones were analyzed, and it was found that operating a stove in a dry, hot climate, such as Las Vegas, requires 15% less energy than a hot-humid climate, such as Houston. The energy model incorporates a Multiobjective Evolutionary Algorithm (MOEA) procedure to minimize energy usage and initial cost. The algorithm varies the airflow rate and percentage of outdoor air used in the stove. A Pareto Front search procedure is defined, which compares all solutions against a “base case” solution. The base case can be the minimum of any objective, but for this work, it is the lowest energy consuming solution. The search procedure found a preferred solution where a small increase in energy consumption, 0.2%, reduces first cost by 12%–45%. The methods outlined in this paper apply to any energy-consuming manufacturing process that is influenced by climate or any such process that has a broad set of functional operating parameters.
Something’s Rotten in Kashmir: Postcolonial Ambivalence and the War on Terror in Vishal Bhardwaj’s Haider

Haider, the terminal film in Vishal Bhardwaj's Indian Shakespeare trilogy, reconfigures Hamlet in the context of Indian-occupied Kashmir. Haider, tethers Shakespeare's play to contemporary geopolit...
Classification of Craniosynostosis Images by Vigilant Feature Extraction

The development of an objective algorithm to assess craniosynostosis has the potential to facilitate early diagnosis, especially for care providers with limited craniofacial expertise. In this study, we process multiview 2D images of infants with craniosynostosis and healthy controls by computer-based classifiers to identify disease. We develop two multiview image-based classifiers, first based on traditional machine learning (ML) with feature extraction, and the other one based on CNNs. The ML model performs slightly better (accuracy 91.7%) than the CNN model (accuracy 90.6%), likely due to the availability of a small image dataset for model training and superiority of the ML features in differentiation of craniosynostosis subtypes.
Total Syntheses of (+)-Peniciketals A-B and (-)-Diocollettines A Exploiting a Photoisomerization/Cyclization Union Protocol

A late-stage photoisomerization/cyclization union tactic, in conjunction with Type I Anion Relay Chemistry (ARC), permits enantioselective total syntheses and then biological evaluation of (+)-peniciketals A and B. The photochemical protocol was further showcased by an efficient three-step construction of the architecturally complex polycyclic skeleton found in (-)-diocollettines A. The mechanism and diastereoselectivity of the photochemical protocol have also been explored by both experiment and density functional theory calculations.
‘IT’S MY FAULT FOR POSTING IN THE FIRST PLACE’: HOW INDIVIDUAL RESPONSIBILITY AND SELF-BLAME ARE SUSTAINED AND INTERNALIZED

Data breaches and data misuse are frequent occurrences in today’s digital society and often spark debate over who should hold responsibility. While many hold the platforms responsible when confronted with violations of data privacy, some users shift the blame inward for trusting the platforms and posting on them. While a large body of research has dedicated itself to issues of data privacy, discourses of individual responsibility and the internalization of user self-blame have received less attention. This study explores how users respond to unknown use of their personal data through the case of CrystalKnows, a personality detection algorithm that generated profiles about individuals using unknown data sources, often without the user’s knowledge. Founded in 2015, CrystalKnows claims to have the world’s largest personality database, providing and selling algorithmically generated user profiles, often without the express consent of these individuals. Interviews were conducted with individuals whose profiles appeared on the platform (N=37) to reveal users’ reactions and rationalizations of the data collected about them. Rationales of self-blame vary but commonly center issues of ambiguity concerning digital consent and the algorithm itself. Ultimately, these contribute to feelings of resignation often paired with the unrealistic alternative of total platform non-use. We argue that these complex discourses of self-blame, independence/choice, and resignation/non-use as the only options are intertwined with data privacy reform efforts. Understanding the sources of self-blame and how deep it runs is an important step to interrogating and refuting some of these assumptions, if broader reforms hope to garner support and implementation.
Seed persistence of three species, Carex stricta, Carex hystericina and Phalaris arundinacea, in a restored wetland

Abstract Seed persistence and longevity is poorly documented for wetland plants, despite the value of this knowledge for restoration. Seed persistence is particularly important information for sedge meadows (i.e., seasonally ponded freshwater wetlands dominated by Carex spp.), which often fail to recolonize without planting and are rapidly invaded by reed canary grass (Phalaris arundinacea L.). We conducted a 17-year seed burial study along a hydrological gradient in a Minnesota wetland to assess seed persistence of P. arundinacea and two common species of sedge meadows, bottlebrush sedge (Carex hystericina Muhl. ex Willd.) and upright sedge (Carex stricta Lam.). Seed samples were placed in capsules designed to prevent seed loss while allowing for environmental influences. Six boxes, each containing 126 seed capsules (3 species x 14 exhumation years x 3 replicates), were buried in wetland soils under three hydrological conditions (regularly, seasonally, or never inundated) along two transects. Seeds were exhumed 1-, 5-, 6-, 9-, and 17-years post-burial and tested for germinability and viability. For C. stricta and P. arundinacea, seed persistence (50% survival, P50) was 17 years when seasonally or regularly inundated. Seed longevity was
Viruses Associated with Burkitt’s Lymphoma

A lymphoma of African children, described as a distinct clinical entity by Burkitt in 1958 (1), has aroused considerable interest because epidemiological evidence strongly suggests that an external environmental factor is involved, possibly a vector- borne virus disease. Burkitt’s tumor occurs in high incidence in those regions of Africa where climatic conditions are favorable for the dissemination of arthropod- vectored agents (2, 3). A high incidence of the tumor, but not the geographic and climatic limitations noted in Africa, has also been observed in New Guinea (4). Cases in Africa are infrequent among adults residing in endemic areas. However, among immigrants from regions where the tumor is rare, nearly 50 percent were over 15 years of age. Racial and tribal characteristics have been said to be of no significance in susceptibility to tumor development. These observations suggest that immunity develops in most persons exposed to the inciting agent and may be a factor in the response of patients to therapy (5).
Iron Regulation and Virulence in Gram-Negative Bacterial Pathogens with Yersinia pestis as a Paradigm

This chapter covers the role of iron regulation in the virulence of gram-negative bacterial pathogens, where possible, using Yersinia pestis as a paradigm. In most gram-negative bacteria, including Y. pestis, the alterations in mRNA and protein levels in response to iron availability are due to inherent iron requirements and iron homeostasis mechanisms controlled by two primary regulatory systems: the iron (Fe) uptake regulation protein Fur and the small RNA (sRNA) RyhB or its analogs (e.g., PrrF and NrrF). The chapter focuses on these two regulators, their regulons, and their roles in virulence. While Fur and RyhB regulons are often described separately, they are in fact interrelated regulatory networks. In a variation on the mRNA degradation theme for sodB, RyhB selectively promotes degradation of only the 3' portion of the iscRSUA mRNA, while preserving expression of IscR, a transcription factor encoded by the first gene of the operon. The chapter then focuses on the iron transport systems of Y. pestis. A section on RyhB regulatory mechanisms explains that RyhB regulation increases the pools of both shikimate and serine, while indirectly contributing to expression of the enterobactin biosynthesis genes. The mechanisms of Fur activation, Mn-Fur regulation, and apo-Fur regulation as well as the different regulatory mechanisms of RyhB are addressed. However, the complexity of iron regulation mechanisms and their role in microbial pathogenesis will likely provide interesting questions to resolve for decades to come.
GASP II simulation of parts inventory for electronic fuze production

Inventory and shortage costs of more than one hundred types of piece parts used in the continuous production of the FMU-56/B proximity fuze were simulated using GASP II. Probabilities of lateness of received lots and of lot rejection were introduced on the basis of historical data on these specific parts. The program includes expedients for coping with parts' lateness and means of selecting lowest cost alternatives when lots are rejected. Order quantity and safety stock level are the input variables; annual inventory holding cost, inspection cost, and lateness/rejection work-around costs are the output criteria. Results include search runs on individual items and groups of parts, and evaluation of the effect of changing the random number seed.
A unitary account of the repression mechanism of arginine biosynthesis in Escherichia coli. II. Application to the physiological evidence.

Abstract Ornithine transcarbamylase formation in Escherichia coli strain B is known to be increased by excess arginine. Partial de-repression, however, occurs by growth in an enriched but arginine-free medium or by arginine-limited growth in a chemostat. Furthermore, at growth temperatures higher than 39 °C excess arginine no longer increases but actually represses enzyme formation in strain B, while temperature does not affect control in a repressible strain like K or in a constitutive mutant from B. These physiological effects are intrinsic to the argR alleles of B and K and not to other strain characteristics and suggest that arginine formation is controlled by repression in both strains B and K, but that a secondary effect of arginine produces apparent induction in strain B. It is postulated that the repressor product of argR B gives rise, depending on the arginine concentration, to forms with different affinities for the operator site.
Introduction to Social TV

Mobile TV typically involves accessing television content from handheld devices. The most ubiquitous of these devices, mobile phones, are primarily designed for communication. It is therefore natural to look at how those communication features can be integrated with television viewing. Issues of sociability are also relevant to Mobile TV in other ways, such as in analyzing how watching video in public spaces affects and is affected by the social context, and in the case of communication by video messages and video conferencing.
The Tax Efficiency of Stock-Based Compensation

Over the last two decades, the use of company stock and options thereon to compensate and motivate employees has become widespread. Defenders of stock-based compensation argue that it creates value for shareholders because it encourages employees to work harder and with a common purpose. Critics, however, are less sure and stock-based compensation has come under heavy attack from investors, commentators and academics. Critics argue that it imposes excessive risk on employees and overstates net income. To date, there has been very little detailed legal or economic analysis of the tax efficiency of stock-based compensation. What serious work there has been has generally concluded that such mechanisms are inefficient, perhaps highly inefficient. Clearly, given the heavy use of stock-based compensation and thus the substantial tax costs firms would incur if it were tax inefficient, measuring the tax saving or cost from stock-based compensation is an important gap in the debate over the wisdom of its heavy use. In this paper, I define tax efficiency and develop a methodology for assessing whether a compensation mechanism is tax efficient. I then apply that methodology to various forms of stock-based compensation. I show that there is no general answer to the question whether stock-based compensation mechanisms are efficient. Instead, I show that the tax efficiency of such mechanisms depends upon several factors, including tax rates, what investment (if any) the grant displaces, and how the displaced investment would have been held. As a result, the efficiency of stock-based compensation can vary across employers and even across employees of the same employer. Accordingly, I cabin the efficiency cost of stock-based compensation over a wide range of circumstances and show that under reasonable assumptions stock-based compensation can produce a joint net tax benefit to employer and employee.
Gamification for Law Firms

This is a working paper on the use of gamification in law firms. This is based on my research during my fellowship at Stanford Law School. The paper examines the science behind the concept and references case studies from companies and organizations that have successfully used gamification and games. The author reviews a handful of law firms that are using gamification and provides the basics for setting up a team to implement a gamification project in a law firm. This research might be of interest to law firm CTOs, CIOs, Human Resources Directors, and other knowledge management and innovation leaders within a law firm.Gamification may be used by law firms for the following purposes: 1.Increased associate retention rates, 2. Efficient and effective training of new technologies and processes, including methods to improve associate recording of billable hours, 3.Human resources productivity, such as on-boarding new associates, training new hires, collecting associate reviews, etc., 4.Increased communication between members of the firm, 5.Encourage inter-generational mentorship, activities, 7.Desired use of firm resources, such as training and education, and 8.Encouragement for individual law firm members to innovate for the benefit of the firm.
Climate Interactions in Montane Meadow Ecosystems

Climate change can alter ecosystems and thereby trigger feedback effects that can either enhance or retard the climate change (Lashof et al. 1997). Such feedbacks are especially likely in montane and high-latitude ecosystems where soils are carbon-rich (Whittaker 1975; Schlesinger 1997), ecotones are prevalent as a result of topographic variability, vegetation is sensitive to climatic variables such as snowmelt date and length of growing season (Korner 1992; Harte and Shaw 1995; Goulden et al. 1998), and climate change is expected to be large due to snow-albedo feedback (Groisman et al. 1994). Predicting the chronology and magnitude of such feedbacks is a major challenge in ecology today, as well as an important issue both for global climate change science and policy and, locally, for people whose livelihood is dependent upon montane climatic and ecological regimes.
Network Meltdown: A Legacy of Bad Economics

Why did the dot.coms burn and die? The answer is that they followed the advice given to them by a set of economists preaching that being first to market was the key to success thanks to lock-in effects. I explore these events and this thinking in this paper.
Infected Subgaleal Hematoma Following Blunt Head Trauma in a Child: Case Report and Review of the Literature

Subgaleal hematoma (SGH), an uncommon but potentially dangerous complication, has been reported to occur with delivery in newborns, as well as in young patients following head trauma. Infection of a SGH is extremely rare, especially in cases where no disruption of the skin barrier occurs. We report a case of an infected SGH in an 8-month-old following closed skull fracture. The patient presented with scalp swelling 1 day after falling 3 feet. Initial evaluation found a nondisplaced skull fracture on computed tomography. She was discharged following an uneventful 23-hour observation. Three days later, she developed symptoms concerning for a viral upper respiratory tract infection and received symptomatic treatment. Nine days after injury, she returned with continued fevers, irritability, and significant increase in scalp swelling. Magnetic resonance imaging showed a subgaleal abscess with osteomyelitis. Needle aspiration revealed an infected hematoma with cultures positive for Streptococcus pneumoniae, treated with intravenous ampicillin. Purulent drainage from an enlarging necrotic needle aspiration site required subsequent surgical debridement of the subgaleal abscess with drain placement. She recovered well following surgery and intravenous antibiotics. Physicians should be aware that SGH carries a risk of serious morbidity and mortality. SGH can serve as a nidus for infection, typically from skin barrier breakdown or, as in this case, hematogenous spread. Early recognition, appropriate antibiotic therapy, and surgical debridement are critical in treating infected SGH.
The noise is the signal

Noise is usually just a hindrance to signal detection. But advances in measurement techniques mean that noise can now be used to probe electron kinetics. In systems such the fractional quantum Hall effect, many body interactions create carriers with effective charges less than that of an electron, reducing noise. In contrast, a system can be constructed with electrons sandwiched between two barriers, which increases noise by a positive feedback mechanism.
Raman and IR absorption spectroscopic studies on α, β, and amorphous Si3N4

Abstract Vibrational excitations of α- and β-Si 3 N 4 were studied by Raman and infrared absorption spectroscopies. Group theory was employed to interpret the observed spectra of crystalline α- and β-Si 3 N 4 . Both Raman and IR spectra of amorphous Si 3 N 4 exhibit two broad peaks centered at about 400 and 900 cm −1 . Amorphous Si 3 N 4 was found to be of the non-molecular, random-network type.
In Defense of Self-Love: An Observational Study on Narcissists' Negative Behavior During Romantic Relationship Conflict

Research suggests narcissists respond negatively to ego-threats stemming from both negative evaluative feedback (Bushman, B. J., & Baumeister, R. F. (1998). Threatened egotism, narcissism, self-esteem, and direct and displaced aggression: Does self-love or self-hate lead to violence? Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 75, 219–229) and negative social feedback (Twenge, J. M., & Campbell, W. K. (2003). “Isn't it fun to get the respect that we're going to deserve?” Narcissism, social rejection, and aggression. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 29, 261–272). In the current study, we used an observational methodology to examine whether narcissists also respond negatively to romantic relationship conflict. Multi-level analyses revealed that people high (vs. low) in narcissism were observed by independent coders as engaging in significantly more negative behaviors (i.e., criticizing, name-calling, insulting) during a conflict with their romantic partner. Post-conflict, narcissists reported f...
Disposition of butanal oxime in rat following oral, intravenous and dermal administration

1. The disposition of [1-14C]butanal oxime (BOX) was determined in the rat after oral, i.v. and dermal administration. 2. Oral doses of [14C]BOX (2 and 20 mg/kg) were predominantly excreted in the urine (> 42%) and converted to 14CO2 (> 30%) and about 10% of the dose remained in the tissues 72 h post-dosing. 3. Eight and 16% of a 2 and 20 mg/kg dermal dose of BOX, respectively, were absorbed, due in part to rapid volatilization from the surface of the skin. 4. Oral doses of BOX were transformed into several polar and/or anionic metabolites that include sulphate conjugates and a significant amount of thiocyanate. 5. The effect of inhibitors on the metabolism of BOX was investigated using 1-aminobenzotriazole (ABT; an inhibitor of diverse cytochrome P450s) and trans-1,2-dichloroethylene (DCE; an inhibitor of CYP2E1). No thiocyanate anion was detected in the urine of rat treated with DCE or ABT. ABT markedly increased the production of 14CO2 and excretion as volatile metabolites. DCE had no effect on 14CO2 excretion, but increased exhalation of radiolabel. ABT also effectively blocked the expression of toxic effects attributable to cyanide in rat given near-lethal doses of BOX. 6. The data are consistent with two distinct pathways of metabolism for BOX, (1) reduction to an imine, hydrolysis and subsequent conversion of butyraldehyde to 14CO2 and (2) CYP3A-catalysed dehydration of BOX to butyronitrile followed by CYP2E1-catalysed release of cyanide.
Light evoked release of acetylcholine in response to a single flash: cholinergic amacrine cells receive ON and OFF input.

Abstract By pharmacologically blocking the inhibitory inputs to the cholinergic amacrine cells of the rabbit retina, we have been able to detect the light-evoked release of ACh in response to a single flash. Under these conditions ACh is released equally at light ON and light OFF. This implies that: (1) the cholinergic amacrine cells receive ON and OFF input; (2) they respond to light with depolarizing transients; and (3) the inputs to this system have a basic symmetry.
Study of XeF2 fluorination potential against Rh2O3, RuO2, ZrO2, and U3O8 for use in reactive gas recycle of used nuclear fuel

Abstract Triuranium octoxide (U3O8) and stable surrogate oxides of selected fission product species representative of a Used Nuclear Fuel (UNF) matrix typical of Light Water Reactor (LWR) service were fluorinated using an alternate, solid-phase fluorinating agent, XeF2. This fluorination reaction formed volatile and non-volatile compounds and demonstrated the possibility of chemical and thermal separations of the UNF matrix based on this approach. A series of experiments was conducted at the milligram quantity scale using a Shimadzu DTG-60 TG/DTA for testing of all non-radioactive samples and a Netzsch STA 409 TGA for testing of all radioactive samples. The fluorination and subsequent volatilization potentials were analyzed by mixing excess fluorinating agent with an oxide form of the UNF material and then heating to elevated temperatures for analysis. Thermogravimetric and differential thermal analysis allowed reaction pathways to be analyzed and suggested windows both thermally and chemically for separations of these various components. The differences in thermophysical properties of these products can be utilized as a starting point to effectively separate, isolate, and collect product streams with different compositions for further processing. The study of these chemistries could be incorporated into advanced separations methods to provide another possible solution for the long-term sustainability of nuclear energy applications.
Correction to «Holder continuity of the gradient of solutions of uniformly parabolic equations with conormal boundary conditions»

In the proof of [1, Theorem 1.2] an incorrect assertion was made. Using the notation of that work, we claimed that [D(u)−v]δ is finite, which may not be true. We give here a correct, simpler proof of the theorem.
Consolidation characteristics of sediments from the Peru-Chile continental margin and implications for past sediment instability

Abstract One-dimensional consolidation tests were performed on eight near-surface samples (0.5 to 3.5 m) from the Peru-Chile continental margin. These tests show that the consolidation behavior of these deposits is strongly influenced by the presence of high concentrations of organic matter resulting from the occurrence of coastal upwelling along this margin of South America. Organic carbon concentrations as high as 12% are found in samples from an upper slope mud lens between 10.5° to 13.6°S that lies beneath an area of intense upwelling. With increasing organic content both the compressibility and rate of secondary compression are found to increase. The increase in void ratio with increasing organic content and the ease by which organic matter is deformed appear responsible for these trends. Outside the mud lens the compressibility also increases as a result of increasing concentrations of clay-size material and the abundance of smectite and illite. All of the sediments along the margin behave as if they were consolidated under a pressure greater than the present effective overburden pressure. Evidence of erosion as a cause of the overconsolidation is present only on the upper slope mud lens at 13.6°S where 14 C dating verifies the erosion of 3.5 to 7 m of sediment. Numerous unconformities and intervals of deformed bedding in a core from 13.6°S attest to the past instability of sediments at this site. At the other locations along the margin the increase in the overconsolidation ratio with increasing organic carbon content suggests that the bonding of sediment particles by organic matter may be responsible for the apparent overconsolidation. Low sedimentation rates on the slope off northern Chile may also be a contributing factor to the apparent overconsolidation of sediments in this area.
Renal functional adaptation in the remnant kidney in patients with renal agenesis and in patients nephrectomized in childhood.

The renal response to volume expansion was determined in four patients with renal hypertrophy due to unilateral renal agenesis (URA) and in four patients with renal hypertrophy due to nephrectomy (Nz). Four healthy controls were also studied. The studies were performed during water diuresis and following i.v. infusion of isotonic saline solution. Conventional clearance techniques were used. GFR and PAH clearence were increased to about the same extent in Nz and in URA. Fractional Na+ excretion was highest in the Nz group and lowest in the control group. It was higher in the Nz group than in the URA group. Fractional water excretion (V/GFR) and free water clearance (CH2O) were also determined and the results indicate that the high fractional excretion of Na+ from the hypertrophied kidney can be attributed to reduced fractional reabsorption of filtrated Na+ both in the proximal and the distal tubules. The fractional Na+ reabsorption in the distal tubule appears to be higher in URA than in Nz. It is concluded that glomerular tubular balance for Na+ is more similar to that found in healthy controls if the stimulus to hypertrophy occurs prenatally than if it occurs postnatally.
IN SITU HIGH TEMPERATURE HEAT FLUX SENSOR CALIBRATION

Abstract Recent advances in heat flux measurement have resulted in the development of a robust thermopile heat flux sensor intended for use in extreme thermal environments. The High Temperature Heat Flux Sensor (HTHFS) is capable of simultaneously measuring thermopile surface temperature and heat flux at sensor temperatures up to 1000 °C. The need for high temperature heat flux calibration of the HTHFS has resulted in the development of a new wide angle radiation calibration system, which operates with the sensor at elevated temperatures. The temperature dependence of the sensor output over the range of 100–900 °C has been successfully characterized with acceptable uncertainty limits. The calibrated HTHFS sensitivity agrees well with a theoretical sensitivity model, suggesting that the primary cause for the sensor’s output temperature dependence is due to the change in thermal conductivity of the sensor elements with temperature.
Wind tunnel results of advanced high speed propellers in the takeoff, climb, and landing operating regimes

Low speed wind tunnel performance tests of two advanced propellers were completed. The 62.2 cm diameter adjustable pitch models were tested at Mach numbers typical of takeoff, initial climbout, and landing speeds in the 10 by 10 ft Supersonic Wind Tunnel. Both models had eight blades and a cruise design point operating condition of 0.80 Mach number, 10.668 km S.A. altitude, 243.8 m/s tip speed and a high power loading of 301 kW sq m. No adverse or unusual low speed operating conditions were found during the test with either the straight blade SR-2 or the 45 deg swept SR-3 propellers. The 45 deg swept propeller efficiency exceeded the straight blade efficiency by 4 to 5%. Typical net efficiencies of the straight and 45 deg swept propeller at a Mach 0.20 takeoff condition were 50.2 and 54.9% respectively. At a Mach 0.34 climb condition, the efficiencies were 53.7 and 59.1%. Reverse thrust data indicates that these propellers are capable of producing more reverse thrust at Mach 0.20 than a high bypass turbofan engine at Mach 0.20.