cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Partnership, Singlehood, and the Lesbian and Gay Life Course: A Research Agenda

Despite considerable evidence suggesting that relational status is an important dimension of lesbian and gay experience over time, there has been little systematic research on the topic. This paper proposes an agenda for the future study of coupled and single lifestyles among lesbians and gay men. To date, gay and lesbian singles have been neglected altogether, and developmental research on same-sex couples has focused primarily on intrinsic, presumably invariant developmental processes, frequently overlooking the important contributions of historical change and cohort-specific social pressures to the formation of life-course pathways. Moreover, we lack good, basic descriptive data on the rates of gay singlehood versus participation in partnership, and on the myriad ways in which gay couples and singles construct their lives. Future research on relational status among lesbians and gay men must characterize and conceptualize this diversity, and place it within the larger context of a life-course approach that emphasizes both the material and symbolic implications of single or partnered lifestyles across time.
FINITE ELASTIC-PLASTIC DEFORMATION OF COMPOSITES

Abstract : A methodology is developed for estimating the overall elastic-plastic response of composites which undergo finite plastic deformations, and therefore their effective instantaneous elastic-plastic moduli in a continued plastic flow are of the order of magnitude of the applied stresses, The methoddologgy also applies to composite elastic solids at finite strains (such as reinforced rubbers). As a specific example, finite axial extension of a porous elastic- plastic specimen is considered, and the effect of change in pore geometry on the overall anisotropic stress-strain relation is examined. Originator-suplied keywords include: Finite deformation; Plasticity; Composites; Voids.
Nondestructive Characterization of Aluminum Alloys

In order to determine the integrity and safety of a structure, any fracture mechanics model requires information about the size, location and geometry of a defect, the mechanical properties of the material, and the stress field in the vicinity of the defect. The stress can be due to external forces or due to residual stresses. Current nondestructive evaluation techniques can determine the size, location and to some extent the geometry of defects. However, there are no simple methods by which mechanical properties of a material can be characterized nondestructively or the stresses in a component can be measured or analysed.
Stochastic perturbation of optical solitons having generalized anti-cubic nonlinearity with bandpass filters and multi-photon absorption

Abstract This paper obtains mean free velocity of optical solitons, that are with generalized anti-cubic nonlinearity, in presence of multi-photon absorption as well as filters. The derived Langevin equation leads to the final result.
Effects of Biochar on Nutrient Leaching and Begonia Plant Growth1

Abstract Biochar is a highly adsorptive carbon substrate. A study was conducted to determine the ability of biochar to reduce fertilizer runoff from nurseries. Potting mix was augmented with biocha...
Robust estimation for moment condition models with data missing not at random

Abstract We consider estimation for parameters defined through moment conditions when data are missing not at random. The missingness mechanism cannot be determined from the data alone, and inference under missingness not at random may be sensitive to unverifiable assumptions about the missingness mechanism. To add protection against model misspecification, we posit multiple models for the response probability and propose a weighting estimator with calibrated weights. Assuming the conditional distribution of the outcome given covariates is correctly modeled, we show that if any one of the multiple models for the response probability is correctly specified, the proposed estimator is consistent for the true value. A simulation study confirms that our estimator has multiple robustness when the outcome data is missing not at random. The method is also applied to an application.
Kynurenic Acid Protects Against Ischemia/Reperfusion-Induced Retinal Ganglion Cell Death in Mice.

Background: Glaucoma is an optic neuropathy and involves the progressive degeneration of retinal ganglion cells (RGCs), which leads to blindness in patients. We investigated the role of the neuroprotective kynurenic acid (KYNA) in RGC death against retinal ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury. Methods: We injected KYNA intravenously or intravitreally to mice. We generated a knockout mouse strain of kynurenine 3-monooxygenase (KMO), an enzyme in the kynurenine pathway that produces neurotoxic 3-hydroxykynurenine. To test the effect of mild hyperglycemia on RGC protection, we used streptozotocin (STZ) induced diabetic mice. Retinal I/R injury was induced by increasing intraocular pressure for 60 min followed by reperfusion and RGC numbers were counted in the retinal flat mounts. Results: Intravenous or intravitreal administration of KYNA protected RGCs against I/R injury. The I/R injury caused a greater loss of RGCs in wild type than in KMO knockout mice. KMO knockout mice had mildly higher levels of fasting blood glucose than wild type mice. Diabetic mice showed significantly lower loss of RGCs when compared with non-diabetic mice subjected to I/R injury. Conclusion: Together, our study suggests that the absence of KMO protects RGCs against I/R injury, through mechanisms that likely involve higher levels of KYNA and glucose.
Mitigating Cascading Outages in Severe Weather Using Simulation-Based Optimization

Severe weather events can trigger cascading power outages and lead to significant losses. In this work, we investigate cascading outage mitigation under severe weather conditions. Given day-ahead weather forecasts and component failure models, we aim to identify a set of power lines that can be hardened to minimize the expected impact of potential cascading outages. Since the expected load shedding cannot be expressed as an explicit function of line hardening decisions and system states, we developed a cascading outage simulator to estimate the expected value of load shedding under various initial weather-related disruption scenarios generated using a weather forecast. To avoid massive enumeration of all possible combinations of line hardening decisions and reduce the simulation efforts, we employed an efficient simulation-based optimization approach that quickly identifies the (near) optimal line hardening decisions in the presence of both large simulation noises due to the highly variable initial disturbances and system states, and significant randomness in the subsequent cascades. The algorithm is also able to utilize parallel computing to dramatically reduce computation time to support decision making in preparation for severe weather conditions. We performed a case study on the Northeast Power Coordinating Council (NPCC) 140-bus system model to demonstrate that our approach can significantly improve power grid resilience to adverse weather events.
Selling in the Digital Age

Advances in technology have revolutionized consumer buying behavior. The internet has provided customers with a cheap source of information that can help them make informed buying decisions. However, many salespeople are still relying on the classic model of selling, which is based on the assumption that customers are uninformed, uncertain, and undecided when they meet a salesperson. This model suggests that salespeople, as knowledgeable gatekeepers of information, should guide customers through the sales process. For example, solution selling suggests that the salesperson should diagnose customer needs and then recommend the right products/services to fulfill those needs. The challenger sales model suggests that a seller should actively teach customers, tailor the sales process to them, and take control of the customer conversation In this report, authors address the question: How does employing the classic sales model with customers with greater and lesser preference certainty affect the sales interaction outcomes of (1) purchase probability, (2) sales revenue, and (3) customer satisfaction? In their first study, the authors collected data from 356 individual sales interactions in 15 different stores of a U.S.-based retailer of durable goods over four months. They show that customers with greater preference certainty have a lower purchase probability when the classic sales model is implemented. (i.e., from more than 80% to 60%). Further, the revenue from a sales interaction is reduced by more than 25% when salespeople use the classic sales model on customers with higher levels of preference certainty. Finally, when faced with customers who have a good idea of what they want to buy, salespeople may decrease customer satisfaction by using the classic sales model technique. A second, scenario-based experiment corroborated and replicated the first study, using Amazon’s Mechanical Turk. This study found that, under high levels of preference certainty, challenging the customer results in a lower likelihood to purchase during the shopping visit. Further, these findings were found to be unrelated to price. These findings point to a need to transform the way that salespeople interact with customers. The authors offer two ways that managers can benefit from this research, and help their salespeople move beyond the classic sales model. Training. Sales managers can teach their salespeople about the importance of acknowledging the differences among customers along the decision-making process and train them on the appropriate tactic in each stage. Lead generation. Customer relationship management technology now makes it possible to monitor customers’ research behavior and to index prospects depending on their stage in the process; therefore, this technology can assist salespeople in adopting the appropriate sales tactic. Finally, new sales models should revisit and redefine assumptions of the standard paradigm of selling.
Simulating Cu Electrodeposition in High Aspect Ratio Features: Effect of Control Mode and Uncompensated Resistance in S-NDR Systems

Abstract Void-free Cu electrodeposition in high aspect ratio features requires, at a minimum, an additive package containing micromolar halide and polyether that combine to form a co-adsorbed adlayer that inhibits metal deposition on the electrode interface. Successful feature filling relies on preferential growth proceeding from the most recessed surfaces where sustained breakdown of the polyether-halide suppressor layer occurs. Localization is the result of positive feedback between inhibitor breakdown and metal deposition subject to transport limitations of the suppressor precursor(s). This gives rise to a S-shaped negative differential resistance (S-NDR) that, convolved with uncompensated ohmic resistance, results in electrode bifurcation into active and passive zones. The interplay between the additive derived S-NDR behavior, uncompensated cell resistance, and potentiostatic regulation is explored in comparison to galvanostatic feature filling. Uncompensated resistance arises from the working electrode contact and electrolyte between the working and reference electrodes. For a CuSO4 – H2SO4 electrolyte containing 80 µmol/L Cl− and 40 µmol/L polyether, simulations of potentiostatic deposition with minimal uncompensated resistance reveal a narrow window between fully passive and voided feature filling; bottom-up filling terminates prematurely even under the most favorable conditions. In contrast, optimized galvanostatic operation enables void-free feature filling with termination dictated by coulometry. Increasing the uncompensated resistance along with application of accordingly more negative applied potentials produces filling dynamics that blend the positive attributes of galvanostatic and potentiostatic deposition to enable complete, void-free feature filling with spontaneous passivation near the feature opening. Importantly, these beneficial filling effects are also evident for trench arrays having variable widths or heights.
Investing in the Construction of High-Rise Buildings in the Savan-Seno Special Economic Zone of Lao PDR, According to the Sufficient Economic Theory

The research of investing in the construction of high-rise buildings in the Savan-Seno Special Economic Zone of Lao PDR, according to the sufficient economic theory has the objective of studying the situation of Savan-Seno Special Economic Zone, the feasibility of investing in the construction of high-rise buildings in the Savan-Seno Special Economy Zone, and to study the factors effecting the possibility of investing in the construction of high-rise buildings in the Savan-Seno Special Economic Zone of Lao PDR. This is a qualitative research, conducting the study with document analysis, target area observation and in-depth interview. The sample group of people consisted of those involved in developing the special economy zone, business investors and real estate developers in the Savan-Seno Special Economic Zone of Lao PDR, with 21 main informants. From the study it is found that 1) There has been a process of implementing the objectives of stepping into a modern industrial country in the Savan-Seno Special Economic Zone, linking to the Mekong economy region and of the world economy 2) The factors effecting the investment of constructing high-rise buildings in the Savan-Seno Special Economic Zone are: Minimum investment value according to the type of business, un-readiness of basic utilities system, excessive construction law and regulations and the low growth rate of economy 3) It is found that the feasibility of investing in the construction of high-rise buildings in the Savan-Seno Special Economic Zone according to the sufficient economy theory, is at present, still with low self-immunity, therefore, the investment should wait for the 5 years (2018-2022) result of the operation in the special economy zone once again, before considering the suitable time for the investment.
Voices of abused workers: Implications for mitigating worker mistreatment

Abstract In the contemporary business reality, marked by unemployment and loose labor markets, workplace abuse is likely to climb as organizations and managers wield increased leverage in the employment relationship. We explore the organizational phenomenon of worker abuse and examine workplace blog accounts from abused workers to uncover shared insights from abused workers. Based on these findings we offer research-based suggestions, implications for practice, and resources for organizations, managers, and workers. Specifically, we advance an A.B.U.S.E. Mitigation Model as a holistic management system for identifying and dealing with workplace abuse.
The weight of obesity on the human immune response to vaccination

Despite the high success of protection against several infectious diseases through effective vaccines, some sub-populations have been observed to respond poorly to vaccines, putting them at increased risk for vaccine-preventable diseases. In particular, the limited data concerning the effect of obesity on vaccine immunogenicity and efficacy suggests that obesity is a factor that increases the likelihood of a poor vaccine-induced immune response. Obesity occurs through the deposition of excess lipids into adipose tissue through the production of adipocytes, and is defined as a body-mass index (BMI) ≥ 30 kg/m(2). The immune system is adversely affected by obesity, and these "immune consequences" raise concern for the lack of vaccine-induced immunity in the obese patient requiring discussion of how this sub-population might be better protected.
Management of Aquatic Weeds

Plants growing in aquatic environments can have positive impacts, such as producing dissolved oxygen and absorbing toxins. However, they are usually regarded as a nuisance and therefore labeled as “weeds.” Prevention is a much more reliable approach than trying to treat them after they are established. Proper pond construction (providing adequate water depth), fertilization (to promote phytoplankton rather than macrophytes), aquatic dye application (to block out sunlight), manual harvest as the weeds appear, stocking grass carp (eat the weeds) or koi (create water turbidity), and water drawdowns (stranding weeds along the shore) can be effective preventive measures. Once the weeds are present, however, controlling them with herbicides is usually the most effective recourse. Algae are typically controlled with copper sulfate or copper-based complexes, while higher aquatic plants/weeds are controlled by properly selected herbicides that include bispyribac-sodium, carfentrazone-ethyl, diquat dibromide, endothall compounds, flumioxazin, fluridone, 2,4-D, glyphosate, imazamox, imazapyr, triclopyr, penoxsulam, sodium carbonate peroxyhydrate, and nutrient reducers.
Familial ovarian hyperthecosis: A study of two families

Abstract Two families containing 41 women with hirsutism and/or oligomenorrhea were studied. Ovarian histology of eight demonstrated hyperplasia of theca cells in atretic follicles, a paucity of primordial and developing follicles, and stromal hyperplasia. Elevated levels of androstenedione and/or testosterone and luteinizing hormone (LH) were found. Estradiol and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) were low. Following bilateral ovarian wedge resection, the LH and FSH levels of the proband of Family I were normal. Three men of Family I had low plasma testosterone and an abnormally high LH/FSH ratio similar to that of the women. Conclusions were: (1) Ovarian hyperthecosis can be inherited; (2) the inheritance is consistent with an autosomal dominant pattern, but X-linked inheritance cannot be ruled out if the males are excluded; (3) the abnormal LH/FSH ratio can serve as a biochemical marker; (4) ovarian wedge resection corrected the abnormal LH/FSH ratio in one case; and (5) ovarian hyperthecosis may be a type of gonadal dysgenesis.
On the 2012 record low Arctic sea ice cover: Combined impact of preconditioning and an August storm

[1] A new record low Arctic sea ice extent for the satellite era, 3.4 × 106 km2, was reached on 13 September 2012; and a new record low sea ice area, 3.0 × 106 km2, was reached on the same date. Preconditioning through decades of overall ice reductions made the ice pack more vulnerable to a strong storm that entered the central Arctic in early August 2012. The storm caused the separation of an expanse of 0.4 × 106 km2 of ice that melted in total, while its removal left the main pack more exposed to wind and waves, facilitating the main pack's further decay. Future summer storms could lead to a further acceleration of the decline in the Arctic sea ice cover and should be carefully monitored.
Using turning point detection to obtain better regression trees

The issue of detecting optimal split points for linear regression trees is examined. A novel approach called Turning Point Regression Tree Induction (TPRTI) is proposed which uses turning points to identify the best split points. When this approach is used, first, a general trend is derived from the original dataset by dividing the dataset into subsets using a sliding window approach and a centroid for each subset is computed. Second, using those centroids, a set of turning points is identified, indicating points in the input space in which the regression function, associated with neighboring subsets, changes direction. Third, the turning points are then used as input to a novel linear regression tree induction algorithm as potential split points. TPRTI is compared in a set of experiments using artificial and real world data sets with state-of-the-art regression tree approaches, such as M5. The experimental results indicate that TPRTI has a high predictive accuracy and induces less complex trees than competing approaches, while still being scalable to cope with larger datasets.
Feasible Steps towards Improved Crash Compatibility

Compatibility has been a research issue for many years now. It has gained more importance recently due to significant improvements in primary and secondary safety. Using a rigorous approach, combining accident research and theoretical scientific considerations, measures to improve vehicle-vehicle compatibility, with an emphasis on feasibility, were discussed. German accident research statistics showed that frontal impacts are of higher statistical significance than side impacts. Based on this and the high potential for improvement due high available deformation energy, the frontal impact configuration was identified as the most appropriate collision mode for addressing the compatibility issue. In side impacts, accident avoidance was identified as the most feasible and sensible measure. For frontal vehicle-vehicle impacts, both trucks and passenger cars were identified as opponents of high statistical significance. Based on the bulkhead concept, a theoretical range of survivable collision velocities for both impact configurations was calculated and the limitations discussed. A pre-requisite in each case was structural interaction. Structural interaction was identified as necessary between all collision partners including car - truck. This means the addition of adequate under-run protection devices. To evaluate compatibility, several test procedures have been proposed. The limitations of each were discussed, with a particular focus on the ability of each test to assess structural interaction potential. Finally, feasible steps towards achieving compatibility were discussed and illustrated in a Roadmap for Compatibility.
Neurologic complications of liver transplantation.

The clinical and neuropathologic findings of 55 adults and 30 children who received liver transplants were reviewed. Encephalopathy was the most common clinical neurologic syndrome and was usually caused by metabolic or anoxic causes. (Alzheimer type II astrocytes were present in 73 per cent of patients, and evidence of diffuse hypoxic damage was present in 40 per cent of children and 25 per cent of adults.) Cerebrovascular lesions was a common finding, with infarcts or hemorrhages present in 30 per cent of patients. CNS infections were documented in 34 per cent of patients. Seizures were present in a third of patients. Central pontine myelinolysis was present in 12 per cent of patients and was more common in adults than in children. Antemortem diagnosis of neurologic complications was more often based on clinical presentation than specific radiologic or laboratory tests.
Maternal supportive and interfering control as predictors of adaptive and social development in children with and without developmental delays.

Background Parents of children with developmental delays (DD) have been found to use more controlling behaviour with their children than parents of children with typical development (TD). While controlling behaviour is related to poorer developmental outcomes in TD children, there is little research on how it predicts outcomes in DD children. Furthermore, existing research tends to use inconsistent or non-specific definitions of controlling behaviour, often combining parent control which follows the child’s goal (e.g. supportive direction) and that which interferes with the child’s goal (e.g. interference). Methods Participants were 200 mother‐child dyads observed at child age 3, with follow-up assessments of adaptive behaviour and social skills administered at child ages 5 and 6, respectively. We coded the frequency of both types of controlling behaviour based on mothers’ interactions with their children with TD (n = 113 )o r DD (n = 87 )a t age3. Results Mothers in the DD group used more interfering but not more supportive directive acts compared to mothers in the TD group. Adaptive behaviour was assessed at child age 5 and social skills were assessed at age 6. Higher frequency of supportive directive acts predicted better adaptive functioning for the TD group and better social skills for the DD group. Higher frequency of interfering acts predicted lower adaptive and social skills for children with DD but not with TD. Conclusions Results are discussed in terms of the differential developmental needs of children with and without DD as well as implications for early intervention.
Select spinal lesions reveal multiple ascending pathways in the rat conveying input from the male genitalia

The specific white matter location of all the spinal pathways conveying penile input to the rostral medulla is not known. Our previous studies using rats demonstrated the loss of low but not high threshold penile inputs to medullary reticular formation (MRF) neurons after acute and chronic dorsal column (DC) lesions of the T8 spinal cord and loss of all penile inputs after lesioning the dorsal three-fifths of the cord. In the present study, select T8 lesions were made and terminal electrophysiological recordings were performed 45-60 days later in a limited portion of the nucleus reticularis gigantocellularis (Gi) and Gi pars alpha. Lesions included subtotal dorsal hemisections that spared only the lateral half of the dorsal portion of the lateral funiculus on one side, dorsal and over-dorsal hemisections, and subtotal transections that spared predominantly just the ventromedial white matter. Electrophysiological data for 448 single unit recordings obtained from 32 urethane-anaesthetized rats, when analysed in groups based upon histological lesion reconstructions, revealed (1) ascending bilateral projections in the dorsal, dorsolateral and ventrolateral white matter of the spinal cord conveying information from the male external genitalia to MRF, and (2) ascending bilateral projections in the ventrolateral white matter conveying information from the pelvic visceral organs (bladder, descending colon, urethra) to MRF. Multiple spinal pathways from the penis to the MRF may correspond to different functions, including those processing affective/pleasure/motivational, nociception, and mating-specific (such as for erection and ejaculation) inputs.
The defensive effect of medical practice policies in malpractice litigation.

According to the prevailing discourse in health policy circles, America's medical system is in the grips of two "crises": one of health care spending and one of medical malpractice liability. Although this crisis mentality may result in part from uncritical acceptance of interest group dogma, to the extent that a crisis is in fact widely perceived, it has the quality of a selffulfilling prophesy: if doctors believe, rightly or wrongly, that malpractice suits are out of control, they will practice more defensively, which will further fuel rampant health care spending.' Moreover, malpractice law may stand as a principal force in opposition to cost containment reforms: if the inflated practice norms of the past are enshrined in malpractice law precedents, then any physician who responds to cost containment incentives by treating patients less aggressively may be exposing herself to certain malpractice liability.2
Double or Nothing: A Tax Treaty for the 21st Century

The current tax treaty network was developed in the 1920s and 1930s in order to prevent double residence/source taxation. This kind of double taxation rarely exists any more because most countries have adopted either an exemption system or a foreign tax credit regime in their domestic (non-treaty) law, which effectively prevents residence/source double taxation even in the absence of a treaty. Instead, as Tsilly Dagan has pointed out, the current treaties serve mostly to transfer revenue from the source country to the residence country. This suggests that treaties may be unnecessary because exemption from withholding taxes by source countries can be done unilaterally. However, in the era of globalization (post 1980), the treaties have developed two new functions, both of which apply primarily to individual taxpayers: First, to prevent double non-taxation by ensuring that withholding taxes are collected if there is no assurance of taxation by the residence country. Second, to enforce residence based taxation of individuals by having source countries provide information to residence countries about income derived by their residents in the source country. The paper proposes ways to update the US model treaty to reflect these new functions.
Induction of cytochrome P450 3A and heat shock protein by tributyltin in blue crab, Callinectes sapidus

Abstract Tributyltin (TBT), a toxic contaminant in aquatic environments, breaks down cytochrome P450 enzymes (P450s) in vitro. To determine in vivo effects of long-term TBT-exposure in aquatic invertebrates, respiration rates, heat shock protein induction, microsomal cytochrome P450 levels and metabolism of [14C]testosterone were examined in the hepatopancreas of blue crabs fed TBT. Four groups of crabs were fed fish injected with ethanol or 2, 4 or 8 μg TBT Cl dissolved in ethanol/g meat; doses of 0, 125, 250, or 500 μg kg−1 respectively. Crabs were fed TBT-treated meat every other day for 16 days. Respiration rates were significantly decreased after TBT exposure. Hepatopancreas microsomes and cytosol were prepared 24 h after the last feeding. Heat shock protein was induced at the two highest TBT exposure concentrations. Total P450 levels were similar in all samples; however, protein cross-reacting with anti-scup CYP 3A, an isozyme responsible for 6β-hydroxylation of testosterone in vertebrates, increased at the 250 μg and 500 μg TBT Cl kg−1 dose. EROD activity showed that CYP 1A was not elevated. Hydroxylation of [14C]testosterone at the 6β, 6α, 7α, and 16α positions by hepatopancreas microsomes increased significantly in crabs exposed to 250 μg TBT Cl kg−1. The lack of increase in [14C]testosterone hydroxylation at the 500 μg kg−1 dosage may result from TBT Cl's disruption of P450 activity at high concentrations. Incubation of control microsomes with TBT significantly reduced spectrally quantified P450 as well as P450 activity after 2 h, showing that TBT Cl interferes with crab microsomal P450 proteins. Immunoinhibition of testosterone 6β-hydroxylation was accomplished by using scup CYP 3A antibody, showing that the antibody specifically binds to a protein with 6β-hydroxylase activity. These results indicate that blue crabs are stressed by TBT-exposure, and upregulate P450 isozymes possibly to aid in metabolism and elimination of TBT.
The Capital Structure Puzzle: Another Look at the Evidence

Since the formulation of the M & M irrelevance propositions 40 years ago, financial economists have been debating whether there is such a thing as optimal capital structure—a proportion of debt to equity that maximizes current firm value. Some finance scholars have followed M & M by arguing that both capital structure and dividend policy are largely “irrelevant” in the sense that they have no significant, predictable effects on corporate market values. Another school of thought holds that corporate financing choices reflect an attempt by corporate managers to balance the tax shields and disciplinary benefits of greater debt against the increased probability and costs of financial distress. Yet another theory says that companies do not have capital structure targets, but instead follow a financial pecking order in which retained earnings are preferred to outside financing, and debt is preferred to equity when outside funding is required. In reviewing the evidence that has accumulated since M & M, the authors argue that taxes, bankruptcy (and other “contracting”) costs, and information costs (the main factor in the pecking order theory) all appear to play an important role in corporate financing decisions. While much if not most of the evidence is consistent with the argument that companies set target leverage ratios, there is also considerable support for the pecking order theory's contention that firms are willing to deviate widely from their targets for long periods of time. According to the authors, the key to reconciling the different theories—and thus to solving the capital structure puzzle—lies in achieving a better understanding of the relation between corporate financing stocks (leverage ratios) and flows (specific choices between debt and equity). Even if companies have target leverage ratios, there will be an optimal deviation from those targets—one that will depend on the transactions and information costs associated with adjusting back to the target relative to the costs of deviating from the target. As the authors argue in closing, a complete theory of capital structure must take account of these adjustment costs and how they affect expected deviations from the target.
Field validation study of conjoint analysis using selected mail survey response rate facilitators

Abstract The present two-part study examines the external field validity of conjoint analysis. In Part I, a mail survey was undertaken to generate respondents' rank preferences for a stimulus set of nine profiles of mail survey response facilitators. Respondents' rank preferences of the stimulus set was predicted from part-worth estimates derived from LINMAP, MONANOVA, and OLS estimation procedures. In Part II, the nine stimulus profiles were used as treatments in a mail survey. Response rates represented repondents' actual preferences for the real stimuli. Conjoint-predicted rank preferences (Part I) were compared with the response rates for the real stimuli (Part II) on several criteria. The results indicated that LINMAP, MONANOVA, and OLS conjoint estimation procedures have relatively low external validity.
35.1: Invited Paper: A 50-in. Diagonal Plasma Display Panel with High Luminous Efficiency and High Display Quality

Higher Xe content gas has been applied to an improved cell design using “T”-shaped electrode and deep WAFFLE rib. Newly developed 50-in. diagonal wide/XGA panels have a luminous efficacy, a panel luminance and a panel full screen white luminance of 1.8 lm/W, 900 cd/m2 and 200 cd/m2 respectively. The power consumption of the new 50-in. display monitor is 348W. The image qualities, other than luminance, have been also improved by “smooth CREAR” driving method and “pure” color filter. The driving method reproduces 768 gray levels and the gradation on low luminance region is as smooth as 4000-step gray levels. Color gamut reproducing full NTSC area and a bright-room contrast ratio of 120:1 under ambient illumination on the screen of 150 lx have been obtained by the color filter. After all the newly developed plasma displays (PDPs here after) show high display quality and the total display performance of them, as a large-screen TV, excels that of any other display device.
Temporal patterns of nutrition dependence in secondary sexual traits and their varying impacts on male mating success

Variation in the quantity of nutrients ingested over an individual's lifetime is likely to differentially affect distinct male secondary sexual traits and courtship signals, potentially providing females with information about a male's past and present foraging history. We hypothesize that female choice is thus influenced by a male's lifetime foraging history. To test this, we manipulated the quantity of nutrients (i.e. prey items) available to male wolf spiders, Schizocosa stridulans, using a fully crossed 2 × 2 design with low versus high prey quantity across juvenile and adult life stages, and assessed the impact of these diet treatments on male foreleg pigmentation, courtship rate and mating success. We found foreleg pigmentation to be dependent upon both juvenile and adult diet, with increased nutrition dependence of pigmented versus unpigmented leg segments. Despite this, the degree of foreleg pigmentation did not predict mating success. In contrast, courtship rate was not nutrient dependent, yet strongly predicted mating success. Finally, we found a significant interaction between juvenile diet, adult diet and courtship rate on mating success. Males that experienced a diet switch (low juvenile to high adult, LH; high juvenile to low adult, HL) exhibited no relationship between courtship rate and mating success, while those that experienced a consistent diet (LL; HH) showed increased mating success with increased courtship rates. Our results suggest that nutrition dependence of secondary sexual traits is not necessarily a predictor of their role in mating success and that female mate choice is the result of complex interactions between multiple male traits.
What is new in epithelioid hemangioendothelioma of the liver

Summary An unusual hepatic vascular neoplasm has been delineated in recent years. It has characteristic morphologic features consisting o f multiple nodules with relatively acellular centers which may be focally calcified. More peripherally there is a cellular zone containing elongated or plump tumor cells embedded in a fibromyxoid stroma. At the outer edge of the nodules, and particularly in vessels, the tumor cells may assume an epithelioid appearance. The tumor cells exhibit focally positive staining for Factor VIII related antigen and Weibel Palade bodies may be seen on electron microscopy. The tumor is malignant, but may have an indolent course over many years. It may be associated with hepatic cirrhosis and pulmonary osteoarthropathy. Other organs, particularly the lung and soft tissues are frequently involved.
Direct voting on milk price decontrol

Abstract Ballot initiatives offer opportunities to test theories about consumer knowledge of economic issues. The received theory is that initiative and referendum elections give people a greater opportunity to repeal special interest laws than is possible for legislators. This argument assumes that the majority of voters know their own self-interest while being rationally ignorant of the positions taken on special interest legislation by candidates, but to what extent do voters know their own economic interest? This article, which examines the votes on milk price decontrol ballot initiatives in Montana in 1984 and 1986, finds that voters with more knowledge voted to repeal the price controls.
High dimensional data computational demand minimization

Dimensionality reduction is one way to reduce the computational load before analysis is attempted on massive high-dimensional data sets. It would be beneficial to have dimensionality reduction methods where the transformation can be updated recursively based on either known or partially identified data. This paper documents some of our recent work in dimensionality reduction that has applications to real-time automatic pattern recognition systems. Fisher's Linear Discriminant (FLD) is one method of reducing the dimensionality in pattern recognition applications where the covariances of each target group are the same. We develop two recursive versions of the FLD that are appropriate for the two-class case. The first is based on the assumption that it is known which class each new data point belongs to. This could be used with massive data sets where each observation is labeled with the true class and must be processed as it is obtained to build the classifiers. The other version recursively updates the FLD based on partially classified data. The FLD and other reduction methods such as principal component analysis offer global dimensionality reduction within the framework of linear algebra applied to covariance matrices. In this presentation, we describe local methods that use both mixture models and nearest neighbor calculations to construct local versions of these methods. These new versions for local dimensionality reduction provide increased classification accuracy in lower dimensions.
An Anti-jam Communications Technique via Spatial Hiding Precoding

This work describes a new method of designing an anti-jam communications system. The key insight is that many of the concepts learned from interference alignment (IA) in multiple antenna (MIMO) systems can be applied to the field of antijam and robust communications in the presence of intentional jammers. It provides a new fundamental technique of hiding a signal, similar to the mature techniques of frequency hopping or direct sequence spread spectrum. This paper considers a realistic jamming scenario and provides a precoding technique that allows a pair of two-antenna transceivers to communicate while being jammed by a malicious single-antenna node. The precoder uses a small amount of channel information to shape the signal to appear orthogonal to the jammer at the intended receiver. The novelty introduced in this paper is both the application of interference alignment (IA) to anti-jamming communications and a specific method that allows these IA techniques to be practically employed.
Tori invariant under an involutorial automorphism, I

Abstract The geometry of the orbits of a minimal parabolick-subgroup acting on a symmetrick-variety is essential in several areas, but its main importance is in the study of the representations associated with these symmetrick-varieties (see for example [5, 6, 20, and 31]). Up to an action of the restricted Weyl group ofG, these orbits can be characterized by theHk-conjugacy classes of maximalk-split tori, which are stable underk-involutionθassociated with the symmetrick-variety. HereHis a openk-subgroup of the fixed point group ofθ. This is the second in a series of papers in which we characterize and classify theHk-conjugacy classes of maximalk-split tori. The first paper in this series dealt with the case of algebraically closed fields. In this paper we lay the foundation for a characterization and classification for the case of nonalgebraically closed fields. This includes a partial classification in the cases, where the base field is the real numbers, p -adic numbers, finite fields, and number fields.
Influence of polymer modulus on the percolation threshold of latex-based composites

Abstract Monodispersed copolymer emulsions with different glass transition temperatures were synthesized to investigate the effect of room temperature polymer matrix modulus on the electrical properties of carbon black (CB) filled segregated network composites. The emulsion with the highest modulus at room temperature produced composites with the lowest percolation threshold. The threshold for a composite made from a copolymer latex containing an equal ratio of butyl acrylate and methyl methacrylate (BA5) is 1.5 vol%, while the percolation threshold for the much lower modulus BA7 (7:3 BA/MMA ratio) is 4.93 vol%. The microstructure of each composite shows significant differences in the level of CB dispersion within the polymer matrix. Higher modulus polymer particles push the CB more efficiently into the interstitial space between them, resulting in a lower percolation threshold. This modulus effect was confirmed by increasing the drying temperature, where the moduli of latexes (BA5, BA5.5, and BA6) were more similar and the percolation thresholds for three composites also become closer to one another.
Phosphorescence microwave double resonance in exciton states of molecular crystals and coherent states of triplet spin ensembles

ABSTRACT Saturation of the zero-field electron spin transitions of a phosphorescent triplet state by a microwave field causes changes in the intensity and/or polarization of the emission and thus forms the basis for phosphorescence microwave double resonance (PMDR)† in excited triplet states. Because of the sensitivity of photon detection, the technique is capable of detecting as few as 10 4 molecules in a sample depending upon the details of the radiative channels being monitored. If phosphorescence is monitored from an exciton band, PMDR can be used to experimentally differentiate between diffusion limited exciton migration and migration describable by the group velocity of the wave packet of k states, i.e. coherent exciton migration. In the following paper the relationships between PMDR spectroscopy, coherent triplet exciton migration and density of states functions in molecular crystals will be illustrated for crystals which can be considered as models for one-dimensional excitons. In particular, a resonance theory will be outlined that incorporates explicitly exciton–phonon scattering into the Bloch equations and allows one to extract both the lifetime of a k state of the band and the coherence length of the exciton. PMDR experiments in ‘one-dimensional’ molecular crystals are presented which illustrate the salient features of the theory. The experimental results are interpreted using a statistical theory which explicitly includes the exciton band dispersion, the density of state function of band and trap states, and the group velocity of the exciton wave packets. From the above experiments, a coherence length between 300 and 10 4 a and a coherence lifetime of 10 -7 s have been found for k states in the centre of the band for certain substituted benzene crystals at 4 K. Finally, some new PMDR methods for studying the coherent spin properties of mobile and non-mobile states based on optically detected electron spin echoes and echo trains in excited molecular states will be presented. Specifically, a technique will be presented that is capable of measuring any state of the coherence of the spin ensemble, regardless of the optical polarization of emission from the spin sublevels utilizing virtually all of the phosphorescence emission from excited states.
The effect of fluoride ont he arsenolysis of citrulline by soluble enzymes of Streptococci

Abstract A method of purification of cell-free extracts of Streptococcus faecalis is presented. This method effectively removed divalent ions from the enzyme responsible for the transfer of phosphate from a phosphoryl derivative of citrulline to phosphate acceptor. A requirement of divalent ions by the same preparation for the arsenolysis of citrulline could not be demonstrated. Fluoreide was an effective inhibitor of the latter reaction. Treatment of the enzyme preparation by a chelating agent did not effect inactivity toward divalent ions. A hypothesis is presented which explains the action of fluoride.
Standardized Patient Training Programs: an Efficient Solution to the Call for Quality Improvement in Oncologist Communication Skills

Several key medical and oncologic professional societies have endorsed the importance of physician communication as a quality improvement metric. Despite this clear message, there remain substantial barriers to communication skills training (CST) in oncologic specialties. Herein, we describe the major barriers to communications training and propose standardized patient (SP) programs as efficient and strategic starting points and as expansion opportunities for new and existing CSTs.
Modeling and open-loop control of IPMC actuators under changing ambient temperature

Because of the cost and complexity associated with sensory feedback, open-loop control of ionic polymer–metal composite (IPMC) actuators is of interest in many biomedical and robotic applications. However, the performance of an open-loop controller is sensitive to the change in IPMC dynamics, which is influenced heavily by ambient environmental conditions including the temperature. In this paper we propose a novel approach to the modeling and open-loop control of temperature-dependent IPMC actuation dynamics. An IPMC actuator is modeled empirically with a transfer function, the zeros and poles of which are functions of the temperature. With auxiliary temperature measurement, open-loop control is realized by inverting the model at the current ambient temperature. We use a stable but noncausal algorithm to deal with non-minimum-phase zeros in the system that would prevent directly inverting the dynamics. Experimental results are presented to show the effectiveness of the proposed approach in open-loop tracking control of IPMC actuators.