cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Overcoming Human Capital Voids in Underdeveloped Countries

Research Summary In underdeveloped countries like those in Sub-Saharan Africa, firms suffer from human capital voids (i.e., a prevalence of very low levels of skills among individuals). These human capital voids have a negative effect on performance improvement. However, managers can solve this negative effect by choosing organizational upgrading mechanisms that are contextually appropriate. In particular, operating joint ventures with foreign partners compensate for this negative effect, whereas internal research and development (R&D) amplifies this negative effect. Managers should also monitor and push for the reduction of country-level human capital voids because the influences of organizational upgrading mechanisms change. In countries with more developed human capital, joint ventures have a weaker compensating effect, and R&D investments cease to amplify the negative effect. Managerial summary We analyze how firms in underdeveloped countries overcome human capital voids—a prevalence of very low levels of skills among individuals—to improve performance. Building on the knowledge-based view, we argue that managers can strategically select organizational upgrading mechanisms to compensate for the negative effect of the human capital deficiencies of employees on firm performance improvement. We propose that external mechanisms (e.g., operating a joint venture with foreign partners) are better than internal mechanisms (e.g., internal research and development) because external mechanisms provide appropriate ready-made knowledge for learning of low-skilled labor, whereas internal mechanisms create additional learning inefficiencies. However, these influences change in countries with more developed human capital: external mechanisms have a lower compensating influence, whereas internal mechanisms become less inefficient. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Flexibly imposing periodicity in kernel independent FMM: A multipole-to-local operator approach

Abstract An important but missing component in the application of the kernel independent fast multipole method (KIFMM) is the capability for flexibly and efficiently imposing singly, doubly, and triply periodic boundary conditions. In most popular packages such periodicities are imposed with the hierarchical repetition of periodic boxes, which may give an incorrect answer due to the conditional convergence of some kernel sums. Here we present an efficient method to properly impose periodic boundary conditions using a near-far splitting scheme. The near-field contribution is directly calculated with the KIFMM method, while the far-field contribution is calculated with a multipole-to-local (M2L) operator which is independent of the source and target point distribution. The M2L operator is constructed with the far-field portion of the kernel function to generate the far-field contribution with the downward equivalent source points in KIFMM. This method guarantees the sum of the near-field & far-field converge pointwise to results satisfying periodicity and compatibility conditions. The computational cost of the far-field calculation observes the same O ( N ) complexity as FMM and is designed to be small by reusing the data computed by KIFMM for the near-field. The far-field calculations require no additional control parameters, and observes the same theoretical error bound as KIFMM. We present accuracy and timing test results for the Laplace kernel in singly periodic domains and the Stokes velocity kernel in doubly and triply periodic domains.
Excitonic Zeeman splittings in colloidal CdSe quantum dots doped with single magnetic impurities

Doping a semiconductor quantum dot with just a single impurity atom can completely transform its physical properties. Here, we report and analyze the magnetic circular dichroism (MCD) spectra of colloidal CdSe quantum dot samples containing on average fewer than one Mn2+ per quantum dot. Even at this sub-single-dopant level, the low-temperature low-field data are dominated by impurity-induced Zeeman splittings caused by dopant–carrier sp–d exchange. Unlike in more heavily doped quantum dots, however, the MCD intensity at the first CdSe exciton shows a field-induced sign flip as the field strength is increased, reflecting competition between sp–d exchange and the intrinsic Zeeman splittings of comparable magnitude. Most unusually, the competition between these two effects leads to a large apparent shift in the first MCD peak maximum, which we show is attributable to a difference in sign of the intrinsic excitonic g factor between the first and second excitons. Finally, the sp–d and intrinsic contributions to the excitonic Zeeman splittings each exhibit unique magnetic-field and temperature dependencies, allowing the MCD spectra of undoped, singly doped, and bi-doped quantum dot sub-ensembles to be analyzed.
Time-Resolved Proteomics Extends Ribosome Profiling-Based Measurements of Protein Synthesis Dynamics

Ribosome profiling is a widespread tool for studying translational dynamics in human cells. Its central assumption is that ribosome footprint density on a transcript quantitatively reflects protein synthesis. Here, we test this assumption using pulsed-SILAC (pSILAC) high-accuracy targeted proteomics. We focus on multiple myeloma cells exposed to bortezomib, a first-line chemotherapy and proteasome inhibitor. In the absence of drug effects, we found that direct measurement of protein synthesis by pSILAC correlated well with indirect measurement of synthesis from ribosome footprint density. This correlation, however, broke down under bortezomib-induced stress. By developing a statistical model integrating longitudinal proteomic and mRNA-sequencing measurements, we found that proteomics could directly detect global alterations in translational rate caused by bortezomib; these changes are not detectable by ribosomal profiling alone. Further, by incorporating pSILAC data into a gene expression model, we predict cell-stress specific proteome remodeling events. These results demonstrate that pSILAC provides an important complement to ribosome profiling in measuring proteome dynamics.
Cranial Variation and Biodistance in Three Imperial Roman Cemeteries

Ancient Roman populations are expected to exhibit considerable biological variation due to extensive trade networks and migration patterns throughout Europe and the circum-Mediterranean. The purpose of this research is to examine regional biological variation in Italy during Imperial Roman times (I-III Centuries AD) using three samples exhibiting distinctive class and economic systems. The individuals buried at Isola Sacra and Velia represent middle class tradesmen and merchants from coastal port populations from central and southern Italy, respectively; while the individuals from Castel Malnome represent an inland population near Rome of freed slaves and other lower class individuals, involved in heavy labor associated with salt production. Data were recorded from 25 three-dimensional cranial coordinate landmarks and analyzed using Procrustes Superimposition and associated multivariate statistics in MORPHOJ. Procrustes ANOVA statistics were unable to detect any significant group differences for centroid size (p=0.595); but did detect differences in shape (p=0.0154), suggesting some variation between the three samples. Canonical variates analyses based on Procrustes distance values suitable for small sample sizes indicated that while Castel Malnome was not significantly different from either of the coastal sites (Isola Sacra, p=0.2071 and Velia, p=0.8015); Isola Sacra and Velia were significantly different (p=0.0119). The similarity of Castel Malnome to the other sites may reflect inherent heterogeneity in the sample, as it represents a group of freed slaves likely originating from various geographic locations. The separation of the two coastal sites is not unexpected, as Velia's location was influenced by an influx of Greek populations in the southern Italian peninsula. This work supports previous studies using traditional craniometrics and dental metrics showing group similarity across the Italian peninsula and a separation between more northern and southern groups.
A high-bandwidth, high-precision, two-axis steering mirror with moving iron actuator

Abstract This paper focuses on the design, fabrication, assembly, and testing of high bandwidth two-axis mirror positioners for precision optical platforms, which we refer to as the Advanced Fast Steering Mirror (AFSM) and the small Advanced Fast Steering Mirror (sAFSM). These novel positioners consist of a mirror platform driven in two rotational axes by flux-steering electromagnetic actuators, and controlled via position feedback loops. The devices are designed for beam stabilization tasks in lithography, laser communication, lidar, and similar optical applications. We have experimentally demonstrated small-signal system bandwidth of 10 kHz using optical quad-cell feedback and a two-channel analog control architecture. The AFSM has a travel range of ±3.5 mrad, and a measured angular acceleration of 1 × 10 5 rad/s 2 .
Empirical estimation of band gaps, and Ce 3+ and Eu 2+ absorption energies for new radiation detector materials

The number of possible crystalline materials is vast and few have been explored as radiation detector materials. In this work we present an empirical approach for estimating band gaps, and Ce3+ and Eu2+ absorption energies of compounds using only their chemical formulas. The result would be useful in identifying candidate semiconductor detector materials (band gap between 1.5 and 2.5 eV) and Ce3+ and Eu2+ activated scintillator detector materials (low band gap that is greater than the activator absorption energy).
Valuing Lead Time of Forecasts in Dynamic Production Systems: Impact of Prior Beliefs

Abstract A dynamic production process is analyzed where stochastic events which alter output levels occur during the planning horizon. The impact of the stochastic events can be altered by decisions taken prior to the occurrence of the stochastic events. The question addressed is how does the value of forecasts for the stochastic events change as a function of when they are received? This value is highly sensitive to the expectations of the decision maker. Two sets of expectations are examined. In the first set the decision maker assumes that no forecasts will be forthcoming in the future. In the second set of expectations the decision maker begins the planning horizon knowing that a forecast will become available at a specific time in the future. The results show that the set of expectations on behalf of the producer as to whether a forecast will be forthcoming are very important. In addition, the empirical results show that there is a tradeoff between lead time and accuracy of the forecast such that is can be better to receive a less accurate forecast earlier than a more accurate forecast later.
Potential Errors in the Laboratory Diagnosis of Paroxysmal Nocturnal Hemoglobinuria

In a retrospective study of laboratory tests for paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH), the red blood cells of several patients gave conflicting results when different testing procedures were used. To resolve these discrepancies, an examination of the various procedures was undertaken, using sulfhydryl reagent-treated red blood cells as model PNH cells. Rabbit antiserum to human red blood cells was used to sensitize erythrocytes for specific antibody-dependent complement lysis sensitivity tests. Acidified serum and inulin were used in fluid-phase complement activation tests. For the general laboratory, a modification of the sucrose lysis test is described, which can give the relative complement sensitivity and size of an abnormal subpopulation of red blood cells. Considering the results of our patients and the reports in the literature of the association of PNH with a variety of lymphoproliferative and myeloproliferative disorders, it is stressed that testing procedures for PNH be controlled more carefully for a better understanding of the nature of the membrane defect.
Comparison of Growth and Drug Response of Human Tumor Cells in Serum-Free and Serum-Supplemented Media in Human Tumor-Clonogenic Assay

A comparison was made of growth and drug-response of five human tumor cell lines (HT-29, colon carcinoma; TWI, melanoma; A-549, lung carcinoma; Panc-1, pancreatic carcinoma; and EJ, bladder carcinoma) in serum-free media (SFM) and in serum-supplemented media (SSM) using the human tumor-clonogenic assay (HTCA) system. HT-29 cells, which had the highest plating efficiency in both SFM and SSM, were used to obtain dose-response curves for four drugs (adriamycin, 5-fluorouracil, cisplatin, and BCNU) in the HTCA. Three of the drugs (adriamycin, 5-fluorouracil, and cisplatin) produced identical drug-response curves in both SFM and SSM. These results suggest that, for some chemotherapeutic agents, results comparable to those obtained with SSM in the HTCA can be achieved using SFM. Step-by-step addition of growth factors and hormones to SFM may be a useful technique to improve some of the technical and logistic problems associated with the HTCA.
Superficial Lymph Node Infarction

Superficial lymph node necrosis is an unusual pathologic diagnosis encountered in clinical practice. When seen it is usually indicative of involvement of the affected lymph nodes with either metastatic cancer or lymphoma. Occasionally it has been associated with hypersensitivity phenomena with arteriolar involvement. The underlying etiology in all of these instances is extensive occlusion of the rich vascular supply to the node. Rarely cases are seen where no clear-cut etiology can be found. Ten such cases have been reported in the medical literature including the case published in this report. Its occurrence, however, may be more common than previously recognized. Preoperatively it is usually not possible to distinguish this entity from the other diagnoses for which it is generally mistaken. These other diagnoses most commonly include femoral hernia and mass in the axillary tail of the breast. The patient reported here is unusual in regard to the size of the lesion encountered. In other published reports very few lymph nodes were involved. In this case extensive involvement of a large mass of nodes was noted. Once the diagnosis is made limited work-up as well as further close observation is important since it may herald the occurrence of a lymphoproliferative disorder.
Microsurgical Reversal of Vasectomy

Summary Vasectomy reversal has become a simple, routine operative procedure. The results in terms of semen quality and procreation are far below normal. Vasectomy to control fertility is frequently an irreversible procedure since most patients have poor semen quality and reduced fertility after vasovasostomy.
Delegating Decisions: Recruiting Others to Make Choices We Might Regret

Consumers typically prefer freedom of choice, but when faced with a choice they might regret, they may prefer freedom from choice. Eight experiments show that people delegate difficult decisions, regardless of the decision’s importance, and regardless of their potential surrogate’s expertise. Delegation stems from a desire to avoid responsibility for potentially making the wrong choice rather than simply the desire to avoid the possibility of a poor outcome: although anticipated disappointment with the outcome and anticipated regret about one’s decision both contribute to the decision to delegate, only anticipated regret directly leads people to delegate choices to others. Consequently, delegation is an appealing method for coping with difficult choices while allowing consumers to retain the benefits of choosing that they would forgo by opting out of the choice. Moreover, giving people the option to delegate makes them less prone to walk away from difficult choices empty-handed.
Asynchronous coded caching

Coded caching is a technique that promises huge reductions in network traffic in content-delivery networks. However, the original formulation and several subsequent contributions in the area, assume that the file requests from the users are synchronized, i.e., they arrive at the server at the same time. In this work we formulate and study the coded caching problem when the file requests from the users arrive at different times. We assume that each user also has a prescribed deadline by which they want their request to be completed. In the offline case, we assume that the server knows the arrival times before starting transmission and in the online case, the user requests are revealed to the server over time. We present a LP formulation for the offline case that minimizes the overall rate subject to constraint that each user meets his/her deadline. While the online case is much harder, we demonstrate that in the case when the server wishes to minimize the overall completion time, the online solution can be as good as the offline solution. Our simulation results indicate that in the presence of mild asynchronism, much of the benefit of coded caching can still be leveraged.
PIK3CA oncogenic mutations represent a major mechanism of resistance to trastuzumab in HER2/neu overexpressing uterine serous carcinomas

We evaluated the role of PIK3CA-mutations as mechanism of resistance to trastuzumab in primary HER2/neu-amplified uterine-serous-carcinoma (USC) cell lines. Fifteen whole-exome-sequenced USC cell lines were tested for HER2/neu-amplification and PIK3CA-mutations. Four HER2/neu-amplified USC (2-harbouring wild-type-PIK3CA-genes and 2-harbouring oncogenic-PIK3CA-mutations) were evaluated in in vitro dose-titration-proliferation-assays, cell-viability and HER2 and S6-protein-phosphorylation after exposure to trastuzumab. USC harbouring wild-type-PIK3CA were transfected with plasmids encoding oncogenic PIK3CA-mutations (i.e., H1047R/R93Q) and exposed to trastuzumab. Finally, trastuzumab efficacy was tested by using two USC xenograft mouse models. Seven out of fifteen (46%) of the USC cell lines were HER2/neu-amplified by fluorescence in situ hybridisation. Within these tumours four out of seven (57%) were found to harbour oncogenic PIK3CA-mutations vs two out of eight (25%) of the HER2/neu not amplified cell lines (P=0.01). HER2/neu-amplified/PIK3CA-mutated USC were highly resistant to trastuzumab when compared with HER2/neu-amplified/wild-type-PIK3CA cell lines (P=0.02). HER2/neu-amplified/PIK3CA wild-type cell lines transfected with oncogenic PIK3CA-mutations increased their resistance to trastuzumab (P<0.0001). Trastuzumab was effective in reducing tumour growth (P=0.001) and improved survival (P=0.0001) in mouse xenografts harbouring HER2-amplified/PIK3CA wild-type USC but not in HER2-amplified/PIK3CA-mutated tumours. Oncogenic PIK3CA mutations are common in HER2/neu-amplified USC and may constitute a major mechanism of resistance to trastuzumab treatment.
Drug Response Prediction as a Link Prediction Problem

Drug response prediction is a well-studied problem in which the molecular profile of a given sample is used to predict the effect of a given drug on that sample. Effective solutions to this problem hold the key for precision medicine. In cancer research, genomic data from cell lines are often utilized as features to develop machine learning models predictive of drug response. Molecular networks provide a functional context for the integration of genomic features, thereby resulting in robust and reproducible predictive models. However, inclusion of network data increases dimensionality and poses additional challenges for common machine learning tasks. To overcome these challenges, we here formulate drug response prediction as a link prediction problem. For this purpose, we represent drug response data for a large cohort of cell lines as a heterogeneous network. Using this network, we compute "network profiles" for cell lines and drugs. We then use the associations between these profiles to predict links between drugs and cell lines. Through leave-one-out cross validation and cross-classification on independent datasets, we show that this approach leads to accurate and reproducible classification of sensitive and resistant cell line-drug pairs, with 85% accuracy. We also examine the biological relevance of the network profiles.
An Empirical Examination of the Divergence between Managers’ and Analysts’ Earnings Forecasts

We study circumstances when analysts’ forecasts diverge from managers’ forecasts after management guidance, and the consequences of this divergence for investors and analysts. Our results show that investors’ return response to earnings surprises based on analyst forecasts is significantly weaker when analyst and management forecasts diverge, and that this attenuating effect is stronger when the management forecast is more credible. When the divergent management forecast is more accurate than the analyst consensus forecast, the subsequent-quarter analyst consensus forecast is significantly more accurate than that of the current quarter, and exhibits less serial correlation. Overall, our findings suggest that, when analyst and management forecasts diverge, investors find the two sources to contain complementary information, and analysts learn to improve their subsequent forecasts. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
Discovering Forensic Fraud

This piece posits that certain structural dynamics, which dominate criminal proceedings, significantly contribute to the admissibility of faulty forensic science in criminal trials. The authors believe that these dynamics are more insidious than questionable individual prosecutorial or judicial behavior in this context. Not only are judges likely to be former prosecutors, prosecutors are “repeat players” in criminal litigation and, as such, routinely support reduced pretrial protections for defendants. Therefore, we argue that the significant discrepancies between the civil and criminal pretrial discovery and disclosure rules warrant additional scrutiny. In the criminal system, the near absence of any pretrial discovery means the criminal defendant has little to no realistic opportunity to challenge forensic evidence prior to the eve of trial. We identify the impact of pretrial disclosure by exploring the admission of expert evidence in criminal cases from a particular forensic discipline, specifically forensic odontology. Finally, this Essay proposes the adoption of pretrial civil discovery and disclosure rules in criminal proceedings to halt the flood of faulty forensic evidence routinely admitted against defendants in criminal prosecutions.
A theory for the effect of patch/non-patch attractions on the self-assembly of patchy colloids.

In this paper, we develop a thermodynamic perturbation theory to describe the self-assembly of patchy colloids which exhibit both patch–patch attractions as well as patch/non-patch attractions. That is, patches attract other patches as well as the no patch region (we call this region Ψ). In general, the patch–patch and patch–Ψ attractions operate on different energy scales allowing for a competition between different modes of attraction. This competition may result in anomalous thermodynamic properties. As an application, we tune the patch parameters to reproduce the liquid density (suitably scaled) maximum of water. It is then shown that the liquid branch of the colloids phase diagram has liquid densities consistent with both saturated and super-cooled liquid water. Finally, it is shown that the colloids reproduce water's anomalous minimum in isothermal compressibility and negative volume expansivity.
Dietary Nitrate Increases VO2peak and Performance but Does Not Alter Ventilation or Efficiency in Patients With Heart Failure With Reduced Ejection Fraction.

Abstract Background Patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) exhibit lower efficiency, dyspnea, and diminished peak oxygen uptake (VO 2 peak) during exercise. Dietary nitrate (NO 3 − ), a source of nitric oxide (NO), has improved these measures in some studies of other populations. We determined the effects of acute NO 3 − ingestion on exercise responses in 8 patients with HFrEF using a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover design. Methods and Results Plasma NO 3 − , nitrite (NO 2 − ), and breath NO were measured at multiple time points and respiratory gas exchange was determined during exercise after ingestion of beetroot juice containing or devoid of 11.2 mmol of NO 3 − . NO 3 − intake increased ( P 3 − and NO 2 − and breath NO by 1469 ± 245%, 105 ± 34%, and 60 ± 18%, respectively. Efficiency and ventilation during exercise were unchanged. However, NO 3 − ingestion increased ( P 2 peak by 8 ± 2% (ie, from 21.4 ± 2.1 to 23.0 ± 2.3 mL . min −1. kg −1 ). Time to fatigue improved ( P Conclusions Acute dietary NO 3 − intake increases VO 2 peak and performance in patients with HFrEF. These data, in conjunction with our recent data demonstrating that dietary NO 3 − also improves muscle contractile function, suggest that dietary NO 3 − supplementation may be a valuable means of enhancing exercise capacity in this population.
Transparency and Tax Evasion: Evidence from the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA)

We examine how U.S. individuals respond to regulation intended to reduce offshore tax evasion. The Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA) requires foreign financial institutions to report information to the U.S. government regarding U.S. account holders. We first document an average $7.8 billion to $15.3 billion decrease in equity foreign portfolio investment to the United States from tax‐haven countries after FATCA implementation, consistent with a decrease in “round‐tripping” investments attributable to U.S. investors’ offshore tax evasion. When testing total worldwide investment out of financial accounts in tax havens post‐FATCA, we find an average decline of $56.6 billion to $78.0 billion. We next provide evidence of other important consequences of this regulation, including increased expatriations of U.S. citizens and greater investment in alternative assets not subject to FATCA reporting, such as residential real estate and artwork. Our study contributes to both the academic literature and policy analysis on regulation, tax evasion, and crime.
Are single species toxicity tests alone adequate for estimating environmental hazard

Most biologists agree that at each succeeding level of biological organization new properties appear that would not have been evident by even the most intense and careful examination of lower levels of organization. These levels might be crudely characterized as subcellular, cellular, organ, organism, population, multispecies, community, and ecosystem. The field of ecology developed because even the most meticulous study of single species could not accurately predict how several such species might interact competitively or in predator-prey interactions and the like. Moreover, interactions of biotic and abiotic materials at the level of organization called ecosystem are so complex that they could not be predicted from a detailed examination of isolated component parts. This preamble may seem platitudinous to most biologists who have heard this many times before. This makes it all the more remarkable that in the field of toxicity testing an assumption is made that responses at levels of biological organization above single species can be reliably predicted with single species toxicity tests. Unfortunately, this assumption is rarely explicitly stated and, therefore, often passes unchallenged. When the assumption is challenged, a response is that single species tests have been used for years and no adverse ecosystem or multispecies effects were noted. This could be because single species tests are overly protective when coupled with an enormous application factor or that such effects were simply not detected because there were no systematic, scientifically sound studies carried out to detect them. Probably both of these possibilities occur. However, the important factor is that no scientifically justifiable evidence exists to indicate the degree of reliability with which one may use single species tests to predict responses at higher levels of biological organization. One might speculate that the absence of such information is due to the paucity of reliable tests at higher levels of organization. This situation certainly exists but does not explain the lack of pressure to develop such tests. The most pressing need in the field of toxicity testing is not further perfection of single species tests, but rather the development of parallel tests at higher levels of organization. These need not be inordinately expensive, time consuming, or require any more skilled professionals than single species tests. Higher level tests merely require a different type of biological background. Theoretical ecologists have been notoriously reluctant to contribute to this effort, and, as a consequence, such tests must be developed by this and other organizations with similar interests.
Monotonicity Properties and Spectral Characterization of Power Redistribution in Cascading Failures

In this work, we apply spectral graph theory methods to study the monotonicity and structural properties of power redistribution in a cascading failure process. We demonstrate that in contrast to the lack of monotonicity in physical domain, there is a rich collection of monotonicity one can explore in the spectral domain, leading to a systematic way to define topological metrics that are monotonic. It is further shown that many useful quantities in cascading failure analysis can be unified into a spectral inner product, which itself is related to graphical properties of the transmission network. Such graphical interpretations precisely capture the Kirchhoff's law expressed in terms of graph structural properties and gauge the impact of a line when it is tripped.
Optimal Signaling of Content Accuracy: Engagement vs. Misinformation

Motivated by the proliferation of misinformation in online social media, in “Optimal Signaling of Content Accuracy: Engagement vs. Misinformation,” Candogan and Drakopoulos explore how a platform s...
Optimal checkpointing for secure intermittently-powered IoT devices

Energy harvesting is a promising solution to power Internet of Things (IoT) devices. Due to the intermittent nature of these energy sources, one cannot guarantee forward progress of program execution. Prior work has advocated for checkpointing the intermediate state to off-chip non-volatile memory (NVM). Encrypting checkpoints addresses the security concern, but significantly increases the checkpointing overheads. In this paper, we propose a new online checkpointing policy that judiciously determines when to checkpoint so as to minimize application time to completion while guaranteeing security. Compared to state-of-the-art checkpointing schemes that do not account for the overheads of encrypted checkpoints we improve execution time up to 1.4 ×.
Predictability and Dynamics of Hurricane Joaquin (2015) Explored through Convection-Permitting Ensemble Sensitivity Experiments

AbstractReal-time ensemble forecasts from the Pennsylvania State University (PSU) WRF EnKF system (APSU) for Hurricane Joaquin (2015) are examined in this study. The ensemble forecasts, from early in Joaquin’s life cycle, displayed large track spread, with nearly half of the ensemble members tracking Joaquin toward the U.S. East Coast and the other half tracking Joaquin out to sea. The ensemble forecasts also displayed large intensity spread, with many of the members developing into major hurricanes and other ensemble members not intensifying at all.Initial condition differences from the regions greater than (less than) 300 km were isolated by effectively removing initial condition differences in desired regions through relaxing each ensemble member to GFS (APSU) initial conditions. The regions of initial condition errors contributing to the track spread were examined, and the dominant source of track errors arose from the region greater than 300 km from the tropical cyclone center. Further examination of...
Overcoming the research-to-practice gap: A randomized trial with two brief homework and organization interventions for students with ADHD as implemented by school mental health providers.

Objective To evaluate the effectiveness of 2 brief school-based interventions targeting the homework problems of adolescents with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)-the Homework, Organization, and Planning Skills (HOPS) intervention and the Completing Homework by Improving Efficiency and Focus (CHIEF) intervention, as implemented by school mental health providers during the school day. A secondary goal was to use moderator analyses to identify student characteristics that may differentially predict intervention response. Method Two-hundred and eighty middle school students with ADHD were randomized to the HOPS or CHIEF interventions or to waitlist, and parent and teacher ratings were collected pre, post, and at a 6-month follow-up. Results Both interventions were implemented with fidelity by school mental health providers. Participants were pulled from elective periods and sessions averaged less than 20 min. Participants in HOPS and CHIEF demonstrated significantly greater improvements in comparison with waitlist on parent ratings of homework problems and organizational skills and effect sizes were large. HOPS participants also demonstrated moderate effect size improvements on materials management and organized action behaviors according to teachers. HOPS participants made significantly greater improvements in parent- and teacher-rated use of organized actions in comparison with CHIEF, but not on measures of homework problems. Moderation analyses revealed that participants with more severe psychopathology and behavioral dysregulation did significantly better with the HOPS intervention as compared to the CHIEF intervention. Conclusions Brief school-based interventions implemented by school providers can be effective. This type of service delivery model may facilitate overcoming the oft cited research-to-practice gap. (PsycINFO Database Record
The Application of Tactile, Audible, and Ultrasonic Forces to Human Fingertips Using Broadband Electroadhesion

We report an electroadhesive approach to controlling friction forces on sliding fingertips which is capable of producing vibrations across an exceedingly broad range of tactile, audible, and ultrasonic frequencies. Vibrations on the skin can be felt directly, and vibrations in the air can be heard emanating from the finger. Additionally, we report evidence from an investigation of the electrical dynamics of the system suggesting that an air gap at the skin/surface interface is primarily responsible for the induced electrostatic attraction underlying the electroadhesion effect. We developed an experimental apparatus capable of recording friction forces up to a frequency of 6 kHz, and used it to characterize two different electroadhesive systems, both of which exhibit flat force magnitude responses throughout the measurement range. These systems use custom electrical hardware to modulate a high frequency current and apply surprisingly low distortion, broadband forces to the skin. Recordings of skin vibrations with a laser Doppler vibrometer demonstrate the tactile capabilities of the system, while recordings of vibrations in the air with a MEMS microphone quantify the audible response and reveal the existence of ultrasonic forces applied to the skin via electronic friction modulation. Implications for surface haptic and audio-haptic displays are briefly discussed.
DHA Modifies the Size and Composition of Raftlike Domains: A Solid-State 2H NMR Study.

Docosahexaenoic acid is an omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid that relieves the symptoms of a wide variety of chronic inflammatory disorders. The structural mechanism is not yet completely understood. Our focus here is on the plasma membrane as a site of action. We examined the molecular organization of [2H31]-N-palmitoylsphingomyelin (PSM-d31) mixed with 1-palmitoyl-2-docosahexaenoylphosphatylcholine (PDPC) or 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoylphosphatidylcholine (POPC), as a monounsaturated control, and cholesterol (chol) (1:1:1 mol) in a model membrane by solid-state 2H NMR. The spectra were analyzed in terms of segregation into ordered SM-rich/chol-rich (raftlike) and disordered PC-rich/chol-poor (nonraft) domains that are nanoscale in size. An increase in the size of domains is revealed when POPC was replaced by PDPC. Spectra that are single-component, attributed to fast exchange between domains ( 30 nm), for PSM-d31 mixed with PDPC and chol. The resolution of separate signals from PSM-d31, and correspondingly from [3α-2H1]cholesterol (chol-d1) and 1-[2H31]palmitoyl-2-docosahexaenoylphosphatidylcholine (PDPC-d31), in raftlike and nonraft domains enabled us to determine the composition of the domains in the PDPC-containing membrane. Most of the lipid (28% SM, 29% chol, and 23% PDPC with respect to total lipid at 30°C) was found in the raftlike domain. Despite substantial infiltration of PDPC into raftlike domains, there appears to be minimal effect on the order of SM, implying the existence of internal structure that limits contact between SM and PDPC. Our results suggest a significant refinement to the model by which DHA regulates the architecture of ordered, sphingolipid-chol-enriched domains (rafts) in membranes.
A Bayesian approach to relevance in game playing

Abstract The point of game tree search is to insulate oneself from errors in the evaluation function. The standard approach is to grow a full width tree as deep as time allows, and then value the tree as if the leaf evaluations were exact. The alpha-beta algorithm implements this with great computational efficiency. This approach has been effective in many games. Our approach is to form a Bayesian model of our uncertainty. We adopt an evaluation function that returns a probability distribution estimating the probability of various errors in valuing each position. These estimates are obtained by training from data. We thus use additional information at each leaf not available to the standard approach. We utilize this information in three ways: to evaluate which move is best after we are done expanding, to allocate additional thinking time to moves where additional time is most relevant to game outcome, and, perhaps most importantly, to expand the tree along the most relevant lines. Our measure of the relevance of expanding a given leaf provably approximates a measure of the impact of expanding the leaf on expected payoff, including the impact of the outcome of the leaf expansion on later expansion decisions. Our algorithms run (under reasonable assumptions) in time linear in the size of the final tree and hence except for a small constant factor, are as time efficient as alpha-beta. Our algorithm focuses on relevant lines, on which it can in principle grow a tree several times as deep as alpha-beta in a given amount of time. We have tested our approach on a variety of games, including Othello, Kalah, Warri, and others. Our probability independence approximations are seen to be significantly violated, but nonetheless our tree valuation scheme was found to play significantly better than minimax or the Probability Product rule when both competitors search the same tree. Our full search algorithm was found to outplay a highly ranked, directly comparable alpha-beta Othello program even when the alpha-beta program was given sizeable time odds, and also performed well against the three top Othello programs on the Internet Othello Server.
Folate Deficiency Facilitates Genomic Integration of Human Papillomavirus Type 16 DNA In Vivo in a Novel Mouse Model for Rapid Oncogenic Transformation of Human Keratinocytes

Background Epidemiologic and in vitro studies suggest independent linkages between poor folate and/or vitamin B-12 nutrition, genomic human papillomavirus (HPV) type 16 viral integration, and cancer. However, there is no direct evidence in vivo to support the causative role of poor folate nutrition in HPV16 integration into the cellular genome. Objective We tested the hypothesis that folate deficiency enables the integration of HPV16 into the genome of HPV16-harboring keratinocytes, and could thereby influence earlier transformation of these cells to cancer in an animal model. Methods HPV16-harboring human keratinocytes [(HPV16)BC-1-Ep/SL] were differentiated into 3-dimensional HPV16-organotypic rafts under either folate-replete or folate-deficient conditions in vitro. These were then subcutaneously implanted in severely immunocompromised female Beige Nude XID (Hsd: NIHS-LystbgFoxn1nuBtkxid) mice (4-6 wk old, 16-18 g) fed either a folate-replete diet (1200 nmol folate/kg diet) or a progressively folate-deficient diet (600 or 400 nmol folate/kg diet) for 2 mo prior to raft-implantation surgery, and indefinitely thereafter. The tumors that subsequently developed were characterized for onset, pattern of growth, morphology, HPV16 oncogene expression, and HPV16-genomic integration. Results All HPV16-organotypic rafts developed in either folate-replete or physiologic low-folate media in vitro and subsequently implanted in folate-replete mice eventually transformed into aggressive malignancies within weeks. When compared to HPV16-high folate-organotypic raft-derived tumors from mice fed either a 1200 or 600 nmol folate/kg diet, those raft-derived cancers that developed in mice fed a 400 nmol folate/kg diet expressed significantly more HPV16 E6 (1.8-fold more) and E7 (2.8-fold more) oncogenic proteins (P = 0.001), and revealed significantly more HPV16-integration sites in genomic DNA (2-fold more), either directly into, or in the vicinity of, cellular genes (P Conclusions This unprecedented animal model for the consistent rapid transformation of differentiated (HPV16)BC-1-Ep/SL-derived organotypic raft-keratinocytes to cancer in Beige Nude XID mice confirms that dietary folate deficiency can profoundly influence and modulate events leading to HPV16-induced carcinogenesis, and facilitates genomic integration of HPV16 DNA in vivo.
Single-cell profiling of the developing mouse brain and spinal cord with split-pool barcoding

To facilitate scalable profiling of single cells, we developed split-pool ligation-based transcriptome sequencing (SPLiT-seq), a single-cell RNA-seq (scRNA-seq) method that labels the cellular origin of RNA through combinatorial barcoding. SPLiT-seq is compatible with fixed cells or nuclei, allows efficient sample multiplexing, and requires no customized equipment. We used SPLiT-seq to analyze 156,049 single-nucleus transcriptomes from postnatal day 2 and 11 mouse brains and spinal cords. More than 100 cell types were identified, with gene expression patterns corresponding to cellular function, regional specificity, and stage of differentiation. Pseudotime analysis revealed transcriptional programs driving four developmental lineages, providing a snapshot of early postnatal development in the murine central nervous system. SPLiT-seq provides a path toward comprehensive single-cell transcriptomic analysis of other similarly complex multicellular systems.
Sell Low and Buy High: Arbitrage and Local Price Effects in Kenyan Markets

Large and regular seasonal price fluctuations in local grain markets appear to offer African farmers substantial intertemporal arbitrage opportunities, but these opportunities remain largely unexploited. Small-scale farmers are commonly observed to “sell low and buy high,” rather than the reverse. In a field experiment in Kenya, we show that credit market imperfections limit farmers’ abilities to move grain intertemporally. Providing timely access to credit allows farmers to buy at lower prices and sell at higher prices, increasing farm revenues and generating a return on investment of 29%. To understand general equilibrium (GE) effects of these changes in behavior, we vary the density of loan offers across locations. We document significant effects of the credit intervention on seasonal price fluctuations in local grain markets, and show that these GE effects shape individual-level profitability estimates. In contrast to existing experimental work, the results indicate a setting in which microcredit can improve firm profitability, and suggest that GE effects can substantially shape microcredit’s effectiveness. In particular, failure to consider these GE effects could lead to underestimates of the social welfare benefits of microcredit interventions.
PiFlow: A biocompatible low-cost programmable dynamic flow pumping system utilizing a Raspberry Pi Zero and commercial piezoelectric pumps

United States. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency. Microphysiological Systems Program (W911NF-12-2-0039)
S4ND : Single-Shot Single-Scale Lung Nodule Detection

The most recent lung nodule detection studies rely on computationally expensive multi-stage frameworks to detect nodules from CT scans. To address this computational challenge and provide better performance, in this paper we propose S4ND, a new deep learning based method for lung nodule detection. Our approach uses a single feed forward pass of a single network for detection. The whole detection pipeline is designed as a single 3D Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) with dense connections, trained in an end-to-end manner. S4ND does not require any further post-processing or user guidance to refine detection results. Experimentally, we compared our network with the current state-of-the-art object detection network (SSD) in computer vision as well as the state-of-the-art published method for lung nodule detection (3D DCNN). We used publicly available 888 CT scans from LUNA challenge dataset and showed that the proposed method outperforms the current literature both in terms of efficiency and accuracy by achieving an average FROC-score of 0.897. We also provide an in-depth analysis of our proposed network to shed light on the unclear paradigms of tiny object detection.
A Plea For Coalition of the Quantifiable and the Non-Quantifiable Approaches to Management

This article presents a speech by Ernest Dale, president of the Wharton School of Finance and Commerce at the University of Pennsylvania, delivered at the 28th annual meeting of the Academy of Mana...
Mutant phenotypes for thousands of bacterial genes of unknown function

One-third of all protein-coding genes from bacterial genomes cannot be annotated with a function. Here, to investigate the functions of these genes, we present genome-wide mutant fitness data from 32 diverse bacteria across dozens of growth conditions. We identified mutant phenotypes for 11,779 protein-coding genes that had not been annotated with a specific function. Many genes could be associated with a specific condition because the gene affected fitness only in that condition, or with another gene in the same bacterium because they had similar mutant phenotypes. Of the poorly annotated genes, 2,316 had associations that have high confidence because they are conserved in other bacteria. By combining these conserved associations with comparative genomics, we identified putative DNA repair proteins; in addition, we propose specific functions for poorly annotated enzymes and transporters and for uncharacterized protein families. Our study demonstrates the scalability of microbial genetics and its utility for improving gene annotations.