cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Product Market Advertising and IPO Overvaluation

This paper studies the impact of product market advertising on the overvaluation of IPO price relative to intrinsic value. We find that an IPO firm with more product market advertising in its IPO year sets a higher offer price for its upcoming IPO. Such an IPO firm is also more overpriced by investors in the aftermarket. Our results are robust to various measures of IPO valuation, such as long run stock return and the ratio of price to intrinsic value. We further study the impact of product market advertising on investors and financial analysts in the aftermarket. Our results show that product market advertising increases both the dispersion in analysts' earnings forecasts and the trading volume in the aftermarket, and decreases the stock holding by institutional investors. We also provide evidence that these changes in forecast revisions, trading volume, and institutional investor holding are related to IPO overvaluation. Overall, our results suggest that the positive impact of product market advertising on IPO valuation could be explained by the sentiment explanation. Product market advertising could increase the divergence of opinion among retail investors and induce investors with more optimistic sentiment to buy the IPO stock in the aftermarket. This optimism induced by advertising allows the IPO firm to overprice its IPO to a larger degree.
Smashing Pumpkins: Interventions to the Economy in Hungary, From a Competition Policy Perspective

In a previous article, I described the actual mishaps in competition regulation in Hungary. The newly elected Hungarian Government introduced very protectionist rhetoric followed by similar actions. In this article, I will show some of the actions of the government and look at how this relates to mainstream competition policy thinking. The Government began a large-scale redirection of the economy as Hungary was on the verge of bankruptcy. This redirection involved several contested decisions, such as: Erzsebet utalvany (cafeteria vouchers system); lex MOL; and statutory price drops for utilities. For a long time, Hungarian competition policy was regarded as one of the best among countries with newly introduced competition legislation. This was a result of the legacy of the first few leaders of the Hungarian competition authority, who could achieve large-scale real independence for the authority. The leaders of the competition authority changed after the election of the new government in 2010. There was a large turnover of former competition authority too. These departures left the new President and his team with the responsibility to recalibrate the authority. The staff that was hired around that time now hold leading positions within the national competition authority. Skimming through the case law we see several protectionist measures that make it difficult to navigate the Hungarian competition policy landscape. In a previous article, I highlighted the difficulties arising from the first few interventions by the Hungarian government. In this article, I will elaborate on the issue that draws a clear, systematic system of national protectionist measures.
Use of antipsychotic and sedative medications in older patients in the emergency department.

Background Antipsychotics and sedatives are used to treat agitation in the emergency department (ED) but carry significant risk in older adults. Our objective was to determine factors associated with their administration to older ED patients. Methods This was an observational study using data from the 2014-2017 National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey. We identified ED visits for patients aged ≥65 years and determined whether an antipsychotic or sedative was administered. Visits related to substance use/withdrawal, other psychiatric complaints, and intubation were excluded. We performed multivariable logistic regression to identify risk factors for antipsychotic or sedative administration. Results Of the 78.7 million ED visits that met inclusion criteria, 3.5% involved at least one dose of antipsychotic or sedative medication; 13% involved an antipsychotic and 92% a sedative. Factors associated with antipsychotic administration included nursing home residence (adjusted odds ratio [aOR]: 2.67; 95% CI: 1.05-6.80), dementia (aOR: 5.62; 95% CI: 2.44-12.94), and delirium (aOR: 7.33; 95% CI: 2.21-24.32). Sedative administration was positively associated with CT or MR imaging (aOR: 1.86; 95% CI: 1.42-2.43), urbanicity of ED (aOR: 1.46; 95% CI: 1.02-2.08), and female gender (aOR: 1.47; 95% CI: 1.08-1.99) and negatively associated with older age (age: 75-84; aOR: 0.67; 95% CI: 0.49-0.91; age: 85+; aOR: 0.63; 95% CI: 0.45-0.88; reference age: 65-74 years). Antipsychotic and sedative administration were associated with prolonged ED lengths of stay and hospital admission. Conclusion We identified patient- and facility-level factors associated with sedative and antipsychotic administration in older ED patients. Antipsychotic and sedative administration were associated with prolonged ED lengths of stay and hospital admission.
Responses to Carbohydrate Consumption Among Insulin-Dependent Diabetics

Healthy adults have been found to report heightened fatigue and sleepiness two hours after eating an unbalanced, high-carbohydrate meal. A plausible underlying mechanism is that the insulin secretion triggered by such a meal permits enhanced brain influx of tryptophan and serotonin synthesis by lessening plasma levels of the competing branched-chain amino acids. We tested the hypothesis that, after consuming an unbalanced carbohydrate meal, insulin-dependent diabetics would show evidence of insulin resistance and would fail to report fatigue. Self-reported fatigue, serum insulin and plasma glucose were assessed before and after healthy subjects (n = 7) and insulin-dependent diabetics (n = 10) ate a 799-calorie lunch supplying 105 g carbohydrate and 0.7 g protein. Unlike normals, diabetics failed to exhibit fatigue after consuming the carbohydrate lunch. Diabetics also showed evidence of insulin insensitivity, failing to suppress glucose to clinically acceptable levels even in the presence of elevated insulin levels. Findings suggest that insulin insensitivity may blunt behavioral responses to carbohydrate consumption.
Alcohol Use Among Pregnant Ugandan Women of Mixed HIV Status is Associated with Social Environment and Food Insecurity

Antenatal alcohol use (AAU) is associated with poor health outcomes in maternal-infant dyads. However, AAU prevalence and risk factors are poorly understood, particularly in low-income settings. Therefore we studied correlates of any AAU among pregnant women receiving antenatal care in Gulu, Uganda. Characteristics of pregnant women enrolled in a cohort study (n=403, 33% HIV+) were assessed at multiple levels of the social-ecological model (SEM). AAU was reported by 20.1% of participants. Beer (10.1%) and kweete (sorgum-millet brew) (9.2%) were the most frequently consumed alcohols (Figure 1). Excessive drinking was rare; mean alcohol units consumed/month was 4.4 in those who drank. In multivariate logistic models, social environment, (partner drinking 蠅30 days/month, [Odds Ratio (OR) 2.17, p=0.03] or friends drinking 1-29 days/month [OR 3.59, p<0.001]), maternal age [OR 1.06, p value=0.01], and greater food security [OR 0.93, p=0.02} were associated with AAU (Table 1). Many covariates of AAU seen elsewhe...
SKIP TRIE MATCHING FOR REAL TIME OCR OUTPUT ERROR CORRECTION ON ANDROID SMARTPHONES

Proactive nutrition management is considered by many dieticians as a key factor in reducing cancer, diabetes, and other illnesses caused by mismanaged diets. As more individuals manage their daily activities with smartphones, they start using their smartphones as diet management tools. Unfortunately, while there are many vision-based mobile applications to process barcodes, there is a relative dearth of vision- based applications for extracting useful nutrition information items such as nutrition facts, caloric contents, and ingredients. In this paper, we present a greedy algorithm, called Skip Trie Matching (STM), for real time OCR output error correction on smartphones. The STM algorithm uses a dictionary of strings stored in a trie data structure to correct OCR errors by skipping misrecognized characters. The number of skipped characters is referred to as the skip distance. The algorithm's worst-case performance is
Studies of Cluster Galaxies at Large Lookback Times

In our attempts to understand the spectral evolution of galaxies, we are fortunate indeed to have the ability to look back in time and observe galaxies as they were billions of years ago. Perhaps in no other discipline is it possible to gain such a direct view to history. The galaxies we seek to study are remote, their light faint, and thus only recently has it become technically feasible to sample the spectra of normal luminosity galaxies at lookback times of five billion years or more.
The relationship between obesity, hyperglycemia symptoms, and health-related quality of life among Hispanic and non-Hispanic white children and adolescents

The current study was conducted to evaluate the effects of overweight, hyperglycemia symptoms, Hispanic ethnicity, and language barriers on health-related quality of life (HRQoL) among children and adolescents. Parents'/guardians of a population based sample of 5530 children between ages 3 and 18 were administered the parents' version of the KINDL® survey instrument to assess HRQoL in children and adolescents. Multiple linear regression analysis was used to assess relationships between HRQoL, body mass index, and hyperglycemia symptoms categories. The mean age of children was 10.6 (SD = 4.3). The mean KINDL® total score was 79.7 (SD = 11.6) and the mean physical functioning score was 81.9 (SD = 20.3). Male children exhibited better physical health as compared to the female children (p < 0.001). Overweight children had lower overall HRQoL (p = 0.008). However, the association was not significant for the four of the six subscales including the physical health domain. Children with hyperglycemia symptoms and a family history of diabetes also had significantly lower overall and physical health HRQoL (p < 0.05). Children diagnosed with diabetes and in lower income strata also had significantly lower overall HRQoL (p < 0.05). No significant association between the Hispanic ethnicity and HRQoL was observed. However, those who reported mostly speaking Spanish exhibited significantly lower overall HRQoL (p = 0.001). Results suggest that overweight may reduce overall quality of life among children, though it does not directly influence physical functioning. However, hyperglycemia symptoms may affect both overall health and physical functioning. Findings also suggest the need for developing programs directed at overcoming language barriers that may face Spanish-speaking children or their parents. Furthermore, targeting children who have hyperglycemia symptoms with public information campaigns may be more appropriate than targeting overweight children.
An X-band dual-mode antenna using substrate integrated waveguide cavity for simultaneous satellite and terrestrial links

In this work, we present a simple method to realize a dual band antenna with pattern diversity using substrate integrated waveguide (SIW) cavity at X -band. The proposed antenna operates at around 10 GHz and 12.5 GHz. Making uses of the first two fundamental modes of waveguide cavity, i.e., TE 101 and TE 102 , we can realize a monopole-like radiation pattern for the lower band and a broadside radiation pattern for the higher band. The proposed antenna is very suitable to be used in the communication systems where both satellite and terrestrial links are needed.
Assaying proteins for molecular chaperone activity.

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the assaying proteins for molecular chaperone activity. Molecular chaperones play critical roles in protein folding, assembly, and translocation. Additionally, molecular chaperones maintain other proteins in translocationally competent, unfolded conformations and also function during subsequent folding. Recent evidence has suggested that molecular chaperones are probably the cellular factors responsible for this discrepancy. The cellular requirement for chaperones is because of the adverse conditions that can exist in cells that jeopardize productive protein folding. These conditions include the high cellular concentration of folding intermediates that are prone to aggregation or misfolding or that can result from the presence of environmental stresses—such as heat shock—which promote protein unfolding. Several properties define molecular chaperone activity: (1) the ability to recognize and bind unfolded proteins, (2) to suppress aggregation during protein unfolding and folding, (3) to influence the yield of folding, and (4) to carry out properties 2 and 3 at approximately stoichiometric levels.
RA Codes Achieve AWGN Channel Capacity

In ref. [3] we introduced a simplified ensemble of serially concatenated "turbo-like" codes which we called repeat-accumulate, or RA codes. These codes are very easy to decode using an iterative decoding algorithm derived from belief propagation on the appropriate Tanner graph, yet their performance is scarcely inferior to that of full-fledged turbo codes. In this paper, we prove that on the AWGN channel, RA codes have the potential for achieving channel capacity. That is, as the rate of the RA code approaches zero, the average required bit Eb/N0 for arbitrarily small error probability with maximum-likelihood decoding approaches log 2, which is the Shannon limit. In view of the extreme simplicity of RA codes, this result is both surprising and suggestive.
Seasonal variability of black carbon mass in the tropical tropopause layer

[1] While most black carbon (BC)-containing particles are removed in the lower troposphere in the tropics, some are lofted to higher altitudes via convection where they may be distributed globally throughout the tropical tropopause layer (TTL). Single-particle measurements of BC aerosol were made from the NASA WB-57F aircraft during both the dry (February 2006) and wet (August 2007) seasons in Central America. BC mass loadings declined sharply with increasing altitude from the ground to 5 km. In the TTL, they were up to six times higher in the wet relative to the dry season. The variability in BC mass was examined using convective-influence back trajectories to determine the source regions. The seasonal differences in the vertical profiles are explained by long-range transport of (1) low-BC air from the southern hemisphere in the dry season and (2) high-BC air from biomass-burning or pollution sources in Africa and Asia advected by the Asian monsoon circulation in the wet season.
Drip Irrigation Design on Nonuniform Slopes

The pressure variation along a lateral line can be determined by a linear combination of energy drop by friction and energy gain (or loss) by either uniform or non-uniform slopes. Design charts were developed from computer simulation for five non-uniform slope patterns. In Pattern I situation where the non-uniform slope has a general shape similar to the energy gradient curve, the average slope can be used in the design. A single dimensionless design chart for non-uniform slope situations was developed; it can be used for all non-uniform situations and for both British and metric units. The application of Poly-plot was examined and further expansion of the concept of Poly-plot led to the development of the Isograph that can be used for both uniform and non-uniform slope situations. When a lateral line is relatively long it can be divided into several sections in which varying sizes can be designed for each section.
Selective growth of metal‐rich silicide of near‐noble metals

Near‐noble metals react with Si to form a metal‐rich silicide at 100 to 200 °C. Growth of the silicide is selected by the criterion that diffusion of near‐noble metal atoms to the silicide‐silicon interface is needed in order to maintain a high interface mobility. Structure of the metal‐rich silicide facilitates the diffusion. It has been postulated that high interface mobility can be achieved by transforming Si atoms at the interface from covalent bonding to metallic bonding and the transformation can be induced by forming metal interstitials in Si.
Valence fluctuations with finite U: A mechanism for high-temperature superconductivity

Abstract The two-hole resonance mechanism of Newns is explored by a new self-consistent method. Our previous variational treatment of the Anderson lattice is now extended to finite U (all U ≥ 0), also now incorporating the physics of the Gutzwiller version of the U = ∞ mean field approximation. This is applied to a simple model of La 2-x Sr x CuO 4 , and superconductivity is obtained. Due to the Gutzwiller feature, however, superconductivity is now obtained only when the bare 3d energy level is raised so high that the 3d 8 and 3d 10 configuration energies are effectively interchanged, with respect to the picture obtained from photoemission data. Several arguments suggests that the analyses of the latter data are at fault, and we indeed find that this data can be reinterpreted in conformity with the present superconductivity parameter regime.
Low-Latency Low-Complexity Architectures for Viterbi Decoders

Look-ahead techniques are applied in the nonlinear add-compare-select unit for achieving high throughput in Viterbi decoders. Multiple steps of the binary trellis are combined into an equivalent one-step complex trellis in time sequence, which is referred to as the branch metric precomputation (BMP). As the look-ahead level increases, the BMP dominates the complexity and delay of the overall system architecture. This paper systematically proposes an optimal branch metric computation scheme with the minimal complexity and latency. The proof of its optimality is also given. This highly efficient scheme leads to a novel overall optimal BMP architecture for any look-ahead level. Furthermore, an alternative technique other than the look-ahead is proposed for reducing the latency at very low complexity cost. This alternative technique can be either applied in combination with the proposed architecture to achieve the lowest latency at a slight increase in complexity or used on its own for low complexity compared with other look-ahead-based architectures. Results show that the three proposed architectures can either reduce complexity by up to 84% or reduce the latency by up to 72.50%.
Effects of procedural and outcome accountability on judgment quality

Abstract Individuals are said to be accountable whenever their performance is monitored and there are consequences (either tangible or intangible) associated with that evaluation. We propose that there are at least two distinct types of accountability. One focuses on justification of the procedure used to arrive at an action (procedural accountability, or PA); the other focuses on the quality of the outcomes of that action (outcome accountability, or OA). In three experiments, subjects judged the likelihood that each of a set of individuals held a particular attitude on the basis of background information about those individuals. Results from Experiments 1 and 2 suggested that PA encourages people to take more of the available information into account. Whether or not this effect was beneficial, however, depended on how relevant that information was to the target judgment. OA had only detrimental effects, increasing the amount of noise (or “scatter”) in subjects' judgments and thus leading to lower accuracy overall. Experiment 3 extended the work on PA, focusing on its relationship to the effects of outcome feedback. Results indicated that PA significantly reduced the tendency to be overly responsive to such feedback by reducing the variability in judgment unrelated to the target event. Practical and theoretical implications are discussed.
Russia and the United States in the World Economy

IN THE POSTWAR WORLD, the United States and the Soviet Union will represent two different ideologies and, willy-nilly, two competitive forces. Other nations will inevitably fall under the influence of one or other of these two potential rivals. There are some sceptical minds who are inclined to the worst predictions about this prospect, and there are a few optimists who believe in the evolution of understanding and the development of friendship. Many exaggerate Russia's resources; very few understand what advantages the United States possesses in comparison with Russia. After the destruction of the old regime, the aim of the Russian Revolution was to transform Russia into a highly industrialized country and the slogan "To catch up with and surpass America" gained great popularity. The slogan was an acknowledgment that America holds the first place among industrial nations and, at the same time, an admission of Russia's industrial backwardness. It was also a proclamation that the fundamental goal is the achievement of rapid industrial progress. It is quite natural that the United States
Formal verification using parametric representations of Boolean constraints

We describe the use of parametric representations of Boolean predicates to encode data-space constraints and significantly extend the capacity of formal verification. The constraints are used to decompose verifications by sets of case splits and to restrict verifications by validity conditions. Our technique is applicable to any symbolic simulator. We illustrate our technique on state-of-the-art Intel(R) designs, without removing latches or modifying the circuits in any way.
Advanced lipoprotein measures and recurrent preterm birth

Objective Lipoproteins are associated with atherogenic and inflammatory processes, and these processes may be related to adverse pregnancy outcomes. We therefore examined whether variations in lipoprotein particle size and concentration are associated with preterm birth (PTB) Study Design This is a case-control ancillary study to a randomized trial of omega-3 fatty acid supplementation to prevent recurrent PTB. We measured standard lipids and used nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy to characterize 17 lipoprotein particles from plasma collected at the baseline randomization visit (16-21 weeks' gestation) in 128 cases (PTB NMR , high-density lipoprotein NMR , and very LDL (VLDL) NMR , respectively. Results Only 1 of the 17 NMR lipoproteins was associated with recurrent PTB. We observed an increased odds of recurrent PTB of 1.04 (95% confidence interval, 1.01–1.08; P = .02) per nanometer increase in VLDL NMR particle size and an odds ratio of 3.00 (confidence interval, 1.40–6.43; P = .005) for the third tertile of VLDL NMR particle size compared with the first tertile. Conclusion In women with prior PTB, variations in midpregnancy lipoproteins were not associated with recurrent PTB overall, however the association observed with VLDL NMR particle size is suggestive that PTB may be amenable to lifestyle, nutritional, or pharmacologic interventions.
Cardiovascular MRI probes for the outside in and for the inside out

Dirision q/" MR Research, JHOC 4221, The Russell H. Morgan Department oJ" Radiology, Johns Hopkins University, 601 N Caroline Street, Baltimore, MD 21287-0843, USA b D~vision oJ Cardiology, Johns Hopkins UnirersiO,, 600 N Wolfe Street, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA
An Econometric Exploration of Indian Saving Behavior

Abstract The purpose of the study is to throw some light on the saving behavior of urban Indian households. The nature of the effects on saving of income and net worth and their interactions are examined in detail for different socio-economic sub-groups. There is strong evidence that income and net worth significantly influence the level of saving. Contrary to the studies in advanced countries, home-owners had a much lower saving-income ratio than renters although the former had a slightly higher average income. A major reason for this may be the uncommon-ness of amortized mortgages in India, with no contractual commitment to save. Except for age 65 or over, mean income, saving and the saving-income ratio increased with age up to 45 years and thereafter declined. The age group 65 or over had a higher average income and saved the highest proportion of income. This is perhaps due to the prevalence of joint families in India.
Complexity of D″ in the presence of slab‐debris and phase changes

[1] A lower mantle S-wave triplication with a Scd branch is easily observed beneath Central American and its lateral variations has been studied extensively. Attempts to model Scd depth variations with a phase boundary based on tomography predict smooth variations [e.g., Sidorin et al., 1999a]. Recently, Hutko et al. [2005] presents evidence of a sharper feature with a vertical step-like jump of over 50 km, for paths sampling the western edge of a fast lower mantle structure beneath the Cocos Plate. We present a similar type of very anomalous Scd waveforms sampling the edge further to the east. We are able to model these waveforms by adopting the phase-boundary model but enhancing the existing tomographic anomaly just above the velocity jump, which appears to be a folded-slab.
Renomedullary deficiency. A contributory factor in the pathogenesis of experimental renal hypertension.

The results indicate that renomedullary deficiency induced by renal artery clipping might contribute to the development of renal hypertension.
2D Location estimation of angle-only sensor arrays using targets of opportunity

Passive acoustic sensor arrays for tracking ground targets are becoming increasingly popular due to their low cost and ease of deployment. In this paper we present an algorithm for locating sensor arrays in two-dimensions in an acoustic network (or in any network where angle-only measurements are used) when external references, such as GPS or known-location targets, are unavailable. We consider sensor localization when angular measurements are taken from the sensor arrays to targets of opportunity when all sensors take measurements with respect to a common axis of unknown orientation and where the sensors can not “see” each other. The solutions provided consist of low-complexity (generally closed-form) methods of getting initial estimates with no prior information, followed by maximum likelihood (ML) optimization to refine the estimates. Simulation shows that the accuracy approaches the Crame´r Rao Lower Bound (CRLB), something that similar algorithms from previous research have been unable to achieve.
Elastic and viscoelastic characterization of thermally-oxidized polymer resin using nanoindentation

Polymer matrix composites used in high temperature applications experience material property degradation due to thermal oxidation. In the present paper, the oxidation profiles of the isothermally aged PMR-15 specimens are studied using an optical microscope. Results show that the oxidized specimen exhibits distinguished heterogeneous structure. In addition, the spatial dependent elastic and viscoelastic properties of PMR-15 specimens isothermally aged at various environmental conditions are probed through nanoindentation tests. Results indicate that both elastic modulus and creep strain rate sensitivity of the oxidized surfaces are higher than those of the unoxidized interiors. These results are the consequences of chemical and physical changes that occur during oxidation including chemical bond breakage and outgassing of low-molecular weight species.
The effect of phencyclidine on dopamine synthesis and metabolism in rat striatum

Previous behavioral and neurochemical studies indicate that phencyclidine (PCP), a potent psychotomimetic agent, interacts with central dopaminergic systems. We have examined the effects of PCP on the rate of accumulation of 3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine (DOPA) after the inhibition of L-aromatic amino acid decarboxylase and on the levels of dopamine (DA) metabolites: 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid (DOPAC) and homovanillic acid (HVA) in rat striatum. PCP, in doses from 2.5 to 50 mg/kg, decreased the rate of striatal DOPA accumulation. PCP did not antagonized the increase in the rate of striatal DOPA formation caused by haloperidol, reserpine or gamma-butyrolactone (GBL). When given alone, PCP decreased striatal levels of DOPAC and HVA, while it greatly potentiated the haloperidol-induced rise in striatal levels of these two metabolites. PCP is considerably less effective than d-amphetamine in promoting the release of 3H-DA from preloaded striatal slices in vitro. Our results are consistent with the interpretation that PCP potentiates the synaptic effects of endogenous DA. Its mechanism of action appears to be closely related to that of a category of drugs known as non-amphetamine stimulants, which, among others, includes methylphenidate, amfonelic acid and cocaine.
ON THE DYNAMIC PROPERTIES OF THE EXTENSIVE VARIABLE CONTROL STRUCTURES

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the dynamic properties of controller structures synthesized using extensive thermodynamic variables of a process. Several state-space and frequency domain multivariable techniques, including INA, and Modal Interaction Analysis, are used in order to evaluate the dynamic properties of these control structures. These structures show zero steady state interaction and minimal dynamic interaction for all processes examined. Dynamic simulation of several application examples, including distillation columns and a network of two stirred tank heaters in series, shows that the loops in these structures can also be tuned with minimum effort. Comparison of the proposed structures, with the conventional parallel single-input single-output control structures, shows the advantages of the proposed method.
Optimizing LED Properties of 2,7-Bis(phenylethenyl)fluorenes

(E,E)-2,7-Bis(3,4,5-trimethoxyphenylethenyl)fluorene, 1, and a segmented copolymer 2 composed of the same chromophore alternated with nonconjugated 1,6-hexanediyl (alt-oligo(2,6-dimethoxylphenylene-4-vinylene-[9,9-diethylfluoren-2-yl-7-vinylene]-3,5-dimethoxy-phenylene-4-[1,6-hexanedioxyl]) were synthesized. They have solution photoluminescence emission maxima at 420−460 nm, with quantum efficiencies of 0.93 and 0.68, respectively, in chloroform. Electroluminescent spectra in an LED configuration ITO/PEDOT-PSS/(1 or 2)/Ca−Al both showed maxima at 470−480 nm, although the spectrum from 2 was significantly broader. The luminance of LEDs with 1 was over 10-fold higher than those with copolymer 2, 0.515 versus 0.040 cd/A, with turn-on voltages of 3 and 5 V, respectively. The crystallography of 1 showed no chromophore π-stacking; this absence should limit tendencies for emission wavelength shifts due to solid state interchromophore interactions. When 1 was heated in air before incorporation into an LED emissiv...
Electrical resistivity measurements to estimate travel times through unsaturated ground water protective layers

Abstract Evolving environmentaregulations have increased the need for defining the protective properties naturally occurring geologic layers. Of particular significance is the need for defining vertical times-of-travel (TOTs) through protective layers located above municipal water supply wellfields in order to prevent contamination from cultural activities. Surface geoelectrics provide a relatively fast and inexpensive field measurement method that can be used to estimate the protective properties of geologic layers. In particular, the TOT through unsaturated geologic layers is theoretically linearly related to the longitudinal unit conductance ( S ) of the layer. Using a limited number of DC soundings and laboratory analysis, TOTs through a protective layer above a municipal wellfield in Lincoln, Nebraska were predicted from the longitudinal unit conductance of the layer with an estimated standard deviation of 2.9 yr.
Promoting Reflection on Professionalism: A Comparison Trial of Educational Interventions for Medical Students

ABSTRACTPurposeTo determine whether writing, one-on-one interviews with faculty, or a combination of these interventions effectively elicited reflection on professionalism for medical students.MethodThe study was a randomized trial conducted in 2001 at Harborview Medical Center, Seattle, Washington,
Phylogeny, evolutionary history, and biogeography of Oriental-Australian rear-fanged water snakes (Colubroidea: Homalopsidae) inferred from mitochondrial and nuclear DNA sequences.

Abstract Homalopsid snakes are widely distributed throughout Southeast Asia and form the ecologically dominant component of the herpetofauna over much of their range. Although they are considered well differentiated from other colubrid lineages, several aspects of their radiation including within-family relationships, temporal patterns of species diversification, and biogeographic history remain under studied. We analyzed sequence data from four genes (three mitochondrial and one nuclear) for 22 species of the Homalopsidae to generate the most comprehensive phylogeny of the family to date. We also estimated divergence times within the family using a model of independent but log-normally distributed rates of evolution in conjunction with two external fossil calibrations. Using this chronogram, we inferred historical patterns of species diversification within the family. Finally, we used previously published sequence data for 172 snake species to test for the monophyly of the Homalopsidae. Phylogenetic analysis reveals strong support for homalopsid monophyly with an estimate age of the crown group of ∼22 MYA. The family comprises three major clades which all originated 18–20 MY. Lineage through time plots reveal that homalopsids experienced a significantly higher rate of effective cladogenesis in their early history, consistent with a hypothesis of adaptive radiation. We discuss several Miocene and Pliocene paleogeographic factors that might underlie observed patterns of temporal diversification and biogeography.
Linking Geography and Art: Inness' “The Lackawanna Valley”

Abstract We use the 1994 publications Geography for Life: National Geography Standards 1994 and the National Arts Standards as resources by which geography and art can be linked in K-4 curricula. After we briefly discuss the respective standards, we feature one landscape painting, George Inness' “The Lackawanna Valley.” We provide a simplified chronology of the artist's life history, location of his exhibits, and a selected listing of titles of paintings. We create a template of questions and answers about the artist and the spatial significance of that painting in the context of the evolution of the city of Scranton, Pennsylvania. Detailed information on George Inness as painter and George Scranton as an entrepreneur, is provided in a series of figures. Thus, through analysis of one landscape painting, we document human activity over space and time.
The effects of electrical charge upon mass transfer from drops exhibiting interfacial turbulence

Abstract An experimental study of the effects of an applied electric field upon mass transfer from drops exhibiting interfacial turbulence was conducted. Water drops from which methyl isobutyl ketone was desorbing into air were seen to exhibit interfacial turbulence. An applied electric field was observed to decrease the turbulence as well as to reduce the desorption of the solute. Experiments were conducted with a variety of capillaries (18, 20, and 22 gauge hypodermic needles) and field strengths up to 4 Kv/cm such that the charged drop size and formation time were kept constant. The desorption efficiency was found to decrease with field strength up to a maximum reduction of 26-50% at the higher fields strengths. These results were comparable to those obtained with the addition of a nonionic surfactant.
Rules, rule intermediaries and the complexity and stability of regulation

Abstract Regulating imposes costs. I suggest that an understanding of the dynamics of the regulatory process rests on a consideration of responses to these costs. In particular, I suggest that specialist or rule intermediaries will emerge who serve a useful function in lowering the social costs of a given regulatory scheme but who enter with two interests, one in the complexity of the regulatory process, particularly its procedural aspects, and a second interest in the relative stability of the regulatory environment. Hence, I provide an alternative to the regulation-as- redistribution models that explains the existence of interested third parties to regulation as well as ‘red tape’. Moreover, an explanation of ‘red tape’ does not need to rest on peculiar interests of the regulators or bureaucrats but on an economic interest of the third party. In addition, my analysis suggests that regulation need not be effective at redistribution.
A visual test development environment for GUI systems

We have implemented an experimental test development environment (TDE) intended to raise the effectiveness of tests produced for GUI systems, and raise the productivity of the GUI system tester.The environment links a test designer, a test design library, and a test generation engine with a standard commercial capture/replay tool. These components provide a human tester the capabilities to capture sequences of interactions with the system under test (SUT), to visually manipulate and modify the sequences, and to create test designs that represent multiple individual test sequences. Test development is done using a high-level model of the SUT's GUI, and graphical representations of test designs. TDE performs certain test maintenance tasks automatically, permitting previously written test scripts to run on a revised version of the SUT.
Geomorphic and tectonic forcing of late Cenozoic warping of the Colorado piedmont

Late Cenozoic warping of the Colorado piedmont involved interplay of tectonic forcing, river erosion, and isostatic response to erosion. Modeled erosional isostasy closely replicates the observed pattern of deformation, but accounts for only about half its magnitude. The remainder reflects tectonic rock uplift that increases southward across the piedmont, likely reflecting proximity to the northward-propagating Rio Grande Rift. This differential uplift triggered differential erosion, concentrated on southern piedmont river systems, particularly the Arkansas River, which led in turn to differential isostatic rock uplift focused on the Arkansas drainage. Covariation of tectonic uplift, erosion, and isostatic compensation across the piedmont reflects a positive feedback between uplift-induced erosion and erosion-induced isostasy, which has progressed to the point that isostatic uplift is approximately equal to the initial tectonic forcing.
Microvascular responses to endothelin in deoxycorticosterone acetate-salt hypertensive rats

The objective of the present study was to determine if endothelin-1 played a role in the elevated peripheral resistance in deoxycorticosterone-acetate (DOCA)-salt hypertension. Radioimmunoassay showed that the concentration of endothelin-1 was higher in thoracic aorta of the DOCA-salt group than that of the control normotensive (CN) group. Responses of arterioles in the rat cremaster to endothelin-1 were also observed using in vivo closed circuit television microscopy. Microvascular sensitivity to endothelin-1 was decreased in the DOCA-salt group. In the presence of an endothelin type A (ET-A) receptor antagonist, low concentrations of endothelin-1 induced a significant vasoconstriction in the DOCA-salt group. In the presence of endothelin type B (ET-B) receptor antagonist, microvascular responses to endothelin-1 were attenuated in the DOCA-salt group. These results indicated that the increased tissue level of endothelin-1 may decrease the ET-A receptor-mediated vascular response to endothelin-1. However, the ET-B receptor-mediated vasoconstriction is potentiated during DOCA-salt hypertension.
Common Concerns About the Force Concept Inventory

The Physics Education Research Group at the University of Minnesota routinely administers the Force Concept Inventory (FCI) to large numbers of introductory calculus‐based physics students. This paper addressed three common concerns about the FCI based on data gathered from 2178 students.
Usurping the Nation: Cyber-Leadership in the Uighur Nationalist Movement

This paper surveys the increasing support from the Uighur community for the creation of an independent nation, “East Turkistan”, from what is today the Xinjiang province in the People’s Republic of China (PRC), and the exposure this has received in global news outlets. The PRC’s often brutal suppression of Uighur nationalism within China has forced the Uighur diaspora community leaders to more forcefully speak of ethnic Uighur rights and act as the voice of all Uighurs. The result of the global exposure to the East Turkistan plea, mainly through the use of the World Wide Web, has been the reification of the Uighur identity. In this study, by examining published materials and websites, I have concluded that while claiming to represent all Uighurs, these outlets only embody a privileged community. I have also established in this study the affects of the Internet on the Uighur nationalist movement. Overall, as with nearly all nations and nation-states worldwide, the physical borders of Xinjiang do not correlate to a unified cultural Uighur identity. Furthermore, the policies implemented by the PRC have de facto encouraged the creation of a borderless national identity that is being used by the Uighur leaders for deliberate political goals. As such, the leaders of Uighur organizations, and intellectuals and activists have led the way in determining this modern Uighur character through the use of the World Wide Web.
Profitability market segmentation: Identifying the heavy users of overdraft checking

Abstract Users of overdraft checking, a bank service that allows customers to draft checks in excess of their existing balances up to a predetermined limit, were studied to see if they could be segmented on the basis of utilization rates. A total of 271 overdraft checking customers from among 489 enrollees in the service returned completed questionnaires. All enrollees were customers of a bank in a midwestern city of slightly more than 100,000 inhabitants. Data covering the extent of overdraft usage, utilization of other of the bank's services, and sociodemographic backgrounds were collected. Customer groups varying in overdraft usage intensity and date of enrollment in the service were derived through cluster analysis. Multiple discriminant analysis was used to relate use of other services and background data to group membership. Heavy users, the most profitable bank customers, were younger, had lower incomes, and were better educated than light users. Furthermore, early heavy users tended to be similar in socioeconomic profile to later heavy users. So a re view of the characteristics of the first few intense users would have been helpful in the development of a marketing program to attract additional profitable customers.
Effects of magnetic resonance on the band structure of 3D dielectric metamaterial arrays

The magnetic resonance related effects on energy band diagrams of 3D metamaterials composed of cylindrical dielectric resonators are investigated for a wide range of dielectric permittivity of the resonator material. It is shown that at permittivity values exceeding some threshold, the effective negative permeability of the medium provided by magnetic resonances in DR arrays defines the 1st band-gap formation. Below threshold, in contrast, the resonance phenomena are responsible for the formation of the second transmission band providing for the negative refractive index of the medium.
Obstetric management of the patient with spinal cord injury.

Pregnancies in spinal cord-injured patients present unique clinical challenges to obstetric providers. Spinal cord injury (SCI) alters the function of multiple organ systems, and chronic medical conditions are extremely common in this patient population. Autonomic dysreflexia (ADR) is a potentially
Neuronal Population Coding of Movement Direction

Although individual neurons in the arm area of the primate motor cortex are only broadly tuned to a particular direction in three-dimensional space, the animal can very precisely control the movement of its arm. The direction of movement was found to be uniquely predicted by the action of a population of motor cortical neurons. When individual cells were represented as vectors that make weighted contributions along the axis of their preferred direction (according to changes in their activity during the movement under consideration) the resulting vector sum of all cell vectors (population vector) was in a direction congruent with the direction of movement. This population vector can be monitored during various tasks, and similar measures in other neuronal populations could be of heuristic value where there is a neural representation of variables with vectorial attributes.
Tax incidence in a simple general equilibrium model with collusion and entry

Abstract We develop a two-sector general equilibrium model in which oligopolistic firms collude (non-cooperative) and earn positive economic profits even though there is free entry. Entry decisions involve balancing sunk costs with the present value of future profits. The interest rate is determined in a capital market in which ownership of the capital stock and shares of firms are traded. Since the degrees of collusion and entry depend on future profits, both are influenced by the interest rate. We show how tax-induced changes in the interest rate affect market structure. In general, entry and collusive pricing effects work in opposite directions.
An open-label, 24-week pilot study of the methyl donor betaine in Alzheimer disease patients.

Summary: We investigated the safety and tolerability of betaine in patients with Alzheimer disease (AD). Betaine is an alternative methyl donor, distinct from the folate-and cobalamin-dependent conversion pathway between homocysteine and methionine. Betaine has been used successfully to reduce homocysteine levels in homocystinuria. The rationale for betaine in AD was to decrease serum homocysteine levels and to increase brain methionone and S-adenosylmethionine, both of which might delay disease progression. Hyperhomocysteinemia is a possible risk factor for AD. Eight patients with probable mild AD (7 men; mean age, 69.6 years; mean Mini-Mental State Exam score, 23.7) received oral betaine (3 g twice daily) for 24 weeks. All patients were on donepezil 10 mg/day for at least 3 months before entry and throughout the study. One patient suffered a myocardial infarction and withdrew after 6 weeks. Another patient, who completed the trial, experienced diarrhea and prostatitis. Four of the 7 patients who completed the trial were rated on the Clinician's Global Impression of Change as worse after 24 weeks. On the cognitive portion of the AD Assessment Scale, 2 patients worsened by at least five points over 24 weeks, whereas the others had changes in scores of no more than two points either way. Six of 8 patients tolerated betaine for 24 weeks without difficulty. Several patients worsened over 24 weeks, but as a pilot study without a control group, efficacy measurements cannot be interpreted. The current study provides a basis for pursuing larger controlled trials with betaine in AD. The homocysteine to S-adenosylmethionine pathway is of interest in AD therapeutics.