cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Crystal structure of poly[N,N-diethyl-2-hy­droxy­ethan-1-aminium [μ3-cyanido-κ3C:C:N-di-μ-cyanido-κ4C:N-dicuprate(I)]]

In the title compound, {(C6H16NO)[Cu2(CN)3]}n, the cyanide groups link the CuI atoms into an open three-dimensional anionic network, with the mol­ecular formula Cu2(CN)3−. One CuI atom is tetra­hedrally bound to four CN groups, and the other CuI atom is bonded to three CN groups in an approximate trigonal-planar coordination. The tetra­hedrally coordinated CuI atoms are linked into centrosymmetric dimers by the C atoms of two end-on bridging CN groups which bring the CuI atoms into close contact at 2.5171 (7) A. Two of the cyanide groups bonded to the CuI atoms with trigonal-planar surrounding link the dimeric units into columns along the a axis, and the third links the columns together to form the network. The N,N-di­ethyl­ethano­lamine mol­ecules used in the synthesis have become protonated at the N atoms and are situated in cavities in the network, providing charge neutrality, with no covalent inter­actions between the cations and the anionic network.
Colorectal cancer screening: an overview of available methods and current recommendations.

Background Screening asymptomatic persons for colorectal cancer may decrease the incidence and mortality of this disease. Methods The MEDLINE database was used to identify articles addressing the rationale for colorectal cancer screening, methods used and their effectiveness, and current recommendations. Results Methods of screening for colorectal cancer include flexible sigmoidoscopy, fecal occult blood tests, barium enema, and colonoscopy. The method used and the frequency of screening are determined by assessing an individual's risk of having colorectal cancer. Conclusions Colorectal cancer is a common malignancy in the United States, is curable when detected at an early stage, and is potentially preventable. The acceptance of colorectal cancer screening by patients and physicians has been suboptimal. while there remains little debate about the potential for screening to reduce mortality from colorectal cancer, debate continues about the cost-effectiveness of colorectal cancer screening when applied to the general population.
Using heavy-ion collisions to elucidate the asymmetric equation-of-state

The nuclear equation-of-state impacts a number of nuclear properties as well as astrophysical processes. The asymmetric term of the equation-of-state, which describes the behavior away from N=Z, has significant uncertainty. Giant resonances and nuclear masses can elucidate the asymmetry energy for cold normal-density nuclei. Heavy-ion collisions can be used to probe nuclear matter at higher temperatures and densities away from saturation density. The temperatures that are attained in these nuclear collisions are predicted to depend on the isospin asymmetry. In this work we present evidence of the asymmetry dependence of the nuclear caloric curve.
Efficacy and Safety of Vincristine Sulfate Liposome Injection in the Treatment of Adult Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia

UNLABELLED : Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is a heterogeneous group of hematologic malignancies that arise from clonal proliferation of immature lymphoid cells in the bone marrow, peripheral blood, and other organs. The vinca alkaloid vincristine is a standard component of chemotherapy regimens used to treat ALL, because of its well-defined mechanism of action, demonstrated anticancer activity, and ability to be combined with other agents. However, the dosage of vincristine is frequently capped because of neurotoxicity concerns, and patients with large body surface areas are, therefore, almost always underdosed. Liposomal formulations have the ability to "passively" accumulate at sites of increased vasculature permeability and reduce the adverse effects of encapsulated relative to free drug. Vincristine sulfate liposome injection (VSLI) is a sphingomyelin/cholesterol-based liposome-encapsulated formulation that is delivered weekly in a 1-hour infusion. Based on the pharmacokinetics of the liposomal delivery system, vincristine is slowly released from the liposome and delivered into the tissues more efficiently than with the standard preparation, allowing a higher dose. This increase in therapeutic index from reduced toxicity is a valuable difference between the two formulations. VSLI is indicated for the treatment of adults with second or greater relapse and clinically advanced Philadelphia chromosome-negative ALL. For the first time, studies will be able to exploit the delivery of higher and uncapped doses of vincristine in randomized studies comparing first-line chemotherapy with standard vincristine versus VSLI in both ALL and lymphoma to determine whether VSLI is superior to conventional vincristine. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE This review summarizes the development of vincristine sulfate liposome injection, a new formulation of vincristine. The pharmacokinetics of liposomal drug delivery are examined, the limitations and advantages of conventional and liposomal vincristine are compared, and the use of vincristine sulfate liposome injection in clinical trials and case studies is included. Clinicians will be informed of a new chemotherapy agent that is indicated for the treatment of adults with Philadelphia chromosome-negative acute lymphoblastic leukemia, whose disease has relapsed two or more times or whose leukemia has progressed after two or more regimens of antileukemia therapy.
Orthopedic Oncology Caseload Among Orthopedic Surgery Residents

Despite educational focus regarding orthopedic oncology during residency, assessment of resident orthopedic oncology caseload has not been performed. The purpose of this study was to evaluate orthopedic oncology caseload trends and variation among residents. The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education case log reports for orthopedic surgery residents were reviewed for graduating years 2007 to 2013. Trends in orthopedic oncology cases and variation in the median number of cases performed by residents in the 90th, 50th, and 10th percentiles of caseload were evaluated. The proportion of orthopedic oncology caseload among all cases performed by residents increased significantly (P = 0.005) from 2007 to 2013. Likewise, the mean number of adult (P = 0.002), pediatric (P = 0.003), and total orthopedic oncology cases increased significantly (P = 0.002). On average, residents in the 90th, 50th, and 10th percentiles performed 83, 28, and 3 cases, respectively. The current study demonstrates a significant increase in adult, pediatric, and total orthopedic oncology caseload. There is also evidence of substantial caseload variation among residents. Caseload variation may influence the education and technical proficiency of orthopedic residents.
Piezoelectric Nanomaterials for Energy Harvesting

Piezoelectric nanomaterials have many important and unique properties which make them suitable for a wide range of applications including consumer goods, motor vehicles, medical devices and scientific instrumentation. Vibrations, biomechanical motions, and waves are examples of ever-present mechanical energy in the environment. The small size and unique electrical and mechanical properties inherent in piezoelectric nanomaterials make them ideal for harvesting these renewable energy sources. ZnO nanostructures have been widely studied for energy harvesting due to their enhanced piezoelectricity and scalable, reproducible synthesis techniques. Single atomic layer MoS2 is an emerging material for energy harvesting due to the existence of piezoelectric properties not found in the bulk material. Bio-inspired piezoelectric materials such as peptide nanotubes have excellent mechanical properties and are promising candidates for nanogenerator devices. Many different nanogenerator architectures have been developed and steadily improving performance has led to their incorporation into self-powered nanodevice systems.
Top management team incentive heterogeneity, strategic investment behavior, and performance: A contingency theory of incentive alignment

Research summary: We develop and test a contingency theory of the influence of top management team (TMT) performance-contingent incentives on manager–shareholder interest alignment. Our results support our theory by showing that although TMTs engage in significantly higher levels of acquisition investment when their average incentive levels increase, investors' responses to those large investments are generally negative. More importantly, however, we further find that within-TMT incentive heterogeneity conditions that effect, such that investors evaluate TMTs' large acquisition investments more positively as the variance in those top managers' incentive values increases. Thus, within-TMT incentive heterogeneity appears to increase manager–shareholder interest alignment, in the context of large acquisition investments. Managerial summary: We find that as the average value of TMTs' incentives increase, relative to their total pay, they invest more in acquisitions and investors' respond negatively to the announcement of those deals. However, we further show that investors respond more positively to acquisitions announced by TMTs whose members' incentive values vary (some TMT members hold higher incentives and others hold lower). Results imply that when TMT members hold differing incentives levels, they approach investments from divergent perspectives, scrutinize those investments more heavily, and make better decisions, relative to TMTs with similar incentives. They also suggest that boards seeking tighter manager–shareholder interest alignment may benefit from introducing variance into TMT members' incentive structures, as doing so appears to create divergent preferences that can improve team decision making. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Borderline Personality Disorder: Treatment from the Contextual Perspective

In relation to the psychotherapy of borderline personality disorder (BPD), the contextual model embraces the subjective components that operate alongside the more readily objectifiable elements of the medical model. The latter include the guidelines of the various psychodynamic and cognitive approaches, the randomized control trials of these approaches, follow-up studies, and data from MRI and other neurophysiological tests. The contextual model focuses on less easily measurable factors that comprise the real relationship between therapist and patient, including the heterogeneity in the BPD domain. Another component consists of patient expectations at the outset, the placebo effect of having an ally in the person of the therapist, and the nature of the patient's primary unconscious conflicts. These combined elements exert a major influence vis-a-vis the efficacy of treatment, such that the precise nature of the therapeutic method emerges as of less importance in the eventual outcome-so long as the method is a bona fide theory-driven intervention, conducted by therapists with sufficient knowledge of alternative approaches and with the flexibility to utilize other approaches temporarily, in accordance with the exigencies of the patient's current life. This amounts to an integrated approach.
The role of social capital at home and in school in academic achievement: The case of South Korea

Using data from the Korean Educational Longitudinal Study of 2005–2007, the current study investigated the role of family and school social capital in students’ academic achievement in South Korea. Results showed that while some forms of family and school social capital were associated with increased math achievement, the effect of family social capital was greater than that of school social capital. Results also suggested that similar to parents who play a key role in shaping social capital at home, teachers may play an important role in building ecological school social capital such as collective school norms, which was found to affect students’ academic achievement. In addition, results found some interaction effects between family social capital and school social capital. Specifically, collective school norms were found to compensate the deficiency of parental involvement in school, while student–teacher relationships and academic emphasis had boosting effects with parental educational expectation on students’ academic achievement. Features of Korean education related to the distinctive role of family and school social capital in students’ academic achievement and policy implications were discussed.
Radar target recognition using compressive backscatter

This paper compares various approaches to target classification either using frequency-domain data recorded via stepped-frequency radar with compressive measurements, or using ultra-wideband radar data in the time-domain with compressive measurements. Real radar backscatter of commercial aircraft models is used in this study.
Flour for pesos: Precarious Atlantic financial interdependency and the provisioning of the Leclerc Expedition, 1802–1803

Provisioning European troops with wheat flour at the time of the 1802–1803 French expedition to suppress the Haitian Revolution became entangled with trans-imperial and transnational politics, fina...
Minority Threat, Worker Power, and Discriminatory Complaints: State-level Effects on Racial Income Inequality among Men:

Because U.S. states are meaningful polities with differing cultures and institutions, they are important locations for the struggles for resources. Yet there have been surprisingly few studies of h...
Potato Clonal Variation with Respect to the Relation Between Fruit Set and Tuber Yield

(1975). Potato Clonal Variation with Respect to the Relation Between Fruit Set and Tuber Yield. East African Agricultural and Forestry Journal: Vol. 40, No. 3, pp. 256-260.
Responding to Small Island Nations Imperiled by Human-Forced Climate Change: An Ethical Imperative for Christians:

Small island nations are increasingly imperiled by larger nations that are emitting most of the greenhouse gases, forcing changes in the global climate, and causing catastrophic ecological and soci...
Genomic alterations of plasma cell-free DNAs in small cell lung cancer and their clinical relevance.

Abstract Objectives To identify genomic variations in cell-free DNA (cfDNA) and evaluate their clinical utility in small cell lung cancer (SCLC). Materials and methods We performed whole genome sequencing using plasma cfDNAs derived from 24 SCLC patients for copy number variation (CNV) analysis, and targeted sequencing using 17 pairs of plasma cfDNA and their matched gDNA for mutation analysis. We defined somatic mutations by comparing cfDNA to its matched gDNA with 5% variant alleles as the cutoff for mutation calls. We applied Kaplan-Meier to correlate the genomic alterations with overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS). Results We observed widespread somatic copy-number alterations and mutations, including amplification of MYC at 8q24, FGF10 at 5p13, SOX2 at 3q26 and FGFR1 at 8p12, as well as deletion of TP53 at 17p13, RASSF1 at 3p21.3, RB1 at 13q14.2, FHIT at 3p14, and PTEN at 10q23. The most frequent mutations were genes involved in chromatin regulation (KMT2D, ARID1A, SETBP1 and PBRM1), PI3K/MTOR pathway(MTOR,PIK13G), Notch1 signalling pathway (NOTCH1), and DNA repair related gene ATRX. Kaplan-Meier analysis revealed poor OS and PFS in patients with somatic mutations in gene SETBP1 (P = 0.0061/0.0264, HR = 4.785/3.841, 95% CI = 2.014–28.25/1.286–16.58) and PBRM1 (P = 0.0276/0.0286, HR = 3.532/3.506, 95% CI = 1.275 to 25.34/1.26–24.87). Poor OS was also associated with somatic mutations in ATRX (P = 0.0099, HR = 4.024, 95% CI = 1.926–42.95), EP300 (P = 0.025/0.0622, HR = 3.382/2.891, 95% CI = 1.448–27.76/1.013-17.29), while poor PFS was associated with ATM mutation (P = 0.0038, HR = 4.604, 95% CI = 2.211–40.93). The mutation index produced by summing up the number of mutations in the five genes was significantly associated with the poor OS/PFS (P = 0.0185/0.0294) after adjusting the effect of the stage. Conclusions Our result supports blood plasma as a promising sample source for the genomic analysis in SCLC patients whose tumor tissues are scarcely available and demonstrates potential clinical utilities of cfDNA-based liquid biopsy for clinical management of this deadly disease.
Towards code-aware robotic simulation: vision paper

This vision paper explores the potential to dramatically enrich robotic simulations with insights gleaned from program analysis, and promises to be a key tool for future robot system developers to reduce effort and find tricky corner cases. Robotic simulations are a critical, cost-effective tool for developing, testing, and validating robotic software. However, most robotics simulations are intentionally unaware of how the code works. Our approach leverages two recent developments: 1) automatic program analysis that can semantically ground program variables and predicates in physical quantities like distance, velocity, or force; and 2) standardized simulation specifications that identify both what elements are simulated and also how they are simulated. Code-aware robotic simulation could enable robot system developers who increasingly rely on simulation to lower the cost and risk of system development by having access to richer simulation scenarios. We describe the approach using a detailed, step-by-step illustration for C++ using the Robot Operating System (ROS) and the Simulation Description Format (SDFormat), and identify key challenges to realizing this vision.
Analytical interpretation of running ductile fracture experiments in gas-pressurized linepipe

Ductile crack propagation in pneumatically pressurized pipelines is an extremely complex process, involving interactions between the fracturing pipe, the escaping gas, the covering backfill, and mechanical crack arresters, if any are present. In order to extend the experience gained through testing programs to the design of pipelines, it appears to be necessary to develop theoretical models of the process based on simplifying assumptions which are consistent with the available experimental data. Over the past several years, the American Iron and Steel Institute has conducted a full-scale test program on propagating shear fractures in pneumatically pressurized linepipe, and many measurements have been made of crack motion, pipe wall deformation, pressure loading, fracture toughness, etc. The relevant data are reviewed, and some implications for modeling pipe wall plasticity, gas flow and escape, and backfill resistance are considered. Pipe wall deformations are assumed on the basis of test data, and the contributions to an overall energy balance equation due to individual deformation components are computed in the spirit of upper-bound calculations of plastic limit load analysis. It is concluded that for ductile materials the resistance of the pipe wall material to axial in-plane stretching near the crack tip is a major contribution to the total structural and inertial resistance to the gas pressure driving force, and relative magnitudes of other resistance terms are also estimated for the case of no backfill. The capacity for soil backfill to dissipate the work of the driving force is also considered, and it is concluded that for soils with low cohesion the inertial resistance of the backfill is much greater than the resistance due to soil strength.
Effect of Mechanical Vibrations on Compact Fluorescent Lighting Luminaires

AbstractIn this work, two types of commercially available compact fluorescent lamps (CFL) were investigated for intensity variation due to mechanical vibrations in the range of 0 to 30 Hz. In general, subjecting the lamps to 24-hour vibration affects the total intensity. Percentage variations of peak intensities after vibrations is in the range of + 10 to + 35 percent in case of CFL (Nuvue), whereas for the CFL (Ecosmart), it is in the range of-10 to + 10 percent. Continuous vibration measurements at various vibrational frequencies (intensity measurements at each frequency after subjecting the unit to mechanical vibrations for 10 minutes) show that the CFL luminaires, exhibits a peak in intensity at a vibrational frequency around 25 Hz for a wavelength of 546.78 nm (wavelength of maximum human sensitivity). Intensity variation effects due to vibration are attributed to the dropping off loose phosphor coatings in the inside wall of the glass enclosures. This hypothesis needs to be investigated further.
Definitions of Stage D heart failure and outcomes among outpatients with heart failure and reduced ejection fraction.

Abstract Background An operational consensus definition of Stage D heart failure (HF) is currently lacking. Methods We evaluated 512 outpatients (median age, 63 years; 35.0% women; 45.5% white and 45.9% black; median ejection fraction was 25%; 67.4% had coronary artery disease) with HF and reduced (≤40%) ejection fraction. We applied 3 hypothetical definitions for Stage D: (1) designation as “Stage D” or “advanced” HF by treating physician; (2) INTERMACS profiles, defining Stage D as profiles 2–6; and (3) European Society of Cardiology Heart Failure Association (ESC-HFA) criteria. Results Physicians, INTERMACS profiles, and ESC-HFA criteria identified 64 (12.5%), 93 (18.2%), and 67 (13.1%) patients, respectively, as Stage D, with modest concordance between definitions (κ = 0.37). After a median of 3.1 years, 97 patients died (3-year mortality 20.4%). Among patients identified as Stage D by physicians, 3-year mortality was 43.7% vs. 17.0% for non-Stage D patients (age-adjusted hazard ratio [HR] 3.17; 95%CI 1.94–5.18; P Conclusions INTERMACS profiles provide a practical alternative for the identification of Stage D HF in ambulatory populations with systolic HF. The ESC-HFA criteria offer limited prognostic information.
Flipping the flipped: the co-creational classroom.

The flip teaching model is being increasingly adopted by higher education institutions as an active learning alternative to traditional lecturing. However, the flip model shares a number of critical premises with the classical didactics. The further flips of the flip are thus advocated and the fear of returning the method to its initial state, prior to the flip, via such flips of the flipped dispelled. Proposed here is a seminal variation to the flip model based on the active involvement of students in searching, finding, selecting, and assembling knowledge from various literature sources into the learning material for the entire class. Because students actively co-create the learning content together with other students and the instructor, one such open-ended collaborative model is christened “co-creational.” Its conception and corollaries in relation to co-educational methods in general are discussed. The model is represented algorithmically, exemplified by a topic of choice and compared in a quasi-experimental setting against the standard flip and the traditional lecturing in a medical devices graduate class. Students were able to retain and reproduce the content covered using the co-creational pedagogic method better than using the standard flip or traditional lecturing. They also had a positive perception of the method, as compared to traditional lecturing. They did not have a preference for the co-creational method over the standard flip, but felt that they learned more using the co-creational method compared to the standard flip and that the co-creational model best prepared them for job searches in high-tech industry and academia. The co-creational model was also more open to the intrusion of moral instructions than traditional lecturing, going hand-in-hand with the community-building aspect of the ideal form of knowledge acquisition and creation.
Dissecting the functional domains of the Arabidopsis thaliana nonhost resistance 2B (AtNHR2B) protein.

The Arabidopsis thaliana nonhost resistant 2B (AtNHR2B) is involved in plant defense responses by mediating the deposition of the s-1,3-glucan polymer callose to the cell wall in response to bacter...
COOLING STARCH-THICKENED FOOD ITEMS WITH COLD TUBE AGITATION1

This investigation was concerned with the cooling of 4-gal. batches of food by agitation using a rotating tube as agitator through which flowed refrigerated water. The aim was: (a) to gain information on the total cooling time of various white sauces; and (b) to observe changes in certain quality characteristics affected by this method of cooling such as, relative viscosity, density, whiteness reflectance, and acceptability for service. The variables were the level of flour in the sauces (4, 6, and 12 oz-/gal. milk), the level of fat in the sauces (4, 6, and 12 oz./gal. milk), and the rate of agitation of the cold tube (6, 12, and 18 rpm.) In general, the rate of cooling increased as the rate of agitation increased. The twenty-four sauces cooled from 140°F. to 60°F. within 5 hours, and half of them within 3 hours. The high-fat sauces cooled more slowly. Changes in relative viscosity were small, and in all but two cases they did not affect the acceptability of the sauces for service. It appears that effici...
“Sixty Words”: Teaching About the Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF)

AbstractThe 2001 Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF) has become the basis for nearly every operation against international terrorism since its passage, in the days after the September 11...
A CHALLENGING CASE OF AN OBSTRUCTIVE PROSTHETIC MITRAL VALVE THROMBOSIS TREATED SUCCESSFULLY WITH FIBRINOLYTIC THERAPY

Prosthetic valve thrombosis (PVT) management can be challenging due to the overlapping features of different differentials and lacking randomized controlled trials between various therapeutic options. A 65-year-old female with a mechanical mitral prosthesis placed 18 months ago on Warfarin
Pussy Riot and Chögyam Trungpa: Reinventing Crazy Holiness for Post-Modernity

The purpose of this paper is to explore the contemporary postmodern appropriation and reinvention of the practice of “crazy holiness” in Russian Orthodoxy and Tibetan Buddhism, highlighting points of contact and discontinuities between the traditions. The first section of the essay will discuss the Russian phenomenon of yurodstvo, a term used to indicate radical ascetics known for their idiosyncratic behavior and their outspoken criticism of religious and political authorities. The recent phenomenon of the punk group Pussy Riot will then be presented as a contemporary rendition of yurodstvo, in a post-theological context where religious rituals and practices are devoid of their metaphysical import. The second section of the essay will introduce the Tibetan phenomenon of the smyon pa, crazy yogins known for their erratic speech and behavior, but also for their readiness to criticize institutional hypocrisy and corruption. The figure of Chogyam Trungpa (1939–1987), a former Tibetan monastic who started the Shambala tradition of Buddhism, is then presented as a contemporary version of smyon pa; his behavior—despite unfortunate and unjustifiable instances of abuse—similarly enabled practitioners to access the truth of the dharma. This paper presents Pussy Riot and Chogyam Trungpa as postmodern instantiations of crazy holiness—for a post-metaphysical and post-religious world where the divine no longer indwells traditional practices but can be still accessed and displayed through performative subversion.
Syntheses of hybrid cyclopeptidyl [n]sulfanes by internal alkyl group exchange

Abstract Internal capture of the cinnamyl carbocation by tert-butylated cysteine derivatives within composite peptides affords macrocycles. The reactions proceed rapidly at room temperature and allow syntheses of mono, di and trisulfide containing ring systems. The methodology provides facile access to peptidomimetic sulfanes of varying ring size, sulfur content and constitution under non-oxidative conditions.
Reconstitution of T follicular helper-humoral immune axis with elimination of hepatitis C virus.

Exhaustion of Hepatitis C Virus (HCV)-specific T cells and abnormal B cell function is a hallmark of chronic HCV infection. Direct-acting antiviral (DAA) therapies are effective in achieving sustained virologic response (SVR), however, whether successful DAA treatment reconstitute T follicular helper (TFH)-B cell axis in HCV patients is unclear. Here, we aimed to evaluate the immunological changes in global and HCV-specific CD4 + CXCR5 + TFH, CD4 + CXCR5-T and B cells in 20 HCV patients who achieved SVR with Sofosbuvir and Ledipasvir for 12 weeks and compared with 15 healthy controls (HC). Global and HCV-specific CD4 + CXCR5 + TFH, CD4 + CXCR5-T and CD19 + B cells had significant phenotypic and functional reconstitution post DAA therapy. Reconstitution of effector, central and terminally differentiated memory cell population and increased ICOS and BCL6 expression was seen in HCV patients at SVR12. HCV-specific cytokines were also improved post DAA. Exhausted and regulatory B cells were declined whereas memory B cells were expanded post DAA therapy. Importantly, frequencies of TFH cells were significantly associated with HCV RNA reduction, expansion of memory B and plasmablasts, while negatively associated with exhausted/regulatory B cells. Our results demonstrate that SVR with DAA therapy is effective in the reconstitution of phenotypic and functional abnormalities of TFH-B cell axis.
A note on measuring the unofficial economy in the former Soviet Republics1

This note argues that the most commonly used estimates of the size of the unofficial economies in the former Soviet republics are flawed. Most important, they are based on calculations that disregard the variation in unofficial economic activity across space in the pre-transition Soviet Union. In addition, these estimates appear to understate the size of the unofficial economies in these countries. We propose alternative estimates and find that they are more strongly related to the institutional factors commonly used to explain the size of the unofficial sector. Our estimates also show that the size of a country's pre-transition unofficial economy is an important predictor of its size during the transition. This suggests that the size of the unofficial economy is to a large extent a historical phenomenon only partly determined by contemporary institutional factors. JEL classification: O17, P2, P3.
Quantifying information accumulation encoded in the dynamics of biochemical signaling

Cellular responses to environmental changes are encoded in the complex temporal patterns of signaling proteins. However, quantifying the accumulation of information over time to direct cellular decision-making remains an unsolved challenge. This is, in part, due to the combinatorial explosion of possible configurations that need to be evaluated for information in time-course measurements. Here, we develop a quantitative framework, based on inferred trajectory probabilities, to calculate the mutual information encoded in signaling dynamics while accounting for cell-cell variability. We use it to understand NFκB transcriptional dynamics in response to different immune threats, and reveal that some threats are distinguished faster than others. Our analyses also suggest specific temporal phases during which information distinguishing threats becomes available to immune response genes; one specific phase could be mapped to the functionality of the IκBα negative feedback circuit. The framework is generally applicable to single-cell time series measurements, and enables understanding how temporal regulatory codes transmit information over time.
Linear Lie centralizers of the algebra of dominant block upper triangular matrices

Let N be the algebra of all n×n dominant block upper triangular matrices over a field. In this paper, we explicitly describe all linear Lie centralizers of N. We also describe linear Lie centralize...
Disrupted microglial iron homeostasis in progressive multiple sclerosis

ABSTRACT Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is a chronic autoimmune disease affecting the central nervous system (CNS). Despite therapies that reduce relapses, many patients eventually develop secondary progressive MS (SPMS), characterized by ongoing and irreversible neurodegeneration and worsening clinical symptoms. Microglia are the resident innate immune cells of the CNS. While the cellular and molecular determinants of disability progression in MS remain incompletely understood, they are thought to include non-resolving microglial activation and chronic oxidative injury. In this study, our aim was to better characterize microglia in SPMS tissues to identify disease-related changes at the single cell level. We performed single nucleus RNA-seq (snRNA-seq) on cryopreserved post-mortem brain cortex and identified disease associated changes in multiple cell types and in particular distinct SPMS-enriched microglia subsets. When compared to the cluster most enriched in healthy controls (i.e. homeostatic microglia), we found a number of SPMS-enriched clusters with transcriptional profiles reflecting increased oxidative stress and perturbed iron homeostasis. Using histology and RNA-scope, we confirmed the presence of iron accumulating, ferritin-light chain (FTL)-expressing microglia in situ. Among disease-enriched clusters, we found evidence for divergent responses to iron accumulation and identified the antioxidant enzyme GPX4 as a key fate determinant. These data help elucidate processes that occur in progressive MS brains, and highlight novel nodes for therapeutic intervention.
Classification of structural characteristics facilitate identifying steroidal saponins in Alliums using ultra-high performance liquid chromatography high-resolution mass spectrometry

Abstract A strategy was developed for the identification of saponins in Alliums using ultra-high performance liquid chromatography high-resolution accurate-mass/multi-stage mass spectrometry (UHPLC-HRAM/MSn). The identification process was facilitated by a systematic classification of 152 previously reported sapogenins (saponin aglycones) in Allium based on their structural characteristics. The approach was successfully applied to putatively identify a total of 108 steroidal saponins in scallions, giant green onions, petite sweet Vidalia onions, and leeks using HRAM mass values and diagnostic fragmentation ions rapidly. Seventeen of the saponins are reported in genus Allium for the first time.
Responding to Information Requests: The Case of Inscribed Object Checks

This paper explores one way that participants use inscribed objects in their immediate environment as resources for interaction. In particular, it identifies and analyzes a type of embodied response turn found in information request sequences. The data come from a video recording of family members engaged in a joint cooking activity, where they are preparing an unfamiliar dish while following recipe instructions. In this setting, participants and inscribed objects hold varying levels of epistemic rights and access regarding the task at hand. This appears to have consequences for how the interaction unfolds. As participants ask questions about the recipe, respondents repeatedly employ a particular embodied practice of checking and reading aloud the recipe, which I call an inscribed object check. An analysis of this practice and its sequential variations shows how participants draw on verbal, embodied, and environmental resources to fill knowledge gaps made relevant by information requests when the knowledge lies within inscribed objects. The findings contribute to our understanding of the role that inscribed objects play in interaction, as well as how responses to information requests are managed in everyday settings when all participants are relatively unknowledgeable about the task at hand.
Evidence on takeover characteristics and motives in the acquisitions of NASDAQ targets following the stock market crash of 1987

Prior to the Black Monday (October 19, 1987), the twenty-day moving average of the NASDAQ composite index had reached a peak level of 442 on October 13, 1987. It then declined rapidly around the Black Monday by over forty percent and did not reach the pre-crash level again till June 8, 1989. This study examines the motives (synergy, agency and/or hubris) in successful takeovers initiated during the "after-crash" period (October 14, 1987 - June 7, 1989). For comparison, it also examine the motives in takeovers during the ten year period "before" the crash of 1987. The sample size for the after-crash and before-crash periods is 76 and 188 respectively. The study finds a significant increase in same industry takeovers, stock-financed takeovers, size of acquirers, and market-to-book ratio of assets of acquirers in the after-crash period relative to the before-crash period. Average gains to the combinations and to the acquirers, however, are significantly lower in the after-crash period than in the before-crash period (target gains are not different). For both the before-crash and after-crash periods, the correlations between the gains to targets, acquirers and combinations suggest synergy as the motive when the combination gains are positive and agency as the motive when the combination gains are negative. The correlations fail to suggest hubris as the primary motive for both the periods irrespective of whether the combination gains are positive or negative. Findings from the cross-sectional relationship between the gains to acquirers/targets and the uncertainty about the gains from takeovers also fail to suggest hubris as the primary motive in takeovers during both the periods. Thus, the findings of this study suggest that gains to the combinations and to the acquirers decrease in takeovers initiated during the after-crash period due to an increase in takeovers motivated by self-serving behavior of acquiring firm managers. The findings fail to suggest that this decrease arises from an increase in takeovers motivated by managerial hubris (i.e., overconfidence) about their ability to estimate and/or extract takeover gains.
Molecular, Cellular, and Antigen Requirements for Development of Age-Associated T Cell Clonal Expansions In Vivo

T cell aging manifests itself both at the cellular (cell-autonomous defects in signaling) and at the population (age-related dysregulation of T cell homeostasis) levels. A prominent contributor to the latter is the appearance of T cell clonal expansions (TCE), with a potential to impair immune defense. In this study, we investigated molecular, cellular, and Ag requirements for TCE development. Of the mutant mice tested, old animals lacking MHC class I exhibited 7-fold fewer TCE than controls, with a 7-fold reduction in TCE. By contrast, animals lacking only one of the MHC class I molecules (Kb or Db), or IL-7R, or devoid of T cell renewal via adult thymectomy, all exhibited significant increases in TCE incidence. This increase directly correlated to lymphopenia, increased CD8 T cell turnover and an accumulation of memory-phenotype T cells. These data suggested that homeostatic cell division in the CD8 compartment enhances the formation of TCE. Repeated immunization with peptide/adjuvant did not result in an increase in Ag-specific TCE; however, adjuvant alone increased TCE incidence. In these experiments, therefore, nonspecific and/or homeostatic proliferation was more efficient in generating TCE in mice than repeated Ag-driven stimulation, suggesting that many, if not most, TCE in specific pathogen-free laboratory mice may be Ag-independent.
Tailweight, Statistical Inference and Families of Distributions — A Brief Survey

There are surprisingly many concepts and definitions of tailweight. For symmetric distributions F and G the main results are based on the convexity or starshapedness of G -1F. This has essentially replaced kurtosis as measure of tailweight. Recently in research on the location problem there has been interest in families of distributions ordered by tailweight and in statistical procedures for assessing tailweight. This problem of assessing tailweight has long been a problem of interest to researchers developing life models. There is a rich variety of results for testing the exponential family against an alternative with lighter tails. Hopefully, there will soon be an equally rich variety of results for testing the tails of a symmetric distribution in the location model.
MODEL-THEORETIC METHODS IN THE STUDY OF ELEMENTARY LOGIC

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses model-theoretic methods in the study of elementary logic. In order to study the structural and recursive properties of first-order theories, we introduce the notion of isomorphism of theories. Two theories are isomorphic if there is a one-to-one recursive correspondence between sentences of one theory and sentences of the other which preserves implications valid in the theories. The main result of the paper is that there exists a finitely axiomatizable theory isomorphic to a theory constructed as a product of a fixed theory and an arbitrary axiomatizable theory. The fundamental property of the theory F is that in any model, the successive rows of the array accurately reflect the operations machine M would go through if started with the tape represented by the first row of the array. However, that if the filler elements or some equivalent device had not been introduced, there would be no hope of proving that the degree of undecidability of F is at most that of T. For it could happen that even though T is decidable, the decision procedure gave for its axiom set could involve as intermediate steps the examination of proofs within, say, some system of arithmetic.
Sensitivity of 99m Technetium-Dimercaptosuccinic Acid for the Diagnosis of Chronic Pyelonephritis: Clinical and Theoretical Considerations

Radioisotopic renal imaging proved to be much more sensitive than excretory urography in diagnosing renal parenchymal damage in 6 children with acute febrile urinary tract infections. This increased sensitivity may affect clinical management. More importantly, it may change the interpretation of scientific studies evaluating the natural history and treatment of vesicoureteral reflux.
Perfect Algebraic Coarsening

Presented in this paper is a new sparse linear solver methodology motivated by multigrid principles and based around general local transformations that diagonalize a matrix while maintaining its sparsity. These transformations are approximate, but the error they introduce can be systematically reduced. The cost of each transformation is independent of matrix size but dependent on the desired accuracy and a spatial error decay rate governed by local properties of the matrix. We test our method by applying a single transformation to the 2D Helmholtz equation at various frequencies, which illustrates the success of this approach.
APPLICATION OF ETHNOGRAPHY AND CONJOINT ANALYSIS TO DETERMINE KEY CONSUMER ATTRIBUTES FOR LATTE‐STYLE COFFEE BEVERAGES

The objective of this study was to examine and compare ethnography and conjoint analysis to identify the factors that influence choice of latte-style coffee beverages. Ethnographical data were collected at four of the top producers of latte-style beverages. Attributes measured by the conjoint survey included location of purchase, milk type, fat content, sweetener type and additional flavor. Consumer responses (n = 721) from the conjoint survey showed that the most important attributes in determining latte beverage purchase intent were location and milk type, followed by fat content, sweetener and additional flavor. Segmentation of respondents based upon patterns in utility scores showed three distinct groups. Segment 1 (n = 185) called the “indulgents” was influenced by milk type and sweetener type. Segment 2 (n = 200), “location consumers,” was influenced by a coffee house. Segment 3 (n = 336), “health conscious,” was calorie and health conscious. Ethnographical observations identified and described the consumer segments based upon patterns of behaviors and were in alignment with consumer responses to survey questions. Ethnography coupled with choice-based conjoint provided a robust technique for understanding consumer choices of latte-style coffee beverages. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS Choice-based conjoint analysis is a quantitative survey technique designed to collect large amounts of information from consumers in a realistic scenario format. Ethnography is a qualitative research tool that provides insight to consumer consumption and purchase behaviors that may not be readily acquired by quantitative approaches. These behaviors can be just as important as the product attributes themselves in determining liking and purchase. Coffee companies will be able to utilize the results to better target the attributes that are driving consumer choice.
Anti-MHC Class I Antibody Activation of Proliferation and Survival Signaling in Murine Cardiac Allografts

Anti-MHC class I alloantibodies have been implicated in the process of acute and chronic rejection because these Abs can bind to endothelial cells and transduce signals leading to the activation of cell survival and proliferation pathways. To characterize the role of the MHC class I-signaling pathway in the pathogenesis of Ab-mediated rejection, we developed a mouse vascularized heterotopic cardiac allograft model in which B6.RAG1 KO hosts (H-2Kb/Db) received a fully MHC-incompatible BALB/c (H-2Kd/Dd) heart transplant and were passively transfused with anti-donor MHC class I Ab. We demonstrate that cardiac allografts of mice treated with anti-MHC class I Abs show characteristic features of Ab-mediated rejection including microvascular changes accompanied by C4d deposition. Phosphoproteomic analysis of signaling molecules involved in the MHC class I cell proliferation and survival pathways were elevated in anti-class I-treated mice compared with the isotype control-treated group. Pairwise correlations, hierarchical clustering, and multidimensional scaling algorithms were used to dissect the class I-signaling pathway in vivo. Treatment with anti-H-2Kd Ab was highly correlated with the activation of Akt and p70S6Kinase (S6K). When measuring distance as a marker of interrelatedness, multidimensional scaling analysis revealed a close association between members of the mammalian target of rapamycin pathway including mammalian target of rapamycin, S6K, and S6 ribosomal protein. These results provide the first analysis of the interrelationships between these signaling molecules in vivo that reflects our knowledge of the signaling pathway derived from in vitro experiments.