cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Improving Russia's Foreign Direct Investment Policy Regime

All countries - developing and developed alike - find it difficult to stay competitive without inflows of foreign direct investment (FDI). FDI brings to host countries not only capital, productive facilities, and technology transfers, but also employment, new job skills and management expertise. These ingredients are particularly important in the case of Russia today, where the pressure for firms to compete with each other remains low. With blunted incentives to become efficient, due to inter-regional barriers to trade, weak exercise of creditor rights and administrative barriers to new entrants - including foreign invested firms - Russian enterprises are still in the early stages of restructuring. This paper argues that the policy regime governing FDI in the Russian Federation is still characterized by "old" paradigm of FDI, established before the Second World War and seen all over the world during the 1950s and 1960s. Indeed, Russia is host to relatively little "new" paradigm FDI-investments characterized by state-of-the-art technology and world-class competitive production linked to dynamic global (or regional) markets. The paper suggests specific policy recommendations: (i) amend the newly enacted FDI law so as to give "national treatment" for both right of establishment and for post-establishment operations; abolish conditions that are inconsistent with the agreement on trade-related investment measures (TRIMs) of the WTO (such as local content restrictions); and make investor-State dispute resolution mechanisms more efficient, including giving foreign investors the opportunity to seek neutral, binding international arbitration; (ii) strengthen enforcement of property rights to improve corporate governance incentives; (iii) simplify foreign investor registration procedures and make them rules-based and transparent; and (iv) extend guarantee schemes covering basic non-commercial risks.
The effects of visual control whole body vibration exercise on balance and gait function of stroke patients

[Purpose] This study aims to verify the effects of visual control whole body vibration exercise on balance and gait function of stroke patients. [Subjects and Methods] A total of 22 stroke patients were randomly assigned to two groups; 11 to the experimental group and 11 to the control group. Both groups received 30 minutes of Neuro-developmental treatment 5 times per week for 4 weeks. The experimental group additionally performed 10 minutes of visual control whole body vibration exercise 5 times per week during the 4 weeks. Balance was measured using the Functional Reach Test. Gait was measured using the Timed Up and Go Test. [Results] An in-group comparison in the experimental group showed significant differences in the Functional Reach Test and Timed Up and Go Test. In comparing the groups, the Functional Reach Test and Timed Up and Go Test of the experimental group were more significantly different compared to the control group. [Conclusion] These results suggest that visual control whole body vibration exercise has a positive effect on the balance and gait function of stroke patients.
Flame cell in IgA monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance

![Figure][1] A 56-year-old diabetic woman presented with significant proteinuria. Serum protein electrophoresis demonstrated an elevated α2 region. Immunofixation confirmed immunoglobulin A-λ (IgA-λ) monoclonal protein (unquantifiable). The serum IgA level was 763 mg/dL (normal range, 83-
Reaction rate of H atoms with N2O in hot water

Abstract The rate constant of H• atoms with N2O in water has been measured by a competition method up to 300 °C. Radiolysis with 2.5 MeV electrons generated H• atoms, and the HD product from their reaction with deuterated tetrahydrofuran (THF-d8) was measured with mass spectroscopy. The concentration of THF-d8 was changed by an order of magnitude in the presence of 25 mM N2O to obtain the ratio of rate constants. To determine the rate constant of H• with THF-d8, a similar competition vs. 0.2 mM OH– ion was also measured. The reaction rate of H• with OH– has been accurately determined vs. temperature in previous work, allowing the two unknown rate constants to be deduced. Rate constant of H• with THF-d8 follows the Arrhenius law ln(k/M−1s−1)=27.33 - (32.30 kJ/mol)/RT. Rate constant of H• with N2O follows the Arrhenius law ln(k/M−1s−1)=24.50 - (30.42 kJ/mol)/RT. In all likelihood, the N2O reaction proceeds via cis-HNNO• radical intermediate as in the gas phase, but with participation of a bridging water molecule in the 1,3 hydrogen shift to form N2 and •OH products.
Laser Microbeam Studies on the Structure and Function of the Cell Nucleus

Laser microbeam irradiation was introduced as a tool in experimental cytology in 1962 by Bessis and his colleagues in Paris (Bessis et al., 1962). Since that time, numerous studies have been conducted using various laser sources to produce alterations at the subcellular level. These studies have been elaborately reviewed over the past ten years (see reviews: Berns and Salet, 1972; Moreno et al., 1969; Berns, 1974a, 1974b, 1975, 1978; Berns et al., 1976). The present review will briefly touch upon the studies discussed earlier and will concentrate on that work published since the last review.
Preoperative and Pre-transplant Cardiac Evaluation in the Cancer Patient

All patients undergoing procedures, including surgery and hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, are at risk for cardiovascular complications. This chapter is in two parts. In Part I, procedures for cardiac risk evaluation prior to surgical procedures in cancer patients are described, including risk evaluation and preoperative testing. In Part II, we provide information about cardiac complications related to stem cell transplantation, with regard to patient-specific risk factors, the underlying disease, and the transplant procedures. Guidelines for the pre-transplant evaluation and prevention and monitoring for cardiovascular complications during the course of stem cell transplant are discussed.
Evaluation of the BD Max StaphSR Assay for Detecting Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and Methicillin-Susceptible S. aureus (MSSA) in ESwab-Collected Wound Samples.

Staphylococcus aureus is the most common pathogen involved in skin and soft tissue infections, and it is the principal cause of surgical site infections ([1][1][–][2][3][3]). Most of the laboratory methods for detecting S. aureus and methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) from wounds require
Ineffective Secondary Prevention in Survivors of Cardiovascular Events in the US Population: A Report from the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.

26 Background and Purpose: Survivors of myocardial infarction (MI) or stroke are at high risk for subsequent cardiovascular events. There is limited assessment of the effectiveness of risk factor modification through current secondary preventive strategies in the US population. Methods: The adequacy of control for hypertension, diabetes mellitus, cigarette smoking, alcohol use and hypercholesterolemia was assessed by personal interview, blood pressure measurements, and serum glycosylated hemoglobin and cholesterol levels in a nationally representative sample of US adults. We also evaluated the role of potentially related factors including age, gender, race/ethnicity, educational attainment, socioeconomic and medical insurance status using multivariate logistic regression analysis. Results: A total of 1252 survivors of MI or stroke were evaluated in the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Among the 738 known hypertensive persons, hypertension was uncontrolled (systemic blood pressure >140/90 mm Hg) in 388 (53%) patients. Previously undiagnosed hypertension (systemic blood pressure > 140/90 mm Hg) was detected in 138 (11%)other survivors. Of the 1252 survivors, 225 (18%) persons were currently smoking and heavy alcohol use was observed in 56 persons. Hypercholesterolemia was poorly controlled (serum cholesterol >240mg/dl) in 185 (46%)of the 405 persons with known hypercholesterolemia. Undetected hypercholesterolemia was observed in 160 (13%) persons. In the multivariate analysis, high risk profiles (defined as presence of two or more poorly controlled risk factors) were more likely to be observed in persons aged 45–65 years (OR 2.5, 95% CI 1.3–4.8), women (OR 1.6, 95% CI 1.3–2.1) and African-Americans (OR 1.4, 95% CI 1.01–1.9). Conclusions: Our report points out the alarming magnitude of inadequate secondary prevention in the US population. Considerable efforts are required to effectively implement risk factor modification strategies after MI or stroke, particularly in middle aged persons, African-Americans and women.
Durendal, translated: Islamic object genealogies in the chansons de geste

The transfer of Saracen arms into Frankish ownership is a leitmotif of many chansons de geste, but one whose significance for translatio imperii has yet to be elucidated. In this essay, I focus on the Chanson d’Aspremont, a twelfth-century epic set in Calabria that narrates the pre-history of Durendal, Roland’s sword of Song of Roland fame, as an object inherited by Roland from its former royal Muslim owner. Drawing on cultural history and a number of object-translation models derived from material and spolia studies, I read the sword’s symbolic transfer as evidence of Norman desire for and appropriation of former Fatimid imperium in Sicily.
Maternal magnesium therapy, neonatal serum magnesium concentration and immediate neonatal outcomes.

Maternal magnesium therapy, neonatal serum magnesium concentration and immediate neonatal outcomes
Water Photo-oxidation Initiated by Surface-Bound Organic Chromophores

Organic chromophores can be synthesized by established methods and offer an opportunity to expand overall solar spectrum utilization for dye-sensitized photoelectrosynthesis cells. However, there are complications in the use of organic chromophores arising from the instability of their oxidized forms, the inability of their oxidized forms to activate a water oxidation catalyst, or the absence of a sufficiently reducing excited state for electron injection into appropriate semiconductors. Three new triarylamine donor–acceptor organic dyes have been investigated here for visible-light-driven water oxidation. They offer highly oxidizing potentials (>1 V vs NHE in aqueous solution) that are sufficient to drive a water oxidation catalyst and excited-state potentials (∼−1.2 V vs NHE) sufficient to inject into TiO2. The oxidized form of one of the chromophores is sufficiently stable to exhibit reversible electrochemistry in aqueous solution. The chromophores also have favorable photophysics. Visible-light-driven...
Norovirus on cruise ships: Motivation for handwashing?

Abstract The cruise industry is the fastest growing segment of the travel industry. Concurrent with its growth is the challenge of mitigating the risk associated with illness outbreaks onboard ships. Norovirus is the leading cause of shipboard illnesses. This study examined the efficacy of the protection motivation theory (PMT) for predicting passengers’ intentions toward handwashing in the context of norovirus disease incidence. The results of this study indicated that people were willing to engage in protection motivation in order to avoid the communicated threat. The threat appraisal construct and coping appraisal construct were both analyzed. Overall, the protection motivation theory explained 58% of the variability in handwashing intention. The coping appraisal construct significantly predicted handwashing intention. The strongest predictor for handwashing intention was cost. Furthermore, this study revealed a need for continued educational efforts directed at passengers because almost one-third of respondents indicated that they had no prior knowledge of norovirus.
A Conversation with Charles V. Hamilton

Charles V. Hamilton is the Wallace Sayre Professor Emeritus of Political Science and Government at Columbia University. He is the author of several important books on the study of race and politics, focusing primarily on the African-American experience. He is the coauthor of Black Power: A Politics of Liberation with the late Stokely Carmichael (Kwame Ture), as well as The Black Preacher in America; Bench and the Ballot: Southern Federal Judges and Black Voters; Adam Clayton Powell, Jr.: The Political Biography of an American Dilemma; and coauthor with Dona Cooper Hamilton of The Dual Agenda: Race and the Social Welfare Policies of Civil Rights Organizations. He was interviewed by Fredrick C. Harris, Dean of Social Science and Professor of Political Science at Columbia University, on July 13, 2017, at the University of Chicago. This is an edited transcript; a video of the entire interview can be viewed below or at http://www.annualreviews.org/r/charlesvhamilton.
Evaluation of alternative power production efficiency metrics for offshore wind turbines and farms

Abstract The use of power production efficiency metrics for wind turbines is important for evaluating their productivity and quantifying the effectiveness of actions that are meant to improve the energy production. The goal of this research is not to propose a new efficiency metric since there are already multiple efficiency metrics widely used in practice: availability, power generation ratio, and power coefficient. Our objective here is to sort out the question of how these efficiency metrics are related to, or different from, one another. We believe addressing this research question has a great degree of practical significance as it is a question practitioners are often puzzled with. Understanding the similarities and differences of multiple efficiency metrics may even lay a foundation for the future proposals of new efficiency metrics. Our evaluation of whether the existing metrics are consistent with each other is driven by the use of actual data from an offshore wind farm. We observe that the three metrics show some degree of consistency but the power generation ratio, albeit the least popular, appears more representative of all metrics and more illustrative of the underlying efficiency. We also found that there is about 4% efficiency difference between wake-free and in-the-wake turbines for this specific wind farm.
Autonomous Transaction Managers in Responsive Computing

Transaction systems are designed to facilitate the design of applications in distributed, failure-prone environments. Typically, mechanisms are provided as part of the transaction management system to relieve the application designers of managing concurrent executions and unexpected failures. Additionally, providing adequate real-time responsiveness in such systems necessitates the distributed autonomous management of the transaction executions — due to the reason that a centralized approach would be inefficient and highly sensitive to the failure of a single site. Ensuring the logical correctness of concurrent transaction executions in terms of maintaining serializability in an environment consisting of several autonomous sites is a current research effort. While several schemes have been proposed that are sufficient to ensure serializability, the particular conditions necessary have not been made precise. We explore this question in an attempt to delineate those classes of concurrency control protocols that can be used at each local site in the context of autonomous transaction managers. Our research provides the characterization and techniques for integrating the transaction schedules arising from the autonomous sites in a manner similar to the approach used for centralized concurrency control.
Percutaneous Retrogasserian Glycerol Rhizotomy: Current Technique and Results

Despite the establishment of the vasculoneural compression as a frequent cause of trigeminal neuralgia, minimally invasive surgical techniques to treat medically refractory trigeminal neuralgia are needed in order to minimize the risks associated with craniotomy. Percutaneous retro gasserian glycerol rhizotomy (PRGR) is one of the alternative surgical treatments to microvascular decompression. Technical simplicity, less chance of trigeminal sensory loss, no need of intraoperative sensory testing, and no attempted deliberate destruction of the trigeminal nerve are advantages over other percutaneous trigeminal operations.
Botulinum Toxin Therapy for Involuntary Movements; Dystonias, Tremor and Tics

Botulinum toxins block the release of acetylcholine from neuromuscular junction when injected into the muscles. Acetylcholine upon release from nerve endings activate the muscles. In disease conditions characterized by presence of overactive muscles with involuntary movements (dystonias, tremors, tics) injection of the botulinum toxin into the affected muscles decreases the involuntary movements substantially and improves the patients’ quality of life.
Analysis of palladium coatings to remove hydrogen isotopes from zirconium fuel rods in Canada deuterium uranium-pressurized heavy water reactors; Thermal and neutron diffusion effects

This paper reports that, in pressurized heavy water nuclear reactors of the type standardly used in Canada (Canada deuterium uranium-pressurized heavy water reactors), the zirconium alloy pressure tubes of the core absorb deuterium produced by corrosion reactions. This deuterium weakens the tubes through hydrogen embrittlement. Thin palladium coatings on the outside of the zirconium are analyzed as a method for deuterium removal. This coating is expected to catalyze the reaction D{sub 2} + 1/2O{sub 2} {r reversible} D{sub 2}O when O{sub 2} is added to the annular (insulating) gas in the tubes. Major reductions in the deuterium concentration and, hence, hydrogen embrittlement are predicted. Potential problems such as plating the tube geometry, neutron absorption, catalyst deactivation, radioactive waste production, and oxygen corrosion are shown to be manageable. Also, a simple set of equations are derived to calculate the effect on diffusion caused by neutron interactions. Based on calculations of ordinary and neutron flux induced diffusion, a palladium coating of 1 {times} 10{sup {minus}6} m is recommended. This would cost approximately $60,000 per reactor unit and should more than double reactor lifetime. Similar coatings and similar interdiffusion calculations might have broad applications.
Data Sampling Approaches with Severely Imbalanced Big Data for Medicare Fraud Detection

Class imbalance is an important problem in machine learning. With increases in available information and the growing use of Big Data sources to extract meaning from data, the challenges associated with class imbalance continue to influence research and shape business value. In this paper, we focus on using highly imbalanced Big Data from Medicare to detect provider claims fraud. We combine three Medicare parts and generate fraud labels using real-world excluded providers. The number of known fraudulent providers is very small, with 0.062% of the combined dataset being labeled as fraud, indicating severe class imbalance. To address class imbalance concerns, we provide experimental results incorporating six different data sampling methods (undersampling and oversampling) to create datasets for five class ratios (imbalanced to balanced), as well as using the full dataset (with no sampling). Three state-of-the-art machine learning models with Apache Spark are used to assess Medicare fraud detection performance across data sampling methods and class ratios. We demonstrate that data sampling, in particular random undersampling, presents good results across all learners, whereas oversampling provides no benefit versus models built using the full dataset.
Planning in Fragile and Conflict States: : Case Study for West Bank and Gaza

This paper describes an application of the robust decision making (RDM) framework to develop a generation capacity expansion plan for the West Bank and Gaza power system. The methodology is built around an LP optimization and a simulation model to systematically generate scenarios that capture pervasive uncertainties in a region prone to conflicts and violence. The findings of our analysis show how the capacity plan can change drastically away from traditional scale-efficient generation options, towards a more diverse set of options including distributed solar generation to cover risks of delays in larger infrastructure projects and sustained outages due to damages.
Selecting ecological models using multi-objective optimization

Abstract Choices in ecological research and natural resource management require balancing multiple, often competing objectives. Examples include maximizing species persistence in a wildlife conservation context, while minimizing cost, or balancing opposing stakeholder objectives when managing wildlife populations. Multiple-objective optimization (MOO) provides a unifying framework for solving multiple objective problems. Model selection is a critical component of ecological inference and prediction and requires balancing the competing objectives of model fit and model complexity. The tradeoff between model fit and model complexity provides a basis for describing the model-selection problem within the MOO framework. We discuss MOO and two strategies for solving the MOO problem; modeling preferences pre-optimization and post-optimization. Most conventional model selection methods can be formulated as solutions of MOO problems via specification of pre-optimization preferences. We reconcile model selection within the MOO framework. We also consider model selection using post-optimization specification of preferences. That is, by first identifying Pareto optimal solutions, and then selecting among them. We demonstrate concepts with an ecological application of model selection using avian species richness data in the continental United States.
A Preliminary Investigation of Cognitive Features Associated With Worry Among African American Youth

Although knowledge of the cognitive factors that place children at risk for worry has grown, little is known about these processes within African American youth. The present study investigated cogn...
Flat Outputs in Terms of SISO Operator Compositions

The goal of this paper is to use a flat coordinate system to show that a flat output for a SISO flat system can be written in terms of a certain composition of input-output operators. The work is partially motivated by the author’s recent work on computing the relative degree of interconnected systems. First the general smooth case is considered, followed by the control affine analytic case. The latter is more amenable to computations in terms of Chen-Fliess series.
D-dimer and the Risk of Incident Hypertension in Black and White Americans

Background The underlying causes of hypertension remain ill-defined as are the reasons for the increased risk among black Americans. Research suggests D-dimer, a procoagulant marker higher in black Americans, is a risk marker for hypertension. However, these data are mostly cross-sectional, and the impact on racial disparities in hypertension incidence has not been studied. We hypothesized that those with higher D-dimer levels will be at a higher risk of developing incident hypertension, and D-dimer modifies racial differences in hypertension risk. Methods The study included 1438 participants, without hypertension at baseline, with two visits 9.4 years apart in the REasons for Geographic and Racial Differences in Stroke (REGARDS) study. Risk ratios of incident hypertension by baseline D-dimer were estimated, and the DDimer*race interaction was assessed. Results Factors associated with higher D-dimer were older age, female sex, black race, smoking, higher BMI and systolic blood pressure, and lower education, income and physical activity. A modest association was observed between D-dimer and hypertension incidence; in the model adjusted for demographic factors, the risk of hypertension was 32% higher in the top quartile of D-dimer compared to the first quartile [risk ratio (RR) 1.32; 95% confidence interval (CI):1.07-1.63]. However, this association was not independent of other risk factors (RR 1.18; 95% CI 0.97-1.45). There was no evidence D-dimer modified the racial difference in hypertension risk (p-interaction >0.10). Conclusion Results suggest that procoagulant effects of hypertension risk factors may contribute to hypertension risk. While D-dimer increased the risk of hypertension, it did not modify the racial difference in hypertension risk. Future research will examine whether D-dimer mediates racial disparities in hypertension risk.
Racial disparities in cancer clinical trials.

97Background: Cancer-related mortality has been found to be disproportionately higher in racial minorities and medically underserved populations.[1] This necessitates adequate representation of the...
Categorization of Next Generation Nanomaterials: International Cooperation on the Categorization of Nanomaterials in the Regulatory Chemical Context

Categorization approaches have been effectively applied to chemicals, and many have tried to apply variations of these approaches to nanomaterials. Given the added complexities of nanomaterials, this has been challenging. International cooperation on categorization approaches has been made, primarily through the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. Progress has been limited given the complexities of nanomaterials, especially given the need to consider not only the intrinsic properties of the materials but also properties dependent on the system into which it is introduced. Consideration must also be given to the different purposes and contexts, in particular regulatory contexts, to which the categorization schemes would be applied. More progress can be anticipated by focusing on areas of overlap among countries such as physicochemical properties.
An immediate field survey of the San Fernando, Los Angeles, earthquake, February 9, 1971

The San Fernando earthquake occurred in the San Gabriel Mountains, about 25 miles to the north of central Los Angeles. Its magnitude, about 6 1/2, was not exceptionally large, and such earthquakes are not uncommon in California. Not since the Long Beach earthquake of 1933 (magnitude 6.3), however, has a significant shock occurred near a densely built-up area. The greatest damage appears to be associated with a zone of overthrusting, where the San Gabriel Mountains meet the San Fernando Valley to the south of the epicentre. In some places this overthrusting caused conspicuous ground deformation through built-up areas of San Fernando and Sylmar. Domestic wooden-frame houses in general withstood the earthquake well, but large hospital buildings at the Olive View Medical Center and Veterans’ Administration Hospital at Sylmar failed badly. Conspicuous damage was also caused to freeway overpasses, the Sylmar Converter Station, and to the Van Norman Reservoir complex. Total damage is estimated as high as U.S. $1,000,000,000. Ground accelerations of about 1g were recorded in the abutment of the Pacoima Dam, to the north of San Fernando.
Using Wearable Biosensors to Predict Length of Stay for Patients with IBD After Bowel Surgery.

It remains unknown whether ambulation or sleep predicts postoperative length of stay for patients with IBD. We aim to identify the utility of wearable biosensors in predicting postoperative length of stay for patients with IBD. Associations of postoperative length of stay with step count/sleep duration/sleep efficiency measured by wearable biosensors were examined. The best-fitting multivariable linear regression model predicting length of stay was constructed using stepwise model selection. Final sample included 37 patients. Shorter sleep duration on postoperative day 4 (r = 0.51, p = 0.043) or 5 (r = 0.81, p = 0.0045) or higher sleep efficiency on postoperative day 5 (r = − 0.77, p = 0.0098) was associated with a shorter length of stay. Additionally, a more positive change in sleep efficiency from postoperative day 4–5 was associated with a shorter length of stay (r = − 0.77, p = 0.024). The best-fitting multivariable linear regression model revealed Clavien–Dindo grade 1 (p = 0.045) and interaction between Clavien–Dindo grade 2/3a and mean daily steps (p = 0.00038) are significant predictors of length of stay. The following variables were not significantly associated with length of stay: mean daily steps/sleep duration/sleep efficiency, average rate of change in these three variables, and changes in step count between successive postoperative days 1–5, sleep duration between successive postoperative days 2–5, and sleep efficiency between successive postoperative days 2–4. We demonstrated the utility of activity and sleep data from wearable biosensors in predicting length of stay. Patients with more severe complications may benefit more (i.e., reduced postoperative length of stay) from increased ambulation. However, overall, sleep duration/efficiency did not predict length of stay.
Cardiac Cephalgia

“Cardiac cephalgia” is a type of secondary headache disorder, usually initiated by exertion that is related to myocardial ischemia. Primary exertional headaches such as sex-, cough-, or exercise-induced headaches are typically benign. Cardiac cephalgia, on the other hand, can have life-threatening complications. Due to overlapping features and similarities in presentation, cardiac cephalgia can be misdiagnosed as a primary headache disorder such as migraine. However, the management of these conditions is unique, and treatment of cardiac cephalgia with vasoconstrictors intended for migraine can potentially worsen myocardial ischemia. Thus, it is important to make the correct diagnosis by evaluating cardiac function with an electrocardiogram and/or stress testing. In this review, we examine reported cases of cardiac cephalgia from the past 5 years to highlight the importance of this condition in the differential diagnosis of a headache in a patient with a history of cardiovascular risk factors, as well as to discuss the appropriate approach to diagnosis and the proposed pathogenic mechanisms of this condition.
Does your skin color matter in buyer–seller negotiations? The implications of being a Black salesperson

Despite the evidence in other domains that Black individuals can experience discriminatory treatment, marketing research offers few insights into how Black salespersons (as compared to White salespersons) are perceived and treated within buyer–seller negotiations. We address this limitation in the literature by conducting three studies. First, our findings show that White buyers with a higher social dominance orientation expect Black salespersons to bargain (i.e., negotiate) less than White salespersons. Second, White buyers with a higher social dominance orientation perceive Black salespersons to have bargained more than White counterparts (who have bargained the same). Third, when negotiating with White buyers with a higher social dominance orientation, Black salespersons receive lower product prices than White salespersons. Fourth, when negotiating with White buyers with a higher social dominance orientation, Black salespersons are less likely to be referred to other prospective buyers than White salespersons. Interestingly, no differences exist for White buyers lower on social dominance orientation. Combined, these findings offer insight into the type of discrimination that Black salespersons can encounter within buyer–seller negotiations by revealing how White buyers perceive (i.e., expect them to negotiate less; perceive them to have bargained more than they actually did), behave (i.e., offer them lower prices) and intend to behave (i.e., less willing to refer them to other buyers) toward Black salespersons as compared to White salespersons.
Comment on Agassi

In a brief space I can only reply selectively to Agassi’s wide-ranging comments, but I shall try to do so as constructively as possible.
Reduced order H/sub /spl infin// filter design for time varying systems

This paper is concerned with the reduced-order H/sub /spl infin// filter design for linear time varying continuous systems in which all measurements are contaminated with noise (nonsingular case). The proposed filters have the Luenberger observer structure in a more general form and their order can be as low as n-p, where n and p are the order of signal systems and the number of measurements, respectively. Several bounded real lemmas are developed for the infinite-horizon and finite-horizon cases. They are the only tools used to establish the reduced-order filter design in this paper. It is shown that the full order filters in Nagpal and Khargonekar (1991) are special cases of the results presented in this paper. >
Second Language Proficiency and Cross-Language Lexical Activation

Although research has consistently shown that a bilingual's two languages interact on multiple levels, it is also well-established that bilinguals can vary considerably in their proficiency in the second language (L2). In this paper we review empirical studies that have examined how differences in L2 proficiency modulate cross-language co-activation and interaction during bilingual lexical processing. We review studies investigating cognate and homograph processing in visual word perception and word production, auditory word perception using the visual world paradigm, and cross-language priming, focusing specifically on how differences in proficiency modulate co-activation during lexical access. We further discuss differences in L2 proficiency in relation to immersion and age of L2 acquisition, how differences in L2 proficiency relate to neurocognitive aspects of cognitive control, and how changes in L2 proficiency relative to L1 proficiency may affect lexical processing.
The Primestar Acquisition of the News Corp./MCI Direct Broadcast Satellite Assets

On May 12, 1998 the Department of Justice filed suit to block Primestar Inc. (“Primestar”) from acquiring the direct broadcast satellite assets of The News Corporation Limited (“News Corp.”) and MCI Communications Corporation (“MCI”). Direct broadcast satellite (“DBS”) uses orbiting satellites to transmit video programming directly to subscribers’ homes. The Antitrust Division took the action because it believed that the consortium of owners controlling Primestar, which included five of the largest cable companies in the United States, would have “little incentive to use the satellite service assets to compete aggressively against cable television”. The possibility of higher (than otherwise) cable rates, less innovation, and lower quality in the highly concentrated cable industry was an immediate source of concern to the Division. The parties strongly disagreed, claiming that the acquisition would be procompetitive – it would introduce as quickly as possible a third vigorous competitor into the DBS business, a competitor that would have a strong incentive to compete against cable operators as well as DBS competitors. The parties eventually abandoned the proposed deal before the commencement of trial, leaving in question whether the Antitrust Division’s suit would have been successful, and how News Corp./MCI would have chosen to use its satellite assets.2
Identifying Flat Regions and Slabs in Protein Structures

Motivated by the problem of identifying flat regions in three dimensional protein structures, we provide a new geometric approach for the extraction of planar surfaces that compares favorably with existing approaches developed for computer vision. Preliminary results obtained on proteins from different structural classes are given.
Making Freedom: The Underground Railroad and the Politics of Slavery R. J. M. Blackett. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 2013.

Making Freedom: The Underground Railroad and the Politics of Slavery R. J. M. Blackett. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 2013.This compact and highly-readable book focuses on cases of escapes from slavery in the years surrounding the passage of the 1850 Fugitive Slave Law. Despite the uniqueness of the time period leading up to the Civil War, today's readers will see striking similarities between the events described in this book and modern American culture, most notably, a bitterly divided public and polarizing political debates which are carried out in the media.The volume's three main chapters address, respectively, a case study of the flight and attempted recapture of a slave (Henry Banks) from Virginia, the handling- and effects-of multiple Pennsylvania cases pertaining to the 1850 Fugitive Slave Law, and the struggles between fugitive slaves and their allies and those who sought to preserve slavery. The author assumes that the reader has rudimentary knowledge of the Underground Railroad, the Fugitive Slave Law, and the geography of slavery in the US.Blackett builds a strong case for viewing fugitive slaves as self-motivated agents actively and ardently pursuing liberty, preferring to live free under threat of recapture and punishment than to continue living under slavery. The author emphasizes that while there were whites and free black people assisting fugitives at many points along the path to freedom, we should not underestimate the efforts and determination of the fugitive slaves themselves. Blackett hints that early works on this subject placed too much emphasis on the roles played by white Quakers; he prefers to follow more recent works which give proper recognition to the escapees.Additionally, author weaves an argument which ties the actions of escapees to national and international political debates over slavery, showing how the pursuit and recapture of fugitive slaves under the Fugitive Slave Act led to much-publicized legal proceedings that media in free and slave states used to inflame passions on the issue. Large numbers of local residents often involved themselves in these trials, which made for bigger media coverage. In the case of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, where slavery sympathizer Richard McAllister had been appointed to oversee fugitive slave cases in the area, years of perfunctory rulings in favor of slave owners led to such negative public sentiment that after McAllister left the job in disgrace, no one else would replace him. …
On solutions of real analytic equations

Analyticity of C∞ solutions yi = fi(x), 1 ≤ i ≤ m, of systems of real analytic equations pj(x, y) = 0, 1 ≤ j ≤ l, is studied. Sufficient conditions for C∞ and power series solutions to be real analytic are given in terms of iterative Jacobian ideals of the analytic ideal generated by p1, p2, . . . , pl. In a special case when the pi’s are independent of x, we prove that if a C∞ solution h satisfies the condition det ( ∂pi pyj ) (h(x)) 6≡ 0, then h is necessarily
A fast, hybrid, power-efficient high-precision solver for large linear systems based on low-precision hardware

Abstract In recent years, the amount of data produced has been exploding at a rate far greater than the increase in computing power of even large supercomputers. As a result, modern computer systems are unable to analyze all the available data – a situation that will become even worse in the foreseeable future. We follow an approach to data analytics where the computational complexity is fundamentally reduced by performing the majority of the computation in an approximated or even stochastic framework while the high precision solution is guaranteed by an iterative refinement process. This paper presents a parallel heterogeneous system implementing a mixed-precision iterative refinement solver for large linear systems, which is a building block for many other complex algorithms. In our solver, the backward step is implemented as a novel variant of the conjugate gradient (CG) method running on an FPGA using fixed point data types. The low precision of the backward step is compensated for by the forward step running in high precision on a GPU, which iteratively updates the current solution until a given working precision has been reached. We have implemented our CG solver using Altera's OpenCL SDK for FPGAs and use NVIDIA's CUBLAS library for the forward step on the GPU. Through the combination of GPU and FPGA we were able to achieve a speedup of 3.7× for large dense 24,064 × 24,064 matrices and require 3.5× less energy per solved right-hand side compared to a tuned multi-threaded CPU solver based on the ATLAS linear algebra library.
Cancer Genome Anatomy Project

The Cancer Genome Anatomy Project CGAP generates gene expression, polymorphism and chromosomal aberration datasets to support the elucidation of the molecular signatures of cancer. To facilitate use of CGAP data by the biomedical research community, the project has developed a suite of analytical tools designed to facilitate in silico analysis. Keywords: genomics; gene expression; SAGE; SNPs; cytogenetics
Sizing CCHP Systems for Variable and Non-coincident Loads, Part 2: Operating Strategies

ABSTRACT One serious challenge to the implementation of combined cooling, heating and power (CCHP) systems is matching and sizing the system to strongly and frequently varying load conditions. Previous works, part 1 of this work in particular, have proven that while CCHPs have significant cost and performance advantages over traditional single-cycle systems, inadequate strategies, failure to address system flexibilities to accommodate load variations in particular, seem to have negatively impacted this promising technology. This paper discusses some techniques that can improve system flexibility for variable and non-coincident loads.
Thriving under pressure: An exploration of research productivity in business Ph.D. programs

Ph.D. programs have always been difficult and stressful. However, as a variety of factors have led to a tightening of the academic job market, there is increased pressure on Ph.D. students to condu...
Microstructure of a plasma-sprayed Mo-Si-B alloy

Powders of Mo52Si38B10 were plasma sprayed under inert conditions onto stainless steel substrates to determine if high density free standing forms could be synthesized by this process. Thermal spray conditions were varied to minimize porosity and oxygen impurities while minimizing evaporative metal losses. The assprayed and sintered microstructures were characterized using scanning and transmission electron microscopy and quantitative x-ray diffraction (XRD). The as-sprayed microstructure consisted of elongated splats tens of microns in length and only one to three microns in thickness. The splats contained submicrometer grains of primarily MoB and Mo5Si3B x (T1) and minor amounts of MoSi2 and a glassy grain boundary phase. The interior of the splats typically consisted of a fine eutectic of MoB and T1. Small pieces were cut out of the cross section of the sample and pressureless sintered for 2, 6, and 10 h at 1800 °C in flowing Ar. After sintering for 2 h at 1800 °C, the samples exhibited a coarser but equiaxed microstructure (1 to 5 µm grain size) containing 78 vol.% T1, 16 vol.% MoB, and 6 vol.% MoSi2 as determined by XRD. Approximately 8 at.% of the Si formed silica. The high-temperature anneal removed all vestiges of the layered structure observed in the as-sprayed samples.
Direct Tests of Enzymatic Heme Degradation by the Malaria Parasite Plasmodium falciparum

Malaria parasites generate vast quantities of heme during blood stage infection via hemoglobin digestion and limited de novo biosynthesis, but it remains unclear if parasites metabolize heme for utilization or disposal. Recent in vitro experiments with a heme oxygenase (HO)-like protein from Plasmodium falciparum suggested that parasites may enzymatically degrade some heme to the canonical HO product, biliverdin (BV), or its downstream metabolite, bilirubin (BR). To directly test for BV and BR production by P. falciparum parasites, we DMSO-extracted equal numbers of infected and uninfected erythrocytes and developed a sensitive LC-MS/MS assay to quantify these tetrapyrroles. We found comparable low levels of BV and BR in both samples, suggesting the absence of HO activity in parasites. We further tested live parasites by targeted expression of a fluorescent BV-binding protein within the parasite cytosol, mitochondrion, and plant-like plastid. This probe could detect exogenously added BV but gave no signal indicative of endogenous BV production within parasites. Finally, we recombinantly expressed and tested the proposed heme degrading activity of the HO-like protein, PfHO. Although PfHO bound heme and protoporphyrin IX with modest affinity, it did not catalyze heme degradation in vivo within bacteria or in vitro in UV absorbance and HPLC assays. These observations are consistent with PfHO's lack of a heme-coordinating His residue and suggest an alternative function within parasites. We conclude that P. falciparum parasites lack a canonical HO pathway for heme degradation and thus rely fully on alternative mechanisms for heme detoxification and iron acquisition during blood stage infection.
Surface areas of brush border and lateral cell walls in the rabbit proximal nephron.

Surface areas of brush border and lateral cell walls in the rabbit proximal nephron. A morphometric technique is used to estimate the absolute and relative surface areas of the brush border microvilli and cell walls bordering lateral intercellular spaces. In isolated, perfused proximal tubule from rabbit, the luminal and lateral surfaces are equal in area. For proximal convoluted tubules (PCT) each surface is 4.1 ± 0.3 µ 2 /µ 3 of epithelial cell volume or approximately 2.9 × 10 6 µ 2 /mm of tubule length. In proximal straight tubules (PST) the areas are 2.6 ± 0.2 µ 2 /µ 3 or 1.2 × 10 6 µ 2 /mm. Brush border enlarges the apical cell surface 36-fold in PCT and 15-fold in PST. The luminal and lateral cell surfaces each are approximately 20-fold (in PCT) and 10-fold (in PST) greater than the areas of the basal cell surface and tubule basement membrane. These data may be important in the context of an intercellular transport model. Surfaces des parois cellulaires luminale et laterale du tube proximal du lapin. Dans les modeles de transport intercellulaire couramment acceptes, les parois luminale, et laterales des cellules agissent comme des resistances en serie sur le trajet du flux transtubulaire d'eau. Au titre d'etape oreliminaire a l'etude de ces resistances, une technique morphometrique est utilisee pour mesurer les surfaces absolues et relatives des microvillosites de la bordure en brosse et des parois cellulaires bordant les espaces intercellulaires lateraux. Dans le tube proximal de lapin isole et perfuse, les differences entre les surfaces luminales et laterales ne sont pas statistiquement significatives. Pous les tubes contournes proximaux et les tubes droits proximant, respectivement, ces surfaces sont de 4,1 ± 0,3 et 2,6 ± 0,2 µ 2 /µ 3 de volume de cellule epitheliate ou, approximativement, 2,9 × 10 6 et 1,2 × 10 6 µ 2 /mm de tubule. La bordure en brosse augmente la surface apicale d'un facteur 36 pour le PCT et d'un facteur 15 pour le PST. Les surfaces luminales et laterales sont approximativement 20 et 10 fois plus grandes que la surface de la membrane basale tubulaire. Ces resultats peuvent avoir une importance dans le contexte d'un modele de transport intercellulaire.