cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Monitoring Under-Modeled Rare Events for URLLC

Immersive and interactive applications that demand ultra-reliable low-latency communication (URLLC) are gaining traction, particularly in the latest 3GPP standards on 5G. The main focus in standards and research has primarily been on protocols based on techniques to combat deep fades, waveform design for short packets, coexistence, etc. However, for ultra-reliability it is imperative to understand, model and combat errors caused by a broader set of events that are not deep fade. In this paper, we consider under-defined rare events, whose behavior cannot be exactly modeled, but can potentially be detected and their frequency monitored, while also building sufficient robustness against them through repetitions in time/frequency and higher SNR. We also describe how persistent attacks such as jamming can be detected in a distributed fashion and how the network can respond to these events in a synchronous way.
A Review of Random Search Methods

This chapter provides a brief review of random search methods for simulation optimization. We start by describing the structure of random search when system performance is estimated via simulation. Next, we discuss methods for solving simulation optimization problems with discrete decision variables and one (stochastic) performance measure, with emphasis on simulated annealing. Finally, we expand our scope to address simulation optimization problems with continuous decision variables and/or multiple (stochastic) performance measures.
Bias, Trust, and Trustworthiness: An Experimental Study of Post Justice System Outcomes

The criminal justice system imposes long-term spillover costs for the convicted and acquitted in the form of reduced employment opportunities and high rates of recidivism, possibly a byproduct of poor employment opportunities. This paper examines discriminatory behavior of investors and employers when they are given the opportunity to condition on their trustee’s/worker’s criminal record. Similar to the real world, our experiment shows that employers and investors do exhibit discriminatory behavior toward those with criminal conviction and those with criminal acquittals. However, no basis exists for the statistical discrimination, since reciprocator behavior is found to not depend on criminal record, while true innocence or guilt is found to play a large role in a subject’s reciprocity. While access to true innocence and guiltiness would prove invaluable to investors and employers, this is unobtainable in the real world and equating convictions with true guiltiness is worrisome, given truly innocent subject’s willingness to plead guilty.
Career Concerns, Inaction and Market Inefficiency: Evidence From Utility Regulation

We study how incentive conflicts known as ‘career concerns’ can generate inefficiencies not only within firms but also in market outcomes. Career concerns may lead agents to avoid actions that, while valueincreasing in expectation, could potentially be associated with a bad outcome. We apply this theory to natural gas procurement by regulated public utilities and show that career concerns may lead to a reduction in surplus-increasing market transactions during periods when the benefits of trade are likely to be greatest. We show that data from natural gas markets are consistent with this prediction and difficult to explain using alternative theories.
Triangle-aware Spectral Sparsifiers and Community Detection

Triangle-aware graph partitioning has proven to be a successful approach to finding communities in real-world data [8, 40, 51, 54]. But how can we explain its empirical success? Triangle-aware graph partitioning methods rely on the count of triangles an edge is contained in, in contrast to the well-established measure of effective resistance [12] that requires global information about the graph. In this work we advance the understanding of triangle-based graph partitioning in two ways. First, we introduce a novel triangle-aware sparsification scheme. Our scheme provably produces a spectral sparsifier with high probability [46, 47] on graphs that exhibit strong triadic closure, a hallmark property of real-world networks. Importantly, our sampling scheme is amenable to distributed computing, since it relies simply on computing node degrees, and edge triangle counts. Finally, we compare our methods to the Spielman-Srivastava sparsification algorithm [46] on a wide variety of real-world graphs, and we verify the applicability of our proposed sparsification scheme on real-world networks. Secondly, we develop a data-driven approach towards understanding properties of real-world communities with respect to effective resistances, and triangle counts. Our empirical approach is mainly based on the notion of ground-truth communities in datasets made available originally by Yang and Leskovec [53]. We perform a study of triangle-aware measures, and effective resistances on edges within, and across communities, and we discover certain interesting empirical findings. For example, we observe that the Jaccard similarity of an edge used by Satuluri [40], and the closely related Tectonic similarity measure introduced by Tsourakakis et al. [51] provide consistently good signals of whether an edge is contained within a community or not.
Unlocking the biogeochemical role of beaver in state-transition of landscapes in Yellowstone's northern range: Tantalizing insights, initial results, and evolving research design

Extirpation of wolves from the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem in the 1920s hypothetically triggered a trophic cascade in which herbivores over-browsed riparian zones once released from the fear of wolf (Canis lupus) predation. Eventually, vast meadow-wetland complexes transitioned to grass-lodgepole systems. By 1954, beaver (Castor canadensis) virtually abandoned the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. In 2000, Colorado State University established experimental dams with browsing exclosures for Long Term Environmental Research in Biology (LTREB) on three streams in Lamar Valley to compare hydrologic effects of pseudo-beaver dams and browsing on willow (Salix spp.) productivity and state transitions. In 2015, beaver began recolonizing the region. I investigate how the biogeochemical role of beaver versus their hydrologic influence affects the underlying mechanisms of state transition: nutrient cycling, productivity, and stream respiration. Analyses of the 2017 field samples showed that beaver streams trend toward higher nutrient levels and higher variances than the LTREB sites. These trends continued in 2018 and 2019. The data tentatively support the role of beaver as keystone species in state transitions. Interannual modeling of nutrient dynamics, comparisons of stream metabolism, and genetic identification of microbial communities are underway. Similarly, analyses of the repeated measures collected across the month of July 2019 are underway. Featured photo from figure 1 in report.
Near-linear time decoding of Ta-Shma’s codes via splittable regularity

The Gilbert–Varshamov bound non-constructively establishes the existence of binary codes of distance 1/2−є/2 and rate Ω(є2). In a breakthrough result, Ta-Shma [STOC 2017] constructed the first explicit family of nearly optimal binary codes with distance 1/2−є/2 and rate Ω(є2+α), where α → 0 as є → 0. Moreover, the codes in Ta-Shma’s construction are є-balanced, where the distance between distinct codewords is not only bounded from below by 1/2−є/2, but also from above by 1/2+є/2. Polynomial time decoding algorithms for (a slight modification of) Ta-Shma’s codes appeared in [FOCS 2020], and were based on the Sum-of-Squares (SoS) semidefinite programming hierarchy. The running times for these algorithms were of the form NOα(1) for unique decoding, and NOє,α(1) for the setting of “gentle list decoding”, with large exponents of N even when α is a fixed constant. We derive new algorithms for both these tasks, running in time Oє(N). Our algorithms also apply to the general setting of decoding direct-sum codes. Our algorithms follow from new structural and algorithmic results for collections of k-tuples (ordered hypergraphs) possessing a “structured expansion” property, which we call splittability. This property was previously identified and used in the analysis of SoS-based decoding and constraint satisfaction algorithms, and is also known to be satisfied by Ta-Shma’s code construction. We obtain a new weak regularity decomposition for (possibly sparse) splittable collections W ⊆ [n]k, similar to the regularity decomposition for dense structures by Frieze and Kannan [FOCS 1996]. These decompositions are also computable in near-linear time O(|W |), and form a key component of our algorithmic results.
Poly[octa­carbonyl­heptakis­(tetra­hydro­furan)­diironmanganesedisodium(2 Mn—Fe)]

The reaction of Na2Fe(CO)4 with an excess of MnCl2 in tetra­hydro­furan (THF) produced {Fe2Mn(C4H8O)2Na2(C4H8O)5(CO)8]n or C36H56Fe2MnNa2O15. The compound is a xenophilic dianion with short iron–manganese bond lengths of 2.6274 (10) and 2.6294 (10) A. The sodium cations of the dianion are coordinated to THF ligands and have isocarbonyl inter­actions forming a polymeric (two-dimensional) structure in the crystal. One of the THF mol­ecules was modeled with the carbon atoms being statistically disordered.
Intergenerational Income Mobility and Economic Freedom as Positive Liberty

Economic freedom is often defined as a negative liberty – freedom from interference. This contrasts with positive liberty which is defined as freedom to do which refers to capacities. A well-established literature argues that income inequality reduces positive liberty by limiting the capacities of those at the bottom of the income ladder. This limitation generates the byproduct of a greater persistence of socio-economic status as measured by statistics of intergenerational income mobility. Thus, a case is made for policies that could reduce negative liberty (i.e. reductions in economic freedom) in order to enhance positive liberty. However, this argument neglects the issue of whether economic freedom generates positive liberty by increasing economic growth and the number of options available for people to escape from their initial condition. In this paper, we empirically evaluate – using new data on intergenerational income mobility – this question and argue that economic freedom does strongly relate to positive liberty. Even more interestingly, the (positive) effect of economic freedom is found to be stronger than the (negative) effect of inequality.
Reflection on Four Decades of Contributions of My Graduate Students

I was born in Shiraz, Iran on May 10, 1944 and after my K-12 education in 1962 I received a tuition scholarship from Oregon State University (Corvallis, OR) and came to US for my higher education. At Oregon State in 1963 I majored in electrical engineering and graduated in June 1967 with honors. In fall 1967 I entered my graduate education at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and received my master and doctorate degrees, both with theses, in June 1969 and February 1971, respectively.
Demystifying Skin Color and “Race”

Historical confusion in thinking about skin color and race derives from the state of science at the time human classifications were proposed, and from our incomplete understanding of the genetics of human pigmentation and human ancestry. The pervasiveness of racism reflects the universal human desire for kinship, in settings of competition for resources, where it is common to devalue and harm other groups for the benefit of the group with which one identifies. To gain insight into the biological basis of skin color, scientists have studied the structure of pigmented tissues, hundreds of pigment variants in vertebrates, and a range of enzymes and molecules that affect melanin formation. We have learned that most population-specific traits can be explained by evolutionary chance, and that a small minority of traits, including skin color, have exerted a selective advantage during evolution. The selective advantages of dark and light skin color in the equatorial and more polar geographic regions, respectively, antedate sun screen and Vitamin D supplementation. Since modern technology has largely rendered these evolutionary advantages irrelevant, skin color has become a sociological issue that is amenable to reason. Education can play a central role in work toward a society free of racism, as long as that education is firmly grounded in critically evaluated science and is free of tribalism.
Marijuana induced Reversible Cerebral Vasoconstriction Syndrome.

Reversible cerebral vasoconstriction Syndrome (RCVS) is a transient multifocal arterial vasoconstriction and dilatation. The term was proposed by a panel of experts1 as a unifying term for a variety of a syndromes characterized by cerebral vasospasms and resultant clinical manifestations of cerebral ischemia. These syndromes include Call-Fleming syndrome, drug-induced cerebral angiopathy, benign angiopathy of the CNS, post-partum cerebral angiopathy and migrainous vasospasm. Drug abuse, especially cannabis, is an important etiologic factor for RCVS. It is one of the most widely used recreational substances in the world, considered by many consumers as a relatively safe drug with few significant side-effects2. Cannabis contains 9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) which is rapidly absorbed when smoked, reaching a peak plasma concentration at 10-30 minutes, and is lipid soluble with a large volume of distribution3. Cannabinoids bind to cannabinoid receptors, CB1 in the central nervous system and CB2 in the immune system.
DAT1 and Alcohol Use: Differential Responses to Life Stress during Adolescence

Stressful life events can impact both substance use initiation and the quantity of substances consumed by adolescents; however, the effect of stress on substance use may be contingent on other factors including social support, peers, and genotype. DAT1, a polymorphic dopamine transporter gene, is one such factor that may be responsible for differential susceptibility to cumulative life pressures. Data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health was utilized to determine whether adolescents with the 10-repeat allele are more likely to respond to life stresses by engaging in alcohol use than those without the allele. Respondents' self-reports of key stressors were used to create a composite life stress scale. The interaction of this measure with the number of 10-repeat DAT1 alleles was evaluated in series of logistic regression models. A significant interaction emerged between stressful life experiences and DAT1 for alcohol use among females, but this pattern was not seen in males. Females with the 10-repeat allele appear to be more sensitive to life stress as compared to those without the allele. It appears that variation in the DAT1 gene may help explain why some women are more likely to consume alcohol when confronted with stress. It however does not appear to condition the reaction of men, in terms of alcohol use, to stress.
Direct Potentiometric Measurement of NH4H2BO3 Following a Kjeldahl Distillation

Abstract A method is described for the direct potentiometric measurement of NH4H2BO3, following a Kjeldahl distillation. The NH3 is distilled into a H3BO3 solution, and the activity of the NH4H2BO3 is measured using a cation electrode sensitive to NH4 + and an anion electrode sensitive to H2BO3. The method has been used to determine nitrogen in dried blood samples with assigned N values, and the potentiometric values agreed with the titrimetric results.
Accelerator-driven Transmutation of Waste

Taking advantage of the recent breakthroughs in accelerator technology and of the natural flexibility of subcritical systems, the Accelerator-driven Transmutation of Waste (ATW) concept offers the United States and other countries the possibility to essentially eliminate plutonium, higher actinides, and environmentally hazardous fission products from the waste stream destined for permanent storage.
A combined service approach in treatment of bleeding peptic ulcer.

Summary 1.A series of 87 cases of bleeding peptic ulcer treated by a combined medicalsurgical approach is presented. The overall mortality is 4.6%. 2.A plan for the treatment and method of classification is presented. 3.Gastrointestinal x-rays were undertaken during active bleeding without any apparent ill effects in 24 cases. A definite diagnosis was established in 22 cases. 4.There were 12 operations performed for the arrest of hemorrhage with two fatalities. Sixteen operations were done as elective procedures during the same hospitalization. 5.Exsanguinating hemorrhage occurred in one patient under 40 and 7 patients over 40 years of age. Severe uncompensated hemorrhage occurred in 7 patients under 40 and one over 40 years of age. 6.It is our feeling that judging by age alone no security can be felt in predicting that an individual patient will not have an exsanguinating hemorrhage.
The Use of Repeat Photography in Contemporary Geomorphic Studies: An Evolving Approach to Understanding Landscape Change

The long and continued use of repeat photography, in geomorphology and other natural science studies, attests to the benefits of its employment as a methodology for historical reconstruction and process recognition. This article reviews the use of repeat photography as a tool in observing and understanding geomorphic patterns and processes that have been carried out over the last 40 years. This is not an exhaustive review of the literature, but rather an investigation of the main geomorphic themes that have been studied along with methods of application and adaptations of the methods to improve data quality. Areas of research which have had little to no significant application, but could benefit from its use, are discussed.
Stream geomorphology regulates the effects on periphyton of ecosystem engineering and nutrient enrichment by Pacific salmon

SUMMARY 1. Pacific salmon (Oncorhynchus spp.) returning to streams deliver substantial quantities of nutrients (nitrogen and phosphorus) that may stimulate primary production. Salmon can also affect the phytobenthos negatively via physical disturbance during nest excavation, a process that may counteract the positive effects of salmon-derived nutrients on benthic algae. The ability of salmon to disturb benthic habitats may be a function of substratum particle size, and therefore, the geomorphology of streams could determine the net effect of salmon on benthic communities. 2. Based on surveys of 17 streams in southwest Alaska before the salmon run and during peak salmon density, we identified size thresholds for the disturbance of substratum particles by salmon and classified particles as vulnerable ( 110 mm) or transitional (61–110 mm). At the scale of individual rocks, algal biomass on vulnerable substrata decreased at peak spawning (relative to values before the run) as a power function of salmon density; transitional and invulnerable substrata showed no quantifiable pattern. However, invulnerable substrata in streams with more than 0.11 salmon m )2 showed net algal accrual, or relatively smaller declines in algal biomass, than vulnerable substrata, indicating that large rocks provide refuge for benthic algae from salmon disturbance. 3. We expected that streams with proportionally larger rocks would respond positively to salmon at the whole-stream scale, after accounting for the relative abundance of rocks of different sizes within streams. Invulnerable rocks made up only 0–12% of the total substratum particle size distribution in salmon-bearing streams, however, and algal accrual on invulnerable substrata did not outweigh the strong disturbance effects on the more spatially extensive vulnerable substrata. The change in whole-stream benthic algal biomass among streams was negatively related to salmon density. 4. Stable isotopes of nitrogen (d 15 N) were used to track nutrients from salmon into benthic biota. Periphyton d 15 N on rocks of all size classes was higher at peak salmon spawning than before the salmon run, indicating the uptake of salmon-derived nitrogen. Peak d 15 N values were positively related to salmon abundance and followed a two-isotope mixing relationship. The per cent of N from salmon in periphyton was also related to salmon density and was best explained by a saturating relationship. Spring d 15 N was unrelated to salmon returns in the previous year, suggesting little annual carryover of salmon nutrients.
Women’s perceptions about female reproductive system: a survey from an academic obstetrics and gynecology practice

Objective To assess women’s knowledge about female reproductive system and the demographic factors that may influence their perceptions.
Characterization of the Eyespot Regions of “Blind”Chlamydomonas Mutants after Restoration of Photophobic Responses

Chlamydomonas reinhardtii exhibits photophobic and positive and negative phototactic responses that can be defined for cell populations using computerized cell tracking and motion analysis. Mutants CC-2359 and FN68 are pigment deficient mutants that are blocked in carotenoid synthesis and lack these photo responses. In particular, neither mutant exhibits flash-induced photophobic responses to visible light stimuli to which wild-type gametic cells exhibit a strong response, with several behavioral stages. Upon addition of all-trans retinal to these mutants, the photophobic responses are restored with minor quantitative differences from wild-type populations. Using both light and electron microscopy, we have compared the ultrastructural characteristics of wild-type C. reinhardtii to those of both mutants. As previously described, wild-type cells contain an eyespot consisting of 2-4 layers of pigmented granules encased within thylakoid membranes, located between the distal extremities of the flagellar root. This structure is also visible as an orange-red spot in light microscopy. The photoreceptor is thought to be concentrated in the plasma membrane above the eyespot. The mutant, CC-2359, lacks this eyespot as seen by both light and electron microscopy, even when the photophobic response has been restored. FN68-like mutants studied earlier by Morel-Laurens and Feinlieb and others contain an eyespot which can be seen only by electron microscopy. In FN-68, the eyespot generally has the same dimensions as in wt cells, differing mainly in pigment granule appearance.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Investigating material approximations in spacecraft radiation analysis

Abstract During the design process, the configuration of space vehicles and habitats changes frequently and the merits of design changes must be evaluated. Methods for rapidly assessing astronaut exposure are therefore required. Typically, approximations are made to simplify the geometry and speed-up the evaluation of each design. In this work, the error associated with two common approximations used to simplify space radiation vehicle analyses, scaling into equivalent materials and material reordering, are investigated. Over thirty materials commonly found in spacesuits, vehicles, and human bodies are considered. Each material is placed in a material group (aluminum, polyethylene, or tissue), and the error associated with scaling and reordering was quantified for each material. Of the scaling methods investigated, range scaling is shown to be the superior method, especially for shields less than 30 g/cm2 exposed to a solar particle event. More complicated, realistic slabs are examined to quantify the separate and combined effects of using equivalent materials and reordering. The error associated with material reordering is shown to be at least comparable to, if not greater than, the error associated with range scaling. In general, scaling and reordering errors were found to grow with the difference between the average nuclear charge of the actual material and average nuclear charge of the equivalent material. Based on this result, a different set of equivalent materials (titanium, aluminum, and tissue) are substituted for the commonly used aluminum, polyethylene, and tissue. The realistic cases are scaled and reordered using the new equivalent materials, and the reduced error is shown.
In vivo Applications of Holographic Microscopy

Holographic microscopy is a technique not currently being utilized in studying in vivo biomedical problems. This paper reviews the current status of holographic microscopy, evaluates some of the optical processing techniques which could improve the reconstructed image quality, and assesses the current status of biomedical applications. A joint effort by designers and potential users is needed to get the holographic microscope out of the optics research laboratory and into the biomedical laboratory.
SDF-1/CXCR4 mediates acute protection of cardiac function through myocardial STAT3 signaling following global ischemia/reperfusion injury.

Stromal cell-derived factor-1α (SDF-1) has been reported to mediate cardioprotection through the mobilization of stem cells into injured tissue and an increase in local angiogenesis after myocardia...
Peroxisome-proliferator-activated receptor-binding protein (PBP) is essential for the growth of active Notch4-immortalized mammary epithelial cells by activating SOX10 expression

PBP (peroxisome-proliferator-activated receptor-binding protein) [Med1 (mediator 1)/TRAP220 (thyroid-hormone-receptor-associated protein 220)] is essential for mammary gland development. We established a mammary epithelial cell line with a genotype of PBPLoxP/LoxP by expressing an active form of Notch4. Null mutation of PBP caused severe growth inhibition of the Notch4-immortalized mammary cells. We found that truncated PBP without the two LXXLL motifs could reverse the growth inhibition due to the deficiency of endogenous PBP, indicating that signalling through nuclear receptors is unlikely to be responsible for the growth inhibition as the result of PBP deficiency. Loss of PBP expression was shown to completely ablate the expression of SOX10 [Sry-related HMG (high-mobility group) box gene 10]. The re-expression of SOX10 was capable of reversing the growth inhibition due to PBP deficiency, whereas suppressed expression of SOX10 inhibited the growth of Notch4-immortalized mammary cells. Further studies revealed PBP is directly recruited to the enhancer of the SOX10 gene, indicating that SOX10 is a direct target gene of PBP. We conclude that PBP is essential for the growth of Notch4-immortalized mammary cells by activating SOX10 expression, providing a potential molecular mechanism through which PBP regulates the growth of mammary stem/progenitor cells.
Indium antimonide transistors

The design, fabrication, and electrical characteristics of an n-p-n indium antimonide transistor which operates at 77°K are discussed. An analysis of the expected high-frequency performance is presented and a comparison made to a p-n-p germanium transistor. Because of its high electron mobility, the indium antimonide transistor should have a base transit time 126 that of a similar germanium transistor. Although these ultimate capabilities have not been approached, transistors with ft as high as 300 Mc/s and β's of 500 have been observed. Switching speeds approaching those of the best state-of-the-art germanium transistors have been measured.
Modified alkaloid pattern in developing tobacco callus.

Abstract Developing Nicotiana tabacum L. cv. Wisconsin-38 callus grown on modified Murashige-Skoog (MS) medium with Kao organic acids (pyruvic, citric, malic and fumaric acids) contains abnormally high levels of nornicotine and total alkaloids when compared with the leaves of the donor plant. Nornicotine/nicotine ratios observed during callus development suggest that nicotine is converted into nornicotine in the callus, with subsequent movement of alkaloids into roots formed on the callus and into the agar medium. Addition of Kao organic acids to the medium increases alkaloid levels, but cannot account for the abnormal increase in nicotine demethylation. This study thus reports two new findings: (a) that the total alkaloid content of tobacco callus can be greatly enhanced to 3.75% on a dry weight basis by exogenous organic acids, and (b) that endogenous nornicotine can accumulate in tobacco tissue cultures.
Comment on the classical-trajectory Monte Carlo method for ion-atom collisions

It is shown that the procedure described by Olson and Salop for classical-trajectory Monte Carlo treatment of ion-atom collisions does not provide a uniform statistical distribution of all the parameters defining the initial conditions of a trajectory. Impact-ionization and charge-transfer cross sections for collisions of ${\mathrm{H}}^{+}$ with H at H energies between 25 and 600 keV are recalculated eliminating this failing and compared with those obtained using the procedure of Olson and Salop and with experimental results.
The effect of spin-dependent forces on collective motion in nuclei

Abstract The vibrational state in even-mass, single closed shell nuclei are studied using a pairing force plus the part of the tensor force which can give rise to a 2+ collective state in the approximation of a dilute quasi-particle system (Sawada approximation). From the empirical energies of vibrational states the strength of this spin-dependent force is estimated, from which the B (E2) as well as the energy levels of the odd-mass nuclei are calculated. The results of this calculation are compared to the calculations which have been done with a pairing plus a quadrupole force and to experimental results. The conclusion is drawn that the spin-quadrupole force cannot be the dominant component of the residual interaction leading to the vibrational states, but that a choice of the strenght parameter of about 20% of the ordinary quadrupole force is not ruled out, and might improve the systematic calculations.
Deliverance to the Captives: Karl Barth’s Prison Sermons

This article focuses on the sermons that Karl Barth preached in the prison at Basel between August 1954 and June 1959. It draws particular attention to Barth’s view that although his listeners are incarcerated for crimes that they have committed, we all, in effect, are living in prison houses of our own making and are in no less need of the liberating gospel promises based on the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Three sermons that express the various nuances and implications of this view are presented in some detail. In conclusion, I suggest that Barth’s prison sermons are reflective of the experiential model of theological diagnosis and that they are essentially congruent with the wounded healer pastoral model.
Managers' Discretionary Adjustments: The Influence of Uncontrollable Events and Compensation Interdependence

Discretionary bonus adjustments allow managers to restore the alignment of employee effort and compensation when bonus amounts are based on noisy objective performance measures. The implications of discretionary adjustments for employees' future efforts and fairness perceptions present important trade-offs for managers to consider. Adjustments may be used to motivate different types of effort in future periods, but may also create perceptions of unfairness among employees who are not affected by negative events. This study examines the joint influence of the likelihood of future negative uncontrollable events and compensation interdependence (i.e., the extent to which one employee's compensation influences others' compensation) on managers' willingness to make adjustments for the effect of a negative uncontrollable event on a single employee. In our experiment, we manipulate the likelihood of future uncontrollable events and whether bonuses are determined individually or are drawn from a shared bonus pool. Results show that managers are less willing to adjust when the likelihood of future events is high to avoid setting a precedent, thereby motivating employees to adapt to changing conditions. We also find that managers are less willing to adjust, regardless of event likelihood, when compensation interdependence is high, to avoid demotivating unaffected employees. Finally, we find that participants' general attitudes toward compensation significantly influence their adjustment decisions beyond the effects of our independent variables. Our results highlight the unique nature of discretionary adjustments, help explain findings from previous research, and demonstrate important considerations managers must make when using the flexibility provided to them in pay-for-performance contracts.
Involvement of estradiol-17β and its membrane receptor, G protein coupled receptor 30 (GPR30) in regulation of oocyte maturation in zebrafish, Danio rario

The orphan G protein coupled receptor, GPR30, has the characteristics of a high affinity, specific estrogen membrane receptor on Atlantic croaker oocytes and mediates estrogen inhibition of oocyte maturation in this perciform fish. In order to determine the broad applicability of these findings to other teleosts, similar experiments were conducted in a cyprinid fish, zebrafish, in the present study. GPR30 mRNA expression was detected in zebrafish oocytes but not in the ovarian follicular cells. Both spontaneous and 17, 20β-dihyroxy-4-pregnen-3-one (DHP)-induced maturation of follicle-enclosed zebrafish oocytes was significantly decreased when they were incubated with either estradiol-17β, or the GPR30 agonists, ICI 182 780 and tamoxifen, or with the GPR30 specific agonist G-1. On the other hand spontaneous oocyte maturation increased two-fold when zebrafish ovarian follicles were incubated with an aromatase inhibitor, ATD. Moreover, the stimulatory effects of ATD on germinal vesicle breakdown (GVBD) were partially reversed by co-treatment with 100 nM of E2 or G-1. These results suggest that endogenous estrogens acting through GPR30 are involved in maintaining meiotic arrest of zebrafish oocytes.
A late Lake Minong transgression in the Lake Superior basin as documented by sediments from Fenton Lake, Ontario

The evolution of the early Great Lakes was driven by changing ice sheet geometry, meltwater influx, variable climate, and isostatic rebound. Unfortunately none of these factors are fully understood. Sediment cores from Fenton Lake and other sites in the Lake Superior basin have been used to document constantly falling water levels in glacial Lake Minong between 9,000 and 10,600 cal (8.1–9.5 ka) BP. Over three meters of previously unrecovered sediment from Fenton Lake detail a more complex lake level history than formerly realized, and consists of an early regression, transgression, and final regression. The initial regression is documented by a transition from gray, clayey silt to black sapropelic silt. The transgression is recorded by an abrupt return to gray sand and silt, and dates between 9,000 and 9,500 cal (8.1–8.6 ka) BP. The transgression could be the result of increased discharge from Lake Agassiz overflow or the Laurentide Ice Sheet, and hydraulic damming at the Lake Minong outlet. Alternatively ice advance in northern Ontario may have blocked an unrecognized low level northern outlet to glacial Lake Ojibway, which switched Lake Minong overflow back to the Lake Huron basin and raised lake levels. Multiple sites in the Lake Huron and Michigan basins suggest increased meltwater discharges occurred around the time of the transgression in Lake Minong, suggesting a possible linkage. The final regression in Fenton Lake is documented by a return to black sapropelic silt, which coincides with varve cessation in the Superior basin when Lake Agassiz overflow and glacial meltwater was diverted to glacial Lake Ojibway in northern Ontario.
Shifting Media, Shifting Paradigms, and the Growing Utility of Narrative as Metaphor.

Clarifying distinctions between orality and literacy enables exploration of the premise that media influence paradigm development in rhetorical theory. Persistent biases engendered by writing‐based cognition, especially those surrounding the propositional rhetoric of correct reasongiving, create resistance to the practical development of a storytelling approach to speechmaking, and thus delay acceptance of a narrative paradigm. Narrative's phenomenal rhetoric is argued to transcend mediation: Its utility as archetypal metaphor in speech and criticism is patent when weighed in terms of electronic media and their ties to purely oralist antecedents. The implications are considered and the essay concludes by comparing the presently shifting media ratios to those of Hellenic Greece.
Prediction of Absenteeism from Attitudes, Prior Absenteeism, and Performance

In a four‐year longitudinal study, data from 117 mental health employees in two organisations were used to examine baseline year absenteeism, performance, and attitudes as predictors of subsequent absenteeism. Results indicated that baseline absence behaviour was a strong predictor of subsequent absenteeism over the comparatively long temporal course of the study. Performance contributed little unique variance as a predictor when the influence of baseline absenteeism was accounted for. Baseline year attitudes increased in strength as predictors of subsequent absenteeism over the four years. Moreover, the substantial total variation explained by the set of variables showed in little deterioration between the first (adjusted R⊃2 = 0.29) and last (adjusted R⊃2 = 0.27) criterion years of this four year study. Results are compared to earlier findings in a framework of tentative implications for future research.
Reversal of focal misery perfusion after intracranial angioplasty: case report.

OBJECTIVE AND IMPORTANCE: The presence of reduced blood flow and increased oxygen extraction fraction (OEF) (misery perfusion) in the hemisphere distal to an occluded carotid artery is a proven risk factor for subsequent stroke. Whether angioplasty of intracranial stenosis is sufficient to reverse this condition has not been documented. CLINICAL PRESENTATION: A 67-year-old man exhibited progressive right hemispheric ischemic symptoms despite maximal antiplatelet and antithrombotic therapy. Angiography demonstrated focal 80% stenosis of the supraclinoid segment of the ipsilateral internal carotid artery. TECHNIQUE: 15 O positron emission tomographic measurements of cerebral blood flow and OEF were made before and after transfemoral percutaneous angioplasty. OEF values measured before angioplasty were elevated in the middle cerebral artery distal to the stenosis. Angioplasty reduced the degree of luminal stenosis to 40% (linear diameter). OEF values measured 36 hours after angioplasty were normal. CONCLUSION: Angioplasty of intracranial stenosis can restore normal cerebral blood flow and oxygen extraction, despite mild residual stenosis after the procedure. Hemodynamic measurements may be useful for the identification of patients with the greatest potential to benefit from angioplasty.
Analysis of HL-A incompatibility in human renal transplants.

The matching criteria of counting the number of HL-A incompatibilities, the number of compatible antigens, and of ratios (net histocompatibility ratio) were evaluated. In order to avoid bias, the data were analyzed with the aid of computers, taking many different cutoff points. The probability value of statistical significance can be shown to vary considerably depending on the time selected for evaluating the clinical ranks and the clinical ranks which are considered to be “successful” or “failure.” Overall, the data indicate that because of the large number of patients who do well in spite of incompatibility, a more suitable means by which successful transplants can be predicted will be required. Since HL-A antigens are still the primary transplantation antigens (as shown by the successful HL-A-identical sibling transplants), empiric knowledge on the types of incompatibilities which can result in good graft survival must be developed.
Improving Traffic-Noise Model Insertion Loss Accuracy Based on Diffraction and Reflection Theories

This paper investigates the physical mechanisms related to highway noise barrier insertion loss, and evaluates the accuracy of insertion loss of the existing traffic-noise model, TNM 2.5, compared to STAMINA 2.0 and field measurement data. To quantify the accuracy of either TNM or STAMINA, a new Highway Noise Prediction program, HNP 1.0, was developed. The findings of the study show that from the perspective of diffraction theories, STAMINA 2.0 and HNP 1.0 predict more accurate insertion loss than TNM 2.5 based on the measurement data, and TNM 2.5 over-predicts the insertion loss by approximately 3 dBA when compared with STAMINA 2.0. By applying the assumptions used in HNP 1.0, an average of 2.5 dBA reduction of insertion loss with TNM 2.5 can be achieved. These improvements in noise prediction accuracy of insertion loss have major implications for environmental planning.
Collaborative virtual conferences: using exemplars to shape future research questions

The conference is a long-standing tradition in professional circles, playing a central role in informal and formal knowledge building and social network maintenance. Networked communication technologies have influenced both conference logistics and organization and the intellectual and social experience of conference participants. Conducting a virtual conference raises many issues that are directly relevant to the study of information technologies in organizational settings. Virtual conferences may allow for broader access to social networks, but also impose significant constraints on the communication environment. This paper investigates two conferences conducted in the 3-D virtual environment ActiveWorlds, and one conference conducted primarily in a text-based chat environment. Text and video records are balanced by the personal observations of the author, who participated in an online panels and presentations in each environment. This paper aims to highlight the potential benefits and challenges of collaborative virtual environments in mediating professional conferences.
Note on the modified two-stream approximation of sagan and pollack

The modified two-stream approximation is derived from the radiative transfer equation using a two-point gaussian quadrature and neglecting terms of order l equal to or greater than 3 in the Legendre expansion of the phase function. The results are compared with the Eddington approximation and with exact results for the special cases of perfect absorption, perfect scattering, and a semi-infinite layer with isotropic scattering.
Differential effects of early malnutrition on active and passive avoidance performance by sex of subject

Female rats were fed a low protein diet (8%) or control diet (19% protein) during pregnancy and for 12 days after birth. Male and female offspring were tested on a go/no-go shuttlebox designed to separate the general learning impairment from a specific one (the inability to inhibit irrelevant responses). The sex, activity levels, and shock thresholds of the subjects were determined. The experimental group was significantly inferior to controls on both the go and no-go components. The malnourished males, in turn, were significantly inferior to the malnourished females on both tasks. Activity differences among the groups were not correlated with learning deficits. The results support a general learning impairment as sequelae of early protein malnutrition. The general inferior performance of the males was considered as support for greater sensitivity of this sex to malnutrition on the behavioral tasks used here.
Does migration function to reduce earnings differentials by race and gender

Traditionally, studies of migration have focused on two functions of migration: first, as a means to redistribute society's labor force to its most efficient use and, second, at the level of the individual, as a human capital investment. This study investigates the role of migration in the determination of earnings differentials by race and gender. Microdata from the United Status Census are used to estimate earnings functions by race, gender, and migration status. Strong evidence is provided suggesting that unexplained portions of earnings differentials, reflecting wage discrimination and other unobserved heterogeneity, are substantially reduced for both race and gender through the process of interstate migration.
Plant cell walls: Wall-associated kinases and cell expansion

Abstract Arabidopsis has a family of five cell wall-associated protein kinases (WAKs) with properties suggestive of transmembrane sensors between the cell wall and the cytoplasm. Recent results show that WAKs are bound to pectin and are necessary for normal leaf cell enlargement and other growth processes.
Assessing the toxic threat of selenium to fish and aquatic birds

A procedure is given for evaluating the toxic threat of selenium to fish and wildlife. Toxic threat is expressed as hazard, and is based on the potential for food-chain bioaccumulation and reproductive impairment in fish and aquatic birds, which are the most sensitive biological responses for estimating ecosystem-level impacts of selenium contamination. Five degrees of hazard are possible depending on the expected environmental concentrations of selenium, exposure of fish and aquatic birds to toxic concentrations, and resultant potential for reproductive impairment. The degree of hazard is given a numerical score: 5 = high hazard, 4 = moderate hazard, 3 = low hazard, 2 = minimal hazard, and 1 = no identifiable hazard. A separate hazard score is given to each of five ecosystem components; water, sediments, benthic macroinvertebrates, fish eggs, and aquatic bird eggs. A final hazard characterization is determined by adding individual scores and comparing the total to the following evaluation criteria: 5 = no hazard, 6-8 = minimal hazard, 9-11 = low hazard, 12-15 = moderate hazard, 16-25 = high hazard. An example is given to illustrate how the procedure is applied to selenium data from a typical contaminant monitoring program.
Inborn Errors of Mitochondrial Fatty Acid Oxidation

Inborn errors of the mitochondrial beta-oxidation of long-chain fatty acids represent an evolving field of inherited metabolic disease. Fatty acid oxidation defects demonstrate an abnormal response to the process of fasting adaptation and affect those tissues that utilize fatty acids as an energy source. These tissues include cardiac and skeletal muscle and liver. Muscle directly uses fatty acids as an energy source whilst hepatic metabolism of fatty acids is mostly directed toward the synthesis of ketone bodies for energy utilization by tissues such as brain. The clinical phenotypes of fatty acid oxidation disorders include disease of one or more of these fatty acid-metabolizing tissues. In this review, we provide an overview of the pathway, discuss the disorders that are well established, and describe recent advances in the field. Currently available diagnostic procedures are critically evaluated.
Effects of hydrogen sulfide on channel catfish, Ictalurus punctatus

Abstract The natural production of sulfides is responsible for poor channel catfish production in many acid lakes in northeast Texas. The TLm of un-ionized hydrogen sulfide for channel catfish fry ranged from 0.8 ppm at pH of 6.8 to 0.53 at pH 7.8. At pH 7.0 the TLm of this gas is 1.0 ppm for fingerling catfish, 1.3 for advanced fingerlings, and 1.4 for adult channel catfish. Small fish were also killed more quickly when exposed to these concentrations. Maximum concentrations of hydrogen sulfide are produced in the spring. Channel catfish populations can be maintained by continued stocking of adult fish or by raising the pH with agricultural limestone, which in turn lowers the toxic un-ionized hydrogen sulfide.