cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
An analysis on transit pick-up points for vulnerable people during hurricane evacuation: A case study of New Orleans

Abstract In emergency evacuation there is always a need for transit for those who do not have access to private transportation or cannot walk to safety. Particularly affected among this section of society are the poor, the disabled, and the elderly. Several cities have established prepositioned pick-up points to serve this section of the population but the number and location of the pick-up points have usually been decided using professional judgment or based on experience from past storms. As the vulnerable section of the population typically have low mobility, getting transit pick-up points close to areas of greatest need is important in order to provide better service, improve the efficiency of evacuation, and even decrease the loss of life. In this study, the spatial distribution of the population is estimated using a modified dasymetric mapping method, which estimates population distribution in terms of 30 m × 30 m land parcels. In each parcel, the vulnerable population is estimated from the proportion of disabled, aged, and zero car-owning persons in the area as determined from census data. Using Orleans parish in New Orleans as a case study and assuming a catchment area of ½ mile around each of the 17 existing pick-up points, the number of vulnerable persons served by the existing system was estimated. To determine whether the 17 pick-up points could be better located to serve the vulnerable optimally, the set of all eligible pick-up sites were first identified and then the pick-up points serving the greatest need were identified using integer linear programming. The results show that the 17 optimally located pick-up points triple the vulnerable population that could be served. On the question of whether 17 is the right number of pick-up points to employ, analysis shows there is a steadily decreasing average value served per pick-up point as the number of pick-up point increases. At some stage it would probably no longer be efficient to create additional pick-up points but provide a feeder service from small demand to larger demand pick-up points or link smaller demand pick-up points on a route to serve several pick-up points with a single service.
SCPA revolution: Linearization of multiphase SCPAs

In this paper, we introduce the multiphase switched-capacitor power amplifier (MP-SCPA). The MP-SCPA is a digital power amplifier (DPA) that achieves a linear output response using a vector summation of two amplitude weighted constant phase signals. In this way, it avoids using a wideband phase modulator that is required in other DPAs. The MP-SCPA is subject to non-linearity induced by bondwires and other packaging associated inductance that causes variation in the voltage supply available on-chip. To correct for this packaging based non-linearity, we propose a polar digital pre-distortion that is more robust and requires less chip area than traditional lookup table based methods. A prototype MP-SCPA is measured with the polar DPD and found to have similar performance when compared with a dense lookup table based DPD. The MP-SCPA is measured with a 5 MHz, 64 QAM LTE signal and achieves a measured ACLR < −30 dBc, an EVM=3.4%-rms and an average system efficiency of 15.8%.
Across-user adaptation for a powered lower limb prosthesis

Pattern recognition algorithms have been used to control powered lower limb prostheses because they are capable of identifying the intent of the amputee user and therefore can provide a method for seamlessly transitioning between the different locomotion modes of the prosthesis. However, one major limitation of current algorithms is that they require subject-specific data from the individual user. These data are difficult and time-consuming to collect and consequently these algorithms do not generalize well across users. We have developed an adaptive pattern recognition algorithm that automatically learns new subject-specific data acquired from a novel user during ambulation. We tested this adaptive algorithm with one transfemoral amputee subject walking on a powered knee-ankle prosthesis. Before adaptation, the algorithm, which was initially trained with data from two other transfemoral amputee subjects, made critical errors that prevented continuous ambulation. With adaptation, error rates dropped from 4.21% before adaptation to 1.25% after adaptation, and allowed the novel amputee user to complete all mode transitions. This study demonstrates that adaptation can decrease error rates over time and can allow pattern recognition algorithms to generalize to novel users.
A Forward Genetic Screen Targeting the Endothelium Reveals a Regulatory Role for the Lipid Kinase Pi4ka in Myelo- and Erythropoiesis

Given its role as the source of definitive hematopoietic cells, we sought to determine whether mutations initiated in the hemogenic endothelium would yield hematopoietic abnormalities or malignancies. Here, we find that endothelium-specific transposon mutagenesis in mice promotes hematopoietic pathologies that are both myeloid and lymphoid in nature. Frequently mutated genes included previously recognized cancer drivers and additional candidates, such as Pi4ka, a lipid kinase whose mutation was found to promote myeloid and erythroid dysfunction. Subsequent validation experiments showed that targeted inactivation of the Pi4ka catalytic domain or reduction in mRNA expression inhibited myeloid and erythroid cell differentiation in vitro and promoted anemia in vivo through a mechanism involving deregulation of AKT, MAPK, SRC, and JAK-STAT signaling. Finally, we provide evidence linking PI4KAP2, previously considered a pseudogene, to human myeloid and erythroid leukemia.
Autoantibodies and scleroderma phenotype define subgroups at high-risk and low-risk for cancer

Objectives Recent studies demonstrate autoantibodies are powerful tools to interrogate molecular events linking cancer and the development of autoimmunity in scleroderma. Investigating cancer risk in these biologically relevant subsets may provide an opportunity to develop personalised cancer screening guidelines. In this study, we examined cancer risk in distinct serologic and phenotypic scleroderma subsets and compared estimates with the general population. Methods Patients in the Johns Hopkins Scleroderma Center observational cohort were studied. Overall and site-specific cancer incidence was calculated in distinct autoantibody and scleroderma phenotypic subsets, and compared with the Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results registry, a representative sample of the US population. Results 2383 patients with scleroderma contributing 37 686 person-years were studied. 205 patients (8.6%) had a diagnosis of cancer. Within 3 years of scleroderma onset, cancer risk was increased in patients with RNA polymerase III autoantibodies (antipol; standardised incidence ratio (SIR) 2.84, 95% CI 1.89 to 4.10) and those lacking centromere, topoisomerase-1 and pol antibodies (SIR 1.83, 95% CI 1.10 to 2.86). Among antipol-positive patients, cancer-specific risk may vary by scleroderma subtype; those with diffuse scleroderma had an increased breast cancer risk, whereas those with limited scleroderma had high lung cancer risk. In contrast, patients with anticentromere antibodies had a lower risk of cancer during follow-up (SIR 0.59, 95% CI 0.44 to 0.76). Conclusions Autoantibody specificity and disease subtype are biologically meaningful filters that may inform cancer risk stratification in patients with scleroderma. Future research testing the value of targeted cancer screening strategies in patients with scleroderma is needed.
New high-yielding, weed competitive rice plant types drawing from O. sativa and O. glaberrima genepools

Weed competition is the most important yield-reducing factor in upland and hydromorphic rice environments in Africa. Many of the commonly grown tropical japonica varieties have a high yield potential, but they compete poorly with weeds. By contrast, the indigenous cultivated Oryza glaberrima landraces are highly competitive due to high tillering ability, vigour and leaf area during vegetative growth. But their yield potential is low because of O. glaberrima’s specific panicle type and tendency to lodge. Rice breeders at WARDA recently developed stable and fertile progenies from O. sativa × O. glaberrima crosses that combine the O. saliva panicle type with vegetative growth characteristics of O. glaberrima. We conducted detailed growth analyses for the two parents (CG14 O. glaberrima and WAB56-I04 O. sativa) and four F7 progenies under moist upland conditions and four levels of N fertilization in Ivory Coast during the 1995 wet season. The objective was to develop crop growth models that help define interspecific plant types combining the weed competitiveness of O. glaberrima with the yield potential of O. saliva. The superior vegetative vigour and leaf area index (LAI) of the CG14 parent was due to at least five factors, a high specific leaf area (SLA; around 30m2kg−1) which remained constant from seedling stage to maturity, and that was responsible for the pale appearance of the crop; high (>0.6) initial assimilate partitioning to leaves; high leaf N concentration on a dry weight basis; droopy leaves; and extremely high tillering rate. The glaberrima parent CG14 had two to three times the LAI, and 1.5 to 2 times the tiller number of WAB56-104, the O. saliva parent. The progenies had intermediate SLA, LAI, leaf N content and assimilate partitioning patterns. They combined the superior vigour of CG14 with the panicle structure and sturdy stems of WAB56-104. Preliminary modelling studies using ORYZAI indicated that early groundcover and high yield potential can be achieved with the same plant type if it has high SLA (glaberrima type) during vegetative growth, followed by low SLA (saliva type) during the reproductive phase. This was partially achieved in some progenies, resulting in yields up to 5.6tonha−1 on the basis of 25×25 cm hill spacing and 80kgNha−1 applied. We will further refine the model and our plant type concepts during 1996 on the basis of weed competition and drought studies, accompanied by a detailed analysis of canopy architecture and leaf gas exchange.
A Tune-up for Tor: Improving Security and Performance in the Tor Network.

The Tor anonymous communication network uses selfreported bandwidth values to select routers for building tunnels. Since tunnels are allocated in proportion to this bandwidth, this allows a malicious router operator to attract tunnels for compromise. Since the metric used is insensitive to relative load, it does not adequately respond to changing conditions and hence produces unreliable performance, driving many users away. We propose an opportunistic bandwidth measurement algorithm to replace selfreported values and address both of these problems. We also propose a mechanisms to let users tune Tor performance to achieve higher performance or higher anonymity. Our mechanism effectively blends the traffic from users of different preferences, making partitioning attacks difficult. We implemented the opportunistic measurement and tunable performance extensions and examined their performance both analytically and in the real Tor network. Our results show that users can get dramatic increases in either performance or anonymity with little to no sacrifice in the other metric, or a more modest improvement in both. Our mechanisms are also invulnerable to the previously published low-resource attacks on Tor.
Serotyping and ribotyping of Salmonella using restriction enzyme PvuII.

The subtyping and identification of bacterial pathogens throughout food processing and production chains is useful to the new hazard analysis critical control point-based food safety plans. Traditional manual serotyping remains the primary means of subtyping Salmonella isolates. Molecular biology techniques, however, offer the promise of more rapid and sensitive subtyping of Salmonella. This study evaluates the potential of restriction enzyme PvuII, followed by probing with the rRNA operon from Escherichia coli, to generate serotype-specific DNA fingerprints. A total of 32 identified serotypes were found with an overall agreement in 208 of the 259 (80%) isolates tested between U.S. Department of Agriculture serotype identification and riboprint serotype identification. Many of the isolates that did not correlate were serotype identified as Salmonella Montevideo, which indicates that for this serotype, there are multiple ribotypes. When Salmonella Montevideo isolates were not included, the ribotype identification agreed with serotyping in 207 of the 231 (90%) isolates. The primary outcome of any ribotyping procedure is to give distinct ribotype patterns. This extensive poultry epidemiological study demonstrates that, in addition to ribotype patterns, the identification of isolates to known serotypes provides the investigator with additional information that can be more useful than traditional epidemiology and isolate identification studies.
Using Theories of Formal Control, Mandatoriness, and Reactance to Explain Working Professionals’ Intent to Comply with New IT Security Policies

Substantial research has shown that employees are both a major IT security threat but also a potential security ally in organizations. Recent behavioral IS security research has looked at ways to increase IT security compliance with employees to mitigate this substantial threat. Research has typically focused on deterrence theory as a means of influencing individuals to comply, though the results of this research have been mixed - showing that oftentimes deterrence approaches backfire into undesired behavior. More recently control theory has been extended using the construct of mandatoriness as a key construct in predicting employee compliance. However, to date, research has not very well addressed why deterrence and control approaches can backfire. Better understanding this phenomenon can better help researchers and practictioners understand how to implement effective IT security policies. Accordingly, we introduce psychological reactance theory as an innovative theory that can explain why controlling approaches to IT security policies can backfire. The theory explains that when an individual’s freedoms are threatened, he or she will respond with reactance by attempting to reestablish the threatened freedoms. We thus combined control theory and reactance theory into a cohesive model, the control-reactance model, to better address the inherent conflict between the andatoriness and threats to freedom. We found that the general perception of mandatoriness was influential in the perceived mandatoriness of a newly introduced policy, which also positively predicted subsequent intent to comply. We also discovered that the threat to freedom was the most salient construct in predicting reactance, which reactance then leads to a decreased intent to comply. Given these sets of results, we conclude that while creating a sense of mandatoriness is important for compliance, if this sense of mandatoriness is over communicated or if the policy is too restrictive of personal freedoms (regardless of how good of an idea it is), new IT policies can backfire on organizations and create negative unintended consequences. From these findings, we propose recommendations for practice, including carefully communicating policy, understanding the importance of freedoms to employees, and establishing an environment of threat awareness.
Fundamentals of silicon photonics: a course for upperclassmen in optical engineering

This is an introductory course in silicon photonics for senior and graduate students. Topics covered in this course include: basic properties of silicon waveguides; the essentials of SOI waveguide fabrication; dispersion and propagation loss in Si waveguides; analysis and design of various passive silicon devices; modeling and characterization of silicon modulators; integrated photonic circuit; and layouts for E-beam lithography. This course also includes a laboratory to enhance student’s learning. Students fabricate a thermo-optic MZI modulator in the cleanroom and then characterize its performance. We will discuss experimental work by student groups and comment on student’s learning in this class.
3D poro-elasto-plastic modeling of breakouts in deviated wells

Abstract Borehole breakouts are stress-induced enlargements of the wellbore cross-section. Predicting wellbore breakouts is important for the success of any drilling operation; however, accurate prediction of breakouts in deviated wells can be a technically challenging task. Misalignment between wellbore trajectory and field principal stress orientation along with the strong coupling between fluid flow, stresses and plasticity are some of the factors that makes breakouts in deviates well more challenging. This paper discusses a 3D poro-elasto-plastic numerical modeling approach for breakouts in deviated wells. Dynamic mudcake buildup on the wellbore wall is also incorporated into the numerical model, enabling quantitative analysis of the mudcake effect on the borehole breakout. The influences of well trajectory, fluid seepage between wellbore and formation pores, plastic strain softening of the rock, and dynamic mudcake buildup on the breakout are highlighted and analyzed using numerical examples. The results indicate that the breakout shape of deviated wells is largely dependent on well inclination while its volume can be reduced by mitigating fluid seepage through mudcake buildup. The proposed finite-element modeling approach in this study confirms the need to consider the coupling among these factors when predicting wellbore breakouts in complex geological and drilling conditions.
Evaluating a Tax System and Related Measures

To a large extent, the effectiveness of a government depends on how well it can provide public goods that will meet the demands of its citizens. However, for a government to be able to provide the goods consistent with public demands, it must be able to collect the necessary revenue, in particular tax revenue, without overburdening the taxpayers. The decisions to raise taxes that can realistically support the range of goods a government provides must be based on a sound understanding of the principles that underlie those decisions. The budget process expects the decision makers to have a basic understanding of these principles before making any decision on how much goods they must provide, the amount of revenue they must collect, the sources from which the revenues must come, and the economic and financial effects their decisions will have on the taxpayers vis-a-vis society at large. This chapter discusses several widely regarded principles that serve as the basis for making tax decisions in a government, known as “the desirable characteristics” of a tax structure. It also briefly looks at some of the methods frequently used in tax collection. A central issue in any discussion on taxation is not how much revenue a tax system generates, but who ultimately bears the tax burden, known as tax incidence. The chapter concludes with a brief overview of incidence of taxation, including some of the methods commonly used for measuring the incidence.
Imaging of singlet oxygen feedback delayed fluorescence and lysosome permeabilization in tumor in vivo during photodynamic therapy with aluminum phthalocyanine.

Significance: Singlet oxygen is a key cytotoxic agent in photodynamic therapy (PDT). As such, its imaging is highly desirable, but existing direct imaging methods are still limited by the exceptionally low yield of the luminescence signal. Singlet oxygen feedback delayed fluorescence (SOFDF) of the photosensitizer is a higher yield alternative for indirect measurement of this signal. Aim: The aim was to explore feasibility of SOFDF imaging in vivo in tumor-bearing mice during PDT and investigate how SOFDF images can be transformed into images of singlet oxygen. In addition, we study whether lysosome permeabilization can be visualized through fluorescence lifetime. Approach: Mice were intravenously injected with 2.5 mg/kg of photosensitizer aluminum(III) phthalocyanine tetrasulfonate (AlPcS4) 20 h prior to experiments, having subcutaneous BxPC3 pancreas tumors. Time-resolved delayed fluorescence and prompt fluorescence (PF) were imaged using an intensified time-gated camera with 10-Hz pulsed laser excitation at 690 nm. Results: Delayed emission from AlPcS4 was detected with lifetimes 7 to 11 μs, which was attributed to SOFDF and shown to be oxygen-dependent. Singlet oxygen images were approximated by the ratio of SOFDF/PF at each pixel. SOFDF images of a good quality could be captured within several seconds with a radiant exposure of ∼20 mJ / cm2. In addition, lifetime images of AlPcS4 PF in ns-time domain enabled us to visualize the event of lysosome permeabilization, as the lifetime increased from ∼4.7 to 5.2 ns. Conclusions: Imaging of SOFDF in vivo in mouse tumor during PDT with AlPcS4 is feasible, and it is a promising method for singlet molecular oxygen monitoring. Moreover, the time-gated approach also enables visualization of the lysosome permeabilization that alters the PF lifetime.
FDA Biosimilar Action Plan: could improving pharmacovigilance of biologics improve patient and physician confidence in biosimilars?

The US Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA’s) Biosimilar Action Plan (BAP), released in 2018, provides information regarding key actions taken or to be taken by FDA to encourage innovation and comp...
Prevalence of impostor phenomenon and assessment of well-being in pharmacy residents.

PURPOSE The purpose of this study was to quantify the prevalence of impostor phenomenon (IP) and to assess well-being in pharmacy residents, as well as analyze the effects of demographics on these outcomes. METHODS A cross-sectional, survey-based study was performed. Pharmacy residency program directors and pharmacy directors were asked to forward an invitation email to actively enrolled postgraduate year 1 (PGY1) and postgraduate year 2 pharmacy residents in March 2019. The survey used the Clance Impostor Phenomenon Scale (CIPS) to identify IP and the Mayo Clinic Resident/Fellow Well-Being Index (RWBI) to assess resident well-being. RESULTS Survey respondents were mostly female, enrolled in PGY1 programs and single with no children. Of the 720 responses included in the study, 57.5% (n = 414) were identified as "impostors" (CIPS score of ≥62), with a mean CIPS score of 64.0 (SD, 15.0). Prior mental health treatment and increased hours worked per week were significant predictors of IP. The greatest correlation was found in those working greater than 80 hours per week compared to less than 60 hours per week (s = 9.845; P < 0.001). The mean RWBI score was 4.2 (SD, 1.8), with 47.8% (n = 344) of residents scoring ≥5, the cutoff for identifying those at greatest risk of distress. Age, previous mental health treatment, and increasing hours worked per week were significant predictors of RWBI ≥5. CIPS and RWBI scores were found to exhibit weak but significant correlation (ρ = 0.357; P < 0.001). CONCLUSION Pharmacy residents displayed significantly higher prevalence of IP vs comparable groups as well as significantly more distress with potential for a personal and/or professional consequence.
Development of pacifism in Quakers

context of the spiritual. There is one other theory which is relevant to our discussion. As with the other developmental theories discussed, the faith development theory (Fowler, 1984) views .
Differential Expression of Putative Ornithodoros turicata Defensins Mediated by Tick Feeding.

Additional research on soft ticks in the family Argasidae is needed to bridge the knowledge gap relative to hard ticks of the family Ixodidae; especially, the molecular mechanisms of the Ornithodoros biology. Ornithodoros species are vectors of human and animal pathogens that include tick-borne relapsing fever spirochetes and African swine fever virus. Soft tick vector-pathogen interactions involving components of the tick immune response are not understood. Ticks utilize a basic innate immune system consisting of recognition factors and cellular and humoral responses to produce antimicrobial peptides like defensins. In the present study we identified and characterized the first putative defensins of Ornithodoros turicata, an argasid tick found primarily in the southwestern United States and regions of Latin America. Four genes (otdA, otdB, otdC, and otdD) were identified through sequencing and their predicted amino acid sequences contained motifs characteristic of arthropod defensins. A phylogenetic analysis grouped these four genes with arthropod defensins, and computational structural analyses further supported the identification. Since pathogens transmitted by O. turicata colonize both the midgut and salivary glands, expression patterns of the putative defensins were determined in these tissues one week post engorgement and after molting. Defensin genes up-regulated in the tick midgut one week post blood feeding were otdA and otdC, while otdD was up-regulated in the midgut of post-molt ticks. Moreover, otdB and otdD were also up-regulated in the salivary glands of flat post-molt ticks, while otdC was up-regulated within one week post blood-feeding. This work is foundational toward additional studies to determine mechanisms of vector competence and pathogen transmission from O. turicata.
Coronavirus and its implications for psychiatry: A rapid review of the early literature

Background The coronavirus pandemic has changed health care rapidly and dramatically. Objective To provide a critical synthesis of the scientific literature on the pandemic's implications for psychiatric practice. Methods A rapid literature review was undertaken to identify scientific literature linking psychiatric outcomes and practice changes due to coronavirus and the disease it causes (COVID-19). A structured quality assessment was used to assess those articles reporting quantitative data. Results Fifty articles were identified for inclusion, but only 12 contained original data. Eleven of those twelve were rated as of weak quality. The literature described psychiatric sequelae of the coronavirus and related public health interventions through cross-sectional surveys among different populations; no studies include diagnostic or functional impairment data. Populations at risk include COVID-19 survivors, health care workers, the elderly, and those with preexisting psychiatric disease. Impacts on psychiatric practice were described, again without data on changes to quality or access of care. Conclusions There is a quickly accumulating body of evidence on the psychiatric implications of coronavirus including psychological effects on the general public and at-risk subgroups. Similarly, psychiatric practice has witnessed substantial adaptation to the pandemic. However, there remain significant gaps in scientific knowledge. We suggest opportunities for consultation-liaison psychiatry to improve the understanding of the relationship between coronavirus and psychiatric care.
Evaluation of natural resource management systems based on sustainability indicators: A systematic literature review of MESMIS method use

The purpose of this article was to prove that the MESMIS method (Marco de Evaluacion de Sistemas de Manejo Incorporando Indicadores de Sustentabilidad) can be used to measure the sustainability of rural environments in different realities. For this, a systematic literature review on the method was carried out in six renowned scientific article bases, where searches were made from 1999 to 2019 and the articles found were divided according to the year of publication, evaluated productive activity, region geographic area where the research was carried out, among other classifications. At the end it was possible to verify that MESMIS use has been increasing in the last years, being that the published researches that used the method are mainly on the measurement of the sustainability of agriculture and animal production activities, carried out mostly in the Americas and Europe , but also with use in other continents, thus proving the method can be used to measure sustainability in different scenarios.
A distributed delay routine-based simulation model of Beauveria bassiana conidial stability in response to environmental stressors

Using published data and equations on therelationship between spore longevity of theentomopathogenic hyphomycetes, Metarhiziumanisopliae var. acridum and Beauveria bassiana (Balsamo) Vuillemin(Deuteromycota: Hyphomycetes) and temperatureand moisture content, a model of sporeviability was constructed based on adistributed-delay routine. The model ismodified via average spore survival time or byincluding an additional attrition (mortality)rate. The model was parameterized usingpublished values from studies on M. a.var. acridum spores, and output comparedfavorably with germination data and with apreviously-developed model. After initializingthe model using parameter estimates of B.bassiana spores from the laboratory andpublished data on changes in (1) spore viabilitywith respect to temperature and moisturecontent, and (2) spore moisture content withrespect to temperature and relative humidity,the model was run using daily min/maxtemperature and relative humidity data andcompared with data from four field experimentsof Mycotech B. bassiana isolate GHAsprayed on canteloupe plants. For two of theexperiments, observed viability trends werecompared to model outputs using weather datafrom both a weather station and fromwithin-canopy temperature and humidity probes. Output using weather station data fitobservations much better than output usingwithin-canopy probe data. For the tworemaining sets of field data, both earlier inthe season, only weather station data wereavailable and the resulting output fitobservations poorly. An attrition rate of 98%was needed to fit output to field data early inthe growing season, and a rate of 74% wasneeded for data collected four weeks later. These attrition rates can be consideredestimates for the proportion of spores dyingfor reasons other than temperature and relativehumidity, and they were attributed largely toUVB radiation due to the more open canopyearlier in the season.
Juul Labs: Guilty by Association?

The protagonist, the CEO of Juul Labs (Juul), an e-cigarette company founded to help smokers quit cigarettes, is trying to negotiate a merger with Philip Morris International (PMI), the behemoth tobacco company, in the face of bad press about e-cigarettes and Juul in particular. If Juul and PMI merge, Juul would have access to PMI's wide distribution network, a necessity for expanding into international developed markets. Although intended for adults, Juul had become popular with teens, especially middle and high schoolers, causing a spike in youth nicotine addiction. As a result, Juul and other e-cigarette brands faced heavy scrutiny and legislative regulation from government agencies. Juul had modified its marketing strategy and complied with government orders in an attempt to reduce the accessibility and popularity of Juuls to minors, but still faced public and governmental criticism that threatened to jettison the merger. As an ex-smoker, the protagonist strongly supports e-cigarettes as a means to end cigarette use, and thus believes in Juul's purpose. Yet there is no denying that e-cigarette use (particularly the use of flavored e-cigarettes) has led many teens to vape. Because of the attacks from legislators and the media, however, PMI had reservations about doing business with Juul. But despite its efforts to address the problem including support of raising the legal nicotine use age from 18 to 21the protagonist wonders if the company had done enough. What other changes could be enacted at Juul? Did taking part in the battle against teen nicotine addiction make up for the fact that Juul practically initiated this particular nicotine epidemic? What other efforts could could prove Juul's intention to help adult cigarette smokers and to redeem Juul's reputation in the eyes of both the public and the government? Finally, was there any way to salvage Juul's pending merger with PMI? Excerpt UVA-E-0471 Feb. 11, 2021 Juul Labs: Guilty by Association? You and your assistant, Ken Bishop, were leaving the room after a long meeting with executives of Philip Morris International (PMI). Hours of negotiating had led nowhere: you and your legal representatives were unable to reach an agreement with PMI, putting the potential merger between PMI and Juul Labs (Juul), your company, on hold for the time being. The recent slew of bad press made the executives at PMI hesitant about associating with Juul. As CEO of Juul, you had been facing increasing pressure and criticism from the media, advocacy groups, the government, and society in general about your company and product. Juul was a San Francisco based e-cigarette company founded to help smokers quit smoking cigarettes. Despite being a product for smoking adults, Juuls had recently became a sensation among nonsmoking teens, especially middle and high schoolers, causing a spike in youth nicotine addiction. Juul and other e-cigarette brands were being heavily researched by government agencies, regulated by legislation, and banned from schools. . . .
Cyber Place Management and Crime Prevention: The Effectiveness of Cybersecurity Awareness Training Against Phishing Attacks:

Criminologists and crime prevention practitioners recognize the importance of geographical places to crime activities and the role that place managers might play in effectively preventing crime. In...
Avoiding the Resource Curse in Kenya: Results from a Survey Experiment

Research shows that natural resource extraction can lead to corruption, slow growth, and even political violence. Several initiatives have been proposed in recent years to increase accountability over resource revenues, including joining the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative, decentralizing some authority over revenues to sub-national governments, and funneling revenues directly to citizens through cash transfers. For these proposals to be effective in holding leaders accountable, however, citizens must engage in the political process in more meaningful ways. Despite the importance of political engagement, few studies have evaluated the impact of different accountability initiatives on the likelihood of citizens participating in the desired ways. This paper reports on results from a survey experiment conducted in the summer of 2016 in Kenya, where oil has been discovered near Lake Turkana and offshore oil exploration is ongoing. Kenyan policymakers currently are debating a range of competing proposals to manage resource revenues. By randomly exposing survey participants to information about three possible accountability initiatives (and one status quo condition), we seek to determine what factors influence levels of support for each initiative and how each initiative affects attitudes and the likelihood of political engagement among diverse groups of Kenyans.
The Case for Corporate Climate Ratings

Capital markets are cast as both villain and hero in the climate playbill. The trillions of dollars required to combat climate change leave ample room for heroics from the financial sector. For the time being, however, capital continues to flow readily toward fossil fuels and other carbon-intensive industries. Drawing on the results of an empirical study, this Article posits that ratings of corporate climate risk and governance can help overcome pervasive information asymmetries and nudge investors toward more climate-conscious investment choices with welfare-enhancing effects. In the absence of a meaningful price on carbon, three private ordering initiatives are trying to mobilize capital markets as a force for good in the war on carbon. But shareholder climate activism, calls for better climate-related financial disclosures, and the divestment movement have yet to usher in the paradigm shift toward low-carbon capitalism. Corporate climate ratings overcome existing information asymmetries to nudge investors toward more carbon-conscious allocation of their assets. Every year, rating agencies like Standard & Poor’s, Moody’s, and Fitch pass judgment on over one hundred trillion dollars’ worth of securities. Modeled after these well-established ratings of creditworthiness, independent ratings of companies’ climate risk and governance can redirect the flow of capital away from high-carbon assets toward more climate-friendly options—without the need for government authorization or other market-distorting interventions. A series of survey experiments with over fifteen hundred participants test, and demonstrate, the capacity of corporate climate ratings to promote low-carbon investment. Inclusion of climate ratings among the performance metrics commonly considered by investors significantly increases investment in the stock of companies with favorable climate ratings, even when other stocks boast a stronger return profile. Variations in the ratings’ framing and format, informed by insights from behavioral economics and finance, facilitate recommendations for best practices.
The combination of DNA methylation and H1 histone binding inhibits the action of a restriction nuclease on plasmid DNA.

To investigate the potentials of DNA methylation and H1 histone in regulating the action of DNA binding proteins, well ordered complexes were formed by slow salt gradient dialysis of mixtures of H1 histone with either methylated or nonmethylated DNA. The sites methylated in the plasmids were CCGG. Methylation of cytosine in this site protects the DNA against HpaII endonuclease but not against MspI. However, when the methylated DNA was complexed to H1, it was protected against MspI. The protection was only effective for a subset of the MspI restriction sites. The protection of DNA afforded by the combination of H1 binding and DNA methylation did not apply to EcoRI, PstI, or BamHI sites and so did not seem to be due to aggregation of the DNA by H1 histone. Gel retardation assays indicated that the affinity of H1 for methylated DNA was not detectably different from its affinity for nonmethylated DNA. Probably methylated DNA when bound to H1 is in a conformation that is resistant to MspI endonuclease. Such conformational changes induced by DNA methylation and H1 binding might affect the action of other DNA binding proteins, perhaps in chromatin as well as in H1.DNA complexes.
The influence of climate change on recent peat accumulation patterns of Distichia muscoides cushion bogs in the high‐elevation tropical Andes of Colombia

[1] Extensive cushions of Distichia muscoides found at high elevations in the Andes form deep deposits of peat and function as peatland. The location of Distichia peatlands at the highest elevations makes them susceptible to the effects of global change including global warming. Accumulation rates of organic matter are the key function of peatland ecosystems and are highly susceptible to changes in climate. This study used 210Pb chronologies to infer the recent dynamics of three Distichia muscoides peatlands located above 4000 m in elevation. Chronological markers from dated volcanic eruptions were correlated to the 210Pb chronologies of Distichia peat and validated the 210Pb chronologies. Changes in 210Pb activity with depth indicated rapid accumulation in recent times. Organic matter had a mean accumulation rate of 1400 g m−2 yr−1 during the past 10 years, with values well above the observed regional accumulation rate of 300–400 g m−2 yr−1. The same pattern was observed in peat accretion rates, with growth rates of 1–2 cm per year during the last 10 years. Cushion plants engineer their own environment, allowing the system to be less susceptible to direct changes in climate. However, the high rates of peat accretion in recent times may be originated from increasing temperatures and excess water from nearby glacier melt. However, glaciers are predicted to disappear during the next 20 years in the northern Andes, reducing water inputs in tropical high-elevation ecosystems.
Sector-Switching in Transition Economies: A Case Study of Kazakhstan's Health Care Sector

Sector-switching in transition economies: a case study of Kazakhstan's health care sector By Dariga Chukmaitova Claremont Graduate University: 2011 The dissertation examines the economic and behavioral factors influencing 'sector-switching' in Kazakhstan's health care industry. Sector-switching involves doctors moving from the national to the private system, which is not well established, thereby raising questions about why the switch occurs. It addresses the question: why health care professionals in Kazakhstan switch from the public sector to similar jobs in the private or nonprofit sectors? This study addresses a key issue in public management (sector switching) and also offers insights into the dynamics of the transition from a centralized economy to a market economy. As such, its findings have ‘real-world’ applications beyond the particular case being studied i.e. Kazakhstan. This study is based on two simple claims. First, fundamental to the reforms that characterize transitional economies is effectively moving public sector employees to a nascent private sector. Second, such switches are unique because the risks related to transitioning to the private sector are different in transitional economies than in established market economies. Thus, the study considers: the degree to which economic and behavioral factors interact with different perceptions of sectoral risk, and subsequently shape the decision to move from the public sector to the private sector; in particular in Kazakhstan’s health industry. The data supporting this study come from a survey covering approximately 1,000 health care professionals (practicing physicians working in both the public and private health care sectors) from nine regions of Kazakhstan. The data includes information about individual incentives physicians have for switching sections and their perceptions of perceived risks and uncertainties given the economic transition currently underway in Kazakhstan. The findings of the research suggest the strong support for the proposed hypotheses and have revealed some of the dynamics of sector switching behavior and the characteristics of “sector switchers” in Kazakhstan. The results demonstrate that physicians’ overall job dissatisfaction, relative salary compared to physicians in a different sector, their risk-taking behavior, the national health care system’s deterioration compared to previous years, as well as problems with providing medical services in the country affect physicians in making their decision to change their employment sector.
On the Existence of Hard Sparse Sets under Weak Reductions

Recently a 1978 conjecture by Hartmanis was resolved by Cai and Sivakumar, following progress made by Ogihara. It was shown that there is no sparse set that is hard for P under logspace many-one reductions, unless P=LOGSPACE. We extend these results to the case of sparse sets that are hard under more general reducibilities. Furthermore, the proof technique can be applied to resolve open questions about hard sparse sets for NP as well. Using algebraic and probabilistic techniques, we show the following results.
Relationship between the human sperm hypo-osmotic swelling test and sperm penetration assay.

: The hypo-osmotic swelling (HOS) test has been proposed as a useful assay in the diagnosis of the infertile male. A good correlation between the HOS test and the sperm penetration assay (SPA) in fertile and normal semen samples was initially found, but subsequently, no significant correlation was demonstrated with fertile and infertile patients. To validate the potential clinical usefulness of the HOS test, we evaluated 92 ejaculates using the HOS test, SPA, and traditional semen parameters. The methodology originally described by Jeyendran et al (1984) was used for the HOS test. The SPA was performed by the original procedure using an 18-hour preincubation period, and for 28 ejaculates, a modified procedure using TEST-yolk buffer was performed. Values of 60% or more for the HOS and 1% or more for the SPA were considered positive, and less than 60% for HOS and 0% for SPA were considered negative when the standard SPA was performed. For the TEST-yolk buffered SPA, values of 20% or more were considered positive. The sensitivity of the HOS test was 87%, but the specificity was 36%. The association of the two tests over and above that expected by chance (Kappa) was only 0.23. Using logistic regression, both sperm count (P 0.50). Analysis of distribution of HOS test scores for “fertile” (SPA > 0%) and “infertile” (SPA = 0) samples showed such a wide overlap that it was impossible to designate a threshold value for a HOS test score that is predictive of a positive SPA result. The HOS test by itself has a modest ability to predict SPA. This was indicated by the modest correlation (r = 0.32) that, although highly significant (P = 0.0017), accounts for only about 10% of the total variation in SPA. The correlation between HOS and SPA results was related to SPA methodology since TEST-yolk buffer-enhanced SPA results provided a slightly higher correlation coefficient (r = 0.42). The HOS test does not appear to be a significant predictor of SPA results after considering other measurements.
Circulation, hydrographic structure and mixing at tidal fronts: the view from Georges Bank

The steep slope on the northern side of Georges Bank and its location in the Fundy-Maine tidal system result in a persistent summertime frontal system comprising a tidal-mixing front and a stratified tide-topography interaction at the Bank edge. Recent field studies have provided a high-resolution description of the circulation, hydrographic structure and mixing in the region. Frontal features include an along-front residual jet, a surface convergence zone, regular variations in frontal structure and position over the tidal period and tidal modulation cycle, large-amplitude internal waves, and strong spatial and temporal variations in small-scale turbulence. The observations suggest that the magnitude of cross-front and vertical exchange in frontal regions can be site-specific depending on the relative importance of the underlying physical processes.
Rapid Surface Cooling by ThermoSuit System Dramatically Reduces Scar Size, Prevents Post‐Infarction Adverse Left Ventricular Remodeling, and Improves Cardiac Function in Rats

Background The long‐term effects of transient hypothermia by the non‐invasive ThermoSuit apparatus on myocardial infarct (MI) scar size, left ventricular (LV) remodeling, and LV function were assessed in rat MI model. Methods and Results Rats were randomized to normothermic or hypothermic groups (n=14 in each group) and subjected to 30 minutes coronary artery occlusion and 6 weeks of reperfusion. For hypothermia therapy, rats were placed into the ThermoSuit apparatus at 2 minutes after the onset of coronary artery occlusion, were taken out of the apparatus when the core body temperature reached 32°C (in ≈8 minutes), and were then allowed to rewarm. After 6 weeks of recovery, rats treated with hypothermia demonstrated markedly reduced scar size (expressed as % of left ventricular area: hypothermia, 6.5±1.1%; normothermia, 19.4±1.7%; P =1.3×10−6); and thicker anterior LV wall (hypothermia, 1.57±0.09 mm; normothermia, 1.07±0.05 mm; P =3.4×10−5); decreased postmortem left ventricular volume (hypothermia, 0.45±0.04 mL; normothermia, 0.6±0.03 mL; P =0.028); and better LV fractional shortening by echocardiography (hypothermia, 37.2±2.8%; normothermia, 18.9±2.3%; P =0.0002) and LV ejection fraction by LV contrast ventriculography (hypothermia, 66.8±2.3%; normothermia, 56.0±2.0%; P =0.0014). Conclusions Rapid, transient non‐invasive surface cooling with the ThermoSuit apparatus in the acute phase of MI decreased scar size by 66.5%, attenuated adverse post‐infarct left ventricular dilation and remodeling, and improved cardiac function in the chronic phase of experimental MI.