cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Bundle-Branch Block Morphology and Other Predictors of Outcome After Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy in Medicare Patients

Background—Clinical trials of cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) have enrolled a select group of patients, with few patients in subgroups such as right bundle-branch block (RBBB). Analysis of population-based outcomes provides a method to identify real-world predictors of CRT outcomes. Methods and Results—Medicare Implantable Cardioverter-Defibrillator Registry (2005 to 2006) data were merged with patient outcomes data. Cox proportional-hazards models assessed death and death/heart failure hospitalization outcomes in patients with CRT and an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (CRT-D). The 14 946 registry patients with CRT-D (median follow-up, 40 months) had 1-year, 3-year, and overall mortality rates of 12%, 32%, and 37%, respectively. New York Heart Association class IV heart failure status (1-year hazard ratio [HR], 2.23; 3-year HR, 1.98; P<0.001) and age ≥80 years (1-year HR, 1.74; 3-year HR, 1.75; P<0.001) were associated with increased mortality both early and late after CRT-D. RBBB (1-year ...
Eigenvalue sensitivity analysis of planar frames with variable joint and support locations

Various sensitivity equations are developed in this study for eigenvalue sensitivity analysis of planar frames with variable joint and support locations. The emphasis is placed on the derivation of the sensitivity equations by the continuum approach. A variational form of an eigenvalue equation is first derived in which all of the quantities are expressed with respect to the local coordinate system. The material derivative of this variational form is then sought to account for the changes in the member's length and orientation resulting from the perturbation of joint and support locations. Finally, eigenvalue sensitivity equations are formulated in either domain quantities (by the domain method) or boundary quantities (by the boundary method). Examples are presented to validate these derived sensitivity equations with analytical solutions as well as numerical results. It is concluded that the sensitivity equation derived by the boundary method is computationally more efficient but less accurate than that of the domain method. Nevertheless, both of them are superior to the conventional discrete analytical method in terms of computational efficiency. Nomenclature Ait EI, Ij = cross-sectional area, Young's modulus, and moment of inertia of member /, respectively b = design variable /, J = a line functional J and its total shape derivative [K], [M] = global stiffness and mass matrices [AT/], [M/] = elementary stiffness and mass matrices //, dj, pj = length, orientation angle, and mass density of member /, respectively mit rij - cosine and sine of member / N = total number of members N =
Strategic complexity and cooperation: An experimental study

Abstract This study investigates whether cooperation in an indefinitely repeated prisoner's dilemma is sensitive to the complexity of cooperative strategies. An experimental design which allows manipulations of the complexity of these strategies by making either the cooperate action or the defect action state-dependent is used. Subjects are found to be less likely to use a cooperative strategy and more likely to use a simpler selfish strategy when the complexity of cooperative strategies is increased. The robustness of this effect is supported by the finding that cooperation falls even when the defect action is made state-dependent, which increases the complexity of punishment-enforced cooperative strategies. A link between subjects’ standardized test scores and the likelihood of cooperating is found, indicating that greater cognitive ability makes subjects more likely to use complex strategies.
R&D Tournaments with Spillovers

This paper studies the influence of uncertainty and spillovers on a contestant's R&D spending. The relationship between market structure and R&D spending is shown to be sensitive to the form of uncertainty that characterizes the R&D process. When reward to the winner is endogenously determined by R&D spending, a contestant's R&D spending may increase with the degree of spillovers.
Conditional Volatility of Equity Real Estate Investment Trust Returns: A Pre- and Post-1993 Comparison

We examine the dynamic behavior of Equity Real Estate Investment Trust (EREIT) volatility in a GARCH context 1972–2006 using monthly EREIT returns, and comparing volatility performance for “early” Equity REITs 1972–1992 with that of “modern” EREITs 1993–2006. Consistent with findings for conventional firms, we find that EREIT conditional volatility is time-varying, persistent, and predictable. There is a positive relationship between expected return and expected risk in EREIT stocks pre-1993, but the relationship disappears after 1993. We find no evidence that negative shocks affect EREIT volatility differently from positive ones in either time period. Different from reported results for conventional firms, we find that changes in the conditional volatility of fundamental macroeconomic variables have strong explanatory value for future changes in EREIT volatility. Finally, comparing EREIT volatility performance with volatility in the Russell 2000 Index, a proxy for small stocks, we find that EREIT volatility behaves differently from that of small stocks in many respects, indicating that risks in the small stock index cannot effectively proxy for risks in the EREIT market.
Can subjective expectations data be used in choice models? evidence on cognitive biases

A pervasive concern with the use of subjective data in choice models is that they are biased and endogenous. This paper examines the extent to which cognitive biases plague subjective data, and speci…cally addresses the questions of: (1) whether cognitive dissonance aects the reporting of beliefs, and (2) do individuals exert su¢ cient mental eort when probed about their subjective beliefs. For this purpose, I collect a unique panel dataset of Northwestern University undergraduates which contains their subjective expectations about major-speci…c outcomes for their chosen major as well as for other alternatives in their choice set. I do not …nd evidence of cognitive biases systematically aecting the reporting of beliefs. By analyzing patterns of belief-updating, I can rule out cognitive dissonance being of serious concern in the current setting. There doesn't seem to be any systematic (non-classical) measurement error in the reporting of beliefs: I don't …nd systematic patterns in mental recall of previous responses, or in the extent of rounding in the reported beliefs for the various majors. Comparison of subjective beliefs with objective measures suggests that students have well-formed expectations. Overall, the results paint a favorable picture for the use of subjective expectations data in choice models.
Techniques For Speckle Noise Removal

In this paper, several techniques to reduce speckle noise (more generally signal independent multiplicative noise) in images are studied. The techniques include gray scale modification, frame averaging, low-pass filtering in the intensity and density domains, and application of the short space spectral subtraction image restoration technique in the density domain. Some discussions on the theoretical basis of the techniques studied are given and their performances are illustrated by way of examples.
N-Boc-glycine-assisted indium-mediated allylation reaction: a sustainable approach

An unprecedent improvement in the reaction rate (from hours to minutes) was observed during the In-mediated allylation of isatins with allyl bromide in the presence of N-Boc-glycine. The observed phenomena were generalized as a general protocol for the allylation of differently substituted isatins with excellent yields in a short time and with a wide range of functional group tolerance. Evidence suggests the unique role of the N-Boc-glycine additive was to increase the rate of formation and increase the nucleophilicity of the allylindium organometallic reagent.
MASS FUNCTIONS OF THE ACTIVE BLACK HOLES IN DISTANT QUASARS FROM THE LARGE BRIGHT QUASAR SURVEY, THE BRIGHT QUASAR SURVEY, AND THE COLOR-SELECTED SAMPLE OF THE SDSS FALL EQUATORIAL STRIPE.

We present mass functions of distant actively accreting supermassive black holes residing in luminous quasars discovered in the Large Bright Quasar Survey (LBQS), the Bright Quasar Survey (BQS), and the Fall Equatorial Stripe of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS). The quasars cover a wide range of redshifts from the local universe to z = 5 and were subject to different selection criteria and flux density limits. This makes these samples complementary and can help us gain additional insight on the true underlying black hole mass distribution free from selection effects and mass estimation errors through future studies. By comparing these quasar samples, we see evidence that the active black hole population at redshift four is somewhat different than that at lower redshifts, including that in the nearby universe. In particular, there is a sharp increase in the space density of the detected active black holes (M BH 108 M ☉) between redshifts ~4 and ~2.5. Also, the mass function of the SDSS quasars at 3.6 ≤ z ≤ 5 has a somewhat flatter high-mass-end slope of β = –1.75 ± 0.56, compared to the mass functions based on quasars below z of 3 (BQS and LBQS quasars), which display typical slopes of β ≈ –3.3; the latter are consistent with the mass functions at similar redshifts based on the SDSS Data Release 3 quasar catalog presented by Vestergaard et al. We see clear evidence of cosmic downsizing in the comoving space density distribution of active black holes in the LBQS sample alone. In forthcoming papers, further analysis, comparison, and discussion of these mass functions will be made with other existing black hole mass functions, notably that based on the SDSS DR3 quasar catalog. We present the relationships used to estimate the black hole mass based on the Mg II emission line; the relations are calibrated to the Hβ and C IV relations by means of several thousand high-quality SDSS spectra. Mass estimates of the individual black holes of these samples are also presented.
How a blister heals

We use experiments to study the dynamics of the healing of a blister, a localized bump in a thin elastic layer that is adhered to a soft substrate everywhere except at the bump. We create a blister by gently placing a glass cover slip on a PDMS substrate. The pressure jump across the elastic layer drives fluid flow through micro-channels that form at the interface between the layer and the substrate; these channels coalesce at discrete locations as the blister heals and eventually disappear at a lower critical radius. The spacing of the channel follows a simple scaling law that can be theoretically justified, and the kinetics of healing is rate limited by fluid flow, but with a non-trivial dependence on the substrate thickness that likely arises due to channelization. Our study is relevant to a variety of soft adhesion scenarios.
Nuclear and particle physics in the early universe

In these lectures a review will be made of various events in the early universe where nuclear and elementary particle physics effects come into play. Several events will only briefly be mentioned, since they have been reviewed previously. However, some detail will be given to new results on big bang nucleosynthesis, massive neutrinos and inflationary scenarios.
Simulated effects of odd-alkane impurities in a hexane monolayer on graphite

We present the results of molecular-dynamics simulations of odd-alkane impurities present within the hexane (even alkane) monolayer. We simulate various temperatures at approximately 3%, 5%, 10%, and 15% impurities of propane $({\mathrm{C}}_{3}{\mathrm{H}}_{8})$, pentane $({\mathrm{C}}_{5}{\mathrm{H}}_{12})$, heptane $({\mathrm{C}}_{7}{\mathrm{H}}_{16})$, nonane $({\mathrm{C}}_{9}{\mathrm{H}}_{20})$, and undecane $({\mathrm{C}}_{11}{\mathrm{H}}_{24})$, each having a low-temperature solid phase belonging to a different space group as compared to hexane, to study the effects of impurities on the various phases and phase transitions for hexane monolayers that are well characterized through previous experimental and theoretical work. Based upon preferential adsorption, we provide two emerging pictures of how impurities could affect the monolayer, for impurity chain lengths longer and shorter than that of the hexane molecules. We provide evidence that impurities in the monolayer, even in small proportion to the hexane, could induce significant changes in the phase behavior and phase transitions, and we propose that because of the size of pentane with respect to hexane, and the nature of the solid herringbone (HB) phase, pentane impurities give the best representation of the phase behavior observed for the pure hexane monolayer. We find that impurities with chain lengths longer than hexane tend to distort the sublattices of the solid HB phase, and hence lead to a phase transition into an ``intermediate'' phase significantly prior to that observed for a pure hexane monolayer. We discuss possible application of our results toward experiment, as we find that extremely small amounts of impurities in the monolayer often induce significant changes in phase-transition behavior.
Ion emission spectra in the Jovian X-ray aurora

[1] X-ray and Extreme Ultraviolet emission spectra resulting from energetic sulfur and oxygen ions precipitating into the Jovian atmosphere are calculated. Monte Carlo simulations of the energy and charge relaxation of downward ion fluxes are carried out, using updated collision cross sections for stripping, electron capture, and target ionization. Energy and charge distributions of precipitating sulfur ions are presented for the first time and the equilibrium charge model is shown to be inadequate. X-ray emission spectra are calculated for different sulfur and oxygen mixtures and for different initial entry energies. Satisfactory agreement with both Chandra and XMM-Newton observations is obtained by an equal population of sulfur and oxygen ions with energies between 1 and 2 MeV/amu. The agreement provides a reconciliation of the two spectral data sets and the inferred initial energies are consistent with the view that the ions are magnetospheric in origin and have been accelerated to MeV/amu energies.
Oxidation of enamines to α-hydroxy ketones and α-amino ketones using N-sulfonyloxaziridines

Abstract Tri-substituted enamines are oxidized to α-hydroxy ketones by N-sulfonyloxaziridines while di-substituted enamines are oxidized to α-amino ketones. A unified mechanism for the formation of both α-hydroxy ketones and α-amino ketones is proposed.
Selected Topics in High Energy Semi-Exclusive Electro-Nuclear Reactions

We review the present status of the theory of high energy reactions with semi-exclusive nucleon electro-production from nuclear targets. We demonstrate how the increase of transferred energies in these reactions opens a completely new window for study of the microscopic nuclear structure at small distances. The simplifications in theoretical descriptions associated with the increase in the energies are discussed. The theoretical framework for calculation of high energy nuclear reactions based on the effective Feynman diagram rules is described in detail. The result of this approach is the generalized eikonal approximation (GEA), which is reduced to the Glauber approximation when nucleon recoil is neglected. The method of GEA is demonstrated in the calculation of high energy electro-disintegration of the deuteron and A=3 targets. Subsequently, we generalize the obtained formulae for A>3 nuclei. The relation of GEA to the Glauber theory is analyzed. Then, based on the GEA framework we discuss some of the phenomena which can be studied in exclusive reactions: nuclear transparency and short-range correlations in nuclei. We illustrate how light-cone dynamics of high-energy scattering emerge naturally in high energy electro-nuclear reactions.
Error-free milestones in error prone measurements

A predictor variable or dose that is measured with substantial error may possess an error-free milestone, such that it is known with negligible error whether the value of the variable is to the left or right of the milestone. Such a milestone provides a basis for estimating a linear relationship between the true but unknown value of the error-free predictor and an outcome, because the milestone creates a strong and valid instrumental variable. The inferences are nonparametric and robust, and in the simplest cases, they are exact and distribution free. We also consider multiple milestones for a single predictor and milestones for several predictors whose partial slopes are estimated simultaneously. Examples are drawn from the Wisconsin Longitudinal Study, in which a BA degree acts as a milestone for sixteen years of education, and the binary indicator of military service acts as a milestone for years of service.
Stereoselective reduction of C=X by a chiral 1,4-dihydropyridine (NADH-MIMIC) in a self-immolative process

Abstract A series of prochiral ketones and a prochiral imine was reduced with high absolute stereoselectivity using an optically active 4-methyl-1,4-dihydropyridine in the presence of Mg(ClO 4 ) 2 .
Ligand-switchable directing effects of tethered alkenes in nickel-catalyzed additions to alkynes

Nickel-catalyzed reductive couplings of aldehydes with alkynes that contain tethered olefins are described, in which the degree and sense of regioselectivity are controlled by the length of the tether and the presence or absence of an additive. When the alkyne and alkene are separated by four bonds, very high (>95:5) regioselectivities are observed. Use of a monodentate phosphine as an additive leads to formation of the opposite regioisomer in equal and opposite selectivity (5: >95). These results provide strong evidence for an interaction between the remote alkene and the metal center during the regioselectivity-determining step and suggest that reactions with and without an additive proceed via fundamentally distinct mechanisms.
A Convenient Preparation of Trifluoroacetonitrile: Application to the Synthesis of a Novel Pyrimidinone Building Block

The generation of trifluoroacetonitrile (1) under mild conditions and controlled rates from easily accessible starting materials is described. Dehydration of trifluoroacetamide (2) with trifluoroacetic anhydride in pyridine generates trifluoroacetonitrile at ambient temperatures. As the trifluoroacetonitrile is formed, it distills out of the pyridine reaction mixture and is bubbled into a primary reaction vessel. The rate at which the gas is formed is controlled by the rate of addition of the reactants. The practicality of this method is exemplified via the synthesis of multigram quantities of a novel pyrimidinone building block 3.
BIQUANDLE LONGITUDE INVARIANT OF LONG VIRTUAL KNOTS

It is known that the number of biquandle colorings of a long virtual knot diagram, with a fixed color of the initial arc, is a knot invariant. In this paper, we construct a more subtle invariant: a family of biquandle endomorphisms obtained from the set of colorings and longitudinal information.
An Expedient Procedure for the Oxidative Cleavage of Olefinic Bonds with PhI(OAc)2, NMO, and Catalytic OsO4

PhI(OAc)2 in the presence of OsO4 (cat.) and 2,6-lutidine cleaves olefinic bonds to yield the corresponding carbonyl compounds, albeit, in some cases, with α-hydroxy ketones as byproduct. A more practical and clean protocol to effect oxidative cleavage of olefinic bonds involves NMO, OsO4 (cat.), 2,6-lutidine, and PhI(OAc)2.
Board Members and Company Value

This essay surveys research about the value of individual members of boards of directors. When directors join or exit corporate boards, company stock prices respond, often in magnitudes of 1% of firm value or more. Related research shows that when a significant event impacts the stock price of one company, the effects are transmitted to other companies that share board members in common with the primary company. Share price reactions are sensitive to variables such as a director’s occupation, independence, and professional qualifications. Together, this evidence suggests that a well-functioning market for directors might already exist, making direct regulation unnecessary and possibly counter-productive.
DCT computation with minimal average number of operations

The discrete cosine transform (DCT) is widely used in all transform-based image and video compression standards due to its well-known decorrelation and energy compaction properties for typical images. Many fast algorithms available for the DCT optimize various parameters such as additions and multiplications but they are input independent and thus require the same number of operations for any inputs. In this paper we study the benefits of input- dependent algorithms for the DCT which are aimed at minimizing the average computation time by taking advantage of the sparseness of the input data. Here, we concentrate on the inverse DCT (IDCT) part since typical input blocks will contain a substantial number of zeros. We show how to construct an IDCT algorithm based on the statistics of the input data, which are used to optimize the algorithm for the average case. We show how, for a given input and a correct model of the complexity of the various operations, we can achieve the fastest average performance.© (1997) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Synthesis and central nervous system depressant effects of N3-substituted 2',3'-O-isopropylideneuridines.

N3-Substituted derivatives of 2', 3'-O-isopropylideneuridine (1) were synthesized and their pharmacological effects on the central nervous system (CNS) examined using mice. Methyl (2), ethyl (3), propyl (4), butyl (5), allyl (6), benzyl (7), o-, m-, p-xylyls (8, 9, 10), and α-phenylethyl (11) derivatives of 1 were administered to mice by intracerebroventricular (i.c.v.) injection for evaluating hypnotic activity, pentobarbital-induced sleep prolongation, and spontaneous activity as indices. Only 3 possessed hypnotic activity by i.c.v. injection at the dose of 2.0 μmol/mouse. Compounds 3, 4, and 10 significantly showed synergism with a barbiturate, indicating that the derivatives have some CNS depressant effects. Moreover, 3 and 4 caused decrease in the spontaneous activity of mice, even at low doses. The present study indicated that substitution by ethyl, propyl, and p-xylyl groups at the N3-position of 2', 3'-O-isopropylideneuridine imparted the CNS depressant effects.
Meteorite mass distributions and differences between Antarctic and non-Antarctic meteorites

Meteorite mass distributions provide important insight into real and apparent differences between Antarctic and non-Antarctic meteorites. Antarctic meteorites are typically smaller than non-Antarctic meteorites and represent a different portion of the mass distribution of infalling meteorites. This results from the different methods employed to acquire the collections and from the much smaller effective collecting area for Antarctic meteorites. Comparisons of the proportions and mass distributions of H and L chondrites for different ice fields suggest that previously reported high H to L ratio among Antarctic meteorites compared to witnessed falls results from an unrecognized H5 shower fall that covered the Allan Hills Main and Near Western ice fields in the relatively recent past. The probable presence of unrecognized shower falls among the Antarctic meteorites means that population statistics, even corrected for presently recognized pairing, cannot be used to support the suggestion by Dennison et al. (1986) of a temporal variation in the mixture of meteorites arriving on Earth.
Asymptotics of Plancherel measures for the infinite-dimensional unitary group

We study a two-dimensional family of probability measures on infinite Gelfand-Tsetlin schemes induced by a distinguished family of extreme characters of the infinite-dimensional unitary group. These measures are unitary group analogs of the well-known Plancherel measures for symmetric groups. We show that any measure from our family defines a determinantal point process on Z_+ x Z, and we prove that in appropriate scaling limits, such processes converge to two different extensions of the discrete sine process as well as to the extended Airy and Pearcey processes.
Using the X-ray free-electron laser to drive a photo-pumped helium-like neon X-ray laser at 23 nm

Abstract Nearly four decades ago resonantly photo-pumped laser schemes based on hydrogen-like and helium-like ions were proposed for producing X-ray lasers. These schemes have yet to be demonstrated because of the difficulty of finding a strong pump line with an adequate resonance to pump the laser transition. With the construction of the X-ray free-electron laser (X-FEL) at the SLAC Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS) researchers now have a very bright tunable X-ray laser source that can be used to replace the pump line in previously proposed laser schemes and allow one to study the physics and feasibility of photo-pumped laser schemes. In this paper we model the sodium-pumped neon X-ray laser scheme that was proposed and studied many years ago by replacing the Na He-α pump line at 1127 eV with the X-FEL. Using the X-FEL to photo-ionize Ne down to He-like Ne and then photo-pump the He-γ line we predict gains greater than 400 cm −1 on the 4f – 3d transition at 23.1 nm in He-like Ne. The 4d – 3p line at 23.16 nm and the 4p – 3s line at 22.27 nm are also predicted to lase strongly.
Selection and the Effect of Prenatal Smoking

There is a debate about the extent to which the effect of prenatal smoking on infant health outcomes is causal. Poor outcomes could be attributable to mother characteristics which are correlated with smoking. I examine the importance of selection on the effect of prenatal smoking by using three British cohorts where the mothers’ knowledge about the harms of prenatal smoking varied substantially. I find that the effect of smoking on the probability of a low birth weight birth conditional on gestation is slightly more than twice as large in 2000 compared to 1958, implying that selection could explain as much as 50 percent of the current association between smoking and birth outcomes.
Search for Antineutrino Interaction with Deuterons

The antineutrino-induced disintegration of the deuteron was sought using the antineutrino flux from a production reactor at the Savannah River Plant and a liquid scintillation detector, with a negative result. An upper limit of 4\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}${10}^{\ensuremath{-}45}$ ${\mathrm{cm}}^{2}$ was placed on the interaction cross section as compared with present predictions of 2\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}${10}^{\ensuremath{-}45}$ ${\mathrm{cm}}^{2}$ for this cross section. Suggestions are given for improving this experimental limit.
Measures of Functional Coupling in Design

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Mechanical Engineering, 1982.
Practical synthesis of a differentially protected myo-inositol

Abstract An enantiospecific synthesis of 3,4,5-tri- O -benzyl-6- O -triisopropylsilyl-D- myo -inositol from D-xylose is reported. The synthesis features a diastereofacially selective SmI 2 -promoted pinacol cyclization.
Tatonnement in ongoing markets of complementary goods

This paper continues the study, initiated by Cole and Fleischer in [Cole and Fleischer 2008], of the behavior of a tatonnement price update rule in Ongoing Fisher Markets. The prior work showed fast convergence toward an equilibrium when the goods satisfied the weak gross substitutes property and had bounded demand and income elasticities.The current work shows that fast convergence also occurs for the following type of markets: All pairs of goods are complements to each other, and the demand and income elasticities are suitably bounded.In particular, these conditions hold when all buyers in the market are equipped with CES utilities, where all the parameters ρ, one per buyer, satisfy -1
Geophysical interpretation of satellite laser ranging measurements of crustal movement in California

As determined by satellite laser ranging the rate of contraction of a 900 kilometer baseline between sites located near Quincy in northern California and San Diego in southern California is about 61 to 65 mm/yr with a formal uncertainty of about 10 mm/yr. The measured changes in baseline length are a manifestation of the relative motion between the North America and Pacific tectonic plates. This long baseline result is compared to measurements made by more conventional means on shorter baselines. Additional information based on seismicity, geology, and theoretical modelling is also analyzed. Deformation lying within a few tens of kilometers about the major faults in southern California accounts for most, but not all of the observed motion. Further motion is attributable to a broader scale deformation in southern California. Data suggesting crustal movements north of the Garlock fault, in and near the southern Sierra Nevada and local motion at an observatory are also critically reviewed. The best estimates of overall motion indicated by ground observations lie between 40 and 60 mm/yr. This lies within one or two standard deviations of that deduced by satellite ranging but the possibility of some unresolved deficit cannot be dismissed. The long time scale RM2 plate tectonic model of Minster and Jordan predicts a contraction between 47 and 53 mm/yr depending on the extension rate of the Basin and Range. Thus the ground based observations, satellite laser ranging (SLR) results, and RM2 rates differ at about the 10 mm/yr level and are consistent with one another within the data and model uncertainties.
INTERRACIAL WORKPLACE COOPERATION: EVIDENCE FROM THE NBA

Using data from the National Basketball Association (NBA), we examine whether patterns of workplace cooperation occur disproportionately among workers of the same race. We find that, holding constant the composition of teammates on the floor, basketball players are no more likely to complete an assist to a player of the same race than a player of a different race. Our confidence interval allows us to reject even small amounts of same-race bias in passing patterns. We find some evidence of own-race bias in situations where the outcome of a particular play is less important. Our findings suggest that high levels of interracial cooperation can occur in a setting where workers are operating in a highly visible setting with strong incentives to behave efficiently. (JEL J15, J71, L23)
Bipyridine- and Phenanthroline-Based Metal–Organic Frameworks for Highly Efficient and Tandem Catalytic Organic Transformations via Directed C–H Activation

We report here the synthesis of a series of robust and porous bipyridyl- and phenanthryl-based metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) of UiO topology (BPV-MOF, mBPV-MOF, and mPT-MOF) and their postsynthetic metalation to afford highly active single-site solid catalysts. While BPV-MOF was constructed from only bipyridyl-functionalized dicarboxylate linker, both mBPV- and mPT-MOF were built with a mixture of bipyridyl- or phenanthryl-functionalized and unfunctionalized dicarboxylate linkers. The postsynthetic metalation of these MOFs with [Ir(COD)(OMe)]2 provided Ir-functionalized MOFs (BPV-MOF-Ir, mBPV-MOF-Ir, and mPT-MOF-Ir), which are highly active catalysts for tandem hydrosilylation of aryl ketones and aldehydes followed by dehydrogenative ortho-silylation of benzylicsilyl ethers as well as C–H borylation of arenes using B2pin2. Both mBPV-MOF-Ir and mPT-MOF-Ir catalysts displayed superior activities compared to BPV-MOF-Ir due to the presence of larger open channels in the mixed-linker MOFs. Impressively, mBPV...
Approximations for the Disjoint Paths Problem in High-Diameter Planar Networks

We consider the problem of connecting distinguished terminal pairs in a graph via edge-disjoint paths. This is a classical NP-complete problem for which no general approximation techniques are known; it has recently been brought into focus in papers discussing applications to admission control in high-speed networks and to routing in all- optical networks. In this paper we provideO(logn)-approximation algorithms for two natural optimization versions of this problem for the class of nearly Eulerian, uniformly high-diameter planar graphs, which includes two-dimensional meshes and other common planar interconnection networks. We give anO(logn)-approximation to the maximum number of terminal pairs that can be simultaneously connected via edge-disjoint paths, and anO(logn)-approximation to the minimum number of wavelengths needed to route a collection of terminal pairs in the “optical routing” model considered by Raghavan, Upfal, and others. The latter result improves on anO(log2n)-approximation for the special case of the mesh obtained independently by Aumann and Rabani. For both problems theO(logn)-approximation is a consequence of anO(1)-approximation for the special case when all terminal pairs are roughly the same distance apart. Our algorithms make use of a number of new techniques, including the construction of a “crossbar” structure in any nearly Eulerian planar graph, and develops some connections with classical matroid algorithms.
The occur-check problem in Prolog

We present a method for preprocessing Prolog programs so that their operational semantics will be given by the first-order predicate calculus. Most Prolog implementations do not use a full unification algorithm, for efficiency reasons. The result is that it is possible to create terms having loops in them, whose semantics is not adequately described by first-order logic. Our method finds places where such loops may be created, and adds tests to detect them. This should not appreciably slow down the execution of most Prolog programs.
The determination of the core mass at the helium flash in globular cluster stars

Evolutionary sequences for the red giant branch (RGB) phase of a representative globular cluster star have been computed in order to investigate the reliability of the current canonical values of the core mass M(sub c) at the helium flash. These computations were motivated by recent suggestions that the canonical values of M(sub c) may be systematically too small due to the numerical algorithms for shifting the hydrogen shell and advancing the chemical composition during the RGB phase. Our results show that these algorithms do not, in fact, introduce a significant error in the values of M(sub c). Moreover, we demonstrate that a procedure for advancing the chemical composition which is implicit only in the hydrogen abundance will systematically underestimate the amount of hydrogen fuel consumption between RGB models and therefore should not be used in RGB computations. Overall we estimate the uncertainty in the core masses of Sweigart & Gross (1978) due to numerical effects to be approximately equals 0.003 solar mass. From a consideration of the available canonical models we conclude that a change in the canonical values of M(sub c) by a few 10(exp -2) solar mass would require either a substantial change in the canonical input physics or some noncanonical effect such as rotation. Finally our models show that the use of short time steps can significantly increase the extent of the inner tail of the hydrogen shell. This effect may enhance the likelihood of hydrogen mixing following a helium shell flash in an asymptotic giant branch star.
Scotopic center surround organization in 10-week-old infants

The large critical areas for complete spatial summation in infants may be due to immaturities of receptive field organization in both dark and light adapted scotopic conditions. Scotopic lateral excitatory/inhibitory interactions have been previously studied in adults using Westheimer's [(1965) Journal of Physiology, London, 181, 881-894] paradigm. We modified this paradigm to investigate scotopic receptive field organization in infants. Detection thresholds for probe flashes of constant diameter and duration presented on steady backgrounds of various diameters were determined for 10-week-old infants and adults. Infants' thresholds increased up to background diameters of 3 degrees to 3.5 degrees and then decreased at greater background diameters. Adults' thresholds increased for backgrounds up to about 0.75 degrees diameter and then decreased at greater background diameters. These results suggest that the excitatory, central receptive field size is larger in infants than adults, and that a balanced center-surround mechanism is operative.
Digitized photographs for illustrated computer output

Much success has been achieved in the use of computers for the control and editing of various typesetting devices. At this Laboratory, similar techniques are employed in creating edited cathode-ray tube (CRT) output from information punched on Hollerith cards. Many internal documents are prepared by Xeroxing the reversed film from this output at a rate of around seventy frames per minute.
A Condensed Condensation Proof of a Determinant Evaluation Conjectured by Greg Kuperberg and Jim Propp

We give a generalization and a short mechanized proof of determinant conjectured by G. Kuperberg and J. Propp. Further generalizations and applications of the method to some q-analogues may be found in this http URL
Radiative-convective equilibrium models of Uranus and Neptune

The present study of Uranus and Neptune radiative-convective equilibrium models gives emphasis to such aspects of the stratospheric energy balance as the influence of aerosol heating and convective penetration. The results obtained for Uranus imply that a 'continuum absorber' may be a significant factor in the stratosphere despite the great distance from the sun. The results obtained for Neptune show that such a continuum absorber could significantly contribute to the energy balance within a localized stratospheric region, although it probably cannot furnish sufficient power to account for the observed IR spectrum irrespective of its vertical distribution. Attention is accordingly given to the 'convective penetration' that could arise under such rapid vertical mixing that CH4's condensation cannot occur before the gas is carried above the condensation region.
Microwave assisted copper-free Sonogashira coupling/5-exo-dig cycloisomerization domino reaction: access to 3-(phenylmethylene)isoindolin-1-ones and related heterocycles

An efficient microwave assisted one-pot synthesis of substituted 3-(phenylmethylene)isoindolin-1-ones is reported via a copper-free Sonogashira coupling and a regioselective 5-exo-dig cycloisomerization. This domino reaction was also extended to other related heterocycles.
Simultaneous Investment, Operations, and Financial Planning in Supply Chains: A Value-based Optimization Approach

Asset utilization is a major mid-term lever to increase shareholder value creation. Since rough-cut planning of capacity (dis-)investments is performed at the long-term level, detailed timing of adjustments remains for the mid-term level. In combination with capacity control measures, capacity adjustment timing can be used to optimize asset utilization. This paper provides a corresponding framework for value-based performance and risk optimization in supply chains covering investment, operations, and financial planning simultaneously. We illustrate the benefits of the approach using a case-oriented example, and highlight the value of using flexible capacity options and postponing of capacity-related decisions in an uncertain environment.
Polarized e-p elastic scattering in the collider frame

Double polarization elastic $\mathrm{eP\vec}$-$\mathrm{pP\vec}$ cross sections and asymmetries are considered in collider kinematics. Covariant expressions are derived for the general situation involving crossed beams; these are checked against the well-known results obtained when the proton is at rest. Results are given using modern models for the proton electromagnetic form factors for kinematics of interest in e-p colliders such as the Electron-Ion Collider facility which is in its planning stage. In context, parity-violating elastic $\mathrm{eP\vec}$-$p$ scattering is compared and contrasted with these double-polarization (parity-conserving) results.
Bose-Einstein correlations and the equation of state of nuclear matter

Within a relativistic hydrodynamic framework, we use four different equations of state of nuclear matter to compare to experimental spectra from CERN/SPS experiments NA44 and NA49. Freeze-out hypersurfaces and Bose-Einstein correlation functions for identical pion pairs are discussed. We find that two-pion Bose-Einstein interferometry measures the relationship between the temperature and the energy density in the equation of state during the late hadronic stage of the fireball expansion. Little sensitivity of the light-hadron data to a quark-gluon plasma phase-transition is seen.
Hydrophobicity control of surfaces by hydrolytic adsorption

Abstract The surface activity of free acids and bases with hydrophobic groups is considered in comparison with corresponding anionic, cationic, and ion-pair surface activity. The hydrlytic adsorption model of froth flotation is reviewed from the points of view of “contact bubble” vs. pH curves, collector-depressant competition curves, surface hydrolysis constants, contact angle-concentration curves, and infrared spectroscopy. Methods are considered for distinguishing hydrolytic adsorption, ion-pair adsorption, and other types of adsorption processes that may conceivably yield hydrophobic surfaces by adsorption from aqueous solutions.
Friend-or-foe intentionality priming in an extensive form trust game

Abstract In a laboratory experiment, we use an extensive form two person trust game to examine the hypothesis that human subjects have a preconscious friend-or-foe (FOF) mental mechanism for evaluating the intentions of another person. Instructions are used to weakly prime the FOF state: instead of the term “counterpart” for referring to the person that an individual is matched with, we substitute the word “partner” in one treatment, “opponent” in the other. This treatment produces a significant difference in trust and trustworthiness behavior in repeat interactions over time with distinct pairs on each trial. Trustworthiness with “partner” is over twice that for “opponent”, and this reinforces trust, although both trust and trustworthiness erode over time.
A Model of the Evaporation of Binary-Fuel Clusters of Drops

A formulation has been developed to describe the evaporation of dense or dilute clusters of binary-fuel drops. The binary fuel is assumed to be made of a solute and a solvent whose volatility is much lower than that of the solute. Convective flow effects, inducing a circulatory motion inside the drops, are taken into account, as well as turbulence external to the cluster volume. Results obtained with this model show that, similar to the conclusions for single, isolated drops, the evaporation of the volatile is controlled by liquid mass diffusion when the cluster is dilute. In contrast, when the cluster is dense, the evaporation of the volatile is controlled by surface layer stripping, that is, by the regression rate of the drop, which is, in fact, controlled by the evaporation rate of the solvent. These conclusions are in agreement with existing experimental observations. Parametric studies show that these conclusions remain valid with changes in ambient temperature, initial slip velocity between drops and gas, initial drop size, initial cluster size, initial liquid mass fraction of the solute, and various combinations of solvent and solute. The implications of these results for computationally intensive combustor calculations are discussed.
Enantioselective cross-coupling of anhydrides with organozinc reagents: the controlled formation of carbon-carbon bonds through the nucleophilic interception of metalacycles.

The construction of carbon−carbon bonds, particularly with concomitant control of newly formed asymmetric centers, is of paramount importance for the development of synthetic routes to complex organic molecules. While cross-coupling reactions for the generation of sp2 carbon centers are well established, similar methodology for the formation and control of sp3-hydridized carbon stereocenters is extremely limited. We suggest that the nucleophilic interception of metalacycles provides the means to achieve such a transformation, wherein the metal complex serves to activate electrophiles, facilitate nucleophile addition, and ultimately control stereochemistry. One means of accessing these intermediates is through the use of simple meso-carboxylic anhydrides, which upon reaction with transition metals readily generate the desired metalacycles. Interception of the metalacycle with an appropriate carbon-based nucleophile generates an enantioenriched ketoacid, the product of the asymmetric desymmetrization of ach...
Are magnetic wind-driving disks inherently unstable?

There have been claims in the literature that accretion disks in which a centrifugally driven wind is the dominant mode of angular momentum transport are inherently unstable. This issue is considered here by applying an equilibrium-curve analysis to the wind-driving, ambipolar diffusion dominated, magnetic-disk model of Wardle and Konigl. The equilibrium solution curves for this class of models typically exhibit two distinct branches. It is argued that only one of these branches represents unstable equilibria and that a real disk/wind system likely corresponds to a stable solution.
Angiopoietin-like protein 2 regulates endothelial colony forming cell vasculogenesis

Angiopoietin-like 2 (ANGPTL2) has been reported to induce sprouting angiogenesis; however, its role in vasculogenesis, the de novo lumenization of endothelial cells (EC), remains unexplored. We sought to investigate the potential role of ANGPTL2 in regulating human cord blood derived endothelial colony forming cell (ECFC) vasculogenesis through siRNA mediated inhibition of ANGPTL2 gene expression. We found that ECFCs in which ANGPTL2 was diminished displayed a threefold decrease in in vitro lumenal area whereas addition of exogenous ANGPTL2 protein domains to ECFCs lead to increased lumen formation within a 3 dimensional (3D) collagen assay of vasculogenesis. ECFC migration was attenuated by 36 % via ANGPTL2 knockdown (KD) although proliferation and apoptosis were not affected. We subsequently found that c-Jun NH2-terminal kinase (JNK), but not ERK1/2, phosphorylation was decreased upon ANGPTL2 KD, and expression of membrane type 1 matrix metalloproteinase (MT1-MMP), known to be regulated by JNK and a critical regulator of EC migration and 3D lumen formation, was decreased in lumenized structures in vitro derived from ANGPTL2 silenced ECFCs. Treatment of ECFCs in 3D collagen matrices with either a JNK inhibitor or exogenous rhTIMP-3 (an inhibitor of MT1-MMP activity) resulted in a similar phenotype of decreased vascular lumen formation as observed with ANGPTL2 KD, whereas stimulation of JNK activity increased vasculogenesis. Based on gene silencing, pharmacologic, cellular, and biochemical approaches, we conclude that ANGPTL2 positively regulates ECFC vascular lumen formation likely through its effects on migration and in part by activating JNK and increasing MT1-MMP expression.