cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Escape from Equilibrium: Thinking Historically about Firm Responses to Competition

Firms use a variety of strategies to limit competition that would otherwise erode profits. Firms innovate, creating new technologies, new markets, and new firms. Innovations allow them to distinguish their products or lower their costs and thus maintain profits. Their ability to innovate depends on the existence of social institutions that allow them to amass the resources—labor, capital, and information—necessary to compete successfully. Firms also maintain profits by manipulating the political process to maintain preferred access to markets, technology and resources. Finally, firms take actions to limit competition directly. Waves of consolidation, justified by an assumption of the inevitability of increasing firm size, have limited competition and entrepreneurship. Cartels and other forms of collusion, sometimes thought to have disappeared from US markets after the adoption of the Sherman Antitrust Act in 1890, are still active in a wide variety of national and international markets.
Optimal code rates for the Lorentzian channel: Shannon codes and LDPC codes

We take an information-theoretic approach to obtaining optimal code rates for error-control codes on a magnetic storage channel approximated by the Lorentzian channel. Code rate optimality is in the sense of maximizing the information-theoretic user density along a track. To arrive at such results, we compute the achievable information rates for the Lorentzian channel as a function of signal-to-noise ratio and channel density, and then use these information rate calculations to obtain optimal code rates and maximal linear user densities. We call such (hypothetical) optimal codes "Shannon codes." We then examine optimal code rates on a Lorentzian channel assuming low-density parity-check (LDPC) codes instead of Shannon codes. We employ as our tool extrinsic information transfer (EXIT) charts, which provide a simple way of determining the capacity limit (or decoding threshold) for an LDPC code. We demonstrate that the optimal rates for LDPC codes coincide with those of Shannon codes and, more important, that LDPC codes are essentially capacity-achieving codes on the Lorentzian channel. Finally, we use the above results to estimate the optimal bit-aspect ratio, where optimality is in the sense of maximizing areal density.
Three-dimensional organization of rat hepatocyte cytoskeleton: relation to the asialoglycoprotein endocytosis pathway.

Analysis by confocal microscopy has revealed features of the microtubule network of rat hepatocytes in culture, establishing the three-dimensional disposition of the microtubule-based cytoskeleton, its relation to the actin-based cytoskeleton and to ligand-containing endosomes during receptor-mediated endocytosis and the alterations in its structure and disposition by the microtubule pertubant, Taxol. By co-localization studies, we have been able to demonstrate that the microtubules have a significant role in receptor-mediated endocytosis of asialoglycoproteins in this cell. Asialoorosomucoid-containing endosomes attach to widely spaced arrays of microtubules running under the baso-lateral surface of the hepatocytes 5–15 minutes after the initiation of endocytosis and then travel along microtubule paths to become concentrated with microtubules near the centrosome and at bile canaliculi after 30–60 minutes of receptor-mediated endocytosis. Receptor-mediated endocytosis is affected, but not abolished by Taxol, which inhibits the rate of asialoorosomucoid degradation at the same concentrations as those that disrupt microtubule and cytoplasmic dynein distribution, and that prevent the concentration of endosomes centrally. The results support suggestions that asialoorosomucoid-containing endosomes are captured by microtubules just below the actin layer at the cell periphery and these are actively transported centrally along microtubules, possibly by cytoplasmic dynein, so that the concentration of endosomes near the centrosome, and the subsequent efficient lysosomal degradation of ligand, are consequences of the confluence of microtubules in this region.
Use of Cognitive Capacity in Reading Easy and Difficult Text: Two Tests of an Allocation of Attention Hypothesis

Use of cognitive capacity in reading easy and difficult text was observed with a secondary task technique in 2 experiments. Previous experiments had shown that easy text filled cognitive capacity more completely than difficult text. One hypothesis for this effect is that attention was allocated differentially to easy passages at the expense of difficult ones. Contrary to this hypothesis, in both of the present experiments, content tests showed that a large amount of detailed informa- tion was learned from both easy and difficult texts. When the memory load was reduced to reduce the motivation for differential allocation of attention, easy texts continued to fill cognitive capacity more completely than difficult texts. These results were not consistent with an allocation of attention hypothesis. Other hypotheses were considered. The use of cognitive processing capacity in reading has been investigated in several recent studies (Britton, Holdredge, Curry & Westbrook, 1979; Britton, Holdredge & Curry, 1979; Britton, Piha, Davis & Wehausen, 1978; Britton, Westbrook & Holdredge, 1978). Use of cognitive capacity was measured with a secondary task technique, which has been used to measure the cognitive capacity demands of a wide variety of cognitive tasks (for reviews, see Kahnemann, 1973; Kerr, 1973; Norman & Bobrow, 1975, 1976; Posner, 1978). The secondary task technique for measuring use of cognitive capacity in reading is straightforward. During the primary task of reading, a secondary cognitive task is introduced occasionally and performance on the secondary task is measured. The more cognitive capacity is being used for the primary task of reading, the less is available for the secondary task, and the lower is the level of performance on the secondary task. In these experiments, the secondary task stimulus was a click which occurred occasionally and unpredictably during the reading task, and the secondary task response was to release a button when the click occurred. Reaction time to the click was the aspect of secondary task performance which was measured. According
Effects of endurance training on VO 2max and submaximal blood lactate concentrations of untrained sled dogs

Five previously untrained yearling sled dogs were evaluated for endurance training-induced changes in maximum oxygen consumption (VO 2max ) and submaximal blood lactate concentrations. Following 3 weeks of light training followed by 4 weeks of moderate training, VO 2max increased by 10%, from 180.2 ± 9.9 to 198.7 ± 19.2 ml kg min − 1 ( P = 0.046). Light training was not associated with any increase in VO 2max . Blood lactate concentrations at the same absolute intensity decreased by 215%, from 9.2 ± 4.7 to 4.3 ± 2.4 mmol l − 1 ( P = 0.022). Speeds associated with oxygen consumptions of 70% VO 2max increased by 12%, from 4.8 ± 0.4 to 5.4 ± 0.5 m s − 1 ( P = 0.008) and speeds associated with VO 2max increased by 21%, from 6.7 ± 0.3 to 8.2 ± 0.7 m s − 1 ( P = 0.012).
Experience with active congestion control

Active congestion control (ACC) applies active networking to feedback congestion control in a high bandwidth-delay product network, shortening the feedback loop by filtering traffic in the network near congestion. This paper describes recent simulation results showing the function of the system in TCP networks across a range of bandwidth-delay products. It also discusses the implementation of another version of the system in the ASP EE, an active networking execution environment implemented at USC/ISI. An assessment of ACC overhead in that implementation is made.
The Nalp3 inflammasome is essential for the development of silicosis

Inhalation of crystalline silica and asbestos is known to cause the progressive pulmonary fibrotic disorders silicosis and asbestosis, respectively. Although alveolar macrophages are believed to initiate these inflammatory responses, the mechanism by which this occurs has been unclear. Here we show that the inflammatory response and subsequent development of pulmonary fibrosis after inhalation of silica is dependent on the Nalp3 inflammasome. Stimulation of macrophages with silica results in the activation of caspase-1 in a Nalp3-dependent manner. Macrophages deficient in components of the Nalp3 inflammasome were incapable of secreting the proinflammatory cytokines interleukin (IL)-1β and IL-18 in response to silica. Similarly, asbestos was capable of activating caspase-1 in a Nalp3-dependent manner. Activation of the Nalp3 inflammasome by silica required both an efflux of intracellular potassium and the generation of reactive oxygen species. This study demonstrates a key role for the Nalp3 inflammasome in the pathogenesis of pneumoconiosis.
Changes in coping strategies, relationship to the perpetrator, and posttraumatic distress in female crime victims

This study examined the relationship between changes in coping and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptomatology among recent female rape and physical assault victims as a function of assault type and perpetrator status. Participants were assessed within 1 month after trauma and again at 3 months after trauma. Results indicate that changes in coping strategies over time are associated with the severity of the PTSD symptoms. Assault type was not a significant factor in the association between changes in coping and PTSD, but perpetrator status was. Victims with known perpetrators, who coped more by social withdrawal, had more severe PTSD symptoms over time. The importance of examining the dynamic nature of coping in the development of PTSD is discussed.
Correlates of Organizational Rewards in the United Nations: an Analysis of Environmental and Legislative Variables

The purpose of this research is to examine the conditions for successful United Nations elective officeholding through an interregional comparison of three types of variables. Previous studies have primarily emphasized two types of determinants. Some have suggested that behavior in the United Nations is controlled by the environment of international politics, while others have attempted to link a nation state's level of socioeconomic development to elective officeholding success. This research suggests that the legislative variable may be the most useful predictor of elective officeholding. The legislative dimension is based upon the premise that the political processes in the Organization represent a quasi-legislative system. An examination of the three types of variables led to the conclusion that legislative behavior is the most consistent predictor of elective officeholding success across regions. This finding does not negate the salience of environmental interactions or nation state attributes, but it does suggest that nation state participation in the political processes of the Organization appears to be the best predictor of officeholding success.
Inelastic neutron scattering investigation of hydrating tricalcium and dicalcium silicate mixture pastes: Ca(OH) 2 formation and evolution of strength

The hydration of controlled tricalcium and dicalcium silicate mixtures was investigated using inelastic neutron scattering. The amount of Ca(OH)2 produced by each mixture was quantified based on the vibrational mode at approximately 41 meV. The results of compressive strength testing correlate with the amount of Ca(OH)2 produced and with previous results from quasielastic neutron scattering. These results establish a link between hydration mechanics and the evolution of hydration products leading to desirable properties, such as strength.
High Radiation Zone Design of the FMIT High-Energy Beam Transport

The Fusion Materials Irradiation Test (FMIT) deuteron linac, operating at 35 MeV and 100 mA continuous duty, is expected to spill 3 ?A/m and to lose 10 ?A at specific bending-magnet positions. The major impact of this spill will be felt in the High-Energy Beam Transport (HEBT), where many beam-line components must be maintained. A modular design concept, that uses segmented termination panels remotely located from the modules, is being employed. Radiation-hardened quadrupoles can be opened, clamshell fashion, to release the water-cooled beam tube r replacement if there is beam damage or lithium contamination from the target. Termination panels contain electrical, water, and instrumentation fit-tings to service the module, and are positioned to allow room for neutron-absorbing shielding between the beamline and the panel. The modular construction allows laboratory prealignment and check-out of all components on a structural carriage and is adaptable to supporting gamma shields. Proper choice of beam tube materials is essential for controlling activation caused by beam spill.
The networked student model for construction of personal learning environments: Balancing teacher control and student autonomy

Principles of networked learning, constructivism, and connectivism inform the design of a test case through which secondary students construct personal learning environments for the purpose of independent inquiry. Emerging web applications and open educational resources are integrated to support a Networked Student Model that promotes inquiry-based learning and digital literacy, empowers the learner, and offers flexibility as new technologies emerge. The Networked Student Model and a test case are described in detail along with implications and considerations for additional research. The article is meant to facilitate further discussion about K-12 student construction of personal learning environments and offer the practitioner a foundation on which to facilitate a networked learning experience. It seeks to determine how a teacher can scaffold a networked learning approach while providing a foundation on which students take more control of the learning process.
Design and CAD for 3D integrated circuits

High density through silicon vias (TSV) can be used to build 3DICs that enable unique applications in computing, signal processing and memory intensive systems. This paper presents several case studies that are uniquely enhanced through 3D implementation, including a 3D CAM, an FFT processor, and a SAR processor. The CAD flow used to implement for these designs is described. 3DIC requires higher fidelity thermal modeling than 2DIC design. The rationale for this requirement is established and a possible solution is presented.
Errores comunes de un piloto de Lancair frente a condiciones de tiempo adversas

This article discusses the origin of the main causes of accidents that occur in experimental Lancair aircrafts. By its nature, the experimental aircrafts exhibit unique flight conditions that could become difficult during inclement weather. For this study, we used the database of the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) in the United States, from January 2005 to December 2014, taking into account ten cases of fatal accidents involving planes from this brand. It was concluded that the disorientation and decision-making related to errors were the main reasons, which are directly associated with pilots skills at the time of the accident. Also, a thorough analysis of this research is recommended for a subsequent application to actual cases in the Colombian Air Force.
Dynamic monitoring of oxidative DNA double-strand break and repair in cardiomyocytes

DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) are most dangerous lesions. To determine whether oxidative stress can induce DSBs and how they are repaired in cardiomyocytes (CMs), cultured neonatal rat CMs were treated with different doses of H2O2 and followed for up to 72 h for monitoring the spatiotemporal dynamics of DNA repair protein assembly/disassembly at DSB foci. The protein levels and foci numbers of histone H2AX phosphorylated at serine 139 (γ-H2AX) increased proportionally to 50, 100, and 200 μmol/L H2O2 after 30 min treatment. When H2O2 was at or above 400 μmol/L, γ-H2AX became predominantly pannuclear. After 30 min, 200 μmol/L of H2O2 treatment, γ-H2AX levels were highest within the first hour and then gradually declined during the recovery and returned to basal levels at 48 h. Among DNA damage transducer kinases, ataxia telangiectasia mutated (ATM) was significantly activated by H2O2 in contrast to mild activation of ATR (ATM and Rad3-related). A DSB binding protein, p53 binding protein 1, formed distinct nuclear foci that colocalized with γ-H2AX foci and phosphorylated ATM. Our findings indicate that DSBs can be induced by H2O2 and ATM is the main kinase to mediate DSB repair in CMs. Therefore, monitoring DSB repair can assess oxidative injury and response in CMs.
Inosine Effects on Plasma Inorganic Phosphate Movements in Fresh and Gold-Stored Blood.

SummaryMovements of P32O4 in and out of fresh and cold-stored human erythrocytes were measured in presence and absence of inosine. I. Small amounts of hemolysis when inosine was present caused a decrease in plasma inorganic phosphate and incorporation of P32 into plasma organic phosphate. This formation of plasma organic phosphate decreased movement of P32 into the cell. II. When P32 was originally present in the red cell, inosine decreased the net movement from cells to plasma. We attribute this effect to utilization of inosine as substrate in the cell. III. Cells containing P32 during 6-day cold-storage lost 3 to 4 times as much P32 as cells having P32 for a short time. Movements from cells to plasma are described as the result of at least 2 phosphate compartments within the cell.
Pharmacokinetic profile of (+/-)-gossypol in male Sprague-Dawley rats following single intravenous and oral and subchronic oral administration.

The pharmacokinetic profile of (+/-)-gossypol was determined in male Sprague-Dawley rats following a single intravenous or oral 10 mg/kg dose and after receiving a daily oral 10 mg/kg dose for 14 days. The intravenous plasma (+/-)-gossypol level data were fitted with a three-compartment, open-model system. The apparent half-life of elimination of (+/-)-gossypol following intravenous administration was 11.44 hr, corresponding to an elimination rate constant of 0.05 hr-1. The total plasma clearance (Cl), volume of distribution (Vd), and AUCplasma following a single intravenous administration were 0.16 liter/hr/kg, 0.05 liter/kg, and 63.09 mg.hr/liter, respectively. The bioavailability of a single oral dose of (+/-)-gossypol in rats was 60%. The change in plasma (+/-)-gossypol concentration after a single or after multiple doses showed a biphasic pattern. A single oral dose of (+/-)-gossypol, however, was eliminated five times faster than the daily administered chemical. Thus, a single oral dose of (+/-)-gossypol was eliminated at a rate constant of 0.01 hr-1, corresponding to half-life of 64.76 hr. Subchronic oral administration of (+/-)-gossypol showed an apparent half-life of 101.91 hr-1, corresponding to a rate constant of 0.007 hr-1. The results indicate that multiple oral dosing of (+/-)-gossypol resulted in its longer retention in body tissue than a single oral dose. This study suggests that pharmacokinetics of (+/-)-gossypol may play, at least in part, a role in the reproductive toxicity of subchronic but not single oral dosing.
A Collective Reflection on the Ph.D. Student's Journey: Shades of Technicism and Epistemic Pluralism

(2012). A Collective Reflection on the Ph.D. Student's Journey. Administrative Theory & Praxis: Vol. 34, No. 2, pp. 273-278.
Rationality analysis on different scales and comprehensive evaluation result sensitivity

Using different scales will lead to the disidentical results of comprehensive evaluation.By using the order relation analysis method as the fundamental comprehensive evaluation method,the rationality of scale choice is minutely analysed in two stages after contrasting the relation between the several kinds of numeric scale and the natural language logic.In the first stage of the preliminary analysis,the transmission uniform test criterion is given,and the deviation judge criterion in the second stage.The analysis result indicates that the 10/10~18/2 scale is the most reasonable scale.
Molecular/cytogenetic alterations accompanying the development of multidrug resistance in the J774.2 murine cell line.

Mouse macrophage-like J774.2 cells were selected for resistance to colchicine and examined by molecular/cytogenetic analysis to determine whether the acquisition of the multidrug resistant (mdr) phenotype was associated with specific chromosomal rearrangements. Cytogenetic studies of the J774.2 parental and two colchicine-resistant (CLCR) sublines--J7.Cl-30 (770-fold CLCR) and J7.Cl-100 (2500-fold CLCR)--demonstrated specific numeric and structural karyotypic alterations accompanying the emergence of mdr. The parental cells demonstrated a modal chromosome number of 63, while the modal number of the J7.Cl-30 subline was 53. The most striking difference between the parental and J7.Cl-30 subline was the presence of an average of 60 double minutes (DMs) per cell in the CLCR cells. The 2500-fold resistant J7.Cl-100 subline displayed a modal number of 50, which included structural rearrangements involving chromosomes 2 and 7 and concomitant replacement of DMs by a homogeneously staining region (HSR). Southern blotting analysis demonstrated a approximately 35-fold amplification of P-glycoprotein homologous sequences in the J7.Cl-30 subline and approximately 70-fold amplification in the J7.Cl-100 subline. Chromosomal in situ hybridization localized the amplified P-glycoprotein sequences to DMs (J7.Cl-30) and the HSR (J7.Cl-100) in these CLCR sublines. Our results suggest that CLCR in J774.2 cells results from overexpression of P-glycoprotein via gene amplification which was accompanied by chromosomal evolution from DMs to an HSR.
Radiographic and intraoperative imaging of a hemisection of the spinal cord resulting in a pure Brown-Séquard syndrome: case report and review of the literature.

Brown-Sequard plus syndrome (BSPS) or incomplete spinal cord injuries from stab injury have been widely reported. However, only four detailed cases of pure Brown-Sequard syndrome (BSS) from stab injury have been previously reported. Here we present the case of an 18-year-old man who sustained a penetrating knife stab injury to the right side of his back resulting in a pure Brown-Sequard syndrome with left lower extremity hemiplegia. Imaging revealed right-sided soft tissue and ligamentous damage traveling in a right-to-left fashion as well as left-sided T2-weighted MRI cord signal change at the level of T9. Given concern for a cerebrospinal fluid leak (CSF) leak, the patient was taken for wound exploration, irrigation, laminectomy, dural closure and lumbar drain placement. At three years follow up, the patient was almost full strength. This is the first case in the literature demonstrating radiographic and correlative intraoperative imaging of a hemisection of the spinal cord resulting in a pure Brown-Sequard syndrome.
Dystrophin contains multiple independent membrane-binding domains

Dystrophin is a large sub-sarcolemmal protein. Its absence leads to Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). Binding to the sarcolemma is essential for dystrophin to protect muscle from contraction-induced injury. It has long been thought that membrane binding of dystrophin depends on its cysteine-rich (CR) domain. Here, we provide in vivo evidence suggesting that dystrophin contains three additional membrane-binding domains including spectrin-like repeats (R)1-3, R10-12 and C-terminus (CT). To systematically study dystrophin membrane binding, we split full-length dystrophin into ten fragments and examined subcellular localizations of each fragment by adeno-associated virus-mediated gene transfer. In skeletal muscle, R1-3, CR domain and CT were exclusively localized at the sarcolemma. R10-12 showed both cytosolic and sarcolemmal localization. Importantly, the CR-independent membrane binding was conserved in murine and canine muscles. A critical function of the CR-mediated membrane interaction is the assembly of the dystrophin-associated glycoprotein complex (DGC). While R1-3 and R10-12 did not restore the DGC, surprisingly, CT alone was sufficient to establish the DGC at the sarcolemma. Additional studies suggest that R1-3 and CT also bind to the sarcolemma in the heart, though relatively weak. Taken together, our study provides the first conclusive in vivo evidence that dystrophin contains multiple independent membrane-binding domains. These structurally and functionally distinctive membrane-binding domains provide a molecular framework for dystrophin to function as a shock absorber and signaling hub. Our results not only shed critical light on dystrophin biology and DMD pathogenesis, but also provide a foundation for rationally engineering minimized dystrophins for DMD gene therapy.
A weblet environment to facilitate proxy caching of web processing components

Proxy caching has been extensively used to cache web contents and has achieved greatly reduced response latency, shared web server load, and minimized network traffic. Recently there has been a major shift in the usage of the Web. More and more web pages are generated dynamically by web processing components. These web pages are non-cacheable. Thus, no matter how good the existing caching scheme is, the cache hit ratio is limited due to the increasing percentage of non-cacheable objects. In this dissertation, we develop a weblet environment to facilitate proxy caching of web processing components. In the weblet environment, the processing components at web servers are implemented as weblets. These weblets can migrate from web servers to proxy servers to perform required computation and provide faster responses. A weblet migration protocol, weblet caching strategies, a uniform weblet execution platform, a weblet based request processing protocol, and security protection mechanisms have been developed to enable proxy servers to support weblet migration and execution. Most of web applications need to access databases. To maximize the benefits of the weblet environment, data frequently accessed by weblets should also be cached at proxy servers. Since a proxy server usually has limited disk space, the size constraint of the proxy server is considered to select data in a database. A quantitative analysis approach has been developed to guide the cache table selection process. To achieve more effective data caching for cache tables, a data selection algorithm has been proposed to partition cache tables and select the highly accessed partitions to be cached. Our research has a significant impact on the web system infrastructure. With the current trend, we believe that more and more web applications will be computation oriented. With existing proxy protocols, the cache hit ratio will drop due to these processing components. With the weblet approach, these processing components can be migrated and cached and a higher proxy cache hit ratio can be achieved. Thus it can achieve significant performance improvement. Also, the weblet concept complements current web caching techniques and can be easily integrated with existing web performance improvement approaches.
Identifying candidate drivers of drug response in heterogeneous cancer by mining high throughput genomics data

With advances in technologies, huge amounts of multiple types of high-throughput genomics data are available. These data have tremendous potential to identify new and clinically valuable biomarkers to guide the diagnosis, assessment of prognosis, and treatment of complex diseases, such as cancer. Integrating, analyzing, and interpreting big and noisy genomics data to obtain biologically meaningful results, however, remains highly challenging. Mining genomics datasets by utilizing advanced computational methods can help to address these issues. To facilitate the identification of a short list of biologically meaningful genes as candidate drivers of anti-cancer drug resistance from an enormous amount of heterogeneous data, we employed statistical machine-learning techniques and integrated genomics datasets. We developed a computational method that integrates gene expression, somatic mutation, and copy number aberration data of sensitive and resistant tumors. In this method, an integrative method based on module network analysis is applied to identify potential driver genes. This is followed by cross-validation and a comparison of the results of sensitive and resistance groups to obtain the final list of candidate biomarkers. We applied this method to the ovarian cancer data from the cancer genome atlas. The final result contains biologically relevant genes, such as COL11A1, which has been reported as a cis-platinum resistant biomarker for epithelial ovarian carcinoma in several recent studies. The described method yields a short list of aberrant genes that also control the expression of their co-regulated genes. The results suggest that the unbiased data driven computational method can identify biologically relevant candidate biomarkers. It can be utilized in a wide range of applications that compare two conditions with highly heterogeneous datasets.
Simulation and implement of traditional Chinese finger-kneading based on hybrid force position control

This paper studied a hybrid force position control strategy to reproduction the finger-kneading manipulation. After research on the motion trace and the force pattern, a finger-kneading manipulation model based on pain threshold was presented. On this basis, a hybrid force position control strategy was exploited to track position and force at the same time. The control strategy was simulated in MATLAB with Simulink and SimMechnics modules, and the results shows the force error is less than 0.7N and the position error is less than 0.1mm. The accuracy and effectiveness in practical application was proved by accuracy testing and clinical experiment.
Development of the FDA Tobacco Credibility Scale (FDA-TCS).

Objectives Messages from organizations with high, compared to low, credibility may be more persuasive. Whereas the tobacco industry has long recognized the importance of credibility in promoting its messages and public image, the source credibility of key tobacco control organizations has gone largely unmeasured. To assess credibility of a key tobacco regulator, we developed a scale of the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) tobacco-related credibility. Methods We developed and tested 30 items reflective of the dimensions of source credibility (trust, expertise, and public interest) and FDA's tobacco regulatory roles in a sample of 1353 US adults and assessed reliability and validity. Results Factor analysis identified 3 dimensions of the FDA Tobacco Credibility Scale (FDA-TCS): public interest, trust, and expertise. The 3 subscales showed evidence of reliability and convergent validity; all subscales were correlated with general FDA credibility and trust in government. Those who knew that the FDA regulates tobacco scored higher on the trust and expertise subscales. The subscales were also associated with support for potential regulations, suggesting criterion-related validity. Conclusions The FDA-TCS allows for an understanding of the impact of credibility on responses to the FDA's tobacco control communications and regulatory efforts.
Distribution of the Sharpe Ratio Using Monthly Data

Practitioners often estimate the Sharpe ratio using annualized monthly data. This paper demonstrates how the bias and precision of the Sharpe improves with monthly versus annual data. I provide small-sample and large-sample formulae for the distribution, highlighting the distinction between the annual and annualized monthly estimators. With more than two years of monthly data the large-sample distributions generally provide a good approximation, simplifying the calculation of confidence intervals; this applies for both normal and non-normal returns. Although these results apply to iid returns they are of practical use, since independence for monthly returns is a good description for many financial assets.
Synthetic studies towards lagunamide C: Polyketide assembly investigations

Abstract Lagunamide C is a depsipeptide natural product with low nM cytotoxicity towards numerous cancer cell lines. Synthetically, it is disconnected to a pentapeptide backbone and polyketide unit that possesses four stereogenic centers, of which two of centers are in question (C38 & 40). Our model system highlights a high-selective aldol addition via a Crimmin’s auxiliary setting the C40 ester linkage, and a non-facially selective cyclopropanation with subsequent ring opening for the installation of the C38 methyl center.
Food waste in the sharing economy

Abstract Wasting food is one of the rare problems that affects our ability to achieve economic goals in terms of food security, environmental sustainability, and farm-financial security. Most of the ideas proposed to this point involve either behavioral nudges or administrative regulations that are either too paternalistic or piecemeal to represent viable solutions. In this study, we investigate the potential for commercial peer-to-peer mutualization systems (CPMSs), or sharing-economy firms, to emerge as market platforms for the exchange of surplus food. If a system of CPMSs is able to develop in a self-sustaining way, then the market prices they create will generate sufficient incentives for all actors to manage surplus food more efficiently. We develop an empirical model of a CPMS operating as a platform in a two-sided market, and examine its viability using data from one of the first CPMS firms in the surplus-harvest industry, Imperfect Produce, Inc. Empirical estimates of a two-sided network-demand model show that user-demand rises in the number of growers shipping to the platform, and grower demand for distribution rises in the number of users. Our findings indicate that secondary markets have the key elements needed for CPMS success, and that policy tools designed to facilitate transactions in secondary markets can be highly effective in reducing food waste.
The relationship between masking and short-term consolidation during recall from visual working memory

The presentation of a similar but irrelevant stimulus immediately following presentation of a memory item is called masking. Masking is known to reduce performance on working memory tests. This is the type of memory used to hold information in mind for brief periods of time for use in ongoing cognition. Two approaches to understanding masking effects have been proposed in different literatures. Working memory researchers often assume that the reduction in working memory performance after masking is because masking interferes with a transient sensory representation that is needed to complete consolidation into a working memory state. Researchers focused on the attentional blink, a finding that attention cannot be directed to new stimuli during working memory consolidation, have an alternative theory. Attentional blink researchers assume that masking slows the short-term consolidation process, thereby extending the length of the attentional blink. In two experiments, we contrast these two approaches to explaining masking effects and investigate the validity of both hypotheses. Some aspects of both approaches are validated, but neither theoretical perspective alone sufficiently explains the entire pattern of results.
Approaching Gb/s Secret Key Rates in a Free-Space Optical CV-QKD System Affected by Atmospheric Turbulence

We experimentally demonstrate an eight-state modulated free-space optical CV-QKD link. By multiplexing orbital angular momentum modes, polarization states and wavelengths, a total secret key rate of > 580 Mbit/s can be achieved at mean channel transmittances in medium-turbulence regime.
Preventing carbon contamination of Ge (001) during atomic layer deposition with a barium-based Zintl layer

Carbon contamination of the clean Ge (001) 2 × 1 surface occurs during atomic layer deposition (ALD) of perovskite oxides and introduces impurities that can affect device performance. Zintl layers are formed by exposing a bare Ge (001) 2 × 1-reconstructed surface to 0.5-monolayers of elemental Ba, with the Ba atoms occupying the fourfold sites between Ge-dimer rows. The bare Ge (001) and Ba-Zintl layer surfaces feature a 2 × 1-reconstructed structure. Exposure of bare 2 × 1-reconstructed Ge (001) to 0.5 monolayers of elemental Sr leads to an 8 × 1- or 9 × 1-reconstructed Ge (001) surface. Bare Ge (001) and Ba-Zintl layer Ge (001), and 0.5-monolayer Sr-dosed Ge (001) surfaces were exposed to background molecules in the ALD chamber at 225 °C. Bare Ge (001) and Ba-Zintl layer Ge (001) were also exposed to barium bis(triisopropylcyclopentadienyl) at 225 °C and changes in the surface composition were monitored with x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The 2 × 1-reconstructed Ba-Zintl surface protects Ge (001) from carbon accumulation associated with ALD background molecules and cyclopentadienyl-based ligands originating from the ALD precursor. Surface structure is important in protecting Ge (001); the 8 × 1- or 9 × 1-reconstructed Ge (001) surface formed from 0.5-monolayers of Sr does not prevent carbon accumulation.Carbon contamination of the clean Ge (001) 2 × 1 surface occurs during atomic layer deposition (ALD) of perovskite oxides and introduces impurities that can affect device performance. Zintl layers are formed by exposing a bare Ge (001) 2 × 1-reconstructed surface to 0.5-monolayers of elemental Ba, with the Ba atoms occupying the fourfold sites between Ge-dimer rows. The bare Ge (001) and Ba-Zintl layer surfaces feature a 2 × 1-reconstructed structure. Exposure of bare 2 × 1-reconstructed Ge (001) to 0.5 monolayers of elemental Sr leads to an 8 × 1- or 9 × 1-reconstructed Ge (001) surface. Bare Ge (001) and Ba-Zintl layer Ge (001), and 0.5-monolayer Sr-dosed Ge (001) surfaces were exposed to background molecules in the ALD chamber at 225 °C. Bare Ge (001) and Ba-Zintl layer Ge (001) were also exposed to barium bis(triisopropylcyclopentadienyl) at 225 °C and changes in the surface composition were monitored with x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The 2 × 1-reconstructed Ba-Zintl surface protects Ge (001) fro...
Thermal Conductivity in Glasses Below 1K: New Technique and Results

Using the capacitance of a glass sample as its own thermometer, we have measured the thermal conductivity of two glasses below 700mK. This technique avoids any thermal boundary resistance between the thermometer and the sample. In addition, since the loss tangent goes to zero as the temperature is lowered, the amount of heat dissipated in a capacitive measurement is very small at low temperatures. We were able to measure the thermal conductivity at temperatures which were previously experimentally inaccessible and found that the thermal conductivity, κ, scales as T 1.86 down to 10mK, in agreement with the two-level system model.
Applications of Spectral Sequences

In this chapter we shall assume that the reader is familiar with the theory of spectral sequences, especially with the spectral sequences of double complexes. This basic knowledge is applied specifically to the theory of sheaves in Sections 1 and 2. See Appendix A for an outline of the parts of the theory of spectral sequences we shall need.
Butchers and Shamans: Zooarchaeology at a Central Mexican Hacienda

Zooarchaeological analysis conducted on remains recovered during two seasons of excavations at the Hacienda San Miguel Acocotla illuminates patterns of consumption among indigenous workers during the 19th century. Ethnographic research among modern butchers and at markets in Puebla, Cholula, and Atlixco, Mexico informs and contextualizes the results. When compared with data drawn from faunal remains on plantations in the United States, the results suggest that class analysis is of central importance to understandings of social dynamics of multiethnic sites throughout the Americas. In spite of this, some remains hint at the maintenance of pre-Columbian religious practices on the hacienda in the 19th century, suggesting that ethnicity was also salient to the inhabitants of the workers’ quarters at Acocotla.
Blind Adaptive Interference Cancelation for Multicarrier Modulated Systems

In this paper we describe various applications of bootstrap based blind adaptive signal separators. Schemes are developed for multiuser detection (MUD) for downlink MC-CDMA, frequency offset correction (FOC) for OFDM and joint MUD and FOC for downlink MC-CDMA.
Comparison of a prototype esophageal oximetry probe with two conventional digital pulse oximetry monitors in aortocoronary bypass patients.

Objective.Pulse oximetry (SpO2) is the noninvasivestandard for monitoring arterial oxygen saturation in patients undergoinganesthesia, but is subject to external interference by motion artifact,peripheral vasoconstriction, and low cardiac output. We hypothesized thatoximetry signals could be acquired from the esophagus when peripheral pulseoximetry is unobtainable. Therefore, we tested an esophageal stethoscope whichincorporates transverse oximetry photodetectors and emitters in patientsundergoing coronary bypass surgery. Methods.Immediately afterinduction of general anesthesia in 10 coronary artery bypass (CABG) patients,Criticare and Nellcor digital probes were positioned on the left hand,concurrent with placement of an esophageal SpO2 probe. A computerrecorded 5,910 matched oximetry signals every 15 sec during an average of 2.5hrs. All SpO2 measurements were before, and immediately afternon-pulsatile, hypothermic cardiopulmonary bypass. Data represent thepercentage (median value [range]) of the total monitored time thata SpO2 value was displayed. Results.The Nellcor (99.8%,range 6.5–100%) and Criticare (99.7%, range 36.6–100%) acquiredand displayed saturation signals more frequently (p= 0.003) than theesophageal monitor (75.3%, range 42.1–95.8%). The two standard digitaloximeters had a mean difference of 0.9%, with a standard deviation of thedifferences of 0.9. The esophageal probe had a mean difference of −5.2%and −4.8%, with standard deviation of differences of 8.0 and 7.7(compared to the Nellcor and Criticare monitors, respectively). Asecond-generation prototype shielded from electrocautery interference wastested in an additional 4 patients. The shielded prototype displayed signalsmore frequently (96.7%, range 68.4–100%) than the original esophagealprototype. Conclusions.Digital pulse oximetry failure is common inCABG patients, probably because of marginal cardiac output and peripheralvasoconstriction associated with hypothermia. Our study could not confirm thatesophageal technology, which utilizes the esophagus as a site oftransflectance oximetry, was superior to conventional digital pulse oximetry.
Introduction: “A Wild and Ferocious Waltz”

This book about music is also a story about looking, observing, and perception. It tells the story of the manner in which the collectors, advocates, and patrons of French Louisiana music saw its traditions and performers in the context of social, political, and cultural debates in the United States from the mid-1920s to the early 1970s. It is about the outsider’s gaze as it fell on a regional culture, and the insights and misperceptions of ethnomusicologists and commercial promoters as they struggled to understand a regional music that appeared to exist on the outskirts of American musical culture and outside the traditional scope of folk and popular music scholarship. French Louisiana music, a harmonically simplistic, ballad-based music that developed on the bayous and prairies of Southwest Louisiana in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, is dissonant, raucous, exuberant and haunting, and although Southwest Louisianans listened to and performed a whole range of musical genres and styles, including jazz, blues, and country, old-time French-language music was a unique cultural expression of the region and played a powerful and enduring role in rural community life.
Predicting Gut Microbiota Dynamics and Allo-HCT Survival By Global Microbiota Community

Intestinal microbiota composition is strongly associated with HCT patient outcomes. We have reported associations between antibiotic exposures and microbiota diversity and GVHD-related mortality. However, understanding microbiota-composition dynamics in response to specific perturbations is challenging due to the high-dimensional nature of microbiota data. This study identified clusters of intestinal microbiota compositions and investigated their dynamics using transition probabilities in a large dataset of allo-HCT fecal specimens. The bacterial compositions of 7,930 samples from 1,076 allo-HCT patients were determined by 16S rRNA deep-sequencing and visualized by tSNE (Fig. a). Samples were clustered into 10 distinct microbiota configurations by k-means clustering of a b-diversity matrix (Fig. b). Visually, clusters reflected monodominant taxonomic groups: cluster 5 overlaps with the Enterococcus group, while cluster 10 overlaps with the Streptococcus group. These clusters also captured variations in diversity, as clusters 1-2 and 5-10 represented high- and low-diversity states, respectively (Fig. c). Clusters also exhibited dynamic behaviors: high-diversity clusters 1-2 were common in pre-HCT samples, while most post-HCT samples belonged to low-diversity clusters 5-10 (Fig. d). The temporal behaviors of microbiota composition per patient could be modeled by cluster transition probabilities from 1 week pre- to 1 week post-HCT. Without piperacillin-tazobactam (pip-tazo) administration, patients who had a diverse composition pre-HCT were most likely to maintain their diverse state (probability P = 20%), and had a low chance of transitioning to the Enterococcus cluster (cluster 5, P = 5%) and to the Streptococcus cluster (cluster 10, P = 0%) post-HCT. However, pip-tazo exposure was associated with increased transition to the Enterococcus cluster (P = 15%) and to the Streptococcus cluster (P = 9%), and decreased diversity maintenance (P = 14%) (Fig. e). The occurrence of each cluster at peri-engraftment time (days 7-21) was used to estimate its association with patient survival. The Streptococcus cluster was associated with increased mortality, highlighting a disadvantageous cluster transition under pip-tazo exposure (Fig. f). While prior studies have associated bacterial taxa or diversity indices with biomarkers of clinical outcomes, here we considered the entire intestinal communities and demonstrated that post-HCT mortality risk can be predicted by the global microbiota composition at days 7-21. This computational framework can be used to predict cluster transitions in response to various clinical variables such as specific drug exposures and clinical events by means of a high-resolution transition matrix, ultimately informing strategies to optimize treatment plans for HCT patients to maximize a healthy gut microbiota state and clinical outcomes.
Dislocation dynamics in a nickel-based superalloy via in-situ transmission scanning electron microscopy

Abstract Micro-tensile specimens of nickel-based superalloy oligocrystals were tested in-situ in an scanning electron microscope in transmission mode (TSEM) enabling observation of dislocations. The dynamics of dislocation motion during tensile loading were captured and correlated with the measured intermittencies during plastic flow recorded by high load- and temporal-resolution sensors. This investigation in particular focused on the dislocation behavior near twin boundaries with different slip configurations. A multiplicity of deformation mechanisms at the dislocation scale were observed within individual slip bands, including precipitate shearing, dislocation decorrelation and antiphase boundary-coupled shearing. These processes affect strain localization near twin boundaries and provide new defect-level insights on plastic localization and fatigue crack initiation in these alloys.
Mechanisms of Disease in Sjögren Syndrome-New Developments and Directions.

Sjogren Syndrome (SS) is an autoimmune disease that affects the exocrine glands, mainly salivary and lacrimal glands [...].