cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
ON THE DYNAMICS OF INTERACTION IN LARGE ECONOMIES

ABSTRACT Interaction among several decision makers is generally modeled as a noncooperative game, for the analysis of which a solution concept is applied. The most popular one is, by far, the concept of Nash equilibrium, i.e., a selection of a strategy to each player such that none of them has an incentive to unilaterally deviate. While this notion seems to be a necessary condition for a given strategy profile to be a steady state of some dynamic system, it is far from being satisfactory for predicting economic behavior, especially if the behavior pattern fails to converge. In the following we describe a new set-valued solution concept focusing on a dynamic process. Most of the ideas can be found in a more formal presentation in Gilboa and Matsui (1989).
Inductive Principles for Learning from Data

Face detection/recognition applications involve ill-defined concepts (such as ‘face’ or ‘person’) that cannot be specified a priori in terms of a small set of features. This implies the need for learning unknown class decision boundaries from data (i.e., images with known class labels). This task is a special case of a generic problem of predictive classification or pattern recognition, where the goal is to estimate class decision boundaries using available (training) data. There are many learning methods (i.e., constructive algorithms) for predictive classification.
Authoring learning environments using an embedded pedagogical model

For computer-based learning environments to make a major impact on education, we need tools to scale up construction of these systems in order to deploy the technology. On the one hand, commercial authoring tools can be used by educators to ease construction of learning environments. However, these tools provide no guidance in terms of pedagogy. On the other hand, construction tools for intelligent tutoring systems (ITSs) can assist educators in authoring tutoring systems by helping them encode instructional content, but many require authors to specify explicit models such as teaching strategies and student models. Although the resulting software is pedagogically principled, encoding these models is cumbersome. For educators to create quality tutoring programs with relative ease, our approach combines the commitment to pedagogy of the ITS tools, with the ease of authoring of off-the-shelf tools. by embedding a pedagogical model implicitly in a tool. The embedded model ensures that the resulting learning environments will be pedagogically sound, while freeing educators to concentrate on curriculum content. We demonstrate this with a case study of a prototype authoring tool, Investigative Goal-Based Scenario (IGBS) Builder, intended for educators building multimedia learning environments using an embedded pedagogical model of situated instruction.
The Stock Market Reacts

The purpose of this chapter is to motivate the need for a jurisdictional analysis of the implementation of the Act. We adopt a jurisdictional approach for three reasons: structural, comparative, and empirical. The structural motivation derives from the fact that the telecommunications industry is fragmented both in terms of market segments and in terms of regulation. The major local service providers (the RBOCs) are excluded from (in-region) interLATA long distance markets absent a showing that their local markets are open to competition and that their entry is in the public interest.1 In effect, the local markets and the preponderance of the long distance markets are served by different sets of firms, although a major goal of the Act was to remove all of the barriers between them. The regulatory structure is also fragmented: the FCC oversees the interstate jurisdiction, while 50 state regulatory commissions (plus the District of Columbia) have jurisdiction over intrastate prices. Jurisdictional disputes are common. In point of fact, there was considerable controversy as to the regulatory authority responsible for setting unbundled network element (UNE) prices.2 Important to our analysis is the fact that state regulators maintain jurisdiction over intrastate retail prices while the FCC only controls select wholesale prices.
Soft tissue preservation in two new enantiornithine specimens (Aves) from the Lower Cretaceous Huajiying Formation of Hebei Province, China

Abstract We describe two nearly complete enantiornithine skeletons from the Lower Cretaceous Huajiying Formation (ca. 130.7 Ma) of northern Hebei province, China. Many morphological features indicate that these specimens represent a new taxon, here named Orienantius ritteri gen. et sp.. nov. The new fossils preserve their plumage as well as rare information about their soft tissues, including the wing's patagia. Multivariate analyses of their skeleton and flight feathers provide insight into the aerodynamic performance of these early enantiornithines, suggesting that these birds had evolved highly maneuverable, intermittent flap-gliding flight. Additionally, the presence in this new taxon of traits characteristic of younger enantiornithines and the broad phylogenetic spread of the clade during the Huajiying Formation corroborates previous claims that a significant episode of taxonomic differentiation took place prior to the earliest known phases of this clade's evolutionary history.
Micro-channel sieve electrode for concurrent bidirectional peripheral nerve interface. Part A: recording.

Objective Advancement in prosthetic limb technology requires corresponding improvements in the capability of the amputee to naturally control the device via original motor pathways while simultaneously receiving haptic feedback via sensory pathways. Recording efferent axonal activity using a peripheral neural interface (PNI) allows a good tradeoff between invasiveness and selectivity while possibly preserving the phenomenology of controlling the original limb. One such PNI, the thin-film transverse intrafascicular multichannel electrode (tfTIME), has been shown to be successful in controlling powered prosthetics. However, the tfTIME is highly susceptible to stimulation artifact; thus, using such a PNI to both record efferent motor signals while concurrently stimulating afferent sensory axons in the same nerve is problematic. The micro-channel sieve electrode could also provide a stable, selective, neural interface with larger signal-to-noise levels that are less susceptible to concurrent stimulation artifact or other external noise effects. Approach This study uses a computational model to compare recording levels of simulated ENGs across neural drive levels as well as basic control signals derived from the ENGs in both tfTIME and micro-channel sieve PNIs. A motor neuron pool model generated axon firing rates at a given neural drive. The time course of the corresponding extracellular currents of the myelinated motor axons were determined using core conductor axon models. Finite element models determined the contribution of the extracellular current from nodes of Ranvier on potentials recorded using each interface. Contributions from each node were combined to create the final ENG. Main results ENGs recorded using the micro-channel sieves were shown to have much higher amplitudes compared to ENGs recorded using the tfTIMEs. Signal amplitudes also varied less as a function of axonal placement and spike timing, resulting in more consistent signals with amplitudes determined predominantly by neural drive. Significance Simulation results suggest that the micro-channel sieve provides higher quality control signals over tfTIME PNIs in decoding ENGs. Coupling these results with concurrent stimulation results of the companion paper (Part B: stimulation) suggests that the micro-channel sieve is an optimal bidirectional PNI.
Mariana Wolfner: 2018 Genetics Society of America Medal

The Genetics Society of America (GSA) Medal recognizes researchers who have made outstanding contributions to the field of genetics in the past 15 years. The 2018 GSA Medal has been awarded to Mariana Wolfner of Cornell University for her work on reproductive processes that occur around the time of fertilization. This includes characterization of seminal proteins in Drosophila melanogaster, which has uncovered a wealth of information about sexual conflict in evolution.
Evaluation of mobile 3D light detection and ranging based canopy mapping system for tree fruit crops

Abstract In this study, 3D light detection and ranging (LiDAR) and an inertial measurement unit (IMU) were integrated on a ground vehicle for mapping tree fruit crops. A custom interface was developed in robot operating system for synchronous communication with hardware modules and for continuous field data collection. Point cloud data processing methods were developed for reconstruction and estimation of canopy parameters including height, voxel grid and convex hull methods-based volume and gap fractions in the canopy. The system was tested in apple tree and grapevine canopies. Overall, the mobile 3D LiDAR mapping system provided realistic representation of the canopy compared to the manual methods. For apple trees, the manual canopy volume measurements were strongly correlated to volume derived from the mobile 3D LiDAR mapping system (Convex hull: r = 0.81, Voxel grid: r = 0.51). The voxel grid method adequately considered gaps in the canopy during volume estimation and performed better than the convex hull method. The system was also evaluated for estimating canopy growth in grapevines with different rates of subsurface irrigation treatments. Deficit irrigation treatments did not show any significant effect on the canopy growth due to a high moisture content in the soil, resulting from high winter snowpack prior to that particular season. Nonetheless, the 3D LiDAR mapping system was able to aid in visualization of the temporal changes in canopy growth during the growing season. Change in vine canopy volume for the treatments followed a similar trend to the area ratio estimated from normalized differential vegetation index images derived from small unmanned aerial system based multispectral imagery. Overall, the 3D LiDAR based canopy mapping system and pertinent data mining algorithms can be the useful tool to the growers in rapid assessment of perennial fruit crop canopies for real-time management decision making.
“The Rippled Perceptions”: The Effects of LGBT-Inclusive TV on Own Attitudes and Perceived Attitudes of Peers Toward Lesbians and Gays:

This study explores the effects and influence of presumed influence of consuming recent lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT)-inclusive TV on attitudes toward lesbians and gays (ATLG) and ...
Silkworms with Spider Silklike Fibers Using Synthetic Silkworm Chow Containing Calcium Lignosulfonate, Carbon Nanotubes, and Graphene

Silkworm silk has become increasingly relevant for material applications. However, the industry as a whole is retracting because of problems with mass production. One of the key problems is the inconsistent properties of the silk. A means by which to improve the silk material properties is through enhanced sericulture techniques. One possible technique is altering the feed of the silkworms to include single-wall carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) or graphene (GR). Recently published results have demonstrated substantial improvement in fiber mechanical properties. However, the effect of the surfactant used to incorporate those materials into the feed on the fiber mechanical properties in comparison to normal silkworm silk has not been studied or reported. Thus, the total effect of feeding the SWNT and GR in the presence of surfactants on silkworms is not understood. Our study focuses on the surfactant [calcium lignosulfonate (LGS)] and demonstrates that it alone results in appreciable improvement of mechanical prope...
The hanging pouch

Ileoanal pouch reconstruction can be complicated intraoperatively by the inability for the pouch to reach the anus in a tension-free manner. Here, a case is presented where standard “mesentery lengthening” procedures did not allow the pouch to reach the anus and thus the pouch was left hanging in situ resulting in pouch lengthening over several months and a successful anastomosis at a later date.
Disease Burden in Osteoarthritis Is Similar to That of Rheumatoid Arthritis at Initial Rheumatology Visit and Significantly Greater Six Months Later.

OBJECTIVE To analyze disease burden in osteoarthritis (OA) according to Multidimensional Health Assessment Questionnaire (MDHAQ)/Routine Assessment of Patient Index Data 3 (RAPID3) scores at the initial visit and the 6-month follow-up visit, compared with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) as a benchmark for high disease burden. METHODS All patients with all diagnoses at the Rush University Medical Center Division of Rheumatology complete a paper MDHAQ at all visits, saved as a PDF in the electronic health record. MDHAQ 0-10 scores for physical function, pain, and patient global assessment (compiled into RAPID3 0-30 scores) and additional scales at the initial and 6-month follow-up visits, for new OA and RA patients seen from 2011 to 2017, were compared. OA and RA patients were classified as self-referred or physician-referred, and RA patients were classified as disease-modifying antirheumatic drug (DMARD)-naive or having prior-DMARD treatment. Patient groups were compared using t-tests and analysis of variance, adjusted for age, disease duration, body mass index (BMI), education, and ethnicity. RESULTS Compared with RA patients, OA patients had higher age, BMI, and disease duration. At initial visit, the mean RAPID3 did not differ significantly in OA versus DMARD-naive RA patients, whether self- or physician-referred (range 14.8-16.4 [P = 0.38]), or in all OA patients versus DMARD-naive RA patients versus prior-DMARD RA patients (15.0, 15.7, and 15.8, respectively [P = 0.49]). After 6 months, RAPID3 was improved to 13.3, 10.3, and 10.8, respectively, which represented substantially greater improvement in RA patients than OA patients (P < 0.001). Similar results were seen for most self-reported measures and in adjusted analyses. CONCLUSION MDHAQ/RAPID3 scores are similar in OA and RA patients at the initial visit, but higher in OA patients than in RA patients 6 months later, reflecting superior RA treatments. The same MDHAQ/RAPID3 allows comparisons of disease burdens in different diseases.
Structure of the gene therapy vector, adeno-associated virus with its cell receptor, AAVR

Adeno-associated virus (AAV) vectors are preeminent in emerging clinical gene therapies. Generalizing beyond the most tractable genetic diseases will require modulation of cell specificity and immune neutralization. Interactions of AAV with its cellular receptor, AAVR, are key to understanding cell-entry and trafficking with the rigor needed to engineer tissue-specific vectors. Cryo-electron tomography shows ordered binding of part of the flexible receptor to the viral surface, with distal domains in multiple conformations. Regions of the virus and receptor in close physical proximity can be identified by cross-linking/mass spectrometry. Cryo-electron microscopy with a two-domain receptor fragment reveals the interactions at 2.4 A resolution. AAVR binds between AAV's spikes on a plateau that is conserved, except in one clade whose structure is AAVR-incompatible. AAVR's footprint overlaps the epitopes of several neutralizing antibodies, prompting a re-evaluation of neutralization mechanisms. The structure provides a roadmap for experimental probing and manipulation of viral-receptor interactions.
Understanding Frontotemporal Disease Progression and Management Strategies

Dementia is defined as loss of intellectual functions, including thinking, remembering, and reasoning. Cognitive deficits are severe enough to interfere with an individual's daily functioning. Frontotemporal dementia (FTD) is a result of degeneration of the frontal and/or temporal lobes of the brain. FTD is a leading cause of early-onset dementia in approximately 10% of dementia cases. FTD presents in the fourth and fifth decades as progressive changes in personality, affect, and behavior. The etiology of FTD is unknown; treatment focuses on behavioral and symptom management. Early recognition of FTD and knowledge of interventional strategies are needed to support families and caregivers.
Molecular Architecture. 2.1 Synthesis and Metal Complexation of Heptacyclic Terpyridyl Molecular Clefts

Methods are described for the synthesis of a series of functionalized derivatives of 9-butyl-1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8-octahydroacridine (9), a building block for several types of highly preorganized host compounds. A key intermediate is 5-benzylidene-9-butyl-2,3,5,6,7,8-hexahydroacridin-4(1H)-one (23), which can also be used in the syntheses of torands and hydrogen-bonding hexagonal lattice receptors. A tridentate cleft (20), consisting of 2,2‘;6‘,2‘‘-terpyridine imbedded in a heptacyclic framework, and a corresponding pentadentate diketone (6) were synthesized from 9 in five and seven steps, respectively. The picrate extraction method was used to estimate the solution stabilities of alkali metal complexes of heptacyclic terpyridyls 6 and 20, which was also compared with a flexible terpyridyl (37). Alkali metal complexes of both heptacyclic terpyridyls showed relatively high Ks values, but low size selectivity. Pentadentate host 6 binds Na+ and K+ more strongly than do most hexadentate crown ethers; flexible tride...
Risk Factors for Smell Impairment and Alteration in Older Americans: NHANES 2013–2014 (P01-024-19)

This study examined relationships among smell impairment and health in adults over the age of 60 years. We hypothesized that persons with impaired or altered olfaction would be weaker (as shown by hand grip strength tests) and have a lower body mass index (BMI) ratios because they ate less. The 2013–2014 NHANES database was use examined for smell identification scores, general demographic data, handgrip strength, and other types of data. Only persons aged 60 or older who had completed the Mobile Exam Center interview, and the complete smell and grip tests were included (n = 1287). Data were weighted to represent the U.S. population. Smell impairment was defined as five or fewer correct answers in the Odor Identification Test. Data-dependent statistical analyses (t-test, Wilcoxon rank sum, χ²) were performed to find differences based on specific criteria. Odds ratios (OR) with 95% confidence intervals were generated by simple logistic regression, and then a multivariable predictive model was developed. The NHANES participants included for these analyses were mainly non-Hispanic white (52.7%), college-educated (54.5%), and lived with someone (60%). The prevalence of smell impairment was 21.7% among persons aged 60 or older, but the prevalence rose to 44.8% among persons aged 75–80. The prevalence of self-reported smell alteration was 16.2%. Smell impairment was significantly associated with age 75–80 years (OR: 3.51, CI: 2.51–3.11), and an educational level of high school or less (OR: 1.70, CI: 1.40–2.30). After adjustment for gender, age, education, and race, smell impairment was associated with poor health self-ratings (OR: 2.63, CI: 1.30–5.40), more sedentary hours each day (OR: 1.07, CI: 1.03–1.11), and presence of smell alteration (OR: 3.00, CI: 2.10–4.60). Persons with normal muscle and hand grip strength were less likely to have a smell impairment or alteration. Men aged 75–80 years were more at risk for smell impairment. Further research is needed to determine whether preservation of olfaction can forestall age-related reductions in appetite, and subsequent loss in body mass, particularly muscle. The inclusion of persons older than 80 years in the NHANES sampling would provide useful data for researchers. USDA Hatch funds.
Three New Freshwater Cochliopodium Species (Himatismenida, Amoebozoa) from the Southeastern United States

Cochliopodium is a lens-shaped genus of Amoebozoa characterized by a flexi- ble layer of microscopic dorsal scales. Recent taxonomic and molecular studies reported cryptic diversity in this group and suggested that the often-used scale morphology is not a reliable character for species delineation in the genus. Here, we described three freshwater Cochliopodium spp. from the southeast- ern United States based on morphological, immunocytochemistry (ICC), and molecular data. A maximum-likelihood phylogenetic analysis and pairwise com- parison of COI sequences of Cochliopodium species showed that each of these monoclonal cultures were genetically distinct from each other and any described species with molecular data. Two of the new isolates, “crystal UK- YT2” (Cochliopodium crystalli n. sp.) and “crystal-like UK-YT3” (C. jaguari n. sp.), formed a clade with C. larifeili, which all share a prominent microtubule organizing center (MTOC) and have cubical-shaped crystals. The “Marrs Spring UK-YT4” isolate, C. marrii n. sp., was 100% identical to “Cochliopodium sp. SG-2014 KJ569724.” These sequences formed a clade with C. actinophorum and C. arabianum. While the new isolates can be separated morphologically, most of the taxonomic features used in the group show plasticity; therefore, Cochliopodium species can only be reliably identified with the help of molecu- lar data.
Decolonizing Tactics as Collective Resilience: Identity Work of AAPI Communities on Reddit

Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) communities use online platforms like Reddit to build capacity for resilience from white hegemony. We conduct interviews with 21 moderators of AAPI subreddits to understand how sociotechnical systems contour and contribute to the marginalization of online communities. We examine marginalization through the analytic framework of decolonization and uncover the threats and tactics that AAPI redditors encounter and employ to decolonize their collective identity. We find that moderators of AAPI subreddits develop collective resilience within their online communities by reclaiming space to confront brigade invasion, recording collective memory to circumvent systemic erasure, and revising cultural narratives to deconstruct colonial mentality. We describe how algorithmic configurations within sociotechnical systems reaffirm existing hegemonic values and discuss how users and designers of sociotechnical systems may work toward resisting white hegemony.
Effects of Reference Frequency Harmonic Spurs in FMCW Radar Systems

Harmonic spurs in local oscillators can degrade the performance of millimeter-wave frequency-modulated continuous-wave radar systems that employ a large-ratio frequency multiplier for LO generation. In this paper, we analyze the effect caused by harmonic spurs on system performance. Undesired spurs show up alongside the beat-frequency component in the de-chirped intermediate frequency spectrum, which deteriorates the system dynamic range (DR). The dynamic range can be accurately predicted by our model, and the measurement results of a 24-GHz radar are presented as a proof of concept. For high-dynamic-range radars, a harmonic rejection ratio of DR/2 in dB-scale is required for a given dynamic-range budget. A design example is presented with a 55-dBc harmonic rejection ratio, and it offers a 100-dBc spurious-free dynamic range.
Strategy and Implementation: Quantitative Evaluation of Strategic Performance with Application to Mutual Funds

This paper applies specific quantitative methods to demonstrate a general theoretical model for measuring strategic performance. The theoretical concepts are universal and measurable for all types of strategic activity by applying the methodology through alternative quantitative analytical methods. The model distinguishes and quantifies three aspects of strategic performance: (i) strategy itself relative to its goals; (ii) individual executions relative to the strategy itself; and (iii) competing or alternative strategies. The methodology for quantifying strategic performance (i) estimates a strategy’s best potential from its actual best performances; (ii) evaluates individual executions by comparing their results to their strategies’ potentials; and (iii) compares different strategies per se based on their best potentials. Implementation of the method is illustrated by a two-stage data envelopment analysis and nonparametric two-way orthogonal contrast (Mann-Whitney) test applied to mutual fund investment strategies. The conceptual framework and derived methods address two problems. First, they provide practicable means for evaluating the three aspects of strategic performance in practice, diagnosing the causes of strategic success and failure, and comparing competing strategies. Second, they overcome a fundamental theoretical weakness of both practitioner and academic studies which evaluate either execution performance or strategy performance without controlling for the simultaneous effects of the other. Application of this method to mutual funds found the same “paradoxical” return/risk relationship Bowman found for industrial firms.
Sequential bargaining without a common prior on the recognition process

We analyze a sequential bargaining model, where players are allowed to hold different beliefs about which players will make an offer and when. Excessive optimism about making offers in the future can cause a delay in agreement. Despite this, the main result states that, if players will remain sufficiently optimistic for a sufficiently long future, then in equilibrium they will agree immediately.
The Use of Litigation Screenings in Mass Torts: A Formula for Fraud?

Lawyers obtain the "mass" for some mass tort litigations by conducting screenings to sign-up potential litigants en masse. These "litigation screenings" have no intended medical benefit. Screenings are mostly held in motels, shopping center parking lots, local union offices and lawyers' offices. There, an occupational history is taken by persons with no medical training, a doctor may do a cursory physical exam, and medical technicians administer tests, including X-rays, pulmonary function tests, echocardiograms and blood tests. The sole purpose of screenings is to generate "medical" evidence of the existence of an injury to be attributed to exposure to or ingestion of defendants' products. Usually a handful of doctors ("litigation doctors") provide the vast majority of the thousands and tens of thousands of medical reports prepared for that litigation. By my count, approximately 1,500,000 potential litigants have been screened in the asbestos, silica, fen-phen (diet drugs), silicone breast implant, and welding fume litigations. Litigation doctors found that approximately 1,000,000 of those screened had the requisite condition that could qualify for compensation, such as asbestosis, silicosis, moderate mitral or mild aortic value regurgitation or a neurological disorder. I further estimate that lawyers have spent at least $500 million and as much as $1 billion to conduct these litigation screenings, paying litigation doctors and screening companies well in excess of $250 million, and obtaining contingency fees well in excess of $13 billion. On the basis of the evidence I review in this article, I conclude that approximately 900,000 of the 1,000,000 claims generated were based on "diagnoses" of the type that U.S. District Court Judge Janis Jack, in the silica MDL, found were "manufactured for money." Despite the considerable evidence I review that most of the "medical" evidence produced by litigation screenings is at least specious, I find that there is no effective mechanism in the civil justice system for reliably detecting or deterring this claim generation process. Indeed, I demonstrate how the civil justice system erects significant impediments to even exposing the specious claim generation methods used in litigation screenings. Furthermore, I present evidence that bankruptcy courts adjudicating asbestos related bankruptcies have effectively legitimized the use of these litigation screenings. I also present evidence that the criminal justice system has conferred immunity on the litigation doctors and the lawyers that hire them, granting them a special dispensation to advance specious claims. Finally, I discuss various strategies that need to be adopted to counter this assault on the integrity of the civil justice system.
Complex Network Analysis of Ozone Transport

Ozone transport has an important effect on the local ozone concentrations. In this paper, we model the California State and the Eastern States of America ozone transport as complex networks to understand large-scale dynamics. California has a complex ozone transport due to geomorphology and is divided into 15 air basins to manage air pollution. Unlike California, the ozone transport in the Eastern States of America is mainly affected by wind speed and direction. Through different centralities, we can identify nodes that have higher ozone output, higher ozone income, and the maximum ozone throughput. In general, both networks exhibit similar properties. However, even though Californian network has higher average degree it has smaller clustering than the Eastern State network. Moreover, while Californian counties can be divided into four communities, the Eastern States remain as a single community. Both of these points to the fact that ozone transport within Eastern States is more uniform than between the counties of California.
Strongly Polynomial Primal-Dual Algorithms for Concave Cost Combinatorial Optimization Problems

We introduce an algorithm design technique for a class of combinatorial optimization problems with concave costs. This technique yields a strongly polynomial primal-dual algorithm for a concave cost problem whenever such an algorithm exists for the fixed-charge counterpart of the problem. For many practical concave cost problems, the fixed-charge counterpart is a well-studied combinatorial optimization problem. Our technique preserves constant factor approximation ratios, as well as ratios that depend only on certain problem parameters, and exact algorithms yield exact algorithms. Using our technique, we obtain a new 1.61-approximation algorithm for the concave cost facility location problem. For inventory problems, we obtain a new exact algorithm for the economic lot-sizing problem with general concave ordering costs, and a 4-approximation algorithm for the joint replenishment problem with general concave individual ordering costs.
The role of LIFG-based executive control in sentence comprehension.

Prior research has shown that patients with damage to the left inferior frontal gyrus (LIFG) can have difficulties in executive control as well as understanding syntactic garden-paths, that is, sentences with a temporary syntactic ambiguity that resolve towards a less preferred interpretation. The present study tested two LIFG patients on object/subject garden path and matched syntactically unambiguous sentences. Besides syntactic ambiguity, support for the preferred but ultimately inappropriate interpretation was manipulated via verb bias, using verbs that were neutral between alternative analyses and verbs that were biased towards the context-inappropriate option. The LIFG patients, a non-LIFG patient, and healthy controls were tested on a sentence interpretation task (Experiment 1) and grammaticality judgement (Experiment 2). In contrast to the non-LIFG patient and controls, the LIFG patients showed impaired thematic role assignment across garden-path as well as unambiguous sentences, which tended to b...
Thermal Gradients in TMDSC Samples: A comparison of theory and experimental data

Until recently, the issue of the thermal gradients within TMDSC samples remained mostly a subject of theory and mathematical models — only the phase lag was subject to experimental verification, as this information is readily available from the analysis software of most instruments. There was no method to verify the transient behaviour and temperature gradients within a sample without making costly and intensive modifications to the equipment. Recently, however, a group of researchers were able to experimentally measure thermal profiles as a function of sample thickness with a high-speed, high-resolution infrared camera mounted on the TMDSC cell. Therefore, this paper is dedicated to comparing the predictions of our three-dimensional model with this newly available data.
Temperature-Dependent Growth and Molting in Early Juvenile Blue Crabs Callinectes sapidus

ABSTRACT Understanding how growth rates are influenced by environmental conditions is important for proper management of commercially harvested species, especially under current and predicted future conditions of global climate change. Blue crabs are of high commercial value in the United States, but are declining in number throughout their range. Previous laboratory and field studies suggest that temperature and salinity play a role in blue crab growth rates, although the results of these studies have been inconclusive and, in some cases, contradictory. Furthermore, these studies have focused primarily on later juvenile stages [>20 mm carapace width (CW)]. This study examined the effects of temperature and salinity on early juvenile (∼2.5–16 mm CW) blue crab Callinectes sapidus growth rates. Crabs were reared in the laboratory under six different temperature and salinity treatments from the megalopal stage until the sixth juvenile instar. Compared with crabs reared at lower temperature, crabs reared at h...
Direct-write fabrication of functional protein matrixes using a low-cost Q-switched laser.

We report the use of an inexpensive, small, and “turn-key” Q-switched 532-nm Nd:YAG laser as a source for nonlinear, direct-write protein microfabrication. In this approach, microJoule pulses (pulse widths, ∼600 ps) are focused using high numerical aperture optics to submicrometer focal spots, creating instantaneous intensities great enough to promote multiphoton excitation of a photosensitizer and subsequent intermolecular cross-linking of protein molecules. By scanning the femtoliter focal volume through reagent solution, extended protein-based structures can be fabricated with precise, three-dimensional topographies. As with earlier studies using a femtosecond titanium:sapphire laser costing more than $100K, physically robust and chemically responsive microstructures can be fashioned rapidly with feature sizes smaller than 0.5 μm, and cross-linking can be achieved using both biologically benign sensitizers (e.g., flavins) and by using the proteins themselves to sensitize cross-linking. We demonstrate i...
Characterization of {001} antiphase boundary-type faults in an Al67Ni8Ti25 intermetallic alloy

Abstract Intermetallic alloys with compositions near Al67Ni8Ti25 have the ordered cubic LI2 crystal structure. Features exhibiting stacking fault-like contrast have been observed on {001} planes in Al67Ni8Ti25 after a homogenization anneal at 1323 K. A previous study revealed that the majority of these features are intrinsic stacking faults on {001} planes which result from dissociation of an a 0 〈100〉{001} dislocation. In the present paper the characteristics of a less-prevalent type of {001} fault in the same alloy (type II faults) are described. Analyses show that type II faults are {001} antiphase boundaries with an associated contraction of approximately 0·20a 0 normal to the plane of the fault. The partial dislocations bounding the type II faults have Burgers vectors of (a 0/2)〈110〉{001} and the total displacement vector of a type II fault is approximately (a 0/10)〈552〉. Computer-simulated electron micrographs have been instrumental in identifying the fault characteristics. The apparent type II faul...
Calcium signaling regulates ventricular hypertrophy during development independent of contraction or blood flow.

Abstract In utero interventions aimed at restoring left ventricular hemodynamic forces in fetuses with prenatally diagnosed hypoplastic left heart syndrome failed to stimulate ventricular myocardial growth during gestation, suggesting chamber growth during development may not rely upon fluid forces. We therefore hypothesized that ventricular hypertrophy during development may depend upon fundamental Ca2 +-dependent growth pathways that function independent of hemodynamic forces. To test this hypothesis, zebrafish embryos were treated with inhibitors or activators of Ca2 + signaling in the presence or absence of contraction during the period of chamber development. Abolishment of contractile function alone in the setting of preserved Ca2 + signaling did not impair ventricular hypertrophy. In contrast, inhibition of L-type voltage-gated Ca2 + influx abolished contraction and led to reduced ventricular hypertrophy, whereas increasing L-type voltage-gated Ca2 + influx led to enhanced ventricular hypertrophy in either the presence or absence of contraction. Similarly, inhibition of the downstream Ca2 +-sensitive phosphatase calcineurin, a known regulator of adult cardiac hypertrophy, led to reduced ventricular hypertrophy in the presence or absence of contraction, whereas hypertrophy was rescued in the absence of L-type voltage-gated Ca2 + influx and contraction by expression of a constitutively active calcineurin. These data suggest that ventricular cardiomyocyte hypertrophy during chamber formation is dependent upon Ca2 + signaling pathways that are unaffected by heart function or hemodynamic forces. Disruption of Ca2 +-dependent hypertrophy during heart development may therefore represent one mechanism for impaired chamber formation that is not related to impaired blood flow.
External partnering as a response to innovation barriers and global competition in biotechnology

Abstract The frequency with which US biotechnology firms have entered into external partnerships to obtain the complementary assets needed to exploit their technologies has increased dramatically in the 1980s and early 1990s. Further, the search for external partners increasingly crosses international boundaries. In this paper a framework is presented for explaining the choices biotechnology firms make in securing the complementary assets needed to commercialize their biotechnologies. We first examine the extent to which external partnering is a response to a range of specific environmental and firm-related barriers which impose transaction costs on the organization. We then examine the current perceptions of US biotechnology firms as to their primary global competitors and explore whether partnering choices can be motivated and explained by factors in the global competitive environment. Firms' decisions to acquire complementary assets through external partnering in a global environment is explored for four innovation activities. This empirical analysis is based on a survey of 244 US biotechnology firms currently involved in exploiting biotechnologies for commercial use.
Sugar-ethanol-electricity co-generation in Hawai’i: An application of linear programming (LP) for optimizing strategies

Abstract This research develops a linear programming (LP) model to assess various options for sugar and biofuel production from sugarcane and other feedstock in Hawaii. More specifically, the study focuses on finding optimal sugar and biomass feedstock that would maximize producer profits in the production of sugar, ethanol and electricity. Feedstock included in the model were sugarcane, banagrass, energy cane and sweet sorghum. Given available land resources for growing energy crops on the island of Maui, four land resource scenarios were considered. If available land resources were used in the production of sugarcane and energy crops with added utilization of non-prime lands, Hawaii's ethanol goal for year 2020 could be achieved while maintaining two-thirds of Hawaii's current sugar production. Crop yields and unit production costs are key factors in determining optimal quantities of feedstock in the optimization model tested in this study.
Kinetic enhancement of starch bioconversion in thermoseparating aqueous two-phase reactor systems

Abstract The extractive bioconversion of starch in an aqueous two-phase reactor system (ATPRS) was studied through experimentation and mathematical modeling. The phase-forming components included PEO-PPO-2500 (a random copolymer of ethylene oxide and propylene oxide with molecular weight of 2500) and MgSO 4 . Partitioning of glucose and maltose in the PEO-PPO/MgSO 4 system was determined. Hydrolysis rates of soluble and corn starches in one-phase and aqueous two-phase reactor systems were compared. Starch consumption and glucose production kinetics were evaluated for α-amylase and amyloglucosidase separately as well as synergistically. A Michaelis–Menten kinetic model with product inhibition was employed to describe enzymatic hydrolysis. This model was expanded to include reaction with simultaneous partitioning for the two-phase system. Parametric studies of starch hydrolysis in the ATPRS with respect to the partition coefficient of the final hydrolysis product, glucose, were performed to simulate starch conversion profiles. The use of the ATPRS reduced the hydrolysis time to almost half of that for single-phase processing. These results were confirmed experimentally. The PEO-PPO-2500/MgSO 4 system enhanced the starch hydrolysis by decreasing the glucose inhibition. The hydrolysis reaction was completed in 10 h in ATPRS system while taking 18 h in one-phase aqueous system. The goodness of fit between model and experiments demonstrates that thermodynamic partition data, coupled with the lumped kinetic model for dual enzymatic hydrolysis and product inhibition are appropriate for describing the two-phase bioreactor system.
Haloperidol but Not Clozapine Increases Neurotensin Receptor mRNA Levels in Rat Substantia Nigra

: We examined the effects of chronic (2 weeks) treatment with a typical neuroleptic, haloperidol (1 mg/kg, s.c.), and an atypical neuroleptic, clozapine (20 mg/kg, s.c.), on neurotensin receptor (NTR) mRNA levels by in situ hybridization histochemistry. Quantitative OD analysis showed haloperidol-induced NTR mRNA levels in the substantia nigra/ventral tegmental area (SN/ VTA) 110% over control levels (significant difference from the control, p 0.05). Thus, chronic treatment with haloperidol but not clozapine resulted in elevated levels of NTR mRNA within the SN/VTA. These results suggest that the high incidence of extrapyramidal side effects of typical neuroleptics could result from changes in NTR expression in the SN/VTA.
A Numerical Investigation of Resonant Inertial Response of the Ocean to Wind Forcing

Abstract A one-dimensional model of upper-ocean vertical mixing is used to investigate the ocean's response to idealized atmospheric storms over short (1–2 day) timescales. Initial ocean conditions are based on observations from the northeast Pacific. When the wind rotation is resonant at the inertial frequency, the surface input of kinetic energy to the currents, KE0, is maximized, as are the net changes in inertial kinetic energy, potential energy, and sea surface temperature. The KE0 is a key air–sea interaction parameter because of its strong dependence on the time histories of the wind forcing and surface current, and because some of this kinetic energy input can go to increasing potential energy when dissipated in regions of large buoyancy gradients below the mixed layer. Energy input and the ocean response are rapidly reduced for less inertial winds, indicating that the upper ocean has highly tuned inertial resonant responses. The degree of tuning is highest for the inertial kinetic energy response...
Countertransference to families where child abuse has occurred

1988; Sgroi, 1982). Some of the difficulties which occur in the management of these cases stem from the strong personal emotional responses which these families evoke in team members. In particular, these emotional reactions may interfere with the capacity for collective balanced decision-making about child protection. Throughout this paper such reactions shall be referred to as CTRs, an abbreviation for countertransference reaction (Freud,
Calcium phosphate coatings for medical and dental implants

Abstract Long-term fixation of metallic dental and medical implants in bony tissues continues to be a problem. One possible solution involves the application of calcium phosphate (Ca-P) ceramic coatings such as hydroxyapatite (HA) onto the metallic devices. Two methods being investigated for producing the coatings include plasma spraying, a commercially available process, and ion-beam sputter deposition, a technique being experimentally investigated. The plasma spraying process produces coatings on the order of 40–60 μm thick. The chemistry and structure of the coatings are similar to those of HA; however, the plasma spraying process will result in the formation of amorphous and other Ca-P phases in the resulting coatings. One concern with respect to these coatings is their relatively low bond strength. The ion-beam sputtering process produces thin (0.6–1 μm) Ca-P coatings that have a significantly higher bond strength than the plasma-sprayed coatings. One concern with the sputtered coatings relates to the amorphous structure obtained after sputtering. These amorphous coatings have high dissolution rates, and a post-deposition heat treatment is required to form more stable crystalline phases in the coatings. The chemistry and structure of the heat-treated coatings are again similar to those of HA; however, other phases can result from this process as well. Both deposition processes result in the formation of HA-type coatings; however, optimization of various coating properties such as stability and bond strength remain a challenge which must be addressed before an optimal tissue response can be attained.
Amyloid β Protein: Aβ40 Inhibits Aβ42 Oligomerization

Abeta40 and Abeta42 are peptides that adopt similar random-coil structures in solution. Abeta42, however, is significantly more neurotoxic than Abeta40 and forms amyloid fibrils much more rapidly than Abeta40. Here, mass spectrometry and ion mobility spectrometry are used to investigate a mixture of Abeta40 and Abeta42. The mass spectrum for the mixed solution shows the presence of a heterooligomer composed of equal parts of Abeta40 and Abeta42. Ion mobility results indicate that this mixed species comprises an oligomer distribution extending to tetramers. Abeta40 alone produces such a distribution, whereas Abeta42 alone produces oligomers as large as dodecamers. This indicates that Abeta40 inhibits Abeta42 oligomerization.
The spectral domain of multivariate harmonizable processes.

Abstract The spectral or frequency domain of a multivariate weakly harmonizable process is a vector space of vector functions that are integrable relative to a positive definite matrix bimeasure. It has a norm derived from a Gramian inner product. The completeness property of this space, which is needed for many applications, has been open for some years. An affirmative solution and an application to optimal least-squares estimation of a weakly harmonizable signal are presented here.
Silicon photonic wire circuits for on-chip optical interconnects

The continued scaling of power performance in electronic hardware for high-performance computing is rapidly being limited due to the large power consumption and restricted throughput of traditional electrical interconnects. One possible solution is to replace conventional global interconnects with a CMOS compatible intra-chip optical network, based on Silicon-On-Insulator (SOI) photonic integrated circuits. While the bandwidth and power consumption advantages of SOI optical interconnects are potentially immense, ensuring the performance of chip-scale networks places stringent requirements upon the control of the manufacturing process, and its influence upon the operation of individual optical components. I will present recent work on the design, fabrication, and demonstration of various passive and electrooptic devices required for high speed optical interconnect applications, including high-order optical filters and modulators. Various aspects of the CMOS compatible fabrication process used at IBM Research for manufacturing SOI photonic wire circuits will be discussed, including waveguide loss, surface roughness, device dimensions, and microresonator frequency uniformity.