Estimating the age of renal tumors

We present a Bayesian method for estimating the age of a renal tumor given its size. We use a model of tumor growth based on published data from observations of untreated tumors. We find, for example, that the median age of a 5 cm tumor is 20 years, with interquartile range 16-23 and 90% confidence interval 11-30 years.Comment: 3 pages, 3 figure

Against Amnesia: Re-Imagining Central Banking

The purpose of the present paper is to identify and challenge contemporary adherence to the core of the prevailing monetary policy consensus. This consensus consists of what we call the holy trinity of the inflation targeting paradigm: price stability as the primary goal of the central bank; central bank independence as the institutional arrangement; and the short-term interest rate as the operational target. Drawing on the literature on the history and political economy of central banking, we argue that the inability to think beyond this holy trinity stems from a severe case of collective institutional amnesia and comes at a heavy cost. We highlight that monetary policy can be deployed towards social purposes other than controlling inflation, in institutional configurations other than isolation from the rest of the government and with instruments other than interest rate manipulation. One central message is that whereas central banks are commonly portrayed as commanding only one instrument, in reality they have a battery of instruments at their disposal. We should think of central banking not as a hammer – a tool to hit inflation where it rears its ugly head – but as a Swiss army knife – a multi-purpose tool with many instruments. Doing so will help overcome the collective amnesia that stands in the way of an enlightened debate about how the power of central banking can – and perhaps should – be harnessed in the pursuit of collective social goals.1 Introduction 2 The Holy Trinity 3 Historical Specificity 3.1 Pre-War 3.2 Post-War, Pre-Inflation 3.3 Holy Trinity 3.4 Shoring up the Holy Trinity: The Tinbergen Rule 4 Beyond the Tinbergen Rule: A Swiss Army Knife Theory of Central Banking 4.1 Lender of Last Resort 4.2 Financial Market-Shaping I: Monetary Policy Implementation 4.3 Financial Market-Shaping II: Monetary Policy Transmission 5 Conclusion Reference

Heat-shrink plastic tubing seals joints in glass tubing

Small units of standard glass apparatus held together by short lengths of transparent heat-shrinkable polyolefin tubing. The tubing is shrunk over glass O-ring type connectors having O-rings but no lubricant

Venturing into Virtual: A Study of the Impact of Virtual Alumni Engagement on the Alumni- Alma Mater Relationship in Higher Education

The arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States prompted an unanticipated change in the fundamental ways in which alumni relations offices at higher education institutions engage their alumni populations. It necessitated a transition into virtual programming and engagement efforts. The impact of this shift into operating almost exclusively online is relatively unknown, with little scholarly research currently existing on the topic. Following a comprehensive review of the existing literature, this study compared the five-year historical trends in alumni engagement at a small, private liberal arts institution to survey feedback provided by alumni volunteers. Seeking to understand the impact of introducing a virtual alumni engagement strategy on the alumni-alma mater relationship and individual alumni decisions to continue participating virtually, the study concludes that a hybridized version of in-person and virtual alumni engagement strategies may provide alumni and their alma mater with the best of both worlds

Food Availability and Cost Patterns in Mississippi Retail Stores Participating in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program

Research has suggested that availability of healthful food varies according to rurality/urbanicity, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) participation, and sociodemographic variables. We investigated differences in variety and cost of fruits and vegetables in convenience stores, grocery stores, and supermarkets across Mississippi. We collected data using the Nutrition Environment Measures Survey–Corner Store. Among stores surveyed (n = 453), fruit and vegetable variety was greater in nonmetro versus metro areas for convenience and grocery stores but not supermarkets. Elucidation of food availability in retail establishments serving SNAP Education (SNAP-Ed) clients is valuable for planning outreach efforts; smaller retailers may be important partners in rural settings

Monolithic microwave integrated circuits: Interconnections and packaging considerations

Monolithic microwave integrated circuits (MMIC's) above 18 GHz were developed because of important potential system benefits in cost reliability, reproducibility, and control of circuit parameters. The importance of interconnection and packaging techniques that do not compromise these MMIC virtues is emphasized. Currently available microwave transmission media are evaluated to determine their suitability for MMIC interconnections. An antipodal finline type of microstrip waveguide transition's performance is presented. Packaging requirements for MMIC's are discussed for thermal, mechanical, and electrical parameters for optimum desired performance

An Improved Bound for First-Fit on Posets Without Two Long Incomparable Chains

It is known that the First-Fit algorithm for partitioning a poset P into chains uses relatively few chains when P does not have two incomparable chains each of size k. In particular, if P has width w then Bosek, Krawczyk, and Szczypka (SIAM J. Discrete Math., 23(4):1992--1999, 2010) proved an upper bound of ckw^{2} on the number of chains used by First-Fit for some constant c, while Joret and Milans (Order, 28(3):455--464, 2011) gave one of ck^{2}w. In this paper we prove an upper bound of the form ckw. This is best possible up to the value of c.Comment: v3: referees' comments incorporate