Reframing the Galaxy and Cluster Mass Discrepancy Problem: A Consequence of Virial Equilibrium and Other Energy Considerations

Galaxy and galaxy clusters exhibit tight robust physical scaling relations between baryons and system dynamics. One such phenomenon is mass discrepancy with two leading solution spaces occupied by LCDM and MOND. Here, we propose an alternative solution to this puzzling problem exclusively based on application of the scalar virial theorem. For these dynamically equilibrated systems, we demonstrate there is ample virially-induced kinetic energy available to modify bulk structure dynamics in apparent violation of Newtonian law. We propose the ubiquitous Baryonic Tully-Fisher Relation represents the preferred dynamic configuration that best assures long-term survivability for these thermodynamic quasi-equilibrated systems. We compare total mass estimates guided by the empirical evidence to those obtained from NFW dark matter halo fits ranging from small dwarf galaxies to massive galaxy clusters.Comment: Comments welcom

In Praise of Investor Irrationality

How should a market filled with investors who chronically make bad investments, but is nevertheless efficient, be regulated? A growing body of evidence suggests that this is the state of most securities markets; investors rely on cognitive processes that produce systematically bad choices, and yet the market remains largely efficient. In fact, cognitive errors might be essential to their efficient operation. Even investors who make systematic errors also often possess real and unique information that can contribute to accurate pricing of securities. If such investors became mindful of their limited ability to distinguish between real information and erroneous information, they would decline to rely on their beliefs to invest and would thereby withhold private information from the market. Over-confidence on the part of these investors leads them to trade anyway. This over-confidence provides market liquidity, but more importantly, provides the market with the private information that individual investors possess (but should, rationally, withhold). Hence, reforms designed to save investors from the costs of their cognitive errors would reduce market liquidity and deprive the market of valuable information. In short, markets need irrationality

In Praise of Investor Irrationality

How should a market filled with investors who chronically make bad investments, but is nevertheless efficient, be regulated? A growing body of evidence suggests that this is the state of most securities markets; investors rely on cognitive processes that produce systematically bad choices, and yet the market remains largely efficient. In fact, cognitive errors might be essential to their efficient operation. Even investors who make systematic errors also often possess real and unique information that can contribute to accurate pricing of securities. If such investors became mindful of their limited ability to distinguish between real information and erroneous information, they would decline to rely on their beliefs to invest and would thereby withhold private information from the market. Over-confidence on the part of these investors leads them to trade anyway. This over-confidence provides market liquidity, but more importantly, provides the market with the private information that individual investors possess (but should, rationally, withhold). Hence, reforms designed to save investors from the costs of their cognitive errors would reduce market liquidity and deprive the market of valuable information. In short, markets need irrationality

Residual tumor cells that drive disease relapse after chemotherapy do not have enhanced tumor initiating capacity.

Although chemotherapy is used to treat most advanced solid tumors, recurrent disease is still the major cause of cancer-related mortality. Cancer stem cells (CSCs) have been the focus of intense research in recent years because they provide a possible explanation for disease relapse. However, the precise role of CSCs in recurrent disease remains poorly understood and surprisingly little attention has been focused on studying the cells responsible for re-initiating tumor growth within the original host after chemotherapy treatment. We utilized both xenograft and genetically engineered mouse models of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) to characterize the residual tumor cells that survive chemotherapy treatment and go on to cause tumor regrowth, which we refer to as tumor re-initiating cells (TRICs). We set out to determine whether TRICs display characteristics of CSCs, and whether assays used to define CSCs also provide an accurate readout of a cell's ability to cause tumor recurrence. We did not find consistent enrichment of CSC marker positive cells or enhanced tumor initiating potential in TRICs. However, TRICs from all models do appear to be in EMT, a state that has been linked to chemoresistance in numerous types of cancer. Thus, the standard CSC assays may not accurately reflect a cell's ability to drive disease recurrence

How Context Matters: Predicting Men's Homophobic Slang Use

This is the Author's Pre-Print. The journal's official website is: http://jls.sagepub.com.This manuscript reports two experiments exploring heterosexual men’s use of homophobic slang in social contexts, varied by sex-ratio. Study 1 (N = 127) experimentally demonstrated that compared to a mixed-sex audience, heterosexual men with an all-male audience reported higher levels of hetero-identity concern (HIC) and more homophobic slang use; these men had similar levels of HIC compared to men with an all-female audience. Study 2 replicated Study 1’s mean difference tests, and explored whether the relationship between HIC and homophobic slang was affected by group sex-ratio and social norms. Results suggest the relationship between HIC and homophobic slang was significant only in all-male and mixed-sex audiences, and the norm of noninterference was predictive of homophobic slang only in all-male groups