The Collapse of the Soviet Union and the Productivity of American Mathematicians

It has been difficult to open up the black box of knowledge production. We use unique international data on the publications, citations, and affiliations of mathematicians to examine the impact of a large post-1992 influx of Soviet mathematicians on the productivity of their American counterparts. We find a negative productivity effect on those mathematicians whose research overlapped with that of the Soviets. We also document an increased mobility rate (to lower-quality institutions and out of active publishing) and a reduced likelihood of producing “home run” papers. Although the total product of the pre-existing American mathematicians shrank, the Soviet contribution to American mathematics filled in the gap. However, there is no evidence that the Soviets greatly increased the size of the “mathematics pie.” Finally, we find that there are significant international differences in the productivity effects of the collapse of the Soviet Union, and that these international differences can be explained by both differences in the size of the émigré flow into the various countries and in how connected each country is to the global market for mathematical publications.

East India patronage and the political management of Scotland 1720-1774

This thesis sets out to examine and explain the use of India patronage in the government of Scotland from 1720 to 1774. The 1707 Act of Union created a complex and uncertain Scottish political world. Widespread resentment at the 1707 'betrayal' was kept simmering by pro-Jacobite sentiments and frustrations due to economic stagnation. To the Whig ministries in London the 1715 rebellion on top of all the other danger signals was alarming. The turmoil in Scotland seemed to threaten the stability and security of the fragile British state. Walpole believed the danger sufficient to warrant the strongest political management system possible there, using all the patronage that could be brought to bear. Through John Drummond, a Scottish East India Company Director, he was able to procure patronage from the Company and its Shipping interest. In Scotland these India posts were devoted to obtaining electoral support for Walpole's Argathelian backers. John Drummond and Lord Milton, as agents of the Duke of Argyll and his brother Islay, were instrumental in this. Walpole's successors at Westminster and the Argathelians in Scotland conspired to further the use of available India patronage. The flood of India favours continued until 1765 and beyond, pausing only with the implementation in 1774 of North's Regulating Act. The thesis breaks new ground in showing the existence and importance of this India patronage so early in the eighteenth century. Also, by examining the role of the Scots engrossed in the East India Company and its politics in the 1760s and early 1770s their importance as a group is uncovered. They were caught up in the struggle for power and for control of patronage within the Company, as well as that between Parliament and the Company for control of Indian territorial acquisitions

The Collapse of the Soviet Union and the Productivity of American Mathematicians

It has been difficult to open up the black box of knowledge production. We use unique international data on the publications, citations, and affiliations of mathematicians to examine the impact of a large post-1992 influx of Soviet mathematicians on the productivity of their American counterparts. We find a negative productivity effect on those mathematicians whose research overlapped with that of the Soviets. We also document an increased mobility rate (to lower-quality institutions and out of active publishing) and a reduced likelihood of producing “home run” papers. Although the total product of the pre-existing American mathematicians shrank, the Soviet contribution to American mathematics filled in the gap. However, there is no evidence that the Soviets greatly increased the size of the “mathematics pie.” Finally, we find that there are significant international differences in the productivity effects of the collapse of the Soviet Union, and that these international differences can be explained by both differences in the size of the émigré flow into the various countries and in how connected each country is to the global market for mathematical publications

A Real-time Image Reconstruction System for Particle Treatment Planning Using Proton Computed Tomography (pCT)

Proton computed tomography (pCT) is a novel medical imaging modality for mapping the distribution of proton relative stopping power (RSP) in medical objects of interest. Compared to conventional X-ray computed tomography, where range uncertainty margins are around 3.5%, pCT has the potential to provide more accurate measurements to within 1%. This improved efficiency will be beneficial to proton-therapy planning and pre-treatment verification. A prototype pCT imaging device has recently been developed capable of rapidly acquiring low-dose proton radiographs of head-sized objects. We have also developed an advanced, fast image reconstruction software based on distributed computing that utilizes parallel processors and graphical processing units. The combination of fast data acquisition and fast image reconstruction will enable the availability of RSP images within minutes for use in clinical settings. The performance of our image reconstruction software has been evaluated using data collected by the prototype pCT scanner from several phantoms.Comment: Paper presented at Conference on the Application of Accelerators in Research and Industry, CAARI 2016, 30 October to 4 November 2016, Ft. Worth, TX, US

More Than Cows & Cooking: Newest Research Shows the Impact of 4-H

This article reports on a statewide survey of students\u27 use of out-of-school time conducted in 21 Montana counties. Only 17% of youth reported that they are not involved in out-of-school activities. Active students are more likely to lead healthier and happier lives than non-active youth. 4-H participants are less likely to shoplift or steal, smoke cigarettes, ride in a car with someone who has been drinking, or damage property for the fun of it. These participants are also more likely to develop self-confidence, social competence, and practical skills; to take on community leadership roles; and to feel more accepted and listened to by adults

The Planetary Nebula A39: An Observational Benchmark for Numerical Modeling of Photoionized Plasmas

Galactic nebulae are the main probes for the chemical evolution of the interstellar medium. Yet, recent observations have shown that chemical abundances determined from recombination and collisionally excited emission lines can differ by as much as an order of magnitude in some planetary nebulae (PNs). Many PNs have complex geometries and morphological evidence for interactions from stellar winds, and it is not clear to what extent winds, inhomogeneities, or shocked gas affect the observed spectrum. There currently is no full explanation for this discrepancy, which brings into question whether we understand the physical state of these low-density plasmas at all. This paper presents new spectroscopy from the KPNO Mayall 4 m telescope and imagery from the WIYN 3.5 m telescope of A39, a large PN with an exceptionally simple geometry. It appears to be a limb-brightened spherical shell, the simplest possible nebula. There is little evidence for external interactions, so this is the case in which photoionization simulations should be in near-perfect agreement with observation. We combine optical and UV spectroscopy to form a composite spectrum and compare this with photoionization models. No problems were encountered in reproducing the observed spectrum, although even this simple object has two distinct emission-line regions and exhibits several anomalies. A39 was too faint to detect the crucial heavy-element recombination lines in our data set, so it was not possible to compare collisional and recombination abundances. We predict the spectrum over a broad range of bandpasses to facilitate future observations that may probe deeper than our instrumentation allowed

Catechol-O-methyltransferase: potential relationship to idiopathic hypertension

Catecholamine signaling pathways in the peripheral and central nervous systems (PNS, CNS, respectively) utilize catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) as a major regulatory enzyme responsible for deactivation of dopamine (DA), norepinephrine (NE) and epinephrine (E). Accordingly, homeostasis of COMT gene expression is hypothesized to be functionally linked to regulation of autonomic control of normotensive vascular events. Recently, we demonstrated that morphine administration in vitro resulted in decreased cellular concentrations of COMT-encoding mRNA levels, as compared to control values. In contrast, cells treated with E up regulated their COMT gene expression. In sum, these observations indicate a potential reciprocal linkage between end product inhibition of COMT gene expression by E and morphine. Interestingly, the observed effects of administered E on COMT gene expression suggest an enhancement of its own catabolism or, reciprocally, a stimulation morphine biosynthesis

A study of the origin and development of the English baronial boroughs

Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of ArtsText from page 1: "Much has been written concerning specific baronial boroughs but with the exception of the work of Miss Mary Bateson, no general treatment of these boroughs as a class has been undertaken. The writer hopes, therefore, in the following pages, to do some justice to this portion of English institutional history. The origins of the baronial boroughs and the different classes into which they may be arranged will be first taken up."Includes bibliographical reference