Multigraded regularity: coarsenings and resolutions

Let S = k[x_1,...,x_n] be a Z^r-graded ring with deg (x_i) = a_i \in Z^r for each i and suppose that M is a finitely generated Z^r-graded S-module. In this paper we describe how to find finite subsets of Z^r containing the multidegrees of the minimal multigraded syzygies of M. To find such a set, we first coarsen the grading of M so that we can view M as a Z-graded S-module. We use a generalized notion of Castelnuovo-Mumford regularity, which was introduced by D. Maclagan and G. Smith, to associate to M a number which we call the regularity number of M. The minimal degrees of the multigraded minimal syzygies are bounded in terms of this invariant.Comment: 20 pages, 1 figure; small corrections made; final version; to appear in J. of Algebr

Influential decision factors of counterfeit consumers in Shijiazhuang city of China: A Logit analysis

The policies implemented towards open-economy by the Chinese government encouraged adopting foreign technology or marketing techniques. Counterfeiting has been found to be an antagonistic consequence of the policy. The study has attempted to determine the socio-demographic attributes that influence the decision of buying counterfeit. Using convenience sampling technique 301 samples were collected. Descriptive statistics, non-parametric mean test, spearman correlation and logit analysis were employed to fulfill the objectives of the study. Most of the socio-demographic attributes were found to be significant in hastening the intension to buy counterfeit. The findings showed that the deceptive consumers are slightly older than the non-deceptive consumers though the non-deceptive consumers had lower education. The study recommended that motivational work and implementation of effective legal system could protect expansion of counterfeit marketing in the study area as well as in china.Counterfeit product, china, logit model, influential factor, decision factor

Visualizing Sensor Network Coverage with Location Uncertainty

We present an interactive visualization system for exploring the coverage in sensor networks with uncertain sensor locations. We consider a simple case of uncertainty where the location of each sensor is confined to a discrete number of points sampled uniformly at random from a region with a fixed radius. Employing techniques from topological data analysis, we model and visualize network coverage by quantifying the uncertainty defined on its simplicial complex representations. We demonstrate the capabilities and effectiveness of our tool via the exploration of randomly distributed sensor networks

Neo-Brandeisianism and the New Deal: Adolf A. Berle, Jr., William O. Douglas, and the Problem of Corporate Finance in the 1930s

This essay revisits Adolf A. Berle, Jr. and The Modern Corporation and Private Property by focusing on the triangle of Berle, Louis D. Brandeis, and William O. Douglas in order to examine some of the underlying assumptions about law, economics, and the nature of modern society behind securities regulation and corporate finance in the 1930s. I explore Douglas and Berle’s academic and political relationship, the conceptual underpinnings of Brandeis, Berle, and Douglas’s critiques of modern finance, and the ways in which the two younger men—Berle and Douglas—ultimately departed from their role model, Brandeis

Mammalian cells in culture actively export specific microRNAs

The discovery of microRNAs (miRNAs) as a new class of regulators of gene expression has triggered an explosion of research, but has left many unanswered questions about how this regulation works and how it is integrated with other regulatory mechanisms. A number of miRNAs have been found to be present in blood plasma and other body fluids of humans and mice in surprisingly high concentrations. This observation was unexpected in two respects: first, the fact that these molecules are present at all outside the cell at significant concentrations; and second, that these molecules appear to be stable outside of the cell. In light of this it has been suggested that the biological function of miRNAs may also extend outside of the cell and mediate cell-cell communication^[1-5]^. Such a system would be expected to export specific miRNAs from cells in response to specific biological stimuli. We report here that after serum deprivation several human cell lines tested do export a spectrum of miRNAs into the culture medium. The export response is substantial and prompt. The exported miRNAs are found both within and outside of microvesicles and exosomes. We have identified some candidate protein components of this system outside the cell, and found one exported protein that plays a role in protecting miRNA from degradation. Our results point to a hitherto unrecognized and uncharacterized miRNA trafficking system in mammalian cells that may involve cell-cell communication

Exciton diffusion in semiconducting single-wall carbon nanotubes studied by transient absorption microscopy

Spatiotemporal dynamics of excitons in isolated semiconducting single-walled carbon nanotubes are studied using transient absorption microscopy. Differential reflection and transmission of an 810-nm probe pulse after excitation by a 750-nm pump pulse are measured. We observe a bi-exponentially decaying signal with a fast time constant of 0.66 ps and a slower time constant of 2.8 ps. Both constants are independent of the pump fluence. By spatially and temporally resolving the differential reflection, we are able to observe a diffusion of excitons, and measure a diffusion coefficient of 200 cm2/s at room temperature and 300 cm2/s at lower temperatures of 10 K and 150 K.Comment: 6 pages, 4 figure

Effect Of Therapeutic Interchange On Medication Errors At Hospital Admission And Discharge

Since the landmark Institute of Medicine report brought patient safety to the forefront of public concern, there has been intense effort to reduce medication errors in the hospital setting. One such method, medication reconciliation during transitions in care, is now standard practice. While many studies have explored contributory factors and consequences of medication reconciliation errors at hospital admission and hospital discharge, the role of therapeutic interchange, or the substitution of a chemically different but therapeutically equivalent drug for the one originally prescribed, on patients\u27 medication regimens has not been adequately investigated. In fact, no study has examined the extent to which therapeutic interchange is employed in the hospital and the impact it has on unintentional medication reconciliation errors. We analyzed data from a prospective, observational cohort study of patients 65 years or older admitted to a tertiary care hospital for acute coronary syndrome, heart failure, or pneumonia between May 2009 and April 2010 who were discharged home. We examined patients\u27 medications from six commonly interchanged drug classes (ACE inhibitors, ARBs, H2 blockers, inhaled corticosteroids, PPIs, and statins) and measured the frequency of therapeutic interchange at hospital admission, the rate of suspected errors associated with therapeutic interchange at admission and at discharge, and the role of therapeutic interchange on drug changes at discharge. We analyzed 555 admission medications taken by 303 patients that were within the six drug classes of interest. Of these, 244 (44.0%) were therapeutically interchanged during hospitalization while the remaining medications were continued or held. We identified 78 (32.0%) therapeutically interchanged medications with suspected errors made at time of interchange. At discharge, a total of 41 (7.4%) of the 555 medications of interest had a suspected medication reconciliation error at discharge. 28 of these were medications that were therapeutically interchanged at admission, giving a relative risk of suspected error of 2.75 (95% CI 1.45-5.19) compared to medications that were not interchanged. 28 of the 244 therapeutically interchanged medications (11.5%), as compared to 8 of the 311 non-therapeutically interchanged drugs (2.6%), were switched at discharge to a different medication within the same drug class as the patient\u27s original home medication (RR 4.46, 95% CI 2.07-9.61). Therapeutic interchange during hospitalization is a common practice associated with a significant number of potential errors at admission and at discharge, creating a risk for patient misunderstanding and adverse drug events. In light of these findings, methods for safely practicing therapeutic interchange should be developed to improve patient safety

By Night She Fought for Fair Use : Restoring the Integrity of Copyright Law, One Comic-Book Reader at a Time

Students of copyright law quickly learn that the subject is counterintuitive. One of the first revelations of this is-somewhat alarmingly-the purpose of copyright itself. Contrary to popular belief, copyright is not just about protecting an artist\u27s creation, but sharing it. Simultaneously protecting a work and sharing it helps to fulfill the Constitution\u27s mandate that Congress promote the Progress of Science ... by securing for limited Times to Authors ... the exclusive Right to their ... Writings. In other words, Congress is to promote learning and the advancement of our culture. The symbiosis of protecting and sharing is effected through the Copyright Act. First, to encourage artists to create, the Act bestows copyright ownership and all of its attending rights to artists. Second, to allow the public to have access to those creations-and the opportunities for learning that go along with such access-the Act limits the owner\u27s rights. In this way, protection of an artist\u27s work is part of a copyright deal that the artist makes with the public. If the Copyright Act does not grant a particular right to an artist, then that means the right belongs to the public. Fittingly, works that are not protected by copyright are said to be in the public domain, and the same term applies to particular aspects of copyrighted works that copyright does not protect. If copyright is counterintuitive in theory, it should be no surprise that it is equally counterintuitive in practice. This is especially true of the tricky doctrine of fair use, an essential aspect of the copyright regime. Recognizing the current state of confusion surrounding fair use, three academics decided to create a work that would contextualize, explain, and defend the concept. Their medium is a comic book and is entitled Bound By Law? Written by Keith Aoki (who also provided the illustrations), James Boyle, and Jennifer Jenkins, Bound By Law? chronicles the experiences of a documentary filmmaker named Akiko. Akiko, encumbered by the current copyright system, learns that the solution to her problems is a strengthened doctrine of fair use

By Night She Fought for Fair Use : Restoring the Integrity of Copyright Law, One Comic-Book Reader at a Time

Students of copyright law quickly learn that the subject is counterintuitive. One of the first revelations of this is-somewhat alarmingly-the purpose of copyright itself. Contrary to popular belief, copyright is not just about protecting an artist\u27s creation, but sharing it. Simultaneously protecting a work and sharing it helps to fulfill the Constitution\u27s mandate that Congress promote the Progress of Science ... by securing for limited Times to Authors ... the exclusive Right to their ... Writings. In other words, Congress is to promote learning and the advancement of our culture. The symbiosis of protecting and sharing is effected through the Copyright Act. First, to encourage artists to create, the Act bestows copyright ownership and all of its attending rights to artists. Second, to allow the public to have access to those creations-and the opportunities for learning that go along with such access-the Act limits the owner\u27s rights. In this way, protection of an artist\u27s work is part of a copyright deal that the artist makes with the public. If the Copyright Act does not grant a particular right to an artist, then that means the right belongs to the public. Fittingly, works that are not protected by copyright are said to be in the public domain, and the same term applies to particular aspects of copyrighted works that copyright does not protect. If copyright is counterintuitive in theory, it should be no surprise that it is equally counterintuitive in practice. This is especially true of the tricky doctrine of fair use, an essential aspect of the copyright regime. Recognizing the current state of confusion surrounding fair use, three academics decided to create a work that would contextualize, explain, and defend the concept. Their medium is a comic book and is entitled Bound By Law? Written by Keith Aoki (who also provided the illustrations), James Boyle, and Jennifer Jenkins, Bound By Law? chronicles the experiences of a documentary filmmaker named Akiko. Akiko, encumbered by the current copyright system, learns that the solution to her problems is a strengthened doctrine of fair use