Digital Market Concentration: An Institutional and Social Cost Analysis

In this thesis, I develop an analysis of the industry concentration seen in digital markets today. I begin with a description and argument for the use of institutional economics. This framework allows for the integration of an interdisciplinary approach to economics. My analysis details the socioeconomic and political impacts, as well as the underlying market dynamics that have pushed digital markets towards concentration. I offer novel explanations for the lack of firm behavior that should theoretically increase profit, the existence of barriers to competition, and consumer behavior that focus on the role of social institutions. I also detail many of the social costs of these concentrated markets, such as their impact on democracy, power to influence social institutions, and the impact they have on concentration in other markets. This is done to show that the fears surrounding monopolies do not end with prices. Even in digital markets, where many times prices are very low, if not zero, there are reasons that monopoly is economically inefficient and socially sub-optimal. However, due to the path-dependent nature of the extreme benefits associated with digital markets, policymakers cannot reasonably propose breaking up these companies. Instead, they must use the power of the government to counteract the conglomerations of social power seen in these private companies in search of an optimal outcome

LOCAL CONTROL ROBOTIC SURGICAL DEVICES AND RELATED METHODS

The various robotic medical devices include robotic devices that are disposed within a body cavity and positioned using a support component disposed through an orifice or opening in the body cavity. Additional embodiments relate to devices having arms coupled to a device body wherein the device has a minimal profile such that the device can be easily inserted through smaller incisions in comparison to other devices without such a small profile. Further embodiments relate to methods of operating the above devices

SINGLE SITE ROBOTC DEVICE AND RELATED SYSTEMS AND METHODS

The embodiments disclosed herein relate to various medical device components, including components that can be incor porated into robotic and/or in vivo medical devices. Certain embodiments include various medical devices for in vivo medical procedures

Single-Site Colectomy With Miniature \u3ci\u3eIn Vivo\u3c/i\u3e Robotic Platform

There has been a continuing push to reduce the invasiveness of surgery by accessing the abdominal cavity through a single incision, such as with laparoendoscopic single-site (LESS) surgery. Although LESS procedures offer significant benefits, added complexities still inhibit the procedures. Robotic surgery is proving to be an excellent option to overcome these limitations. This paper presents the experimental results of the single-incision in vivo surgical robot (SISR), a multifunctional, dexterous, twoarmed robot capable of performing surgical tasks while overcoming the issues associated with manual LESS operations. In vivo surgical procedures have been used to demonstrate the efficacy of using a robotic platform over traditional laparoscopic tools. The most recent experimental test resulted in the first successful in vivo robotic LESS colectomy utilizing a robot completely contained within the abdominal cavity. In this test, SISR showed significant benefits including access to all quadrants in the peritoneal cavity and improved dexterity

METHODS, SYSTEMS, AND DEVICES FOR SURGICAL ACCESS AND INSERTON

The various embodiments herein relate to systems, devices, and/or methods relating to Surgical procedures, and more specifically for accessing an insufflated cavity of a patient and/or positioning Surgical systems or devices into the cavity

The Ocean Lifeguard Intervention Continuum: A Cognitive Aid for Surf Lifeguard Education

Ocean lifeguards are constantly engaged in beach risk analysis, required to efficiently evaluate a variety of environmental and other factors quickly in order to triage and prioritize who needs help. Teaching these skills is a challenge for introductory training programs. We sought to improve new lifeguards’ understanding of the interaction of various risk components in the beach environment and aid decision-making related to when a lifeguard should intervene in a situation. We developed a two-part cognitive aid for introductory ocean lifeguard education depicting individual and interacting elements of a beach goer’s risk of drowning or injury and the process by which that risk increases with associated lifeguard interventions on a continuum from low risk and no distress to drowning. This new cognitive aid represented an advancement in the presentation of complex material in introductory training programs for those involved in aquatic rescue

Differential response of chlorophyll-a concentrations to explosive volcanism in the western South Pacific

When it is deposited in the ocean, volcanic ash has the potential to release iron and other nutrients into surface water to stimulate ocean productivity. In the western South Pacific Ocean (SPO), one of the most important volcanic ash deposition regions, occasional widespread transport of volcanic ash may supply the nutrients not only locally around source islands but also within the wider the western SPO, accompanied by phytoplankton response. Through a comparative analysis of satellite and reanalysis data for the past 19 years (2004–2022), this study reveals that four explosive volcanic eruptions, Rabaul volcano, Papua New Guinea (October, 2006), Ambae volcano, Vanuatu (July, 2018), Ulawun volcano, Papua New Guinea (June, 2019), and Hunga volcano, Tonga (January, 2022), had the most strong stratospheric injection (>15 km) and mass loading of volcanic materials over the wider the western SPO (covering an area of >765,000 km2). The transport of 2006, 2018, 2019 volcanic emissions, was not likely associated with significant ash deposition over the western SPO. However, the Hunga eruption led to the deposition of ash-laden volcanic plumes over a wide area (~2,000 km from source), and was followed by the increase in chlorophyll-a concentrations (Chl-a) in the region (~70% increase). Minor changes related to other nutrient sources (e.g., hydrothermal input) suggest a link between the increase in Chl-a and 2022 Hunga ash falls over the western SPO. Our results indicate that volcanic ash deposition has implications for phytoplankton productivity in the western SPO, and highlights the need for further research into understanding how nutrient supply alleviated limitations of phytoplankton at the community level

Foraminal Ligaments Tether Upper Cervical Nerve Roots: A Potential Cause of Postoperative C5 Palsy.

Background Nerve root tethering upon dorsal spinal cord (SC) migration has been proposed as a potential mechanism for postoperative C5 palsy (C5P). To our knowledge, this is the first study to investigate this relationship by anatomically comparing C5-C6 nerve root translation before and after root untethering by cutting the cervical foraminal ligaments (FL). Objective The aim of this study is to determine if C5 root untethering through FL cutting results in increased root translation. Methods Six cadaveric dissections were performed. Nerve roots were exposed via C4-C6 corpectomies and supraclavicular brachial plexus exposure. Pins were inserted into the C5-C6 roots and adjacent foraminal tubercle. Translation was measured as the distance between pins after the SC was dorsally displaced 5 mm before and after FL cutting. Clinical feasibility of FL release was examined by comparing root translation between standard and extended (complete foraminal decompression) foraminotomies. Translation of root levels before and after FL cutting was compared by two-way repeated measures analysis of variance. Statistical significance was set at 0.05. Results Significantly more nerve root translation was observed if the FL was cut versus not-cut, p = 0.001; no difference was seen between levels, p = 0.33. Performing an extended cervical foraminotomy was technically feasible allowing complete FL release and root untethering, whereas a standard foraminotomy did not. Conclusion FL tether upper cervical nerve roots in their foramina; cutting these ligaments untethers the root and increases translation suggesting they could be harmful in the context of C5P. Further investigation is required examining the value of root untethering in the context of C5P

Submillimeter Follow-up of WISE-Selected Hyperluminous Galaxies

We have used the Caltech Submillimeter Observatory (CSO) to follow-up a sample of WISE-selected, hyperluminous galaxies, so called W1W2-dropout galaxies. This is a rare (~ 1000 all-sky) population of galaxies at high redshift (peaks at z=2-3), that are faint or undetected by WISE at 3.4 and 4.6 um, yet are clearly detected at 12 and 22 um. The optical spectra of most of these galaxies show significant AGN activity. We observed 14 high-redshift (z > 1.7) W1W2-dropout galaxies with SHARC-II at 350 to 850 um, with 9 detections; and observed 18 with Bolocam at 1.1 mm, with five detections. Warm Spitzer follow-up of 25 targets at 3.6 and 4.5 um, as well as optical spectra of 12 targets are also presented in the paper. Combining WISE data with observations from warm Spitzer and CSO, we constructed their mid-IR to millimeter spectral energy distributions (SEDs). These SEDs have a consistent shape, showing significantly higher mid-IR to submm ratios than other galaxy templates, suggesting a hotter dust temperature. We estimate their dust temperatures to be 60-120 K using a single-temperature model. Their infrared luminosities are well over 10^{13} Lsun. These SEDs are not well fitted with existing galaxy templates, suggesting they are a new population with very high luminosity and hot dust. They are likely among the most luminous galaxies in the Universe. We argue that they are extreme cases of luminous, hot dust-obscured galaxies (DOGs), possibly representing a short evolutionary phase during galaxy merging and evolution. A better understanding of their long-wavelength properties needs ALMA as well as Herschel data.Comment: Will be Published on Sep 1, 2012 by Ap

Insights into human genetic variation and population history from 929 diverse genomes.

Genome sequences from diverse human groups are needed to understand the structure of genetic variation in our species and the history of, and relationships between, different populations. We present 929 high-coverage genome sequences from 54 diverse human populations, 26 of which are physically phased using linked-read sequencing. Analyses of these genomes reveal an excess of previously undocumented common genetic variation private to southern Africa, central Africa, Oceania, and the Americas, but an absence of such variants fixed between major geographical regions. We also find deep and gradual population separations within Africa, contrasting population size histories between hunter-gatherer and agriculturalist groups in the past 10,000 years, and a contrast between single Neanderthal but multiple Denisovan source populations contributing to present-day human populations.Wellcome grants 098051 and 206194, and S.A.M. and R.D. also by Wellcome grant 207492. A.B. and P.S. were supported by the Francis Crick Institute (FC001595) which receives its core funding from Cancer Research UK, the UK Medical Research Council and the Wellcome Trust. P.S. was also supported by the European Research Council (grant no. 852558) and the Wellcome Trust (217223/Z/19/Z). R.H. was supported by a Gates Cambridge scholarship. P.H. was supported by Estonian Research Council Grant PUT1036. D.R. is an Investigator of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute