Corrigendum to “Synthesis and anodic electrochemistry of cymanquine and related complexes” [J. Organomet. Chem. 817 (15 August 2016) 15–20]

The authors regret that the oxidation potentials given for compound 5 in the paper are incorrect. The correct values, referenced to ferrocene, are 0.88 V for the first oxidation and 1.14 V for the second oxidation

Tissue engineering repair strategies to patch the annulus fibrosus

Degenerative disc disease (DDD) is a prevalent condition in our society and billionsof dollars are spent annually to treat patients for the chronic pain associated withthis ailment.1 The lower back pain experienced by DDD is due to a rupture in theouter annulus fibrosus of an intervertebral disc (IVD), typically in the lumbar discs,causing the jelly-like nucleus pulposus to escape from the centre of the disc andinflames the spinal nerves.2 Advances in tissue engineering are beginning to develop anovel method to treat this condition by applying a patch to the annulus that allowsfor cartilage formation and integration resulting in repair of the degenerated disc.For this study, two different methods were used to fabricate a hydrogel. The firstmethod used fibrinogen and thrombin dissolved in PBS that formed a gel beforegenipin dissolved in DMEM was used to cross-link.3 The second method of fabricationused all reagents dissolved in DMEM, and the genipin was allowed to cross-link withthe fibrinogen before thrombin was added to form the gel.4 The two methods werecompared via degradation to determine their stability in conditions similar to thoseexperienced by native IVDs. The results of the degradation in PBS showed that thefirst method of fabrication allowed the gels to last until day 10 before completelydissolving. The gels made using the second fabrication method dissolved by day 3.There was no significant difference on the degradation characteristics due to varyingthe concentration of genipin. This first method was selected to perform a cell-mediateddegradation with human bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (hbm-MSCs) thatformed gels that lasted over 20 days. These results suggest that genipin cross-linkedfibrin gels seeded with hbm-MSCs produce a stable gel with the potential to be usedto repair a damaged IVD

Value Relevance of Financial and Non-Financial Information: Evidence from the Gaming Industry

Using financial and non-financial data from casino gaming firms listed in the United States from 1999–2017, we explore two research questions: (1) Is financial information value relevant to financial markets in the casino gaming industry? (2) Does non-financial information have incremental explanatory power over financial information? In general, we find that accounting numbers can explain a firm’s market value and stock returns in the casino gaming industry, except for accounting accruals, which may behave differently compared to other industries. We also find that non-financial information, such as the number of table games, number of slot machines, and their relative proportion, have significant value relevance in explaining market valuation. Our findings contribute to a better understanding of the value relevance of financial and non-financial information in the casino gaming industry. We also provide analysis of firms characterized by these non-financial attributes. Keywords: hospitality, casino, gaming, value relevance, table games, slot machines JEL Code: L83, M19, M4

An Evaluation of Credit Default Swap and Default Risk Using Barrier Option

Credit default swaps, a traded financial instrument that provides credit protection in exchange for a periodic premium, is at the forefront of the exponential growth in the credit derivatives market, which has revolutionized the way credit risk is managed in recent years. This project offers a review into the application of option pricing theory in the valuation of default risk under a plain vanilla analysis and introduces a theoretical model that uses barrier options as a potential and perhaps more accurate tool for assessing default risk and its implications for valuing credit default swaps

Racism, Schooling, and the Streets: A Critical Analysis of Vietnamese American Youth Gang Formation in Southern California

This paper is an analysis of the relationship between educational experiences, street life, and gang formation for Vietnamese American youth gang members in Southern California. I use critical narrative methodology to center the life and experiences of a Los Angeles area gang member. His narrative substantiates how racism in schools and on the streets works together to impact and inform gang formation. Schools were sites of inter-ethnic conflict and racialized tension, and streets were spaces for contentious interactions with the police. In addition, I place the Vietnamese American youth gang phenomenon in larger historical and political contexts such as Californias anti-youth legislation, representations of Asian American youth, and U.S. geo-politics and imperialismfactors that have serious material and ideological implications and consequences

Confidence Intervals for the F1 Score: A Comparison of Four Methods

In Natural Language Processing (NLP), binary classification algorithms are often evaluated using the F1 score. Because the sample F1 score is an estimate of the population F1 score, it is not sufficient to report the sample F1 score without an indication of how accurate it is. Confidence intervals are an indication of how accurate the sample F1 score is. However, most studies either do not report them or report them using methods that demonstrate poor statistical properties. In the present study, I review current analytical methods (i.e., Clopper-Pearson method and Wald method) to construct confidence intervals for the population F1 score, propose two new analytical methods (i.e., Wilson direct method and Wilson indirect method) to do so, and compare these methods based on their coverage probabilities and interval lengths, as well as whether these methods suffer from overshoot and degeneracy. Theoretical results demonstrate that both proposed methods do not suffer from overshoot and degeneracy. Experimental results suggest that both proposed methods perform better, as compared to current methods, in terms of coverage probabilities and interval lengths. I illustrate both current and proposed methods on two suggestion mining tasks. I discuss the practical implications of these results, and suggest areas for future research.Comment: 12 pages, 2 figure

Effects of Interpretation Error on User Learning in Novel Input Mechanisms

Novel input mechanisms generate signals that are interpreted as commands in computer systems. Sometimes noise from various sources can cause the system to produce errors when attempting to interpret the signal, causing a misrepresentation of the user's intention. While research has been done in understanding how these interpretation errors affect the performance of users of novel signal-based input mechanisms, such as a brain-computer interface (BCI), there is a lack of knowledge in how user learning is affected. Previous literature in command-based selection tasks has suggested that errors will have a negative impact on expertise development; however, the presence of errors could conversely improve a user's learning by demanding more attention from the user. This thesis begins by studying people's ability to use a novel input mechanism with a noisy input signal: a motor imagery BCI. By converting a user's brain signals into computer commands, a user could complete selection tasks using imagined movement. However, the high degree of interpretation errors caused by noise in the input signals made it difficult to differentiate the user's intent from the noise. As such, the results of the BCI study served as motivation to test the effects of interpretation errors on user learning. Two studies were conducted to determine how user performance and learning were affected by different rates of interpretation error in a novel input mechanism. The results from these two studies showed that interpretation errors led to slower task completion times, lower accuracy in memory recall, greater rates of user errors, and increased frustration. This new knowledge about the effects of interpretation errors can contribute to better design of input mechanisms and training programs for novel input systems

Organic electrosynthesis using toluates as simple and versatile radical precursors

The electrolysis of toluateesters leads smoothly to the formation of the radical of the alkyl fragment. This property has been used to develop a new electrochemical deoxygenation reaction

Creating interaction in online learning: a case study

This paper uses the case‐study method to examine detailed data related to student and tutor usage of an asynchronous discussion board as an interactive communication forum during a first‐semester associate degree course in applied psychology at the City University of Hong Kong. The paper identifies ‘what works’ in relation to discussion board use, demonstrating how students might gradually create an online community of their own, but only if prompted in a timely and appropriate way by the course structure. It also identifies three distinct phases in online interaction and suggests these might, to some extent, be mediated by assessment tasks