W/Z at CDF

Results are presented based on 19 {ital pb}{sup -1} of data collected by the CDF detector during the 1992-1993 collider run at the Fermilab Tevatron. These results include measurements of the {ital W} mass and {sigma}{center_dot}{ital B} for {ital W} and {ital Z decays} using both the electron and muon channels. In addition to extracting the total width of the {ital W} width using the electron decay channel is also presented

Incentives for Human Agents to Share Security Information: a Model and an Empirical Test

In this paper, we investigate the role of incentives for Security Information Sharing (SIS) between human agents working in institutions. We present an incentive-based SIS system model that is empirically tested with an exclusive dataset. The data was collected with an online questionnaire addressed to all participants of a deployed Information Sharing and Analysis Center (ISAC) that operates in the context of critical infrastructure protection (N=262). SIS is measured with a multidimensional approach (intensity, frequency) and regressed on five specific predicators (reciprocity, value of information, institutional barriers, reputation, trust) that are measured with psychometric scales. We close an important research gap by providing, to the best of our knowledge, the first empirical analysis on previous theoretical work that assumes SIS to be beneficial. Our results show that institutional barriers have a strong influence on our population, i.e., SIS decision makers in Switzerland. This lends support to a better institutional design of ISACs and the formulation of incentive-based policies that can avoid non-cooperative and free-riding behaviours. Both frequency and intensity are influenced by the extent to which decision makers expect to receive valuable information in return for SIS, which supports the econometric structure of our multidimensional model. Finally, our policy recommendations support the view that the effectiveness of mandatory security-breach reporting to authorities is limited. Therefore, we suggest that a conducive and lightly regulated SIS environment – as in Switzerland – with positive reinforcement and indirect suggestions can “nudge” SIS decision makers to adopt a productive sharing behaviour

To share or not to share: A behavioral perspective on human participation in security information sharing

Security information sharing (SIS) is an activity whereby individuals exchange information that is relevant to analyze or prevent cybersecurity incidents. However, despite technological advances and increased regulatory pressure, individuals still seem reluctant to share security information. Few contributions have addressed this conundrum to date. Adopting an interdisciplinary approach, our study proposes a behavioral framework that theorizes how and why human behav- ior and SIS may be associated. We use psychometric methods to test these associations, analyzing a unique sample of human Information Sharing and Analysis Center members who share real se- curity information. We also provide a dual empirical operationalization of SIS by introducing the measures of SIS frequency and intensity. We find significant associations between human behavior and SIS. Thus, the study contributes to clarifying why SIS, while beneficial, is underutil- ized by pointing to the pivotal role of human behavior for economic outcomes. It therefore extends the growing field of the economics of information security. By the same token, it informs managers and regulators about the significance of human behavior as they propagate goal alignment and shape institutions. Finally, the study defines a broad agenda for future research on SIS

Absolute frequency measurement of the magnesium intercombination transition 1S0→3P1^1S_0 \to ^3P_1

We report on a frequency measurement of the $(3s^2)^1S_0\to(3s3p)^3P_1$ clock transition of $^{24}$Mg on a thermal atomic beam. The intercombination transition has been referenced to a portable primary Cs frequency standard with the help of a femtosecond fiber laser frequency comb. The achieved uncertainty is $2.5\times10^{-12}$ which corresponds to an increase in accuracy of six orders of magnitude compared to previous results. The measured frequency value permits the calculation of several other optical transitions from $^1S_0$ to the $^3P_J$-level system for $^{24}$Mg, $^{25}$Mg and $^{26}$Mg. We describe in detail the components of our optical frequency standard like the stabilized spectroscopy laser, the atomic beam apparatus used for Ramsey-Bord\'e interferometry and the frequency comb generator and discuss the uncertainty contributions to our measurement including the first and second order Doppler effect. An upper limit of $3\times10^{-13}$ in one second for the short term instability of our optical frequency standard was determined by comparison with a GPS disciplined quartz oscillator.Comment: 8 pages, 8 figure

Prostaglandin E(2) in a TLR3- and 7/8-agonist-based DC maturation cocktail generates mature, cytokine-producing, migratory DCs but impairs antigen cross-presentation to CD8(+) T cells

Mature dendritic cells (DCs) represent cellular adjuvants for optimal antigen presentation in cancer vaccines. Recently, a combination of prostaglandin E(2) (PGE(2)) with Toll-like receptor agonists (TLR-P) was proposed as a new standard to generate superior cytokine-producing DCs with high migratory capacity. Here, we compare TLR-P DCs with conventional DCs matured only with the proinflammatory cytokines TNFα and IL-1ß (CDCs), focussing on the interaction of resulting DCs with CD8(+) T-cells. TLR-P matured DCs showed elevated expression of activation markers such as CD80 and CD83 compared to CDCs, together with a significantly higher migration capacity. Secretion of IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, and IL-12 was highest after 16 h in TLR-P DCs, and only TLR-P DCs secreted active IL-12p70. TLR-P DCs as well as CDCs successfully primed multifunctional CD8(+) T-cells from naïve precursors specific for the peptide antigens Melan-A, NLGN4X, and PTP with comparable priming efficacy and T-cell receptor avidity. CD8(+) T-cells primed by TLR-P DCs showed significantly elevated expression of the integrin VLA-4 and a trend for higher T-cell numbers after expansion. In contrast, TLR-P DCs displayed a substantially reduced capability to cross-present CMVpp65 protein antigen to pp65-specific T cells, an effect that was dose-dependent on PGE(2) during DC maturation and reproducible with several responder T-cell lines. In conclusion, TLR-P matured DCs might be optimal presenters of antigens not requiring processing such as short peptides. However, PGE(2) seems less favorable for maturation of DCs intended to process and cross-present more complex vaccine antigens such as lysates, proteins or long peptides

Anti-angiogenic nanotherapy inhibits airway remodeling and hyper-responsiveness of dust mite triggered asthma in the Brown Norway rat

Although angiogenesis is a hallmark feature of asthmatic inflammatory responses, therapeutic anti-angiogenesis interventions have received little attention. Objective: Assess the effectiveness of anti-angiogenic Sn2 lipase-labile prodrugs delivered via α(v)β(3)-micellar nanotherapy to suppress microvascular expansion, bronchial remodeling, and airway hyper-responsiveness in Brown Norway rats exposed to serial house dust mite (HDM) inhalation challenges. Results: Anti-neovascular effectiveness of α(v)β(3)-mixed micelles incorporating docetaxel-prodrug (Dxtl-PD) or fumagillin-prodrug (Fum-PD) were shown to robustly suppress neovascular expansion (p<0.01) in the upper airways/bronchi of HDM rats using simultaneous (19)F/(1)H MR neovascular imaging, which was corroborated by adjunctive fluorescent microscopy. Micelles without a drug payload (α(v)β(3)-No-Drug) served as a carrier-only control. Morphometric measurements of HDM rat airway size (perimeter) and vessel number at 21d revealed classic vascular expansion in control rats but less vascularity (p<0.001) after the anti-angiogenic nanotherapies. CD31 RNA expression independently corroborated the decrease in airway microvasculature. Methacholine (MCh) induced respiratory system resistance (Rrs) was high in the HDM rats receiving α(v)β(3)-No-Drug micelles while α(v)β(3)-Dxtl-PD or α(v)β(3)-Fum-PD micelles markedly and equivalently attenuated airway hyper-responsiveness and improved airway compliance. Total inflammatory BAL cells among HDM challenged rats did not differ with treatment, but α(v)β(3)(+ )macrophages/monocytes were significantly reduced by both nanotherapies (p<0.001), most notably by the α(v)β(3)-Dxtl-PD micelles. Additionally, α(v)β(3)-Dxtl-PD decreased BAL eosinophil and α(v)β(3)(+ )CD45(+) leukocytes relative to α(v)β(3)-No-Drug micelles, whereas α(v)β(3)-Fum-PD micelles did not. Conclusion: These results demonstrate the potential of targeted anti-angiogenesis nanotherapy to ameliorate the inflammatory hallmarks of asthma in a clinically relevant rodent model

Antecedents and consequences of effectuation and causation in the international new venture creation process

The selection of the entry mode in an international market is of key importance for the venture. A process-based perspective on entry mode selection can add to the International Business and International Entrepreneurship literature. Framing the international market entry as an entrepreneurial process, this paper analyzes the antecedents and consequences of causation and effectuation in the entry mode selection. For the analysis, regression-based techniques were used on a sample of 65 gazelles. The results indicate that experienced entrepreneurs tend to apply effectuation rather than causation, while uncertainty does not have a systematic influence. Entrepreneurs using causation-based international new venture creation processes tend to engage in export-type entry modes, while effectuation-based international new venture creation processes do not predetermine the entry mod

Performance-based social comparisons in humans and long-tailed macaques

Social comparisons are a fundamental feature of human thinking and affect self-evaluations and task performance. Little is known about the evolutionary origins of social comparison processes, however. Previous studies that investigated performance-based social comparisons in nonhuman primates yielded mixed results. We report three experiments that aimed (a) to explore how the task type may contribute to performance in monkeys, and (b) how a competitive set-up affects monkeys compared to humans. In a co-action touchscreen task, monkeys were neither influenced by nor interested in the performance of the partner. This may indicate that the experimental set-up was not sufficiently relevant to trigger social comparisons. In a novel co-action foraging task, monkeys increased their feeding speed in competitive and co-active conditions, but not in relation to the degree of competition. In an analogue of the foraging task, human participants were affected by partner performance and experimental context, indicating that the task is suitable to elicit social comparisons in humans. Our studies indicate that specifics of task and experimental setting are relevant to draw the monkeys’ attention to a co-actor and that, in line with previous research, a competitive element was crucial. We highlight the need to explore what constitutes “relevant” social comparison situations for monkeys as well as nonhuman animals in general, and point out factors that we think are crucial in this respect (e.g. task type, physical closeness, and the species’ ecology). We discuss that early forms of social comparisons evolved in purely competitive environments with increasing social tolerance and cooperative motivations allowing for more fine-grained processing of social information. Competition driven effects on task performance might constitute the foundation for the more elaborate social comparison processes found in humans, which may involve context-dependent information processing and metacognitive monitoring