cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Survival and Metabolic Activity of Listeria monocytogenes on Ready‐to‐Eat Roast Beef Stored at 4 °C

Three brands of commercial roast beef were purchased and artificially inoculated with a 5-strain Listeria monocytogenes cocktail at 2 inoculation levels (approximately 3 and 6 Log CFU/g). Although all 3 brands contained sodium diacetate and sodium lactate, inoculated Listeria cocktail survived for 16 d in all 3 brands; significant increases in L. monocytogenes numbers were seen on inoculated Brand B roast beef on days 12 and 16. Numbers of L. monocytogenes increased to 4.14 Log CFU/g for the 3 Log CFU/g inoculation level and increased to 7.99 Log CFU/g for the 6 Log CFU/g inoculation level by day 16, with the pH values being 5.4 and 5.8 respectively. To measure the cell viability in potential biofilms formed, an Alamar blue assay was conducted. Brand B meat homogenate had the highest metabolic activities (P < 0.05). By comparing its metabolic activities to Brands A and C and the inoculated autoclaved meat homogenates, results indicated that the microflora present in Brand B may be the reason for high metabolic activities. Based on the denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis and the Shannon-Wiener diversity index analysis, the "Brand" factor significantly impacted the diversity index (P = 0.012) and Brand B had the highest microflora diversity (Shannon index 1.636 ± 0.011). Based on this study, results showed that antimicrobials cannot completely inhibit the growth of L. monocytogenes in ready-to-eat roast beef. Native microflora (both diversity and abundance), together with product formula, pH, antimicrobial concentrations, and storage conditions may all impact the survival and growth of L. monocytogenes.
Conclusion: Credits, Constraints and Prospects

We have examined in some depth the catalog of successes and failures which were outlined at the beginning of the book. The subject of this concluding chapter is to identify the principal actors and policies that deserve credit for the success that has been achieved; explore the reasons behind the major blemishes that characterize the performance; and ask what needs to happen to sustain and improve upon the past performance in the future.
Fitness costs of herbicide resistance across natural populations of the common morning glory, Ipomoea purpurea

Although fitness costs associated with plant defensive traits are widely expected, they are not universally detected, calling into question their generality. Here, we examine the potential for life-history trade-offs associated with herbicide resistance by examining seed germination, root growth, and above-ground growth across 43 naturally occurring populations of Ipomoea purpurea that vary in their resistance to RoundUp®, the most commonly used herbicide worldwide. We find evidence for life-history trade-offs associated with all three traits; highly resistant populations had lower germination, shorter roots, and smaller above-ground size. A visual exploration of the data indicated that the type of trade-off may differ among populations. Our results demonstrate that costs of adaptation may be present at stages other than simply the production of progeny in this agricultural weed. Additionally, the cumulative effect of costs at multiple life cycle stages can result in severe consequences to fitness when adapting to novel environments.
Arkansas River Plan

Development of Arkansas River for navigation purposes from Mississippi River to vicinity of Tulsa, Okla; locks and dams must be utilized to obtain navigable depths; large reservoirs now under construction will retain large part of sediment load; entire project, which includes flood control and power generation of 324 Mw is estimated to cost $1,201,000,-000; final plan provides eight dams and locks.
Palladium-Catalyzed Defluorinative Coupling of 1-Aryl-2,2-Difluoroalkenes and Boronic Acids: Stereoselective Synthesis of Monofluorostilbenes

The palladium-catalyzed defluorinative coupling of 1-aryl-2,2-difluoroalkenes with boronic acids is described. Broad functional-group tolerance arises from a redox-neutral process by a palladium(II) active species which is proposed to undergo a β-fluoride elimination to afford the products. The monofluorostilbene products were formed with excellent diastereoselectivity (≥50:1) in all cases, and it is critical, as traditional chromatographic techniques often fail to separate monofluoroalkene isomers. As a demonstration of this method's unique combination of reactivity and functional-group tolerance, a Gleevec® analogue, using a monofluorostilbene as an amide isostere, was synthesized.
Self-Directed Channel Memristor for High Temperature Operation

Abstract Ion-conducting memristors comprised of the layered chalcogenide materials Ge 2 Se 3 /SnSe/Ag are described. The memristor, termed a self-directed channel (SDC) device, can be classified as a generic memristor and can tolerate continuous high temperature operation (at least 150 °C). Unlike other chalcogenide-based ion conducting device types, the SDC device does not require complicated fabrication steps, such as photodoping or thermal annealing, making these devices faster and more reliable to fabricate. Device pulsed response shows fast state switching in the 10 −9 s range. Device cycling at both room temperature and 140 °C show write endurance of at least 1 billion.
Body covers as digital display: a new material for expressions of body & self

Within the domain of wearables, our paper explores opportunities for self-expression, learning about the body, and interactions with others that are enabled through the physical and interactive properties of a new kind of digital display. Recent advances in the manufacturing of thin, bendable electronics and a novel architecture for arranging pixels permit the fabrication of a 'display material' that challenges conventional perceptions of this medium. Envisioning digital displays as a material means that their design is no longer limited to rectangular screens, but can be scaled in size; cut, folded or molded; or combined with other materials and devices to create compelling interactions. In this paper, we explore some of this potential in the context of configuring body-worn items such as clothing. As a more concrete use example, we further present and discuss some initial ideas for aesthetic, expressive and functional configurations of body casts as a specific kind of body cover.
Nickel-Catalyzed Borylation of Benzylic Ammonium Salts: Stereospecific Synthesis of Enantioenriched Benzylic Boronates.

We have developed a stereospecific, nickel-catalyzed cross-coupling of secondary benzylic ammonium salts and diboronate esters to deliver highly enantioenriched benzylic boronates. This reaction utilizes amine-derived electrophiles, which are readily available in high enantiopurity, and simple, inexpensive nickel catalysts. This reaction has broad scope, enabling synthesis of a variety of secondary benzylic boronates in good yields and excellent ee’s.
Cavitation of water by volume-controlled stretching

Abstract A liquid subjected to negative pressure is thermodynamically metastable. Confined within a small volume, negative pressure can build up until cavities form spontaneously. The critical negative pressure for cavitation in water has been theoretically predicted to be in the range of −100 to −200 MPa at room temperature, whereas values around −30 MPa have been obtained by many experiments. The discrepancy has yet to be resolved. In this study we perform molecular dynamics simulations to study cavitation of water under volume controlled stretching. It is found that liquid water exhibits a nonlinear elastic compressibility (or stretchability) under hydrostatic tension and remains stable within the confined volume until spontaneous cavitation occurs at a critical strain. Subsequently, as the volume-controlled stretching continues, the cavity grows stably and the hydrostatic tension decreases continuously until the box volume is large enough for another transition to form a water droplet. A modified nucleation theory is proposed to predict the critical condition for cavitation. In particular, a strong dependence of the critical strain and stress for cavitation on the initial liquid volume is predicted by the modified nucleation theory, which may offer a possible explanation for the discrepancies in the values of the critical negative pressure obtained from experiments.
A Thousand Fly Genomes: An Expanded Drosophila Genome Nexus

The Drosophila Genome Nexus is a population genomic resource that provides D. melanogaster genomes from multiple sources. To facilitate comparisons across data sets, genomes are aligned using a common reference alignment pipeline which involves two rounds of mapping. Regions of residual heterozygosity, identity-by-descent, and recent population admixture are annotated to enable data filtering based on the user's needs. Here, we present a significant expansion of the Drosophila Genome Nexus, which brings the current data object to a total of 1,121 wild-derived genomes. New additions include 305 previously unpublished genomes from inbred lines representing six population samples in Egypt, Ethiopia, France, and South Africa, along with another 193 genomes added from recently-published data sets. We also provide an aligned D. simulans genome to facilitate divergence comparisons. This improved resource will broaden the range of population genomic questions that can addressed from multi-population allele frequencies and haplotypes in this model species. The larger set of genomes will also enhance the discovery of functionally relevant natural variation that exists within and between populations.
Genetic diseases resulting from disordered FGF23/klotho biology.

• XLH, ADHR, ARHR, and tumor induced osteomalacia result in elevated FGF23 concentrations, causing hypophosphatemia.
Thinking about Smart Cities: The Travels of a Policy Idea that Promises a Great Deal, but So Far Has Delivered Modest Results

This communication explores the unique challenge of contemporary urban problems and the technologies that vendors have to solve them. An acknowledged gap exists between widely referenced technologies that city managers utilize to optimize scheduled operations and those that reflect the capability of spontaneity in search of nuance–laden solutions to problems related to the reflexivity of entire systems. With regulation, the first issue type succumbs to rehearsed preparation whereas the second hinges on extemporaneous practice. One is susceptible to ready-made technology applications while the other requires systemic deconstruction and solution-seeking redesign. Research suggests that smart city vendors are expertly configured to address the former, but less adept at and even ill-configured to react to and address the latter. Departures from status quo responses to systemic problems depend on formalizing metrics that enable city monitoring and data collection to assess “smart investments”, regardless of the size of the intervention, and to anticipate the need for designs that preserve the individuality of urban settings as they undergo the transformation to become “smart”.
Waveform Preconditioning for Clutter Rejection in Multipath for Sparse Distributed Apertures

The idea of preconditioning transmit waveforms for optimal clutter rejection in radar imaging is presented. Waveform preconditioning involves determining a map on the space of transmit waveforms, and then applying this map to the waveforms before transmission. The work applies to systems with an arbitrary number of transmit- and receive-antenna elements, and makes no assumptions about the elements being co-located. Waveform preconditioning for clutter rejection achieves efficient use of power and computational resources by distributing power over a frequency band in an effective way and by eliminating clutter filtering in receive processing.
OSTEOLYSIS IN THE WELL FIXED SOCKET: CUP RETENTION OR REPLACEMENT

Reoperation on the acetabular side of the total hip arthroplasty construct because of acetabular liner wear with or without extensive osteolysis is the most common reoperation performed in revision hip surgery today. The options of revision of the component or component retention, liner exchange (cemented or direct reinsertion) and bone grafting represent a classic surgeon dilemma of choices and compromises. CT scanning is helpful in determining the size and location of osteolytic lesions. My preference is to retain the existing shell when possible especially when there are large osteolytic lesions but where structural support is maintained. The advantages of complete revision are easy access to lytic lesions, ability to change component position and the ability to use contemporary designs with optimal bearing surfaces (for wear and dislocation prevention). The disadvantage is bone disruption including pelvic discontinuity with component removal (less so with Explant Systems) and difficult reconstructions due to excessive bone loss from the osteolytic defects (sometimes requiring cup cages). The advantage of component retention is that structural integrity of the pelvis is maintained and in general, a higher quality polyethylene is utilised. For large lesions I use windows to debride and bone graft the lesions. If the locking mechanism is inadequate, cementing a liner, including a constrained liner in some cases, that has been scored in a spider web configuration provides durable results at 5-year follow-up. The downside to liner exchange is potential instability. We immobilise all liner exchange patients postoperatively.
A modeling approach for simulating MIMO systems with near-field effects

A hybrid method of modeling MIMO systems is presented through the combined use of full-wave electromagnetic (EM) simulations and statistical channel models. This approach consists of simulating each antenna in the antenna array to compute its embedded element pattern including all of the near-field electromagnetic and coupling effects. These embedded patterns are then uploaded into the measurement-based statistical spatial channel model (SCM) to study the link-level performance of the MIMO system. The equivalence between the coupling matrix of an antenna array and the embedded element pattern of each antenna is theoretically derived and verified. We compute the channel matrix in two approaches. First, either the theoretically calculated or the simulated embedded radiation patterns are used with SCM to compute the channel matrix. Second, the coupling matrix is used with the default SCM algorithm to compute the channel matrix. Then, the MIMO system capacity is computed and compared. The results show very good agreement between the two approaches. Our approach is general as it includes the detailed near-field EM effects such as the effects of the case and the user on the handset MIMO system.
Developing innovative ideas from citizens: A transactive memory perspective

Citizens can be considered as an important source of knowledge for innovating in open contexts, collaborating with initiatives for developing solutions to urban issues, in order to get improvements addressed to a collective well-being.
A proton simulator for testing implementations of proton CT reconstruction algorithms on GPGPU clusters

Proton computed tomography (pCT) is an image modality that will improve treatment planning for patients receiving proton radiation therapy compared with the current treatment techniques, which are based on X-ray CT. Reconstruction of a pCT image requires solving a large and sparse system of linear equations, which should be accomplished within a few minutes in order to be clinically practical. Analyzing the efficiency of potentially clinical reconstruction implementations requires multiple quality pCT data sets. The purpose of this paper is to describe the simulator that was developed to generate realistic pCT data sets to be used in testing the efficiency of reconstruction algorithms, in particular string-averaging and block-iterative projection algorithms using sparse matrix formats on General Purpose Graphics Processing Units (GPGPU)s.
Derivatives Valuation Based on Arbitrage: The Trade is Crucial

Derivatives valuation has strong theoretical support because models are derived from the principle that arbitrage between the derivative and its underlying will eliminate riskless profits and drive the market price to the model value. “No-arbitrage” is invoked routinely whenever a new pricing model is developed. But real world market prices are determined by trades, not by theories. In this talk, I discuss how different the arbitrage trade is for different markets and different models and I review articles from the literature that illustrate how limits to the arbitrage trade have affected the way derivatives theory gets into prices in practice. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Jrl Fut Mark
Hydromagnetic Motions in the Magnetosphere

Following a brief specification and historical review of hydromagnetic motions in the magnetosphere, the principles of the governing and limiting processes are surveyed. A formal proof of the well-known hydromagnetic theorem is included, and its interpretation in terms of ‘frozen fields’ is discussed. Some consequences of its application to the magnetosphere are then described, and the value of equipotentials as a means of illuminating the discussion is established. Departures from the hydromagnetic approximation are then evaluated, and their resultant currents described. The general principles find application in a number of processes: rotation, high-latitude circulation in quiet and disturbed conditions, more widespread convection under continuous dynamo action, and irregular motion both of an unstable and of a forced type. All these are reviewed, and one emergent point is emphasized: that direct evidence for the hydromagnetic motions is lacking, but that it can and should be sought.
Evaluation of Neon Focused Ion Beam Milling for TEM Sample Preparation

Gallium-based focused ion beams generated from liquid-metal sources are widely used in micromachining and sample preparation for transmission electron microscopy, with well-known drawbacks such as sample damage and contamination. In this work, an alternative (neon) focused ion beam generated by a gas field-ionization source is evaluated for the preparation of electron-transparent specimens. To do so, electron-transparent sections of Si and an Al alloy are prepared with both Ga and Ne ion beams for direct comparison. Diffraction-contrast imaging and energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy are used to evaluate the relative damage induced by the two beams, and cross-sections of milled trenches are examined to compare the implantation depth with theoretical predictions from Monte Carlo simulations. Our results show that for the beam voltages and materials systems investigated, Ne ion beam milling does not significantly reduce the focused ion beam induced artefacts. However, the Ne ion beam does enable more precise milling and may be of interest in cases where Ga contamination cannot be tolerated.
Use of combined hormonal contraceptives among women with migraines and risk of ischemic stroke.

Background Migraine with aura and combined hormonal contraceptives are independently associated with an increased risk of ischemic stroke. However, little is known about whether there are any joint effects of migraine and hormonal contraceptives on risk of stroke. Objective We sought to estimate the incidence of stroke in women of reproductive age and examine the association among combined hormonal contraceptive use, migraine type (with or without aura), and ischemic stroke. Study Design This study used a nationwide health care claims database and employed a nested case-control study design. Females ages 15-49 years with first-ever stroke during 2006 through 2012 were identified using the International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification inpatient services diagnosis codes. Four controls were matched to each case based on age. Migraine headache with and without aura was identified using inpatient or outpatient diagnosis codes. Current combined hormonal contraceptive use was identified using the National Drug Code from the pharmacy database. Conditional logistic regression was used to estimate adjusted odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals of ischemic stroke by migraine type and combined hormonal contraceptive use. Results From 2006 through 2012, there were 25,887 ischemic strokes among females ages 15-49 years, for a cumulative incidence of 11 strokes/100,000 females. Compared to those with neither migraine nor combined hormonal contraceptive use, the odds ratio of ischemic stroke was highest among those with migraine with aura using combined hormonal contraceptives (odds ratio, 6.1; 95% confidence interval, 3.1–12.1); odds ratios were also elevated for migraine with aura without combined hormonal contraceptive use (odds ratio, 2.7; 95% confidence interval, 1.9–3.7), migraine without aura and combined hormonal contraceptive use (odds ratio, 1.8; 95% confidence interval, 1.1–2.9), and migraine without aura without combined hormonal contraceptive use (odds ratio, 2.2; 95% confidence interval, 1.9–2.7). Conclusion The joint effect of combined hormonal contraceptives and migraine with aura was associated with a 6-fold increased risk of ischemic stroke compared with neither risk factor. Use of combined hormonal contraceptives did not substantially further increase risk of ischemic stroke among women with migraine without aura. Determining migraine type is critical in assessing safety of combined hormonal contraceptives among women with migraine.
Constraining the Stellar Populations and Star Formation Histories of Blue Compact Dwarf Galaxies with SED Fits

We discuss and test possible evolutionary connections between Blue Compact Dwarf galaxies (BCDs) and other types of dwarf galaxies. BCDs provide ideal laboratories to study intense star formation episodes in low mass dwarf galaxies, and have sometimes been considered a short-lived evolutionary stage between types of dwarf galaxies. To test these connections, we consider a sample of BCDs as well as a comparison sample of nearby galaxies from the Local Volume Legacy (LVL) survey for context. We fit the multi-wavelength spectral energy distributions (SED, far-ultra-violet to far-infrared) of each galaxy with a grid of theoretical models to determine their stellar masses and star formation properties. We compare our results for BCDs with the LVL galaxies to put BCDs in the context of normal galaxy evolution. The SED fits demonstrate that the star formation events currently underway in BCDs are at the extreme of the continuum of normal dwarf galaxies, both in terms of the relative mass involved and in the relative increase over previous star formation rates. Today's BCDs are distinctive objects in a state of extreme star formation which is rapidly transforming them. This study also suggests ways to identify former BCDs whose star formation episodes have since faded.
Laboratory Studies of the Cloud Droplet Activation Properties and Corresponding Chemistry of Saline Playa Dust

Playas emit large quantities of dust that can facilitate the activation of cloud droplets. Despite the potential importance of playa dusts for cloud formation, most climate models assume that all dust is nonhygroscopic; however, measurements are needed to clarify the role of dusts in aerosol-cloud interactions. Here, we report measurements of CCN activation from playa dusts and parameterize these results in terms of both κ-Kohler theory and adsorption activation theory for inclusion in atmospheric models. κ ranged from 0.002 ± 0.001 to 0.818 ± 0.094, whereas Frankel-Halsey-Hill (FHH) adsorption parameters of AFHH = 2.20 ± 0.60 and BFHH = 1.24 ± 0.14 described the water uptake properties of the dusts. Measurements made using aerosol time-of-flight mass spectrometry (ATOFMS) revealed the presence of halite, sodium sulfates, and sodium carbonates that were strongly correlated with κ underscoring the role that mineralogy, including salts, plays in water uptake by dust. Predictions of κ made using bulk chemica...
Scalability of conventional tube hydroforming processes from macro to micro/meso:

Due to the increasing demand for small, complex parts, researchers are putting a great deal of effort into applying the metal forming process to the micro and meso world. However, the tube hydrofor...
The rise of the ethical license.

The Broad Institute's recent licensing of its gene editing patent portfolio demonstrates how licenses can be used to restrict controversial applications of emerging technologies while society deliberates their implications.
Capitalism, Antitrust, and Democracy: Perfect Partners or Strange Bedfellows?

The articles included in this symposium examine the interesting relationships that capitalism, democracy, and antitrust share with each other. These articles examine how antitrust laws and practices evolved in response to capitalistic pressures and democratic demands in some parts of the world. They also explore the impact that antitrust laws and regulations exert on capitalism and democracy. To better assist in examining the connections and conflicts of antitrust laws with the philosophies and practices of capitalism and democracy, we structured this symposium in a manner that facilitates a deliberative and dialectical analysis of these relationships. Each article is followed by a commentary article that engages with the main article to offer both supportive and critical evaluations. The author of the main article then provides a formal response to the commentary article. This symposium is, therefore, organized as a series of ‘‘scholarly exchanges’’ among the contributing authors. This introduction engages only with the round of arguments made in the main and commentary articles and leaves out the rejoinders and clarifications contained in the responses. Interested readers are encouraged to read the responses provided by authors of the main articles to the arguments raised in the commentary articles.
Modeling Driver Behavior in a Connected Environment: Integrated Microscopic Simulation of Traffic and Mobile Wireless Telecommunication Systems:

Connected and autonomous vehicles will influence the future of the surface transportation system by enhancing safety, improving mobility, reducing energy consumption, and controlling emissions. The real-time information provided by connected vehicles technology allows drivers to become more aware of the surrounding traffic conditions and to maneuver safely and more efficiently. Furthermore, when coupled with onboard sensing technologies, the connected vehicles technology can improve the efficiency and the reliability of a driverless transportation network. This paper presents a comprehensive simulation framework to model driver behavior in a connected driving environment with connected vehicles. The framework, which consists of a microscopic traffic simulator integrated with a discrete-event communications network simulator, Network Simulator 3, forms a basis for exploration of the properties of the resulting traffic systems and assessment of the system-level impacts of these technologies. Furthermore, th...
IMPACTS OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY ON PERSONAL TRAVEL AND COMMERCIAL VEHICLE OPERATIONS: RESEARCH CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES

Travel, like many other aspects of daily life is being transformed by the information technology (IT) revolution. Accessibility can no longer be measured only in terms of travel time, distance or generalized travel cost. IT gives people virtual accessibility to a rapidly growing range of activities. E-commerce has become a catalyst for structural changes in the freight transportation industry and is changing where freight moves, the size of typical shipments and the time within which goods must be delivered. In this paper, we explore some of the potential effects of IT on transportation, both personal and freight.
Investments and Risk Transfers

ABSTRACT: We demonstrate a novel link between relationship-specific investments and risk in a setting where division managers operate under moral hazard and collaborate on joint projects. Specific investments increase efficiency at the margin. This expands the scale of operations and thereby adds to the compensation risk borne by the managers. Accounting for this investment/risk link overturns key findings from prior incomplete contracting studies. We find that if the investing manager has full bargaining power vis-a-vis the other manager, he will underinvest relative to the benchmark of contractible investments; with equal bargaining power, however, he may overinvest. The reason is that the investing manager internalizes only his own share of the investment-induced risk premium (we label this a “risk transfer”), whereas the principal internalizes both managers' incremental risk premia. We show that high pay-performance sensitivity (PPS) reduces the managers' incentives to invest in relationship-specific ...
The Effect of Electrolyte Composition on Lithium Plating During Low Temperature Charging of Li-Ion Cells

A number of additives have been investigated for their effect on the charge characteristics of cells containing low temperature, high ester content electrolytes (1.0 M LiPF6 in ethylene carbonate (EC), ethyl methyl carbonate (EMC), methyl propionate (MP) 20:20:60 vol% + additive). These experimental three-electrode cells are composed of graphite anodes, LiNiCoAlO2 cathodes, and a lithium metal reference electrode. Cells were first characterized at various temperatures by performing Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS), linear micropolarization and Tafel polarization measurement to determine the kinetic parameters for the anodes and cathodes. Following characterization, the cells were subjected to charging at decreasing temperatures using C/5 rates to 4.10V, with a constant potential C/50 taper. Analysis of the C/20 discharge following the charge at low temperature revealed either the presence or absence of a high voltage plateau during the initial stages of the discharge. This plateau has been linked to lithium metal on the anode and was used as a measure for the extent of lithium plating. Differential analysis (dV/dQ) was applied clearly visualize the position of the high voltage plateau and use the peak position (x-axis) in the dV/dQ plot as a gauge for the amount of plating which took place in the cell. Most additives investigated increased the anode resistance and decreased the cathode resistance, thereby leading to increased plating at low temperature. One additive, LiFSI, was found to be beneficial during low temperature charging, however studies of electrode kinetics from the cell containing LiFSI did not reveal significant improvements compared to the baseline.
Safe certificate-based maneuvers for teams of quadrotors using differential flatness

Safety Barrier Certificates that ensure collision-free maneuvers for teams of differential flatness-based quadrotors are presented in this paper. Synthesized with control barrier functions, the certificates are used to modify the nominal trajectory in a minimally invasive way to avoid collisions. The proposed collision avoidance strategy complements existing flight control and planning algorithms by providing trajectory modifications with provable safety guarantees. The effectiveness of this strategy is supported both by the theoretical results and experimental validation on a team of five quadrotors.
2D-FDFD with integrated via model for accurate simulation of PCBs and packages

This paper proposes a novel approach to directly integrate equivalent circuit models of vias in a 2D finite-differences frequency-domain method for the simulation of PCB and package structures. The via model serves two main purposes. First, it improves the accuracy of simulation results by modeling the modification of the local electric field in the vicinity of the via barrel. Second, it provides the coupling between different cavities, thus allowing to represent and solve a multilayer structure in a single 2D-FDFD system. In comparison to a related approach recently suggested in the literature, the procedure in this paper has two main advantages: First, it allows taking into account via barrel-to-plane capacitances at the proper positions in the equivalent circuit model, thus providing modeling accuracy. Second, its application to arbitrary numbers of cavities is straightforward. Both points are demonstrated with examples, showing good agreement to full-wave results up to 25 GHz.
Determining hybrid content of heavy quarkonia using lattice nonrelativistic QCD

Using lowest-order lattice NRQCD to create heavy meson propagators and applying the spin-dependent interaction, cB(−g/2mqσ · B, at varying intermediate time slices, we compute the off-diagonal matrix element of the Hamiltonian for the quarkonium-hybrid two-state system. Diagonalizing this two-state Hamiltonian, the admixture of hybrid (|QQg〉) in the ground state is found. We present results from a set of quenched lattices with an interpolation in quark mass to match the bottomonium spectrum.
Reply to “Comments on ‘On the Choice of Average Solar Zenith Angle’’’

AbstractThe solar zenith angle controls local insolation and also affects the partitioning of insolation into planetary reflection, atmospheric absorption, and surface absorption. Because of this role of the solar zenith angle in modulating albedo, Cronin and others have proposed that insolation weighting should be used to determine the solar zenith angle when a single-angle calculation is used to represent a spatial or temporal average of solar fluxes. A comment by Li claims instead that daytime weighting is optimal, and that insolation weighting leads to serious errors, but this claim is based on a severe misinterpretation of the method proposed by Cronin. With any method of zenith angle averaging, both the solar constant and the zenith angle are free parameters, but their product—the mean insolation—must be held constant. Li fails to hold insolation constant when comparing different methods of zenith angle averaging and, thus, obtains large but spurious “errors.” This paper attempts to clarify the meth...
Nucleon electromagnetic form factors

There has been much activity in the measurement of the elastic electromagnetic proton and neutron form factors in the last decade, and the quality of the data has greatly improved by performing double polarization experiments, in comparison with previous unpolarized data. Here we review the experimental data base in view of the new results for the proton, and neutron, obtained at JLab, MAMI, and MIT-Bates. The rapid evolution of phenomenological models triggered by these high-precision experiments will be discussed, including the recent progress in the determination of the valence quark generalized parton distributions of the nucleon, as well as the steady rate of improvements made in the lattice QCD calculations.
Multiplicities associated to graded families of ideals

We prove that limits of multiplicities associated to graded families of ideals exist under very general conditions. Most of our results hold for analytically unramified equicharacteristic local rings, with perfect residue fields. We give a number of applications, including a "volume = multiplicity" formula, generalizing the formula of Lazarsfeld and Mustata, and a proof that the epsilon multiplicity of Ulrich and Validashti exists as a limit for ideals in rather general rings, including analytic local domains. We also prove an asymptotic "additivity formula" for limits of multiplicities, and a formula on limiting growth of valuations, which answers a question posed by the author, Kia Dalili and Olga Kashcheyeva. Our proofs are inspired by a philosophy of Okounkov, for computing limits of multiplicities as the volume of a slice of an appropriate cone generated by a semigroup determined by an appropriate filtration on a family of algebraic objects.
A Survey of Total Positivity

This paper contains an exposition of the classical work of Schoenberg and Gantmacher, Krein on the theory of totally positive matrices. It also contains a generalization of this theory to the Lie theoretic context and an application to the recent results of Fock and Goncharov on Teichmuller theory.
Microscopic derivation of particle-based coarse-grained dynamics: Exact expression for memory function

We consider the generalized Langevin equations of motion describing exactly the particle-based coarse-grained dynamics in the classical microscopic ensemble that were derived recently within the Mori-Zwanzig formalism based on new projection operators [S. Izvekov, J. Chem. Phys. 138(13), 134106 (2013)]. The fundamental difference between the new family of projection operators and the standard Zwanzig projection operator used in the past to derive the coarse-grained equations of motion is that the new operators average out the explicit irrelevant trajectories leading to the possibility of solving the projected dynamics exactly. We clarify the definition of the projection operators and revisit the formalism to compute the projected dynamics exactly for the microscopic system in equilibrium. The resulting expression for the projected force is in the form of a “generalized additive fluctuating force” describing the departure of the generalized microscopic force associated with the coarse-grained coordinate fr...
Triangulum II. Not Especially Dense After All

Among the Milky Way satellites discovered in the past three years, Triangulum II has presented the most difficulty in revealing its dynamical status. Kirby et al. identified it as the most dark-matter-dominated galaxy known, with a mass-to-light ratio within the half-light radius of 3600_(-2100)^(+3500)M_☉L_☉^(-1). On the other hand, Martin et al. measured an outer velocity dispersion that is 3.5 ± 2.1 times larger than the central velocity dispersion, suggesting that the system might not be in equilibrium. From new multi-epoch Keck/DEIMOS measurements of 13 member stars in Triangulum II, we constrain the velocity dispersion to be σ_v < 3.4 km s^(−1) (90% C.L.). Our previous measurement of σ_v, based on six stars, was inflated by the presence of a binary star with variable radial velocity. We find no evidence that the velocity dispersion increases with radius. The stars display a wide range of metallicities, indicating that Triangulum II retained supernova ejecta and therefore possesses, or once possessed, a massive dark matter halo. However, the detection of a metallicity dispersion hinges on the membership of the two most metal-rich stars. The stellar mass is lower than galaxies of similar mean stellar metallicity, which might indicate that Triangulum II is either a star cluster or a tidally stripped dwarf galaxy. Detailed abundances of one star show heavily depressed neutron-capture abundances, similar to stars in most other ultra-faint dwarf galaxies but unlike stars in globular clusters.
Design And Characterization Of A 7.2 KW Solar Simulator

A 7.2 kW radiative solar simulator was designed in order to perform accelerated testing on absorber materials for concentrating solar power (CSP) technologies. Computer-aided design (CAD) software integrating a ray-tracing tool was used to select appropriate components and optimize their positioning in order to achieve the desired concentration. The simulator comprises four identical units, each made out of an ellipsoidal reflector, a metal halide lamp and an adjustable holding system. A single unit was characterized and shows an experimental average irradiance of 257 kW m−2 on a 25.4 mm (1 inch) diameter spot. Shape, spot size and average irradiance are in good agreement with the model predictions. The innovative four-lamp solar simulator potentially demonstrates peak irradiance of 1140 kW m−2 and average irradiance of 878 kW m−2 over a 25.4 mm diameter spot. The costs per radiative and electric watt are calculated at $2.31 W−1 and $1.99 W−1, respectively.Copyright © 2015 by ASME
EX2: Exploration with Exemplar Models for Deep Reinforcement Learning

Deep reinforcement learning algorithms have been shown to learn complex tasks using highly general policy classes. However, sparse reward problems remain a significant challenge. Exploration methods based on novelty detection have been particularly successful in such settings but typically require generative or predictive models of the observations, which can be difficult to train when the observations are very high-dimensional and complex, as in the case of raw images. We propose a novelty detection algorithm for exploration that is based entirely on discriminatively trained exemplar models, where classifiers are trained to discriminate each visited state against all others. Intuitively, novel states are easier to distinguish against other states seen during training. We show that this kind of discriminative modeling corresponds to implicit density estimation, and that it can be combined with count-based exploration to produce competitive results on a range of popular benchmark tasks, including state-of-the-art results on challenging egocentric observations in the vizDoom benchmark.
Perceptions and Resilience in Underrepresented Students' Pathways to College

Background/ContextSchools have attempted to address stratification in black and Latino students’ access to higher education through extensive reform initiatives, including those focused on social s...
Cu/Ag EAM potential optimized for heteroepitaxial diffusion from ab initio data

Abstract A binary embedded-atom method (EAM) potential is optimized for Cu on Ag(1 1 1) by fitting to ab initio data. The fitting database consists of DFT calculations of Cu monomers and dimers on Ag(1 1 1), specifically their relative energies, adatom heights, and dimer separations. We start from the Mishin Cu–Ag EAM potential and first modify the Cu–Ag pair potential to match the FCC/HCP site energy difference then include Cu–Cu pair potential optimization for the entire database. The potential generated from this optimization method gives better agreement to DFT calculations of Cu monomers, dimers, and trimers than previous EAMs as well as a SEAM optimized potential. In trimer calculations, the optimized potential produces the DFT relative energy between FCC and HCP trimers, though a different ground state is predicted. We use the optimized potential to calculate diffusion barriers for Cu monomers, dimers, and trimers. The predicted monomer barrier is the same as DFT, while experimental barriers for monomers and dimers are lower than predicted here. We attribute the difference with experiment to the overestimation of surface adsorption energies by DFT and a simple correction is presented. Our results show that this optimization method is suitable for other heteroepitaxial systems; and that the optimized Cu–Ag EAM can be applied in the study of larger Cu islands on Ag(1 1 1).
Wireless health monitoring using passive WiFi sensing

This paper presents a two-dimensional phase extraction system using passive WiFi sensing to monitor three basic elderly care activities including breathing rate, essential tremor and falls. Specifically, a WiFi signal is acquired through two channels where the first channel is the reference one, whereas the other signal is acquired by a passive receiver after reflection from the human target. Using signal processing of cross-ambiguity function, various features in the signal are extracted. The entire implementations are performed using software defined radios having directional antennas. We report the accuracy of our system in different conditions and environments and show that breathing rate can be measured with an accuracy of 87% in the absence of obstacles. We also show a 98% accuracy in detecting falls and 93% accuracy in classifying tremor. The results indicate that passive WiFi systems show great promise in replacing typical invasive health devices as standard tools for health care.
Obesity and kidney disease: Hidden consequences of the epidemic

Abstract Obesity has become a worldwide epidemic, and its prevalence has been projected to grow by 40% in the next decade. This increasing prevalence has implications for the risk of diabetes, cardiovascular disease and also for Chronic Kidney Disease. A high body mass index is one of the strongest risk factors for new-onset Chronic Kidney Disease. In individuals affected by obesity, a compensatory hyperfiltration occurs to meet the heightened metabolic demands of the increased body weight. The increase in intraglomerular pressure can damage the kidneys and raise the risk of developing Chronic Kidney Disease in the long-term. The incidence of obesity-related glomerulopathy has increased tenfold in recent years. Obesity has also been shown to be a risk factor for nephrolithiasis, and for a number of malignancies including kidney cancer. This year the World Kidney Day promotes education on the harmful consequences of obesity and its association with kidney disease, advocating healthy lifestyle and health policy measures that makes preventive behaviors an affordable option.
No general relationship between mass and temperature in endothermic species

Scientists have found that individual animals of the same species tend to be smaller in hotter environments and larger in cooler ones. They named this pattern “Bergmann’s Rule” to describe how temperature can influence the size of an animal. However, most studies of Bergmann’s Rule have only looked at one or a few species at a time. Knowing how many species follow this rule is important because globally rising temperatures could cause lots of species to become smaller. Since the size of organisms affects how much food and space they need, this could disrupt natural systems around the world. To test if Bergmann’s rule can be extended to many species, Riemer, Guralnick, and White assessed the relationship between temperature and body mass for 952 bird and mammal species. Contrary to Bergmann’s Rule, the results showed that most of the species had similar sizes regardless of the temperature of their environment. Only about 140 species were smaller in hotter environments, and about 70 species were larger in hotter environments. This suggest that Bergmann’s Rule does not apply to most species as expected. While most birds and mammals may not get bigger or smaller due to warming global temperatures, the few species that do change in size – and the species that interact with them – may be more likely to become endangered or extinct. If we can determine which animals are at risk, we can prioritize their conservation and design better plans for doing so. Losing even a single species disrupts our ecosystems, on which we rely for critical resources like food, building materials, and clean air.
Analyzing Two-Stage Experiments in the Presence of Interference

ABSTRACTTwo-stage randomization is a powerful design for estimating treatment effects in the presence of interference; that is, when one individual’s treatment assignment affects another individual’s outcomes. Our motivating example is a two-stage randomized trial evaluating an intervention to reduce student absenteeism in the School District of Philadelphia. In that experiment, households with multiple students were first assigned to treatment or control; then, in treated households, one student was randomly assigned to treatment. Using this example, we highlight key considerations for analyzing two-stage experiments in practice. Our first contribution is to address additional complexities that arise when household sizes vary; in this case, researchers must decide between assigning equal weight to households or equal weight to individuals. We propose unbiased estimators for a broad class of individual- and household-weighted estimands, with corresponding theoretical and estimated variances. Our second co...