cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
DNA Damage Responses and Oxidative Stress in Dyskeratosis Congenita

Dyskeratosis congenita (DC) is an inherited multisystem disorder of premature aging, cancer predisposition, and bone marrow failure caused by selective exhaustion of highly proliferative cell pools. DC patients also have a poor tolerance to chemo/radiotherapy and bone marrow transplantation. Although critically shortened telomeres and defective telomere maintenance contribute to DC pathology, other mechanisms likely exist. We investigate the link between telomere dysfunction and oxidative and DNA damage response pathways and assess the effects of antioxidants. In vitro studies employed T lymphocytes from DC subjects with a hTERC mutation and age-matched controls. Cells were treated with cytotoxic agents, including Paclitaxel, Etoposide, or ionizing radiation. Apoptosis and reactive oxygen species (ROS) were assessed by flow cytometry, and Western blotting was used to measure expression of DNA damage response (DDR) proteins, including total p53, p53S15, and p21(WAF). N-acetyl-cysteine (NAC), an antioxidant, was used to modulate cell growth and ROS. In stimulated culture, DC lymphocytes displayed a stressed phenotype, characterized by elevated levels of ROS, DDR and apoptotic markers as well as a proliferative defect that was more pronounced after exposure to cytotoxic agents. NAC partially ameliorated the growth disadvantage of DC cells and decreased radiation-induced apoptosis and oxidative stress. These findings suggest that oxidative stress may play a role in the pathogenesis of DC and that pharmacologic intervention to correct this pro-oxidant imbalance may prove useful in the clinical setting, potentially alleviating untoward toxicities associated with current cytotoxic treatments.
Radiation-enhanced dissociation of hydrogen in nuclear rockets

The effect of radiation-induced dissociation of hydrogen gas in nuclear rockets is studied. The dissociation degree is obtained by solving rate equations, which include the fast-ion induced dissociation and ionization of atomic and molecular hydrogens. Analytical formulas are used to estimate a change in the viscosity and the specific impulse. It was found that the fast-ion induced dissociation plays an important role in enhancing the specific impulse for nuclear rocket concepts using hydrogen gas at low pressures (less than 0.1 MPa) and low temperatures (less than 3000 K). It is also shown that the specific impulse is enhanced by mixing helium-3, lithium-6, boron-10, or uranium-235 with hydrogen.
Robust principal component analysis

This article is about a curious phenomenon. Suppose we have a data matrix, which is the superposition of a low-rank component and a sparse component. Can we recover each component individuallyq We prove that under some suitable assumptions, it is possible to recover both the low-rank and the sparse components exactly by solving a very convenient convex program called Principal Component Pursuit; among all feasible decompositions, simply minimize a weighted combination of the nuclear norm and of the e1 norm. This suggests the possibility of a principled approach to robust principal component analysis since our methodology and results assert that one can recover the principal components of a data matrix even though a positive fraction of its entries are arbitrarily corrupted. This extends to the situation where a fraction of the entries are missing as well. We discuss an algorithm for solving this optimization problem, and present applications in the area of video surveillance, where our methodology allows for the detection of objects in a cluttered background, and in the area of face recognition, where it offers a principled way of removing shadows and specularities in images of faces.
Evolution of a Communication Code in Cooperative Tasks

Communication through vocalizations is used by spotted hyenas and chimpanzees for coordination during hunting and for raising alarm calls in defense (Bullinger et al., 2011; Holekamp et al., 2007). Vocal signals are omni-directional and are therefore more effective than visual communication in these situations. In cooperative tasks, agents use these signals to pro-actively exchange information for common good. A simulated predator-prey domain is considered in this paper - where multiple predator agents exchange real valued messages as an approximation of vocalization in nature. In artificial intelligence, the problem of coordination among multiple predator agents during prey capture is hard because of the non-Markovian environment (Panait and Luke, 2005). Experiments are carried out in this paper to show how information exchange through messaging can make the environment less non-Markovian and improve predator team performance during cooperative hunt. The values of these messages are analyzed to study the emergence of a common communication code among the predator agents. The results in this paper also provide an insight into the constraints under which language evolves in nature.
Labor Matching Behavior in Open Economies and Trade Adjustment

This paper develops a model of costly trade and team production to examine the matching behavior of skilled workers in an open economy. Trade liberalization leads to a redistribution of rents across firms that differ in export status. When heterogeneous workers can bargain effectively and capture these rents, trade liberalization changes the supply of skilled production teams available for hire. Trade is shown to rationalize the matching behavior of workers, causing skill-upgrading within firms and infra-marginal improvements to firm-level productivity. Gains in productivity via skill-upgrading are distinct, and complementary, to the gains realized as low productivity firms exit and high productivity firms expand. All firms experience changes in skill composition, rather than just those on the margin of exit or exporting. Openness benefits those employed at exporting firms, however the likelihood of benefiting from trade is not necessarily increasing in skill. Wages in the open economy are tied to both worker skill and job type.
Efficient Asymmetric Synthesis of (+)-SCH 351448

An efficient and stereocontrolled total synthesis of (+)-SCH 351448, a novel activator of low-density lipoprotein receptor promoter, has been achieved with a longest linear sequence of 21 steps. Key steps include applications of the recently developed asymmetric allyl- and crotylsilane reagents and a new protodesilylative version of the tandem silylformylation/allylsilylation reaction, which provides an efficient synthesis of 1,5-syn-diols.
Nanoscale encapsulation of molybdenum carbide in carbon clusters

Formation of rounded forms of carbon offers a unique opportunity to study the properties of materials constrained in nanoscale environments. Encapsulation of molybdenum carbide in polyhedral carbon nanoparticles is found to stabilize the face-centered-cubic form at the expense of the commonly encountered hexagonal-close-packed form. This reveals an important role for the carbon nanoclusters and/or nanotubes of catalyzing the synthesis of materials with novel structural forms in their nanoscale environment. The encapsulated carbide is superconducting with a Tc ∼ 10.5 K.
Goal setting and performance evaluation with different starting positions: the modeling dilemma

Computerized business simulations have long been used as a pedagogical tool in business policy courses. Student teams are charged with managing a hypothetical firm and are required to establish goals, strategies, and then implement their business plans. A review of 10 popular strategy-oriented games showed that most do not formally incorporate goal setting as part of the simulation model and all of the games had teams start with identical financial and operating statements. This article proposes a methodology that permits (a) individual team goal setting as a part of the computer model and (b) firms to start with different financial and operating positions. The methodology presented allows administrators to begin the simulation with each firm having different financial and operating characteristics. Firms then select their objectives and goals from a list and establish weights and priorities for each objective. A statistical algorithm, based on Chebyshev's inequality theorem, is then used to partition eac...
Necessary conditions for vector-valued operator inequalities in harmonic analysis

Via a random construction we establish necessary conditions for $L^p (\ell^q)$ inequalities for certain families of operators arising in harmonic analysis. In particular, we consider dilates of a convolution kernel with compactly supported Fourier transform, vector maximal functions acting on classes of entire functions of exponential type, and a characterization of Sobolev spaces by square functions and pointwise moduli of smoothness.
Application of conductive AFM on the electrical characterization of single-bit marginal failure

The challenge to determine the failure mechanism in submicrometer devices has been increasing with transitions in technological processes. Determining the failure mechanism and finding the associated physical defect have become extremely difficult, if not impossible, due to the increased complexity in architecture and the extremely large number of transistors in ICs. In this investigation, the efficiency and the success rate of using conductive atomic force microscope (cAFM) in the localization of defects in 90-nm devices are shown. How the method was utilized to obtain full electrical data on a single-bit failure using the I-V curve sweep mode and how cAFM can be a suitable alternative to the passive voltage contrast method and in-chamber pico-probing were also demonstrated
When your boss says no! The effects of leadership style and trust on employee reactions to managerial explanations

The present study proposes and tests a model that examines the relationship between leadership style, trust, employee interpretations of managerial explanations, and justice perceptions. Using a critical incident methodology, 203 working adults were asked to recall a recent situation in which a request or proposal made to their manager was denied. Results provide strong support for the theoretical model. Namely, the effect of leadership style on explanation perceptions was indirect through employees' level of trust in their manager. Specifically, employees who felt their manager was transformational reported a higher degree of trust and more favourable reactions to managerial explanations.
Cyclopropane-aldehyde annulations at quaternary donor sites: stereoselective access to highly substituted tetrahydrofurans.

A diastereoselective synthesis of pentasubstituted tetrahydrofurans via a Lewis acid catalyzed (3 + 2)-annulation of quaternary donor site cyclopropanes and aldehydes is described. The reaction is catalyzed by Sn(OTf)2, SnCl4, or Hf(OTf)4 in yields up to 95% and diastereomeric ratios as high as 99:1.
An algebraic extension to LISP

An algebraic facility for LISP is quite desirable. Such a capability is motivated by the desire to utilize the primitive LISP arithmetic functions at the algebraic expression level. The requirement for a means of evaluating expressions might very well arise from applications in algebraic manipulation. Thus, the user, having performed some sort of transformation on an algebraic expression, might wish to have the resulting expression evaluated for a specific set of values. This facility, in response to this requirement, has the acronym "LEAF" (LISP Extended Algebraic Facility).
Work and Power: The Connection Between Female Labor Force Participation and Female Political Representation

Low levels of female labor force participation contribute to female underrepresentation in democratic polities, both by reinforcing traditional voter attitudes toward women (a demand-side feature) and by constraining the supply of women with professional experience and resources who are capable of mounting credible electoral campaigns. Female labor force participation, however, is only part of the story. Comparative analysis suggests that electoral systems have a strong, systematic effect on the extent to which women's workforce participation boosts female political representation. In candidate-centered political systems, where seniority is an important factor in legislative effectiveness, career interruptions for the sake of childcare and other family work hurts female aspiring politicians more seriously than in proportional representation (PR) systems, where political parties control the policy platform and constituency service is a minor consideration in the careers of candidates. In countries with mix...
Diverticular Disease of the Colon

Summary Colonic diverticulosis refers to small outpouchings from the colonic lumen due to mucosal herniation through the colonic wall at sites of vascular perforation. Abnormal colonic motility and inadequate intake of dietary fibre have been implicated in its pathogenesis. This acquired abnormality is typically found in developed countries, and its prevalence rises with age. Most patients affected will remain entirely asymptomatic; however, 10–20% of those affected can manifest clinical syndromes, mainly diverticulitis and diverticular haemorrhage. As our elderly population grows, we can anticipate a concomitant rise in the number of patients with diverticular disease. Here, we review the incidence, pathophysiology, clinical presentation, and management of diverticular disease of the colon and its complications.
Nietzsche's will to Power as a Doctrine of the Unity of Science

Nietzsche's doctrine of will to power claims that the behavior of things at the most basic level is governed by their attempt to expend force to influence their environments. Nietzsche characterize...
Influence of Fracture Toughness on the Wear Resistance of Yttria‐Doped Zirconium Oxide

Yttria-doped zirconium oxide was prepared in the fully tetragonal, mixed tetragonal and cubic, and the fully cubic phases by varying the yttria conent. The fracture toughnesses of the materials were 11.6, 8.7, and 2.5 Mpa · m½, respectively. The wear resistance, measured in air at room temperature in slow sliding (1 mm/s speed and 9.8 N load), increases by a factor of 1200 from the brittle to the toughest material; it is proportional to the fourth power of toughness. Wear occurs predominantly by fracture in the brittle (cubic) material; plastic deformation is observed in the tougher zirconium oxide.
On quantum state observability and measurement

We consider the problem of determining the state of a quantum system given one or more readings of the expectation value of an observable. The system is assumed to be a finite-dimensional quantum control system for which we can influence the dynamics by generating all the unitary evolutions in a Lie group. We investigate to what extent, by an appropriate sequence of evolutions and measurements, we can obtain information on the initial state of the system. We present a system theoretic viewpoint of this problem in that we study the observability of the system. In this context, we characterize the equivalence classes of indistinguishable states and propose algorithms for state identification.
Functionalization of Styrenes by Copper-Catalyzed Borylation/ ortho-Cyanation and Silver-Catalyzed Annulation Processes

An efficient two-step method for the assembly of indanone derivatives starting from a simple vinyl arene has been developed. The sequence first involves addition of bis(pinacolato)diboron (B2pin2) and N-cyano-N-phenyl-p-methylbenzenesulfonamide (NCTS) to a broad range of styrenes by utilizing IMesCuCl as catalyst. This step simultaneously accomplishes hydroboration of the alkene and ortho cyanation of the benzene unit. The products thus obtained are further functionalized by a AgNO3/Selectfluor-mediated coupling of the BPin and cyano functionalities to annulate a new five-membered ring. This combined two-step sequence provides a versatile method for the site-selective derivatization of a broad range of vinyl arene substrates.
Half Empty, Half Full, or Neither: Law, Inequality, and Social Change in Capitalist Democracies

Reviewing research on organizational compliance, the politics of law, law and social movements, law and inequality, and law and social change, this article examines conditions under which legal institutions have more or less capacity to promote inequality-reducing social change in democratic capitalism. Law produces social change through a combination of rational adaptation to legal incentive structures, cultural meaning making and institutional diffusion, and political mobilization and counter-mobilization. Substantive effects-oriented administrative, adjudicative, and organizational interpretations of welfare-oriented legislation maximizes inequality reduction. These interpretations are most likely to be achieved through a combination of collective mobilization for strategic litigation in conjunction with sustained political mobilization from below both in society and in organizations, accompanied by the influence in implementation and also active monitoring by law and social science–savvy reformers rep...
Higher-order symbolic execution via contracts

We present a new approach to automated reasoning about higher-order programs by extending symbolic execution to use behavioral contracts as symbolic values, thus enabling symbolic approximation of higher-order behavior.Our approach is based on the idea of an abstract reduction semantics that gives an operational semantics to programs with both concrete and symbolic components. Symbolic components are approximated by their contract and our semantics gives an operational interpretation of contracts-as-values. The result is an executable semantics that soundly predicts program behavior, including contract failures, for all possible instantiations of symbolic components. We show that our approach scales to an expressive language of contracts including arbitrary programs embedded as predicates, dependent function contracts, and recursive contracts. Supporting this rich language of specifications leads to powerful symbolic reasoning using existing program constructs.We then apply our approach to produce a verifier for contract correctness of components, including a sound and computable approximation to our semantics that facilitates fully automated contract verification. Our implementation is capable of verifying contracts expressed in existing programs, and of justifying contract-elimination optimizations.
Bubbles, Financial Crises, and Systemic Risk

Abstract This chapter surveys the literature on bubbles, financial crises, and systemic risk. The first part of the chapter provides a brief historical account of bubbles and financial crisis. The second part of the chapter gives a structured overview of the literature on financial bubbles. The third part of the chapter discusses the literatures on financial crises and systemic risk, with particular emphasis on amplification and propagation mechanisms during financial crises, and the measurement of systemic risk. Finally, we point toward some questions for future research.
Antenna combining for the MIMO downlink channel

A multiple antenna downlink channel where limited channel feedback is available to the transmitter is considered. In a vector downlink channel (single antenna at each receiver), the transmit antenna array can be used to transmit separate data streams to multiple receivers only if the transmitter has very accurate channel knowledge, i.e., if there is high-rate channel feedback from each receiver. In this work it is shown that channel feedback requirements can be significantly reduced if each receiver has a small number of antennas and appropriately combines its antenna outputs. A combining method that minimizes channel quantization error at each receiver, and thereby minimizes multi-user interference, is proposed and analyzed. This technique is shown to outperform traditional techniques such as maximum-ratio combining because minimization of interference power is more critical than maximization of signal power in the multiple antenna downlink. Analysis is provided to quantify the feedback savings, and the technique is seen to work well with user selection and is also robust to receiver estimation error.
Statistical performance analysis of the minimum-norm method

The authors analyze the performance of the minimum-norm method for estimating the direction of arrival (DOA) of plane waves in white noise in the case of a linear equispaced sensor array. They examine the perturbation in the roots of the polynomial formed in the intermediate step of the minimum-norm method. In particular, asymptotic results for the mean-squared error in the estimates of the direction of arrival are derived. Simple closed-form expressions are obtained for the one- and two-source case to get further insight. Computer simulation results that substantiate the analysis are provided and compared to those obtained for Root-MUSIC. It is shown that the relative performance of the two methods is directly dependent on the ratio of their parameter sensitivities. >
Structural theory and relative poverty in rich Western democracies, 1969–2000

Abstract This study assesses if structural theory explains the variation in poverty across rich Western democracies. With unbalanced panel analysis of 18 countries, two poverty measures and controlling for the welfare state and economic performance, I examine five structural factors: manufacturing employment, agricultural employment, female labor force participation, the elderly population, and children in single mother families. Manufacturing employment, female labor force participation, elderly population, and children in single mother families significantly influence the headcount measure of poverty, while agricultural employment is insignificant. By contrast, all five structural variables are insignificant for the interval measure of poverty. For the headcount, the structural variables have a more powerful influence than economic growth (the only significant indicator of economic performance) but a smaller influence than the welfare state. For the interval measure, the welfare state has a much larger influence than economic growth, and the insignificant structural and other economic variables. Counterfactual simulations are used to illustrate consequences of these effects for the U.S., Germany, and Sweden. Sensitivity analyses demonstrate the main conclusions hold regardless of the U.S. cases. Though structural variables influence one of the two poverty measures, the welfare state is most important to explaining poverty in rich Western democracies.
Economic Reform in China

After the Second World War, the newly-established socialist states of Asia and Europe adopted, with few modifications, the system of centralized physical planning practised in the Soviet Union. Under this system, the authorities set output targets, material allocation, employment, and other objectives for the producing units and determined the pattern of investment, exports, and imports. The principal targets were established in physical terms, with prices serving chiefly an accounting function.1
The Mid-Infrared Color of NGC 6946

We analyze the new mid-infrared maps of NGC 6946 for variations in the color ratio fo the 7-to-15(micro)m emission. Our preliminary findings are that this mid-infrared color is remarkably constant between arms and inter-arm regions, and as a function of radius in the disk, excluding the nuclear region.
Noncontextuality with marginal selectivity in reconstructing mental architectures.

We present a general theory of series-parallel mental architectures with selectively influenced stochastically non-independent components. A mental architecture is a hypothetical network of processes aimed at performing a task, of which we only observe the overall time it takes under variable parameters of the task. It is usually assumed that the network contains several processes selectively influenced by different experimental factors, and then the question is asked as to how these processes are arranged within the network, e.g., whether they are concurrent or sequential. One way of doing this is to consider the distribution functions for the overall processing time and compute certain linear combinations thereof (interaction contrasts). The theory of selective influences in psychology can be viewed as a special application of the interdisciplinary theory of (non)contextuality having its origins and main applications in quantum theory. In particular, lack of contextuality is equivalent to the existence of a “hidden” random entity of which all the random variables in play are functions. Consequently, for any given value of this common random entity, the processing times and their compositions (minima, maxima, or sums) become deterministic quantities. These quantities, in turn, can be treated as random variables with (shifted) Heaviside distribution functions, for which one can easily compute various linear combinations across different treatments, including interaction contrasts. This mathematical fact leads to a simple method, more general than the previously used ones, to investigate and characterize the interaction contrast for different types of series-parallel architectures.
Dynamic composition of tracking primitives for interactive vision-guided navigation

We present a system architecture for robust target following with a mobile robot. The system is based on tracking multiple cues in binocular stereo images using the XVision toolkit. Fusion of complementary information in the images, including texture, color and depth, combined with a fast optimized processing reduces the possibility of loosing the tracked object in a dynamic scene with several moving targets on intersecting paths. The presented system is capable of detecting objects obstructing its way as well as gaps. It supports application in more cluttered terrain, where a wheel drive of mobile robot cannot take the same path as a walking person. We describe the basic principles of the fast feature extraction and tracking in the luminance, chrominance and disparity domain. The optimized tracking algorithms compensate for illumination variations and perspective distortions as already presented in our previous publications about the XVision system.
How useful is inequality of opportunity as a policy construct

The academic literature on equality of opportunity has burgeoned. The concepts and measures have begun to be used by policy institutions, including in specific sectors such as health and education. It is argued that one advantage of focusing on equality of opportunity is that policy makers are more responsive to that discourse than to equality of outcomes per se. This paper presents a critique of equality of opportunity in the policy context. Although the empirical analysis to which the literature has given rise is useful and is to be welcomed, current methods for quantifying and implementing the concept with a view to informing the policy discourse face a series of fundamental questions that remain unanswered. Without a full appreciation of these difficulties, the methods may prove to be misleading in the policy context.
Planes and processes

This article presented to Combinatorics 2006 is a survey of finite projective planes and the processes used to construct them. All non-translation planes are described, fundamental processes in translation planes are defined and some of these are used to connect semi-field flocks with symplectic spreads. Hermitian ovoids are connected to extensions of derivable nets, and three types of 'lifting' methods are discussed. Furthermore, hyperbolic fibrations and 'regulus-inducing' central collineation groups are connected to flocks of quadratic cones. Finally, hyper-reguli and multiple hyper-regulus replacement are considered.
A Bayesian Estimate of the Primordial Helium Abundance

We introduce a new statistical method to estimate the primordial helium abundance Yp from observed abundances in a sample of galaxies that have experienced stellar helium enrichment. Rather than using linear regression on metal abundance, we construct a likelihood function using a Bayesian prior, where the key assumption is that the true helium abundance must always exceed the primordial value by an amount that may be as large as some maximum enrichment w. We compute the likelihood as a function of the two parameters Yp and w using samples of measurements compiled from the literature. We find estimates of Yp between 0.221 and 0.236, depending on the specific subsample and prior adopted, consistent with previous estimates using different techniques. We detect evidence for stellar enrichment (w≠0) even in the lowest metallicity subsamples, but in all samples the most conservative upper bound on Yp occurs for w=0. This yields a model-independent bound Yp<0.243 at 95% confidence, favoring a low cosmic baryon density and a high primordial deuterium abundance. The main uncertainty in the Yp bound is not the model of stellar enrichment but possible common systematic biases in the estimate of Y in each individual H II region.
The closest unstable equilibrium point method for power system dynamic security assessment

The closest unstable equilibrium point (u.e.p.) method is an important tool for problems associated with power system dynamic security assessment. A study is made of the closest u.e.p. method from both theoretical and computational points of view. Issues regarding the existence and uniqueness of the closest u.e.p. are investigated. A dynamical characterization of the closest u.e.p. is derived, and the problem of its robustness with respect to changes in different parameters of a power system is studied. This robustness property highlights the practical applicability of the closest u.e.p. method to power system dynamic security assessment. An improved closest u.e.p. method is then proposed on the basis of theoretical results which uses a reduced model approach and is shown to be optimal, in the sense that the estimated stability region characterized by the corresponding energy function is the largest one within the entire stability region. Examples are given to illustrate the robustness of the closest u.e.p. and improved closest u.e.p. methods. >
The Value of Distrust in Computer-Based Decision-Making Groups

During crises, relief agency commanders have to make decisions in a complex and uncertain environment, requiring them to continuously adapt to unforeseen environmental changes. In the process of adaptation, the commanders depend on information management systems for information. Yet there are still numerous reports of situations in which commanders had to make decisions based on incomplete, outdated or incorrect information, indicating poor information quality. In many of these situations, poor information quality can be attributed to the information management process incapable of adapting to external (environmental) changes and internal (team) information needs. Using dynamic capability theory and the findings of a case study, this paper presents four principles for information management adaptability: (1) maintain and update team memory, (2) dedicate resources for environmental scanning, (3) maximize the number of alternative information sources and (4) integrate forecasting and back casting methods in the information management process.
CORRELATIONS BETWEEN LAG, LUMINOSITY, AND DURATION IN GAMMA-RAY BURST PULSES

We derive a new peak lag versus peak luminosity relation in gamma-ray burst (GRB) pulses. We demonstrate conclusively that GRB spectral lags are pulse rather than burst properties and show how the lag versus luminosity relation determined from CCF measurements of burst properties is essentially just a rough measure of this newly derived relation for individual pulses. We further show that most GRB pulses have correlated properties: short-lag pulses have shorter durations, are more luminous, and are harder within a burst than long-lag pulses. We also uncover a new pulse duration versus pulse peak luminosity relation, and indicate that long-lag pulses often precede short-lag pulses. Although most pulse behaviors are supportive of internal shocks (including long-lag pulses), we identify some pulse shapes that could result from external shocks.
Using Terminological Knowledge Representation Languages to Manage Linguistic Resources

I examine how terminological languages can be used to manage linguistic data during NL research and development. In particular, I consider the lexical semantics task of characterizing semantic verb classes and show how the language can be extended to flag inconsistencies in verb class definitions, identify the need for new verb classes, and identify appropriate linguistic hypotheses for a new verb's behavior.
Hydantoin Derivatives. A New Class of Inhibitors of Human Leukocyte Elastase

Derivatives of hydantoin have been found to inactivate human leukocyte elastase irreversibly. Chymotrypsin and cathepsin G are also inhibited by these compounds.
Real-Time Manipulation of a Hybrid Serial-and-Parallel-Driven Redundant Industrial Manipulator

The real-time implementation of path planning, trajectory generation, and servo control for manipulation of the prototype UPSarm are presented in this paper. The prototype UPSarm, which is primarily designed for studying the feasibility of loading packages inside a trailer, is a ten degree-of-freedom hybrid serial-and -parallel-driven redundantrobot manipulator. The direct, forward, inverse, and indirect kinematic solutions of the UPSarm using three coordinate spaces: actuator space, effective joint space, and world Cartesian coordinate space are derived for real-time path planning, trajectory generation, and control. The manipulation of the UPSarm is based upon a general-purpose path planner and trajectory generator. Provided with appropriate kinematics modules and sufficient computational power, this path planner and trajectory generator can be used for real-time motion control of any degree-of-freedom hybrid serial-and-parallel-driven electromechanical devices. A VMEbus-based distributed computing system has been implemented for real-time motion control of the UPSarm. A PID-based feedforward servo control scheme is used in our servo controller. The motion examplex of the UPSarm programmed in our robot language will show the practical manipulation of hybrid serial-and-parallel-driven redundant kinematic chains
Calculating and plotting equipotential lines for objects with cylindrical geometry

A computer program has been prepared that calculates the position of equipotential lines in cylindrical geometry for a multidielectric and multiconductor environment using a modified extrapolated Liebmann method. The output consists of printed voltages on evenly spaced grid coordinates, and an automatic drafting machine drawing of the dielectric and conductor boundaries and the equipotentials. The program has been used to design Corona-free high voltage bushings and terminals, and has been applied to other problems where knowledge of the electrostatic field was desired. The program is an example of how the advent of large, high-speed digital computers has made possible easy solutions of previously intractable engineering problems. Running time on the Univac 1108 computer is typically one to two minutes.
Epoxidation of olefins with formamide — hydrogen peroxide

Abstract Olefins are converted to epoxides in aqueous medium using formamide-hydrogen peroxide as oxidant.
Stereospecific preparation of symmetrical (1Z,3Z) 2,3-difluoro-1,4-disubstituted-buta-1,3-dienes by the coupling reaction between bis(tributyltin) and high E/Z 1-bromo-1-fluoroalkenes

When the palladium-catalyzed coupling reaction of Bu3SnSnBu3 and high E/Z 1-bromo-1-fluoroalkenes is carried out at room temperature, symmetrical (1Z,3Z) 2,3-difluorinated-1,4-disubstituted-buta-1,3-dienes are successfully prepared in good yields.
Cutting out polygons with lines and rays

We present approximation algorithms for cutting out a polygon P with n vertices from another convex polygon Q with m vertices by line cuts and ray cuts. For line cuts we require both P and Q are convex while for ray cuts we require Q is convex and P is ray cuttable. Our results answer a number of open problems and are either the first solutions or significantly improve over previously known solutions. For the line cutting version, we prove a key property that leads to a simple, constant factor approximation algorithm. For the ray cutting version, we prove it is possible to compute in almost linear time a cutting sequence that is an O(log2 n)-factor approximation of an optimal cutting sequence. No algorithms were previously known for the ray cutting version.
Probabilistic Network Formation through Coverage and Freeze-Tag

We address the problem of propagating a piece of information among robots scattered in an environment. Initially, a single robot has the information. This robot searches for other robots to pass it along. When a robot is discovered, it can participate in the process by searching for other robots. Since our motivation for studying this problem is to form an ad hoc network, we call it the Network Formation Problem. In this paper, we study the case where the environment is a rectangle and the robots’ locations are unknown but chosen uniformly at random. We present an efficient network formation algorithm, Stripes, and show that its expected performance is within a logarithmic factor of the optimal performance. We also compare Stripes with an intuitive network formation algorithm in simulations. The feasibility of Stripes is demonstrated with a proof-of-concept implementation.
Transition to Adulthood: Employment, Education, and Disengagement in Individuals With Autism Spectrum Disorders

Relatively little is known about the pathways youth with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) take in the transition to adulthood in terms of employment and postsecondary education (PSE). Applying life...
Censored Glauber Dynamics for the Mean Field Ising Model

We study Glauber dynamics for the Ising model on the complete graph on n vertices, known as the Curie-Weiss Model. It is well known that at high temperature (β 1) it is exp (Θ(n)). Recently, Levin, Luczak and Peres considered a censored version of this dynamics, which is restricted to non-negative magnetization. They proved that for fixed β>1, the mixing-time of this model is Θ(nlog n), analogous to the high-temperature regime of the original dynamics. Furthermore, they showed cutoff for the original dynamics for fixed β<1. The question whether the censored dynamics also exhibits cutoff remained unsettled.
Alternative hypotheses and the volume of trade: the gravity equation and the extent of specialization

. We examine why the gravity equation works and the implications for its use. First, we demonstrate that the gravity equation as a statistical relationship can be generated from a model with incomplete specialization and trade costs. Second, we analyse the predominance of zero bilateral trade values as a ‘puzzle’ broadly inconsistent with the complete specialization models typically used to derive the gravity equation, but consistent with the alternative hypothesis of incomplete specialization. Third, we demonstrate that the explanation for why the gravity equation works has considerable relevance for how the gravity equation is interpreted and used and how we view bilateral trade. Diverses hypotheses et le volume du commerce: l’equation de gravite et le degre de specialisation. Les auteurs examinent comment fonctionne l’equation de gravite et les implications de son usage. On propose trois contributions. D’abord, on montre que l’equation de gravite en tant que relation statistique (et non pas en tant que prediction specifique de commerce bilateral) peut etre produite a partir d’un modele avec specialisation incomplete et couts de transaction. Ensuite, on analyse la predominance de valeurs zero dans les commerces bilateraux en tant qu’enigme – generalement incompatible avec les modeles de specialisation complete utilises habituellement pour deriver l’equation de gravite mais compatible avec l’hypothese de rechange de specialisation incomplete. Enfin, on montre que les raisons pour lesquelles l’equation de gravite fonctionne ont un impact sur la facon de l’interpreter et de l’utiliser, et sur notre facon de concevoir le commerce bilateral.
On (Some) Explanations in Physics

I offer an explanation of why inertial and gravitational mass are equal in Newtonian gravitation. I then argue that this is an example of a kind of explanation that is not captured by standard philosophical accounts of scientific explanation. Moreover, this form of explanation is particularly important, at least in physics, because demands for this kind of explanation are used to motivate and shape research into the next generation of physical theories. I suggest that explanations of the sort I describe reveal something important about one way in which physical theories may be related diachronically.
Characterizing the nonlinear interaction of S- and P-waves in a rock sample

The nonlinear elastic response of rocks is known to be caused by the rocks' microstructure, particularly cracks and fluids. This paper presents a method for characterizing the nonlinearity of rocks in a laboratory scale experiment with a unique configuration. This configuration has been designed to open up the possibility of using the nonlinear characterization of rocks as an imaging tool in the field. In our experiment, we study the nonlinear interaction of two traveling waves: a low-amplitude 500 kHz P-wave probe and a high-amplitude 50 kHz S-wave pump in a room-dry 15 × 15 × 3 cm slab of Berea sandstone. Changes in the arrival time of the P-wave probe as it passes through the perturbation created by the traveling S-wave pump were recorded. Waveforms were time gated to simulate a semi-infinite medium. The shear wave phase relative to the P-wave probe signal was varied with resultant changes in the P-wave probe arrival time of up to 100 ns, corresponding to a change in elastic properties of 0.2%. In orde...
A direct-demand model for bicycle counts: the impacts of level of service and other factors

Transportation planning in the US has traditionally focused on automotive traffic but is increasingly turning towards a multimodal approach in order to accommodate all users. This shift in focus is particularly crucial for cyclists, as 630 were killed and 51 000 injured on America’s roadways in 2009 alone. Unfortunately, most municipalities do not conduct comprehensive bicycle counts to determine where cyclists are riding, though some do seek a scatter of spot counts. This investigation uses Seattle metropolitan area cyclist-count data from 251 locations to develop a direct-demand model for estimating peak-period cyclist counts based on trip-generation and attraction factors (such as site-based population and employment densities), as well as cycling-relevant roadway conditions. Roadway-condition variables were chosen from the 2010 Highway Capacity Manual (Chapter 17, Transport Research Board, Washington, DC) on urban street segments (including factors like traffic volumes and bike-lane width), as well as other physical features, like bridge presence and access to bicycle trails. Model results show greatest practical significance for intersections within the City of Seattle and curb-lane width (both of which are associated with higher counts) and roadway speed (which is associated with lower counts). The model was implemented in the community of Shoreline, Washington, just north of Seattle, to demonstrate its applicability. We examined both segment-based levels of service for cyclists and expected intersection-based counts. Model application findings indicate that segment-based levels of service show little correlation with expected counts, though such information still serves a valuable purpose in terms of evaluating cyclists’ comfort levels (which may also have potential correlation with cyclist safety), a worthwhile goal in itself. As such, these two models may be used in combination when targeting new cycling infrastructure and improvements.
Even icosahedral Galois representations of prime conductor

In this paper, we use a series of targeted Hunter searches to prove that the minimal prime conductor of an even icosahedral Galois representation is 1951. In addition, we give a complete list of all prime conductors less than 10,000 of even icosahedral Galois representations.
Phase-space control system design

A computational environment has been developed to aid control system design for a particular class of nonlinear applications. The analysis and design tools constituting this environment are based on knowledge about phase-space dynamics of nonlinear and chaotic systems. Two implemented, complementary programs that exploit the special properties of such systems to synthesize powerful control systems automatically are described. Fast computers and powerful computational techniques that combine symbolic/numeric and algebraic/geometric computing with new reasoning mechanisms from artificial intelligence make this paradigm feasible, in spite of its inherent computational demands. >
A Spatial Model of Housing Returns and Neighborhood Substitutability

This article provides a method for estimating housing indices at the local level. It develops a ““distance-weighted repeat-sales”” procedure to exploit the factor structure of the error-covariance matrix in the repeat-sales model. A distance function defined in characteristic and geographical space provides weights for the generalized least-squares model, and allows the use of all of the repeated sales in a metropolitan area to measure returns for the specific neighborhood of interest. We use distance-weighted repeat sales to estimate return indices for all zip codes in the San Francisco Bay area over the period 1980--1994.
Implementing energy subsidy reforms : an overview of the key issues

Poorly implemented energy subsidies are economically costly to taxpayers and damage the environment. This report describes the emerging lessons that could help policy makers to address implementation challenges, including overcoming political economy and affordability constraints. The analysis provides strong evidence of the success of reforms in reducing the associated fiscal burden. For the selected sample of 20 developing countries, the average energy subsidy recorded in the budget was reduced from 1.8 percent in 2004 to 1.3 percent of gross domestic product in 2010. The reduction of subsidies is particularly remarkable for net energy importers. In spite of the relatively price inelastic demand for gasoline and diesel, fossil fuel consumption in the road sector (per unit of gross domestic product) declined in the 20 countries examined from 53 (44) in 2002 to about 23 kilotonnes oil equivalent per million of gross domestic product in 2008 in the case of gasoline (diesel). The most notable decline in consumption was recorded in the low-income and lower-middle-income countries. This reflects the much higher rate of growth in gross domestic product in this group of countries. And it underlines the opportunities to influence future consumption behavior rather than modifying the existing consumption patterns, overcoming inertia and vested interests. Similar trends are recorded for power consumption. While there is no one-size-fits-all model for subsidy reform, implementation of compensatory social policies and an effective communication strategy, before the changes were introduced, made a difference in securing the successful implementation of reforms.
Robust Decision Making Applied to the NASA Multidisciplinary Uncertainty Quantification Challenge Problem

This paper addresses the NASA Langley Research Center’s Multidisciplinary Uncertainty Quantification Challenge problem, which is intended to pose challenges to the uncertainty quantification and ro...