cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Implementing Extended-Infusion Cefepime as Standard of Care in a Children’s Hospital A Prospective Descriptive Study

Background: Extended-infusion cefepime (EIC) has been associated with decreased mortality in adults, but to our knowledge, there are no studies in children. Objective: The objective of this study was to determine the feasibility of implementing EIC as the standard dosing strategy in a pediatric population. Methods: This was a descriptive study of children aged 1 month to 17 years, including patients in the intensive care unit, who received cefepime after admission to a freestanding, tertiary care children’s hospital. Patients were excluded if they were admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit or received cefepime in the outpatient, operating, or emergency department areas. Demographic and clinical data for patients who received cefepime from April through August 2013, the period following EIC implementation, were extracted from the medical records. Results: A total of 150 patients were included in the study, with a median age (interquartile range [IQR]) of 6 years (2-12.3 years) and median weight (IQR...
ILC: a foundation for automated reasoning about pointer programs

This paper shows how to use Girard's intuitionistic linear logic extended with a classical sublogic to reason about pointer programs. More specifically, first, the paper defines the proof theory for ILC (Intuitionistic Linear logic with Constraints) and shows it is well-defined via a proof of cut elimination. Second, inspired by prior work of O'Hearn, Reynolds, and Yang, the paper explains how to interpret linear logical formulas as descriptions of a program store. Third, this paper defines a simple imperative programming language with mutable references and arrays and gives verification condition generation rules that produce assertions in ILC. Finally, we identify a fragment of ILC, ILC−−, that is both decidable and closed under generation of verification conditions. Since verification condition generation is syntax-directed, we obtain a decidable procedure for checking properties of pointer programs.
Ridge regression analysis of the defence‐growth tradeoff in the United States

Multicollinearity is one of the major methodological problems in the study of the guns‐growth tradeoff. In this paper, we use ridge regression to separate the effects of individual variables influencing economic growth in the United States. Ridge is not a new method, but to the best of our knowledge, this is the first application of ridge regression to the study of national security or Defence and Peace Economics.
Remarkable Degenerate Quantum Stabilizer Codes Derived from Duadic Codes

Good quantum codes, such as quantum MDS codes, are typically nondegenerate, meaning that errors of small weight require active error-correction, which is -unfortunately- itself prone to errors. In this paper, examples of degenerate quantum codes are constructed that alleviate this problem in that they allow some errors of small weight that do not require active error correction. In particular, two new families of [[n, 1, ges radicn]]q degenerate quantum codes are derived from classical duadic codes
How do Teachers Respond to Tenure

I use the 2007 Schools and Staffing Survey to estimate the effect of tenure on K-12 teacher behavior. Estimates are obtained by exploiting the cross-state variation in the probationary period length of novice teachers. I find that in the year that teachers are evaluated for tenure, they spend significantly more of their own money on classroom materials. The teachers also participate more in school committees and extracurricular activities during the evaluation year. After increased activity during the tenure evaluation year, behavior appears to return to the baseline established prior to evaluation. JEL Classifications: I21; I28; J22; M5
Variation of Monosomy 3 Status Within Uveal Melanoma

Abstract Context.—Determining the most significant prognostic variables in uveal melanoma is important for stratifying patients for metastasis surveillance and possible initiation of chemotherapy or immunotherapy. Monosomy 3, one such variable, can be determined using fluorescence in situ hybridization, either on enucleated samples, fine-needle aspiration biopsy, or tumor sample obtained by vitrector. Objective.—To evaluate possible regional discordance in chromosome 3 by sites likely to be sampled by different biopsy methods. Design.—Eighteen consecutive patients with uveal melanoma who underwent primary enucleation were studied. Representative paraffin blocks were selected based on review of hematoxylin-eosin stained sections, and the apex and base of each tumor was demarcated. Unstained paraffin sections, 4 μm in thickness, were prepared, and fluorescence in situ hybridization, looking for monosomy 3, was performed. The chromosomal analysis was also correlated with histologic evaluation for melanoma ce...
Running Code as Part of an Open Standards Policy

Governments around the world are considering implementing or even mandating open standards policies. They believe these policies will provide economic, socio-political, and technical benefits. In this article, we analyze Massachusetts’s open standards policy as applied to document formats. This policy was known as the open formats policy, and Massachusetts believed it would offer substantial economic and technological benefits. However, our analysis shows these benefits never emerged. The failure of the open formats policy is due to the lack of running code. Running code refers to multiple independent, interoperable implementations of an open standard. With running code, users have choice in their adoption of a software product. Choice brings about economic and technological benefits. Consequently, we urge governments to incorporate a “running code” requirement when adopting an open standards policy.
A map for the thick beam-beam interaction

We give a closed-form expression for the thick beam-beam interaction for a small disruption parameter, as typical in electron-positron storage rings. The dependence on transverse angle and position of the particle trajectory as well as the longitudinal position of collision and the waist-modified shape of the beam distribution are included. Large incident angles, as are present for beam-halo particles or for large crossing-angle geometry, are accurately represented. The closed-form expression is well approximated by polynomials times the complex error function. Comparisons with multi-slice representations show even the first order terms are more accurate than a five slice representation, saving a factor of 5 in computation time.
Relationships Among Classes of Self-Oscillating Transistor Parallel Inverters

It recently has been shown in the literature that many dc-to-squarewave parallel inverters which are widely used in power-conditioning applications can be grouped into one of two families. Each family is characterized by an equivalent RLC network. Based on this approach, a classification procedure is presented for self-oscillating parallel inverters which makes evident natural relationships which exist between various inverter configurations. By utilizing concepts from the basic theory of negative resistance oscillators and the principle of duality as applied to nonlinear networks, a chain of relationships is established which enables a methodical transfer of knowledge gained about one family of inverters to any of the other families in the classification array.
Rotation in the Orion Nebula Cluster

Eighteen small (4' square) fields within the Orion Nebula cluster (ONC) have been photometrically monitored for one or more observing seasons between 1990 and 1999 with a CCD attached to the 0.6 m telescope at Van Vleck Observatory on the campus of Wesleyan University. Data were obtained exclusively in the Cousins I band on between 25 and 40 nights per season. Results from the first 3 yr of operation of this program were summarized and analyzed by Choi & Herbst. Here we provide an update based on an additional 6 yr of observation and the extensive optical and infrared study of the cluster by Hillenbrand et al. Rotation periods with false-alarm probabilities FAP 0.25 M⊙. Our results provide new observational support for the importance of disks in the early rotational evolution of low-mass stars.
The demand for primary schooling in Madagascar: Price, quality, and the choice between public and private providers

Abstract We estimate a discrete choice model of primary schooling and simulate policy alternatives for rural Madagascar. Among school quality factors, the results highlight the negative impacts on schooling demand of poor facility quality and the use of multigrade teaching (several grades being taught simultaneously by one teacher) in public schools. Simulations indicate the feasibility of reducing multigrade in public schools by adding teachers and classrooms, a policy that would lead to modest improvements in overall enrollments and would disproportionately benefit poor children. Given much higher price elasticities for poorer households, raising school fees to cover some of the additional costs would strongly counteract these favorable distributional outcomes. An alternative policy of consolidation of primary schools combined with multigrade reduction or other quality improvements is likely to be ineffective because of the strongly negative impact of distance to school.
Adaptive stabilization of a class of nonlinear systems using high-gain feedback

This note presents a high-gain feedback stabilizing control algorithm in which the high-gain parameter is adapted on-line. The algorithm is developed for a class of nonlinear systems which can be viewed as the nonlinear counterpart of uniform rank systems. The system can be unknown except for a number of vital pieces of information. For single-input single-output linear systems such information is usually required in the traditional adaptive control literature.
The utility of reliability and survival

Reliability (survival analysis, to biostatisticians) is a key ingredient for making decisions that mitigate the risk of failure. The other key ingredient is utility. A decision theoretic framework harnesses the two, but to invoke this framework we must distinguish between chance and probability. We describe a functional form for the utility of chance that incorporates all dispositions to risk, and propose a probability of choice model for eliciting this utility. To implement the model, a subject is asked to make a series of binary choices between gambles and certainty. These choices endow a statistical character to the problem of utility elicitation. The workings of our approach are illustrated via a live example involving a military planner. The material is general because it is germane to any situation involving the valuation of chance.
Nonparametric Applications of Bayesian Inference

This article evaluates the usefulness of a nonparametric approach to Bayesian inference by presenting two applications. Our first application considers an educational choice problem. We focus on obtaining a predictive distribution for earnings corresponding to various levels of schooling. This predictive distribution incorporates the parameter uncertainty, so that it is relevant for decision making under uncertainty in the expected utility framework of microeconomics. The second application is to quantile regression. Our point here is to examine the potential of the nonparametric framework to provide inferences without relying on asymptotic approximations. Unlike in the first application, the standard asymptotic normal approximation turns out not to be a good guide.
Space-bandwidth scaling for wide field-of-view imaging

We examine the space-bandwidth product of wide field-of-view imaging systems as the systems scale in size. Our analysis is based on one conducted to examine the behavior of a plano-convex lens imaging onto a flat focal geometry. We extend this to consider systems with monocentric lenses and curved focal geometries. As a means to understand system cost, and not just performance, we also assess the volume and mass associated with these systems. Our analysis indicates monocentric lenses imaging onto a curved detector outperform other systems for the same design constraints but do so at a cost in lens weight.
Video on demand over ATM: constant-rate transmission and transport

We introduce a specific transport and transmission scheme for video-on-demand called constant-rate transmission and transport (CRTT). CRTT establishes a CBR virtual channel between the video provider and the viewer's set-top box, and then transmits cells from the provider into this channel at a constant rate. Since we assume that the number of cells in a frame is variable, CRTT requires that some number of cells be built up in a set-top box buffer before the commencement of playback. The build up, cell transmission rate, and the set-top memory size must be chosen so that there is no starvation or overflow at the set-top box. We develop fundamental relationships between these parameters for viable CRTT. We then apply the theory to an MPEG encoding of Star Wars and find that the minimal set-top box memory for CRTT is 23 Mbytes. We also consider varying the constant rate over a small number of intervals. We find, for example, that for Star Wars approximately 2 Mbytes of set-top memory suffices with 32 constant-rate intervals.
Neutrino Masses and Leptogenesis from Extra Fermions

Generation of the neutrino masses and leptogenesis (LG) in the standard model extended by the heavy Majorana fermions is considered. Classification of LG scenarios according to the new fermion mass spectra is given, where singlet–triplet LG is considered for the first time. The upper bound on the CP asymmetry relevant for LG with hierarchical heavy neutrinos (Davidson–Ibarra bound) is revised, and shown that in the case of one massless neutrino it essentially depends on the type of the light neutrino mass hierarchy. The resonant scenarios, which help to avoid the problem of extremely high reheating temperature in the early universe, are discussed. In particular, we present new simplified, generalized and detailed formulation of freed LG, which violates Davidson–Ibarra bound in a special class of models.
Efficient, Catalytic, Aerobic Oxidation of Alcohols with Octahedral Molecular Sieves

Mixed-valent manganese octahedral molecular sieves K-OMS-2 and H-K-OMS-2 are used to oxidize a wide range of alcohols with 100 % selectivity and 90-100 % conversion in most cases. The reaction is aerobic, catalytic, mild, efficient, stable, inexpensive, selective, and environmentally friendly.
Three-Query Locally Decodable Codes with Higher Correctness Require Exponential Length

Locally decodable codes are error-correcting codes with the extra property that, in order to retrieve the value of a single input position, it is sufficient to read a small number of positions of the codeword. We refer to the probability of getting the correct value as the correctness of the decoding algorithm.A breakthrough result by Yekhanin [2007] showed that 3-query linear locally decodable codes may have subexponential length. The construction of Yekhanin, and the three query constructions that followed, achieve correctness only up to a certain limit which is 1 − 3δ for nonbinary codes, where an adversary is allowed to corrupt up to δ fraction of the codeword. The largest correctness for a subexponential length 3-query binary code is achieved in a construction by Woodruff [2008], and it is below 1 − 3δ.We show that achieving slightly larger correctness (as a function of δ) requires exponential codeword length for 3-query codes. Previously, there were no larger than quadratic lower bounds known for locally decodable codes with more than 2 queries, even in the case of 3-query linear codes. Our lower bounds hold for linear codes over arbitrary finite fields and for binary nonlinear codes. Considering larger number of queries, we obtain lower bounds for q-query codes for q > 3, under certain assumptions on the decoding algorithm that have been commonly used in previous constructions. We also prove bounds on the largest correctness achievable by these decoding algorithms, regardless of the length of the code. Our results explain the limitations on correctness in previous constructions using such decoding algorithms. In addition, our results imply trade-offs on the parameters of error-correcting data structures.
Captive Supplies and the Spot Market Price of Fed Cattle: The Plant-Level Relationship

Numerous articles in the agricultural economics literature investigate the empirical relationship between the spot market price of fed cattle and the volume of packers' precommitted, or “captive,” supplies of cattle. In this article, we use an extensive data set on the cattle procurement activities of four large packing plants in the Texas Panhandle from early 1995 through mid-1996 to examine this relationship at the plant-level. We find evidence to support the hypothesis that plants that anticipate near-term future deliveries of captive supply cattle that are high relative to their regional-market rivals' degrees of reliance on captive supplies tend to pay spot market prices that are below average. The effect, while statistically significant, is relatively small in magnitude, however. [EconLit citations: Q130, L200] © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Agribusiness 19: 489–504, 2003.
Bayesian learning in normal form games

Abstract This paper studies myopic Bayesian learning processes for finite-player, finite-strategy normal form games. Initially, each player is presumed to know his own payoff function but not the payoff functions of the other players. Assuming that the common prior distribution of payoff functions satisfies independence across players, it is proved that the conditional distributions on strategies converge to a set of Nash equilibria with probability one. Under a further assumption that the prior distributions are sufficiently uniform, convergence to a set of Nash equilibria is proved for every profile of payoff functions, that is, every normal form game.
3D CFD model of a multi-cell high-temperature electrolysis stack

A three-dimensional (3D) computational fluid dynamics (CFDs) electrochemical model has been created to model high-temperature electrolysis stack performance and steam electrolysis in the Idaho National Laboratory (INL) Integrated Lab Scale (ILS) experiment. The model is made of 60 planar cells stacked on top of each other operated as solid oxide electrolysis cells (SOECs). Details of the model geometry are specific to a stack that was fabricated by Ceramatec, Inc. [References herein to any specific commercial product, process, or service by trade name, trademark, manufacturer, or otherwise, does not necessarily constitute or imply its endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by the U.S. Government, any agency thereof, or any company affiliated with the Idaho National Laboratory]. and tested at INL. Inlet and outlet plenum flow and distribution are considered. Mass, momentum, energy, and species conservation and transport are provided via the core features of the commercial CFD code FLUENT. [References herein to any specific commercial product, process, or service by trade name, trademark, manufacturer, or otherwise, does not necessarily constitute or imply its endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by the U.S. Government, any agency thereof, or any company affiliated with the Idaho National Laboratory]. A solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) model adds the electrochemical reactions and loss mechanisms and computation of the electric field throughout the cell. The FLUENT SOFC user-defined subroutine was modified for this work to allow for operation in the SOEC mode. Model results provide detailed profiles of temperature, Nernst potential, operating potential, activation over potential, anode-side gas composition, cathode-side gas composition, current density, and hydrogen production over a range of stack operating conditions. Variations in flow distribution and species concentration are discussed. End effects of flow and per-cell voltage are also considered.
The use of a relaxation method to calculate the 3D magnetic field contribution of an iron yoke

A computational procedure has been developed for calculating the 3-D field produced by an axisymmetric iron yoke of high permeability in the presence of a system of conductors. The procedure is particularly applicable to the end regions of multipole magnets of the sort used in particle accelerators. The field produced by the conductors is calculated using the Biot-Savart law. If one solves the appropriate individual differential equations for specified scalar potential functions throughout the iron-free region, with the proper applied boundary condition for the scalar potential of each harmonic number, one will achieve upon summation the appropriate potential function to describe the field contribution of the surrounding high-permeability iron. >
Coordinating multiple optimization-based controllers: New opportunities and challenges

Abstract The status of using many, distributed optimization-based controllers for feedback control of large-scale, dynamic processes is presented and evaluated. We show that modeling the interactions between subsystems and exchanging trajectory information among subsystem model predictive controllers (MPCs) is insufficient to provide even closed-loop stability. The cause of this closed-loop instability is competition between the local agents. We next discuss the cooperative distributed MPC framework, in which the objective functions of the local MPCs are modified to achieve systemwide control objectives. This approach provides guaranteed nominal stability and performance properties, but at the cost of a high degree of communication between the local controllers. We next discuss the issue of taking advantage of the structure of the connections between the subsystems to reduce the required communication. The paper concludes by briefly presenting seven current and unsolved research challenges.
Inference of user-defined type qualifiers and qualifier rules

In previous work, we described a new approach to supporting user-defined type qualifiers, which augment existing types to specify and check additional properties of interest. For each qualifier, users define a set of rules that are enforced during static typechecking of programs. Separately, these rules are automatically validated with respect to a user-defined predicate that formalizes the qualifier's intended run-time invariant. We instantiated this approach as a framework for user-defined type qualifiers in C programs, called Clarity. In this paper, we extend our earlier approach by resolving two usability issues. First, we show how to perform qualifier inference in the presence of user-defined rules by generating and solving a system of conditional set constraints, thereby relieving users of the burden of explicitly annotating programs. Second, we show how to automatically infer rules that respect a given user-defined invariant, thereby relieving qualifier designers of the burden of manually producing such rules. We have formalized both qualifier and rule inference and proven their correctness. We have also extended Clarity to support qualifier and rule inference, and we illustrate their utility in practice through experiments with several type qualifiers and open-source C programs.
M33'S VARIABLE A: A HYPERGIANT STAR MORE THAN 35 YEARS IN ERUPTION

Variable A in M33 is a member of a rare class of highly luminous, evolved stars near the upper luminosity boundary that show sudden and dramatic shifts in apparent temperature due to the formation of optically thick winds in high mass loss episodes. Recent optical and infrared spectroscopy and imaging reveal that its eruption, begun in ~1950, has ended, having lasted ≈45 yr. Our current observations show major changes in its wind from a cool, dense envelope to a much warmer state surrounded by low-density gas with rare emission lines of Ca II, [Ca II], and K I. Its spectral energy distribution has unexpectedly changed, especially at the long wavelengths, with a significant decrease in its apparent flux, while the star remains optically obscured. We conclude that much of its radiation is now escaping out of our line of sight. We attribute this to the changing structure and distribution of its circumstellar ejecta, corresponding to the altered state of its wind as the star recovers from a high mass loss event.
Why Is Climate Sensitivity So Unpredictable

Uncertainties in projections of future climate change have not lessened substantially in past decades. Both models and observations yield broad probability distributions for long-term increases in global mean temperature expected from the doubling of atmospheric carbon dioxide, with small but finite probabilities of very large increases. We show that the shape of these probability distributions is an inevitable and general consequence of the nature of the climate system, and we derive a simple analytic form for the shape that fits recent published distributions very well. We show that the breadth of the distribution and, in particular, the probability of large temperature increases are relatively insensitive to decreases in uncertainties associated with the underlying climate processes.
Target detection performance bounds in compressive imaging

This article describes computationally efficient approaches and associated theoretical performance guarantees for the detection of known targets and anomalies from few projection measurements of the underlying signals. The proposed approaches accommodate signals of different strengths contaminated by a colored Gaussian background, and perform detection without reconstructing the underlying signals from the observations. The theoretical performance bounds of the target detector highlight fundamental tradeoffs among the number of measurements collected, amount of background signal present, signal-to-noise ratio, and similarity among potential targets coming from a known dictionary. The anomaly detector is designed to control the number of false discoveries. The proposed approach does not depend on a known sparse representation of targets; rather, the theoretical performance bounds exploit the structure of a known dictionary of targets and the distance preservation property of the measurement matrix. Simulation experiments illustrate the practicality and effectiveness of the proposed approaches.
Gold(I)‐Catalyzed 5‐endo‐dig Carbocyclization of Acetylenic Dicarbonyl Compounds

The importance of cyclopentanoid natural products continues to inspire the development of methods for the synthesis of 5-membered rings. For example, the Conia–ene reaction provides an atomeconomical synthesis of methylenecyclopentanes by the thermal cyclization of e-acetylenic carbonyl compounds. While the classic thermal reaction is limited to the exocyclic cyclization mode, group 6 metal complexes catalyze the formal 5-endo-dig addition of bketoesters and silyl enol ethers to alkynes. These reactions proceed via intermediate metal vinylidenes and therefore are limited to substrates containing a terminal acetylene moiety. The scope and utility of this reaction would be greatly increased if nonterminal alkynes could be employed as electrophiles. However, while examples of the transition-metal-catalyzed 5-endodig addition of heteroatom nucleophiles to nonterminal alkynes are common, this class of cyclization employing carbon nucleophiles is rare. We have recently demonstrated that cationic gold(i) complexes catalyze the Conia–ene reaction by a mechanism that appears to involve formation of a gold(i) alkyne complex. Thus, we reasoned that an endocyclic Conia–ene reaction might be feasible with group 11 metal complexes as catalysts for alkyne activation. Furthermore, while the gold(i)-catalyzed Conia–ene reaction is limited to terminal alkynes, we anticipated that a 5-endo-dig variant would allow for carbocyclization onto nonterminal alkynes. To this end, we surveyed several cationic group 11 metal triflates as catalysts for the cyclization of b-ketoesters 1 with nonterminal a-3’-alkynyl substituents [Eq. (1)]. Reaction of 1 with Cu and Ag triflate
Synthesis and monoamine transporter affinity of new 2β-carbomethoxy-3β-[aryl or heteroaryl]phenyltropanes

A series of 16 new 2beta-carbomethoxy-3beta-[aryl or heteroaryl]phenyltropane derivatives was synthesized and evaluated for binding to monoamine transporters. Most of the compounds exhibited nanomolar affinity for the serotonin transporter (SERT). Four compounds presented a particularly attractive pharmacological profile, with very high SERT affinity (K(i) 0.15-0.5 nM) and selectivity versus the dopamine transporter of 25- to 77-fold.
Supergravities with Minkowski x Sphere Vacua

Recently the authors have introduced a new gauged supergravity theory with a positive definite potential in D = 6, obtained through a generalised Kaluza-Klein reduction from D = 7. Of particular interest is the fact that this theory admits certain Minkowski × Sphere vacua. In this paper we extend the previous results by constructing gauged supergravities with positive definitive potentials in diverse dimensions, together with their vacuum solutions. In addition, we prove the supersymmetry of the generalised reduction ansatz. We obtain a supersymmetric solution with no form-field fluxes in the new gauged theory in D = 9. This solution may be lifted to D = 10, where it acquires an interpretation as a time-dependent supersymmetric cosmological solution supported purely by the dilaton. A further uplift to D = 11 yields a solution describing a pp-wave.
Planetary Systems around Close Binary Stars: The Case of the Very Dusty, Sun-like, Spectroscopic Binary BD+20 307

Field star BD+20 307 is the dustiest known main-sequence star, based on the fraction of its bolometric luminosity, 4%, that is emitted at infrared wavelengths. The particles that carry this large infrared luminosity are unusually warm, comparable to the temperature of the zodiacal dust in the solar system, and their existence is likely to be a consequence of a fairly recent collision of large objects such as planets or planetary embryos. Thus, the age of BD+20 307 is potentially of interest in constraining the era of terrestrial planet formation. The present project was initiated with an attempt to derive this age using the Chandra X-Ray Observatory to measure the X-ray flux of BD+20 307 in conjunction with extensive photometric and spectroscopic monitoring observations from Fairborn Observatory. However, the recent realization that BD+20 307 is a short-period, double-line, spectroscopic binary whose components have very different lithium abundances vitiates standard methods of age determination. We find the system to be metal-poor; this, combined with its measured lithium abundances, indicates that BD+20 307 may be several to many Gyr old. BD+20 307 affords astronomy a rare peek into a mature planetary system in orbit around a close binary star (because such systems are not amenable to study by the precision radial velocity technique).
A Heavy fermion can create a soliton: A (1+1)-dimensional example

Abstract We show that quantum effects can stabilize a soliton in a model with no soliton at the classical level. The model has a scalar field chirally coupled to a fermion in 1+1 dimensions. We use a formalism that allows us to calculate the exact one loop fermion contribution to the effective energy for a spatially varying scalar background. This energy includes the contribution from counterterms fixed in the perturbative sector of the theory. The resulting energy is therefore finite and unambiguous. A variational search then yields a fermion number one configuration whose energy is below that of a single free fermion.
Nonlinear Optics, Third Edition

Nonlinear optics is the study of the interaction of intense laser light with matter. The third edition of this textbook has been rewritten to conform to the standard SI system of units and includes comprehensively updated material on the latest developments in the field.The book introduces the entire field of optical physics and specifically the area of nonlinear optics. It focuses on the fundamental issues including the electromagnetic origin of optical phenomena, the quantum mechanical description of the optical properties of matter, the role of spatial symmetries in determining the optical response, causality and Kramers Kronig relations, and ultrafast and high intensity optical effects. The book also covers applied aspects of nonlinear optics such as harmonic generation, the operation of parametric oscillators, optical switching, photonics, materials issues in nonlinear optics, and processes such as laser damage that can restrict the use of nonlinear optics. This edition contains new material on:. Applications of harmonic generation including applications within the fields of microscopy and biophotonics. Electromagnetically induced transparency . Spectroscopy based on coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering (CARS)Nonlinear Optics appeals to a wide audience of physics, optics, and electrical engineering students, as well as to working researchers and engineers. Those in related fields, such as materials science and chemistry, will also find this book of particular interest. * Presents an introduction to the entire field of optical physics from the perspective of nonlinear optics.* Combines first rate pedagogy with a treatment of fundamental aspects of nonlinear optics* Covers all the latest topics and technology in this ever-evolving industry* Strong emphasis on the fundamentals
Rent Imputation for Welfare Measurement A Review of Methodologies and Empirical Findings

As well acknowledged in the literature, housing is often the dominant consumption good for most households. As such, it should be included in a comprehensive welfare aggregate to measure people's living standards accurately. However, assigning a value to the flow of the dwelling for homeowners and nonmarket tenants is problematic. Over the last decades several estimation techniques have been proposed and implemented by practitioners covering from very simple to sophisticated approaches. This paper provides an extensive review of different methods to impute rent, commonly used for welfare analysis. It also gives an overview of how this problem has been addressed by other economic domains, namely national accounts, price indices, purchasing power parities, and taxation. Finally, after setting up a theoretical framework, the paper summarizes the empirical findings about the distributional impact of including imputed rents in welfare aggregates.
Efficient estimation of cell blocking probability for ATM systems

The assessment of the cell loss performance of networks using asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) via Monte Carlo simulation incurs an enormous computational burden due to the need to estimate an event that has a very small probability of occurrence. Although importance sampling (IS) techniques have been proven useful in simulations of rate events related to bit error rate in digital communications and false alarm rate in radar systems, its application to ATM queuing problems with correlated input traffic has yet to be demonstrated. It is established that significant computational savings can be obtained using IS for correlated traffic by using regenerative properties of the underlying system and biasing the conditional arrival process. The results show that IS can reduce the computational burden by more than three orders of magnitude. Extensions of the methodology to more complex arrival processes are discussed. The foundation for applying IS to ATM systems given can be used to study congestion control as well as networks of ATM queues in the future. >
Mechanical property characterization and impact resistance of selected graphite/PEEK composite materials

To use graphite polyetheretherketone (PEEK) material on highly curved surfaces requires that the material be drapable and easily conformable to the surface. This paper presents the mechanical property characterization and impact resistance results for laminates made from two types of graphite/PEEK materials that will conform to a curved surface. These laminates were made from two different material forms. These forms are: (1) a fabric where each yarn is a co-mingled Celion G30-500 3K graphite fiber and PEEK thermoplastic fiber; and (2) an interleaved material of Celion G30-500 3K graphite fabric interleaved with PEEK thermoplastic film. The experimental results from the fabric laminates are compared with results for laminates made from AS4/PEEK unidirectional tape. The results indicate that the tension and compression moduli for quasi-isotropic and orthotropic laminates made from fabric materials are at least 79 percent of the modulus of equivalent laminates made from tape material. The strength of fabric material laminates is at least 80 percent of laminates made from tape material. The evaluation of fabric material for shear stiffness indicates that a tape material laminate could be replaced by a fabric material laminate and still maintain 89 percent of the shear stiffness of the tape material laminate. The notched quasi-isotropic compression panel failure strength is 42 to 46 percent of the unnotched quasi-isotropic laminate strength. Damage area after impact with 20 ft-lbs of impact energy is larger for the co-mingled panels than for the interleaved panels. The inerleaved panels have less damage than panels made from tape material. Residual compression strength of quasi-isotropic panels after impact of 20 ft-lbs of energy varies between 33 percent of the undamaged quasi-isotropic material strength for the tape material and 38 percent of the undamaged quasi-isotropic material strength for the co-mingled fabric material.
Disclosure Effects in the Laboratory: Liquidity, Depth, and the Cost of Capital

Greater disclosure quality leads to higher prices and greater liquidity in a laboratory financial market, and these effects are stronger when investors face the risk of unpredictable demand shocks. These results are consistent with a broad class of theoretical and empirical studies. Disclosure has larger effects on prices and liquidity at greater market depths. We conclude that archival studies looking only at quoted transaction prices and spreads (which typically pertain to small transactions) may underestimate the potential importance of disclosure on larger transactions that occur at greater market depths.
The success of infrastructure projects in low-income countries and the role of selectivity

This research analyzes the success of the infrastructure projects financed by the World Bank, focusing on the causal link between the quality of project implementation and its outcome. The results show that the success of infrastructure projects depends fundamentally on the quality of implementation. Although bad implementation can harm structurally solid projects, good implementation cannot make structurally weak projects successful. This leads to the conclusion that governance and selection of well-designed projects are essential for success and, in order to improve project outcomes, multilateral development banks may need to align their incentives toward this objective and invest more in governance and capacity building.
A New Formulation of Protein Evolutionary Models that Account for Structural Constraints

Despite the importance of a thermodynamically stable structure with a conserved fold for protein function, almost all evolutionary models neglect site–site correlations that arise from physical interactions between neighboring amino acid sites. This is mainly due to the difficulty in formulating a computationally tractable model since rate matrices can no longer be used. Here, we introduce a general framework, based on factor graphs, for constructing probabilistic models of protein evolution with site interdependence. Conveniently, efficient approximate inference algorithms, such as Belief Propagation, can be used to calculate likelihoods for these models. We fit an amino acid substitution model of this type that accounts for both solvent accessibility and site–site correlations. Comparisons of the new model with rate matrix models and alternative structure-dependent models demonstrate that it better fits the sequence data. We also examine evolution within a family of homohexameric enzymes and find that site–site correlations between most contacting subunits contribute to a higher likelihood. In addition, we show that the new substitution model has a similar mathematical form to the one introduced in Rodrigue et al. (Rodrigue N, Lartillot N, Bryant D, Philippe H. 2005. Site interdependence attributed to tertiary structure in amino acid sequence evolution. Gene 347:207–217), although with different parameter interpretations and values. We also perform a statistical analysis of the effects of amino acids at neighboring sites on substitution probabilities and find a significant perturbation of most probabilities, further supporting the significant role of site–site interactions in protein evolution and motivating the development of new evolutionary models similar to the one described here. Finally, we discuss possible extensions and applications of the new substitution model.
Restricted Simsun Permutations

A permutation is simsun if for all k, the subword of the one-line notation consisting of the k smallest entries does not have three consecutive decreasing elements. Simsun permutations were introduced by Simion and Sundaram, who showed that they are counted by the Euler numbers. In this paper we enumerate simsun permutations avoiding a pattern or a set of patterns of length 3. The results involve Motkzin, Fibonacci, and secondary structure numbers. The techniques in the proofs include generating functions, bijections into lattice paths and generating trees.
Pfinder: real-time tracking of the human body

Pfinder is a real-time system for tracking people and interpreting their behavior. It runs at 10 Hz on a standard SGI Indy computer, and has performed reliably on thousands of people in many different physical locations. The system uses a multiclass statistical model of color and shape to obtain a 2D representation of head and hands in a wide range of viewing conditions. Pfinder has been successfully used in a wide range of applications including wireless interfaces, video databases, and low-bandwidth coding.
3D adaptive mesh refinement simulations of pellet injection in tokamaks

We present results of Adaptive Mesh Refinement (AMR) simulations of the pellet injection process, a proven method of refueling tokamaks. AMR is a computationally efficient way to provide the resolution required to simulate realistic pellet sizes relative to device dimensions. The mathematical model comprises of single-fluid MHD equations with source terms in the continuity equation along with a pellet ablation rate model. The numerical method developed is an explicit unsplit upwinding treatment of the 8-wave formulation, coupled with a MAC projection method to enforce the solenoidal property of the magnetic field. The Chombo framework is used for AMR. The role of the E x B drift in mass redistribution during inside and outside pellet injections is emphasized.
Ritter Reactions between Alcohols and Acetonitrile Mediated by the Conducting Polymer Poly-(3,4-ethylenedioxy Thiophene) (PEDOT)

Abstract Herein, we report new reactivity of the conducting polymer, poly-(3,4-ethylenedioxy thiophene) (PEDOT), where PEDOT mediates a Ritter reaction between alcohols and acetonitrile. The yields were variable and in most cases competitive with results obtained using sulfuric acid. Attempts at a stoichiometric reaction between benzonitrile and diphenylmethanol are also reported herein. Finally, described here are preliminary mechanistic studies that suggest PEDOT is behaving as an alcohol-selective or specific Lewis acid. Supplementary materials are available for this article. Go to the publisher's online edition of Synthetic Communications® for full experimental and spectral details.
Methodology for Estimating Specific Yield in Shallow Water Environment Using Continuous Soil Moisture Data

A methodology for estimating specific yield in shallow water environments using continuous soil moisture data is introduced. An accurate estimate of specific yield is critical for management of water resources affecting well yields, water levels, and rates of water level decline. The study area is located in an intensive small-scale hydrologic monitoring field site in Hillsborough County, Florida. Data from four soil moisture monitoring stations were studied. The objectives of this paper are to describe a methodology to obtain precise estimates of the specific yield that can be obtained by a fitting procedure and to determine functional relationships between measured soil parameters and soil moisture storage variability. Estimated specific yield values varied from zero, when the water table was near land surface, to a maximum that was close to drainable porosity consistent with a humid shallow water environment, where sensitive ecosystems and wetlands are dependent on a seasonal hydroperiod of water table fluctuations. The results will be incorporated into regional integrated surface and ground water models that are being applied successfully in West-Central Florida.
The cost of exposing cheating: International election monitoring, fraud, and post-election violence in Africa

This article investigates the relationship between international election observation, election fraud, and post-election violence. While international electoral missions could in principle mitigate...
Composite fermions and quantum Hall systems: role of the Coulomb pseudopotential

Abstract The mean-field composite fermion (CF) picture successfully predicts angular momenta of multiplets forming the lowest-energy band in fractional auantum Hall (FQH) systems. This success cannot be attributed to a cancellation between Coulomb and Chern-Simons interactions beyond the mean field, because these interactions have totally different energy scales. Rather, it results from the behaviour of the Coulomb pseudopotential V(L) (pair energy as a function of pair angular momentum) in the lowest Landau level (LL). The class of short-range repulsive pseudopotentials is defined that lead to short-range Laughlin-like correlations in many-body systems and to which the CF model can be applied. These Laughlin correlations are described quantitatively using the formalism of fractional parentage. The discussion is illustrated with an analysis of the energy spectra obtained in numerical diagonalization of up to 11 electrons in the lowest and excited LLs. The qualitative difference in the behaviour of V(L)is ...
Divide-and-conquer 2-D phase retrieval using subband decomposition and filter banks

The two-dimensional (2-D) discrete phase-retrieval problem is to reconstruct a discrete-time signal whose support is known and compact from the magnitude of its discrete Fourier transform. We show how a subband decomposition of this problem can be performed using filter banks. The result is a series of smaller 2-D phase-retrieval problems whose solutions are the phases of the original problem in different frequency bands. The 2-D phase-retrieval problem is first mapped to a one-dimensional (1-D) phase-retrieval problem, and the subband decomposition is applied to this problem to decompose it into smaller 1-D problems, each of which can be viewed as a smaller 2-D problem. This is more flexible than performing the decomposition directly in 2-D. The filter must have finite support, zero phase, and be approximately halfband. While these results can also perform subband decomposition of any 1-D phase-retrieval problem, the general lack of uniqueness for 1-D phase retrieval creates problems in reassembling the solutions to the smaller 1-D problems.