cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The chondroitin sulfate proteoglycans neurocan and phosphacan are expressed by reactive astrocytes in the chronic CNS glial scar.

Chondroitin sulfate proteoglycans (CS-PGs) expressed by reactive astrocytes may contribute to the axon growth-inhibitory environment of the injured CNS. The specific potentially inhibitory CS-PGs present in areas of reactive gliosis, however, have yet to be thoroughly examined. In this study, we used immunohistochemistry, combined immunohistochemistry–in situ hybridization, immunoblot analysis, and reverse transcription-PCR to examine the expression of specific CS-PGs by reactive astrocytes in an in vivo model of reactive gliosis: that is, the glial scar, after cortical injury. Neurocan and phosphacan can be localized to reactive astrocytes 30 d after CNS injury, whereas brevican and versican are not expressed in the chronic glial scar. Neurocan is also expressed by astrocytes in primary cell culture. Relative to the amount present in cultured astrocytes or uninjured cortex, neurocan expression increases significantly in the glial scar resulting from cortical injury, including the re-expression of the neonatal isoform of neurocan. In contrast, phosphacan protein levels are decreased in the glial scar compared with the uninjured brain. Because these CS-PGs are capable of inhibiting neurite outgrowth in vitro, our data suggest that phosphacan and neurocan in areas of reactive gliosis may contribute to axonal regenerative failure after CNS injury.
A Frame Bundle Generalization of Multisymplectic Momentum Mappings

Abstract We construct momentum mappings for covariant Hamiltonian field theories using a generalization of symplectic geometry to the bundle L V Y of vertically adapted linear frames over the bundle of field configurations Y . Field momentum observables are vector-valued momentum mappings generated from automorphisms of Y , using the ( n + k )-symplectic geometry of L V Y . These momentum observables on L V Y generalize those in covariant multisymplectic geometry and produce conserved field quantities along flows. Three examples illustrate the utility of these momentum mappings: orthogonal symmetry of a Kaluza-Klein theory generates the conservation of field angular momentum, affine reparametrization symmetry in time-evolution mechanics produces a version of the parallel axis theorem of rotational dynamics, and time reparametrization symmetry in time-evolution mechanics gives us an improvement upon a parallel transport law.
Current Issues and Advances in Misinformation Research

Eyewitnesses are often called upon to report information about what they have seen. A wealth of research from the past century has demonstrated, however, that eyewitness memory is malleable and vulnerable to distorting influences, including the effects of misinformation. In this article, we review recent developments in research related to the misinformation effect, including individual differences in susceptibility, neuroimaging approaches, and protective interview procedures that may better elicit accurate event details. We conclude with a section on related false memory research.
Motor imagery task discrimination using wide-band frequency spectra with Slepian tapers

We here studied the efficacy of wide-band frequency spectra (WBFS) features using multi-taper (MT) spectral analysis in application to motor imagery based Brain Computer Interfaces. We acquired motor imagery task related human scalp electroencephalography (EEG) signals for left vs. right hand movements using 3 different pairs of visual arrow cues. Left vs. right movement imagery discrimination was conducted using a Naive Bayesian classifier using WBFS features and commonly used Mu-Beta spectral features for EEG signals from central+parietal and central only electrode positions. Task discrimination accuracy results showed that WBFS features using MT spectral analysis provided significantly better performance (with a 95% confidence level) than that of using Mu-Beta spectral features commonly used. The use of central+parietal electrode signals improved discrimination accuracy significantly when compared to the accuracy using the central only signals, implying that sensory information enhanced task discrimination significantly.
Teacher Perceptions of Gender-Based Differences among Elementary School Teachers.

The purpose of this study was to examine teacher perceptions of gender-based differences among elementary school teachers. In this mixed-methods study, the researcher utilized an online survey to collect data. Quantitative analysis revealed no statistically significant differences; however, qualitative analysis showed that there were more negative responses to survey statements pertaining to males. More than half of the participants perceived differences between female and male elementary teachers, including beliefs that female teachers are more nurturing, that male teachers are more laid back, and that male teachers are more dominant and commanding with students. Four conclusions were drawn: elementary teachers perceive differences between female and male teachers, male elementary teachers are perceived more negatively than female colleagues, a vast majority of participants feel that more male elementary teachers are needed in the elementary schools, and differences between female and male elementary teachers remain unclear.
Dynamic legislative policy making

Abstract We prove existence of stationary Markov perfect equilibria in an infinite-horizon model of legislative policy making in which the policy outcome in one period determines the status quo for the next. We allow for a multidimensional policy space and arbitrary smooth stage utilities, and we assume preferences and the status quo are subject to arbitrarily small shocks. We prove that equilibrium continuation values are differentiable and that proposal strategies are continuous almost everywhere. We establish upper hemicontinuity of the equilibrium correspondence, and we provide weak conditions under which each equilibrium of our model determines an aperiodic transition probability over policies. We establish a convergence theorem giving conditions under which the invariant distributions generated by stationary equilibria must be close to the core in a canonical spatial model. Finally, we extend the analysis to sequential move stochastic games and to a version of the model in which the proposer and voting rule are determined by play of a finite, perfect information game.
A group decision support framework for consensus ranking of technical manager candidates

In many developed countries, today's socioeconomic environment has expanded the role of the technical manager. Organizations capable of recruiting technical managers with adequate management education and interpersonal skills, in addition to technical expertise, are more likely to be successful in managing their limited resources. A technical manager's success is also dependent on the manager's acceptance by his/her subordinates, peers, and superiors, and the decision to hire a technical manager should be made with their participation. Many of these individuals have little background or experience in hiring, and they need appropriate decision support. This paper presents a framework to help a group of decision makers define and articulate a hierarchy of hiring criteria and subcriteria and rate each of the candidates on that hierarchy. To improve consistency among group members, the proposed group decision support system (GDSS) combines the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) with the Delphi principles of anonymous feedback and iteration. Given the decision makers' desire for a consensus choice, the framework deviates from the normal practice of AHP, and uses the Maximize Agreement Heuristic (MAH) to arrive at the final ranking of the candidates. An application to the ranking of nurse manager candidates at a hospital in the United States is presented.
A CPW T-resonator technique for electrical characterization of microwave substrates

An impedance independent method is proposed using a finite ground coplanar waveguide (CPW) T-resonator to electrically characterize microwave materials. Silicon-based CPW T-resonators are designed and measured, with calibrated data agreeing well with other methods up to 30 GHz. Uncalibrated measurements produce dielectric constant and attenuation results within 3.7% and 25%, respectively, of those obtained with calibration. Hence, the CPW T-resonator can be used to provide rapid and accurate characterization of microwave substrates with unknown dielectric properties.
Influence of channel blockers on cardiac alternans

Sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) due to fatal cardiac arrhythmias such as ventricular fibrillation is the leading cause of death in the United States, killing 350,000 Americans each year. Thus, it is of great importance to investigate the mechanisms that can suppress abnormal heart rhythms. In this work, we study the effects of drugs such as channel blockers through mathematical modeling of cardiac electrophysiological phenomena. In particular, we carry out multi-level simulations to study how channel blockers affect arrhythmias at cellular, fiber, and tissue levels. Numerical simulations show that the drugs have different effects at different scales (cellular versus fiber or tissue). Moreover, the drugs may appear to be arrhythmic in one model but antiarrhythmic in another. These observations indicate that analysis and simulation based on multiple scales and multiple models are crucial to fully understand the properties of drugs in treating arrhythmias.
ONE- AND MULTI-FACTOR VALUATION OF MORTGAGES: COMPUTATIONAL PROBLEMS AND SHORTCUTS

A new valuation method is proposed that can be mathematically viewed as a numerical shortcut to approximately solve the partial differential equation written for Expected Instantaneous Return. The method derives OAS as "static spread plus cost of convexity" and is based on some simplified parametric assumption about the static spread's time behavior. The modeling and numerical procedure details are disclaimed with proven accuracy and time efficiency in option-adjusted valuation. The method is especially effective for multi-scenario pricing, portfolio pricing, risk management and reporting, and for quantifying the impact of "non-traded" factors on reward and risk of holding mortgages. A systematic methodology for comprehensive multi-factor analysis is covered.
Inference by Believers in the Law of Small Numbers

Many people believe in the Law of Small Numbers, exaggerating the degree to which a small sample resembles the population from which it is drawn. To model this, I assume that a person exaggerates the likelihood that a short sequence of i.i.d. signals resembles the long-run rate at which those signals are generated. Such a person believes in the gambler's fallacy , thinking early draws of one signal increase the odds of next drawing other signals. When uncertain about the rate, the person over-infers from short sequences of signals, and is prone to think the rate is more extreme than it is. When the person makes inferences about the frequency at which rates are generated by different sources -- such as the distribution of talent among financial analysts -- based on few observations from each source, he tends to exaggerate how much variance there is in the rates. Hence, the model predicts that people may pay for financial advice from experts whose expertise is entirely illusory. Other economic applications are discussed.
Women in No Man's Land: The Abortion Debate in the USA and Women Terminating Desired Pregnancies Due to Foetal Anomaly

Abortion is a politicized and contested topic in many countries. In the USA, it is subject to particularly polarized debate and increasingly stringent policies. Women who terminate a desired preganancy due to diagnosis of foetal anomaly (TFA) are stuck in the middle of the debate. The debate is framed as “pro-life” vs. “pro-choice” though neither camp fits the experience of women who TFA. These women report a sense of responsibility and love toward the foetus that they refer to as their baby, yet they also make use of the choice to terminate the pregnancy when fetal anomaly is diagnosed. This article summarizes the historical context of abortion in the USA and then reports findings from qualitative data about the impact of the abortion debate on women who TFA. The social work person-in-environment perspective is shown to be crucial to assisting women in their coping.
Nonlinear Saturation of Vertically Propagating Rossby Waves

The interaction between vertical Rossby wave propagation and wave breaking is studied in the idealized context of a beta-plane channel model. Considering the problem of propagationthrough a uniformzonal flow in an exponentially stratified fluid, where linear theory predicts exponential wave growth with height, the question is how wave growth is limited in the nonlinear flow. Using a numerical model, the authors examine the behavior of the flow as the bottom forcing increases through values bound to lead to a breakdown of the linear solution within the computational domain. Focusing on the equilibriumflow obtained for each value of the bottom forcing, an attempt is made to identify the mechanisms involved in limiting wave growth and examine in particular the importance of wave‐wave interactions. The authors also examine the case in which forcing is continuously increasing with time so as to enhance effects peculiar to transiency; it does not significantly alter the main results. Wave‐mean flow interactions are found to dominate the dynamics even for strong bottom forcing values. Ultimately, it is the modification of the mean flow that is found to limit the vertical penetration of the forced wave, through either increased wave absorption or downward reflection. Linear propagation theory is found to capture the wave structure surprisingly well, even when the total flow is highly deformed. Overall, the numerical results seem to suggest that wave‐wave interactions do not have a strong direct effect on the propagating disturbance. Wave‐meanflow interactions limit wave growth sufficiently that a strong additional nonlinear enstrophy sink, through downscale cascade, is not necessary. Quantitatively, however, wave‐wave interactions, primarily among the lowest wavenumbers, prove important so as to sufficiently accurately determine the basic state and its influence on wave propagation.
Floating–Fixed Credit Spreads

We examine the term structure of yield spreads between floating-rate and fixed-rate notes of the same credit quality and maturity. Floating–fixed spreads are theoretically characterized in some practical cases and quantified in a simple model in terms of maturity, credit quality, yield volatility, yield-spread volatility, correlation between changes in yield spreads and default-free yields, and other determining variables. We show that if the issuer's default risk is risk-neutrally independent of interest rates, the sign of floating–fixed spreads is determined by the term structure of the risk-free forward rate.
Global well-posedness of the three-dimensional viscous primitive equations of large scale ocean and atmosphere dynamics

In this paper we prove the global existence and uniqueness (regularity) of strong solutions to the three-dimensional viscous primitive equations, which model large scale ocean and atmosphere dynamics. 1. Introduction Large scale dynamics of oceans and atmosphere is governed by the primitive equations which are derived from the Navier-Stokes equations, with rotation, coupled to thermodynamics and salinity diffusion-transport equations, which account for the buoyancy forces and stratification effects under the Boussinesq approximation. Moreover, and due to the shallowness of the oceans and the atmosphere, i.e., the depth of the fluid layer is very small in comparison to the radius of the earth, the vertical large scale motion in the oceans and the atmosphere is much smaller than the horizontal one, which in turn leads to modeling the vertical motion by the hydrostatic balance. As a result
Sovereign Defaults and Banking Crises

Episodes of sovereign default feature three key empirical regularities in connection with the banking systems of the countries where they occur: (i) sovereign defaults and banking crises tend to happen together, (ii) commercial banks have substantial holdings of government debt, and (iii) sovereign defaults result in major contractions in bank credit and production. This paper provides a rationale for these phenomena by extending the traditional sovereign default framework to incorporate bankers that lend to both the government and the corporate sector. When these bankers are highly exposed to government debt a default triggers a banking crisis which leads to a corporate credit collapse and subsequently to an output decline. When calibrated to Argentina’s 2001 default episode the model produces default on equilibrium with a frequency in line with actual default frequencies, and when it happens credit experiences a sharp contraction which generates an output drop similar in magnitude to the one observed in the data. Moreover, the model also matches several moments of the cyclical dynamics of macroeconomic aggregates.
Galactic Superluminal Sources

A new class of X-ray sources was clearly established with the discovery of highly relativistic radio jets from the galactic sources GRS 1915+105 and GRO J1655-40. Both of these objects have given us a broader view of black holes and the formation of jets, yet they also show the complexity of the accretion environment near relativistic objects. The fast apparent motion of the jets, their luminosity and variability, high energy spectrum, and approximate scaling to the behavior of active galactic nuclei, certainly warrant the description 'microquasar". I present a review of the observational data on these sources, and discuss where we stand on a physical picture of GRS 1915+105 and GRO J1655-40 as taken from multi-wavelength studies. I also point out other galactic sources which share some of the properties of the microquasars, and what to look for as a high energy "signature' in future observations.
Making the French Pay: The Costs and Consequences of the Napoleonic Reparations

Reparations as an instrument of international peace settlements were abandoned after the failure of Germany to pay its post-World War I indemnity. However, reparations played a useful role in the construction of earlier peace treaties. This article examines the payment of reparations by the French after the Napoleonic Wars. By most measures, these reparations were the largest ever fully paid; and they imposed a high cost on the economy in terms of lost output, consumption, and diminished capital stock. The incentives to pay were appropriately set and payment permitted France to be accepted once again as an equal among the great powers.
Party Influence in Congress and the Economy

To understand the extent to which partisan majorities in Congress influence economic policy, we compare financial market responses in recent midterm elections to Presidential elections. We use prediction markets that track election outcomes as a means of precisely timing and calibrating the arrival of news, allowing substantially more precise estimates than a traditional event study methodology. We find that equity values, oil prices, and Treasury yields are slightly higher with Republican majorities in Congress, and that a switch in the majority party in a chamber of Congress has an impact that is only 10%-30% of that of the Presidency. We also find evidence inconsistent with the popular view that divided government is better for equities, finding instead that equity valuations increase monotonically, albeit slightly, with the degree of Republican control.
Long-term outcomes of transplant recipients referred for angiography for suspected transplant renal artery stenosis

Our aim was to study the long-term outcomes of all transplant recipients who underwent angiography for suspected TRAS at our institution. The patients were divided into TRAS+ve and TRAS-ve groups based upon angiographically confirmed results. TRAS was confirmed in 58.1% of 74 patients with median time of 8.9 months. Primary angioplasty alone was performed in 56% of patients with TRAS, while the remaining had PTA with stent (PTAS). There was reduction in systolic and diastolic BP (165 ± 19-136 ± 15 mmHg and 82 ± 14 mmHg to 68 ± 12 mmHg; p < 0.05) and number of antihypertensive drugs (3.5 ± 0.9-2.7 ± 1.0; p < 0.05). Overall, graft survival and patient survival from time of transplant were similar in both groups. Graft function was similar for the patients with treated TRAS+ve as compared to TRAS-ve over time. Graft survival and patient survival when compared to an age- and year of transplant-matched cohort control group were also similar. In conclusion, angiography for suspected TRAS is more likely to yield a confirmatory result early in the transplant course as compared to late. Treatment of TRAS in these patients had sustained long-term graft function. Alternative etiologies of HTN and graft dysfunction should be sought for recipients further out from transplant.
Lessons learned from the contamination of heparin

Heparin is unique as one of the oldest drugs currently still in widespread clinical use as an anticoagulant, a natural product, one of the first biopolymeric drugs, and one of the few carbohydrate drugs. Recently, certain batches of heparin have been associated with anaphylactoid-type reactions, some leading to hypotension and death. These reactions were traced to contamination with a semi-synthetic oversulfated chondroitin sulfate (OSCS). This Highlight reviews the heparin contamination crisis, its resolution, and the lessons learned. Pharmaceutical scientists now must consider dozens of natural and synthetic heparinoids as potential heparin contaminants. Effective assays, which can detect both known and unknown contaminants, are required to monitor the quality of heparin. Safer and better-regulated processes are needed for heparin production.
Scaling Relationships of Dissipation-Induced Pavement–Vehicle Interactions:

Rolling resistance is one of the key factors that affect the fuel efficiency of the national pavement system. In addition to pavement texture and pavement roughness, the dissipation of mechanical work provided by the vehicle because of viscous deformation within the pavement structure has been recognized as a relevant factor contributing to the environmental footprint of pavement systems. This dissipation depends on material and structural parameters that can be optimized to increase the fuel efficiency of pavements. Identifying the key material and structural parameters that drive this dissipation is the focus of this paper. This identification is achieved by a combination of dimensional analysis and model-based simulations of the dissipation of a viscoelastic beam on an elastic foundation. For linear viscoelastic systems, the dissipation is found to scale with the square of the vehicle weight and with the inverse of the viscous relaxation time, in addition to distinct power relations of top-layer stiffn...
Thermochemical solar hydrogen generation.

Solar direct, indirect and hybrid thermochemical processes are presented for the generation of hydrogen and compared to alternate solar hydrogen processes. A hybrid solar thermal/electrochemical process combines efficient photovoltaics and concentrated excess sub-bandgap heat into highly efficient elevated temperature solar electrolysis of water and generation of H2 fuel utilizing the thermodynamic temperature induced decrease of EH2O with increasing temperature. Theory and experiment is presented for this process using semiconductor bandgap restrictions and combining photodriven charge transfer, with excess sub-bandgap insolation to lower the water potential, and their combination into highly efficient solar generation of H2 is attainable. Fundamental water thermodynamics and solar photosensitizer constraints determine solar energy to hydrogen fuel conversion efficiencies in the 50% range over a wide range of insolation, temperature, pressure and photosensitizer bandgap conditions.
Laser-produced plasmas in medicine

The authors examine those areas of laser medicine in which plasmas (ionized gases) are produced. In fact, the presence of a plasma is essential for the various applications to succeed. The authors consider examples of the plasmas produced in ophthalmology (e.g., lens membrane destruction following cataract surgery), in urology and gastroenterology (e.g., kidney and gall stone ablation and fragmentation), and in cardiology and vascular surgery (e.g., laser ablation and removal of fibro-fatty and calcified arterial plaque). Experimental data are presented, along with some results from computer simulations of the phenomena. Comments on future directions in these areas are included. >
Recent results of radioactive beam experiments at ATLAS

Abstract Various beams of short- and long-lived radioactive nuclei have recently been produced at the ATLAS accelerator at Argonne National Laboratory, using either the so-called In-Flight or the Two-Accelerator method. With these beams many questions which are of interest in the areas of nuclear structure and nuclear astrophysics can be addressed. In this contribution first results from experiments with 44Ti (T 1 2 60y) and 17F (T 1 2 64s) beams are discussed, which are of interest to the nucleosynthesis in supernovae and X-ray bursts.
Electroweak Measurements of Neutron Densities in CREX and PREX at JLab, USA

Measurement of the parity-violating electron scattering asymmetry is an established technique at Jefferson Lab and provides a new opportunity to measure the weak charge distribution and hence pin down the neutron radius in nuclei in a relatively clean and model-independent way. This is because the Z boson of the weak interaction couples primarily to neutrons. We will describe the PREX and CREX experiments on 208Pb and 48Ca , respectively; these are both doubly magic nuclei whose first excited state can be discriminated by the high-resolution spectrometers at JLab. The heavier lead nucleus, with a neutron excess, provides an interpretation of the neutron skin thickness in terms of properties of bulk neutron matter. For the lighter 48Ca nucleus, which is also rich in neutrons, microscopic nuclear theory calculations are feasible and are sensitive to poorly constrained 3-neutron forces.
Self-Stratification of Tropical Cyclone Outflow. Part II: Implications for Storm Intensification

Tropical cyclones intensify and are maintained by surface enthalpy fluxes that result from the thermodynamics disequilibrium that exists between the tropical oceans and atmosphere. While this general result has beenknownfor at least a half century,the detailednatureof feedbacksbetweenthermodynamic anddynamic processes in tropical cyclones remains poorly understood. In particular, the spatial relationship between surface fluxes and the radial entropy distribution apparently does not act to amplify the entropy gradient and therefore the surface winds. In previous work, this problem was addressed by accounting for the radial distribution of convective fluxes of entropy out of the boundary layer; this led to the conclusion that a radial gradient of such convective fluxes is necessary for intensification. Part I showed that the assumption of constant outflow temperature is incorrect and argued that the thermal stratification of the outflow is set by small-scale turbulence that limits the Richardson number. The assumption of Richardson number criticality of the outflow allows one to derive an equation for the variation of outflow temperature with angular momentum; this in turn leads to predictions of vortex structure and intensity that agree well with tropical cyclones simulated using a full-physics axisymmetric model. Here it is shown that the variation of outflow temperature with angular momentum also permits the vortex to intensify with time even in the absence of radial gradients of entrainment into the boundary layer. An equation is derived for the rate of intensity change and compared to simple models and to simulations using a full-physics model.
Preparing a collection of radiology examinations for distribution and retrieval

Objective Clinical documents made available for secondary use play an increasingly important role in discovery of clinical knowledge, development of research methods, and education. An important step in facilitating secondary use of clinical document collections is easy access to descriptions and samples that represent the content of the collections. This paper presents an approach to developing a collection of radiology examinations, including both the images and radiologist narrative reports, and making them publicly available in a searchable database. Materials and Methods The authors collected 3996 radiology reports from the Indiana Network for Patient Care and 8121 associated images from the hospitals’ picture archiving systems. The images and reports were de-identified automatically and then the automatic de-identification was manually verified. The authors coded the key findings of the reports and empirically assessed the benefits of manual coding on retrieval. Results The automatic de-identification of the narrative was aggressive and achieved 100% precision at the cost of rendering a few findings uninterpretable. Automatic de-identification of images was not quite as perfect. Images for two of 3996 patients (0.05%) showed protected health information. Manual encoding of findings improved retrieval precision. Conclusion Stringent de-identification methods can remove all identifiers from text radiology reports. DICOM de-identification of images does not remove all identifying information and needs special attention to images scanned from film. Adding manual coding to the radiologist narrative reports significantly improved relevancy of the retrieved clinical documents. The de-identified Indiana chest X-ray collection is available for searching and downloading from the National Library of Medicine ( ).
Sonic-Point Model of Kilohertz Quasi-periodic Brightness Oscillations in Low-Mass X-Ray Binaries

Quasi-periodic brightness oscillations (QPOs) with frequencies ranging from ~300 to ~1200 Hz have been discovered in the X-ray emission from 14 neutron stars in low-mass binary systems and from another neutron star in the direction of the Galactic center. These kilohertz QPOs are very strong, with rms relative amplitudes ranging up to ~15% of the total X-ray count rate, and are remarkably coherent, with frequency-to-FWHM ratios as large as ~200. Two simultaneous kilohertz QPOs differing in frequency by ~250-350 Hz have been detected in 12 of the 15 sources. Here we propose a model for these QPOs. In this model, the X-ray source is a neutron star with a surface magnetic field ~107-1010 G and a spin frequency of a few hundred hertz, accreting gas via a Keplerian disk. Some of the accreting gas is channeled by the stellar magnetic field but some remains in a Keplerian disk flow that penetrates to within a few kilometers of the stellar surface. The frequency of the higher frequency QPO in a kilohertz QPO pair is the Keplerian frequency at a radius near the sonic point at the inner edge of the Keplerian flow, whereas the frequency of the lower frequency QPO is the difference between the Keplerian frequency at a radius near the sonic point and the fundamental or first overtone of the stellar spin frequency. The difference between the frequencies of the pair of QPOs is therefore close to (but not necessarily equal to) the stellar spin frequency. The amplitudes of the QPOs at the sonic-point Keplerian frequency and at the beat frequency depend on the strength of the neutron star's magnetic field and the accretion rate, and hence one or both of these QPOs may sometimes be undetectable. Oscillations at the stellar spin frequency and its overtones are expected to be weak but may sometimes be detectable. This model is consistent with the magnetic field strengths, accretion rates, and scattering optical depths inferred from previous modeling of the X-ray spectra and rapid X-ray variability of the atoll and Z sources. It explains naturally the frequencies of the kilohertz QPOs and the similarity of these frequencies in sources with different accretion rates and magnetic fields. The model also explains the high coherence and large amplitudes of the kilohertz QPOs and the steep increase of QPO amplitude with photon energy. The increase in QPO frequency with inferred accretion rate seen in many sources is also understandable in this model. We show that if the frequency of the higher frequency QPO in a pair is an orbital frequency, as in the sonic-point model, the frequencies of these QPOs place interesting upper bounds on the masses and radii of the neutron stars in the kilohertz QPO sources and provide new constraints on the equation of state of matter at high densities. Further observations of these QPOs may provide compelling evidence for the existence of a marginally stable orbit, confirming a key prediction of general relativity in the strong-field regime.
Geographic inequity in a decentralized anti-poverty program : a case study of China

The central governments of many developing countries have chosen to decentralize their anti-poverty programs, in the expectation that local agents are better informed about local needs. The paper shows that this potential advantage of decentralized eligibility criteria can come at a large cost, to the extent that the induced geographic inequities undermine performance in reaching the income- poor nationally. These issues are studied empirically for (probably) the largest transfer-based poverty program in the world, namely China's Di Bao program, which aims to assure a minimum income through means-tested transfers. Poor municipalities are found to adopt systematically lower eligibility thresholds, reducing the program's ability to reach poor areas, and generating considerable horizontal inequity.
Planck Reference Sky versus WMAP

Abstract The aim of this work is to investigate the limitation and possible improvements of the Planck Reference Sky via the comparison to the 3-years WMAP data. We carry out the analysis for both temperature and polarization maps. From the Planck Reference Sky we generate the simulated maps at the five bands of WMAP, including diffuse foreground emission and compact sources. We compare the two maps in terms of power spectra and morphologically, for different sky cuts. We find discrepancies in the power spectra, particularly evident in polarization and at the lowest frequencies. Focusing on the synchrotron model we identify the possible causes of the discrepancy, and we propose improvements to the current model. We note that just dropping off the polarization fraction can give a better consistency with real data set. To be on the safe side, we compare the two data sets to an external one (DRAO-Leiden survey), confirming our results.
Induction log modeling using vertical eigenstates

A mode-matching method for models involving both horizontal and vertical interfaces is presented. In this method, the solution is represented in terms of modes inside and outside the borehole, and the modes are matched on the borehole wall to yield the solution. The method uses vertical modes (i.e. modes defined with respect to the vertical coordinate z). The receiver signal consists of a direct signal traveling within the borehole and a reflection signal bearing information about the rock formation outside the borehole. Compared to previous methods using modes defined with respect to the horizontal coordinate, the present method has advantages in terms of computational efficiency and data interpretation. >
Watermarking graph partitioning solutions

The authors introduce an Intellectual Property Protection (IPP) technique for graph partitioning which watermarks solutions to the graph partitioning problems so that they carry an author's signature. This technique is completely transparent to the actual computer-aided design tool which does the partitioning and is implemented by preprocessing and postprocessing alone. The authors propose five different schemes for the watermarking of partitioning solutions. The goal is to construct a partitioning solution which not only has a small edge cut, but also encodes the signature of the author. The key idea of all of our schemes is to map the signature into a set of constraints and then satisfy a disproportionate number of these constraints. Four of our schemes are based upon the idea of encouraging groups of vertices to be in the same partition. The fifth is based upon the encouragement of certain edges to be cut by the partitioning. The fifth scheme shows superior performances on all of the cases which we tested, including both two-way and multiway partitioning. The watermarking scheme produces solutions that have very low-quality degradation levels, yet carry signatures that are convincingly unambiguous, extremely unlikely to be present by coincidence and difficult to detect or remove without completely resolving the partitioning problem.
Multinuclear NMR investigations of the oxygen, water, and hydroxyl environments in sodium hexaniobate.

Solid-state 1H, 17O MAS NMR, 1H−93Nb TRAPDOR NMR, and 1H double quantum 2D MAS NMR experiments were used to characterize the oxygen, water, and hydroxyl environments in the monoprotonated hexaniobate material, Na7[HNb6O19]·15H2O. These solid-state NMR experiments demonstrate that the proton is located on the bridging oxygen of the [Nb6O19]8- cluster. The solid-state NMR results also show that the NbOH protons are spatially isolated from similar protons, but undergo proton exchange with the water species located in the crystal lattice. On the basis of double quantum 1H MAS NMR measurements, it was determined that the water species in the crystal lattice have restricted motional dynamics. Two-dimensional 1H−17O MAS NMR correlation experiments show that these restricted waters are preferentially associated with the bridging oxygen. Solution 17O NMR experiments show that the hydroxyl proton is also attached to the bridging oxygen for the compound in solution. In addition, solution 17O NMR kinetic studies for ...
Flight Measurements of a Wing Tip Vortex

Detailed flight measurements of the wing tip vortex generated by a DeHavilland Beaver were made with instruments mounted on a sailplane, which was towed behind the aircraft. Data at three different downstream locations were obtained by using three different tow rope lengths. The measurement stations were 4, 8, and 16 span lengths behind the aircraft, and the vortex Reynolds number was slightly above T0/v=W6. Results of the tests differed considerably from those of previous authors. Although the customary similarity variables for vortex decay were verified, the velocities were a factor of 2.5 higher than previous results. The vortex core radius and turbulence levels also proved to be substantially smaller than earlier measurments. These results indicate that the final similarity state of the vortex may depend strongly upon the initial tip shape, initial turbulence levels of the vortex, and/or the ambient turbulence levels. a /Si b c(orC) CL k1,k2,k3 r ( or R )
Five Decades after the Revolution:. how much do we Know about the Neutrino?

It is a pleasure to dedicate this talk to Prof Yang on the occasion of his 85th birthday, especially here in my birthplace, Singapore. I still recall the year 1957 when the local Chinese newspapers broke with the story of breakdown of parity, I didn’t understand the phrase , and when I checked into my high school physics text, I couldn’t find any explanation. The Chinese newspapers , call this Lee–Yang breakthrough a revolution, but it was hardly noticed by the English newspapers at the time. It wasn’t until I came to the U.S. in the Fall of 1957, that a true revolution occurred. I think I can speak for a whole generation of ethnic Chinese physicists who grew up in the U.S. that we personally benefitted far more from this revolution than the revelation of parity non-conservation.
Partially Optimal Routing

Most large-scale communication networks, such as the Internet, consist of interconnected administrative domains. While source (or selfish) routing, where transmission follows the least cost path for each source, is reasonable across domains, service providers typically engage in traffic engineering to improve operating performance within their own network. Motivated by this observation, we develop and analyze a model of partially optimal routing, where optimal routing within subnetworks is overlaid with selfish routing across domains. We demonstrate that optimal routing within a subnetwork does not necessarily improve the performance of the overall network. In particular, when Braess' paradox occurs in the network, partially optimal routing may lead to worse overall network performance. We provide bounds on the worst-case loss of efficiency that can occur due to partially optimal routing. For example, when all congestion costs can be represented by affine latency functions and all administrative domains have a single entry and exit point, the worst-case loss of efficiency is no worse than 25% relative to the optimal solution. In the presence of administrative domains incorporating multiple entry and/or exit points, however, the performance of partially optimal routing can be arbitrarily inefficient even with linear latencies. We also provide conditions for traffic engineering to be individually optimal for service providers.
Joint beamforming for multiaccess MIMO systems with finite rate feedback

We consider multiaccess multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) systems with finite rate feedback with the aim of understanding how to efficiently employ the given feedback resource to maximize the sum rate. A joint quantization and feedback strategy is proposed: the base station selects the strongest users, jointly quantizes their strongest eigen-channel vectors and broadcasts a common feedback to all the users. This joint strategy differs from an individual strategy in which quantization and feedback are performed independently across users, and it improves upon the individual strategy in the same way that vector quantization improves upon scalar quantization. To analyze the proposed strategy, the effect of user selection is described by extreme order statistics, while the effect of joint quantization is quantified through what we term "the composite Grassmann manifold". The achievable sum rate is then estimated using random matrix theory providing an analytic benchmark for the performance.
The contribution of the first stars to the cosmic infrared background

We calculate the contribution to the cosmic infrared background from very massive metal-free stars at high redshift. We explore two plausible star formation models and two limiting cases for the reprocessing of the ionizing stellar emission. We find that Population III stars may contribute significantly to the cosmic near-infrared background if the following conditions are met. (i) The first stars were massive, with M 100 M� . (ii) Molecular hydrogen can cool baryons in low-mass haloes. (iii) Population III star formation is ongoing, and not shut off through negative feedback effects. (iv) Virialized haloes form stars at ∼40 per cent efficiency up to the redshift of reionization, z ∼ 7. (v) The escape fraction of the ionizing radiation into the intergalactic medium is small. (vi) Nearly all of the stars end up in massive black holes without contributing to the metal enrichment of the Universe.
MoS2 Interactions with 1.5 eV Atomic Oxygen

Exposures of MoS2 to 1.5 eV atomic oxygen in an anhydrous environment reveal that the degree of oxidation is essentially independent of crystallite orientation and thesurface adsorbed reaction products are MoO3 and MoO2. A mixture ofoxides and sulfide exist over a depth of about 90 A and this layer has a low diffusion rate for oxygen. It is concluded that a protective oxide layer will form on MoS2 upon exposure to the atomic-oxygen-rich environment of low earth orbit.
Use of Sodium Propionate in the Prevention of Ketosis in Dairy Cattle

Summary In a study involving 100 high-producing cows, one-half served as controls and one-half was fed 0.25 lb. of sodium propionate daily for a period of 6 wk., starting at calving. Blood analyses and milk production showed an advantage for the propionate-fed cows in terms of higher blood sugar levels, lower blood ketones, and higher milk production. Greatest differences were observed at 3 wk. after calving, when they were highly significant in favor of the propionate-fed cows in all three measurements. At 7 wk. after calving, after the propionate had been discontinued, there were no significant differences between the two groups. During the 6-wk. feeding period, nine cows in the control group showed sufficient symptoms of ketosis to require treatment; whereas, the level of propionate was increased on two cows in the propionate-fed group because of an abnormal blood picture.
Nowhere-Zero \({\vec{k}}\)-Flows on Graphs

We introduce and study a multivariate function that counts nowhere-zero flows on a graph G, in which each edge of G has an individual capacity. We prove that the associated counting function is a piecewise-defined polynomial in these capacities, which satisfies a combinatorial reciprocity law that incorporates totally cyclic orientations of G.
Checking Compatibility of Bit Sizes in Floating Point Comparison Operations

We motivate, define and design a simple static analysis to check that comparisons of floating point values use compatible bit widths and thus compatible precision ranges. Precision mismatches arise due to the difference in bit widths of processor internal floating point registers (typically 80 or 64 bits) and their corresponding widths when stored in memory (64 or 32 bits). The analysis guarantees that floating point values from memory (i.e. array elements, instance and static fields) are not compared against floating point numbers in registers (i.e. arguments or locals). Without such an analysis, static symbolic verification is unsound and hence may report false negatives. The static analysis is fully implemented in Clousot, our static contract checker based on abstract interpretation.
Theoretical analysis of word-level switching activity in the presence of glitching and correlation

This paper presents a novel analytical approach to compute the switching activity in digital circuits at the word level in the presence of glitching and correlation. The proposed approach makes use of signal statistics such as mean, variance, and autocorrelation. It is shown that the switching activity /spl alpha//sub f/ at the output node f of any arbitrary circuit in the presence of glitching and correlation is computed as /spl alpha//sub f/=/spl Sigma//sub i=1//sup S-1//spl alpha/(f/sub i,i+1/)=/spl Sigma//sub i=1//sup S-/ /sup 1/p(f/sub i+1/)(1-p(f/sub i/))(1-/spl rho/(f/sub i,i+1/)) (1) where /spl rho/(f/sub i,i+1/)=/spl rho/(f/sub i,i+1/)=(E[f/sub i/(Sn)f/sub i+1/(Sn)]- p(f/sub i/)p(f/sub i+1/))/(/spl radic/(p(f/sub i/)-p(f/sub i/)/sup 2/)(p(f/sub i+1/)- p(f/sub i+1//sup 2/))) (2). S number of time slots in a cycle; /spl rho/(f/sub i/,+1) time-slot autocorrelation coefficient; E[x]=expected value of x; p/sub x/=probability of the signal x being "one". The switching activity analysis of a signal at the word level is computed by summing the activities of all the individual bits constituting the signal. It is also shown that if the correlation coefficient of the higher order bits of a normally distributed signal x is /spl rho/(x/sub c/), then the bit P/sub 0/ where the correlation begins and the correlation coefficient is related hy /spl rho/(x/sub c/)=erfc{(2(P/sub 0/-1)-1)/(/spl radic/2/spl sigma//sub x/)} where erfc(x)=complementary error function; /spl sigma//sub x/=variance of x. The proposed approach can estimate the switching activity in less than a second which is orders of magnitude faster than simulation-based approaches. Simulation results show that the errors using the proposed approach are about 6.1% on an average and that the approach is well suited even for highly correlated speech and music signals.