cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Activating the Informational Capabilities of Information Technology for Organizational Change

This paper considers how the information enabled by information technology (IT) is implicated in organizational action. It begins by proposing that the relationship between technology appropriations and an organization's informal advice networks is one useful way to understand how the information that is created, modified, transmitted, and stored through the use of IT can lead to organizational change. I then present the findings of an ethnographic study of the implementation and use of a new information technology service management (ITSM) tool in a large IT organization. The findings show that a number of discrepant events led technicians to appropriate the material features of the technology in certain ways, thus providing them with new and different kinds of information than was available to them previously. Armed with such information, technicians began to seek advice differently than they had before, which led to an overall transformation in the organization's social structure. I characterize appropriations of a technology's features as a set of practices that activate the informational capabilities of a new technology through advice networks. In activating its informational capabilities, technicians transformed the potential that the technology had to create, modify, transmit, and store information in new ways into resources used to organize their work. I conclude by discussing the implications of the findings for theorizing about and management of technologically induced organizational change.
The Influence of Software Process Maturity and Customer Error Reporting on Software Release and Pricing

Software producers are making greater use of customer error reporting to discover defects and improve the quality of their products. We study how software development differences among producers e.g., varying levels of process maturity and software class and functionality differences e.g., operating system versus productivity software affect how these producers coordinate software release timing and pricing to optimally harness error reporting contributions from users. In settings where prices are fixed, we characterize the optimal release time and demonstrate why in some cases it can actually be preferable to delay release when customer error reporting rates increase. The manner in which a firm's optimal release time responds to increases in software functionality critically hinges on whether the added functionality enhances or dilutes user error reporting; in both cases, the effect of added functionality on release timing can go in either direction, depending on both firm and product market characteristics. For example, when processing costs are relatively large compared with goodwill costs, firms with lower process maturity will release earlier when per-module error reporting contributions become diluted and release later when these contributions become enhanced. We also examine how a firm adapts price with changes in error reporting levels and software functionality, and finally, we provide implications of how beta testing influences release timing. This paper was accepted by Lorin Hitt, information systems.
An empirical analysis of the dynamic relation among investment, earnings and dividends

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the dynamic relationships among investment, earnings and dividends for US firms. The sample period is 1950-2006. Design/methodology/approach – The authors use a firm-level vector auto-regression (VAR) framework to examine the firm-level dynamics among investment, earnings and dividends. The firm-level VAR yields Granger causality results, impulse response functions, and variance decompositions characterizing the dynamics of these three variables at the firm level. Findings – For the average firm in the sample, Miller and Modigliani dividend policy irrelevance is not supported, even in the long run; the shocks to dividends do have long-run consequences for investment and vice versa. Dividend changes are an ineffective signal of future earnings in both the short and long-term. The cost of an increased dividend is on average an immediate decrease of $3 in investment for every dollar increase in dividends and the effect is persistent up to six years after the ...
MATERIALS FOR STRAINED SILICON DEVICES

Strained Si devices exhibit enhanced carrier mobility compared to that of standard Si CMOS devices of the same dimensions. Recent strained Si CMOS device results are reviewed. Materials issues related to the strained Si/relaxed SiGe heterostructures required for a strained Si CMOS technology are discussed.
Budget Feasible Mechanisms

We study a novel class of mechanism design problems in which the outcomes are constrained by the payments. This basic class of mechanism design problems captures many common economic situations, and yet it has not been studied, to our knowledge, in the past. We focus on the case of procurement auctions in which sellers have private costs, and the auctioneer aims to maximize a utility function on subsets of items, under the constraint that the sum of the payments provided by the mechanism does not exceed a given budget. Standard mechanism design ideas such as the VCG mechanism and its variants are not applicable here. We show that, for general functions, the budget constraint can render mechanisms arbitrarily bad in terms of the utility of the buyer. However, our main result shows that for the important class of sub modular functions, a bounded approximation ratio is achievable. Better approximation results are obtained for subclasses of the sub modular functions. We explore the space of budget feasible mechanisms in other domains and give a characterization under more restricted conditions.
Synthesis of [NZP]-structure-type materials by the combustion reaction method

Ca{sub 0.5}Sr{sub 0.5}Zr{sub 4}P{sub 6}O{sub 24} and Ba{sub 1.25}Zr{sub 4}P{sub 5.5}Si{sub 0.5}O{sub 24} compositions, which belong to the [NZP] family of low-thermal-expansion materials, were synthesized by the combustion reaction method using urea as a fuel and NH{sub 4}NO{sub 3} as an oxidizer. The combustion method is a highly exothermic reaction often referred to as self-propagating high-temperature synthesis. The raw materials used were metal zirconates and fine ZrO{sub 2} powders. An earlier-described combustion method using metal nitrates, zirconium oxynitrate, and ammonium dihydrophosphate to synthesize [NZP] compounds was modified in the present study by replacing these costly raw materials with less-expensive oxides. The reactivity of different combinations of raw materials also is discussed.
The Nation and the Domestic A Performance About Feminism and Praxis in the Chilean Andes

In 2011, I wrote a performance called “The Nation and the Domestic,” which is the result of my reflections after my fieldwork in the Valle Alto in the Choapa Valley in Chile. In this territory, there is a conflict between a mega mining project and the local communities. First, I wrote the performance for myself, but then I decided to share this performance with the community, which has helped me to open a space of conversation that makes visible the issue of gender relations and how this affects women’s knowledge. In this essay, through the narration of my previous experience, performance, and reaction analysis, I address the academic community through a reflection about methodological practices and the recognition of the “I” as part of knowledge creation.
Bond Dissociation Energies of Organic Molecules

In this Account we have compiled a list of reliable bond energies that are based on a set of critically evaluated experiments. A brief description of the three most important experimental techniques for measuring bond energies is provided. We demonstrate how these experimental data can be applied to yield the heats of formation of organic radicals and the bond enthalpies of more than 100 representative organic molecules.
Synthesis of L-fucopyranosyl-4-thiodisaccharides from levoglucosenone and their inhibitory activity on α-L-fucosidase

Abstract A new method of stereoselective synthesis of α-(1–4) linked thiodisaccharides: 4-S-(α-L-fucopyranosyl)-4-thio-3-deoxy-α-D-glucopyranose 6 and 2-acetamido-2,3-dideoxy-4-thio-(α-L-fucopyranosyl)-4-thio-α-D-glucopyranose 7 , by Michael addition of 1-thio-α-L-fucopyranoside to levoglucosenone is described. The inhibition study of 6 and 7 , against α-L-fucosidase (from bovine kidney) indicates the importance of 3-deoxy position of glucosamine moiety for total inhibitory effect K i =4.0mM and K i =2.4mM respectivelly.
A new edge termination technique for SiC power devices

Abstract SiC is a promising material for future power semiconductor devices due to its superior material property. Edge termination for SiC power devices remains a subject of significant interest. In this paper, available edge termination techniques are briefly reviewed and various field plate termination techniques are systematically studied. Field plate termination techniques have the advantage of being simple with fabrication process and that it avoids defects induced reverse leakage current associated with implantation based JTE terminations. It is revealed in detail for the first time that severe electric field crowding in the oxide for field plate technique will cause reliability concern and limit device breakdown voltage. Based on the analysis, a new technique is proposed to minimize field crowding in the dielectric material. Dielectric reliability concerns are alleviated and a relatively high percentage of ideal breakdown voltage is achieved with the proposed termination structure. The proposed structure is simple and can be a promising termination technology for SiC power semiconductor devices.
Logarithmic time online multiclass prediction

We study the problem of multiclass classification with an extremely large number of classes (k), with the goal of obtaining train and test time complexity logarithmic in the number of classes. We develop top-down tree construction approaches for constructing logarithmic depth trees. On the theoretical front, we formulate a new objective function, which is optimized at each node of the tree and creates dynamic partitions of the data which are both pure (in terms of class labels) and balanced. We demonstrate that under favorable conditions, we can construct logarithmic depth trees that have leaves with low label entropy. However, the objective function at the nodes is challenging to optimize computationally. We address the empirical problem with a new online decision tree construction procedure. Experiments demonstrate that this online algorithm quickly achieves improvement in test error compared to more common logarithmic training time approaches, which makes it a plausible method in computationally constrained large-k applications.
Thermodynamic q-distributions that aren`t

Bosonic q-oscillators commute with themselves and so their free distribution is Planckian. In a cavity, their emission and absorption rates may grow or shrink – and even diverge – but they nevertheless balance to yield the Planck distribution via Einstein’s equilibrium method, (a careless application of which might produce spurious q-dependent distribution functions). This drives home the point that the black-body energy distribution is not a handle for distinguishing q-excitations from plain oscillators. A maximum cavity size is suggested by the inverse critical frequency of such emission/absorption rates at a given temperature, or a maximum temperature at a given frequency. To remedy fragmentation of opinion on the subject, we provide some discussion, context, and references.
Divergence form operators in Reifenberg flat domains

We study the boundary regularity of solutions of elliptic operators in divergence form with C 0,α coefficients or operators which are small perturbations of the Laplacian in non-smooth domains. We show that, as in the case of the Laplacian, there exists a close relationship between the regularity of the corresponding elliptic measure and the geometry of the domain.
Beyond random walk and metropolis-hastings samplers: why you should not backtrack for unbiased graph sampling

Graph sampling via crawling has been actively considered as a generic and important tool for collecting uniform node samples so as to consistently estimate and uncover various characteristics of complex networks. The so-called simple random walk with re-weighting (SRW-rw) and Metropolis-Hastings (MH) algorithm have been popular in the literature for such unbiased graph sampling. However, an unavoidable downside of their core random walks -- slow diffusion over the space, can cause poor estimation accuracy. In this paper, we propose non-backtracking random walk with re-weighting (NBRW-rw) and MH algorithm with delayed acceptance (MHDA) which are theoretically guaranteed to achieve, at almost no additional cost, not only unbiased graph sampling but also higher efficiency (smaller asymptotic variance of the resulting unbiased estimators) than the SRW-rw and the MH algorithm, respectively. In particular, a remarkable feature of the MHDA is its applicability for any non-uniform node sampling like the MH algorithm, but ensuring better sampling efficiency than the MH algorithm. We also provide simulation results to confirm our theoretical findings.
MADISON IN BAGHDAD?: Decentralization and Federalism in Comparative Politics

▪ Abstract Research on comparative decentralization and federalism is a booming industry. Recent research integrates insights from political science, economics, and economic history in emphasizing the importance of incentives for the operation of decentralized government. Such work has focused particular attention on fiscal, representative, and party institutions. In reviewing the past decade's research, I make two arguments. First, the comparative research on decentralization and federalism provides a model for how comparative politics can address some of the most profound questions in social thought by focusing on a theoretically and empirically tractable aspect of governance. Second, although the research addresses many of the key questions in comparative politics, it also struggles with some of the same problems and challenges as comparative politics writ large, particularly the issue of institutional endogeneity. Attention to endogeneity is central to better understanding the workings of decentralize...
System analysis of power transients in advanced WDM networks

This paper considers dynamical transient effects in the physical layer of an optical circuit-switched wavelength-division-multiplexed network. These transients of the average transmission power have millisecond time scales. Instead of studying detailed nonlinear dynamics of the network elements, such as optical line amplifiers, a linearized model of the dynamics around a given steady state is considered. System-level analysis in this paper uses modern control theory methods and handles nonlinearity as uncertainty. The analysis translates requirements on the network performance into the requirements to the network elements. These requirements involve a few gross measures of performance for network elements and do not depend on the circuit switching state. One such performance measure is the worst amplification gain for all harmonic disturbances of the average transmission power. Another is cross-coupling of the wavelength channel power variations. The derived requirements guarantee system-level performance for all network configurations and can be used for specifying optical components and subsystems.
Keynote speaker: Infinite reality: Avatars, eternal life, new worlds, and the dawn of the virtual revolution

Cyberspace technology often grants us (or others) control over our self-representations. At the click of a button, one can alter our avatars' appearance and behavior. Indeed, in virtual reality we can often appear to others as ideal in stature and weight, what ever we want in terms of age and gender, and exhibit perfect form while surfing a forty foot wave. Centuries of philosophical discussion and decades of social science research has explored the concept of “the self”, but in the digital age we are encountering iden-tity-bending only imagined by science fiction authors. In this talk, I explore a research program that explores what William Gibson referred to as “the infinite plasticity” of digital identity. In particular, I address two research areas. The first, called The Proteus Effect, explores the consequences of choosing avatars whose lappearancel differs from our own. Over forty years ago, social psychologists demonstrated self perception effects, for example wearing a black uniform causes more aggressive behavior. Similarly, as we choose our avatars online, do our avatars change us in turn? A series of studies explore how putting people in avatars of different attractiveness, height, and age alter not only behavior online but also subsequent actions in the physical world. The second area examines the consequences of choosing avatars whose Ibehaviorl differs from our own, specifically the phenomenon of seeing oneself in the third person performing an action one has never physically performed. Once a three-dimensional model resembling a specific person has been constructed, that model can be animated to perform any action fathomable to programmers. A series of studies examine how watching one's own self behave in novel manners affects memory, health behavior, and persuasion. I discuss related communication and psychological theories, as well as implications for citizens living in the digital age.
De Bruijn cycles for covering codes

A de Bruijn covering code is a q-ary string S so that every q-ary string is at most R symbol changes from some n-word appearing consecutively in S. We introduce these codes and prove that they can have size close to the smallest possible covering code. The proof employs tools from field theory, probability, and linear algebra. Included is a table of the best known bounds on the lengths of small binary de Bruijn covering codes, up to R = 11 and n = 13, followed by several open questions in this area. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Random Struct. Alg., 2004
Pyk2 and Megakaryocytes Regulate Osteoblast Differentiation and Migration Via Distinct and Overlapping Mechanisms

Osteoblast differentiation and migration are necessary for bone formation during bone remodeling. Mice lacking the proline-rich tyrosine kinase Pyk2 (Pyk2-KO) have increased bone mass, in part due to increased osteoblast proliferation. Megakaryocytes (MKs), the platelet-producing cells, also promote osteoblast proliferation in vitro and bone-formation in vivo via a pathway that involves Pyk2. In the current study, we examined the mechanism of action of Pyk2, and the role of MKs, on osteoblast differentiation and migration. We found that Pyk2-KO osteoblasts express elevated alkaline phosphatase (ALP), type I collagen and osteocalcin mRNA levels as well as increased ALP activity, and mineralization, confirming that Pyk2 negatively regulates osteoblast function. Since Pyk2 Y402 phosphorylation is important for its catalytic activity and for its protein-scaffolding functions, we expressed the phosphorylation-mutant (Pyk2(Y402F) ) and kinase-mutant (Pyk2(K457A) ) in Pyk2-KO osteoblasts. Both Pyk2(Y402F) and Pyk2(K457A) reduced ALP activity, whereas only kinase-inactive Pyk2(K457A) inhibited Pyk2-KO osteoblast migration. Consistent with a role for Pyk2 on ALP activity, co-culture of MKs with osteoblasts led to a decrease in the level of phosphorylated Pyk2 (pY402) as well as a decrease in ALP activity. Although, Pyk2-KO osteoblasts exhibited increased migration compared to wild-type osteoblasts, Pyk2 expression was not required necessary for the ability of MKs to stimulate osteoblast migration. Together, these data suggest that osteoblast differentiation and migration are inversely regulated by MKs via distinct Pyk2-dependent and independent signaling pathways. Novel drugs that distinguish between the kinase-dependent or protein-scaffolding functions of Pyk2 may provide therapeutic specificity for the control of bone-related diseases.
The 'whistler-nozzle' phenomenon

The whistler nozzle is a simple device which can induce jet self-excitations of controllable amplitudes and frequencies and appears highly promising for many applications involving turbulent transport, combustion and aerodynamic noise. The characteristics of this curious phenomenon are documented for different values of the controlling parameters and attempts to explain the phenomenon. It is shown that the whistler excitation results from the coupling of two independent resonance mechanisms: shear-layer tone resulting from the impingement of the pipe-exit shear layer on the collar lip, and organ-pipe resonance of the pipe-nozzle. The crucial role of the shear-layer tone in driving the organ-pipe resonance is proven by reproducing the event in pipe-ring and pipe-hole configurations in the absence of the collar. It is also shown that this phenomenon is the strongest when the self-excitation frequency matches the preferred mode of the jet.
Matrix description of M theory on T**4 and T**5

Abstract We study the Matrix theory description of M-theory compactified on T4 and T5. M-theory on T4 is described by the six dimensional (2,0) fixed point field theory compactified on a five torus, T 5 . For M-theory on T5 we suggest the existence of a new theory which is compactified on a T 5 . The IR description of this theory is given by the (2,0) theory with a compactified moduli space. This new theory appears to be a new kind of a non-critical string theory. Clearly, these two descriptions differ from the “standard” Super-Yang-Mills on the dual torus prescription.
Rare Decays as a Probe for New Physics

We discuss the indirect search for new degrees of freedom beyond the standard model, within flavour physics. In particular, we analyze the minimal flavour violation hypothesis and its phenomenological implications, especially the large-tan {beta} scenario in supersymmetric models, and also compare it with the constrained minimal flavour violation scenario. Moreover, we briefly discuss some recent progress in inclusive b {yields} s transitions and present a status report of the so-called K{pi} puzzle.
Alcohol in fatally injured bicyclists

Bicycling injury results in about 580,000 emergency room visits and 900 deaths each year in the United States. Alcohol involvement in bicycling injury has not been well documented in the literature. Using data from the Fatal Accident Reporting System, blood alcohol concentrations (BACs) among fatally injured bicyclists ages 15 years or older were examined for the years 1987-1991. Of 1,711 bicyclists who were killed at age 15 or older and tested for alcohol, 32% were positive and 23% legally intoxicated. Adjusted for age, time of crash, and other variables, male decedents were 3.3 times [95% confidence interval (CI) 2.1, 5.1] as likely as female decedents to be BAC positive, and 3.9 times (95% CI 2.2, 6.8) as likely to be legally intoxicated. Decedents ages 25 to 34 and those who died from nighttime crashes also had significantly increased likelihood of being BAC positive and being legally intoxicated. Even among decedents aged 15-19, who were legally prohibited from drinking, 14% had positive BACs. Further studies are needed to confirm the causal relationship between alcohol use and bicycling injury and to better understand the factors related to drinking and biking. The role of alcohol should be seriously considered in developing strategies of bicycling injury control and prevention.
Multiple Aromaticity, Multiple Antiaromaticity, and Conflicting Aromaticity in Inorganic Systems

In recent years there have been significant advances in extending the concepts of aromaticity and antiaromaticity into the realm of inorganic chemistry. These new developments have shown that aromaticity and antiaromaticity in metal systems are frequently multiple in nature. Two new types of aromaticity, namely, δ- and ϕ-aromaticity, were found in transition metal and f-element cyclic systems in addition to the σ- and π-types already known in organic chemistry. There are also now many examples of inorganic systems with conflicting aromaticity, which refers to the systems with simultaneous presence of aromaticity and antiaromaticity in different electronic (σ-, π-, δ-, or ϕ-) subsystems. It was shown that the antiaromaticity in any electronic subsystem could be interpreted in terms of formation of small areas of aromaticity leading to the island aromaticity. Keywords: multiple aromaticity; multiple antiaromaticity; conflicting aromaticity; island aromaticity; AdNDP; chemical bonding; metal bonding; delocalized bonding; clusters
Feature extraction of SAR targets consisting of trihedral and dihedral corner reflectors

The authors study feature extraction of targets, consisting of both trihedral and dihedral corner reflectors, via synthetic aperture radar (SAR). A mixed data model is introduced to describe the target features. The Cramer-Rao bounds (CRBs) for the parameter estimates of the data model are also derived. Two algorithms, the FFTB (fast Fourier transform based) algorithm and the NLS (nonlinear least squares) algorithm, are devised to estimate the model parameters. Numerical examples show that the parameter estimates obtained with both algorithms reach the CRBs as the SNR (signal-to-noise ratio) increases. The parameter estimates obtained with the NLS algorithm start to achieve the CRB at a lower SNR than those with the FFTB algorithm, while the latter algorithm is computationally more efficient.
Piecewise Euclidean Structures and Eberlein's Rigidity Theorem in the Singular Case

In this article, we generalize Eberlein’s Rigidity Theorem to the singular case, namely, one of the spaces is only assumed to be a CAT(0) topological manifold. As a corollary, we get that any compact irreducible but locally reducible locally symmetric space of noncompact type does not admit a nonpositively curved (in the Aleksandrov sense) piecewise Euclidean structure. Any hyperbolic manifold, on the other hand, does admit such a structure.
Role of Water Vapor and Sulfur Compounds in Sodium Vaporization During Glass Melting

The influence of sulfur compounds on the vaporization of sodium from soda-lime-silica glass was investigated using the newly developed stirrable transpiration apparatus (STA). With increasing sulfur concentration in either the melt or the atmosphere above it, the sodium-vapor density was found to increase until attaining the value found over pure sodium-sulfate liquid. At that point, the sodium-vapor density became independent of sulfur concentration, presumably due to separation of sodium-sulfate liquid from the glass. Since the vaporization behavior of the glass containing sulfur was similar to that of molten Na2SO4, the thermodynamically predicted increase in sodium-vapor density in the presence of water vapor was explored. Due to apparent kinetic limitations, however, no such increase was observed. The possible importance of these results in commercial glassmelting practice is discussed
Recursive learning: a new implication technique for efficient solutions to CAD problems-test, verification, and optimization

Motivated by the problem of test pattern generation in digital circuits, this paper presents a novel technique called recursive learning that is able to perform a logic analysis on digital circuits. By recursively calling certain learning functions, it is possible to extract all logic dependencies between signals in a circuit and to perform precise implications for a given set of value assignments. This is of fundamental importance because it represents a new solution to the Boolean satisfiability problem. Thus, what we present is a new and uniform conceptual framework for a wide range of CAD problems including, but not limited to, test pattern generation, design verification, as well as logic optimization problems. Previous test generators for combinational and sequential circuits use a decision tree to systematically explore the search space when trying to generate a test vector. Recursive learning represents an attractive alterna- tive. Using recursive learning with sufficient depth of recursion during the test generation process guarantees that implications are performed precisely; i.e., all necessary assignments for fault detection are identified at every stage of the algorithm so that no backtracks can occur. Consequently, no decision tree is needed to guarantee the completeness of the test generation algorithm. Recursive learning is not restricted to a particular logic alphabet and can be combined with most test generators for combinational and sequential circuits. Experimental results that demonstrate the efficiency of recursive learning are com- pared with the conventional branch-and-bound technique for test generation in combinational circuits. In particular, redundancy identification by recursive learning is demonstrated to be much more efficient than by previously reported techniques. In an important recent development, recursive learning has been shown to provide significent progress in design verification problems (22). Also importantly, recursive learning-based techniques have already been shown to be useful for logic optimization. Specifi- cally, techniques based on recursive learning have already yielded better optimized circuits than the well known MIS-11.
Some Properties of Preposition and Subordinate Conjunction Attachments

Determining the attachments of prepositions and subordinate conjunctions is a key problem in parsing natural language. This paper presents a trainable approach to making these attachments through transformation sequences and error-driven learning. Our approach is broad coverage, and accounts for roughly three times the attachment cases that have previously been handled by corpus-based techniques. In addition, our approach is based on a simplified model of syntax that is more consistent with the practice in current state-of-the-art language processing systems. This paper sketches syntactic and algorithmic details, and presents experimental results on data sets derived from the Penn Treebank. We obtain an attachment accuracy of 75.4% for the general case, the first such corpus-based result to be reported. For the restricted cases previously studied with corpusbased methods, our approach yields an accuracy comparable to current work (83.1%).
Automated Grading, Upgrading, and Cuttings Prediction of surfaced dry hardwood lumber

This paper concerns the scanning, sawing, and grading of kiln-dried hardwood lumber. A prototype system is described that uses laser sources and a video camera to scan boards. The system automatically detects defects and wane, searches for optimal sawing solutions, and then estimates the grades of the boards that would result. The goal is to derive maximum commercial value based on current market prices. This paper presents the results of a recent empirical test in which the system's grading decisions are compared with those assigned by a human expert. We also assess the potential of cuttings from the lumber by board grade. The test involved 86 yellow poplar boards and 90 red oak boards. The automated system assigned higher grades for 17% of the boards, and it assigned lower grades for 43% of the boards. The main cause of disagreement was the presence of stains on the board, both natural and mechanical, which were occasionally classified by the scanning system as defects. The system also recommended additional edging or trimming on 42% of the boards to increase the grade and value of the boards. Overall, the automated system performed well on typical cases of planed and dried boards.
In-vivo glenohumeral translation and ligament elongation during abduction and abduction with internal and external rotation

Basic Science. To investigate humeral head translations and glenohumeral ligament elongation with a dual fluoroscopic imaging system. The glenohumeral ligaments are partially responsible for restraining the humeral head during the extremes of shoulder motion. However, in-vivo glenohumeral ligaments elongation patterns have yet to be determined. Therefore, the objectives of this study were to 1) quantify the in-vivo humeral head translations and glenohumeral ligament elongations during functional shoulder positions, 2) compare the inferred glenohumeral ligament functions with previous literature and 3) create a baseline data of healthy adult shoulder glenohumeral ligament lengths as controls for future studies. Five healthy adult shoulders were studied with a validated dual fluoroscopic imaging system (DFIS) and MR imaging technique. Humeral head translations and the superior, middle and inferior glenohumeral ligaments (SGHL, MGHL, IGHL) elongations were determined. The humeral head center on average translated in a range of 6.0mm in the anterior-posterior direction and 2.5mm in the superior-inferior direction. The MGHL showed greater elongation over a broader range of shoulder motion than the SGHL. The anterior-band (AB)-IGHL showed maximum elongation at 90° abduction with maximum external rotation. The posterior-band (PB)-IGHL showed maximum elongation at 90° abduction with maximum internal rotation. The results demonstrated that the humeral head translated statistically more in the anterior-posterior direction than the superior-inferior direction (p = 0.01), which supports the concept that glenohumeral kinematics are not ball-in-socket mechanics. The AB-IGHL elongation pattern makes it an important static structure to restrain anterior subluxation of the humeral head during the externally rotated cocking phase of throwing motion. These data suggest that in healthy adult shoulders the ligamentous structures of the glenohumeral joint are not fully elongated in many shoulder positions, but function as restraints at the extremes of glenohumeral motion. Clinically, these results may be helpful in restoring ligament anatomy during the treatment of anterior instability of the shoulder.
Hierarchical reinforcement learning with the MAXQ value function decomposition

This paper presents a new approach to hierarchical reinforcement learning based on decomposing the target Markov decision process (MDP) into a hierarchy of smaller MDPs and decomposing the value function of the target MDP into an additive combination of the value functions of the smaller MDPs. The decomposition, known as the MAXQ decomposition, has both a procedural semantics--as a subroutine hierarchy--and a declarative semantics--as a representation of the value function of a hierarchical policy. MAXQ unifies and extends previous work on hierarchical reinforcement learning by Singh, Kaelbling, and Dayan and Hinton. It is based on the assumption that the programmer can identify useful subgoals and define subtasks that achieve these subgoals. By defining such subgoals, the programmer constrains the set of policies that need to be considered during reinforcement learning. The MAXQ value function decomposition can represent the value function of any policy that is consistent with the given hierarchy. The decomposition also creates opportunities to exploit state abstractions, so that individual MDPs within the hierarchy can ignore large parts of the state space. This is important for the practical application of the method. This paper defines the MAXQ hierarchy, proves formal results on its representational power, and establishes five conditions for the safe use of state abstractions. The paper presents an online model-free learning algorithm, MAXQ-Q, and proves that it converges with probability 1 to a kind of locally-optimal policy known as a recursively optimal policy, even in the presence of the five kinds of state abstraction. The paper evaluates the MAXQ representation and MAXQ-Q through a series of experiments in three domains and shows experimentally that MAXQ-Q (with state abstractions) converges to a recursively optimal policy much faster than flat Q learning. The fact that MAXQ learns a representation of the value function has an important benefit: it makes it possible to compute and execute an improved, non-hierarchical policy via a procedure similar to the policy improvement step of policy iteration. The paper demonstrates the effectiveness of this nonhierarchical execution experimentally. Finally, the paper concludes with a comparison to related work and a discussion of the design tradeoffs in hierarchical reinforcement learning.
Particle Contamination on a Thermal Flying-Height Control Slider

Particle contamination on a slider in a hard disk drive (HDD) affects the HDD’s reliability. With the introduction of the thermal flying-height control (TFC) slider, the temperature in the head–disk interface (HDI) becomes non-uniform, which induces a temperature-gradient dependent force on particles moving in the HDI. The present article investigates the effect of this force, the so called thermophoretic force, on a particle’s motion in the HDI as well as its effect on particle contamination on the TFC slider. By numerical simulation of the particle’s trajectory together with an analytical analysis, we show that the thermophoretic force is always negligible compared to the Saffman lift force, which points to a direction parallel to the thermophoretic force. We conclude that the current particle contamination simulator without any thermophoretic forces included would not be significantly altered by the inclusion of these forces.
A 32-GHz reflected-wave maser amplifier with wide instantaneous bandwidth

An eight-stage 32-GHz reflected-wave ruby maser is described. The maser operates in a 3-W closed-cycle refrigerator (CCR) at 4.5 K and is capable of a 21-dB net gain with an instantaneous bandwidth of 400 MHz. The input noise temperature referred to the room-temperature flange is approximately 21 K. Although this maser is tunable from approximately 29 to 34 GHz, because of the large pump power requirements it is operated with fixed tuned IMPATT oscillators, effectively making this a fixed-frequency amplifier. >
SPIN-DEPENDENT FORCES BETWEEN QUARKS IN HADRONS

Most of what I say in this talk is within the framework of the constituent quark model. in which explicit gluon degrees of freedom are integrated out, leaving only a potential between quarks. In this framework, the question, “What per cent of the spin of a hadron is carried by the quarks?” has the simple answer, “100 per cent.” The sea of gluons and quark-antiquark pairs surrounding a current quark is considered an integral part of it, and both the quark and the sea together make the constituent quark. When a constituent quark is tweaked gently, it drags its sea around with it, and therefore has more inertia than a current quark. The size of a constituent quark. including its sea, is substantially greater than the size of a current quark, and a constituent quark may not be much smaller than the hadron in which it is bound. In the constituent quark model there is still a puzzle about the nature of the spin-dependent force between two quarks (or between a quark and an antiquark). Specifically, does the spin-dependent interaction arise from the chromomagnetic interaction of one-gluon exchange,1 from Goldstone-boson exchange in connection with the breaking of chiral symmetry,2 or from the effects of instantons3? It is the purpose of my talk to show that the one-gluon-exchange mechanism provides a consistent picture of the spin-splittings in ground-state mesons and baryons. independently of whether those hadrons contain heavy or light quarks. Isgur4 has recently taken a somewhat similar point of view. However, I cannot rule out the possibility that meson exchange and instantons also contribute to the spin splittings. Shortly after the invention of QCD, De Rujula et al.1 discussed consequences of the one-gluon exchange interaction between two (constituent) quarks in a baryon and between a quark and antiquark in a meson. In their work, the spin-dependent splitting of ground-state hadrons arises from the chromomagnetic interaction. Since then, many authors have written papers in which the mass splittings of the vector and pseudoscalar mesons, and the splittings of the spin-3/2 and spin-1/2 baryons arise from chromomagnetic forces. These forces have three salient features: 1) they are two-body forces, 2) they are short range, and 3) they are attractive in spin-0 states and repulsive in spin-1 states of two quarks in a baryon or a quarkantiquark in a meson.
Capacitor Ripple Current in an Interleaved PFC Converter

To achieve high-power density in power supplies, it is desirable to minimize the physical size of the energy storage capacitor. The capacitance is determined by the energy storage requirement for line outage ride-through and also the ripple current handling capability of the capacitor. Interleaving is well known as an effective method to reduce the capacitor ripple current and in cases where ripple current considerations dominate, it could reduce capacitor size. This paper presents a methodology to calculate the ripple current, both for single phase and for m interleaved phases of power factor correction converters operating with constant load or a DC-DC converter load. Experimental results from a commercial power supply yielded a small error when compared to the calculations, showing that the proposed methodology has enough accuracy to be used as a design tool.
Finite groups have even more conjugacy classes

In his paper Finite groups have many conjugacy classes (J. London Math. Soc (2) 46 (1992), 239–249), L. Pyber proved the to-date best general lower bounds for the number of conjugacy classes of a finite group in terms of the order of the group. In this paper we strengthen the main results in Pyber’s paper.
Recent advances in nanocatalysis research

Recent developments in nanocatalysis research are reviewed. They demonstrate the important role of nanocatalysts in the advances of catalytic sciences and technology. Special emphasis is given to the synthesis and characterization of nanosized, supported metal and metal oxide structures.
YAO GRAPHS SPAN THETA GRAPHS

Yao and Theta graphs are defined for a given point set and a fixed integer k > 0. The space around each point is divided into k cones of equal angle, and each point is connected to a nearest neighbor in each cone. The difference between Yao and Theta graphs is in the way the nearest neighbor is defined: Yao graphs minimize the Euclidean distance between a point and its neighbor, and Theta graphs minimize the Euclidean distance between a point and the orthogonal projection of its neighbor on the bisector of the hosting cone. We prove that, corresponding to each edge of the Theta graph Θ6, there is a path in the Yao graph Y6 whose length is at most 8.82 times the edge length. Combined with the result of Bonichon et al., who prove an upper bound of 2 on the stretch factor of Θ6, we obtain an upper bound of 17.64 on the stretch factor of Y6.
Computing Equilibria in Anonymous Games

We present efficient approximation algorithms for finding Nash equilibria in anonymous games, that is, games in which the players utilities, though different, do not differentiate between other players. Our results pertain to such games with many players but few strategies. We show that any such game has an approximate pure Nash equilibrium, computable in polynomial time, with approximation O(s2lambda), where s is the number of strategies and lambda is the Lipschitz constant of the utilities. Finally, we show that there is a PTAS for finding an isin-approximate Nash equilibrium when the number of strategies is two.
His and Hers: Gender and Garage Sales

L'A. montre qu'aux Etats-Unis les deux tiers des vendeurs de voitures ou des commercants sont des femmes. Il souligne que la plupart des agences des concessionnaires de voitures sont des residences privees. Il estime que les activites commerciales sont situees dans le prolongement du travail domestique traditionnellement effectue par les femmes et non par les hommes. L'A. etudie les differences que l'on peut observer entre hommes et femmes en ce qui concerne les methodes de vente, les relations avec les clients. Il montre que les hommes recherchent surtout l'argent et les femmes le developpement de relations sociales au-dela d'un niveau informel
Clinical outcome and prognostic factors for central neurocytoma: twenty year institutional experience

Central neurocytomas are uncommon intraventricular neoplasms whose optimal management remains controversial due to their rarity. We assessed outcomes for a historical cohort of neurocytoma patients and evaluated effects of tumor atypia, size, resection extent, and adjuvant radiotherapy. Progression-free survival (PFS) was measured by Kaplan-Meier and Cox proportional hazards methods. A total of 28 patients (15 males, 13 females) were treated between 1995 and 2014, with a median age at diagnosis of 26 years (range 5-61). Median follow-up was 62.2 months and 3 patients were lost to follow-up postoperatively. Thirteen patients experienced recurrent/progressive disease and 2-year PFS was 75% (95% CI 53-88%). Two-year PFS was 48% for MIB-1 labeling >4% versus 90% for ≤4% (HR 5.4, CI 2.2-27.8, p = 0.0026). Nine patients (32%) had gross total resections (GTR) and 19 (68%) had subtotal resections (STR). PFS for >80% resection was 83 versus 67% for ≤80% resection (HR 0.67, CI 0.23-2.0, p = 0.47). Three STR patients (16%) received adjuvant radiation which significantly improved overall PFS (p = 0.049). Estimated 5-year PFS was 67% for STR with radiotherapy versus 53% for STR without radiotherapy. Salvage therapy regimens were diverse and resulted in stable disease for 54% of patients and additional progression for 38 %. Two patients with neuropathology-confirmed atypical neurocytomas died at 4.3 and 113.4 months after initial surgery. For central neurocytomas, MIB-1 labeling index >4% is predictive of poorer outcome and our data suggest that adjuvant radiotherapy after STR may improve PFS. Most patients requiring salvage therapy will be stabilized and multiple modalities can be effectively utilized.
Quantum decoherence in qubit devices

We first review the mathematical physics of quantum decoherence in generic single-qubit devices, including environmental interactions. Next, we formulate the persistence probability for a qubit device as the probability of measuring the qubits in their unperturbed state without the decoherence arising from environmental interactions. A decoherence time can be obtained from the persistence probability. Drawing on recent work of Garg, and also Palma, Suomine, and Ekert, we apply the persistence probability formalism to a generic single-qubit device coupled to a thermal environment, and also apply it to a trapped-ion quantum register coupled to its ion vibrational modes.
SEXUAL/TEXTUAL POLITICS IN THE ENLIGHTENMENT: DIDEROT and D'EPINAY RESPOND TO THOMAS'S ESSAY ON WOMEN

This chapter aims to compare Diderot and d'Epinay's responses to Antoine-Leonard Thomas's essay as a way of probing the views on women among the French intelligentsia of the period. The debate generated by the essay offers a fascinating glimpse into die sexual and textual politics of the French Enlightenment. Diderot's response was designed to remedy the multiple flaws in Thomas's essay by reestablishing the proper line of demarcation between male and female traits–by showing how "a real man" should write about "real women." Diderot's passionate engagement in his subject and preoccupation with rhetorical effect tend to obscure his reasoning in Sur Les Femmes and cause him to neglect substance and organization. Arguments are clearly secondary for Diderot, who largely ignores the substance of Thomas's essay in order to focus on questions of style and rhetoric. The progressive education given by d'Epinay to her granddaughter forms a striking contrast with the limited education Diderot gave his daughter.