cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
CHAPTER 6 – Continuous-Time Markov Chains

Publisher Summary This chapter focuses on the continuous-time analog probability models of the Markov chains that have a wide variety of applications in the real world. The Poisson process is a continuous-time Markov chain having states 0, 1, 2, … and always proceeds from state n to state n + 1, where n ≥ 0. A continuous-time Markov chain is a stochastic process that moves from state to state in accordance with a discrete-time Markov chain, but is such that the amount of time it spends in each state, before proceeding to the next state, is exponentially distributed. In addition, the amount of time the process spends in state i and the next state visited must be independent random variables.
Glitazone Use Associated With Diabetic Macular Edema

Purpose To determine the ocular safety of glitazones in patients with diabetes, we investigated the association of diabetic macular edema (DME) in a large population of glitazone users. Design Prospective cohort study. Methods The study was conducted at Kaiser Permanente Southern California. About 170,000 persons with diabetes were identified using the Diabetes Case Identification Database. Glitazone drug use was obtained from the pharmacy database. The main outcome measure was the development of macular edema (ME). The χ 2 test was used to compare proportions and t tests were used for means. Logistic regression analysis was used to adjust for potential confounding variables. Results In 2006, there were 996 new cases of ME. Glitazone users were more likely to develop ME in 2006 (odds ratio [OR], 2.6; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.4 to 3.0). After excluding patients who did not have the drug benefit, did not have an eye exam, and had a HgA1c Conclusion The current study appears to show that the glitazone class of drug is associated with DME. After adjusting for confounding factors of age, glycemic control, and insulin use, glitazones are still modestly associated with DME. A more in-depth study will need to be done to evaluate the role of other confounding factors. When treating patients with DME, ophthalmologists should consider the role of the glitazones.
A New View of Galaxy Evolution from Submillimeter Surveys with Scuba

Our view of galaxy evolution has been dramatically enhanced by the recent deep field submm surveys carried out with the SCUBA camera on the JCMT.SCUBA has discovered a population of luminous infrared galaxies at redshifts∼ 1-4 that emit most of their energy at far-IR/submm wavelengths. The cumulative surface density of submm sources (∼ 104 deg-2 with S850 > 1 mJy) appears to be sufficient to account for nearly all of the 850 μm extragalactic background. The SCUBA sources are plausibly the high-zcounterparts of more local (z ≲ 1) luminous infrared galaxies that have been identified in IRAS and ISO deep field surveys, the majority of which appear to be major mergers of gas-rich disks accompanied by dust-enshrouded nuclear starbursts and powerful AGN. The SCUBA sources are plausibly the progenitors of the present-day spheroidal population. This major event in galaxy evolution, equal in bolometric luminosity to that observed at optical wavelengths, is largely missed by current UV/optical surveys.
Mumford-Tate groups of polarizable Hodge structures

We classify the possible Mumford-Tate groups of polarizable rational Hodge structures. Along the way we deduce a polarized Hodge-theoretic analogue of a conjectural property of motivic Galois groups suggested by Serre.
What counterfactuals can be tested

Counterfactual statements, e.g., "my headache would be gone had I taken an aspirin" are central to scientific discourse, and are formally interpreted as statements derived from "alternative worlds". However, since they invoke hypothetical states of affairs, often incompatible with what is actually known or observed, testing counterfactuals is fraught with conceptual and practical difficulties. In this paper, we provide a complete characterization of "testable counterfactuals," namely, counterfactual statements whose probabilities can be inferred from physical experiments. We provide complete procedures for discerning whether a given counterfactual is testable and, if so, expressing its probability in terms of experimental data.
Dealing with dark energy

Discoveries in the last few years have revolutionized our knowledge of the universe and our ideas of its ultimate fate. Measurements of the expansion of the universe show that it is not slowing down under normal gravity but accelerating due to an unknown, gravitationally repulsive “dark energy”. This may be a clue to new properties of quantum physics or of gravity beyond Einstein. I present an overview of the puzzles of dark energy and the means for unraveling them through cosmological probes, on both a generally accessible and a technical level. I also highlight the strong benefits of meshing supernova distance and weak lensing methods. Next generation experiments such as the Supernova/Acceleration Probe (SNAP) satellite would measure the supernova distance-redshift relation to high accuracy and map the evolution of structure and dark matter through gravitational lensing. These observations will explore the frontiers of physics and aim to uncover what makes up the still unknown 95% of our universe.
FLAIM: a multi-level anonymization framework for computer and network logs

FLAIM (Framework for Log Anonymization and Information Management) addresses two important needs not well addressed by current log anonymizers. First, it is extremely modular and not tied to the specific log being anonymized. Second, it supports multi-level anonymization, allowing system administrators to make fine-grained trade-offs between information loss and privacy/security concerns. In this paper, we examine anonymization solutions to date and note the above limitations in each. We further describe how FLAIM addresses these problems, and we describe FLAIM's architecture and features in detail.
CLEAR'07 Evaluation of USC Human Tracking System for Surveillance Videos

This paper presents the evaluation results of a system for tracking humans in surveillance videos. Moving blobs are detected based on adaptive background modeling. A shape based multi-view human detection system is used to find humans in moving regions. The detected responses are associated to infer the human trajectories. The shaped based human detection and tracking is further enhanced by a blob tracker to boost the performance on persons at a long distance from the camera. Multi-threading techniques are used to speedup the process. Results are given on the video test set of the CLEAR-VACE surveillance human tracking evaluation task.
The Impact of the Strong Euro on the Real Effective Exchange Rates of the Two Francophone African CFA Zones

The author estimates the degree of misalignment of the CFA franc since the introduction of the euro in 1999. Using a relative purchasing power parity-based methodology, he develops a monthly panel time series dataset for both the Economic and Monetary Community of Central Africa (CEMAC) zone and the West African Economic and Monetary Union (UEMOA) zone to compute a trade-weighted real effective exchange rate indexed series from January 1999 to December 2004. The author's main finding is that the real effective exchange rate appreciated by close to 8 percent in UEMOA and 7 percent in CEMAC, influenced by volatility in the euro-dollar bilateral exchange rate and conservative monetary policies in the two zones, resulting in a partial loss of competitiveness in export markets. The lower appreciation in Central Africa can be explained by lower inflation in CEMAC than in UEMOA and by the greater trade with higher inflation East Asian countries, partially offset by the peg to the dollar. However, the inclusion of unrecorded trade results in an appreciation of only 6 percent in the UEMOA zone and 6 percent in the CEMAC zone due to higher inflation in the two countries with unmonitored cross-border flows, Ghana and Nigeria. Using time series econometrics, an Engle-Granger two stage procedure for cointegration, and an error correction framework, a single equation modeling of the real exchange rate from 1970 to 2005 as a function of terms of trade, economic openness, aid inflows, and a dummy representing the 1994 devaluation, the author finds little statistical evidence of a long-run equilibrium exchange rate that is a vector of economic fundamentals. The dummy explains most of the real exchange rate behavior in the two zones, while openness in UEMOA has contributed to an appreciation of the real effective exchange rate.
A certified natural-norm successive constraint method for parametric inf-sup lower bounds

We present a certified version of the Natural-Norm Successive Constraint Method (cNNSCM) for fast and accurate Inf-Sup lower bound evaluation of parametric operators. Successive Constraint Methods (SCM) are essential tools for the construction of a lower bound for the inf-sup stability constants which are required in a posteriori error analysis of reduced basis approximations. They utilize a Linear Program (LP) relaxation scheme incorporating continuity and stability constraints. The natural-norm approach linearizes a lower bound of the inf-sup constant as a function of the parameter. The Natural-Norm Successive Constraint Method (NNSCM) combines these two aspects. It uses a greedy algorithm to select SCM control points which adaptively construct an optimal decomposition of the parameter domain, and then apply the SCM on each domain.Unfortunately, the NNSCM produces no guarantee for the quality of the lower bound. Through multiple rounds of optimal decomposition, the new cNNSCM provides an upper bound in addition to the lower bound and lets the user control the gap, thus the quality of the lower bound. The efficacy and accuracy of the new method is validated by numerical experiments.
The fetal-maternal circulation of the placenta. I. Histomorphologic, plastoid injection, and x-ray cinematographic studies on human placentas.

Abstract X-ray cinematographic, plastoid injection, and histomorphologic studies attest the presence of an intracotyledonary space. Furthermore, the intervillous spaces are intervillous capillary spaces formed by densely packed and frequently connecting terminal villi. On the basis of our findings, a hemodynamic mechanism is suggested which would account for the hydrostatic forces necessary for an effective transfer of water-soluble and other substances from the intervillous capillary spaces to the fetal capillary system.
Rhythms of Social Interaction: Messaging Within a Massive Online Network

College students spend a significant amount of time using online social net- work services for messaging, sharing information, and keeping in touch with one another (e.g. [3, 10]). As these services represent a plentiful source of electronic data, they provide an opportunity to study dynamic patterns of social interactions quickly and exhaustively. In this paper, we study the social net- work service Facebook, which began in early 2004 in select universities, but grew quickly to encompass a very large number of universities. Studies have shown that, as of 2006, Facebook use is nearly ubiquitous among U. S. college students with over 90% active participation among undergraduates [5, 16].
Predicted Exhaust Emissions from a Methanol and Jet Fueled Gas Turbine Combustor

A computer model of a gas turbine combustor has been used to predict the kinetic combustion and pollutant formation processes for methanol and simulated jet fuel. Use of the kinetic reaction mechanisms has also allowed a study of ignition delay and flammability limit of these two fuels. The NOX emissions for methanol were predicted to be from 69 to 92% lower than those for jet fuel at the same equivalence ratio which is in agreement with experimentally observed results. The high heat of vaporization of methanol lowers both the combustor inlet mixture temperatures and the final combustion temperatures. The lower combustion temperatures lead to low NOX emissions while the lower inlet mixture temperatures increase methanol's ignition delay. This increase in ignition delay dictates the lean flammability limit of methanol to be 0.8, while jet fuel is shown to combust at 0.4.
Preclinical Evidence for the Use of Sunitinib Malate in the Treatment of Plexiform Neurofibromas

Purpose Plexiform neurofibromas (pNF) are pathognomonic nerve and soft tissue tumors of neurofibromatosis type I (NF1), which are highly resistant to conventional chemotherapy and associated with significant morbidity/mortality. Disruption of aberrant SCF/c-Kit signaling emanating from the pNF microenvironment induced the first ever objective therapeutic responses in a recent phase 2 trial. Sunitinib malate is a potent, highly selective RTK inhibitor with activity against c-Kit, PDGFR, and VEGFR, which have also been implicated in the pathogenesis of these lesions. Here, we evaluate the efficacy of sunitinib malate in a preclinical Krox20;Nf1flox/− pNF murine model. Experimental Design Proliferation, β-hexosaminidase release (degranulation), and Erk1/2 phosphorylation were assessed in sunitinib treated Nf1+/− mast cells and fibroblasts, respectively. Krox20;Nf1flox/- mice with established pNF were treated sunitinib or PBS-vehicle control for a duration of 12 weeks. pNF metabolic activity was monitored by serial [18F]DG-PET/CT imaging. Results Sunitinib suppressed multiple in vitro gain-in-functions of Nf1+/− mast cells and fibroblasts and attenuated Erk1/2 phosphorylation. Sunitinib treated Krox20;Nf1flox/− mice exhibited significant reductions in pNF size, tumor number, and FDG uptake compared to control mice. Histopathology revealed reduced tumor cellularity and infiltrating mast cells, markedly diminished collagen deposition, and increased cellular apoptosis in sunitinib treated pNF. Conclusions Collectively, these results demonstrate the efficacy of sunitinib in reducing tumor burden in Krox20;Nf1flox/− mice. These preclinical findings demonstrate the utility of inhibiting multiple RTKs in pNF and provide insights into the design of future clinical trials. Pediatr Blood Cancer © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Instantons and singularities in the Yang–Mills flow

Several results on existence and convergence of the Yang–Mills flow in dimension four are given. We show that a singularity modeled on an instanton cannot form within finite time. Given low initial self-dual energy, we then study convergence of the flow at infinite time. If an Uhlenbeck limit is anti-self-dual and has vanishing self-dual second cohomology, then no bubbling occurs and the flow converges exponentially. We also recover Taubes’s existence theorem, and prove asymptotic stability in the appropriate sense.
Long-term outcomes of catheterizable continent urinary channels: What do you use, where you put it, and does it matter?

Summary Introduction Appendicovesicostomy (APV) and Monti ileovesicostomy (Monti) are commonly used catheterizable channels with similar outcomes on short-term follow-up. Their relative long-term results have not been previously published. Objective Our goal was to assess long-term durability of APV and Monti channels in a large patient cohort. Study design In this retrospective cohort study, we retrospectively reviewed consecutive patients ≤21 years old undergoing APV and Monti surgery at our institution (1990–2013). We collected data on demographics, channel type, location, continence and stomal and subfascial revisions. Kaplan–Meier survival and Cox proportional hazards analysis were used. Results Of 510 patients meeting inclusion criteria, 214 patients had an APV and 296 had a Monti (50.5% spiral Monti). Median age at surgery was 7.4 years for APV (median follow-up: 5.7 years) and 8.7 years for Monti (follow-up: 7.7 years). Stomal stenosis, overall stomal revisions and channel continence were similar for APV and Monti ( p ≥ 0.26). Fourteen APVs (6.5%) had subfascial revisions compared to 49 Montis (16.6%, p = 0.001). On survival analysis, subfascial revision risk at 10 years for APV was 8.6%, Monti channels excluding spiral umbilical Monti: 15.5% and spiral umbilical Monti: 32.3% ( p p = 0.03). The spiral Monti to the umbilicus, in particular, was 4.23 times more likely than APV to undergo revision ( p p ≥ 0.17). Stomal location was significant only for spiral Montis. Discussion Our study has several limitations. Although controlling for surgery date was a limited way of adjusting for changing surgical techniques, residual confounding by surgical technique is unlikely, as channel implantation technique was typically unrelated to channel type. We did not include complications managed conservatively or endoscopically. In addition, while we did not capture patients who were lost to follow-up, we attempted to control for this through survival analysis. Conclusions We demonstrate, durable long-term results with the APV and Monti techniques. The risk of channel complications continues over the channel's lifetime, with no difference in stomal complications between channels. At 10 years after initial surgery, Monti channels were twice as likely to undergo a subfascial revision (1 in 6) than APV (1 in 12). The risk is even higher in for the spiral umbilical Monti (1 in 3).
Forcing Posets with Large Dimension to Contain Large Standard Examples

The dimension of a poset P, denoted $$\dim (P)$$dim(P), is the least positive integer d for which P is the intersection of d linear extensions of P. The maximum dimension of a poset P with $$|P|\le 2n+1$$|P|≤2n+1 is n, provided $$n\ge 2$$n?2, and this inequality is tight when P contains the standard example $$S_n$$Sn. However, there are posets with large dimension that do not contain the standard example $$S_2$$S2. Moreover, for each fixed $$d\ge 2$$d?2, if P is a poset with $$|P|\le 2n+1$$|P|≤2n+1 and P does not contain the standard example $$S_d$$Sd, then $$\dim (P)=o(n)$$dim(P)=o(n). Also, for large n, there is a poset P with $$|P|=2n$$|P|=2n and $$\dim (P)\ge (1-o(1))n$$dim(P)?(1-o(1))n such that the largest d so that P contains the standard example $$S_d$$Sd is o(n). In this paper, we will show that for every integer $$c\ge 1$$c?1, there is an integer $$f(c)=O(c^2)$$f(c)=O(c2) so that for large enough n, if P is a poset with $$|P|\le 2n+1$$|P|≤2n+1 and $$\dim (P)\ge n-c$$dim(P)?n-c, then P contains a standard example $$S_d$$Sd with $$d\ge n-f(c)$$d?n-f(c). From below, we show that $$f(c)={\varOmega }(c^{4/3})$$f(c)=Ω(c4/3). On the other hand, we also prove an analogous result for fractional dimension, and in this setting f(c) is linear in c. Here the result is best possible up to the value of the multiplicative constant.
The interplay of classes of algorithmically random objects

We study algorithmically random closed subsets of $\cs$\!, algorithmically random continuous functions from $\cs$ to $\cs$\!, and algorithmically random Borel probability measures on $\cs$, especially the interplay between these three classes of objects. Our main tools are preservation of randomness and its converse, the no randomness ex nihilo principle, which say together that given an almost-everywhere defined computable map between an effectively compact probability space and an effective Polish space, a real is Martin-Lof random for the pushforward measure if and only if its preimage is random with respect to the measure on the domain. These tools allow us to prove new facts, some of which answer previously open questions, and reprove some known results more simply. Our main results are the following. First we answer an open question in \cite{Barmpalias:2008aa} by showing that $\X\subseteq\cs$\! is a random closed set if and only if it is the set of zeros of a random continuous function on $\cs$\!. As a corollary we obtain the result that the collection of random continuous functions on $\cs$ is not closed under composition. Next, we construct a computable measure $Q$ on the space of measures on $\cs$ such that $\X\subseteq\cs$ is a random closed set if and only if $\X$ is the support of a $Q$-random measure. We also establish a correspondence between random closed sets and the random measures studied in \cite{Culver:2014aa}. Lastly, we study the ranges of random continuous functions, showing that the Lebesgue measure of the range of a random continuous function is always contained in $(0,1)$.
Self-Healing Computation

In the problem of reliable multiparty computation (RC), there are n parties, each with an individual input, and the parties want to jointly compute a function f over n inputs. The problem is complicated by the fact that an omniscient adversary controls a hidden fraction of the parties.
On embeddings in the sphere

We consider embeddings of a finite complex in a sphere. We give a homotopy-theoretic classification of such embeddings in a wide range.
Robust agent teams via socially-attentive monitoring

Agents in dynamic multi-agent environments must monitor their peers to execute individual and group plans. A key open question is how much monitoring of other agents' states is required to be effective: The Monitoring Selectivity Problem. We investigate this question in the context of detecting failures in teams of cooperating agents, via Socially-Attentive Monitoring, which focuses on monitoring for failures in the social relationships between the agents. We empirically and analytically explore a family of socially-attentive teamwork monitoring algorithms in two dynamic, complex, multi-agent domains, under varying conditions of task distribution and uncertainty. We show that a centralized scheme using a complex algorithm trades correctness for completeness and requires monitoring all teammates. In contrast, a simple distributed teamwork monitoring algorithm results in correct and complete detection of teamwork failures, despite relying on limited, uncertain knowledge, and monitoring only key agents in a team. In addition, we report on the design of a socially-attentive monitoring system and demonstrate its generality in monitoring several coordination relationships, diagnosing detected failures, and both on-line and off-line applications.
On domination number and distance in graphs

A vertex set S of a graph G is a dominating set if each vertex of G either belongs to S or is adjacent to a vertex in S . The domination number γ ( G ) of G is the minimum cardinality of S as S varies over all dominating sets of G . It is known that γ ( G ) ? 1 3 ( d i a m ( G ) + 1 ) , where d i a m ( G ) denotes the diameter of G . Define C r as the largest constant such that γ ( G ) ? C r ? 1 ? i < j ? r d ( x i , x j ) for any r vertices of an arbitrary connected graph G ; then C 2 = 1 3 in this view. The main result of this paper is that C r = 1 r ( r - 1 ) for r ? 3 . It immediately follows that γ ( G ) ? µ ( G ) = 1 n ( n - 1 ) W ( G ) , where µ ( G ) and W ( G ) are respectively the average distance and the Wiener index of G of order n . As an application of our main result, we prove a conjecture of DeLaVina et?al. that γ ( G ) ? 1 2 ( e c c G ( B ) + 1 ) , where e c c G ( B ) denotes the eccentricity of the boundary of an arbitrary connected graph G .
Double-dimers, the Ising model and the hexahedron recurrence

We define and study a recurrence relation in Z 3 , called the hexahedron recurrence, which is similar to the octahedron recurrence (Hirota bilinear difference equation) and cube recurrence (Miwa equation). Like these examples, solutions to the hexahedron recurrence are partition sums for edge configurations on a certain graph, and have a natural interpretation in terms of cluster algebras. We give an explicit correspondence between monomials in the Laurent expansions arising in the recurrence with certain double-dimer configurations of a graph. We compute limit shapes for the corresponding double-dimer configurations.The Kashaev difference equation arising in the Ising model Y-Delta relation is a special case of the hexahedron recurrence. In particular this reveals the cluster nature underlying the Ising model. The above relation allows us to prove a Laurent phenomenon for the Kashaev difference equation.
Incremental clustering for trajectories

Trajectory clustering has played a crucial role in data analysis since it reveals underlying trends of moving objects. Due to their sequential nature, trajectory data are often received incrementally, e.g., continuous new points reported by GPS system. However, since existing trajectory clustering algorithms are developed for static datasets, they are not suitable for incremental clustering with the following two requirements. First, clustering should be processed efficiently since it can be frequently requested. Second, huge amounts of trajectory data must be accommodated, as they will accumulate constantly. An incremental clustering framework for trajectories is proposed in this paper. It contains two parts: online micro-cluster maintenance and offline macro-cluster creation. For online part, when a new bunch of trajectories arrives, each trajectory is simplified into a set of directed line segments in order to find clusters of trajectory subparts. Micro-clusters are used to store compact summaries of similar trajectory line segments, which take much smaller space than raw trajectories. When new data are added, micro-clusters are updated incrementally to reflect the changes. For offline part, when a user requests to see current clustering result, macro-clustering is performed on the set of micro-clusters rather than on all trajectories over the whole time span. Since the number of micro-clusters is smaller than that of original trajectories, macro-clusters are generated efficiently to show clustering result of trajectories. Experimental results on both synthetic and real data sets show that our framework achieves high efficiency as well as high clustering quality.
Mixtures, envelopes and hierarchical duality

Summary We develop a connection between mixture and envelope representations of objective functions that arise frequently in statistics. We refer to this connection by using the term ‘hierarchical duality’. Our results suggest an interesting and previously underexploited relationship between marginalization and profiling, or equivalently between the Fenchel–Moreau theorem for convex functions and the Bernstein–Widder theorem for Laplace transforms. We give several different sets of conditions under which such a duality result obtains. We then extend existing work on envelope representations in several ways, including novel generalizations to variance–mean models and to multivariate Gaussian location models. This turns out to provide an elegant missing data interpretation of the proximal gradient method, which is a widely used algorithm in machine learning. We show several statistical applications in which the framework proposed leads to easily implemented algorithms, including a robust version of the fused lasso, non-linear quantile regression via trend filtering and the binomial fused double-Pareto model. Code for the examples is available on GitHub at https://github.com/jgscott/hierduals.
Impact of Premium Subsidies on the Take-up of Health Insurance: Evidence from the 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA)

AbstractWe study the coverage impacts of a 65 percent health insurance premium subsidy that targeted employer-insured workers who lost their jobs between September 2008 and May 2010. Our research r...
The dawn of an ‘age of deposits’ in the United States

Abstract Individual deposits in the United States grew from 5% to 23% of GDP between 1863 and 1913. A comprehensive database shows bank entry underlying this trend while historical events, including the National Banking Acts, resumption in 1879, and the election of 1896, influenced deposits at the bank-level. The nation's embrace of deposits was thus driven by stability of the monetary system and confidence in the safety and utility of established and well-capitalized banks. Bank-level and county-level regressions confirm these patterns for national banks over the entire postbellum period and for a sample of Midwest state and national banks from 1888.
A Bluetooth Scatternet Formation Algorithm for Networks with Heterogeneous Device Capabilities

This paper focuses on Bluetooth, a promising new wireless technology, developed mainly as a cable replacement. We argue that, in practice, Bluetooth devices will have different power capabilities, classifying them as either high-power or low-power nodes. We propose a deterministic, distributed algorithm that accounts for the physical properties of devices, connecting nodes into a scatternet of small diameter. The proposed protocol results in a high effective throughput and allows components to arrive and leave arbitrarily, dynamically updating the cluster formation. Performance is evaluated through extensive ns-2 simulations.
Motivational System for Human-Robot Interaction

Human-Robot Interaction (HRI) has recently drawn increased attention. Robots can not only passively receive information but also actively emit actions. We present a motivational system for human-robot interaction. The motivational system signals the occurrence of salient sensory inputs, modulates the mapping from sensory inputs to action outputs, and evaluates candidate actions. No salient feature is predefined in the motivational system but instead novelty based on experience, which is applicable to any task. Novelty is defined as an innate drive. Reinforcer is integrated with novelty. Thus, the motivational system of a robot can be developed through interactions with trainers. We treat vision-based neck action selection as a behavior guided by the motivational system. The experimental results are consistent with the attention mechanism in human infants.
Element and Isotopic Fractionation in Closed Magnetic Structures

Recent papers have suggested that the slow solar wind is a super-position of material which is released by reconnection from large coronal loops. This reconnection process is driven by large-scale motions of solar magnetic flux driven by the non-radial expansion of the solar wind from the differentially rotating photosphere into more rigidly rotating coronal holes.
V - AND R-BAND GALAXY LUMINOSITY FUNCTIONS AND LOW SURFACE BRIGHTNESS GALAXIES IN THE CENTURY SURVEY

We use 64 deg2 of deep V and R CCD images to measure the local V- and R-band luminosity functions of galaxies. The V0 < 16.7 and R0 < 16.2 redshift samples contain 1255 and 1251 galaxies and are 98.1% and 98.2% complete, respectively. We apply k-corrections before the magnitude selection so that the completeness is to the same depth for all spectral types. The V and R faint-end slopes are surprisingly identical: α = -1.07 ± 0.09. Representative Schechter function parameters for H0 = 100 are: M = -20.88 ± 0.09, = 0.016 ± 0.003 Mpc-3 and M = -20.23 ± 0.09, = 0.020 ± 0.003 Mpc-3. The V and R local luminosity densities, jR = (1.9 ± 0.6) × 108 L⊙ and jV = (2.2 ± 0.7) × 108 L⊙, are in essential agreement with the recent 2 Degree Field Galaxy Redshift Survey and Sloan Digital Sky Survey determinations. All low surface brightness (LSB) galaxies fall in the large-scale structure delineated by high surface brightness galaxies. The properties and surface number density of our LSB galaxies are consistent with the LSB galaxy catalog of O'Neil, Bothun & Cornell, suggesting that our samples are complete for LSB galaxies to the magnitude limits. We measure colors, surface brightnesses, and luminosities for our samples, and find strong correlations among these galaxy properties. The color–surface brightness relation is (V - R)0 = (-0.11 ± 0.05)μR, 0 + (2.6 ± 0.9).
Passive and active contributions to glenohumeral stability

Fresh-frozen shoulder specimens were used to evaluate restraining forces provided by capsuloligaments and muscles crossing the glenoliumeral (GH) joint to better understand various factors contributing to GH stability. The humeral head was translated in the posterior-anterior (Post-Ant), inferior-superior (Inf-Sup), and medial-lateral (Med-Lat) directions, and rotated about the humeral long axis relative to the glenoid from the neutral position, and restraining forces and moments acting on the humeral head by passive and active structures were recorded. Results showed that the GH capsuloligaments generated considerable resistance forces to passive displacements, which varied systematically in amplitude and direction. The restraining force increased more quickly with Post-Ant displacement than with Inf-Sup displacement. Furthermore, GH stiffness was higher in the anterior direction than in the posterior direction and stiffness in the superior direction was higher than that in the inferior direction. Loading muscles across the GH-joint made the joint considerably more stable and humeral axial rotation laxity was reduced markedly when the muscles were loaded moderately at /spl sim/2% maximal muscle force. Contributions of the rotator cuff were found to be especially important in preventing excessive inferior humeral translations.
Specific CT Findings in Krabbe Disease

Specific computed tomography (CT) findings in four patients with biochemically proven Krabbe disease included symmetric increased attenuation in the cerebellum, brainstem, thalami, caudate nuclei, and corona radiata before and in conjunction with decreased attenuation of white matter followed by atrophy at a later stage. Familiarity with the CT findings in the acute phase of Krabbe disease may assist clinicians in limiting the differential diagnosis and requesting appropriate laboratory tests.
Generalizing and derandomizing Gurvits's approximation algorithm for the permanent

Around 2002, Leonid Gurvits gave a striking randomized algorithm to approximate the permanent of an n × n matrix A. The algorithm runs in O(n2/e2) time, and approximates Per (A) to within ±e||A||n" additive error. A major advantage of Gurvits's algorithm is that it works for arbitrary matrices, not just for nonnegative matrices. This makes it highly relevant to quantum optics, where the permanents of bounded-norm complex matrices play a central role. (In particular, n × n permanents arise as the transition amplitudes for n identical photons.) Indeed, the existence of Gurvits's algorithm is why, in their recent work on the hardness of quantum optics, Aaronson and Arkhipov (AA) had to talk about sampling problems rather than ordinary decision problems. In this paper, we improve Gurvits's algorithm in two ways. First, using an idea from quantum optics, we generalize the algorithm so that it yields a better approximation when the matrix A has either repeated rows or repeated columns. Translating back to quantum optics, this lets us classically estimate the probability of any outcome of an AA-type experiment--even an outcome involving multiple photons "bunched" in the same mode--at least as well as that probability can be estimated by the experiment itself. It also yields a general upper bound on the probabilities of "bunched" outcomes, which resolves a conjecture of Gurvits and might be of independent physical interest. Second, we use e-biased sets to derandomize Gurvits's algorithm, in the special case where the matrix A is nonnegative. More interestingly, we generalize the notion of "-biased sets to the complex numbers, construct "complex e-biased sets," then use those sets to derandomize even our generalization of Gurvits's algorithm to the case (again for nonnegative A) where some rows or columns are identical. Whether Gurvits's algorithm can be derandomized for general A remains an outstanding problem.
What does debt relief do for development ? evidence from India's bailout program for highly-indebted rural households

This paper studies the impact of a large debt relief program, intended to attenuate investment constraints among highly-indebted households in rural India. It isolates the causal effect of bankruptcy-like debt relief settlements using a natural experiment arising from India's Debt Relief Program for Small and Marginal Farmers -- one of the largest debt relief initiatives in history. The analysis shows that debt relief has a persistent effect on the level of household debt, but does not increase investment and productivity as predicted by theories of debt overhang. Instead, the anticipation of future credit constraints leads to a greater reliance on informal financing, lower investment and a decline in productivity among bailout recipients. The results suggest that one-time settlements may be insufficient to incentivize new investment, but can have significant real effects through their impact on borrower expectations.
The calculation of moment uncertainties from velocity distribution functions with random errors

Instrumentation that detects individual plasma particles is susceptible to random counting errors. These errors propagate into the calculations of moments of measured particle velocity distribution functions. Although rules of thumb exist for the effects of random errors on the calculation of lower order moments (e.g., density, velocity, and temperature) of Maxwell-Boltzmann distributions, they do not generally apply to nonthermal distributions or to higher-order moments. To date, such errors have only been estimated using brute force Monte Carlo techniques, i.e., repeated (~50) samplings of distribution functions. Here we present a mathematical formalism for analytically obtaining uncertainty estimates of plasma moments due to random errors either measured in situ by instruments or synthesized by particle simulations. Our uncertainty estimates precisely match the statistical variation of simulated plasma moments and carry the computational cost equivalent of only ~15 Monte Carlo samplings. In addition, we provide the means to calculate a covariance matrix that can be reported along with typical plasma moments. This matrix enables the propagation of statistical errors into arbitrary coordinate systems or functions of plasma moments without the need to reanalyze full distribution functions. Our methodology, which is applied to electron data from Plasma Electron and Current Experiment on the Cluster spacecraft as an example, is relevant to both existing and future data sets and requires only instrument-measured counts and phase space densities reported for a set of calibrated energy-angle targets.
Big Data Staging with MPI-IO for Interactive X-ray Science

New techniques in X-ray scattering science experiments produce large data sets that can require millions of high-performance processing hours per week of computation for analysis. In such applications, data is typically moved from X-ray detectors to a large parallel file system shared by all nodes of a peta scale supercomputer and then is read repeatedly as different science application tasks proceed. However, this straightforward implementation causes significant contention in the file system. We propose an alternative approach in which data is instead staged into and cached in compute node memory for extended periods, during which time various processing tasks may efficiently access it. We describe here such a big data staging framework, based on MPI-IO and the Swift parallel scripting language. We discuss a range of large-scale data management issues involved in X-ray scattering science and measure the performance benefits of the new staging framework for high-energy diffraction microscopy, an important emerging application in data-intensive X-ray scattering. We show that our framework accelerates scientific processing turnaround from three months to under 10 minutes, and that our I/O technique reduces input overheads by a factor of 5 on 8K Blue Gene/Q nodes.
Robert F. Coleman 1954–2014

1 Biography Robert F. Coleman, an extraordinarily original and creative mathematician who has had a profound influence on modern number theory and arithmetic geometry, died of a sudden heart attack in El Cerrito, CA, on the morning of March 24, 2014. He is survived by his wife Tessa, his sister Rosalind, and brother Mark, his nephew Jeffrey, and niece Elise, and his service dog Julep. The depth and importance of his mathematical ideas, his congeniality, the joy radiating from his playful disposition, and his sheer inexhaustible energy—all this in the face of Multiple Sclerosis, a condition that did not deter him from full engagement with life—made Robert an inspiration to his friends, family, students, and colleagues. Robert also worked toward making civic structures and laws more appropriate for people with disabilities. His activism is yet another reason that Robert was so widely admired. Robert was born on November 22, 1954 in Glen Cove, NY, USA. He displayed an early talent for mathematics, winning an Intel Science Talent Search Award in 1972 as a high school student. He earned a mathematics degree from Harvard University and subsequently completed Part III of the mathematical tripos at Cambridge, where he did research under the supervision of John Coates. By the time he entered graduate school at Princeton, Robert had essentially already written his doctoral dissertation, but his formal thesis advisor was Kenkichi Iwasawa. His dissertation, entitled “Division Values in Local Fields,” is considered a landmark contribution to local class field theory. After completing his Ph.D., Robert returned to his alma mater, Harvard University, as a Benjamin Peirce Assistant Professor and Research Associate. He came to UC Berkeley as an Open Access
Unstable and Stable Galaxy Models

To determine the stability and instability of a given steady galaxy configuration is one of the fundamental problems in the Vlasov theory for galaxy dynamics. In this article, we study the stability of isotropic spherical symmetric galaxy models f0(E), for which the distribution function f0 depends on the particle energy E only. In the first part of the article, we derive the first sufficient criterion for linear instability of f0(E) : f0(E) is linearly unstable if the second-order operator $$A_{0} \equiv-\Delta+4\pi\int f_{0}^{\prime}(E)\{I-{\mathcal{P}}\}dv$$ has a negative direction, where \({\mathcal{P}}\) is the projection onto the function space {g(E, L)}, L being the angular momentum [see the explicit formulae (29) and (28)]. In the second part of the article, we prove that for the important King model, the corresponding A0 is positive definite. Such a positivity leads to the nonlinear stability of the King model under all spherically symmetric perturbations.
General synthetic methods for the preparation of pinwheel receptors

Abstract The synthesis of bis-trityl diynes, used as cooperative fluorescent chemosensors, is described. The most convenient sequence for the preparation of the sensor framework was found to be intolerant of most functionality. Therefore, an unfunctionalized framework is constructed and recognition elements are selectively installed via electrophilic substitution on an electronically differentiated key intermediate. A divergent synthesis of a general class of chemical sensors emerges. This synthetic method is highlighted by its simplicity and modularity allowing for the introduction of various recognition elements and fluorophores.
Effective methods for preparing S-(trifluoromethyl)dibenzothiophenium salts

Abstract New effective methods were developed for the preparation of useful electrophilic trifluoromethylating agents, S-(trifluoromethyl)dibenzothiophenium tetrafluoroborate (3) and triflate (4) and S-(trifluoromethyl)dibenzothiophenium-3-sulfonate (6). Thus, salts 3 and 4 were produced by the intramolecular cyclization of sulfoxide 1 with fuming sulfuric acid, followed by the counteranion replacement reaction of the intermediate (2) with sodium tetrafluoroborate and triflate, and salt 6 was directly produced from 1 by treatment with excess fuming sulfuric acid. Useful preparative methods for 1 were also described.
A novel four‐node quadrilateral smoothing element for stress enhancement and error estimation

A four-node, quadrilateral smoothing element is developed based upon a penalized-discrete-least-squares variational formulation. The smoothing methodology recovers C\super{1}-continuous stresses, thus enabling effective a posteriori error estimation and automatic adaptive mesh refinement. The element formulation is orginated with a five-node macro-element configuration consisting of four triangular anisoparametric smoothing elements in a cross-diagonal pattern. This element pattern enables a convenient closed-form solution for the degrees of freedom of the interior node, resulting from enforcing explicitly a set of natural edge-wise penalty constraints. The degree-of-freedom reduction scheme leads to a very efficient formulation of a four-node quadrilateral smoothing element without any compromise in robustness and accuracy of the smoothing analysis. The application examples include stress recovery and error estimation in adaptive mesh refinement solutions for an elasticity problem and an aerospace structural component.
Predicting tropical plant physiology from leaf and canopy spectroscopy

A broad regional understanding of tropical forest leaf photosynthesis has long been a goal for tropical forest ecologists, but it has remained elusive due to difficult canopy access and high species diversity. Here we develop an empirical model to predict sunlit, light-saturated, tropical leaf photosynthesis using leaf and simulated canopy spectra. To develop this model, we used partial least squares (PLS) analysis on three tropical forest datasets (159 species), two in Hawaii and one at the biosphere 2 laboratory (B2L). For each species, we measured light-saturated photosynthesis (A), light and CO2 saturated photosynthesis (A max), respiration (R), leaf transmittance and reflectance spectra (400–2,500 nm), leaf nitrogen, chlorophyll a and b, carotenoids, and leaf mass per area (LMA). The model best predicted A [r 2 = 0.74, root mean square error (RMSE) = 2.9 μmol m−2 s−1)] followed by R (r 2 = 0.48), and A max (r 2 = 0.47). We combined leaf reflectance and transmittance with a canopy radiative transfer model to simulate top-of-canopy reflectance and found that canopy spectra are a better predictor of A (RMSE = 2.5 ± 0.07 μmol m−2 s−1) than are leaf spectra. The results indicate the potential for this technique to be used with high-fidelity imaging spectrometers to remotely sense tropical forest canopy photosynthesis.
Higgs Boson Signatures of MSSM Electroweak Baryogenesis

Electroweak baryogenesis in the minimal supersymmetric standard model can account for the cosmological baryon asymmetry, but only within a restricted region of the parameter space. In particular, minimal supersymmetric standard model electroweak baryogenesis requires a mostly right-handed stop that is lighter than the top quark and a standard model-like light Higgs boson. In the present work we investigate the effects of the light stop on Higgs boson production and decay. Relative to the standard model Higgs boson, we find a large enhancement of the Higgs production rate through gluon fusion and a suppression of the Higgs branching fraction into photon pairs. These modifications in the properties of the Higgs boson are directly related to the effect of the light stop on the electroweak phase transition, and are large enough that they can potentially be tested at the Tevatron and the LHC.