cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Sparse and low rank decomposition based batch image alignment for speckle reduction of retinal OCT images

Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) is an emerging technique in the field of biomedical imaging, with applications in ophthalmology, dermatology, coronary imaging etc. Due to the underlying physics, OCT images usually suffer from a granular pattern, called speckle noise, which restricts the process of interpretation. Here, a sparse and low rank decomposition based method is used for speckle reduction in retinal OCT images. This technique works on input data that consists of several B-scans of the same location. The next step is the batch alignment of the images using a sparse and low-rank decomposition based technique. Finally the denoised image is created by median filtering of the low-rank component of the processed data. Simultaneous decomposition and alignment of the images result in better performance in comparison to simple registration-based methods that are used in the literature for noise reduction of OCT images.
Join-graph based cost-shifting schemes

We develop several algorithms taking advantage of two common approaches for bounding MPE queries in graphical models: mini-bucket elimination and message-passing updates for linear programming relaxations. Both methods are quite similar, and offer useful perspectives for the other; our hybrid approaches attempt to balance the advantages of each. We demonstrate the power of our hybrid algorithms through extensive empirical evaluation. Most notably, a Branch and Bound search guided by the heuristic function calculated by one of our new algorithms has recently won first place in the PASCAL2 inference challenge.
FAULT MONITORING IN THE PRESENCE OF FAULT-TOLERANT CONTROL1

Abstract This paper is concerned with timely and effective residual generation for systems with Fault-Tolerant Control (FTC). Contrary to the trend in current FTC, this paper proposes and demonstrates that fault monitoring is essential even if ideal FTC is available. Basic concepts of fault diagnosis and fault-tolerant control are first introduced and the problem regarding why a timely fault indicator is necessary is discussed. A linear system with a fault-tolerant controller, an adaptive controller, is used to motivate our main viewpoints on how to generate a timely and effective fault indicator. A simple fault indicator to monitor both controller and output residuals is developed, which is applicable to closed-loop systems regardless of the type of fault-tolerant controller.
Molecular Gas in Nearby Dwarf Galaxies: Single Dish and Interferometric Results

During the past two years we have undertaken a systematic millimeter-wave survey of molecular gas in a sample of 150 nearby, northern dwarf galaxies with IRAS emission. We have called this survey MIDGET (Millimeter Interferometry of Dwarf Galaxies). MIDGET has two parts: a single-dish search for CO done at the UASO Kitt Peak 12m telescope (Leroy et al., in preparation), and an interferometric follow-up of the galaxies with strong CO emission carried out at the Berkeley-Illinois-Maryland Array (BIMA). The single-dish survey targeted the centers of northern galaxies that are nearby (VLSR ≤ 1000 km s-1), of small mass (HI linewidths W20 ≤ 200 km s1), compact in size, and detected by IRAS. The single-dish observations were very successful, finding 41 new CO emitters and more than doubling the number of previously known CO sources within the defined sample. The typical 1 σ sensitivity attained was ∼ 0.2 K km s_1. Carbon monoxide emission was detected in galaxies with 12 + log([O/H]) ∼ 7.9-8.5, a metallicity regime similar to that of the Magellanic Clouds. We are using these data to address several questions related to molecular cloud and star formation in these objects. This paper concentrates on the issue of how CO traces molecular gas as a function of heavy element abundance Z.
Bank Competition and Economic Stability: The Role of Monetary Policy

This paper analyzes the dual role of monetary policy for economic efficiency and stability in a model of endogenous bank competition. Multiple equilibria emerge from the complementarity between bank and non-financial firm decisions. Adverse aggregate or idiosyncratic liquidity shocks may cause a breakdown in which the economy collapses into a no-production equilibrium. Less bank competition improves the profitability of banks and makes the economy less vulnerable to adverse shocks but it also distorts the efficient allocation of capital. This stability/efficiency tradeoff creates a motive for monetary policy to be tight when liquidity is abundant to spur bank competition and to be loose in bad times to restore the profitability of banks and decrease the likelihood of economic and financial crashes.
Second Skin: Motion capture with actuated feedback for motor learning

Second Skin aims to combine three-dimensional motion tracking with real-time tactile feedback for the purpose of improving a user's motor-learning ability. Body and limb movements are tracked in 3D as a user performs an action, and the user is given automatic, real-time tactile feedback to aid in the correction of movement and position errors. The key areas of the system involve the development of a robust optical motion tracking system that can be used in a wide range of environments and lighting conditions, and an effective tactile feedback method capable of delivering information to the user to indicate how to correct errors in body and limb position. Since a number of components of the motion tracking and tactile feedback systems must be bound to the user's body, another important goal is the design of a lightweight and minimally inhibitive wearable suit to contain all of these elements.
Synthesis and antitumor activity of cis-dichloroplatinum complexes coordinating nitrogen cyclic or sulfur compounds.

cis-Dichloroplatinum complexes of nitrogen cyclic compounds and sulfur-containing compounds were synthesized through the reaction of K2PtCl4 with the corresponding ligands in water or an interfacial layer between water and an organic solvent. The effect of substituents of pyridine derivatives on the synthesis of the cis-platinum complexes depended greatly on their position. The coordination of 2-substituted pyridines required a long reaction time and the yields were low. That of 3- or 4-substituted pyridines proceeded smoothly in high yields. The complexes coordinating dimethyl- or trimethyl-substituted pyridines were obtained in low yields, but a methyl group at the para position increased the coordination activity of pyridines. The reactivity of other nitrogen cyclic compounds depended greatly on their structures and no clear correlation between structure and reactivity was observed. In some cases, polynuclear or unidentified complexes were formed. Sulfurcontaining compounds reacted smoothly in high yields.Three synthesized cis-dichloroplatinum(II) complexes coordinating di(3-methylpyridine), di(quinoline) and di(isoquinoline) and a polynuclear platinum piperidine complex (Pt4Cl5(OH)3-(C5H11N)6·3H2O) had high antitumor activities against Sarcoma 180 ascites in female ICR/CRJ mice. The required platinum weight of these effective complexes for antitumor activity was in the range of 23-94 mg/kg in mice compared with 5 mg/kg in the case of cis-dichlorodiammineplatinum.
Some Properties and Examples of Log Terminal+ Singularities

In [6], de Fernex and Hacon started the study of singularities on non-ℚ-Gorenstein varieties using pullbacks of Weil divisors. In [4], the author of this article and Urbinati introduce a new class of singularities, called log terminal+, or simply lt+, which they prove is rather well behaved. In this article we will continue the study of lt+ singularities, and we will show that they can be detected by a multiplier ideal, that they satisfy a Bertini type result, inversion of adjunction, and small deformation invariance, and that they are naturally related to rational singularities. Finally, we will provide a list of examples (all of them with lt+ singularities) of the pathologies that can occur in the study of non-ℚ-Gorenstein singularities.
Updating sets of probabilities

There are several well-known justifications for conditioning as the appropriate method for updating a single probability measure, given an observation. However, there is a significant body of work arguing for sets of probability measures, rather than single measures, as a more realistic model of uncertainty. Conditioning still makes sense in this context--we can simply condition each measure in the set individually, then combine the results--and, indeed, it seems to be the prel ferred updating procedure in the literature. But how justified is conditioning in this richer setting? Here we show, by considering an axiomatic account of conditioning given by van Fraassen, that the single-measure and sets-of-measures cases are very different. We show that van Fraassen's axiomatization for the former case is nowhere near sufficient for updating sets of measures. We give a considerably longer (and not as compelling) list of axioms that together force conditioning in this setting, and describe other update methods that are allowed once any of these axioms is dropped.
What Are MACHOs? Interpreting LMC Microlensing

I discuss two hypotheses that might explain LMC microlensing: the Halo stellar remnant lensing hypothesis and the unvirialized LMC lensing hypothesis. I show that white dwarfs cannot contribute substantially to the cosmic baryon budget; they are strongly constrained by chemical evolution and background light measurements. Although there have been some claims of direct optical detections of white dwarfs in the Halo, I show how the full sample of direct optical searches for halo lenses do not support the Halo lens hypothesis.
Pharmaceutical Innovation, Longevity, and Medical Expenditure in Greece, 1995–2010

AbstractLongitudinal, disease-level data are used to analyze the impact of pharmaceutical innovation on longevity (mean age at death), hospital utilization, and medical expenditure in Greece during the period 1995–2010. The estimates indicate that pharmaceutical innovation increased mean age at death by 0.87 years (10.4 months) – about 44% of the total increase in longevity – and that diseases with larger increases in the cumulative number of drugs launched one to four years earlier had smaller increases in the number of hospital days. Real per capita pharmaceutical expenditure increased rapidly during this period, but 62% of the increase in pharmaceutical expenditure was offset by a reduction in hospital expenditure attributable to pharmaceutical innovation. The baseline estimate of the cost per life-year gained from pharmaceutical innovation in Greece is $17,117, which is a very small fraction of leading economists’ estimates of the value of (or consumers’ willingness to pay for) a one-year increase in ...
Quantum groups, the loop Grassmannian, and the Springer resolution

We establish equivalences of derived categories of the following 3 categories: (1) Principal block of representations of the quantum at a root of 1; (2) G-equivariant coherent sheaves on the Springer resolution; (3) Perverse sheaves on the loop Grassmannian for the Langlands dual group. The equivalence (1)-(2) is an `enhancement' of the known expression for quantum group cohomology in terms of nilpotent variety, due to Ginzburg-Kumar. The equivalence (2)-(3) is a step towards resolving an old mystery surrounding the existense of two completely different realizations of the affine Hecke algebra which have played a key role in the proof of the Deligne-Langlands-Lusztig conjecture. One realization is in terms of locally constant functions on the flag manifold of a p-adic reductive group, while the other is in terms of equivariant K-theory of a complex (Steinberg) variety for the dual group. Our equivalence (2)-(3) may be viewed as a `categorification' of the isomorphism between the corresponding two geometric realizations of the fundamental polynomial representation of the affine Hecke algebra. The composite of the two equivalences above yields an equivalence between abelian categories of quantum group representations and perverse sheaves. A similar equivalence at an even root of unity can be deduced, following Lusztig program, from earlier deep results of Kazhdan-Lusztig and Kashiwara-Tanisaki. Our approach is independent of these results and is totally different (it does not rely on representation theory of Kac-Moody algebras). It also gives way to proving Humphreys' conjectures on tilting U_q(g)-modules, as will be explained in a separate paper.
Four spot laser anemometer and optical access techniques for turbine applications

A time-of-flight anemometer (TOFA) system, utilizing a spatial lead-lag filter for bipolar pulse generation was constructed and tested. This system, called a Four Spot Laser Anemometer, was specifically designed for use in high speed, turbulent flows in the presence of walls or surfaces. The TOFA system uses elliptical spots to increase the flow acceptance angle to be comparable with that of a fringe type anemometer. The tightly focused spots used in the Four Spot yield excellent flare light rejection capabilities. Good results were obtained to 75 microns normal to a surface, with a f/2.5 collecting lens. This system is being evaluated for use in a warm turbine facility. Results from both a particle lag velocity experiment and boundary layer profiles will be discussed. In addition, an analysis of the use of curved windows in a turbine casing will be presented. Curved windows, matching the inner radius of the turbine casing, preserve the flow conditions, but introduce astigmatic aberrations. A correction optic was designed that virtually eliminates these astigmatic aberrations throughout the intrablade survey region for normal incidence.
Forced convection heat transfer to air/water vapor mixtures

Heat transfer coefficients were measured using both dry and humid air in the same forced convection cooling scheme and were compared using appropriate nondimensional parameters (Nusselt, Prandtl and Reynolds numbers). A forced convection scheme with a complex flow field, two dimensional arrays of circular jets with crossflow, was utilized with humidity ratios (mass ratio of water vapor to air) up to 0.23. The dynamic viscosity, thermal conductivity and specific heat of air, steam and air/steam mixtures are examined. Methods for determining gaseous mixture properties from the properties of their pure components are reviewed as well as methods for determining these properties with good confidence. The need for more experimentally determined property data for humid air is discussed. It is concluded that dimensionless forms of forced convection heat transfer data and empirical correlations based on measurements with dry air may be applied to conditions involving humid air with the same confidence as for the dry air case itself, provided that the thermophysical properties of the humid air mixtures are known with the same confidence as their dry air counterparts.
Antimicrobial activity of gallium nitrate against Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis in neonatal calves.

Background: Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis (MAP), the agent of Johne's disease in cattle, is a facultative intracellular bacterium that is dependent on ferric iron for its survival and replication. Gallium (Ga), a trivalent semimetal that shares many similarities with ferric iron and functions as an iron mimic has been shown to have in vitro antimicrobial activity against several microorganisms, including MAP. Objectives: (1) To investigate the antimicrobial activity of Ga in calves experimentally infected with MAP; and (2) to monitor for potential adverse effects of Ga on calf health. Animals: Twelve Holstein calves. Methods: Randomized blind controlled experiment. Beginning at 10 days of age (study day 1), the experimental calves (n = 6) were treated with 20 mg/kg gallium nitrate daily for 45 days. On study days 4 and 5, all calves were challenged with a PO dose of a live field strain MAP. Treated calves were monitored daily for adverse effects. Calves were euthanized on study day 100, and 29 tissue samples and 1 fecal sample were collected from each calf. Samples were cultured for MAP by MGIT liquid culture system, Herrold's Egg Yolk Medium culture, or both. Results: No adverse effects were observed in the treated calves. Treatment was associated with a significant reduction in MAP tissue burden when compared with control calves (P = .017). Conclusions and Clinical Relevance: Chemoprophylactic treatment of calves with Ga before and during the period of high susceptibility decreased MAP tissue colonization in experimentally infected neonatal calves.
Abstract Syntax and Logic Programming

When writing programs to manipulate structures such as algebraic expressions, logical formulas, proofs, and programs, it is highly desirable to take the linear, human-oriented, concrete syntax of these structures and parse them into a more computation-oriented syntax. For a wide variety of manipulations, concrete syntax contains too much useless information (e.g., keywords and white space) while important information is not explicitly represented (e.g., function-argument relations and the scope of operators). In parse trees, much of the semantically useless information is removed while other relationships, such as between function and argument, are made more explicit. Unfortunately, parse trees do not adequately address important notions of object-level syntax, such as bound and free object-variables, scopes, alphabetic changes of bound variables, and object-level substitution. I will argue here that the abstract syntax of such objects should be organized around α-equivalence classes of λ-terms instead of parse trees. Incorporating this notion of abstract syntax into programming languages is an interesting challenge. This paper briefly describes a logic programming language that directly supports this notion of syntax. An example specifications in this programming language is presented to illustrate its approach to handling object-level syntax. A model theoretic semantics for this logic programming language is also presented.
Performance analysis of FDDI LANs using numerical methods

Simulators are valuable tools in helping us understand how complex systems will operate and perform, without actually having to build a physical model to test. It is best to write the simulator in a higher level programming language, in our case we use Mathematica and are able to obtain fast results with excellent graphing capabilities. The goal of our research is to find a method for obtaining an estimate of the average access delay for advanced token ring based networks such as FDDI (fiber distributed data interface) or FFOL (FDDI follow on LAN). We have developed a method that will generate exact results at low to medium loaded networks. As the load level increases, the error rate also increases, this however is monitored and can be used as a confidence measure for the results obtained. A symmetric multimedia environment is used as the model, with bimodal traffic consisting of short data packets and longer video packets. The method we developed to calculate the estimated average access time under a specific network configuration as a function of varied offered load. A full listing of the Mathematica code is included in the appendix and is referenced in the analysis section.
Analyzing Terrorist Threats to the Economy: A computable General Equilibrium Approach

This chapter summarized the current capabilities of computable general equilibrium (CGE) models that were designed to analyze and estimate the economic impacts of a terrorist attack. The CGE approach is a formidable one because it performs well in terms of nearly all of the modeling considerations applicable to the task and it superior to its major modeling competitors in most aspects. CGE is especially adept at modeling two major aspects of the economic losses in this context – resilience and general equilibrium effects. It should be noted that the formulation and application of most CGE models to date has been in respect of the economic impacts of disruptions to individual utility lifelines. Additional refinements are necessary to model the ramifications of more complex cases with widespread devastation of property from bombs or natural hazards. In should be emphasized that in these cases, the sum of the indirect damage stemming from simultaneous damage to several individual targets is greater than the actual damage because of redundancy, that is, one must avoid counting lost production in a factory from both its own destruction and its inability to produce. Most terrorist attacks however are likely to be relatively more targeted, in which cases further adjustments are not needed. Future research on CGE modeling of terrorism should focus on important aspects of the issue, as well as limitations of CGE modeling in addressing them. The combination includes improving the ability of CGE models to incorporate financial variables, technological change and cumulative adaptive behavior, short-term adjustments to equilibrium and long-term effects on economic growth.
The Out of Africa Hypothesis of Comparative Development Reflected by Nighttime Light Intensity

This research establishes that migratory distance from the cradle of anatomically modern humans in East Africa and its effect on the distribution of genetic diversity across countries has a hump-shaped effect on nighttime light intensity per capita as observed by satellites, reflecting the trade-off between the beneficial and the detrimental effects of diversity on productivity. The finding lends further credence to the hypothesis that a significant portion of the variation in the standard of living across the globe can be attributed to factors that were determined in the distant past.
Extension of STEP for the Representation of Parametric and Variational Models

The International Standard STEP (ISO 10303) is intended to facilitate the exchange of data between CAD systems. The first release of the standard, which occurred in 1994, allows the transfer of geometric product models in terms of geometry and topology alone. Since most CAD systems now allow the creation of parametric, constraint-based and feature based models, it is necessary to extend STEP to take into account these newer capabilities. What follows is a discussion of some of the considerations which have arisen in the early stages of this work.
Oral contraceptives for functional ovarian cysts

Background Functional ovarian cysts are a common gynecological problem among women of reproductive age worldwide. When large, persistent, or painful, these cysts may require operations, sometimes resulting in removal of the ovary. Since early oral contraceptives were associated with a reduced incidence of functional ovarian cysts, many clinicians inferred that birth control pills could be used to treat cysts as well. This became a common clinical practice in the early 1970s. Objectives This review examined all randomized controlled trials that studied oral contraceptives as therapy for functional ovarian cysts. Search methods In March 2014, we searched the databases of CENTRAL, PubMed, EMBASE, and POPLINE, as well as clinical trials databases (ClinicalTrials.gov and ICTRP). We also examined the reference lists of articles. For the initial review, we wrote to authors of identified trials to seek articles we had missed. Selection criteria We included randomized controlled trials in any language that included oral contraceptives used for treatment and not prevention of functional ovarian cysts. Criteria for diagnosis of cysts were those used by authors of trials. Data collection and analysis Two authors independently abstracted data from the articles. One entered the data into RevMan and a second verified accuracy of data entry. For dichotomous outcomes, we computed the Mantel-Haenszel odds ratio with 95% confidence interval (CI). For continuous outcomes, we calculated the mean difference with 95% CI. Main results We identified eight randomized controlled trials from four countries; the studies included a total of 686 women. Treatment with combined oral contraceptives did not hasten resolution of functional ovarian cysts in any trial. This held true for cysts that occurred spontaneously as well as those that developed after ovulation induction. Most cysts resolved without treatment within a few cycles; persistent cysts tended to be pathological (e.g., endometrioma or para-ovarian cyst) and not physiological. Authors' conclusions Although widely used for treating functional ovarian cysts, combined oral contraceptives appear to be of no benefit. Watchful waiting for two or three cycles is appropriate. Should cysts persist, surgical management is often indicated.
Model Based Control Design Using SLPS “Simulink PSpice Interface”

This paper elaborates on the new integration offered with the PSpice SLPS interface and the MATLAB simulink products. SLPS links the two widely used design products, PSpice and Mathwork’s Simulink simulator. The SLPS simulation environment supports the substitution of an actual electronic block with an “ideal model”, better known as the mathematical simulink model. Thus enabling the designer to identify and correct integration issues of electronics within a system. Moreover, stress audit can be performed by using the PSpice smoke analysis which helps to verify whether the components are working within the manufacturer’s safe operating limits. It is invaluable since many companies design and test the electronics separately from the system level. Therefore, integrations usually are not discovered until the prototype level, causing critical time delays in getting a product to the market.
Options Reporting and the Political Costs of CEO Pay

Managers' systematic influence on accounting policy is well documented in the earnings management literature. Recent studies in the “management of information” line of research suggest that such influence is exhibited in financial reporting more generally, including supplemental disclosures in proxy statements. Using 1996 compensation data, I extend recent research on how firms report the value of options paid to their CEOs. I conduct several tests of the argument that potential political costs of unexplained compensation explain cross-sectional variation in how aggressively firms report option awards. Even after incorporating several variables not considered previously, I find strong support for the assertion that firms whose CEOs receive unexplained pay relative to performance tend to report lower grant date values for their CEOs' option awards. The evidence also suggests that the tendency to report lower grant date values is stronger for firms under more scrutiny from institutional owners. Contrary to ...
Matching in the Sourcing Market: A Structural Analysis of the Upstream Channel

Building on the structural two-sided matching model, we develop a framework to study the sourcing market in the context of marketing firms matching with manufacturers. Both sides prefer partners that could generate significant values with better sourcing process abilities. Moreover, experienced manufacturers are preferred by the branded marketing firms who may even be willing to compensate the matching intermediary more for facilitating that preference. Empirical research, measuring the values of such matching and the intermediary's pricing through commission on observed marketing firms' characteristics and the low-cost manufacturers and the deals that result, is problematic, when some of the characteristics are only partially observed and the matching is endogenous. With the matching model, we can control for endogenous matching. We find evidence of positive assortative matching of pairs' size on both sides of the market. We also find that manufacturers' location and tenure, and whether the marketing firms are listed, are important factors in identifying the preferred matching partners and the related ranking. Without controlling for endogenous matching, the intermediary's pricing equation estimates are biased, especially for the marketing firms that specialize in luxury products.
Semi-Fredholmness of the Discrete Gauss-Bonnet Operator

In the context of an infinite locally finite weighted graph, we give a necessary and sufficient condition for semi-Fredholmness of the Gauss-Bonnet operator. This result is a discrete version of the theorem of Gilles Carron in the continuous case [5]. In addition, using a criterion of Anghel [2], we give a sufficient condition to have an operator of Gauss-Bonnet with closed range. Finally, this work can be considered as an extension of the work of Colette Anne and Nabila Torki-Hamza [3].
Active and Concurrent Topology Maintenance

A central problem for structured peer-to-peer networks is topology maintenance, that is, how to properly update neighbor variables when nodes join and leave the network, possibly concurrently. In this paper, we first present a protocol that maintains a ring, the basis of several structured peer-to-peer networks. We then present a protocol that maintains Ranch, a topology consisting of multiple rings. The protocols handle both joins and leaves concurrently and actively (i.e., neighbor variables are updated once a join or a leave occurs). We use an assertional method to prove the correctness of the protocols, that is, we first identify a global invariant for a protocol and then show that every action of the protocol preserves the invariant. The protocols are simple and the proofs are rigorous and explicit.
The Poverty and Distributional Impact of Macroeconomic Shocks and Policies : A Review of Modeling Approaches

The importance of distributional issues in policymaking creates a need for empirical tools to assess the social impact of economic shocks and policies. This paper reviews some of the modeling approaches that are currently in use at the World Bank and other international financial institutions. The specification of these models is dictated by the issues at stake, the knowledge about the nature of the process involved, and the availability and reliability of relevant data. Furthermore, shocks and policies have macroeconomic, structural, and distributional implications. This creates interdependence between such policy issues. Finally, the distributional impact of shocks and policies hinges on the heterogeneity of socioeconomic agents with respect to endowments and behavior. In the end, each modeling approach should be judged on how well it handles the interdependence between policy issues and the heterogeneity of the stakeholders, given other constraints.
The “new growth path” in Hungary

The work analyses changes in economic policies in Hungary that began with the December 1978 resolution of the Central Committee of the Hungarian Socialist Workers’ Party. Changes in economic policies had the double objective of remedying the disequilibrium in Hungary’s balance of payments and reestablishing the reform process that began in 1968 but was subverted in various respects after 1972. The new policies have been given the collective name ‘the new growth path’.
Wage rates and job queues - does the public sector overpay in Ethiopia?

The public sector's share in wage employment is higher in Africa - including Ethiopia's urban labor market - than in developed economies. Fuller unionization, greater job security, and more generous non-wage benefits in the public sector lead one to assume that workers might queue up for public sector jobs. Do higher wage rates in Ethiopia's public sector create such a queue? The author extends Lee's two-stage structural probit analysis to test (with data from a recent urban household survey) and measure the existence and scope of such a queue for public sector jobs in Ethiopia. The results reject the absence of job rationing in favor of an implicit queue of most private sector workers for public sector jobs. The queue exists mainly because of popular expectations of a wage premium (between 11 and 40 percent) in the public sector. Controlling for individual differences in expectations of the sectoral wage differences, the author finds that skill does not significantly affect a worker's sector preferences, but some social characteristics do. A worker with a traditional farming background is more likely to be in the queue than is a second-generation urban dweller. This is interesting, considering that the influx of rural migrants to urban centers in the last few decades has been partly fueled by hopes of public sector employment. On average, women are more likely than men, and workers in provincial towns more likely than workers in the capital, to prefer public sector jobs. Level of schooling and job experience do not seem to affect preferences for the public over the private sector. The probability of a worker's being selected from the public sector queue decreases with the wage rate the worker potentially commands as a public sector employee. Workers on the lower end of the pay scale are more likely to be selected. Among workers who join the queue for public sector jobs, men are more likely to be hired than women and skilled workers are more likely to be hired than less-skilled workers.
Implied volatility functions: a reprise

This paper proposes and investigates a class of dynamic implied volatility function models (DIVF). This class of models separates the time-invariant implied volatility function from the stochastic state variables which drive changes in the individual implied volatilities. The dynamics of the state variables are modeled explicitly. This framework facilitates consistent pricing and hedging with time-variation in the IVF.
Environmental Performance of the United States Energy Sector: A DEA Model with Non-Discretionary Factors and Perfect Object

It is suggested to evaluate environmental performance of energy sector using Data Envelopment Analysis with non- discretionary factors (DEA-ND) with relative indicators as inputs and outputs. The latter allows for comparison of the objects essentially different in size. Inclusion of non-discretionary factors serves separation of the indicators that are beyond the control of the objects. A virtual perfect object comprised of maximal outputs and minimal inputs was added to the group of actual ones. In this setting, explicit solution of the DEA-ND problem was obtained. Energy sector of the United States was analyzed using suggested approach for the period of 1980 - 2006 with expected values of economic indicators for 2030 used for forming the perfect object. It was obtained that environmental performance has been increasing steadily for the period from 7.7% through 50.0% but still remains well below the prospected level.
Toward Interlanguage Parallel Scripting for Distributed-Memory Scientific Computing

Scripting languages such as Python and R have been widely adopted as tools for the productive development of scientific software because of the power and expressiveness of the languages and available libraries. However, deploying scripted applications on large-scale parallel computer systems such as the IBM Blue Gene/Q or Cray XE6 is a challenge because of issues including operating system limitations, interoperability challenges, parallel filesystem overheads due to the small file system accesses common in scripted approaches, and other issues. We present here a new approach to these problems in which the Swift scripting system is used to integrate high-level scripts written in Python, R, and Tcl, with native code developed in C, C++, and Fortran, by linking Swift to the library interfaces to the script interpreters. In this approach, Swift handles data management, movement, and marshaling among distributed-memory processes without direct user manipulation of low-level communication libraries such as MPI. We present a technique to efficiently launch scripted applications on large-scale supercomputers using a hierarchical programming model.
Lectures on Quantum Mechanics

Nobel Laureate Steven Weinberg combines exceptional physical insight with his gift for clear exposition, to provide a concise introduction to modern quantum mechanics, in this fully updated second edition of his successful textbook. Now including six brand new sections covering key topics such as the rigid rotator and quantum key distribution, as well as major additions to existing topics throughout, this revised edition is ideally suited to a one-year graduate course or as a reference for researchers. Beginning with a review of the history of quantum mechanics and an account of classic solutions of the Schrodinger equation, before quantum mechanics is developed in a modern Hilbert space approach, Weinberg uses his remarkable expertise to elucidate topics such as Bloch waves and band structure, the Wigner–Eckart theorem, magic numbers, isospin symmetry, and general scattering theory. Problems are included at the ends of chapters, with solutions available for instructors at www.cambridge.org/9781107111660.
Structured nucleosome fingerprints enable high-resolution mapping of chromatin architecture within regulatory regions

Transcription factors canonically bind nucleosome-free DNA, making the positioning of nucleosomes within regulatory regions crucial to the regulation of gene expression. Using the assay of transposase accessible chromatin (ATAC-seq), we observe a highly structured pattern of DNA fragment lengths and positions around nucleosomes in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, and use this distinctive two-dimensional nucleosomal “fingerprint” as the basis for a new nucleosome-positioning algorithm called NucleoATAC. We show that NucleoATAC can identify the rotational and translational positions of nucleosomes with up to base-pair resolution and provide quantitative measures of nucleosome occupancy in S. cerevisiae, Schizosaccharomyces pombe, and human cells. We demonstrate the application of NucleoATAC to a number of outstanding problems in chromatin biology, including analysis of sequence features underlying nucleosome positioning, promoter chromatin architecture across species, identification of transient changes in nucleosome occupancy and positioning during a dynamic cellular response, and integrated analysis of nucleosome occupancy and transcription factor binding.
Binary Reachability Analysis of Discrete Pushdown Timed Automata

We introduce discrete pushdown timed automata that are timed automata with integer-valued clocks augmented with a pushdown stack. A configuration of a discrete pushdown timed automaton includes a control state, finitely many clock values and a stack word. Using a pure automata-theoretic approach, we show that the binary reachability (i.e., the set of all pairs of configurations (α,β), encoded as strings, such that α can reach β through 0 or more transitions) can be accepted by a nondeterministic pushdown machine augmented with reversal-bounded counters (NPCM). Since discrete timed automata with integer-valued clocks can be treated as discrete pushdown timed automata without the pushdown stack, we can show that the binary reachability of a discrete timed automaton can be accepted by a nondeterministic reversal-bounded multicounter machine. Thus, the binary reachability is Presburger. By using the known fact that the emptiness problem is decidable for reversal-bounded NPCMs, the results can be used to verify a number of properties that can not be expressed by timed temporal logics for discrete timed automata and CTL* for pushdown systems.
Foreign Aid and Business Bottlenecks : A Study of Aid Effectiveness

This paper proposes a new framework to analyze aid effectiveness. Using World Bank firm survey data and OECD aid flow data, the authors analyze whether aid targets areas that firms in developing countries have identified as obstacles for their growth and whether aid actually improves firms' perceptions of those areas. The analysis finds that aid does target the areas that firms have identified as obstacles; aid funding trade related projects is particularly effective in targeting the correct countries. For the most part, aid has a positive impact on improving firms' perceptions, particularly in the business environment. And for each target area, smaller aid disbursements tend to be more effective at improving firm perceptions than larger disbursements.
Neutral B-meson mixing from dynamical lattice QCD with chiral light quarks and static b-quarks

In the limit of infinitely heavy b-quarks we compute the SU(3)-breaking ratio x of neutral Bmeson mixing matrix elemts. We also present results for the ratio of decay constants fBs=fBd . Our calculation employs chirality-preserving domain-wall fermions for the light quarks, a static action with link-smearing for the b-quarks, and the Iwasaki gauge action. Here we report on our results from the 16 3 32 16 ensemble (a 1 = 1:729(28) GeV) which we use to verify our method. We improve upon our earlier work by including O(aspa) matching for the computation of the decay constants and extrapolating to the physical point using chiral perturbation theory.
Service outage based power and rate allocation for parallel fading channels

The service outage based allocation problem explores variable-rate transmission schemes and combines the concepts of ergodic capacity and outage capacity for fading channels. A service outage occurs when the transmission rate is below a given basic rate r/sub o/. The allocation problem is to maximize the expected rate subject to the average power constraint and the constraint that the outage probability is less than /spl epsi/. A general class of probabilistic power allocation schemes is considered for an M-parallel fading channel model. The optimum power allocation scheme is derived and shown to be deterministic except at channel states of a boundary set. The resulting service outage achievable rate ranges from 1-/spl epsi/ of the outage capacity up to the ergodic capacity with increasing average power. Two near-optimum schemes are also derived by exploiting the fact that the outage probability is usually small. The second near-optimum scheme significantly reduces the computational complexity of the optimum solution; moreover, it has a simple structure for the implementation of transmission of mixed real-time and non-real-time services.
Adaptive-Agent Based Simulation Model to Study Diffusion of Eco-Innovation Strategies

The objective of this paper is to understand and study sustainable product development using a systems approach. This paper focuses on the development of the “Factor X” model to study diffusion of eco-innovation strategies. The concept of “Factor X” is qualitatively similar to the concepts of eco-efficiency and dematerialization with an added quantitative edge. It focuses on reducing the environmental impact of economic activities in quantitative terms such as reducing environmental impacts by a factor of 4 or factor of 10, etc. In the real world, artifacts interact with each other to form a web structure (known as artifact system (AS)), which has its own laws of evolution. We have implemented the “Factor X” framework through an adaptive agent based simulation (AABS) model to study the implications of different AS scenarios (achieved by setting system defining parameters) on the propagation and extent of diffusion of eco-innovation strategies.Copyright © 2002 by ASME
Roche accretion of stars close to massive black holes

In this paper we consider Roche accretion in an Extreme Mass-Ratio Inspiral (EMRI) binary system formed by a star orbiting a massive black hole. The ultimate goal is to detect the mass and spin of the black hole and provide a test of general relativity in the strong-field regime from the resultant quasi-periodic signals. Before accretion starts, the stellar orbit is presumed to be circular and equatorial, and shrinks due to gravitational radiation. New fitting formulae are presented for the inspiral time and the radiation-reaction torque in the relativistic regime. If the inspiralling star fills its Roche lobe outside the Innermost Stable Circular Orbit (ISCO) of the hole, gas will flow through the inner Lagrange point (L1) to the hole. We give new relativistic interpolation formulae for the volume enclosed by the Roche lobe. If this mass-transfer happens on a time scale faster than the thermal time scale but slower than the dynamical time scale, the star will evolve adiabatically, and, in most cases, will recede from the hole while filling its Roche lobe. We calculate how the stellar orbital period and mass-transfer rate will change through the "Roche evolution" for various types of stars in the relativistic regime. We envisage that the mass stream eventually hits the accretion disc, where it forms a hot spot orbiting the hole and may ultimately modulate the luminosity with the stellar orbital frequency. The observability of such a modulation is discussed along with a possible interpretation of an intermittent 1 hour period in the X-ray emission of RE J1034+396.
Group-theoretical analysis of carbonium ion rearrangements: The barbaralyl cation

The permutation group theory developed by Longuet-Higgins is applied to the degenerate rearrangement of the barbaralyl cation, C9H 9 + . The analysis allows explicit solution of the kinetic equations for one possible rearrangement mechanism and the time evolution of the quantum-mechanical states of the system. Permutation symmetry constraints, imposed by the Pauli principle applied to interchange of spin-1/2 nuclei, lead to characteristic level splitting patterns, and to the exclusion of an intermediate proposed by Hoffmann and others [6, 7]. We discuss implications of these constraints for deciding among alternative mechanistic pathways.
Protiodesilylation reactions of β- and γ-hydroxysilanes: Deuterium labeling and silicon-directed epoxide openings

Abstract Protiodesilylation reactions of β-hydroxysilanes are catalyzed by crown ether, can be used to introduce deuterium, and can be used to prepare silicon-free products of silicon-directed epoxide openings; similar reactions of γ-hydroxysilanes are possible.
Stressed-lap polishing of 3.5-m f/1.5 and 1.8-m f/1.0 mirrors

The stressed-lap polishing technique has been developed to meet the challenge of polishing 8- m-class mirrors with highly aspheric figures to an accuracy consistent with the best ground- based telescope sites. The method is currently being demonstrated in the polishing of two primary mirrors, a 1.8-m f/1.0 ellipsoid and a 3.5-m f/1.5 paraboloid. The figure accuracies achieved at the time of writing are 43 nm rms surface error for the 1.8-m mirror, and 190 nm rms surface error for the 3.5-m mirror. Polishing is proceedings on both mirrors. In this paper we describe the process used for the 3.5-m mirror and the progress through the early stages of fabrication. We also summarize progress on the 1.8-m mirror.
On CY-LG correspondence for (0, 2) toric models

Abstract We conjecture a description of the vertex (chiral) algebras of the ( 0 , 2 ) nonlinear sigma models on smooth quintic threefolds. We provide evidence in favor of the conjecture by connecting our algebras to the cohomology of a twisted chiral de Rham sheaf. We discuss CY/LG correspondence in this setting.
Infrared observations of the surface and atmosphere of Titan

Infrared photometry of Titan, Saturn, and Saturn's Rings at 3.5, 4.9, 17.8, and 18.4 microns is reported. Comparison of the albedo of Titan in the 4.9 micron 'window' with the albedo of the rings and with laboratory spectra suggests that frost, possibly water ice, could be a major constituent. If thick clouds are present they must be very dark at 4.9 microns. The 17.8 and 18.4 micron data are not consistent with a clear, dense molecular hydrogen atmosphere.
Large Tunable Optical Delays via Self-Phase Modulation and Dispersion

We demonstrate continuously tunable delays and advancements of 3.5-ps pulses over a total range of more than 1200 pulsewidths in optical fiber using a combination of nonlinear spectral broadening and filtering.
Palladium-Catalyzed C,N-Cross Coupling Reactions of 3-Halo-2-aminopyridines

A simple approach toward N3-substituted-2,3-diaminopyridines is presented, based on Pd-catalyzed C,N-cross coupling. The use of RuPhos- and BrettPhos-precatalysts in combination with LiHMDS allows for C,N-cross coupling reactions of unprotected 3-halo-2-aminopyridines with primary and secondary amines.