cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
POSTED OFFER MARKETS IN NEAR-CONTINUOUS TIME: AN EXPERIMENTAL INVESTIGATION

This paper reports an experiment conducted to evaluate a ‘near continuous’ variant of the posted-offer trading institution, where the number of periods in a market session is increased by reducing sharply each period’s maximum length. Experimental results suggest that although decisions in time-truncated periods are not equivalent to periods of longer duration, extensive repetition improves considerably the drawing power of equilibrium predictions in some challenging environments. Nevertheless, significant deviations remain in the near continuous framework. We also observe that the extra data collected in the near continuous framework allows new insights into price convergence and price signaling.
VLSI limitations from drain-induced barrier lowering

Drain-induced barrier lowering (DIBL) determines the ultimate proximity of surface diffusions and qualifies as one of the fundamental electrical limitations for VLSI. The important design parameters relating to DIBL are investigated using a numerical two-dimensional model, and a simple conceptual model is introduced as an aid for understanding the results. Under normal operating conditions of an IGFET, DIBL produces surface (rather than bulk) injection at the source. Comparison of a base case with a scaled design reveals that simple linear scaling by itself is insufficient for holding DIBL to a tolerable amount.
A Model to Compute Phase Diagrams in Oxides with Empirical or First‐Principles Energy Methods and Application to the Solubility Limits in the CaO–MgO System

The CaO–MgO system is used as a prototype system to evaluate the accuracy of several energy and entropy approximations for predicting solid-state phase diagrams in ionic materials. Configurational disorder between the cations is parameterized with the cluster expansion technique. The vibrational contribution to the free energy is incorporated with a harmonic model that accounts for the dependence of the vibrational density of states on the cation configuration. The CaO–MgO phase diagram can be predicted very accurately with quantum mechanical energy methods, without the use of any adjustable parameters. Published empirical potential parameters for the CaO–MgO system reproduce the qualitative features of the phase diagram but significantly underestimate the solubility limits. Parameters that reasonably reproduce the quantum mechanical results are presented.
Two New Rating Scales for Opiate Withdrawal

Two new rating scales for measuring the signs and symptoms of opiate withdrawal are presented. The Subjective Opiate Withdrawal Scale (SOWS) contains 16 symptoms whose intensity the patient rates on a scale of 0 (not at all) to 4 (extremely). The Objective Opiate Withdrawal Scale (OOWS) contains 13 physically observable signs, rated present or absent, based on a timed period of observation of the patient by a rater. Opiate abusers admitted to a detoxification ward had significantly higher scores on the SOWS and OOWS before receiving methadone as compared to after receiving methadone for 2 days. Opiate abusers seeking treatment were challenged either with placebo or with 0.4 mg naloxone. Postchallenge SOWS and OOWS scores were significantly higher than prechallenge scores in the naloxone but not the placebo group. We have demonstrated good interrater reliability for the OOWS and good intrasubject reliability over time for both scales in controls and in patients on a methadone maintenance program. These scales are demonstrated to be valid and reliable indicators of the severity of the opiate withdrawal syndrome over a wide range of common signs and symptoms.
A simple traffic analysis procedure

This paper presents a simple approximate procedure for traffic analysis that can be described geometrically without calculus. The procedure, which is graphically intuitive, operates directly on piecewise linear approximations of the N-curves of cumulative vehicle count. Because the N-curves are both readily observable and of direct interest for evaluation purposes (e.g., they yield the total vehicle-hours and vehicle-miles of travel in a time interval, and the vehicular accumulation as a function of time) the predictions made with this method should be practical and easy to test.
Spectral characterization of the LANDSAT Thematic Mapper sensors

The spectral coverage characteristics of the two thematic mapper instruments were determined by analyses of spectral measurements of the optics, filters, and detectors. The following results are presented: (1) band 2 and 3 flatness was slightly below specification, and band 7 flatness was below specification; (2) band 5 upper-band edge was higher than specifications; (3) band 2 band edges were shifted upward about 9 nm relative to nominal; and (4) band 4, 5, and 7 lower band edges were 16 to 18 nm higher then nominal.
Modulation of endothelial cell integrity and inflammatory activation by commercial lipid emulsions

Background: Thrombosis and immune dysfunction are two important complications that result from the administration of parenteral nutrition. Endothelial cells within the vasculature are crucial components necessary for maintenance of normal coagulation and immune function. Methods: We compared the effects of three commercial lipid emulsions (LEs; Intralipid®, ClinOleic® [or Clinolipid®], and Omegaven®) differing in the levels of omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids, omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, omega-9 monounsaturated fatty acids, and saturated fatty acids upon endothelial cell fatty acid composition using Gas chromatography, endothelial cell integrity by assessing measurement of apoptosis and necrosis using flow cytometry, endothelial cell inflammatory activation by assessing the induction of ICAM-1 by lipopolysaccharide [LPS]), and transcription factor activation (phosphorylation of NF-κB) using western blot analysis. Results: Gas chromatographic analysis confirmed cellular uptake of the fatty acids within the LEs; furthermore, these fatty acid changes reflected the composition of the oils and egg phosphatides used in the manufacturing of these emulsions. However, the kinetics of fatty acid uptake and processing differed between LEs. Fish oil LE negatively impacted cell viability by doubling the percentage of apoptotic and necrotic cell populations quantified by flow cytometry using Annexin V/Fluorescein and propidium iodide. The soybean oil LE did not alter cell viability, while the olive oil-predominate emulsion improved cell viability. All LEs were capable of suppressing LPS-induced ICAM-1 expression; however, the fish oil LE was more potent than the other emulsions. Fish oil LE supplementation of cells also suppressed LPS-induced phosphorylation of NF-κB, while the soybean oil and olive predominant LE had no effect upon NF-κB phosphorylation. Conclusions: Lipid emulsions are readily incorporated and stored in the form of triacylglycerols. Soybean oil-based, olive oil-predominant and fish-oil based LEs differentially affected endothelial cell integrity. Importantly, these three LEs were capable of suppressing endothelial cell inflammatory response despite their fatty acid content.
A geometric Jacquet-Langlands correspondence for U(2) Shimura varieties

Let G be a unitary group over ℚ, associated to a CM-field F with totally real part F +, with signature (1, 1) at all the archimedean places of F +. Under certain hypotheses on F +, we show that Jacquet-Langlands correspondences between certain automorphic representations of G and representations of a group G′ isomorphic to G except at infinity can be realized in the cohomology of Shimura varieties attached to G and G′. We obtain these Jacquet-Langlands correspondences by studying the bad reduction of a Shimura variety X attached to G at a prime p for which X has “Γ0(p)” level structure, and construct a “Deligne-Rapoport” model for X. The irreducible components of the special fiber of this model have a global structure that can be explicitly described in terms of Shimura varieties X′ for unitary groups G′ isomorphic to G away from infinity. The weight spectral sequence of Rapoport-Zink then yields an expression for certain pieces of the weight filtration on the etale cohomology of X in terms of the cohomology of X′. This identifies a piece of this weight filtration with a space of algebraic modular forms for G′. This result implies certain cases of the Jacquet-Langlands correspondence for G and G′ in terms of a canonical map between spaces of arithmetic interest, rather than simply as an abstract bijection between isomorphism classes of representations.
World Bank Lending and Financial Sector Development

A new database of World Bank loans to support financial sector development is used to investigate whether countries that received such loans experienced more rapid growth on standard indicators of financial development than countries that did not. Self-selection is accounted for with treatment-effects regressions. The results indicate that borrowing countries had significantly more rapid growth in money and quasi money (M2) or gross domestic product (GDP) than non-borrowers and swifter reductions in interest rate spreads and cash holdings (as a share of M2). Borrowers also had higher private credit growth rates than non-borrowers in some treatment-effects regressions but not in standard panel regressions with fixed country effects. On the whole, the results indicate some significant advantages in financial development for borrowers over non-borrowers.
A Population of Massive Globular Clusters in NGC 5128

We present velocity dispersion measurements of 14 globular clusters in NGC 5128 (Centarus A) obtained with the MIKE echelle spectrograph on the 6.5m Magellan Clay telescope. These clusters are among the most luminous globular clusters in NGC 5128 and have velocity dispersions comparable to the most massive clusters known in the Local Group, ranging from 10 ‐ 30 km s -1 . We describe in detail our cross-correlation measurements, as well as simulations to quantify the uncertainties. These 14 globular clusters are the brightest NGC 5128 globular clusters with surface photometry and structural parameters measured from the Hubble Space Telescope. We have used these measurements to derive masses and mass-to-light ratios for all of these clusters and establish that the fundamental plane relations for globular clusters extend to an order of magnitude higher mass than in the Local Group. The mean mass-to-light ratio for the NGC 5128 clusters is 3 1, higher than measurements for all but the most massive Local Group clusters. These massive clusters begin to bridge the mass gap between the most massive star clusters and the lowest-mass galaxies. We find that the properties of NGC 5128 globular clusters overlap quite well with the central properties of nucleated dwarf galaxies and ultracompact dwarf galaxies. As six of these clusters also show evidence for extratidal light, we hypothesize that at least some of these massive clusters are the nuclei of tidally stripped dwarfs. Subject headings: galaxies: individual (NGC 5128) — galaxies: star clusters — globular clusters: general
The effect of court-ordered hiring quotas on the composition and quality of police

Arguably the most aggressive armative action program ever implemented in the United States was a series of court-ordered racial hiring quotas imposed on municipal police departments. My best estimate of the eect of court-ordered armative action on workforce composition is a 14
Exotic magnetic orderings in the kagome Kondo-lattice model

We consider the Kondo-lattice model on the kagome lattice and study its weak-coupling instabilities at band filling fractions for which the Fermi surface has singularities. These singularities include Dirac points, quadratic Fermi points in contact with a flat band, and van Hove saddle points. By combining a controlled analytical approach with large-scale numerical simulations, we demonstrate that the weak-coupling instabilities of the Kondo-lattice model lead to exotic magnetic orderings. In particular, some of these magnetic orderings produce a spontaneous quantum anomalous Hall state.
Achieving near-optimal traffic engineering solutions for current OSPF/IS-IS networks

Traffic engineering aims to distribute traffic so as to "optimize" some performance criterion. This optimal distribution of traffic depends on both the routing protocol and the forwarding mechanisms in use in the network. In IP networks running the OSPF or IS-IS protocols, routing is over shortest paths, and forwarding mechanisms distribute traffic "uniformly" over equal cost shortest paths. These constraints often make achieving an optimal distribution of traffic impossible. In this paper, we propose and evaluate an approach that can realize near optimal traffic distribution without changes to routing protocols and forwarding mechanisms. In addition, we explore the tradeoff that exists between performance and the configuration overhead that our solution requires. The paper's contributions are in formulating and evaluating an approach to traffic engineering in IP networks that achieves near-optimal performance while preserving the existing infrastructure.
Multipass steering protocols at Jefferson lab

The CEBAF recirculating accelerator consists of two CW superconducting RF linacs, through which an electron beam is accelerated for up to 5 passes. Focusing and steering elements affect each pass differently, requiring a multipass steering protocol to correct the orbits. Perturbations include lens misalignments (including long-term ground motion), BPM offsets, and focusing and steering from RF fields inside the cavities. A previous treatment of this problem assumed all perturbations were localized at the quadrupoles and the absence of x-y coupling. Having analyzed the problem and characterized the solutions, we developed an empirical iterative protocol to compare against previous results in the presence of skew fields and cross-plane coupling. We plan to characterize static and acceleration- dependent components of the beam line perturbations to allow systematic and rapid configuration of the accelerator at different linac energy gains.
Characterization of an Ion Thruster Neutralizer

The neutralizer of a high-power ion thruster was characterized over a range of flow rates at the nominal thruster operating condition of 3.6 A of ion beam current at a beam voltage of 5500 V. Near-neutralizer Langmuir probes were used to characterize the local plasma and detect the transition from spot to plume mode. Consistent with the Langmuir probe measurements, it was found that neutralizer coupling voltage, rather than the magnitude of neutralizer-keeper-voltage oscillations, was most indicative of the spot to plume mode transition. Additionally, neutralizer-keeper-barrel erosion due to extreme, off-axis ions was investigated. No such energetic ion flux was detected using strategically placed, coated witness plates. Nomenclature Ja = accelerator-grid current Jb = beam current T = time Vg = neutralizer coupling voltage Vnk = neutralizer keeper-to-cathode voltage Vp = plasma potential
Safety Envelope for Load Tolerance and its Application to Fatigue Reliability Design

In this paper, a safety envelope concept for load tolerance is introduced. This shows the capacity of the current design as a future reference for design upgrade, maintenance, and control. The safety envelope is applied to estimate the load tolerance of a structural part with respect to the fatigue reliability. First, the dynamic load history is decomposed into the average value and amplitude, which are modeled as random variables. Second, through fatigue analysis and uncertainty propagation, the reliability is calculated. Last, based on the implicit function evaluation for the reliability, the boundary of the safety envelope is calculated numerically. The effect of different distribution types of random variables is then investigated to identify the conservative envelope. In order to improve the efficiency of searching the boundary, probabilistic sensitivity information is utilized. When the relationship between the safety of the system and the load tolerance is linear or mildly nonlinear, the linear estimation of the safety envelope turns out to be accurate and efficient. During the application of the algorithm, a stochastic response surface of logarithmic fatigue life with respect to the load capacity coefficient is constructed, and the Monte Carlo simulation is utilized to calculate the reliability and its sensitivities.
Molecular line profiles from contracting dense cores

A B S T R A C T We recently proposed that molecular cloud dense cores undergo a prolonged period of quasistatic contraction prior to true collapse. This theory could explain the observation that many starless cores exhibit, through their spectral line profiles, signs of inward motion. We now use our model, together with a publicly available radiative transfer code, to determine the emission from three commonly used species – N 2H + , CS and HCN. A representative dense core of 3 M ⊙ that has been contracting for 1 Myr has line profiles that qualitatively match the observed ones. In particular, optically thick lines have about the right degree of blue–red asymmetry, the empirical hallmark of contraction. The J = 2 → 1 rotational transition of CS only attains the correct type of profile if the species is centrally depleted, as has been suggested by previous studies. These results support the idea that a slow, but accelerating, contraction leads to protostellar collapse. In the future, the kind of analysis presented here can be used to assign ages to individual starless cores.
Direct organocatalytic asymmetric Mannich-type reactions in aqueous media: one-pot Mannich-allylation reactions

The first direct organocatalytic asymmetric Mannich-type reactions in aqueous media are demonstrated herein. l-Proline-catalyzed reactions in aqueous media to provide β-formyl substituted α-amino acid derivatives with excellent diastereoselectivities (dr up to 19:1, syn/anti) and high enantioselectivities (ee between 72 and >99%). These conditions provided for the development of novel one-pot asymmetric syntheses of cyclic γ-allyl substituted α-amino acid derivatives (ee up to >99%). This was accomplished by combining the proline-catalyzed Mannich-type reactions with indium promoted allylations in aqueous media.
Message Batching in Wireless Sensor Networks--A Perturbation Analysis Approach

We address the problem of batching messages generated at nodes of a sensor network for the purpose of reducing communication energy at the expense of added latency. We consider a time-based batching approach. We first develop baseline analytical models based on Markovian assumptions, derive conditions under which batching is profitable, and explicitly determine a batching time that optimizes a performance metric capturing the trade-off between communication energy and message latency. We then provide an on-line performance optimization method based on Smoothed Perturbation Analysis (SPA) for estimating the performance sensitivity with respect to the controllable batching time. We prove that the SPA gradient estimator is unbiased and combine it with a Stochastic Approximation (SA) algorithm for on-line optimization. Numerical results are provided for Poisson and Markov modulated Poisson message arrival processes and illustrate the effectiveness of the message batching scheme.
Autonomous Orbit Determination for Two Spacecraft from Relative Position Measurements

A batch filter has been designed and analyzed to autonomously determine the orbits of 2 spacecraft based on measurements of the relative position vector from one spacecraft to the other. This system provides a means for high-precision autonomous orbit determination for systems that cannot be dependent on signals from the GPS constellation or ground stations. The filter uses a time series of the inertially-referenced relative position vector, and it uses orbital dynamics models for the two spacecraft. It estimates the 6element orbital state vectors of both spacecraft along with a drag parameter for each one. The observability of this system is demonstrated in this proof-of-concept study, and the filter's predicted position determination accuracy is analyzed for a number of situations. Position accuracies on the order of 1 m RMS are predicted for certain configurations.
Near-Memory Caching for Improved Energy Consumption

The main memory has become one of the largest contributors to overall energy consumption and offers many opportunities for power/energy reduction. In this paper, we propose a power-aware cached-dynamic-RAM (PA-CDRAM) organization that integrates a moderately sized cache directly into a memory chip. We use this near-memory cache to turn a memory bank off immediately after it is accessed to reduce power consumption. We modify the operation and structure of CDRAM with the goal of reducing energy consumption while retaining the performance advantage for which CDRAM was originally proposed. In this paper, we describe our PA-CDRAM organization and show how to incorporate it into the Rambus memory. We evaluate the approach using a cycle-accurate processor and memory simulator. Our results show that PA-CDRAM achieves up to 84 percent (28 percent on the average) improvement in the energy-delay product and up to 76 percent (19 percent on the average) savings in energy when compared to a time-out power management technique.
Conditional symmetric instability and mesoscale rainbands

The linear theory of conditional symmetric instability (CSI) is re-examined in a rigorous framework. In comparison with symmetric instability a new feature of CSI is that the moist updraught tends to be narrow, as with conditional buoyancy instability (CBI). As the width of the moist updraught varies from its tolerance maximum to infinitesimal, the inviscid growth rate increases from zero to its maximum and the slope of the moist updraught increases from the absolute momentum surface to the moist most unstable surface. The fact that CSI circulations absorb energy from the basic shear and moist thermal field but lose energy to the dry basic thermal field is responsible for the narrow and slant feature of the moist updraught. When a bulk viscosity is accounted for, the most rapidly growing CSI modes bear a qualitative resemblance to some observed rainbands. The stability criterion of viscous CSI also shows a better comparison with observational data than inviscid CSI. The linear CSI theory here predicts that the isolated mode is preferred to other non-isolated (periodic or irregular spacing) modes. The preference of non-isolated modes is speculated to occur in the nonlinear stage.
Hospital staffing, organization, and quality of care: Cross-national findings.

Abstract Objective: To examine the effects of nurse staffing and organizational support for nursing care on nurses' dissatisfaction with their jobs, nurse burnout, and nurse reports of quality of patient care in an international sample of hospitals. Design: Multisite cross-sectional survey Setting: Adult acute-care hospitals in the U.S. (Pennsylvania), Canada (Ontario and British Columbia), England and Scotland. Study Participants: 10319 nurses working on medical and surgical units in 303 hospitals across the five jurisdictions. Interventions: None Main outcome measures: Nurse job dissatisfaction, burnout, and nurse-rated quality of care. Results: Dissatisfaction, burnout and concerns about quality of care were common among hospital nurses in all five sites. Organizational/managerial support for nursing had a pronounced effect on nurse dissatisfaction and burnout, and both organizational support for nursing and nurse staffing were directly, and independently, related to nurse-assessed quality of care. Multivariate results imply that nurse reports of low quality care were three times as likely in hospitals with low staffing and support for nurses as in hospitals with high staffing and support. Conclusion: Adequate nurse staffing and organizational/managerial support for nursing are key to improving the quality of patient care, to diminishing nurse job dissatisfaction and burnout and, ultimately, to improving the nurse retention problem in hospital settings. Nurs Outlook 2002;50:187-94.
CHANGES IN THE DISTRIBUTION OF FARM WEALTH IN THE UNITED STATES

This paper examines the changes in farm sector wealth from 1949 through 2002. The study uses Theil’s entropy‐based measure of inequality of farm wealth for 10 regions of the United States. The entropy measure is then used to decompose U.S. inequality into within‐region and between‐region differences. Results show that for the period 1949 to 1993, relative to the number of farms per state, farm wealth in the United States became more equally distributed. However, beginning in 1994, findings suggest inequality in wealth may be increasing.
Entity-Oriented Parsing

An entity-oriented approach to restricted-domain parsing is proposed. In this approach, the definitions of the structure and surface representation of domain entities are grouped together. Like semantic grammar, this allows easy exploitation of limited domain semantics. In addition, it facilitates fragmentary recognition and the use of multiple parsing strategies, and so is particularly useful for robust recognition of extragrammatical input. Several advantages from the point of view of language definition are also noted. Representative samples from an entity-oriented language definition are presented, along with a control structure for an entity-oriented parser, some parsing strategies that use the control structure, and worked examples of parses. A parser incorporating the control structure and the parsing strategies is currently under implementation.
On the computation of the gap metric

The author considers the gap metric introduced by G. Zames and A.K. El-Sakkary (1980). He derives an expression for the gap metric that is computable using well-known techniques from interpolation theory. The author also derives an alternate proof that the graph and the gap matrices are equivalent. This gives rise to upper and lower bounds for the graph metric, which is difficult to evaluate exactly. >
Ferrocenophanes with all carbon bridges

Abstract The most prevalent organometallic analogs of cyclophanes are the ferrocenophanes, in which the two cyclopentadienyl (Cp) groups of ferrocene are joined by an atomic or a molecular bridge. This review describes the synthesis and study of ferrocenophanes that possess exclusively carbon-based bridges. The use of this class of ferrocenophane in the design and development of new organometallic materials is emphasized.
Synthesis and reactions of 2-SF5-butadiene

Abstract A stable and storable precursor of 2-SF 5 -butadiene, 3-SF 5 -3-sulfolene, has been synthesized and its reactivity studied with several olefinic compounds. When SF 5 Br is added to sulfolene, 3-bromo-4-SF 5 -sulfolane is formed and when reacted further with silver tosylate forms 4-SF 5 -2-sulfolene. The 4-SF 5 -2-sulfolene undergoes rearrangement with silicic acid to give 3-SF 5 -3-sulfolene and when heated forms 2-SF 5 -butadiene; in the absence of a dienophile, dimerization does occur. The new 2-SF 5 -butadiene is a reactive diene undergoing a Diels–Alder reaction with olefinic sytems such as maleic anhydride, p -naphthoquinone, and methyl acrylate.
Glycosylated neuropeptides: A new vista for neuropsychopharmacology?

The application of endogenous neuropeptides (e.g., enkephalins) as analgesics has been retarded by their poor stability in vivo and by their inability to effectively penetrate the blood-brain barrier (BBB). Effective BBB transport of glycosylated enkephalins has been demonstrated in several labs now. Analgesia (antinociception) levels greater than morphine, and with reduced side effects have been observed for several glycopeptides related to enkephalin. Somewhat paradoxically, enhanced BBB transport across this lipophilic barrier is achieved by attaching water-soluble carbohydrate groups to the peptide moieties to produce biousian glycopeptides that can be either water-soluble or membrane bound. Transport is believed to rely on an endocytotic mechanism (transcytosis), and allows for systemic delivery and transport of the water-soluble glycopeptides. Much larger endorphin/dynorphin glycopeptide analogs bearing amphipathic helix address regions also have been shown to penetrate the BBB in mice. This holds forth the possibility of transporting much larger neuropeptides across the BBB, which may encompass a wide variety of receptors beyond the opioid receptors.
Degradable terpolymers with alkyl side chains demonstrate enhanced gene delivery potency and nanoparticle stability

Degradable, cationic poly(β-amino ester)s (PBAEs) with alkyl side chains are developed for non-viral gene delivery. Nanoparticles formed from these PBAE terpolymers exhibit significantly enhanced DNA transfection potency and resistance to aggregation. These hydrophobic PBAE terpolymers, but not PBAEs lacking alkyl side chains, support interaction with PEG-lipid conjugates, facilitating their functionalization with shielding and targeting moieties and accelerating the in vivo translation of these materials.
93-GHz radar cross section measurements of satellite elemental scatterers

The radar cross section (RCS) of representative spacecraft materials and components was measured at 93 GHz. Measurements of solar cells, thermal blanket material, structural components, and sensors are included. These measurements indicate the highly specular nature of scattering at millimeter wavelengths. The measurements generally agree with results predicted on the basis of common asymptotic formulations.
The Dark at the Top of the Stairs: Four Destructive Influences of Capital Punishment on American Criminal Justice

State execution is not a major part of America's system of criminal punishment, but it casts a long shadow over the principles and practices of the rest of criminal justice. This essay discusses four negative impacts of the death penalty on the larger system: (1) The hyper-extension of the substantive criminal law; (2) The symbolic transformation of harsh punishment to a private reward; (3) The creation and overuse of Life Without Possibility of Parole (LWOP) sentences; and (4) The diversion of legal and judicial resources from other pressing problems in the criminal system.
Entropy and Information in Neural Spike Trains

The nervous system represents time dependent signals in sequences of discrete, identical action potentials or spikes; information is carried only in the spike arrival times. We show how to quantify this information, in bits, free from any assumptions about which features of the spike train or input signal are most important, and we apply this approach to the analysis of experiments on a motion sensitive neuron in the fly visual system. This neuron transmits information about the visual stimulus at rates of up to 90 bits/s, within a factor of 2 of the physical limit set by the entropy of the spike train itself.
Regularized Off-Policy TD-Learning

We present a novel l1 regularized off-policy convergent TD-learning method (termed RO-TD), which is able to learn sparse representations of value functions with low computational complexity. The algorithmic framework underlying RO-TD integrates two key ideas: off-policy convergent gradient TD methods, such as TDC, and a convex-concave saddle-point formulation of non-smooth convex optimization, which enables first-order solvers and feature selection using online convex regularization. A detailed theoretical and experimental analysis of RO-TD is presented. A variety of experiments are presented to illustrate the off-policy convergence, sparse feature selection capability and low computational cost of the RO-TD algorithm.
Aquinas on Being

Preface 1. On Being and Essence 2. On Being and Essence - II 3. The Commentary on the Sentences 4. The Disputed Questions on Truth 5. The Summa contra Gentiles 6. Questions Disputed in Rome 7. The Summa Theologiae 8. The Summa Theologiae - II 9. The Commentaries on Aristotle's Metaphysics 10. Conclusion: Twelve Types of Being Appendix: Frege and Aquinas on Existence and Number Biblography
A comparison of the manipulation of certainty factors by individuals and expert system shells

The treatment of uncertainty in expert system shells is addressed, starting with a review of the modeling of uncertainty by expert system shells. An experiment to replicate earlier work investigating the manner in which individuals manipulate certainty factors in comparison to commercial shells is discussed. Comparisons are made among seven commercial shells, both personal-computer (PC)-based and mainframe-based, and individuals. A significant difference between individuals and shells themselves is indicated. Some implications for both expert system and decision-support-system methodologies are discussed. >
Improved High-Yield Synthesis of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon Amino Tribenzoates, Nucleophilic Components for Synthesis of Diol Epoxide-Nucleoside Adducts

Abstract This report describes an improved high-yield synthesis of amino tribenzoates derived through a trans-ring opening of diol epoxides. A significant difference in the relative reactivities of benzo[a]pyrene series-1 and series-2 diol epoxide diastereomers with LiN3 has been noted. Facile triacylation of the azido triols derived through this ring-opening with benzoyl cyanide and reduction using PtO2 afforded the corresponding amines in high yields.
Robust design of a damping controller for static VAr compensators in power systems

Summary form only given as follows. This paper presents a systematic procedure for the synthesis of a supplementary damping controller (SDC) for static VAr compensators (SVC) in multimachine power systems. The robust performance in terms of the structured singular value (SSV or /spl mu/) is used as the measure of control performance. A wide range of operating conditions are used for testing. Simulation results on standard test systems show that the resulting SDC effectively enhances the damping of the interarea oscillations, providing robust stability and good performance characteristics both in frequency domain and in time domain.
Online Learner Satisfaction: Learner-Instructor Discourse

This paper discusses the importance of the direct relationship between instructor discourse and learner discourse in the online learning environment during mandatory online discussions. It provides meaningful insights toward pedagogical theory and corresponding instructional practices associated with these two factors: (a) the extent of instructor discourse and (b) the extent of learner discourse within the online learning environment.
"Price Barriers" and the Dynamics of Asset Prices in Equilibrium

A price barrier is a price level at which a large number of investors either buy or sell securities. We analyze the dynamics of asset prices in an economy in which price barriers exist. Our analysis suggests that asset prices and volatility can exhibit jumps when the price barrier is reached. Interestingly, the market's anticipation of future trades can influence prices in the opposite direction from what one might expect. For example, when multiple barriers exist, stock prices can be inflated, rather than depressed, in the proximity of an anticipated stock sale.
KEPLER AND THE KUIPER BELT

The proposed field of view of the Kepler mission is at an ecliptic latitude of ~55°, where the surface density of scattered Kuiper Belt objects (KBOs) is a few percent that in the ecliptic plane. The rate of occultations of Kepler target stars by scattered KBOs with radii r 10 km is ~10-6 to 10-4 star-1 yr-1, where the uncertainty reflects the current ignorance of the thickness of the scattered KBO disk and the faint-end slope of their magnitude distribution. These occultation events will last only ~0.1% of the planned texp = 15 minute integration time and thus will appear as single data points that deviate by tiny amounts. However, given the target photometric accuracy of Kepler, these deviations will nevertheless be highly significant, with typical signal-to-noise ratios (S/Ns) of ~10. I estimate that ~1-20 of the 105 main-sequence stars in Kepler's field of view will exhibit detectable occultations during its 4 yr mission. For unresolved events, the S/N of individual occultations scales as t, and the minimum detectable radius could be decreased by an order of magnitude to ~1 km by searching the individual 3 s readouts for occultations. I propose a number of methods by which occultation events may be differentiated from systematic effects. Kepler should measure or significantly constrain the frequency of highly inclined, ~10 km-sized KBOs.
Picture-driven animation

"Animation is the graphic art which occurs in time. Whereas a static image (such as a Picasso or a complex graph) may convey complex information through a single picture, animation conveys equivalently complex information through a sequence of images seen in time. It is characteristic of this medium, as opposed to static imagery, that the actual graphical information at any given instant is relatively slight. The source of information for the viewer of animation is implicit in picture change: change in relative position, shape, and dynamics. Therefore, a computer is ideally suited to making animation "possible" through the fluid refinement of these changes."
Nonlinear design of active suspensions

This article develops a new nonlinear backstepping design for the control of active suspension systems, which improves the inherent tradeoff between ride quality and suspension travel. The novelty is in the use of a nonlinear filter whose effective bandwidth depends on the magnitude of the suspension travel. This intentional introduction of nonlinearity, which is readily accommodated by backstepping, results in a design that is fundamentally different from previous ones: as the suspension travel changes, the controller smoothly shifts its focus between the conflicting objectives of ride comfort and rattlespace utilization, softening the suspension when suspension travel is small and stiffening it as it approaches the travel limits. Thus, our nonlinear design allows the closed-loop system to behave differently in different operating regions, thereby eliminating the dilemma of whether to use a soft or stiff suspension setting. The improvement achieved with our design is illustrated through comparative simulations.
Evaluating depth perception of volumetric data in semi-immersive VR

Displays supporting stereopsis and head location based motion parallax can enhance human perception of complex three dimensional datasets. This has been demonstrated for datasets containing 3D surfaces and 3D networks. Yet many domains, such as medical imaging, weather and environment simulations and fluid flow, generate complex volumetric data. This poster present results of an initial formal experiment that examines the effectiveness of various display conditions on depth perception of volumetric data. There is an overall benefit for stereoscopy with head-tracking in enhancing depth perception. Further, familiarity with 3D games and VR-like hardware improves the users'ability to perceive such data.
Impact of Light Rail Implementation on Labor Market Accessibility: A Transportation Equity Perspective

This study seeks to examine transit's role in promoting social equity by assessing the before-after impacts of recent transit changes in the Twin Cities, including the opening of the Hiawatha light-rail line, on job accessibility among workers of different wage categories. Geospatial, descriptive, and regression analyses find that proximity to light-rail stations and bus stops offering direct rail connections are as- sociated with large, statistically significant gains in accessibility to low-wage jobs. These gains stand out from changes in accessibility for the transit system as a whole. Implications of the study results for informing more equitable transit polices are discussed.
Error-free multi-valued consensus with byzantine failures

In this paper, we present an efficient deterministic algorithm for consensus in presence of Byzantine failures. Our algorithm achieves consensus on an L-bit value with communication complexity O(nL + n4L0.5 + n6) bits, in a network consisting of n processors with up to t Byzantine failures, such that t
Crystal growth and structure determination of barium rhodates: stepping stones toward 2H-BaRhO3.

Single crystals of two new barium rhodates were grown from a molten potassium carbonate flux. The new rhodates, Ba11Rh10O30 and Ba32Rh29O87, are structurally related to the 2H-hexagonal perovskite structure and are characterized by pseudo one-dimensional chains of alternating face-sharing trigonal prisms and octahedra. The structures of Ba11Rh10O30 and Ba32Rh29O87 were solved using the 4D superspace group approach in Jana2000. Ba11Rh10O30, with a repeat of nine RhO6 octahedra followed by one RhO6 trigonal prism, contains the longest chain sequence of face-sharing octahedra known for this 2H-perovskite related family of oxides. A structural analysis of these two compounds revealed clear trends in metal−metal distances and octahedral heights not previously identified for this family of oxides. The application of these trends toward the structure of the all-octahedra-containing end member of the structural series, the hypothetical 2H−BaRhO3, enabled a prediction of its rhodium−rhodium distance, octahedral he...
RADIO POLARIMETRY SIGNATURES OF STRONG MAGNETIC TURBULENCE IN SUPERNOVA REMNANTS

We discuss the emission and transport of polarized radio-band synchrotron radiation near the forward shocks of young shell-type supernova remnants, for which X-ray data indicate a strong amplification of turbulent magnetic field. Modeling the magnetic turbulence through the superposition of waves, we calculate the degree of polarization and the magnetic polarization direction which is at 90° to the conventional electric polarization direction. We find that isotropic strong turbulence will produce weakly polarized radio emission even in the absence of internal Faraday rotation. If anisotropy is imposed on the magnetic-field structure, the degree of polarization can be significantly increased, provided internal Faraday rotation is inefficient. Both for shock compression and a mixture with a homogeneous field, the increase in polarization degree goes along with a fairly precise alignment of the magnetic-polarization angle with the direction of the dominant magnetic-field component, implying tangential magnetic polarization at the rims in the case of shock compression. We compare our model with high-resolution radio polarimetry data of Tycho's remnant. Using the absence of internal Faraday rotation we find a soft limit for the amplitude of magnetic turbulence, δB 200 μG. The data are compatible with a turbulent magnetic field superimposed on a radial large-scale field of similar amplitude, δB B 0. An alternative viable scenario involves anisotropic turbulence with stronger amplitudes in the radial direction, as was observed in recent Magnetohydrodynamics simulations of shocks propagating through a medium with significant density fluctuations.
Entropy from conformal field theory at Killing horizons

On a manifold with a boundary, the constraint algebra of general relativity may acquire a central extension, which can be computed using covariant phase space techniques. When the boundary is a (local) Killing horizon, a natural set of boundary conditions leads to a Virasoro subalgebra with a calculable central charge. Conformal field theory methods may then be used to determine the density of states at the boundary. I consider a number of cases - black holes, Rindler space, de Sitter space, Taub-NUT and Taub-bolt spaces and dilaton gravity - and show that the resulting density of states yields the expected Bekenstein-Hawking entropy. The statistical mechanics of black hole entropy may thus be fixed by symmetry arguments, independent of the details of quantum gravity.
Drive for Creativity

We advance a hypothesis that creativity has evolved with evolution of internal representations, possibly from amniotes to primates, and further in human cultural evolution. Representations separated sensing from acting and gave “internal room” for creativity. To see (or perform any sensing), creatures with internal representations had to modify these representations to fit sensor signals. Therefore the knowledge instinct, KI, the drive to fit representations to the world, had to evolve along with internal representations. Until primates, it remained simple, without language internal representations could not evolve from perceptions to abstract representations, and abstract thoughts were not possible. We consider creative vs. non-creative decision making, and compare KI with Kahneman-Tversky's heuristic thinking. We identify higher, conscious levels of KI with the drive for creativity (DC) and discuss the roles of language and music, brain mechanisms involved, and experimental directions for testing the advanced hypotheses.
Dynamic Energy Conversion: Vital Technology for Space Nuclear Power

AbstractThe National Aeronautics and Space Administration Glenn Research Center (GRC) has an extensive history in dynamic energy conversion dating back to the early 1960s. This legacy puts the GRC at the forefront of nuclear power systems using thermodynamic power cycles such as Stirling and Brayton. The advantages of dynamic energy conversion include high efficiency, long life, and scalability to high power. These attributes make Brayton and Stirling power cycles an ideal solution for nuclear energy conversion.
Total Synthesis of Vancomycin

The fine-tuning of the protecting groups and the glycosidation conditions were the key to the successful coupling of the carbohydrate units and vancomycin aglycon in the last steps of the total synthesis of vancomycin 1. The aglycon was converted into a suitably protected acceptor and the sugar donors were sequentially attached. Removal of all the protecting groups gave synthetic vancomycin that was indentical to the natural product (1H and 13C NMR, HPLC).
Rescue the Perishing: A New Approach to Supplemental Instruction

Providing supplemental instruction in the skills needed to survive in a course does not require extensive external intervention; it can probably best be done by the instructor.
LMI tools for eventually periodic systems

Focuses on the concept of an eventually periodic linear discrete-time system. We derive a necessary and sufficient analysis condition for checking open-loop stability and performance of such systems, and use this to derive exact controller synthesis conditions given eventually periodic plants. All the conditions derived are provided in terms of semi-definite programming problems. The motivation for this work is controlling nonlinear systems along prespecified trajectories, notably those which eventually settle down into periodic orbits and those with uncertain initial states.
Don't forget Langmuir–Blodgett films

Langmuir-Blodgett (LB) films have been investigated, extensively, over the past 70 years. Despite considerable efforts aimed at exploiting their nonlinear optical, piezoelectric, pyroelectric, semiconducting, sensing and barrier properties, problems associated with film quality and stability have hampered their practical development. This feature article highlights one recent advance in the LB area (i.e., the ionic cross-linking of LB films or "gluing"), which has resulted in single bilayer membranes possessing extraordinary quality and stability. The gluing of LB films provides new opportunities for an old technology that has been waning in recent years.
Editorial: Cosmetic Surgery in the Academic Review Process

Has the academic review process become excessive? In a setting where editors cannot distinguish significant flaws from mere blemishes, reviewers recommend the repair of blemishes in order to acquire reputations for high skill. In equilibrium, editors accede to reviewer insistence upon such cosmetic surgery. If blemishes are sometimes unremovable, demands for repair sometimes block good papers from publication. This implies a social value to active editing. Reviewer signal-jamming may especially suppress innovative research and research designed to verify others' findings. This perspective strongly suggests that the growth of the review process is harmful. I therefore offer tentative proposals for reform.