cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Evaluation of AMB Turbomachinery Auxiliary Bearings

The use of active magnetic bearings (AMB) for turbomachinery has experienced substantial growth during the past two decades. The advantages for many applications make AMB’s a very attractive solution for potentially low loss and efficient support for both radial and thrust loads. New machinery must be shop tested prior to shipment to the field for installation on-line. For AMB turbomachinery, one additional test is the operation of the auxiliary drop or overload bearings. A major concern is ability of the selected auxiliary bearing to withstand the contact forces following an at speed rotor drop. The proper design of AMB machinery requires the calculation of the anticipated loading for the auxiliary bearings. Analytical techniques to predict the rotor transient response are reviewed. Results of transient response evaluation of a full-size compressor rotor are presented to illustrate some of the important parameters in the design for rotor drop.
Bayesian Posterior Sampling via Stochastic Gradient Fisher Scoring

In this paper we address the following question: "Can we approximately sample from a Bayesian posterior distribution if we are only allowed to touch a small mini-batch of data-items for every sample we generate?". An algorithm based on the Langevin equation with stochastic gradients (SGLD) was previously proposed to solve this, but its mixing rate was slow. By leveraging the Bayesian Central Limit Theorem, we extend the SGLD algorithm so that at high mixing rates it will sample from a normal approximation of the posterior, while for slow mixing rates it will mimic the behavior of SGLD with a pre-conditioner matrix. As a bonus, the proposed algorithm is reminiscent of Fisher scoring (with stochastic gradients) and as such an efficient optimizer during burn-in.
Goal-Based Operations: An Overview

Operating robotic space missions via time-based command sequences has become a limiting factor in the exploration, defense, and commercial sectors. Command sequencing was originally designed for comparatively simple and predictable missions, with safe-mode responses for most faults. This approach has been increasingly strained to accommodate today’s more complex missions, which require advanced capabilities such as autonomous fault diagnosis and response, vehicle mobility with hazard avoidance, opportunistic science observations, etc. Goal-based operation changes the fundamental basis of operations from imperative command sequences to declarative specifications of operational intent and termed goals. Execution based on explicit intent simplifies operator workload by focusing on what to do rather than how to do it. The move toward goal-based operations, which has already begun in some space missions, involves changes and opportunities in several places: operational processes and tools, human interface design, planning and scheduling, control architecture, fault protection, and verification and validation. Further, the need for future interoperation among multiple goal-based systems suggests that attention be given to areas for standardization. This overview paper defines the concept of goal-based operations, reviews a history of steps in this direction, and discusses the areas of change and opportunity through comparison with the prevalent operational paradigm of command sequencing.
Walls, lines, and spectral dualities in 3d gauge theories

In this paper we analyze various half-BPS defects in a general three dimensional N = 2 supersymmetric gauge theory T. They correspond to closed paths in SUSY parameter space and their tension is computed by evaluating period integrals along these paths. In addition to such defects, we also study wall defects that interpolate between T and its SL(2,Z) transform by coupling the 3d theory to a 4d theory with S-duality wall. We propose a novel spectral duality between 3d gauge theories and integrable systems. This duality complements a similar duality discovered by Nekrasov and Shatashvili. As another application, for 3d N = 2 theories associated with knots and 3-manifolds we compute periods of (super)A-polynomial curves and relate the results with the spectrum of domain walls and line operators.
Message-Locked Encryption and Secure Deduplication

We formalize a new cryptographic primitive that we call Message-Locked Encryption (MLE), where the key under which encryption and decryption are performed is itself derived from the message. MLE provides a way to achieve secure deduplication (space-efficient secure outsourced storage), a goal currently targeted by numerous cloudstorage providers. We provide definitions both for privacy and for a form of integrity that we call tag consistency. Based on this foundation, we make both practical and theoretical contributions. On the practical side, we provide ROM security analyses of a natural family of MLE schemes that includes deployed schemes. On the theoretical side the challenge is standard model solutions, and we make connections with deterministic encryption, hash functions secure on correlated inputs and the sample-then-extract paradigm to deliver schemes under different assumptions and for different classes of message sources. Our work shows that MLE is a primitive of both practical and theoretical interest.
Junior is Rich: Bequests as Consumption

We explore the consequences for asset pricing of admitting a bequest motive into an otherwise standard overlapping generations economy where agents trade equity, a risk free asset and consol bonds. With low risk aversion, the calibrated model produces realistic values for the mean equity premium and the risk free rate, the variance of the equity premium, and the ratio of bequests to wealth. However, the variance of the risk free rate is unrealistically high. Security prices tend to be substantially higher in an economy with bequests as compared to an otherwise identical one where bequests are absent. We are able to keep the prices sufficiently low to generate reasonable returns and premia by stipulating that a portion of the bequests skips a generation and is received by the young. “You never actually own a Patek Philippe. You merely take care of it for the next generation.” Patek Philippe & Co.
3D endoscopic optical coherence tomography based on rapid-scanning MEMS mirrors

The paper reports 3D in vivo endoscopic imaging enabled by integrating rapid-scanning MEMS mirrors into an optical coherence tomography (OCT) imaging probe. OCT provides high-resolution cross-sectional information suitable for in vivo noninvasive early cancer diagnosis. However, conventional OCT systems are bulky and slow, and thus are difficult to apply to internal organs where most cancers are originated. Microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) technology offers the advantages of small size and fast speed and can be used to miniaturize optical imaging probes. The MEMS mirrors have large aperture size (1 mm × 1 mm), large scan range (≫ ±25°) and low drive voltage (≪ 10 V). A 5.8mm-diameter FEB-protected MEMS-OCT has been built and 3D OCT images of live mice have been successfully acquired with a resolution of ∼10µm and a frame rate of 2.5 frames per second.
How Related Are the Prices of Organic and Conventional Corn and Soybean

Cointegration was tested between organic and conventional corn and soybean markets in several locations throughout the U.S. using a unique dataset. Organic prices were found to behave like pure jump processes rather than diffusions. A simple specification for pure jump processes is introduced and used with Monte Carlo methods to compute appropriate critical values for unit-root and cointegration tests. The findings indicate that no long-run relationship exists between organic and conventional prices, implying that price determination for organic corn and soybean is independent from that of the conventional crops. This suggests that organic corn and soybean prices are driven by demand and supply forces idiosyncratic to the organic market. For each crop, cointegrating spatial relationships are found between prices at the main organic markets. However, such relationships are generally weaker than the ones for the corresponding conventional prices, implying that organic markets are more affected by idiosyncratic shocks than conventional markets. [JEL Classification: Q130 – Agricultural Markets and Marketing; Cooperatives; Agribusiness Q180 – Agricultural Policy; Food Policy].
Beyond drug wars: Transforming factional conflict in Mexico

Blurring the lines between criminal and civil war, factional conflict in Mexico has escalated since 2006 and claimed more than eleven thousand lives. This article assesses the viability of Mexico's military offensive against the nation's drug cartels by analyzing the effects of this strategy on destructive conflict escalation. It is argued that the enforcement strategy of arresting key druglords has become a proximate factor in escalating Mexico's violence by promoting intercartel competition and intensifying leadership struggles. A set of viable third-party alternatives to the “war on drugs” is explored.
Flat convergence for integral currents in metric spaces

In compact local Lipschitz neighborhood retracts in \(\mathbb{R}^n\) weak convergence for integral currents is equivalent to convergence with respect to the flat distance. This comes as a consequence of the deformation theorem for currents in Euclidean space. Working in the setting of metric integral currents (the theory of which was developed by Ambrosio and Kirchheim) we prove that the equivalence of weak and flat convergence remains true in the more general context of metric spaces admitting local cone type inequalities. These include in particular all Banach spaces and all CAT(κ)-spaces. As an application we obtain the existence of a minimal element in a fixed homology class and show that the weak limit of a sequence of minimizers is itself a minimizer.
Lithiation-electrophilic substitution of N-thiopivaloylazetidine.

The fourth protocol: the rarely studied N-thiopivaloyl group plays a crucial role in mediating efficient α lithiation and incorporation of diverse electrophiles onto an azetidine ring; in the presence of chiral ligands, this chemistry also provides the first example of an enantioselective electrophilic substitution on a four-membered ring.
Image compression with adaptive local cosines: a comparative study

The goal of this work is twofold. First, we demonstrate that an advantage can be gained by using local cosine bases over wavelets to encode images that contain periodic textures. We designed a coder that outperforms one of the best wavelet coders on a large number of images. The coder finds the optimal segmentation of the image in terms of local cosine bases. The coefficients are encoded using a scalar quantizer optimized for Laplacian distributions. This new coder constitutes the first concrete contribution of the paper. Second, we used our coder to perform an extensive comparison of several optimized bells in terms of rate-distortion and visual quality for a large collection of images. This study provides for the first time a rigorous evaluation in realistic conditions of these bells. Our experiments show that bells that are designed to reproduce exactly polynomials of degree 1 resulted in the worst performance in terms of the PSNR. However, a visual inspection of the compressed images indicates that these bells often provide reconstructed images with very few visual artifacts, even at low bit rates. The bell with the most narrow Fourier transform gave the best results in terms of the PSNR on most images. This bell tends however to create annoying visual artifacts in very smooth regions at low bit rate.
University startups as a commercialization alternative: lessons from three contrasting case studies

A recent National Research Council (NRC) report (2011) recommends that universities must craft policies and allocate resources to enable more university startups because some university technologies will never be commercialized unless licensed to a startup. However, the creation of university startups requires personnel skills and programs not typically associated with an university Office of Technology Transfer (OTT). Estimates show that 75 % of university inventions are not licensed at all. The conclusions of this study include university policies to turn some them to fuel university startups. Carefully selected case studies of three contrasting universities reveal patterns of successful startup policies and performance. MIT’s case is an example of long-term success, the University of Colorado’s case is an example of medium-term success, and Auburn University’s case is an example of a new-comer to the scene. Lessons from the case studies include: the need for very early evaluation of all inventions for their startup potential, the need for pre-license seed funds through proof-of-concept programs to advance early-stage inventions to the next stage, and the need for OTT personnel skilled in enabling startups. NSF’s recent I-Corps program invests heavily in the training of potential enablers and entrepreneurs for commercializing university inventions. Based on the findings of this study, I-Corps must also invest in pre-license proof-of-concept programs to advance early-stage university inventions closer to the market. Implementing the conclusions of this study would also accomplish the recommendations of the 2011 NRC report cited above.
Drugs of abuse can entrain circadian rhythms.

Circadian rhythms prepare organisms for predictable events during the Earth's 24-h day. These rhythms are entrained by a variety of stimuli. Light is the most ubiquitous and best known zeitgeber, but a number of others have been identified, including food, social cues, locomotor activity, and, most recently drugs of abuse. Given the diversity of zeitgebers, it is probably not surprising that genes capable of clock functions are located throughout almost all organs and tissues. Recent evidence suggests that drugs of abuse can directly entrain some circadian rhythms. We have report here that entrainment by drugs of abuse is independent of the suprachiasmatic nucleus and the light/dark cycle, is not dependent on direct locomotor stimulation, and is shared by a variety of classes of drugs of abuse. We suggest that drug-entrained rhythms reflect variations in underlying neurophysiological states. This could be the basis for known daily variations in drug metabolism, tolerance, and sensitivity to drug reward. These rhythms could also take the form of daily periods of increased motivation to seek and take drugs, and thus contribute to abuse, addiction and relapse.
Health Reform and De Facto Federalism in China

Understanding China as a de facto federalism can generate explanations and recommendations concerning the path of China's health reform. The first section reviews how de facto federalism drove the historical development of the problems plaguing China's health system. The next section shows how certain features of the current reform plan, namely, the plan's ambivalence between government and market approaches and its lack of strong centralisation, can be explained by de facto federalism. The third section uses the hypothesis of de facto federalism to generate two courses of action — one cautionary; the other, aspirational — that could be considered for the future. The consequences for the health sector of under-articulated federalism are clarified and point to the need for discursive reasoned elaboration, as opposed to political bargaining alone, in federalism.
An Electrical Mine Monitoring System Utilizing the IEC 61850 Standard

Motor control assets are foundational elements in many industrial operations. In the mining industry, these assets primarily consist of motor control centers and drives, which are available with a comprehensive assortment of control and monitoring devices. Various intelligent electronic devices (IEDs) are now used to prevent machine damage and downtime. As motor control devices have advanced in technology, so too have the IEDs that protect them. These advances have resulted in new standards, such as the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) 61850, that have embedded intelligence and a standard set of communication schemes by which IEDs can share information in a peer-to-peer or one-to-many fashion. This paper discusses the merits and steps involved with interfacing IEDs to a mining process control network via the use of the IEC 61850 standard.
Dynamic Workflow Composition: Using Markov Decision Processes

The advent of Web services has made automated workflow composition relevant to Web-based applications. One technique that has received some attention for automatically composing workflows is AI-based classical planning. However, workflows generated by classical planning algorithms suffer from the paradoxical assumption of deterministic behavior of Web services, then requiring the additional overhead of execution monitoring to recover from unexpected behavior of services due to service failures, and the dynamic nature of real-world environments. To address these concerns, we propose using Markov decision processes (MDPs) to model workflow composition. To account for the uncertainty over the true environmental model, and for dynamic environments, we interleave MDP-based workflow generation and Bayesian model learning. Consequently, our method models both the inherent stochastic nature of Web services and the dynamic nature of the environment. Our algorithm produces workflows that are robust to non-deterministic behaviors of Web services and that adapt to a changing environment. We use a supply chain scenario to demonstrate our method and provide empirical results.
Vibration control of a two-link flexible robot arm

Analysis and experimentation is described for a two-link apparatus in which both members are very flexible. Attention is focused on endpoint position control for point-to-point movements, assuming a fixed reference frame for the base, with two rotary joints. Each link is instrumented with acceleration sensing and is driven by a separate motor equipped with velocity and position sensing. The control perspective adopted is to implement a two-stage control strategy in which the vibration control problem for fine-motion endpoint positioning is considered separate from the gross-motion, large-angle slew problem. In the first stage the control law shapes the actuator inputsfor the large-angle movement in such a way that minimal energy is injected into the flexible modes, while in the second phase an endpoint acceleration feedback scheme is employed in independent joint controlfor vibration suppression at the link endpoints.
Barometric Pressure Variations Associated with Eastern Pacific Tropical Instability Waves

Abstract Barometric pressure, surface temperature, and wind time series in the eastern equatorial Pacific are analyzed to determine if oceanic tropical instability wave (TIW) sea surface temperature variations cause barometric pressure gradients large enough to influence the atmospheric boundary layer. During the study period from April 2001 to September 2002, 11 TIWs propagated westward past 110°W, causing a spectral peak at 20–30 days in the sea surface temperature (SST) meridional difference between 2°N, 110°W and 0°, 110°W. Likewise, the meridional pressure difference also had a spectral peak in the 20–30-day TIW band. Cross-spectral analysis shows that within the TIW band, SST-induced pressure variations were roughly −0.1 hPa °C−1 in magnitude. The resulting pressure gradient force is comparable in magnitude to other terms in the meridional momentum balance. Implications about the role of the boundary layer capping in the adjustment to SST forcing are discussed.
Highly efficient microwave-assisted fluorous Ugi and post-condensation reactions for benzimidazoles and quinoxalinones

Abstract The efficiency of an Ugi/de-Boc/cyclization strategy for construction of heterocyclic compounds has been improved through the incorporation of microwave and fluorous technologies. In the synthesis of substituted quinoxalinones and benzimidazoles, a fluorous-Boc protected diamine is employed for the Ugi reactions. Both the Ugi and the post-condensation reaction proceed rapidly under microwave irradiation and the reaction mixtures are purified by solid-phase extraction (SPE) over Fluoro Flash TM cartridges.
Early warning analysis for social diffusion events

There is considerable interest in developing predictive capabilities for social diffusion processes, for instance to permit early identification of emerging contentious situations, rapid detection of disease outbreaks, or accurate forecasting of the ultimate reach of potentially “viral” ideas or behaviors. This paper proposes a new approach to this predictive analytics problem, in which analysis of meso-scale network dynamics is leveraged to generate useful predictions for complex social phenomena. We begin by deriving a stochastic hybrid dynamical systems (S-HDS) model for diffusion processes taking place over social networks with realistic topologies; this modeling approach is inspired by recent work in biology demonstrating that S-HDS offer a useful mathematical formalism with which to represent complex, multi-scale biological network dynamics. We then perform formal stochastic reachability analysis with this S-HDS model and conclude that the outcomes of social diffusion processes may depend crucially upon the way the early dynamics of the process interacts with the underlying network’s community structure and core-periphery structure. This theoretical finding provides the foundations for developing a machine learning algorithm that enables accurate early warning analysis for social diffusion events. The utility of the warning algorithm, and the power of network-based predictive metrics, are demonstrated through an empirical investigation of the propagation of political “memes” over social media networks. Additionally, we illustrate the potential of the approach for security informatics applications through case studies involving early warning analysis of large-scale protests events and politically-motivated cyber attacks.
Regioselective copper-catalyzed amination of chlorobenzoic acids: synthesis and solid-state structures of N-aryl anthranilic acid derivatives.

A chemo- and regioselective copper-catalyzed cross-coupling reaction for effective amination of 2-chlorobenzoic acids with aniline derivatives has been developed. The method eliminates the need for acid protection and produces a wide range of N-aryl anthranilic acid derivatives in up to 99% yield. The amination was found to proceed with both electron-rich and electron-deficient aryl chlorides and anilines and also utilizes sterically hindered anilines such as 2,6-dimethylaniline and 2-tert-butylaniline. The conformational isomerism of appropriately substituted N-aryl anthranilic acids has been investigated in the solid state. Crystallographic analysis of seven anthranilic acid derivatives showed formation of two distinct supramolecular architectures exhibiting trans−anti and unprecedented trans−syn dimeric structures.
Chromosome Polysomy and Histological Characteristics in Oral Premalignant Lesions

Head and neck tumorigenesis has been postulated to represent a multistep process driven by the accumulation of carcinogen-induced genetic changes throughout the exposed tissue field. To better explore this genetic instability process at the tissue level, 59 regions within 26 biopsy tissue specimens from individuals with oral leukoplakia have been subjected to chromosome 9 in situ hybridization analysis, and the degree of chromosome instability was related to known clinical/pathological parameters associated with tumor risk. Whereas chromosome indices were similar between high-risk lesion sites and low-risk lesion sites, high-risk lesions showed higher levels of chromosome polysomy than did low-risk sites [median PIs (polysomy indices), 2.1 versus 1.4, respectively]. Similarly, dysplastic regions showed significantly higher chromosome polysomy levels than hyperplastic regions (median PIs, 2.4 versus 1.5, respectively). Interestingly, however, hyperplastic regions in the same biopsy as dysplastic regions showed two-times higher polysomy levels than those in biopsies without dysplasia (median PIs, 2.6 versus 1.3, respectively), suggesting that chromosome polysomy determinations provide a field measurement for the degree of ongoing genetic insult. Finally, chromosome polysomy tended to persist or increase in the superficial epithelial layers in regions showing koilocytosis, whereas their frequency decreased in nonkoilocytotic regions, suggesting that epigenetic factors may serve to perpetuate the levels of genetically unstable cells in the epithelium. These results provide direct support for the field cancerization process and suggest that measurements of genetic instability might provide additional biological information beyond histology and lesion site characteristics in the assessment of head and neck cancer risk.
New Classes of Quasi-Axisymmetric Stellarator Configurations

We have identified and developed new classes of quasi-axially symmetric configurations that have attractive properties from the standpoint of both near-term physics experiments and long-term power-producing reactors. These include configurations with very small aspect ratios (∼2.5) having superior quasi-symmetry and energetic particle confinement characteristics, and configurations with strongly negative global magnetic shear from the shaping fields so that the overall rotational transform, when combined with the transform from bootstrap currents at finite plasma pressures, will have a small but positive shear, making the avoidance of low-order rational surfaces at a given operating beta possible. Additionally, we have found configurations with National Compact Stellarator Experiment-like characteristics but with the biased components in the magnetic spectrum that allow us to improve the confinement of energetic particles. For each new class of configurations, we have also designed coils to ensure that the new configurations are realizable and engineering-wise feasible. The coil designs typically have the properties of R/Δ min (C-P) ≤ 6 and R/Δ min (C-C) ≤ 10, where R is the plasma major radius and Δ min (C-P) and Δ min (C-C) are the minimum coil-to-plasma and coil-to-coil separations, respectively. These coil properties allow power-producing reactors to be designed with R < 9 m for deuterium-tritium plasmas with a full breeding blanket. The good quasi-axisymmetry limits the energy loss of alpha particles to below 10%.
A Video Interview of Buz Brock

This article is a video presentation of an interview with Buz Brock at the 12th SNDE conference in Atlanta Georgia on March 12, 2004. The interview includes 15 questions on topics ranging from nonlinear dynamics, ecological modeling, and heterogenous agents.
MEANING. TRUTH, AND PHENOMENOLOGY

This essay approaches Derrida through a consideration of his writings on Saussure and Husserl. Derrida is right to insist, following Saussure, on a relational theory of meaning: words do not have a one to one correspondence with their referents. But he is wrong to insist on a purely differential theory of meaning: words can refer to reality within the context of a body of knowledge. Similarly, Derrida is right to reject Husserl's idea of presence: no truths are simply given to consciousness. But he is wrong to reject the very idea of objective knowledge: we can defend a notion of objective knowledge couched in terms of a comparison of rival bodies of theories. The essay concludes by considering the implications of the preceding arguments for the enterprise of phenomenology.
Social Consequences of Internet Use: Access, Involvement, and Interaction

From the Publisher: Drawing on nationally representative telephone surveys conducted from 1995 to 2000, James Katz and Ronald Rice offer a rich and nuanced picture of Internet use in America. Using quantitative data, as well as case studies of Web sites, they explore the impact of the Internet on society from three perspectives: access to Internet technology (the digital divide), involvement with groups and communities through the Internet (social capital), and use of the Internet for social interaction and expression (identity). To provide a more comprehensive account of Internet use, the authors draw comparisons across media and include Internet nonusers and former users in their research. The authors call their research the Syntopia Project to convey the Internet's role as one among a host of communication technologies as well as the synergy between people's online activities and their real-world lives. Their major finding is that Americans use the Internet as an extension and enhancement of their daily routines. Contrary to media sensationalism, the Internet is neither a utopia, liberating people to form a global egalitarian community, nor a dystopia-producing armies of disembodied, lonely individuals. Like any form of communication, it is as helpful or harmful as those who use it.
Rainfall Variations and Risk Analysis of Dryland and Irrigated Agriculture in the Texas High Plains

The primary goal of the study was to assess the effect of rainfall variability on yield and income from crops. Ten percent decline in CV for precipitation favored dryland sorghum yield increase by 514 lbs/ac. In Deaf Smith County, 570,813 ac-ft. of irrigation water will be needed for irrigated sorghum if there is a 25% decrease in the average precipitation received for the next 50 years. Hansford County seasonal precipitation by ±2.69 inches will change the optimal profit by ±$27.26/ac. More irrigation water will be needed in the future if any less amount of precipitation is received.
Stimulus Uncertainty and Speaker Normalization Processes in the Perception of Nasal Consonants

Previous research has noted a reduction in perceptual identification performance when the speaker varies from stimulus to stimulus and has interpreted this finding as an effect of a normalization process that compensates for variability in the physical content of the speech signal. The purpose of the present investigation was to examine whether the physical variability introduced by this experimental design can result in general stimulus uncertainty effects that extend beyond the realm of traditional delineations of normalization processes. The stimuli were short segments taken from nasal consonant + vowel syllables produced by 1 male adult, 1 female adult, and 2 children. Segments of 25 and 50 ms duration were edited from the nasal murmur and the onset of the vowel. The stimuli were ordered according to four variability conditions and presented to listeners for place of articulation identification. The results showed that identification was significantly reduced when variability affected either speaker identity or segment type. Further analyses revealed that segment variability impaired perception of all segment types approximately equally, but that the 50-ms vowel segments were selectively spared in the speaker variability condition. These findings indicate that general uncertainty effects should be considered in speech perception experiments, and that dynamic properties of speech are particularly important in the perceptual compensation for speaker variability.
The Biomass Crop Assistance Program: Critical, Notional, or Distortional Support for Cellulosic Biofuels?

This study intends to quantify the impacts of the Biomass Crop Assistance Program (BCAP) on biomass production and on land use. With a focus on corn, corn stover, soybeans, miscanthus, and switchgrass, we investigate farmers’ optimal land allocation among these five crops or biomass feedstock across 1,836 counties in the rain-fed area of the United States under various assumptions about farmers’ time and risk preferences as well as credit constraint status. The results show that under its current budget ($125 million within five years), BCAP only has a moderate effect on incentivizing biomass production (up to 4.8 million metric tons per year). BCAP’s impact on biomass production first increases then decreases in biomass price. The impact peaks when biomass price is $30 to $40 per metric ton. We also find that BCAP incentivizes biomass production on low quality land much more than production on high quality land. The geographical distribution of BCAP payments and of land use change caused by BCAP is studied as well.
Titanium-Catalyzed Multicomponent Couplings: Efficient One-Pot Syntheses of Nitrogen Heterocycles

ConspectusNitrogen-based heterocycles are important frameworks for pharmaceuticals, natural products, organic dyes for solar cells, and many other applications. Catalysis for the formation of heterocyclic scaffolds, like many C–C and C–N bond-forming reactions, has focused on the use of rare, late transition metals like palladium and gold. Our group is interested in the use of Earth-abundant catalysts based on titanium to generate heterocycles using multicomponent coupling strategies, often in one-pot reactions. To be of maximal utility, the catalysts need to be easily prepared from inexpensive reagents, and that has been one guiding principle in the research. For this purpose, a series of easily prepared pyrrole-based ligands has been developed.Titanium imido complexes are known to catalyze the hydroamination of alkynes, and this reaction has been used to advantage in the production of α,β-unsaturated imines from 1,3-enynes and pyrroles from 1,4-diynes. Likewise, catalyst design can be used to find compl...
The Use of Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicles For Peak Shaving

This thesis entitled The Use of Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicles For Peak Shaving by Benjamin Maples, submitted to the department of Mechanical Engineering in partial fulfillment of the degree of Master of Science, performed under the supervision of Professor Frank Kreith, is a feasibility analysis of the capabilities of PHEV‟s for peak shaving. The analysis focuses on energy availability of the PHEV fleet as well as the potential financial benefit to the vehicle owner by analyzing different charging scenarios and circuitry. The energy availability is heavily dependent on the location and availability of charging stations. The potential consumer profit is most dependent on the charging circuitry. The major findings of the study shows that under certain scenarios, such as the charge everywhere baseline case, using PHEV‟s for peak shaving is possible and could provide vehicle owners with significant compensation for the energy stored in their vehicles batteries.
Bells in Space: The Spatial Dynamics of US Interpersonal and Interregional Income Inequality

Social and interregional inequality patterns across US states from 1929–2012 are analyzed using exploratory space–time methods. The results suggest complex spatial dynamics for both inequality seri...
Our Fundamental Physical Space: An Essay on the Metaphysics of the Wave Function

The mathematical structure of realist quantum theories has given rise to an interesting ongoing debate about how our ordinary 3-dimensional space is related to the 3N-dimensional configuration space on which the wave function is defined. Which of the two spaces is our (more) fundamental physical space? In this essay, I review the debate between the 3N-Fundamentalists (wave function realists) and the 3D-Fundamentalists (primitive ontologists). Instead of framing the debate as putting different weights on different kinds of evidence, I shall evaluate them on how they are overall supported on the basis of: (1) the dynamical structure of the quantum theory, (2) our perceptual evidence of the 3D-space, and (3) mathematical symmetries in the wave function. I show that the common arguments based on (1) and (2) are either unsound or incomplete. Completing the arguments, it seems to me, render the overall considerations based on (1) and (2) roughly in favor of 3D-Fundamentalism. A more decisive argument, however, is found when we consider which view leads to a deeper understanding of the physical world. In fact, given the deeper topological explanation from the unordered configurations to the Symmetrization Postulate, we have strong reasons counting in favor of 3D-Fundamentalism. I therefore conclude that our current overall evidence strongly favors the view that our fundamental physical space in a quantum world is 3-dimensional rather than 3N-dimensional. I also outline future lines of research where the evidential balance can be restored or reversed. To push the analysis further, I draw some lessons from this case study to the debate on theoretical equivalence.
Pseudoelastic Shape Memory Alloy Cables

Conventional structural cables (wire ropes) are composed of steel wires helically wound into strands that are then wound around a core. Cables made from shape memory alloy (SMA) wires are a new structural element with promising properties for a broad range of applications. Among the many potential advantages of this form are increased bending flexibility for spooling/packaging, better fatigue performance, energy absorption and damping, reduced thermal lag, redundancy, and significant design flexibility. Currently there are few studies of SMA cables in the literature. This paper describes exploratory thermomechanical experiments that were performed on two commercially available cable designs.
Efficient reassembling of graphs, part 1: the linear case

The reassembling of a simple connected graph$$G = (V,E)$$G=(V,E) is an abstraction of a problem arising in earlier studies of network analysis. Its simplest formulation is in two steps:(1)We cut every edge of G into two halves, thus obtaining a collection of $$n = |\,V\,|$$n=|V| one-vertex components, such that for every $$v\in V$$vźV the one-vertex component $$\{ v \}$${v} has $${{degree}}_{}(v)$$degree(v) half edges attached to it.(2)We splice the two halves of every edge together, not of all the edges at once, but in some ordering $$\Theta $$ź of the edges that minimizes two measures that depend on the edge-boundary degrees of assembled components. A component A is a subset of V and its edge-boundary degree is the number of edges in G with one endpoint in A and one endpoint in $$V-A$$V-A (which is the same as the number of half edges attached to A after all edges with both endpoints in A have been spliced together). The maximum edge-boundary degree encountered during the reassembling process is what we call the $$\varvec{\alpha }$$ź-measure of the reassembling, and the sum of all edge-boundary degrees is its $$\varvec{\beta }$$β-measure. The $$\alpha $$ź-optimization (resp. $$\beta $$β-optimization) of the reassembling of G is to determine an order $$\Theta $$ź for splicing the edges that minimizes its $$\alpha $$ź-measure (resp. $$\beta $$β-measure). There are different forms of reassembling, depending on restrictions and variations on the ordering $$\Theta $$ź of the edges. We consider only cases satisfying the condition that if an edge between disjoint components A and B is spliced, then all the edges between A and B are spliced at the same time. In this report, we examine the particular case of linear reassembling, which requires that the next edge to be spliced must be adjacent to an already spliced edge. We delay other forms of reassembling to follow-up reports. We prove that $$\alpha $$ź-optimization of linear reassembling and minimum-cutwidth linear arrangment ($$\mathrm{CutWidth}$$CutWidth) are polynomially reducible to each other, and that $$\beta $$β-optimization of linear reassembling and minimum-cost linear arrangement ($$\mathrm{MinArr}$$MinArr) are polynomially reducible to each other. The known NP-hardness of $$\mathrm{CutWidth}$$CutWidth and $$\mathrm{MinArr}$$MinArr imply the NP-hardness of $$\alpha $$ź-optimization and $$\beta $$β-optimization.
The Design of Trade Agreements

Abstract What does economics have to say about the design of international trade agreements? We review a literature on this question, providing detailed coverage on three key design features of the GATT/WTO: reciprocity, nondiscrimination as embodied in the MFN principle, and tariff bindings and binding “overhang.” Each of these features is central to the design of the GATT/WTO and we argue that an economic perspective can go a long way toward revealing a consistent logic to the inclusion of these design features in trade agreements.
Are institutions in developing countries malleable

Economists have recently emphasized Solow growth factors, physical capital, labor, and technology (“proximate” causes) depend on fundamentals like geography, culture, and institutions. I consider one of these fundamentals, institutions, and analyze whether they are malleable by a contemporary economic variable, globalization. The globalization I consider is of production through multinational corporations. Using the recently available data on institutional quality for almost all countries, I show institutional quality is higher with a greater FDI presence in developing countries. Nevertheless, there is no statistically significant effect on the same institutional variables in developed countries. By some measures, the income-gap between the rich and poor countries has worsened in the post-1950 period, and a consensus has emerged that poor institutions are to be blamed. A policy of encouraging FDI is likely to have the additional effect of improving institutions in developing countries and may have a greater potential to reduce income gaps than has been realized.
Sinter-Forging of Nanocrystalline TiO2

Sinter-forging experiments were performed on cylindrical samples of n-TiO 2 at various stresses and temperatures and with varying initial densities. The results are described on the basis of a constitutive law similar to creep deformation of dense bodies. The activation enthalpy measured is consisted with a grain boundary diffusion limited process, whereas the stress exponent found excludes simple diffusional creep. Furthermore, a threshold stress was found to exist. The results are discussed in terms of existing models and it is shown that the threshold stress can be explained in terms of the creation of additional surface area due to grain boundary sliding.
Rheology of Adhesion

Abstract Adhesion is a physical-chemical phenomenon which still defies rigorous theoretical definition. At the molecular level we have the following definitions for adhesion and cohesion.
The Curing of Silicone Rubber with Benzoyl Peroxide

Abstract Little has been reported about the action of benzoyl peroxide as a vulcanizing agent for silicone rubber. Knowledge of this action seems to be of consider- able importance, since benzoyl peroxide is the most widely used vulcanizing agent at the present time. Apparently no studies of the kinetics of peroxide decomposition in silicones have been undertaken. It is not known quantitatively whether or not the silicones influence the decomposition rate in the way some of the solvents studied by Cass and by Nozaki and Bartlett do. In this paper we report the results of work undertaken to determine the number of cross-links introduced into polydimethylsiloxane by benzoyl peroxide during the normal vulcanizing process. The apparent efficiency of cross-link production has been determined as a function of the concentration of peroxide, the method of vulcanization, and of the filler content of the sample.
Exploring student learning profiles in algebra-based studio physics: A person-centered approach

As part of a project to explore successful strategies for using studio methods, such as SCALE-UP, we explore strategic self-regulatory and motivational characteristics of students in said courses at three universities with varying student populations and differing success in studio-mode courses. We survey students using compiled questions from several existing questionnaires designed to measure student characteristics such as attitudes toward and motivations for learning physics, organization of scientific knowledge, experiences outside the classroom, and demographics. Other studies have identified five distinct learning profiles across varying student populations. Using a person-centered approach, we utilize cluster analysis methods to group students into learning profiles to better understand the study strategies and motives of algebra-based studio physics students. We present results from first- semester and second-semester studio-mode introductory physics courses across three universities. We identify these five distinct learning profiles, found in previous studies, to be present within our student population.
Therapeutic hypothermia for neonatal encephalopathy.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW Hypothermia for neonatal encephalopathy is now the standard of care. The purpose of this review is to evaluate recent publications (during the past 18 months) that impact the practice of hypothermia as neuroprotection for neonatal hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy. RECENT FINDINGS The review will examine recent publications that influence clinical care, including committee opinion, meta-analysis, and reports of how this practice has evolved in the clinical arena. Biomarkers of acute injury and outcome will be examined. Research involving the future of hypothermia will be noted. SUMMARY The rate of death or disability following hypothermia therapy has been reduced substantially; the challenge is to evaluate whether mortality or disability can be reduced further following combination therapy.
Sex or power? The function of male displays in rhesus macaques

Male behavioral displays (e.g., branch-shaking) are common across Anthropoidea, but their function remains unclear. We examined free-ranging rhesus macaques on Cayo Santiago, Puerto Rico, to test three major hypotheses for the function of male displays: (1) mate attraction, (2) mate guarding and (3) male–male dominance competition. Focal and ad libitum behavioural data were recorded for 21 adult males across 9 groups during the mating season. Display rates were calculated for each male in each context (i.e., agonistic, mating). In stable groups, males with high mating success displayed more during consortships than in other contexts and displays were more likely to follow than to precede copulation, whereas males in unstable groups were more likely to displays in agonistic contexts. These results suggest that mate guarding and male–male dominance competition are the primary functions of male display behaviours in rhesus macaques.
Impact of Advisory Signs on Vehicle Speeds in Highway Nighttime Paving Project Work Zones

Pavement preservation projects typically require construction workers to conduct their work in close proximity to ongoing traffic. During paving operations, workers are located within a protected work zone. Some are situated nearby or engaged with the equipment, while others may be a long distance from the equipment and on foot. The study reported here was conducted to investigate how temporary advisory speed signs located periodically in a work zone affected vehicle speeds within highway paving project work zones. The study used an experimental approach that involved a multilane paving project on a high-speed roadway in Oregon. The posted regulatory speed on the roadway was 65 mph, which was reduced temporarily to 50 mph in the work zone. During construction, 35 mph advisory signs were posted along with other traffic control devices (e.g., “Speed 50” signs with radar speed display and portable changeable message signs on rollers), and the impact they had on vehicle speed and speed variability was evaluat...