cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
SUPPORTING ASSET MANAGEMENT FOR INCIDENT MANAGEMENT USING GIS

Currently, most of the incident management (IM) teams depend on paper maps and information sheets when traffic diversion is warranted in the presence of a major accident. These paper maps are not only difficult to use in the presence of an emergency situation, they are also difficult to maintain to ensure up-to-date information. A customized computer based system that takes advantage of Geographical Information Systems (GIS) is the best solution for accessing and maintaining these diversion maps and related other information. This paper describes a general framework and basic functions based on GIS for traffic incident management operations and long-term asset management of the equipment used for IM. The proposed tool Traffic Incident Management System (TIMS) is developed using Visual Basic (VB) programming language and GeoMedia Pro1, GIS software package. A major innovation of this application is the development of a VB based computer program that automates the efficient merging operations of multiple incident management plans for any complex transportation network. Response strategies implemented using this application include GIS based traffic diversion plans, assignment of static and dynamic variable message signs to diversion points, and database of capabilities of responding agencies. The application offers “intelligent electronic maps” that can present the user the related diversion route and variable message sign locations along with the list of messages and agencies to be contacted, when the accident link of interest is identified on the GIS map. Diversion routes and other information can also be easily updated through the same Graphical User Interface (GUI), which has user-friendly data editing properties. Message signs are efficiently attached to electronic information data sheets that can be accessed and updated by the user through the same interface. Therefore, the application not only provides real time traffic incident management information to the traffic operators through a GIS based GUI but allows him to maintain an accurate database. The paper aims to demonstrate the utility of dynamic diversion maps and visual elements to ensure incident preparedness, and assist transportation agencies and also public safety agencies with an innovative asset and information management tool that facilitates the deployment of effective traffic incident management strategies. This tool is hoped to obviate the need for paper maps and manuals that can contain obsolete information that is difficult to update in a timely manner.
Analogous Convergence of Sustained and Transient Inputs in Parallel On and Off Pathways for Retinal Motion Computation

Visual motion information is computed by parallel On and Off pathways in the retina, which lead to On and Off types of starburst amacrine cells (SACs). The approximate mirror symmetry between this pair of cell types suggests that On and Off pathways might compute motion using analogous mechanisms. To test this idea, we reconstructed On SACs and On bipolar cells (BCs) from serial electron microscopic images of a mouse retina. We defined a new On BC type in the course of classifying On BCs. Through quantitative contact analysis, we found evidence that sustained and transient On BC types are wired to On SAC dendrites at different distances from the SAC soma, mirroring our previous wiring diagram for the Off BC-SAC circuit. Our finding is consistent with the hypothesis that On and Off pathways contain parallel correlation-type motion detectors.
DOES FINANCIAL LITERACY CONTRIBUTE TO FOOD SECURITY

Food insecurity, not having consistent access to adequate food for active, healthy lives for all household members, is most common among low income households. However, income alone is not sufficient to explain who experiences food insecurity. This study investigates the relationship between financial literacy and food security. We find that low income households who exhibit financial literacy are less likely to experience food insecurity.
Brand Choice Models

The following sections are included:IntroductionTheoretical foundationsSingle choiceConsumer heterogeneityMultiple decisionsEconomic theoryChoice dependenceConclusionsReferences
Molecular aggregation equilibria. Comparison of finite lattice and weighted random mixing predictions.

Molecular aggregation equilibria are described using finite lattice and mean field theoretical modeling strategies, both built upon a random mixture reference system. The resulting predictions are compared with each other for systems in which each aggregate consists of a central solute molecule whose first coordination shell can accommodate multiple bound ligands. Solute–ligand (direct) and ligand–ligand (cooperative) interactions are found to influence aggregate size distributions in qualitatively different ways, as direct interactions produce a shape-invariant transformation of the aggregate size distribution, whereas cooperative interactions can lead to a vapor–liquid-like transformation. When half the ligand binding sites are filled, the corresponding aggregate size distributions are invariably unimodal in the absence of cooperative interactions, but when the latter interactions are attractive, the distributions are predicted to be bimodal below and unimodal above a critical temperature. Mean field an...
Diffusion NMR Study of Generation-Five PAMAM Dendrimer Materials

Commercial generation-five poly(amidoamine) dendrimer material (G5c) was fractionated into its major structural components. Monomeric G5 (G5m; 21–30 kDa) was isolated to compare its functional properties to the G5c material. Diffusion-ordered nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy was employed to measure the self-diffusion coefficients and corresponding hydrodynamic radii of G5m and other G5c components as a function of dendrimer size (i.e., molecular weight) and tertiary structure (i.e., generational or oligomeric nature). It was found that the hydrodynamic radius (RH) scales with approximate numbers of atoms in the trailing generations, G5m, and oligomeric material at a rate of RH ∝ N0.35, in good agreement with previous reports of RH scaling for PAMAM dendrimer with generation. G5c materials can be thought of as a heterogeneous mixture of dendrimers ranging in size from trailing generation two to tetramers of G5, approximately the same in size as a G7 dendrimer, with G5m comprising ∼65% of the materia...
Modeling of CO2 homogeneous and heterogeneous condensation plumes

A pure CO2 homogeneous condensation flow is simulated with a new direct simulation Monte Carlo (DSMC)-based condensation model, and comparisons of the measured [Ramos, A.; Fernandez, J. M.; Tejeda,...
Chemoselective Reductions of Nitroaromatics in Water at Room Temperature

A robust and green protocol for the reduction of functionalized nitroarenes to the corresponding primary amines has been developed. It relies on inexpensive zinc dust in water containing nanomicelles derived from the commercially available designer surfactant TPGS-750-M. This mild process takes place at room temperature and tolerates a wide range of functionalities. Highly selective reductions can also be achieved in the presence of common protecting groups.
Synchrotron Techniques for In Situ Catalytic Studies: Capabilities, Challenges, and Opportunities

Most industrial catalysts are complex materials that usually operate at elevated pressures and temperatures. Pressure, materials, instrument, and complexity gaps are obstacles toward understanding how catalysts work and how to rationally design new catalysts. In this article, we examine existing and emerging approaches to bridge some of these gaps and gain new insights into the catalyst active phase and catalytic mechanism using synchrotron-based spectroscopy, scattering, and imaging methods. The utilization of in situ, time-resolved synchrotron techniques offers unique opportunities to study working (operando) catalysts. Using several representative examples from recent literature we illustrate the synergy from using combinations of techniques to identify new details about catalytic properties that are unavailable when these methods are used separately. Following this approach it is possible to identify new catalyst phases and reaction intermediates.
Spatial Distribution of Death Losses in Broiler Flocks

Abstract Mortality in poultry flocks continues to be a major economic loss to broiler growers and integrators. Also, disposal of dead chickens in an environmentally safe manner is becoming increasingly demanding. Accurate descriptions of mortality patterns within broiler houses may prove beneficial with respect to an overall management strategy to minimize death losses during flock growouts. To characterize mortality patterns, locations of dead chickens in four productionscale broiler houses with an east-west orientation were monitored during a 6-mo period in 1992 covering three consecutive flocks in northwest Arkansas. Overall mortality was not affected by the two different ventilation systems used (i.e., conventional cross ventilation with mist cooling in summer vs. tunnel ventilation with pad cooling in summer). Higher mortalities were observed along the north and south sidewalls and centerlines of the houses (e.g., under measurement instruments) and in areas where natural lighting was obstructed (e.g., behind ventilation fans and cooling pads).
Paving the Way to Development: Costly Migration and Labor Market Integration

How integrated are labor markets within a country? Labor mobility is key to the integration of local labor markets and therefore to understanding the efficacy of policies to reduce regional inequality. We present a comprehensive framework for understanding migration decisions, focusing on the costs of migrating. We construct and then estimate a spatial equilibrium model where mobility is determined not only by idiosyncratic tastes, but also by moving costs that are origin-destination dependent. We use rich data on the inter-municipality moves of 18 million people together with exogenous variation in the road network caused by the construction of a capital city to identify the bilateral costs of moving between two regions. The mean observed migration cost is between 0.8-1.2 times the mean wage. 84% of the migration cost is a fixed cost, 3.5% depends on the distance between locations, and 9.6% is dependent on the travel time on the road. This imperfect integration of labor markets has two key implications. First, costly migration generates heterogeneity in regional responses to economic shocks. A region 10% more connected will have a 5.6 percentage point higher population elasticity to wage shocks. Second, costly migration changes the incidence of regional shocks. We estimate that 37% of the total incidence of a shock falls on residents, compared to 1% in a model where migration is costless. Our results have important implications for understanding the impact of economic development as well as the impact of place-based development policies.
AVOIDING PATELLA CLUNK AND CREPITUS: RUNNING SILENT

Patellofemoral complaints are the common and nagging problem after Total Knee Arthroplasty. Crepitus occurs in 5% to over 20% of knee arthroplasty procedure depending on the type of implant chosen. It is caused by periarticular scar formation with microscopic and gross findings indicating inflammatory fibrous hyperplasia. Crepitus if often asymptomatic and not painful, but in some cases can cause pain. Patella “Clunk Syndrome” is less common and represents a when the peripatella scarring is abundant and forms a nodule which impinges and “catches” on the implants intercondylar notch. Patella Clunk was more common with early PS designs due to short trochlear grooves with sharp transition into the intercondylar notch. Clunks are very infrequent with modern PS implants. This Syndrome has been reported in CR implants as well. Thorough debridement of the synovium and scarring at the time of Arthroplasty is thought to reduce the occurrence of crepitus and clunks. Larger patella with better coverage of the cut bone may also be helpful. The diagnosis can be made on history and physical exam. X-rays are also helpful to assess patella tracking. MRI or ultrasound can be used to identify and confirm the diagnosis but this is not mandatory. Painful crepitus and clunk syndrome that fail conservative management of NSAIDS and physical therapy may require surgery. Both crepitus and clunk can be treated with arthroscopic removal of the peripatella scar. Patella maltracking should also be assessed and treated. While recurrence may occur it is uncommon.
BCCC: An Expandable Network for Data Centers

Designing a cost-effective network topology for data centers that can deliver sufficient bandwidth and consistent latency performance to a large number of servers has been an important and challenging problem. Many server-centric data center network topologies have been proposed recently due to their significant advantage in cost efficiency and data center agility, such as BCube, FiConn, and Bidimensional Compound Network (BCN). However, existing server-centric topologies are either not expandable or demanding prohibitive expansion cost. As the scale of data centers increases rapidly, the lack of expandability in existing server-centric data center networks imposes a severe obstacle for data center upgrade. In this paper, we present a novel server-centric data center network topology called BCube connected crossbars (BCCCs), which can provide good network performance using inexpensive commodity off-the-shelf switches and commodity servers with only two network interface card (NIC) ports. A significant advantage of BCCC is its good expandability. When there is a need for expansion, we can easily add new servers and switches into the existing BCCC with little alteration of the existing structure. Meanwhile, BCCC can accommodate a large number of servers while keeping a very small network diameter. A desirable property of BCCC is that its diameter increases only linearly to the network order (i.e., the number of dimensions), which is superior to most of the existing server-centric networks, such as FiConn and BCN, whose diameters increase exponentially with network order. In addition, there are a rich set of parallel paths with similar length between any pair of servers in BCCC, which enables BCCC to not only deliver sufficient bandwidth capacity and predictable latency to end hosts, but also provide graceful performance degradation in case of component failure. We conduct comprehensive comparisons between BCCC with other popular server-centric network topologies, such as FiConn and BCN. We also propose an effective addressing scheme and routing algorithms for BCCC. We show that BCCC has significant advantages over the existing server-centric topologies in many important metrics, such as expandability, server port utilization, and network diameter.
Data sources for the credit-card augmented Divisia monetary aggregates

Abstract In 2013, the Center for Financial Stability (CFS) initiated its Divisia monetary aggregates database, maintained within the CFS program called Advances in Monetary and Financial Measurement (AMFM), based on Barnett (1980 , 2012 ). The CFS will soon be making available Divisia monetary aggregates extended to include the transactions services of credit cards. The extended aggregates will be called the augmented Divisia monetary aggregates and will be available to the public in monthly releases. The new aggregates will also be available to Bloomberg terminal users. The theory on which the new aggregates are based is provided in Barnett and Su (2014). 1 In this paper, we provide detailed information on the data sources used in producing the new augmented Divisia monetary aggregates.
The solubilities of two representative potassium carboxylate salts at 25 °C in the aqueous cyclic ethers, 1,4-dioxane and tetrahydrofuran, and their relationship to mean solvent polarity

New measurements upon the respective solubilities of potassium acetate and benzoate at 25 °C in aqueous 1,4-dioxane and in aqueous tetrahydrofuran are reported, together with a quasi-thermodynamic development, from the union of chemical thermodynamics with the unrestricted result of theDebye-Huckel theory of electrolytes in solution, of a general theoretical function which in principle provides a summary descriptive expression of the relationship between the solibilities of any salt at any natural limiting concentrations and the polarities of its solvents.
Effect of Corncob bedding on feed conversion efficiency in a high-fat diet-induced prediabetic model in C57Bl/6J mice.

Laboratory facilities use many varieties of contact bedding, including wood chips, paper products, and corncob, each with its own advantages and disadvantages. Corncob bedding, for example, is often used because of its high absorbency, ability to minimize detectable ammonia, and low cost. However, observations that mice eat the corncob lead to concerns that its use can interfere with dietary studies. We evaluated the effect of corncob bedding on feed conversion (change in body weight relative to the apparent number of kcal consumed over 7 d) in mice. Four groups of mice (6 to 12 per group) were housed in an individually ventilated caging system: (1) low-fat diet housed on recycled paper bedding, (2) low-fat diet housed on corncob bedding, (3) high-fat diet housed on recycled paper bedding, and (4) high-fat diet housed on corncob bedding. After 4 wk of the high-fat diet, feed conversion and percentage body weight change both were lower in corncob-bedded mice compared with paper-bedded mice. Low-fat–fed mice on corncob bedding versus paper bedding did not show statistically significant differences in feed conversion or change in percentage body weight. Average apparent daily feed consumption did not differ among the 4 groups. In conclusion, these data suggest that corncob bedding reduces the efficiency of feed conversion in mice fed a high-fat diet and that other bedding choices should be favored in these models.
Use of intranasal oxytocin in obstetrics. II. A clinical appraisal.

Abstract 1. 1. This is a study in pregnant patients of the clinical applicability of momentary intranasal exposures to oxytocin solutions administered in the form of spray or drops. 2. 2. The patients were studied in the following categories: (a) induction of labor (52 cases), (b) enhancement of labor (98 cases), (c) oxytocin-sensitivity testing (23 cases), and (d) enhancement of prelabor (11 cases). 3. 3. As used in this study, intranasal oxytocin has a high degree of safety from excessive uterine activity or excessive tonus. 4. 4. The method may have great usefulness in selected cases where a small stimulus to uterine activity is indicated.
Implementation considerations for network coding in sensor networks

The implementation of network coding in energy-challenged sensor networks, such body area networks, requires consideration of the energy cost of coding and the benefits that coding can provide in reducing the number of transmissions for successful reception. In this talk, we consider three different aspects of implementing network coding in body area networks, from low-level construction of modules in chips, to full circuit integration, to protocol design. The first concerns the choices of implementation of finite field arithmetic for network coding, trading off computational complexity for retransmission. The second issue considers the overall use of energy, when network coding and physical-layer error correction can be used in a complementary fashion. Finally, we consider energy use when coding is incorporated in the transmission protocol. Coding changes the way in which acknowledgements are managed, as well as forwarding in the types of simple relay scenarios that arise in body area networks.
Late Toxicities of Intensity-Modulated Radiation Therapy for Head and Neck Rhabdomyosarcoma.

Purpose/objectives To examine the late effects of intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) in pediatric patients with rhabdomyosarcoma of the head and neck. Materials/methods All 1-year survivors of pediatric head and neck rhabdomyosarcoma treated with IMRT at a single institution from 1999 to 2014 were assessed for long-term complications. Late toxicities were graded according to CTCAE version 4.03. Results Among 30 patients, median age at IMRT was 7.4 (1.5–20.8) years, median follow-up was 7.7 (1.2–14.4) years, and median IMRT dose was 50.4 (36–50.4) Gy. Tumor subsites included parameningeal (80%), orbit (13%), and other (7%). Common late toxicities were facial disfigurement (n = 23, 77%), growth hormone deficiency (n = 11, 37%), cataract (n = 10, 34%), and dental problems (n = 10, 33%). Twenty-two patients (73%) had ≥2 late toxicities and 14 patients (47%) had ≥3 late toxicities. Seventeen patients (57%) experienced grade 2 toxicity and 10 patients (33%) had grade 3 toxicity. Grade 3 toxicities included visual disturbance, cataract, facial disfigurement, chronic sinusitis/otitis, and hearing loss. Severe facial deformity was noted in nine patients (30%), and three patients underwent cosmetic surgery. Patients with severe facial deformity were treated at younger ages (median 6.0 years vs. 8.1 years for patients with no/nonsevere facial deformity) and more likely to have infratemporal fossa tumors. There were no secondary solid malignancies. Conclusions Late radiation toxicities are common in survivors of pediatric head and neck rhabdomyosarcoma treated with IMRT. While the majority of late effects are mild–moderate, they can significantly impact quality of life, particularly facial disfigurement.
Simultaneous configuration formation and information collection by modular robotic systems

We consider the configuration formation problem in modular robotic systems where a set of singleton modules that are spatially distributed in an environment are required to assume appropriate positions so that they can configure into a new, user-specified target configuration, while simultaneously maximizing the amount of information collected while navigating from their initial to final positions. Each module has a limited energy budget to expend while moving from its initial to goal location. To solve this problem, we propose a budget-limited, heuristic search-based algorithm that finds a path that maximizes the entropy of the expected information along the path. We have analytically proved that our proposed approach converges within finite time. Experimental results show that our planning approach has lower run-time than an auction-based allocation algorithm for selecting modules' spots.
Real-time RGBD odometry for fused-state navigation systems

This article describes an algorithm that provides visual odometry estimates from sequential pairs of RGBD images. The key contribution of this article on RGBD odometry is that it provides both an odometry estimate and a covariance for the odometry parameters in real-time via a representative covariance matrix. Accurate, real-time parameter covariance is essential to effectively fuse odometry measurements into most navigation systems. To date, this topic has seen little treatment in research which limits the impact existing RGBD odometry approaches have for localization in these systems. Covariance estimates are obtained via a statistical perturbation approach motivated by real-world models of RGBD sensor measurement noise. Results discuss the accuracy of our RGBD odometry approach with respect to ground truth obtained from a motion capture system and characterizes the suitability of this approach for estimating the true RGBD odometry parameter uncertainty.
Laparoscopic treatment of Barrett's esophagus.

arrett’s esophagus is an acquired abnormality that is characterized rossly by an upward displacement of the squamo-columnar junction, ith replacement of the typical whitish smooth esophageal mucosa by a elvety reddish mucosa. Microscopically, Barrett’s esophagus is characerized by the presence of specialized intestinal metaplasia. It is associted with gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), and it is found in 15% o 20% of patients with GERD. The incidence of Barrett’s appears to ave increased dramatically in the last 20 years, a fact that has been inked to the 10-fold increase in the incidence of adenocarcinoma of the sophagus observed during the last decade. The goals of surgical therapy, or of any therapy, for patients with arrett’s esophagus are to provide long-term control of reflux sympoms; provide a durable gastroesophageal barrier to acid and bile; and ffect the elimination of Barrett’s, or at least decrease the risk of eveloping adenocarcinoma. Currently, there is considerable controversy s to whether an operation can achieve these goals. First, these patients ave a much more defective LES and a more virulent form of GERD that eads to greater esophageal damage than is seen in patients with GERD ut no Barrett’s. The operation is therefore more complex, the number f complications greater, and the chances of a successful long-term utcome in terms of competency of the cardia decreased. Second, here is a generalized belief that once Barrett’s develops, correction of eflux does not alter its natural history, although this concept has been ecently challenged. We review the evidence that laparoscopic surgery an achieve each of these goals.
Relations between Attorney Temporal Structure and Children's Response Productivity in Cases of Alleged Child Sexual Abuse.

PURPOSE:Previous research has demonstrated that attorney question format relates to child witness' response productivity. However, little work has examined the relations between the extent to which attorneys provide temporal structure in their questions, and the effects of this structure on children's responding. The purpose of the present study was to address this gap in the literature in order to identify methods by which attorneys increase children's response productivity on the stand without risking objections from opposing counsel for "calling for narrative answers". METHODS:In the present study we coded criminal court transcripts involving child witnesses (5-18 years) for narrative structure in attorney questions and productivity in children's responses. Half of the transcripts resulted in convictions, half in acquittals, balanced across key variables: child age, allegation severity, the child's relationship to the perpetrator, and the number of allegations. RESULTS:Prosecutors and defense attorneys varied substantially in their questioning tactics. Prosecutors used more temporal structure in their questions and varied their questioning by the age of the child. These variations had implications for children's response productivity. CONCLUSIONS:Results indicate that temporal structure is a novel and viable method for enhancing children's production of case-relevant details on the witness stand.
Expediting trade : impact evaluation of an in-house clearance program

Despite the importance of trade facilitation as an area of trade and development policy, there have been very few impact evaluations of specific trade facilitation reforms. This paper offers an evaluation of in-house clearance, a reform that allows qualified firms in Serbia to clear customs from within their own warehouse rather than at the customs office. The pooled synthetic control method applied here offers a novel solution to many of the empirical challenges that frustrate efforts to evaluate trade facilitation reforms. The method is used to estimate causal impacts on trade outcomes for 21 firms that adopted in-house clearance for import shipments. The program compressed the distribution of clearance times for adopting firms, but the estimated effects on median clearance times, inspection rates, and import value were not statistically significant. Tests for heterogeneous program impact do not indicate that the program affected adopting firms differently. Overall, the results suggest that the most evident benefit of the program for participating firms is reduced uncertainty about clearance times.
sk_p: a neural program corrector for MOOCs

We present a novel technique for automatic program correction in MOOCs, capable of fixing both syntactic and semantic errors without manual, problem specific correction strategies. Given an incorrect student program, it generates candidate programs from a distribution of likely corrections, and checks each candidate for correctness against a test suite. The key observation is that in MOOCs many programs share similar code fragments, and the seq2seq neural network model, used in the natural-language processing task of machine translation, can be modified and trained to recover these fragments. Experiment shows our scheme can correct 29% of all incorrect submissions and out-performs state of the art approach which requires manual, problem specific correction strategies.
The 2010-2011 Drought Impacts on Cattle Market Integration in the Horn of Africa: A preliminary Evaluation using VAR and Structural Break Analysis

Livestock rearing is an important risk reduction strategy for vulnerable communities in developing countries and a major provider of nutrients and traction for crop production. However there is a great concern for pastoral population in the arid and semi-arid zones of East Africa due to recurring drought. Drought leads to the decline in forage and water availability which in return deteriorates the overall livestock health and reduces livestock prices and revenues. This study analyzes the level of price interaction among livestock markets in Ethiopia and Kenya and the impact of the 2010-2011’s drought on cattle prices using time series analysis. The results on cattle price dynamics show limited interaction among cattle markets in both countries. The structural break analysis indicates the period around 2010-2011 as a predominant break date for the markets in Ethiopia and Kenya. A lack of market integration in addition to drought prevent cattle herders from using markets as a mitigating mechanism against drought, by selling livestock to destock during drought and buying livestock to restock after drought. In brief, a high level of livestock markets integration can lower the risk of losing animals during a drought.
Safe Serializable Secure Scheduling: Transactions and the Trade-Off Between Security and Consistency

Modern applications often operate on data in multiple administrative domains. In this federated setting, participants may not fully trust each other. These distributed applications use transactions as a core mechanism for ensuring reliability and consistency with persistent data. However, the coordination mechanisms needed for transactions can both leak confidential information and allow unauthorized influence. By implementing a simple attack, we show these side channels can be exploited. However, our focus is on preventing such attacks. We explore secure scheduling of atomic, serializable transactions in a federated setting. While we prove that no protocol can guarantee security and liveness in all settings, we establish conditions for sets of transactions that can safely complete under secure scheduling. Based on these conditions, we introduce \ti{staged commit}, a secure scheduling protocol for federated transactions. This protocol avoids insecure information channels by dividing transactions into distinct stages. We implement a compiler that statically checks code to ensure it meets our conditions, and a system that schedules these transactions using the staged commit protocol. Experiments on this implementation demonstrate that realistic federated transactions can be scheduled securely, atomically, and efficiently.
Relative Tax Rates, Proximity and Cigarette Tax Noncompliance: Evidence from a National Sample of Littered Cigarette Packs

We analyze data about cigarette tax compliance from the first US-based national scale littered cigarette packs collection. We code each pack based on whether an appropriate tax had been paid at the...
Depression and Anxiety Screens as Simultaneous Predictors of 10-Year Incidence of Diabetes Mellitus in Older Adults in Primary Care.

Objectives To examine depression and anxiety screens and their individual items as simultaneous predictors of incident diabetes mellitus. Design Ten-year follow-up study of individuals screened for the Improving Mood-Promoting Access to Collaborative Treatment (IMPACT) trial. Setting Two large urban primary care clinics in Indianapolis, Indiana. Participants Diverse sample (53% African American, 80% of lower socioeconomic status) of 2,156 older adults initially free of diabetes mellitus. Measurements Depression and anxiety screens were completed during routine primary care visits between 1999 and 2001. Incident diabetes mellitus data were obtained from an electronic medical record system and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services analytical files though 2009. Results Over the 10-year period, 558 (25.9%) participants had diabetes mellitus onset. Cox proportional hazards models adjusted for demographic and diabetes mellitus risk factors revealed that a positive screen for anxiety, but not for depression, predicted incident diabetes mellitus when entered into separate models (anxiety: hazard ratio (HR) = 1.36, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.15–1.61, P < .001; depression: HR = 1.18, 95% CI = 0.95–1.46, P = .13) and when entered simultaneously into one model (anxiety: HR = 1.35, 95% CI = 1.12–1.61, P < .001; depression: HR = 1.04, 95% CI = 0.83–1.31, P = .73). The feeling anxious (P = .03) and the worry (P = .02) items predicted incident diabetes mellitus independent of the depression screen. Conclusion These findings suggest that screening positive for anxiety is a risk factor for diabetes mellitus in older adults independent of depression and traditional diabetes mellitus risk factors. Anxiety requires greater consideration and awareness in the context of diabetes mellitus risk assessment and primary prevention.
Liquidity, overpricing, and the tactics of informed traders

In this paper we explore the profit-taking tactics employed by informed traders when there are informational asymmetries across investors. Our laboratory is Tradesports, which until 2015 operated a double auction exchange where participants traded binary options contracts. This venue is a close analog to stock markets and, because each contract’s value is unambiguously revealed, the joint hypothesis problem is mitigated. We demonstrate that when the ratio of noise traders to sophisticated traders is highest, shares are most overpriced. Data show that informed traders heavily target noise traders when liquidity is high, and in conducting profit-taking operations they prefer to short sell via small transactions and round lots. Results suggest that, even in the absence of liquidity constraints and certain costs and risks related to short selling, the relative complexity of short selling can itself lead to overpricing.
Low-Rank and Sparsity Analysis Applied to Speech Enhancement Via Online Estimated Dictionary

In this letter, we propose an online estimated local dictionary based single-channel speech enhancement algorithm, which focuses on low-rank and sparse matrix decomposition. In the proposed algorithm, a noisy speech spectrogram can be decomposed into low-rank background noise components and an activation of the online speech dictionary, on which both low-rank and sparsity constraints are imposed. This decomposition takes the advantage of local estimated exemplar's high expressiveness on speech components and also accommodates nonstationary background noise. The local dictionary can be obtained through estimating the speech presence probability (SPP) by applying expectation–maximal algorithm, in which a generalized Gamma prior for speech magnitude spectrum is used. The proposed algorithm is evaluated using signal-to-distortion ratio, and perceptual evaluation of speech quality. The results show that the proposed algorithm achieves significant improvements at various SNRs when compared to four other speech enhancement algorithms, including improved Karhunen–Loeve transform approach, SPP-based MMSE, nonnegative matrix factorization-based robust principal component analysis (RPCA), and RPCA.
An improved bootstrap test of density ratio ordering

Two probability distributions with common support are said to exhibit density ratio ordering when they admit a nonincreasing density ratio. Existing statistical tests of the null hypothesis of density ratio ordering are known to be conservative, with null limiting rejection rates below the nominal significance level whenever the two distributions are unequal. We show how a bootstrap procedure can be used to shrink the critical values used in existing procedures such that the limiting rejection rate is increased to the nominal significance level on the boundary of the null. This improves power against nearby alternatives. Our procedure is based on preliminary estimation of a contact set, the form of which is obtained from a novel representation of the Hadamard directional derivative of the least concave majorant operator. Numerical simulations indicate that improvements to power can be very large in moderately sized samples.
The first moment of central values of symmetric square $L$-functions in the weight aspect

We establish an asymptotic formula with arbitrary power saving for the first moment of the symmetric square L-functions $$L(s,\mathrm{sym}^2f)$$ at $$s=\frac{1}{2}$$ for $$f\in \mathcal {H}_k$$ as even $$k\rightarrow \infty $$ , where $$\mathcal {H}_k$$ is an orthogonal basis of weight-k Hecke eigen cusp forms for $$SL(2,\mathbb {Z})$$ . The approach taken allows us to extract two secondary main terms from the best-known error term $$O(k^{-\frac{1}{2}})$$ . Moreover, our result exhibits a connection between the symmetric square L-functions and quadratic fields, which is the main theme of Zagier’s work Modular forms whose coefficients involve zeta-functions of quadratic fields in 1977.
Empirically testing vaterite structural models using neutron diffraction and thermal analysis.

Otoliths, calcium carbonate (CaCO3) ear bones, are among the most commonly used age and growth structures of fishes. Most fish otoliths are comprised of the most dense CaCO3 polymorph, aragonite. Sturgeon otoliths, in contrast, have been characterized as the rare and structurally enigmatic polymorph, vaterite—a metastable polymorph of CaCO3. Vaterite is an important material ranging from biomedical to personal care applications although its crystal structure is highly debated. We characterized the structure of Lake Sturgeon otoliths using thermal analysis and neutron powder diffraction, which is used non-destructively. We confirmed that while Lake Sturgeon otoliths are primarily composed of vaterite, they also contain the denser CaCO3 polymorph, calcite. For the vaterite fraction, neutron diffraction data provide enhanced discrimination of the carbonate group compared to x-ray diffraction data, owing to the different relative neutron scattering lengths, and thus offer the opportunity to uniquely test the more than one dozen crystal structural models that have been proposed for vaterite. Of those, space group P6522 model, a = 7.1443(4)A, c = 25.350(4)A, V = 1121.5(2)A3 provides the best fit to the neutron powder diffraction data, and allows for a structure refinement using rigid carbonate groups.
Boundedness of derivatives and anti-derivatives of holomorphic functions as a rare phenomenon

Abstract In this article we prove a general result which in particular suggests that, on a simply connected domain Ω in C , all the derivatives and anti-derivatives of the generic holomorphic function are unbounded. A similar result holds for the operator T ˜ N of partial sums of the Taylor expansion with center ζ ∈ Ω at z = 0 , seen as functions of the center ζ. We also discuss a universality result of these operators T ˜ N .
Comparing the riskiness of dependent portfolios via nested L-statistics

A non-parametric test based on nested L-statistics and designed to compare the riskiness of portfolios was introduced by Brazauskas et al. (2007). Its asymptotic and small-sample properties were primarily explored for independent portfolios, though independence is not a required condition for the test to work. In this paper, we investigate how performance of the test changes when insurance portfolios are dependent. To achieve that goal, we perform a simulation study where we consider three different risk measures: conditional tail expectation, proportional hazards transform, and mean. Further, three portfolios are generated from exponential, Pareto, and lognormal distributions, and their interdependence is modelled with the three-dimensional t and Gaussian copulas. It is found that the presence of strong positive dependence (comonotonicity) makes the test very liberal for all the risk measures under consideration. For types of dependence that are more common in an insurance environment, the effect of dependence is less dramatic but the results are mixed, i.e., they depend on the chosen risk measure, sample size, and even on the test’s significance level. Finally, we illustrate how to incorporate such findings into sensitivity analysis of the decisions. The risks we analyse represent tornado damages in different regions of the United States from 1890 to 1999.
Self-amplified spontaneous emission in Smith–Purcell free-electron lasers

Abstract We present an analysis of a Smith–Purcell system in which a thin current sheet of electrons moves above a grating surface in the direction perpendicular to the grating grooves. We develop a consistent theory for evolution of the electromagnetic field and electron distribution in the exponential growth regime starting from the initial electron noise and the incoming amplitude. The dispersion relation for the complex growth rate for this system is a quadratic equation.
Medical information privacy assurance: Cryptographic and system aspects

It may be argued that medical information systems are subject to the same type of threats and compromises that plague general information systems, and that it does not require special attention from a research viewpoint. The firsthand experience of experts in information security and assurance who studied or worked with health applications has been of a different sort: While general principles of security still apply in the medical information field, a number of unique characteristics of the health care business environment suggest a more tailored approach. In this paper we describe some recent results of an on-going research on medical information privacy carried out at the Johns Hopkins University under the support of the National Science Foundation (NSF).
Long-term aging of oscillators

The authors report aging results for more than 40 oscillators, from a variety of sources, for periods ranging from 1 yr to more than 10 yr. The aging data were accumulated with an automated aging facility. The oscillators that have been tested include temperature-compensated crystal oscillators (TCXOs) and oven-controlled crystal oscillators (OCXOs). The TCXOs were maintained in a controlled temperature environment. Several of the TCXOs were built for a gun-launched sensor application and have been shown to be capable of surviving more than 30000-g shock levels of 12-ms duration. The aging results for these ruggedized TXCOs are surprisingly good ( >
USING THE CIRCLE THEOREM TO ESTIMATE ACETABULAR VERSION FROM A SINGLE ANTERO-POSTERIOR HIP RADIOGRAPH

Summary Statement The circle theorem is a simple and effective measurement tool for estimating acetabular version after total hip arthroplasty Introduction Position of the acetabular cup is a major factor in the range of motion and risk of dislocation after total hip arthroplasty. However, there is no well established technique for accurately and easily estimating acetabular cup version intraoperatively or postoperatively. The objective of this study was to evaluate a recently proposed method for measuring acetabular cup version on a single plain radiograph of the hip, which is based on one of the circle theorems in basic geometry. Patients & Methods Radiographic version is defined as the angle between the cup face plane and a plane perpendicular to the body coronal plane. Using this definition, a metal hemispheric cup was placed in a pelvic sawbone model at a series of known angles of radiographic version (based on direct goniometer measurement). Cup inclination, pelvic tilt, and pelvic rotation were held constant for all version angles. A single antero-posterior hip radiograph was then obtained and reviewed for each version angle. The acetabular cup version was next estimated by using a compass and protractor in accordance with the circle theorem. Statistical analysis was performed utilizing Student9s t-test with an alpha=0.05 Results 20 known angles of version were evaluated: 11 anteverted angles, 7 retroverted angles, and 2 neutral angles. Mean difference between the circle theorem estimate and the true version was 0.90 degrees (range −2 to 3). There was no statistically significant difference between the circle theorem9s estimates and the true version (p=0.84). Similarly, there was no significant difference between the anteverted estimates (mean difference 0.91) and the retroverted estimates (mean difference 0.86)(p=0.95). Discussion/Conclusion Methods of measuring component position are essential for evaluating surgical technique, monitoring cup stability, and maximizing patient outcomes. Radiographic version of an acetabular cup can be estimated by using the circle theorem. This theorem can provide a quick, easy, and accurate estimate of version with the use of simple instruments (compass and protractor) and readily available plain radiographs.
What Causes Mars' Annular Polar Vortices?

A distinctive feature of the Martian atmosphere is that the winter polar vortices exhibit annuli of high potential vorticity (PV) with a local minimum near the pole. These annuli are seen in observations, reanalyses, and free-running general circulation model simulations of Mars, but are not generally a feature of Earth's polar vortices, where there is a monotonic increase in magnitude of PV with latitude. The creation and maintenance of the annular polar vortices on Mars are not well understood. Here we use simulations with a Martian general circulation model to the show that annular vortices are related to another distinctive, and possibly unique in the solar system, feature of the Martian atmosphere: the condensation of the predominant atmospheric gas species (CO2) in polar winter regions. The latent heat associated with CO2 condensation leads to destruction of PV in the polar lower atmosphere, inducing the formation of an annular PV structure.
Extracting conflict-free information from multi-labeled trees

A multi-labeled tree, or MUL-tree, is a phylogenetic tree where two or more leaves share a label, e.g., a species name. A MUL-tree can imply multiple conflicting phylogenetic relationships for the same set of taxa, but can also contain conflict-free information that is of interest and yet is not obvious. We define the information content of a MUL-tree T as the set of all conflict-free quartet topologies implied by T, and define the maximal reduced form of T as the smallest tree that can be obtained from T by pruning leaves and contracting edges while retaining the same information content. We show that any two MUL-trees with the same information content exhibit the same reduced form. This introduces an equivalence relation among MUL-trees with potential applications to comparing MUL-trees. We present an efficient algorithm to reduce a MUL-tree to its maximally reduced form and evaluate its performance on empirical datasets in terms of both quality of the reduced tree and the degree of data reduction achieved. Our measure of conflict-free information content based on quartets is simple and topologically appealing. In the experiments, the maximally reduced form is often much smaller than the original tree, yet retains most of the taxa. The reduction algorithm is quadratic in the number of leaves and its complexity is unaffected by the multiplicity of leaf labels or the degree of the nodes.