cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Notary: a device for secure transaction approval

Notary is a new hardware and software architecture for running isolated approval agents in the form factor of a USB stick with a small display and buttons. Approval agents allow factoring out critical security decisions, such as getting the user's approval to sign a Bitcoin transaction or to delete a backup, to a secure environment. The key challenge addressed by Notary is to securely switch between agents on the same device. Prior systems either avoid the problem by building single-function devices like a USB U2F key, or they provide weak isolation that is susceptible to kernel bugs, side channels, or Rowhammer-like attacks. Notary achieves strong isolation using reset-based switching, along with the use of physically separate systems-on-a-chip for agent code and for the kernel, and a machine-checked proof of both the hardware's register-transfer-level design and software, showing that reset-based switching leaks no state. Notary also provides a trustworthy I/O path between the agent code and the user, which prevents an adversary from tampering with the user's screen or buttons. We built a hardware/software prototype of Notary, using a combination of ARM and RISC-V processors. The prototype demonstrates that it is feasible to verify Notary's reset-based switching, and that Notary can support diverse agents, including cryptocurrencies and a transaction approval agent for traditional client-server applications such as websites. Measurements of reset-based switching show that it is fast enough for interactive use. We analyze security bugs in existing cryptocurrency hardware wallets, which aim to provide a similar form factor and feature set as Notary, and show that Notary's design avoids many bugs that affect them.
Optimal Uncertainty Size in Distributionally Robust Inverse Covariance Estimation

Abstract In a recent paper, Nguyen et al. (2018) built a distributionally robust estimator for the precision matrix of the Gaussian distribution. The distributional uncertainty size is a key ingredient in the construction of this estimator. We develop a statistical theory which shows how to optimally choose the uncertainty size to minimize the associated Stein loss. Surprisingly, rather than the expected canonical square-root scaling rate, the optimal uncertainty size scales linearly with the sample size.
Selective YAP/TAZ inhibition in fibroblasts via dopamine receptor D1 agonism reverses fibrosis

Tissue fibrosis is characterized by uncontrolled deposition and diminished clearance of fibrous connective tissue proteins, ultimately leading to organ scarring. Yes-associated protein (YAP) and transcriptional coactivator with PDZ-binding motif (TAZ) have recently emerged as pivotal drivers of mesenchymal cell activation in human fibrosis. Therapeutic strategies inhibiting YAP and TAZ have been hindered by the critical role that these proteins play in regeneration and homeostasis in different cell types. Here, we find that the Gαs-coupled dopamine receptor D1 (DRD1) is preferentially expressed in lung and liver mesenchymal cells relative to other resident cells of these organs. Agonism of DRD1 selectively inhibits YAP/TAZ function in mesenchymal cells and shifts their phenotype from profibrotic to fibrosis resolving, reversing in vitro extracellular matrix stiffening and in vivo tissue fibrosis in mouse models. Aromatic l-amino acid decarboxylase [DOPA decarboxylase (DDC)], the enzyme responsible for the final step in biosynthesis of dopamine, is decreased in the lungs of subjects with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, and its expression inversely correlates with disease severity, consistent with an endogenous protective role for dopamine signaling that is lost in pulmonary fibrosis. Together, these findings establish a pharmacologically tractable and cell-selective approach to targeting YAP/TAZ via DRD1 that reverses fibrosis in mice.
Racial Selection in Deployment to Iraq and Afghanistan

The US Armed Forces officially desegregated in 1948. Over the following 70 years, the military has made great strides in promoting racial integration. We find evidence, however, that Black soldiers...
Beyond Hirsch Conjecture: Walks on Random Polytopes and Smoothed Complexity of the Simplex Method

The smoothed analysis of algorithms is concerned with the expected running time of an algorithm under slight random perturbations of arbitrary inputs. Spielman and Teng proved that the shadow vertex simplex method has polynomial smoothed complexity. On a slight random perturbation of an arbitrary linear program, the simplex method finds the solution after a walk on polytope(s) with expected length polynomial in the number of constraints $n$, the number of variables $d$, and the inverse standard deviation of the perturbation $1/\sigma$. We show that the length of walk in the simplex method is actually polylogarithmic in the number of constraints $n$. Spielman-Teng's bound on the walk was $O^*(n^{86}d^{55}\sigma^{-30})$, up to logarithmic factors. We improve this to $O(\log^7n(d^9+d^3\sigma^{-4}))$. This shows that the tight Hirsch conjecture $n-d$ on the length of walk on polytopes is not a limitation for the smoothed linear programming. Random perturbations create short paths between vertices. We propose a randomized Phase-I for solving arbitrary linear programs, which is of independent interest. Instead of finding a vertex of a feasible set, we add a vertex at random to the feasible set. This does not affect the solution of the linear program with constant probability. So, in expectation it takes a constant number of independent trials until a correct solution is found. This overcomes one of the major difficulties of smoothed analysis of the simplex method—one can now statistically decouple the walk from the smoothed linear program. This yields a much better reduction of the smoothed complexity to a geometric quantity—the size of planar sections of random polytopes. We also improve upon the known estimates for that size, showing that it is polylogarithmic in the number of vertices.
GLIMPS: A Greedy Mixed-Integer Approach for Super Robust Matched Subspace Detection

Due to diverse nature of data acquisition and modern applications, many contemporary problems involve high dimensional datum $\mathrm{x} \in \mathbb{R}^{\mathrm{d}}$ whose entries often lie in a union of subspaces and the goal is to find out which entries of x match with a particular subspace U, classically called matched subspace detection. Consequently, entries that match with one subspace are considered as inliers w.r.t the subspace while all other entries are considered as outliers. Proportion of outliers relative to each subspace varies based on the degree of coordinates from subspaces. This problem is a combinatorial NP-hard in nature and has been immensely studied in recent years. Existing approaches can solve the problem when outliers are sparse. However, if outliers are abundant or in other words if x contains coordinates from a fair amount of subspaces, this problem can’t be solved with acceptable accuracy or within a reasonable amount of time. This paper proposes a two-stage approach called Greedy Linear Integer Mixed Programmed Selector (GLIMPS) for this abundant-outliers setting, which combines a greedy algorithm and mixed integer formulation and can tolerate over 80% outliers, outperforming the state-of-the-art.
High fat diet induces microbiota-dependent silencing of enteroendocrine cells

Enteroendocrine cells (EECs) are specialized sensory cells in the intestinal epithelium that sense and transduce nutrient information. Consumption of dietary fat contributes to metabolic disorders, but EEC adaptations to high fat feeding were unknown. Here, we established a new experimental system to directly investigate EEC activity in vivo using a zebrafish reporter of EEC calcium signaling. Our results reveal that high fat feeding alters EEC morphology and converts them into a nutrient insensitive state that is coupled to endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress. We called this novel adaptation 'EEC silencing'. Gnotobiotic studies revealed that germ-free zebrafish are resistant to high fat diet induced EEC silencing. High fat feeding altered gut microbiota composition including enrichment of Acinetobacter bacteria, and we identified an Acinetobacter strain sufficient to induce EEC silencing. These results establish a new mechanism by which dietary fat and gut microbiota modulate EEC nutrient sensing and signaling.
Three-dimensional Gorenstein singularities and SU(3) modular invariants

Using N=2 Landau-Ginzburg theories, we examine the recent conjectures relating the SU(3) WZW modular invariants, finite subgroups of SU(3) and Gorenstein singularities. All isolated three-dimensional Gorenstein singularities do not appear to be related to any known Landau-Ginzburg theories, but we present some curious observations which suggest that the SU(3)_n/SU(2)xU(1) Kazama-Suzuki model may be related to a deformed geometry of C^3/Z_{n+3}xZ_{n+3}. The toric resolution diagrams of those particular singularities are also seen to be classifying the diagonal modular invariants of the SU(3)_n as well as the SU(2)_{n+1} WZW models.
Radio Emissions from the Outer Heliosphere

For nearly fifteen years the Voyager 1 and 2 spacecraft have been detecting an unusual radio emission in the outer heliosphere in the frequency range from about 2 to 3 kHz. Two major events have been observed, the first in 1983–84 and the second in 1992–93. In both cases the onset of the radio emission occurred about 400 days after a period of intense solar activity, the first in mid-July 1982, and the second in May-June 1991. These two periods of solar activity produced the two deepest cosmic ray Forbush decreases ever observed. Forbush decreases are indicative of a system of strong shocks and associated disturbances propagating outward through the heliosphere. The radio emission is believed to have been produced when this system of shocks and disturbances interacted with one of the outer boundaries of the heliosphere, most likely in the vicinity of the the heliopause. The emission is believed to be generated by the shock-driven Langmuir-wave mode conversion mechanism, which produces radiation at the plasma frequency (f p ) and at twice the plasma frequency (2f p ). From the 400-day travel time and the known speed of the shocks, the distance to the interaction region can be computed, and is estimated to be in the range from about 110 to 160 AU.
Almost Lyapunov functions for nonlinear systems

Abstract We study convergence of nonlinear systems in the presence of an “almost Lyapunov” function which, unlike the classical Lyapunov function, is allowed to be nondecreasing – and even increasing – on a nontrivial subset of the phase space. Under the assumption that the vector field is free of singular points (away from the origin) and that the subset where the Lyapunov function does not decrease is sufficiently small, we prove that solutions approach a small neighborhood of the origin. A nontrivial example where this theorem applies is constructed.
Surrogate R-spondins for tissue-specific potentiation of Wnt Signaling

Secreted R-spondin1-4 proteins (RSPO1-4) orchestrate stem cell renewal and tissue homeostasis by potentiating Wnt/β-catenin signaling. RSPOs induce the turnover of negative Wnt regulators RNF43 and ZNRF3 through a process that requires RSPO interactions with Leucine-rich repeat-containing G-protein coupled receptors (LGRs), or through an LGR-independent mechanism that is enhanced by RSPO binding to heparin sulfate proteoglycans (HSPGs). Here, we describe the engineering of 'surrogate RSPOs' that function independently of LGRs to potentiate Wnt signaling on cell types expressing a target surface marker. These bispecific proteins were generated by fusing an RNF43- or ZNRF3-specific single chain antibody variable fragment (scFv) to the immune cytokine IL-2. Surrogate RSPOs mimic the function of natural RSPOs by crosslinking the extracellular domain (ECD) of RNF43 or ZNRF3 to the ECD of the IL-2 receptor CD25, which sequesters the complex and results in highly selective amplification of Wnt signaling on CD25+ cells. Furthermore, surrogate RSPOs were able substitute for wild type RSPO in a colon organoid growth assay when intestinal stem cells were transduced to express CD25. Our results provide proof-of-concept for a technology that may be adapted for use on a broad range of cell- or tissue-types and will open new avenues for the development of Wnt-based therapeutics for regenerative medicine.
The Dog that Did Not Bark: Limited Price Efficiency and Strategic Nondisclosure

Theory posits that investors can rationally infer the implications of strategic nondisclosure for firm value, pressuring managers to disclose information voluntarily. This study documents that the lack of an earnings guidance predicts an abnormal return of −41 basis points around the subsequent quarterly earnings announcement, suggesting that investors do not fully incorporate the implications of nonguidance. Further analyses demonstrate that limitations in price efficiency, driven by investors' limited attention and short‐selling constraints, explain the mispricing of nonguidance and are associated with less guidance issuance. Our results collectively highlight limited price efficiency as another friction when studying managers' strategic disclosure decisions.
Textualism’s Gaze

In recent years, perhaps because of the influence of Justice Scalia, the Supreme Court appears to place greater emphasis on texts than ever before. “We’re all textualists now,” Justice Kagan declared in 2015. But it is one thing to say a court will prioritize the text. It is another thing to choose which text is to be prioritized. Follow the textualism of constitutional interpretation and one sees judges prioritize the public understanding of the privileged white men in power at the time of the framing of the constitutional text. Follow the textualism of federal statutory interpretation and one sees judges prioritize the text exclusively, and if the judges engage with the legislative history of the statute they will engage with the public understanding of the legislators who enacted the law, again, largely privileged white men. The victory of textualism is not necessarily in the outcomes, but in significantly narrowing the scope of evidence available to interpret the text, in some cases to almost nothing but the bare words of the statute. Women, persons of color, and other marginalized persons and entities are almost never relevant to the textualist’s gaze. The narrow focus of the textualist’s gaze also warps how Indian law matters are decided. The judiciary rarely considers how the governments and people most affected by the text — Indian tribes and individual Indians — understand the meaning of the text. The judiciary, whether it intends to or not, considers Indians and tribes as extraneous to the interpretive process.
The bias of isotonic regression

We study the bias of the isotonic regression estimator. While there is extensive work characterizing the mean squared error of the isotonic regression estimator, relatively little is known about the bias. In this paper, we provide a sharp characterization, proving that the bias scales as $O(n^{-\beta /3})$ up to log factors, where $1\leq \beta \leq 2$ is the exponent corresponding to Holder smoothness of the underlying mean. Importantly, this result only requires a strictly monotone mean and that the noise distribution has subexponential tails, without relying on symmetric noise or other restrictive assumptions.
A tour through Mirzakhani’s work on moduli spaces of Riemann surfaces

We survey Mirzakhani's work relating to Riemann surfaces, which spans about 20 papers. We target the discussion at a broad audience of non-experts.
Epigenetic loss of heterozygosity of Apc and an inflammation-associated mutational signature detected in Lrig1+/−-driven murine colonic adenomas

The loss of a single copy of adenomatous polyposis coli (Apc) in leucine-rich repeats and immunoglobulin-like domains 1 (Lrig1)-expressing colonic progenitor cells induces rapid growth of adenomas in mice with high penetrance and multiplicity. The tumors lack functional APC, and a genetic loss of heterozygosity of Apc was previously observed. To identify genomic features of early tumorigenesis, and to profile intertumoral genetic heterogeneity, tumor exome DNA (n = 9 tumors) and mRNA (n = 5 tumors) sequences were compared with matched nontumoral colon tissue. Putative somatic mutations were called after stringent variant filtering. Somatic signatures of mutational processes were determined and splicing patterns were observed. The adenomas were found to be genetically heterogeneous and unexpectedly hypermutated, displaying a strong bias toward G:C > A:T mutations. A genetic loss of heterozygosity of Apc was not observed, however, an epigenetic loss of heterozygosity was apparent in the tumor transcriptomes. Complex splicing patterns characterized by a loss of intron retention were observed uniformly across tumors. This study demonstrates that early tumors originating from intestinal stem cells with reduced Lrig1 and Apc expression are highly mutated and genetically heterogeneous, with an inflammation-associated mutational signature and complex splicing patterns that are uniform across tumors.
Highly entangled tensors

A geometric measure for the entanglement of a unit length tensor T∈(Cn)⊗k is given by −2log2⁡∥T∥σ, where ∥⋅∥σ denotes the spectral norm. A simple induction gives an upper bound of (k−1)log2⁡(n) for...
A method for reconstructing label images from a few projections, as motivated by electron microscopy

Our aim is to produce a tessellation of space into small voxels and, based on only a few tomographic projections of an object, assign to each voxel a label that indicates one of the components of interest constituting the object. Traditional methods are not reliable in applications, such as electron microscopy in which (due to the damage by radiation) only a few projections are available. We postulate a low level prior knowledge regarding the underlying distribution of label images, and then directly estimate the label image based on the prior and the projections. We use a relatively efficient approximation to a global search for the optimal estimate.
Single-Cell Genomic Characterization Reveals the Cellular Reprogramming of the Gastric Tumor Microenvironment.

Purpose: The tumor microenvironment (TME) consists of a heterogenous cellular milieu that can influence cancer cell behavior. Its characteristics have an impact on treatments such as immunotherapy. These features can be revealed with single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq). We hypothesized that scRNA-seq analysis of gastric cancer together with paired normal tissue and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) would identify critical elements of cellular deregulation not apparent with other approaches. Experimental Design: scRNA-seq was conducted on seven patients with gastric cancer and one patient with intestinal metaplasia. We sequenced 56,167 cells comprising gastric cancer (32,407 cells), paired normal tissue (18,657 cells), and PBMCs (5,103 cells). Protein expression was validated by multiplex immunofluorescence. Results: Tumor epithelium had copy number alterations, a distinct gene expression program from normal, with intratumor heterogeneity. Gastric cancer TME was significantly enriched for stromal cells, macrophages, dendritic cells (DC), and Tregs. TME-exclusive stromal cells expressed distinct extracellular matrix components than normal. Macrophages were transcriptionally heterogenous and did not conform to a binary M1/M2 paradigm. Tumor DCs had a unique gene expression program compared to PBMC DCs. TME-specific cytotoxic T cells were exhausted with two heterogenous subsets. Helper, cytotoxic T, Treg, and NK cells expressed multiple immune checkpoint or co-stimulatory molecules. Receptor–ligand analysis revealed TME-exclusive intercellular communication. Conclusions: Single-cell gene expression studies revealed widespread reprogramming across multiple cellular elements in the gastric cancer TME. Cellular remodeling was delineated by changes in cell numbers, transcriptional states, and intercellular interactions. This characterization facilitates understanding of tumor biology and enables identification of novel targets including for immunotherapy.
Modelling Online Comment Threads from their Start

The social Web is a widely used platform for online discussion. Across social media, users can start discussions by posting a topical image, url, or message. Upon seeing this initial post, other users may add their own comments to the post, or to another user’s comment. The resulting online discourse produces a comment thread, which constitutes an enormous portion of modern online communication. Comment threads are often viewed as trees: nodes represent the post and its comments, while directed edges represent reply-to relationships. The goal of the present work is to predict the size and shape of these comment threads. Existing models do this by observing the first several comments and then fitting a predictive model. However, most comment threads are relatively small, and waiting for data to materialize runs counter to the goal of the prediction task. We therefore introduce the Comment Thread Prediction Model (CTPM) that accurately predicts the size and shape of a comment thread using only the text of the initial post, allowing for the prediction of new posts without observable comments. We find that the CTPM significantly outperforms existing models and competitive baselines on thousands of Reddit discussions from nine varied subreddits, particularly for new posts.
On the structure of distance sets over prime fields

Let $\mathbb{F}_q$ be a finite field of order $q$ and $\mathcal{E}$ be a set in $\mathbb{F}_q^d$. The distance set of $\mathcal{E}$, denoted by $\Delta(\mathcal{E})$, is the set of distinct distances determined by the pairs of points in $\mathcal{E}$. Very recently, Iosevich, Koh, and Parshall (2018) proved that if $|\mathcal{E}|\gg q^{d/2}$, then the quotient set of $\Delta(\mathcal{E})$ satisfies \[\left\vert\frac{\Delta(\mathcal{E})}{\Delta(\mathcal{E})}\right\vert=\left\vert \left\lbrace\frac{a}{b}\colon a, b\in \Delta(\mathcal{E}), b\ne 0\right\rbrace\right\vert\gg q.\] In this paper, we break the exponent $d/2$ when $\mathcal{E}$ is a Cartesian product of sets over a prime field. More precisely, let $p$ be a prime and $A\subset \mathbb{F}_p$. If $\mathcal{E}=A^d\subset \mathbb{F}_p^d$ and $|\mathcal{E}|\gg p^{\frac{d}{2}-\varepsilon}$ for some $\varepsilon>0$, then we have \[\left\vert\frac{\Delta(\mathcal{E})}{\Delta(\mathcal{E})}\right\vert, ~\left\vert \Delta(\mathcal{E})\cdot \Delta(\mathcal{E})\right\vert \gg p.\] Such improvements are not possible over arbitrary finite fields. These results give us a better understanding about the structure of distance sets and the Erd\H{o}s-Falconer distance conjecture over finite fields.
Joint Estimation of Topology and Injection Statistics in Distribution Grids With Missing Nodes

Optimal operation of distribution grid resources relies on accurate estimation of its state and topology. Practical estimation of such quantities is complicated by the limited presence of real-time meters. This article discusses a theoretical framework to jointly estimate the operational topology and statistics of injections in radial distribution grids under limited availability of nodal voltage measurements. In particular, we show that our proposed algorithms are able to provably learn the exact grid topology and injection statistics at all unobserved nodes as long as they are not adjacent. The algorithm design is based on novel ordered trends in voltage magnitude fluctuations at node groups, that are independently of interest for radial physical flow networks. The complexity of the designed algorithms is theoretically analyzed and their performance is validated using both linearized and nonlinear ac power flow samples in test distribution grids.
On the Planckian bound for heat diffusion in insulators

In an insulator, thermal transport at high temperature is expected to be dominated by entirely classical phonon dynamics. In apparent tension with this expectation, recent experimental observations have led to the conjecture that the transport lifetime, τ, is subject to a Planckian bound from below, namely, τ ≳ τPl ≡ ℏ ∕ (kBT). Here, we argue that this Planckian bound is due to a quantum-mechanical bound on the sound velocity: vs < vM. The ‘melting velocity’ vM is defined in terms of the melting temperature of the crystal, the interatomic spacing and Planck’s constant. We show that for several classes of insulating crystals, both simple and complex, τ ∕ τPl ≈ vM ∕ vs at high temperatures. The velocity bound therefore implies the Planckian bound. At high temperature, the heat diffusion in an insulator is expected to be dominated by entirely classical phonon dynamics. But theoretical study shows that the transport lifetime is subject to a quantum-mechanical bound related to the sound velocity.
Metabolic recovery and compensatory shell growth of juvenile Pacific geoduck Panopea generosa following short-term exposure to acidified seawater

While acute stressors can be detrimental, environmental stress conditioning can improve performance. To test the hypothesis that physiological status is altered by stress conditioning, we subjected juvenile Pacific geoduck, Panopea generosa, to repeated exposures of elevated pCO2 in a commercial hatchery setting followed by a period in ambient common garden. Respiration rate and shell length were measured for juvenile geoduck periodically throughout short-term repeated reciprocal exposure periods in ambient (~550 μatm) or elevated (~2400 μatm) pCO2 treatments and in common, ambient conditions, 5 months after exposure. Short-term exposure periods comprised an initial 10-day exposure followed by 14 days in ambient before a secondary 6-day reciprocal exposure. The initial exposure to elevated pCO2 significantly reduced respiration rate by 25% relative to ambient conditions, but no effect on shell growth was detected. Following 14 days in common garden, ambient conditions, reciprocal exposure to elevated or ambient pCO2 did not alter juvenile respiration rates, indicating ability for metabolic recovery under subsequent conditions. Shell growth was negatively affected during the reciprocal treatment in both exposure histories; however, clams exposed to the initial elevated pCO2 showed compensatory growth with 5.8% greater shell length (on average between the two secondary exposures) after 5 months in ambient conditions. Additionally, clams exposed to the secondary elevated pCO2 showed 52.4% increase in respiration rate after 5 months in ambient conditions. Early exposure to low pH appears to trigger carryover effects suggesting bioenergetic re-allocation facilitates growth compensation. Life stage-specific exposures to stress can determine when it may be especially detrimental, or advantageous, to apply stress conditioning for commercial production of this long-lived burrowing clam.
Transcriptional and Spatial Resolution of Cell Types in the Mammalian Habenula

The habenula complex is appreciated as a critical regulator of motivated and pathological behavioral states via its output to midbrain nuclei. Despite this, transcriptional definition of cell populations that comprise both the medial habenular (MHb) and lateral habenular (LHb) subregions in mammals remain undefined. To resolve this, we performed single-cell transcriptional profiling and highly multiplexed in situ hybridization experiments of the mouse habenula complex in naive mice and those exposed to an acute aversive stimulus. Transcriptionally distinct neuronal cell types identified within the MHb and LHb, were spatially defined, differentially engaged by aversive stimuli, and had distinct electrophysiological properties. Cell types identified in mice also displayed a high degree of transcriptional similarity to those previously described in zebrafish, highlighting the well-conserved nature of habenular cell types across the phylum. These data identify key molecular targets within habenular cell types and provide a critical resource for future studies.
Different Principles Govern Different Scales of Brain Folding

The signature folds of the human brain are formed through a complex and developmentally regulated process. In vitro and in silico models of this process demonstrate a random pattern of sulci and gyri, unlike the highly ordered and conserved structure seen in the human cortex. Here, we account for the large-scale pattern of cortical folding by combining advanced fetal magnetic resonance imaging with nonlinear diffeomorphic registration and volumetric analysis. Our analysis demonstrates that in utero brain growth follows a logistic curve, in the absence of an external volume constraint. The Sylvian fissure forms from interlobar folding, where separate lobes overgrow and close an existing subarachnoid space. In contrast, other large sulci, which are the ones represented in existing models, fold through an invagination of a flat surface, a mechanistically different process. Cortical folding is driven by multiple spatially and temporally different mechanisms; therefore regionally distinct biological process may be responsible for the global geometry of the adult brain.
Carryforward Effects of CSR Champions

This study investigates whether executives of socially responsible firms carry forward corporate social policies when they move to different firms. In order to identify the carryforward effects of ...
Deep learning-enabled point-of-care sensing using multiplexed paper-based sensors

We present a deep learning-based framework to design and quantify point-of-care sensors. As a use-case, we demonstrated a low-cost and rapid paper-based vertical flow assay (VFA) for high sensitivity C-Reactive Protein (hsCRP) testing, commonly used for assessing risk of cardio-vascular disease (CVD). A machine learning-based framework was developed to (1) determine an optimal configuration of immunoreaction spots and conditions, spatially-multiplexed on a sensing membrane, and (2) to accurately infer target analyte concentration. Using a custom-designed handheld VFA reader, a clinical study with 85 human samples showed a competitive coefficient-of-variation of 11.2% and linearity of R2 = 0.95 among blindly-tested VFAs in the hsCRP range (i.e., 0-10 mg/L). We also demonstrated a mitigation of the hook-effect due to the multiplexed immunoreactions on the sensing membrane. This paper-based computational VFA could expand access to CVD testing, and the presented framework can be broadly used to design cost-effective and mobile point-of-care sensors.
Multivariate Analysis, Bayesian

This article discusses Bayesian multivariate analysis. It focuses on higher-dimensional statistical inference based upon the posterior distribution, so inference involves multidimensional prior, posterior, and predictive probability distributions. The article describes credibility intervals and regions, and hypothesis testing. There is reference to both vague and natural conjugate prior distributions. Computer-intensive methods of numerical evaluation such as MCMC and Metropolis–Hastings algorithms are considered. There is an illustrative example involving Bayesian factor analysis. Keywords: multivariate prior distributions; multivariate posterior distributions; factor analysis; credibility regions; predictive distributions; subjective probability assessment; hyperparameters; natural conjugate priors; Markov Chain Monte Carlo
Generic user modeling systems

This chapter reviews research results in the field of Generic User Modeling Systems. It describes the purposes of such systems, their services within user-adaptive systems, and the different design requirements for research prototypes and commercial deployments. It discusses the architectures that have been explored so far, namely shell systems that form part of the application, central server systems that communicate with several applications, and possible future agent-based user modeling systems. Major implemented research prototypes and commercial systems are briefly described.
Research on Scientific Journals: Implications for Editors and Authors

A review of editorial policies of leading journals and of research relevant to scientific journals revealed conflicts between 'science' and 'scientists.” Owing to these conflicts, papers are often weak on objectivity and replicability. Furthermore, papers often fall short on importance, competence, intelligibility, or efficiency. Suggestions were made for editorial policies such as: (1) structured guidelines for referees, (2) open peer review, (3) blind reviews, and (4) full disclosure of data and method. Of major importance, an author's “Note to Referees” (describing the hypotheses and design, but not the results) was suggested to improve the objectivity of the ratings of importance and competence. Also, recommendations are made to authors for improving contributions to science (such as the use of multiple hypotheses) and for promoting their careers (such as using complex methods and obtuse writing).
A Sub-2 W Low Power IA Processor for Mobile Internet Devices in 45 nm High-k Metal Gate CMOS

This paper describes a low power Intel Architecture (IA) processor specifically designed for Mobile Internet Devices (MID) with performance similar to mainstream Ultra-Mobile PCs. The design relies on high residency in a new low-power state in order to keep average power and idle power below 220 and 80 mW, respectively. The design consists of an in-order pipeline capable of issuing 2 instructions per cycle supporting 2 threads, 32 KB instruction and 24 KB data L1 caches, independent integer and floating point execution units, x86 front end execution unit, a 512 KB L2 cache and a 533 MT/s dual-mode (GTL and CMOS) front-side-bus (FSB). The design contains 47 million transistors in a die size under 25 mm 2 manufactured in a 9-metal 45 nm CMOS process with optimized transistors for low leakage. Maximum thermal design power (TDP) consumption is measured at 2 W at 1.0 V, 90 °C using a synthetic power-virus test at a frequency of 1.86 GHz.
Right in Front of Our Eyes: Evolution of Streptococcal Toxic Shock Syndrome with Ischemic Optic Neuropathy.

Introduction Toxic shock syndrome occurs from dysregulation of host inflammatory responses. Toxin- producing strains of Group A streptococcus cause TSS. Ischemic optic neuropathy rarely complicates septic shock. We present a rare case of streptococcal pharyngitis complicated by septic arthritis and TSS with reversible blindness due to non-arteritic ischemic optic neuropathy. Case A 28-year-old man drove to our ED with exudative pharyngitis. A rapid streptococcal test was positive. While awaiting oral penicillin he became hypotensive refractory to IV fluids and developed knee effusion. The patient noted progressive dimming of his vision. Arthrocentesis yielded GAS. ICU course was complicated by ARDS but after 2 weeks the patient was weaned off vasopressors and the ventilator. He regained his vision and had no neurological sequelae. The patient's GAS isolate was M protein gene (emm) type 1 and T type 1. He was followed in the IM clinic for 9 months post discharge with complete resolution of symptoms. Conclusion The rapidity of the development of shock is attributed to streptococcal exotoxins acting as superantigens. GAS type M1 is commonly associated with severe shock in TSS. The severe shock was the likely cause of his ischemic optic neuropathy. Early recognition and aggressive management of TSS are crucial to clinical outcome. [Full article available at http://rimed.org/rimedicaljournal-2016-12.asp].
A Common Currency: Early U.S. Monetary Policy and the Transition to the Dollar

The transition of the US money supply from the mixture of paper bills of credit, certificates and foreign coins that circulated at various exchange rates with the British pound sterling during the colonial period to the unified dollar standard of the early national period was rapid and had far-reaching consequences. This article documents the transition and highlights the importance of this standardisation in bringing order to the nation's finances and in facilitating the accumulation and intermediation of capital. It describes how the struggle of the colonies to maintain viable substitutes for hard money set the stage for the financial leaders of the Federalist period to settle upon the dollar, attach it to a convertible metallic base, and create a national bank that issued notes denominated in the new monetary unit. It also presents recently constructed estimates of the US money stock for 1790–1820 and relates them to measures of the nation's early modernisation.
Working the system: Firm learning and the antidumping process

This paper takes the first systematic look at how prior experience by US firms in filing US AD petitions affects future AD filing activity and outcomes. Such prior experience may affect both the cost of filing petitions, as well as the likelihood of successful outcomes and dumping margin magnitudes. Statistical analysis of data on US AD cases finds that prior AD experience leads to greater filing activity and likelihood of affirmative decisions or suspension agreements, but significantly lower dumping margins. The latter result suggests that experience does not affect dumping margins as much as it lowers filing costs, leading to petitioning of weaker cases.
Balance of the vorticity direction and the vorticity magnitude in 3D fractional Navier-Stokes equations

Fractional Navier–Stokes equations—featuring a fractional Laplacian-provide a ‘bridge’ between the Euler equations (zero diffusion) and the Navier–Stokes equations (full diffusion). The problem of whether an initially smooth flow can spontaneously develop a singularity is a fundamental problem in mathematical physics, open for the full range of models—from Euler to Navier–Stokes. The purpose of this work is to present a hybrid, geometric-analytic regularity criterion for solutions to the 3D fractional Navier–Stokes equations expressed as a balance—in the average sense—between the vorticity direction and the vorticity magnitude, key geometric and analytic descriptors of the flow, respectively.
Synthesis of Pyrroles through the CuH-Catalyzed Coupling of Enynes and Nitriles.

Herein, we describe an efficient method to prepare polysubstituted pyrroles via a copper hydride (CuH)-catalyzed enyne–nitrile coupling reaction. This protocol accommodates both aromatic and alipha...
Private Locally Decodable Codes.

We consider the problem of constructing efficient locally decodable codes in the presence of a computationally bounded adversary. Assuming the existence of one-way functions, we construct efficient locally decodable codes with positive information rate and low (almost optimal) query complexity which can correctly decode any given bit of the message from constant channel error rate ρ. This compares favorably to our state of knowledge locally-decodable codes without cryptographic assumptions. For all our constructions, the probability for any polynomial-time adversary, that the decoding algorithm incorrectly decodes any bit of the message is negligible in the security parameter.
Relating notions of convergence in geometric analysis

Abstract We relate L p convergence of metric tensors or volume convergence to a given smooth metric to intrinsic flat and Gromov–Hausdorff convergence for sequences of Riemannian manifolds. We present many examples of sequences of conformal metrics which demonstrate that these notions of convergence do not agree in general even when the sequence is conformal, g j = f j 2 g 0 , to a fixed manifold. We then prove a theorem demonstrating that when sequences of metric tensors on a fixed manifold M are bounded, ( 1 − 1 ∕ j ) g 0 ≤ g j ≤ K g 0 , and either the volumes converge, Vol j ( M ) → Vol 0 ( M ) , or the metric tensors converge in the L p sense, then the Riemannian manifolds ( M , g j ) converge in the measured Gromov–Hausdorff and volume preserving intrinsic flat sense to ( M , g 0 ) .
Model-Agnostic Characterization of Fairness Trade-offs

Group fairness, a class of fairness notions that measure how different groups of individuals are treated differently according to their protected attributes, has been shown to conflict with one another, often with a necessary cost in loss of model's predictive performance. We propose a general diagnostic that enables systematic characterization of these trade-offs in group fairness. We observe that the majority of group fairness notions can be expressed via the fairness-confusion tensor, which is the confusion matrix split according to the protected attribute values. We frame several optimization problems that directly optimize both accuracy and fairness objectives over the elements of this tensor, which yield a general perspective for understanding multiple trade-offs including group fairness incompatibilities. It also suggests an alternate post-processing method for designing fair classifiers. On synthetic and real datasets, we demonstrate the use cases of our diagnostic, particularly on understanding the trade-off landscape between accuracy and fairness.
Proceedings of the 3rd international workshop on Virtualization technologies in distributed computing

It is our great pleasure to welcome you to VTDC-09 -- the Third International Workshop on Virtualization Technologies in Distributed Computing. Virtualization continues to play an increasingly important role in distributed computing systems - within data centers, across Grid federations, and providing the basis for the Infrastructure-as-a-Service model that is at the core of Cloud computing. As in its previous offerings, the VTDC workshop continues its tradition of highlighting cutting-edge research in this field and providing a forum for discussion involving academia, industry, and research labs. Our committee of experts in the field selected papers that make up a strong technical program, with papers representing a spectrum of projects from Europe, Asia and the USA. We look forward to a productive day of technical sessions and interactions among the VTDC attendees, and hope that our attendees will also enjoy the ICAC conference and the countless activities and sights that the beautiful city of Barcelona has to offer. Bienvenido!
Optical analogues to the equatorial Kerr–Newman black hole

Optical analogues to black holes allow the investigation of general relativity in a laboratory setting. Previous works have considered analogues to Schwarzschild black holes in an isotropic coordinate system; the major drawback is that required material properties diverge at the horizon. We present the dielectric permittivity and permeability tensors that exactly reproduce the equatorial Kerr–Newman metric, as well as the gradient-index material that reproduces equatorial Kerr–Newman null geodesics. Importantly, the radial profile of the scalar refractive index is finite along all trajectories except at the point of rotation reversal for counter-rotating geodesics. Construction of these analogues is feasible with available ordinary materials. A finite-difference frequency-domain solver of Maxwell’s equations is used to simulate light trajectories around a variety of Kerr–Newman black holes. For reasonably sized experimental systems, ray tracing confirms that null geodesics can be well-approximated in the lab, even when allowing for imperfect construction and experimental error. Optical analogues of gravitational systems probe general relativity in the laboratory, yet exactly mimicking black holes remains challenging. The authors model light propagating in optical analogues of equatorial Kerr–Newman black holes with regular materials, with clear advantages to realization.
Dynamic Moral Hazard and Risk-Shifting Incentives in a Leveraged Firm

I develop an analytically tractable model that integrates the risk-shifting problem between bondholders and shareholders with the moral-hazard problem between shareholders and the manager. An optimal contract binds shareholders and the manager, and this contract’s flexibility allows shareholders to relax the manager’s incentive constraint following a “good” profitability shock. Thus, the optimal contract amplifies the upside and thereby increases shareholder appetite for risk shifting. Whereas some empirical studies find a positive relation between risk shifting and leverage, others find a negative relation. This model predicts a non-monotonic relation between risk shifting and leverage and can reconcile these contradictory empirical findings.
ANCHORING MAGNETIC FIELD IN TURBULENT MOLECULAR CLOUDS

One of the key problems in star formation research is to determine the role of magnetic fields. Starting from the atomic intercloud medium which has density n H ~ 1 cm–3, gas must accumulate from a volume several hundred pc across in order to form a typical molecular cloud. Star formation usually occurs in cloud cores, which have linear sizes below 1 pc and densities n H2 > 105 cm–3. With current technologies, it is hard to probe magnetic fields at scales lying between the accumulation length and the size of cloud cores, a range corresponds to many levels of turbulent eddy cascade, and many orders of magnitude of density amplification. For field directions detected from the two extremes, however, we show here that a significant correlation is found. Comparing this result with molecular cloud simulations, only the sub-Alfvenic cases result in field orientations consistent with our observations.
Civic Duty and Voting under Autocracy

This article explores the duty to vote under electoral autocracy. Using original survey data from Russia, I present evidence that most voters feel an ethical obligation—a civic duty—to vote. I sugg...
Mostly Exploration-Free Algorithms for Contextual Bandits

The contextual bandit literature has traditionally focused on algorithms that address the exploration–exploitation tradeoff. In particular, greedy algorithms that exploit current estimates without ...
Influence of Temperature and Frequency on Electric Field Reduction Method via a Nonlinear Field Dependent Conductivity Layer Combined with Protruding Substrate for Power Electronics Modules

As shown in our previous studies, geometrical field grading techniques such as stacked and protruding substrate designs cannot well mitigate high electric stress issue within power electronics modules. However, it was shown that a combination of protruding substrate design and applying a nonlinear field-dependent conductivity layer could address the issue. Electric filed (E) simulations were carried out according to IEC 61287-1 for the partial discharge test measurement step, where a 50/60 Hz AC voltage was applied. However, dielectrics, including ceramic substrate and silicone gel, in power devices undergo high temperatures up to a few hundred degrees and frequencies up to 1 MHz. Thus, E values obtained with electrical parameters of the mentioned dielectrics for room temperature and under 50/60 Hz may not be valid for high temperatures and frequencies mentioned above. In this paper, we address this technical gap through developing a finite element method (FEM) E calculation model developed in COMSOL Multiphysics where E calculations are carried out for different temperatures up to 250°C and frequencies up to 1 MHz. Using the model, the influence of temperature and frequency on our proposed electric field mitigation technique mentioned above is evaluated.