cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
SMISS: a protein function prediction server by integrating multiple sources

SMISS is a novel web server for protein function prediction. Three different predictors can be selected for different usage. It integrates different sources to improve the protein function prediction accuracy, including the query protein sequence, protein-protein interaction network, gene-gene interaction network and the rules mined from protein function associations. SMISS automatically switch to ab initio protein function prediction based on the query sequence when there is no homolog's in the database. It takes fasta format sequences as input; and several sequences can be submitted together without influencing the computation speed too much. PHP and Perl are two primary programming language used in the server. The CodeIgniter MVC PHP web framework and bootstrap front-end framework are used for building the server. It can be used in different platforms in standard web browser, such as Windows, Mac OS X, Linux and iOS. No plug-ins is needed for our website (availability: http://tulip.rnet.missouri.edu/profunc/).
15 – Temperature Stress

Publisher Summary The extremes of temperatures can be injurious to trees. Shade trees are exposed to larger variations in temperature and are much more susceptible to temperature injury than trees growing in the forest. The effects of temperature are most severe on newly planted trees that have not adjusted yet to their new environment. The trees, whose environments have hanged around them because of the activities of human, are likely to be injured by extremes and rapid changes in temperature. Whenever trees growing in deeply shaded locations are exposed to intense sunlight, it results in stress on the newly exposed bark from rapid increase in temperature. Two events may occur as a result of this type of stress, summer sunscald and winter sunscald. Summer sunscald is heat injury to the exposed bark during the summer and results in bark killing with subsequent canker formation. Winter sunscald is injury from rapid changes in bark temperature during cold and sunny winter days.
A proposal for an open-source financial risk model

This paper presents a policy proposal for building a new framework for gathering, measuring and disclosing financial risk information in the global economy. The paper examines the current state of the financial risk framework, notes its advantages and disadvantages and proposes a new construct that aims to address some of the shortcomings that are currently in place. The proposed open-source financial risk model separates the dual function that internal risk models perform within financial institutions, first to attempt to optimize the risk-return profile of mostly private economic rent-seeking entities, and second to maximize safety and soundness considerations for the public which is at risk of bearing the consequences of financial actors. The goals of a robust financial risk model are examined in order to determine the design of the proposed risk framework.
Symmetry: Distribution Free Tests for

Nonparametric tests for the median of a distribution and the related estimation of confidence intervals for that parameter assume that the distribution sampled is symmetric about the median. To avoid obtaining misleading results, a preliminary test for distribution symmetry is advisable. Keywords: median; Walsh averages; skewness; Hodges–Lehman estimator
Elastic Scattering of 190-Mev Deuterons by Protons

The elastic differential scattering cross section of 190-Mev deuterons by protons has been measured from 15\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{} to 170\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{} in the center-of-mass system. The cross sections were obtained by subtracting the carbon counts from those received with a polyethylene target. Part I presents a description of the experiments. Results are shown in Table IV and Fig. 3. Part II compares these results with those expected from theory by making use of a method developed by Chew. A summary of this comparison is given in Table VII. Some nucleon-nucleon interactions involving tensor forces give reasonable agreement between theoretical and experimental results, whereas interactions involving purely central forces appear inadequate.
Thermodynamic potentials and evolution towards the stationary state in open systems of far-from-equilibrium chemical reactions: The affinity squared minimum function

The “evolutionary” characteristics of several quadratic functions (based both on the affinities and on the reaction velocities), and of the entropy production per unit time, have been studied for a number of 2-variable open systems of far-from-equilibrium chemical reactions. The first and second order systems were chosen to include: straight line, loop (network), autocatalytic and disproportionate kinetic features. All of the functions examined are closely related in form to the entropy production though they differ qualitatively and quantitatively in the nonlinear domain. By a combination of analytical and computational methods one function, called ℳ, is seen to have the variational properties of a “thermodynamic potential” for all of the systems, relative to their non-equilibrium stationary states. The “homeostatic-like” stability criterion, d ℳ/dt ≤0 is also seen to hold for these systems. The function, a composite property of the system, may be interpreted as a “kinetically-weighted system-free-energy” quantity, which would tend to be minimized during the evolution, in configuration and in time space, of a constrained biochemical system.
Coherent synchrotron radiation and bunch stability in a compact storage ring

We examine the effect of the collective force due to coherent synchrotron radiation (CSR) in an electron storage ring with small bending radius. In a computation based on time-domain integration of the nonlinear Vlasov equation, we find the threshold current for a longitudinal microwave instability induced by CSR alone. Themodel accounts for suppression of radiation at long wave lengths due to shielding by the vacuum chamber. In a calculation just above threshold, small ripples in the charge distribution build up over a fraction of a synchrotron period, but then die out to yielda relatively smooth but altered distribution with eventual oscillations in bunch length. The instability evolves from small noise on an initial smooth bunch of r.m.s. length much greaterthan the shielding cutoff. The paper includes a derivation and extensive analysis of the complete impedance function Z for synchrotron radiation with parallel plate shielding. We find corrections to the lowest approximation to the coherent force which involve off-diagonal values of Z, that is, fields with phase velocity not equal to the particle velocity.
FIFTY YEARS OF QUANTUM CHEMISTRY

An assessment of some aspects of the impact of quantum mechanics on chemistry will be attempted, with emphasis on the different ways it has had an important influence. These include a change in the chemists' vocabulary, his way of looking at molecules and reactions, the instruments and methods he uses, the psychological satisfaction he gets from his subject, the procedures he uses to describe and to rationalize his results, as well as direct, partly predictive theories and numerical calculations. The introduction and improvement of the electronic computer played a major role but also diverted talent away from the development of new approaches. A number of other questions about quantum chemistry will be raised and personal answers offered.
US Faculty Patenting: Inside and Outside the University

Abstract In a sample of 5811 patents with US faculty as inventors, 26% are assigned solely to firms rather than universities as dictated by US university employment policies and Bayh-Dole. We relate assignment to patent characteristics, university policy, and inventor field. Patents assigned to firms (whether established or start-ups with inventor as principal) are less basic than those assigned to universities suggesting firm assigned patents result from faculty consulting. Assignment to inventor-related start-ups is less likely the higher the share of revenue inventors receive from university-licensed patents. Firm assignment also varies by inventor field and whether the university is public or private.
CRISPR Cas9 Mediated DNA Unwinding Detected using Site-Directed Spin Labeling

The RNA-guided CRISPR–Cas9 nuclease has revolutionized genome engineering, yet its mechanism for DNA target selection is not fully understood. A crucial step in Cas9 target recognition involves unwinding of the DNA duplex to form a three-stranded R-loop structure. Work reported here demonstrates direct detection of Cas9-mediated DNA unwinding by a combination of site-directed spin labeling and molecular dynamics simulations. The results support a model in which the unwound nontarget strand is stabilized by a positively charged patch located between the two nuclease domains of Cas9 and reveal uneven increases in flexibility along the unwound nontarget strand upon scissions of the DNA backbone. This work establishes the synergistic combination of spin-labeling and molecular dynamics to directly monitor Cas9-mediated DNA conformational changes and yields information on the target DNA in different stages of Cas9 function, thus advancing mechanistic understanding of CRISPR–Cas9 and aiding future technological ...
Causal Factors of Effective Psychosocial Outcomes in Online Mental Health Communities

Online mental health communities enable people to seek and provide support, and growing evidence shows the efficacy of community participation to cope with mental health distress. However, what factors of peer support lead to favorable psychosocial outcomes for individuals is less clear. Using a dataset of over 300K posts by ∼39K individuals on an online community TalkLife, we present a study to investigate the effect of several factors, such as adaptability, diversity, immediacy, and the nature of support. Unlike typical causal studies that focus on the effect of each treatment, we focus on the outcome and address the reverse causal question of identifying treatments that may have led to the outcome, drawing on case-control studies in epidemiology. Specifically, we define the outcome as an aggregate of affective, behavioral, and cognitive psychosocial change and identify Case (most improved) and Control (least improved) cohorts of individuals. Considering responses from peers as treatments, we evaluate the differences in the responses received by Case and Control, per matched clusters of similar individuals. We find that effective support includes complex language factors such as diversity, adaptability, and style, but simple indicators such as quantity and immediacy are not causally relevant. Our work bears methodological and design implications for online mental health platforms, and has the potential to guide suggestive interventions for peer supporters on these platforms.
Electron Scattering from Light, Deformed, Oriented Nuclei

Elastic and inelastic electron scattering from several orientations of completely aligned 10B, repre-sented by harmonic oscillator and Tassie model fits of unoriented experimental data, is calculated and compared with scattering from the unoriented target. Results show large effects due to orientation.
Institutional outcomes of whole brain radiotherapy for metastatic melanoma brain metastases.

e14504Background: The management of melanoma with multiple brain metastases (MBM) is complex given improvements in targeted agents, immunotherapy, and radiotherapy. Whole brain radiation therapy (W...
Highly neighborly centrally symmetric spheres

Abstract In 1995, Jockusch constructed an infinite family of centrally symmetric 3-dimensional simplicial spheres that are cs-2-neighborly. Here we generalize his construction and show that for all d ≥ 3 and n ≥ d + 1 , there exists a centrally symmetric d-dimensional simplicial sphere with 2n vertices that is cs- ⌈ d / 2 ⌉ -neighborly. This result combined with work of Adin and Stanley completely resolves the upper bound problem for centrally symmetric simplicial spheres.
Averages of simplex Hilbert transforms

We study a multilinear singular integral obtained by taking averages of simplex Hilbert transforms. This multilinear form is also closely related to Calder\'on commutators and the twisted paraproduct. We prove $L^p$ bounds in dimensions two and three and give a conditional result valid in all dimensions.
Deformation Cones of Nested Braid Fans

Generalized permutohedra are deformations of regular permutohedra, and arise in many different fields of mathematics. One important characterization of generalized permutohedra is the Submodular Theorem, which is related to the deformation cone of the Braid fan. We lay out general techniques for determining deformation cones of a fixed polytope and apply it to the Braid fan to obtain a natural combinatorial proof for the Submodular Theorem. We also consider a refinement of the Braid fan, called the nested Braid fan, and construct usual (respectively, generalized) nested permutohedra which have the nested Braid fan as (respectively, refining) their normal fan. We extend many results on generalized permutohedra to this new family of polytopes, including a one-to-one correspondence between faces of nested permutohedra and chains in ordered partition posets, and a theorem analogous to the Submodular Theorem. Finally, we show that the nested Braid fan is the barycentric subdivision of the Braid fan, which gives another way to construct this new combinatorial object.
Analysis of the energy dissipation laws in multi-component phase field models

In this paper, two approaches for modeling three-component fluid flows using diffusive interface method are discussed. Thermodynamic consistency of the proposed models is preserved when using an energetic variational framework to derive the coupled systems of partial differential equations that comprise the resulting models. The issue of algebraic and dynamic consistency is investigated. In addition, the two approaches that are presented are compared analytically and numerically.
Spatio-Temporal Stochastic Optimization: Theory and Applications to Optimal Control and Co-Design.

There is a rising interest in Spatio-temporal systems described by Partial Differential Equations (PDEs) among the control community. Not only are these systems challenging to control, but the sizing and placement of their actuation is an NP-hard problem on its own. Recent methods either discretize the space before optimziation, or apply tools from linear systems theory under restrictive linearity assumptions. In this work we consider control and actuator placement as a coupled optimization problem, and derive an optimization algorithm on Hilbert spaces for nonlinear PDEs with an additive spatio-temporal description of white noise. We study first and second order systems and in doing so, extend several results to the case of second order PDEs. The described approach is based on variational optimization, and performs joint RL-type optimization of the feedback control law and the actuator design over episodes. We demonstrate the efficacy of the proposed approach with several simulated experiments on a variety of SPDEs.
Immunophenotypic and Pathologic Heterogeneity of Unclassified Renal Cell Carcinoma: A Study of 300 Cases

Summary Renal cell carcinoma, unclassified (RCC-U), is a heterogenous group of tumors that do not fit in any of the recognized histologic types. Immunohistochemical studies are frequently used to characterize these tumors. Herein, we sought to investigate the immunophenotypes of 300 cases of RCC-U. The cases were morphologically classified into three groups: oncocytoma/chromophobe renal cell carcinoma–like, group 1; clear cell renal cell carcinoma–like, group 2; and others (ie, papillary renal cell carcinoma–like/collecting duct–like/pure sarcomatoid), group 3. The male-to-female ratio was 1.4. Most cases (168, 66%) were group 1. Group 3 was associated with larger tumor size, advanced stage, and frequent lymph node metastases. The most commonly used immunohistochemical stains were CK7 (n = 270; 89.5%), vimentin (n = 186, 82%), CD10 (n = 181; 59.9%), and AMACR (n = 162; 54%). Pancytokeratin (79/101; 78.2%) and PAX8 (54/61; 88.5%) were diffusely positive in most cases, followed by AMACR (69/117; 59%). CD117 was positive in 53 of 118 cases (45%). RCC-U is a morphologically and immunophenotypically heterogenous group of tumors, and comprehensive workup is needed before rendering the diagnosis.
Comprehensive Chromosome End Remodeling during Programmed DNA Elimination.

Summary Germline and somatic genomes are in general the same in a multicellular organism. However, programmed DNA elimination leads to a reduced somatic genome compared to germline cells. Previous work on the parasitic nematode Ascaris demonstrated that programmed DNA elimination encompasses high-fidelity chromosomal breaks and loss of specific genome sequences including a major tandem repeat of 120 bp and ~1,000 germline-expressed genes. However, the precise chromosomal locations of these repeats, breaks regions, and eliminated genes remained unknown. We used PacBio long-read sequencing and chromosome conformation capture (Hi-C) to obtain fully assembled chromosomes of Ascaris germline and somatic genomes, enabling a complete chromosomal view of DNA elimination. We found that all 24 germline chromosomes undergo comprehensive chromosome end remodeling with DNA breaks in their subtelomeric regions and loss of distal sequences including the telomeres at both chromosome ends. All new Ascaris somatic chromosome ends are recapped by de novo telomere healing. We provide an ultrastructural analysis of Ascaris DNA elimination and show that eliminated DNA is incorporated into double membrane-bound structures, similar to micronuclei, during telophase of a DNA elimination mitosis. These micronuclei undergo dynamic changes including loss of active histone marks and localize to the cytoplasm following daughter nuclei formation and cytokinesis where they form autophagosomes. Comparative analysis of nematode chromosomes suggests that chromosome fusions occurred, forming Ascaris sex chromosomes that become independent chromosomes following DNA elimination breaks in somatic cells. These studies provide the first chromosomal view and define novel features and functions of metazoan programmed DNA elimination.
Incidence and Risk Factors of Recurrent Clostridioides difficile Infection in Patients With Cirrhosis.

Introduction Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI) is common in patients with cirrhosis and is associated with poor outcomes. CDI risk factors in this population have been well characterized; however, risk factors of recurrent CDI (R-CDI) after treatment have not been explored. We sought to estimate the incidence of R-CDI and its associated risk factors in patients with cirrhosis. Methods We performed a cohort study of patients with cirrhosis hospitalized with CDI between 2012 and 2016. We collected patient characteristics, including detailed information on the CDI, features of the underlying liver disease, and outcomes including R-CDI, hospital readmission, and mortality. R-CDI was defined as CDI occurring 2-8 weeks after the initial episode. Cox proportional hazards model was used to identify variables independently associated with the outcomes. Results A total of 257 hospitalized patients with cirrhosis and CDI were included. CDI was community associated in 22.6%. The incidence of R-CDI was 11.9%. R-CDI was not significantly associated with medications at hospital admission or discharge. Independent risk factors of R-CDI included increased Charlson Comorbidity Index (hazard ratio [HR] 1.30; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.09-1.55) and use of lactulose (HR 2.58; 95% CI: 1.09-6.09). The 30-day readmission rate was 37%, and readmission was associated with increased Charlson Comorbidity Index (HR 1.12; 95% CI: 1.03-1.23) and Model for End-Stage Liver Disease score (HR 1.04; 95% CI: 1.01-1.07). The 90-day mortality was 22.8%. Discussion In patients with cirrhosis, R-CDI is associated with comorbidity burden and lactulose use. Attention to these factors might aid clinicians in efforts to prevent R-CDI and improve outcomes in this population.
Double Directional Channel Measurements for THz Communications in an Urban Environment

While mm-wave systems are a mainstay for 5G communications, the inexorable increase of data rate requirements and user densities will soon require the exploration of next-generation technologies. Among these, Terahertz (THz) band communication seems to be a promising direction due to availability of large bandwidth in the electromagnetic spectrum in this frequency range, and the ability to exploit its directional nature by directive antennas with small form factors. The first step in the analysis of any communication system is the analysis of the propagation channel, since it determines the fundamental limitations it faces. While THz channels have been explored for indoor, short-distance communications, the channels for wireless access links in outdoor environments are largely unexplored. In this paper, we present the - to our knowledge - first set of double-directional outdoor propagation channel measurements for the THz band. Specifically, the measurements are done in the 141 - 148.5 GHz range, which is one of the frequency bands recently allocated for THz research by the Federal Communication Commission (FCC). We employ double directional channel sounding using a frequency domain sounding setup based on RF-over-Fiber (RFoF) extensions for measurements over 100 m distance in urban scenarios. An important result is the surprisingly large number of directions (i.e., direction-of-arrival and direction-of-departure pairs) that carry significant energy. More generally, our results suggest fundamental parameters that can be used in future THz Band analysis and implementations.
Regarding Narrative Justice, Womxn

The story within this article explores how narrative justice can be applied as a form of advocacy for persons seeking access to justice . . . [N]arrative justice is the power of the word—written, spoken, articulated with the emotion or experience of an individual or collective, to shape or express reaction to law and policy.” In particular, Professor Tewari argues, issues “such as environment, transportation, finance, and education also hold narratives that could change the path for reform,” with significant implications for urban law and beyond.
Automatic Validation of Textual Attribute Values in E-commerce Catalog by Learning with Limited Labeled Data

Product catalogs are valuable resources for eCommerce website. In the catalog, a product is associated with multiple attributes whose values are short texts, such as product name, brand, functionality and flavor. Usually individual retailers self-report these key values, and thus the catalog information unavoidably contains noisy facts. It is very important to validate the correctness of these values in order to improve shopper experiences and enable more effective product recommendation. Due to the huge volume of products, an effective automatic validation approach is needed. In this paper, we propose to develop an automatic validation approach that verifies the correctness of textual attribute values for products. This can be formulated as a task as cross-checking a textual attribute value against product profile, which is a short textual description of the product on eCommerce website. Although existing deep neural network models have shown success in conducting cross-checking between two pieces of texts, their success has to be dependent upon a large set of quality labeled data, which are hard to obtain in this validation task: products span a variety of categories. Due to the category difference, annotation has to be done on all the categories, which is impossible to achieve in real practice. To address the aforementioned challenges, we propose a novel meta-learning latent variable approach, called MetaBridge, which can learn transferable knowledge from a subset of categories with limited labeled data and capture the uncertainty of never-seen categories with unlabeled data. More specifically, we make the following contributions. (1) We formalize the problem of validating the textual attribute values of products from a variety of categories as a natural language inference task in the few-shot learning setting, and propose a meta-learning latent variable model to jointly process the signals obtained from product profiles and textual attribute values. (2) We propose to integrate meta learning and latent variable in a unified model to effectively capture the uncertainty of various categories. With this model, annotation costs can be significantly reduced as we make best use of labeled data from limited categories. (3) We propose a novel objective function based on latent variable model in the few-shot learning setting, which ensures distribution consistency between unlabeled and labeled data and prevents overfitting by sampling different records from the learned distribution. Extensive experiments on real eCommerce datasets from hundreds of categories demonstrate the effectiveness of MetaBridge on textual attribute validation and its outstanding performance compared with state-of-the-art approaches.
Genomic resources and toolkits for developmental study of whip spiders (Amblypygi) provide insights into arachnid genome evolution and antenniform leg patterning.

The resurgence of interest in the comparative developmental study of chelicerates has led to important insights, such as the discovery of a genome duplication shared by spiders and scorpions, inferred to have occurred in the most recent common ancestor of Arachnopulmonata (a clade comprising the five arachnid orders that bear book lungs). Nonetheless, several arachnid groups remain understudied in the context of development and genomics, such as the order Amblypygi (whip spiders). The phylogenetic position of Amblypygi in Arachnopulmonata posits them as an interesting group to test the incidence of the proposed genome duplication in the common ancestor of Arachnopulmonata, as well as the degree of retention of duplicates over 450 Myr. Moreover, whip spiders have their first pair of walking legs elongated and modified into sensory appendages (a convergence with the antennae of mandibulates), but the genetic patterning of these antenniform legs has never been investigated. We established genomic resources and protocols for cultivation of embryos and gene expression assays by in situ hybridization to study the development of the whip spider Phrynus marginemaculatus. Using embryonic transcriptomes from three species of Amblypygi, we show that the ancestral whip spider exhibited duplications of all ten Hox genes. We deploy these resources to show that paralogs of the leg gap genes dachshund and homothorax retain arachnopulmonate-specific expression patterns in P. marginemaculatus. We characterize the expression of leg gap genes Distal-less, dachshund-1/2 and homothorax-1/2 in the embryonic antenniform leg and other appendages, and provide evidence that allometry, and by extension the antenniform leg fate, is specified early in embryogenesis. This study is the first step in establishing P. marginemaculatus as a chelicerate model for modern evolutionary developmental study, and provides the first resources sampling whip spiders for comparative genomics. Our results suggest that Amblypygi share a genome duplication with spiders and scorpions, and set up a framework to study the genetic specification of antenniform legs. Future efforts to study whip spider development must emphasize the development of tools for functional experiments in P. marginemaculatus.
Quantum maximin surfaces

We formulate a quantum generalization of maximin surfaces and show that a quantum maximin surface is identical to the minimal quantum extremal surface, introduced in the EW prescription. We discuss various subtleties and complications associated to a maximinimization of the bulk von Neumann entropy due to corners and unboundedness and present arguments that nonetheless a maximinimization of the UV-finite generalized entropy should be well-defined. We give the first general proof that the EW prescription satisfies entanglement wedge nesting and the strong subadditivity inequality. In addition, we apply the quantum maximin technology to prove that recently proposed generalizations of the EW prescription to nonholographic subsystems (including the so-called “quantum extremal islands”) also satisfy entanglement wedge nesting and strong subadditivity. Our results hold in the regime where backreaction of bulk quantum fields can be treated perturbatively in GNħ, but we emphasize that they are valid even when gradients of the bulk entropy are of the same order as variations in the area, a regime recently investigated in new models of black hole evaporation in AdS/CFT.
Multiplication-invariant operators and the classification of LCA group frames

Abstract In this paper we study the properties of multiplication invariant (MI) operators acting on subspaces of the vector-valued space L 2 ( X ; H ) . We characterize such operators in terms of range functions by showing that there is an isomorphism between the category of MI spaces (with MI operators as morphisms) and the category of measurable range functions whose morphisms are measurable range operators. We investigate how global properties of an MI operator are reflected by local pointwise properties of its corresponding range operator. We also establish several results about frames generated by multiplications in L 2 ( X ; H ) . This includes the classification of frames of multiplications with respect to unitary equivalence by measurable fields of Gramians. Finally, we show applications of our results in the study of abelian group frames and translation-invariant (TI) operators acting on subspaces of L 2 ( G ) , where G is a locally compact group.
The multiple flying sidekicks traveling salesman problem with variable drone speeds

Abstract This research considers unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) that may travel at varying speeds in a last-mile delivery system involving a single truck and a fleet of UAVs. In existing truck-and-UAV delivery models that assume constant or unlimited UAV endurance, the natural conclusion is that operating UAVs at higher speeds will either decrease, or have no adverse effect on, total delivery times. However, in reality, UAV power consumption is a nonlinear function of both speed and parcel weight; flying at high speeds can dramatically reduce flight ranges, thus limiting the effectiveness of these logistics systems. This paper addresses the tradeoffs between speed and range in a new variant of the combined truck/UAV delivery problem in which UAV speeds are treated as decision variables. A three-phased algorithm is provided that dynamically adjusts UAV speeds to achieve superior performance, with the goal of minimizing the total delivery time (or makespan). Results indicate that significant time savings can be achieved by operating UAVs at variable speeds. Furthermore, under certain conditions, optimizing UAV speeds also results in shorter truck travel distances, reduced UAV energy consumption per trip, and less UAV loitering while waiting to rendezvous with the truck.
Multivariate Time Series Classification Using Spiking Neural Networks

There is an increasing demand to process streams of temporal data in energy-limited scenarios such as embedded devices, driven by the advancement and expansion of Internet of Things (IoT) and Cyber-Physical Systems (CPS). Spiking neural network has drawn attention as it enables low power consumption by encoding and processing information as sparse spike events, which can be exploited for event-driven computation. Recent works also show SNNs’ capability to process spatial temporal information. Such advantages can be exploited by power-limited devices to process real-time sensor data. However, most existing SNN training algorithms focus on vision tasks and temporal credit assignment is not addressed. Furthermore, widely adopted rate encoding ignores temporal information, hence it’s not suitable for representing time series. In this work, we present an encoding scheme to convert time series into sparse spatial temporal spike patterns. A training algorithm to classify spatial temporal patterns is also proposed. Proposed approach is evaluated on multiple time series datasets in the UCR repository and achieved performance comparable to deep neural networks.
Public pension reform and the 49th parallel: Lessons from Canada for the U.S.

Public employee pension systems around the world show remarkable diversity in design and execution. Among these, the U.S. defined benefit public pension system has drawn increased attention because of questions about the long-term sustainability of many of the underlying pension funds – as well as concerns of equity between pension plan members, retirees, taxpayers, bondholders, and users of public services. The Covid-19 pandemic introduced new fissures in state and local government finances, heightening the need to bolster long-term public pension fund robustness. As an alternative model, the Canadian public pension system is widely respected. This was not foreordained. The authors trace difficult decisions undertaken in Canada in the 1980s and 1990s along with essential descriptive features of the Canadian Model. Using a novel primary dataset, the authors benchmark the 25 largest U.S. plans against their ten largest Canadian peers, exploring key issues in a paired analysis. The authors extract fundamental lessons from the Canadian experience, proposing a roadmap for reform of the U.S. public pension system. They argue that long-term pension sustainability, once politically prioritized, most be built on equity and discipline in plan design, funding, and amortization of existing deficits. They emphasize the importance of legal framework, particularly joint sponsorship, alongside enhanced governance and unified legislation. They also draw lessons from the Canadian experience with respect to enhanced investment organizations and investment strategies.
Pancreatlas: Applying an Adaptable Framework to Map the Human Pancreas in Health and Disease

Human tissue phenotyping generates complex spatial information from numerous imaging modalities, yet images typically become static figures for publication, and original data and metadata are rarely available. While comprehensive image maps exist for some organs, most resources have limited support for multiplexed imaging or have non-intuitive user interfaces. Therefore, we built a Pancreatlas resource that integrates several technologies into a unique interface, allowing users to access richly annotated web pages, drill down to individual images, and deeply explore data online. The current version of Pancreatlas contains over 800 unique images acquired by whole-slide scanning, confocal microscopy, and imaging mass cytometry, and is available at https://www.pancreatlas.org. To create this human pancreas-specific biological imaging resource, we developed a React-based web application and Python-based application programming interface, collectively called Flexible Framework for Integrating and Navigating Data (FFIND), which can be adapted beyond Pancreatlas to meet countless imaging or other structured data-management needs.
Cryptocurrency Adoption with Speculative Price Bubbles

This paper marries models of stochastic bubbles and the standard model of product diffusion to study the role of price bubbles in cryptocurrency adoption.
Virtual immersions and minimal hypersurfaces in compact symmetric spaces

We show that closed, immersed, minimal hypersurfaces in a compact symmetric space satisfy a lower bound on the index plus nullity, which depends linearly on their first Betti number. Moreover, if either the minimal hypersurface satisfies a certain genericity condition, or if the ambient space is a product of two CROSSes, we improve this to a lower bound on the index alone, which is affine in the first Betti number. To prove these results, we introduce a generalization of isometric immersions in Euclidean space. Compact symmetric spaces admit (and in fact are characterized by) such a structure with skew-symmetric second fundamental form.
Efficient network navigation with partial information

We propose a information theoretical framework to capture transition and information costs of network navigation models. Based on the minimum description length principle and the Markov decision process, we demonstrate that efficient global navigation can be achieved with only partial information. Additionally, we derived a scalable algorithm for optimal solutions under certain conditions. The proposed algorithm can be interpreted as a dynamical process on network, making it a useful tool for analysing and understanding navigation strategies on real world networks.
Statistical Learning Based Joint Antenna Selection and User Scheduling for Single-Cell Massive MIMO Systems

Large number of antennas and radio frequency (RF) chains at the base stations (BSs) lead to high energy consumption in massive MIMO systems. Thus, how to improve the energy efficiency (EE) with a computationally efficient approach is a significant challenge in the design of massive MIMO systems. With this motivation, a learning-based stochastic gradient descent algorithm is proposed in this article to obtain the optimal joint uplink and downlink EE with joint antenna selection and user scheduling in single-cell massive MIMO systems. Using Jensen’s inequality and the characteristics of wireless channels, a lower bound on the system throughput is obtained. Subsequently, incorporating the power consumption model, the corresponding lower bound on the EE of the system is identified. Finally, learning-based stochastic gradient descent method is used to solve the joint antenna selection and user scheduling problem, which is a combinatorial optimization problem. Rare event simulation is embedded in the learning-based stochastic gradient descent method to generate samples with very small probabilities. In the analysis, both perfect and imperfect channel side information (CSI) at the BS are considered. Minimum mean-square error (MMSE) channel estimation is employed in the study of the imperfect CSI case. In addition, the effect of a constraint on the number of available RF chains in massive MIMO system is investigated considering both perfect and imperfect CSI at the BS.
Electric-field-intensity-modulated scattering as a thin-film depth probe

Grazing-incidence X-ray scattering is a common technique to elucidate nanostructural information for thin-film samples, but depth-resolving this nanostructure is difficult using a single or few images. An in situ method to extract film thickness, the index of refraction and depth information using scattering images taken across a range of incident angles is presented here. The technique is described within the multilayer distorted-wave Born approximation and validated using two sets of polymer thin films. Angular divergence and energy resolution effects are considered, and implementation of the technique as a general beamline procedure is discussed. Electric-field-intensity-modulated scattering is a general technique applicable to myriad materials and enables the acquisition of depth-sensitive information in situ at any grazing-incidence-capable beamline.
Index polynomials for virtual tangles

We generalize the index polynomial invariant, originally introduced by Turaev [Cobordism of knots on surfaces, J. Topol. 1(2) (2008) 285–305] and Henrich [A sequence of degree one vassiliev invaria...
An Extended Model for the Evolution of Prebiotic Homochirality: A Bottom-Up Approach to the Origin of Life

A generalized autocatalytic model for chiral polymerization is investigated in detail. Apart from enantiomeric cross-inhibition, the model allows for the autogenic (non-catalytic) formation of left and right-handed monomers from a substrate with reaction rates e L and e R , respectively. The spatiotemporal evolution of the net chiral asymmetry is studied for models with several values of the maximum polymer length, N. For N = 2, we study the validity of the adiabatic approximation often cited in the literature. We show that the approximation obtains the correct equilibrium values of the net chirality, but fails to reproduce the short time behavior. We show also that the autogenic term in the full N = 2 model behaves as a control parameter in a chiral symmetry-breaking phase transition leading to full homochirality from racemic initial conditions. We study the dynamics of the N→ ∞ model with symmetric (e L = e R ) autogenic formation, showing that it only achieves homochirality for e > e c , where e c is an N-dependent critical value. For e ≤ e c we investigate the behavior of models with several values of N, showing that the net chiral asymmetry grows as tanh(N). We show that for a given symmetric autogenic reaction rate, the net chirality and the concentrations of chirally pure polymers increase with the maximum polymer length in the model. We briefly discuss the consequences of our results for the development of homochirality in prebiotic Earth and possible experimental verification of our findings.
Kepler Studies of Low-mass Eclipsing Binaries. I. Parameters of the Long-period Binary KIC?6131659

KIC 6131659 is a long-period (17.5 days) eclipsing binary discovered by the Kepler mission. We analyzed six quarters of Kepler data along with supporting ground-based photometric and spectroscopic data to obtain accurate values for the mass and radius of both stars, namely, M{sub 1} = 0.922 {+-} 0.007 M{sub Sun }, R{sub 1} = 0.8800 {+-} 0.0028 R{sub Sun }, and M{sub 2} = 0.685 {+-} 0.005 M{sub Sun }, R{sub 2} = 0.6395 {+-} 0.0061 R{sub Sun }. There is a well-known issue with low-mass (M {approx}< 0.8 M{sub Sun }) stars (in cases where the mass and radius measurement uncertainties are smaller than 2% or 3%) where the measured radii are almost always 5% to 15% larger than expected from evolutionary models, i.e., the measured radii are all above the model isochrones in a mass-radius plane. In contrast, the two stars in KIC 6131659 were found to sit on the same theoretical isochrone in the mass-radius plane. Until recently, all of the well-studied eclipsing binaries with low-mass stars had periods of less than about three days. The stars in such systems may have been inflated by high levels of stellar activity induced by tidal effects in these closemore » binaries. KIC 6131659 shows essentially no evidence of enhanced stellar activity, and our measurements support the hypothesis that the unusual mass-radius relationship observed in most low-mass stars is influenced by strong magnetic activity created by the rapid rotation of the stars in tidally locked, short-period systems. Finally, using short cadence data, we show that KIC 6131657 has one of the smallest measured non-zero eccentricities of a binary with two main-sequence stars, where ecos {omega} (4.57 {+-} 0.02) Multiplication-Sign 10{sup -5}.« less
Parallel Implicit-Explicit General Linear Methods

High-order discretizations of partial differential equations (PDEs) necessitate high-order time integration schemes capable of handling both stiff and nonstiff operators in an efficient manner. Implicit-explicit (IMEX) integration based on general linear methods (GLMs) offers an attractive solution due to their high stage and method order, as well as excellent stability properties. The IMEX characteristic allows stiff terms to be treated implicitly and nonstiff terms to be efficiently integrated explicitly. This work develops two systematic approaches for the development of IMEX GLMs of arbitrary order with stages that can be solved in parallel. The first approach is based on diagonally implicit multi-stage integration methods (DIMSIMs) of types 3 and 4. The second is a parallel generalization of IMEX Euler and has the interesting feature that the linear stability is independent of the order of accuracy. Numerical experiments confirm the theoretical rates of convergence and reveal that the new schemes are more efficient than serial IMEX GLMs and IMEX Runge–Kutta methods.
Blind Witnesses Quench Quantum Interference without Transfer of Which-Path Information.

Quantum computation is often limited by environmentally-induced decoherence. We examine the loss of coherence for a two-branch quantum interference device in the presence of multiple witnesses, representing an idealized environment. Interference oscillations are visible in the output as the magnetic flux through the branches is varied. Quantum double-dot witnesses are field-coupled and symmetrically attached to each branch. The global system—device and witnesses—undergoes unitary time evolution with no increase in entropy. Witness states entangle with the device state, but for these blind witnesses, which-path information is not able to be transferred to the quantum state of witnesses—they cannot “see” or make a record of which branch is traversed. The system which-path information leaves no imprint on the environment. Yet, the presence of a multiplicity of witnesses rapidly quenches quantum interference.
Big fields that are not large

A subfield $K$ of $\bar{\mathbb{Q}}$ is $large$ if every smooth curve $C$ over $K$ with a rational point has infinitely many rational points. A subfield $K$ of $\bar{\mathbb{Q}}$ is $big$ if for every positive integer $n$, $K$ contains a number field $F$ with $[F:\mathbb{Q}]$ divisible by $n$. The question of whether all big fields are large seems to have circulated for some time, although we have been unable to find its origin. In this paper we show that there are big fields that are not large.
Minimal hypersurfaces with small first eigenvalue in manifolds of positive Ricci curvature

In this paper we exhibit deformations of the hemisphere S+n+1, n ≥ 2, for which the ambient Ricci curvature lower bound Ric ≥ n and the minimality of the boundary are preserved, but the first Laplace eigenvalue of the boundary decreases. The existence of these metrics suggests that any resolution of Yau’s conjecture on the first eigenvalue of minimal hypersurfaces in spheres would likely need to consider more geometric data than a Ricci curvature lower bound.
LOCAL RADIATION HYDRODYNAMIC SIMULATIONS OF MASSIVE STAR ENVELOPES AT THE IRON OPACITY PEAK

We perform three dimensional radiation hydrodynamic simulations of the structure and dynamics of radiation dominated envelopes of massive stars at the location of the iron opacity peak. One dimensional hydrostatic calculations predict an unstable density inversion at this location, whereas our simulations reveal a complex interplay of convective and radiative transport whose behavior depends on the ratio of the photon diffusion time to the dynamical time. The latter is set by the ratio of the optical depth per pressure scale height, $\tau_0$, to $\tau_c=c/c_g$, where $c_g \approx$ 50 km/s is the isothermal sound speed in the gas alone. When $\tau_0 \gg \tau_c$, convection reduces the radiation acceleration and removes the density inversion. The turbulent energy transport in the simulations agrees with mixing length theory and provides its first numerical calibration in the radiation dominated regime. When $\tau_0 \ll \tau_c$, convection becomes inefficient and the turbulent energy transport is negligible. The turbulent velocities exceed $c_g$, driving shocks and large density fluctuations that allow photons to preferentially diffuse out through low-density regions. However, the effective radiation acceleration is still larger than the gravitational acceleration so that the time average density profile contains a modest density inversion. In addition, the simulated envelope undergoes large-scale oscillations with periods of a few hours. The turbulent velocity field may affect the broadening of spectral lines and therefore stellar rotation measurements in massive stars, while the time variable outer atmosphere could lead to variations in their mass loss and stellar radius.