cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Synaptic Transmission: An Information-Theoretic Perspective

Here we analyze synaptic transmission from an information-theoretic perspective. We derive closed-form expressions for the lower-bounds on the capacity of a simple model of a cortical synapse under two explicit coding paradigms. Under the "signal estimation" paradigm, we assume the signal to be encoded in the mean firing rate of a Poisson neuron. The performance of an optimal linear estimator of the signal then provides a lower bound on the capacity for signal estimation. Under the "signal detection" paradigm, the presence or absence of the signal has to be detected. Performance of the optimal spike detector allows us to compute a lower bound on the capacity for signal detection. We find that single synapses (for empirically measured parameter values) transmit information poorly but significant improvement can be achieved with a small amount of redundancy.
A design for securing data delivery in mesh-based peer-to-peer streaming

While mesh-based approaches have emerged as the dominant architecture for P2P streaming, the performance of these approaches under malicious participants has received little attention. In this paper, we provide a taxonomy of the implicit commitments made by nodes when peering with others. We show that when these commitments are not enforced explicitly, they can be exploited by malicious nodes to conduct attacks that degrade the data delivery service. We consider mesh-based specific P2P attacks where malicious nodes deliberately become neighbors of a large number of nodes and do not upload data to them, or malicious nodes deliberately delay packets till they are not useful anymore for the application. We focus on these attacks given the limited attention paid to them, and the significant impact they can have on overall data delivery. We present mechanisms that can enhance the resilience of mesh-based streaming against such attacks. A key part of our solution is a novel reputation scheme that combines feedback from both the control and data planes of the overlay. We evaluate our design with real-world experiments on the PlanetLab testbed and show that our design is effective. Even when there are 30% attackers, nodes receive 92% of the data with our schemes, however without our schemes they only receive 10% of the data.
The impact of medical comorbidity on acute treatment in major depressive disorder.

OBJECTIVE: The authors investigated the impact of medical comorbidity on the acute phase of antidepressant treatment in subjects with major depressive disorder. METHOD: A total of 384 outpatients meeting DSM-III-R criteria for major depressive disorder enrolled in 8-week open treatment with fluoxetine, 20 mg/day. The authors used the Cumulative Illness Rating Scale to measure the burden of medical comorbidity and the 17-item Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression to assess changes in depressive symptoms. The outcome measures were response to treatment (≥50% reduction in score) and clinical remission (score ≤7 at the end of the trial). RESULTS: Compared to responders to fluoxetine, nonresponders had significantly higher Cumulative Illness Rating Scale scores and a greater number of Cumulative Illness Rating Scale categories were endorsed. Compared to subjects who achieved remission with antidepressant treatment, those who did not achieve remission had significantly higher Cumulative Illness Rating Scale scor...
Ischemic core and penumbra in human stroke

Background and Purpose—The ischemic core and penumbra have not been thoroughly characterized after acute cerebral thromboembolic occlusion in humans. Differentiation between areas of potentially viable and irreversibly injured ischemic tissue may facilitate assessment and treatment of stroke patients. Methods—Cerebral blood flow (CBF) was measured in 20 patients with acute middle cerebral artery (MCA) occlusion between 60 and 360 minutes after stroke onset, with the stable xenon computerized tomography (CT) technique. Threshold displays were generated at a single level, and the percentages of hemisphere with CBF ≤6, ≤10, 11 to 20, 21 to 30, and >30 cm3 · 100 g−1 · min−1 were measured. The corresponding images on 12 available follow-up CT scans were similarly assessed to determine the area of final infarct. Comparisons were analyzed with a paired Student’s t test and Pearson’s correlation coefficient. Results—Discrete and confluent areas of CBF ≤20 cm3 · 100 g−1 · min−1 were identified in all patients, ips...
Assortment Size and Option Attractiveness in Consumer Choice Among Retailers

Abstract An important decision that retailers make involves selecting the number of items constituting their assortments. A key issue in making these decisions is the role of assortment size in determining consumers' choice of a retailer. The authors address this issue by investigating how consumer choice among retailers offering various-sized assortments is influenced by the attractiveness of the options constituting these assortments. The data show that consumer preference for retailers offering larger assortments tends to decrease as the attractiveness of the options in their assortments increases and can even lead to a reversal of preferences in favor of retailers offering smaller assortments. This research further presents evidence that the relationship between assortment size and option attractiveness is concave, such that the marginal impact of assortment size on choice decreases as the attractiveness of the options increases. Data from eight empirical studies offer converging evidence in support o...
Utility Maximization under Model Uncertainty in Discrete Time

We give a general formulation of the utility maximization problem under nondominated model uncertainty in discrete time and show that an optimal portfolio exists for any utility function that is bounded from above. In the unbounded case, integrability conditions are needed as nonexistence may arise even if the value function is finite.
A technique for autonomous underwater vehicle route planning

An algorithm that uses artificial potential fields to aid in the path planning of autonomous underwater vehicles is presented. The planning consists of applying potential fields around the obstacles and using the field to select a safe path for the robot to follow. In the method presented, a trial path is chosen and then modified under the influence of the potential field until an appropriate path is found. By considering the entire path, the problem of being trapped in a local minimum is greatly reduced, allowing the method to be used for global planning. The algorithm was tried with success on many different planning problems. The examples illustrate the algorithm applied to 2D and 3D planning problems. >
Constrained Hermite TLS for Mesh-free Derivative Estimation Near and On Boundaries

A Taylor Series Least Squares approach to estimating derivatives on scattered data is extended to include derivative observation or specification. This approach allows improved estimation of derivatives near boundaries as compared to the standard ghost node approach. It also enables a unique method of estimating derivatives in a surface using only surface data.
Geologic orbital photography - Experience from the Gemini program

Abstract Most of the Gemini flights carried a terrain photography experiment, whose objective was to obtain small-scale color photographs, with 70 mm hand-held cameras, of selected land and ocean areas for geologic, geographic, and oceanographic research. The experiment was highly successful, with nearly 1,100 usable pictures being returned. This paper describes the terrain photography experiment, presents specific geologic applications of the Gemini pictures, and discusses the advantages and disadvantages of geologic orbital photography. Equipment used for the terrain photography included Hasselblad 500-C and SWC cameras, and the Maurer 70 mm Space Camera, with 38 mm, 80 mm, and 250 mm focal length lenses. Most pictures were taken with Ektachrome; also used were Anscochrome D-50 and Ektachrome Infrared film. Haze filters were used with the Hasselblad cameras. Specific geologic applications of the Gemini photographs include: (1) study and remapping of part of northern Baja California, Mexico, in the vicinity of the Agua Blanca fault; (2) study of the tectonics and geology of northern Chihuahua, Mexico, in the vicinity of Palomas; (3) unsuccessful search for the Texas Lineament; (4) study of a regional dune-fracture pattern surrounding the Tibesti massif in Chad and Libya; and (5) study of the theory that the Arabian Sea is a sphenochasm, formed by continental drift. The major advantages of orbital photography, as shown by the Gemini pictures, appear to be large area per picture, global coverage, unlimited dissemination, availability of color or multispectral coverage, and wide range of scales. Major disadvantages, compared to aerial photography, include difficulty of changing the flight path and of obtaining high-latitude coverage, the necessity for continual spacecraft orientation, high degree of global cloud cover, daylight restrictions, resolution limits, target acquisition, film degradation due to radiation, loss of resolution and color rendition from atmospheric scattering, and the necessity of vertical or near-vertical camera orientation. All of these problems can be overcome if mission planning and spacecraft design allow fully for photographic requirements. It is concluded that the geologic value and feasibility of orbital photography have been demonstrated. The most promising geologic uses of orbital photographs appear to be in regional geologic mapping, tectonics, sedimentation, planning of geological and geophysical field work, and interpretation of regional geophysical surveys.
Cash-on-Hand and Competing Models of Intertemporal Behavior: New Evidence from the Labor Market

This paper presents new tests of the permanent income hypothesis and other widely used models of household behavior using data from the labor market. We estimate the excess sensitivity of job search behavior to cash-on-hand using sharp discontinuities in eligibility for severance pay and extended unemployment insurance (UI) benefits in Austria. Analyzing data for over one-half million job losers, we obtain three empirical results: (1) a lump-sum severance payment equal to two months of earnings reduces the job-finding rate by 8%–12% on average; (2) an extension of the potential duration of UI benefits from 20 weeks to 30 weeks similarly lowers job-finding rates in the first 20 weeks of search by 5%–9%; and (3) increases in the duration of search induced by the two programs have little or no effect on subsequent job match quality. Using a search-theoretic model, we show that estimates of the relative effect of severance pay and extended benefits can be used to calibrate and test a wide set of intertemporal models. Our estimates of this ratio are inconsistent with the predictions of a simple permanent income model, as well as naive rule of thumb behavior. The representative job searcher in our data is 70% of the way between the permanent income benchmark and credit-constrained behavior in terms of sensitivity to cash-on-hand.
Synthesis and in vitro Antimicrobial Activity of Chloramphenicol- Conjugated Copolymers

Two copolymers of maleic anhydride, 10-undecendyl chloride-co- maleic anhydride and acryloyl chloride-co-maleic anhydride, were synthesized, esterified with chloramphenicol, and tested for antimicrobial activity via Kirby-Bauer disk sensitivity and broth dilution methods. Both polymer-drug conjugates exhibited antimicrobial activities of at least 10% of that exhibited by unconjugated chloramphenicol. As maleic anhydride copolymers are taken up selectively by macrophages, they should be effective in concentrating the an tibiotic in these cells allowing for its use at lower dosage. Such agents might prove effective in treating diseases such as legionellosis with fewer toxic side- effects such as aplastic anemia.
Smart icing systems for aircraft icing safety

Ice accretion affects the performance and control of an aircraft and in extreme situations can lead to incidents and accidents. However, changes in performance and control are difficult to sense. As a result, the icing sensors currently in use sense primarily ice accretion, not the effect of the ice. No processed aircraft performance degradation information is available to the pilot. In this paper, the Smart Icing System research program is reviewed and progress towards its development reported. Such a system would sense ice accretion through traditional icing sensors and use modern system identification methods to estimate aircraft performance and control changes. This information would be used to automatically operate ice protection systems, provide aircraft envelope protection and, if icing was severe, adapt the flight controls. All of this would be properly communicated to and coordinated with the flight crew. In addition to describing the basic concept, this paper reviews the research conducted to date in three critical areas; aerodynamics and flight mechanics, aircraft control and identification, and human factors. In addition, the flight simulation development is reviewed, as well as the Twin Otter flight test program that is being conducted in cooperation with NASA Glenn Research Center.
They Died With Their Boots On: Breaking the Myth of the Categorization of the Gunmen of the American West

Many people have a very limited view on the gunmen of the American West. By looking at the lives of some of the extraordinary men and women who were western gunmen, new perspective is gained on their lives. This perspective shatters many common western stereotypes and disproves much western mythology. Looking at their lives overthrows popular mythology of the good gunman against the bad gunmen. A person did not have to be an outlaw, a murderer a man or even an evil person to be a western gunman.
Controlling stereoselection in intramolecular heck reactions by tailoring the palladium catalyst

Abstract Cyclization of the acryloyl 2′-bromoanilide 1a with a “ligandless” palladium(0) catalyst affords the pentacyclic oxindole 2a (ds = 9:1), while cyclization of 1a with a palladium(0) catalyst in the presence of a silver salt provides the stereoisomeric oxindole 3a (ds = 97:3).
No evidence that natural selection has been less effective at removing deleterious mutations in Europeans than in West Africans

Non-African populations have experienced major bottlenecks in the time since their split from West Africans, which has led to the hypothesis that natural selection to remove weakly deleterious mutations may have been less effective in non-Africans. To directly test this hypothesis, we measure the per-genome accumulation of deleterious mutations across diverse humans. We fail to detect any significant differences, but find that archaic Denisovans accumulated non-synonymous mutations at a higher rate than modern humans, consistent with the longer separation time of modern and archaic humans. We also revisit the empirical patterns that have been interpreted as evidence for less effective removal of deleterious mutations in non-Africans than in West Africans, and show they are not driven by differences in selection after population separation, but by neutral evolution.
Design, synthesis, and antiviral evaluation of some 3'-carboxymethyl-3'-deoxyadenosine derivatives.

3′-Carboxymethyl-3′-deoxyadenosine derivatives were prepared from 2′-O-TBDMS-3′-[(ethoxycarbonyl)methyl]-3′-deoxyadenosine (1) via simple and efficient procedures. Conversion of 1 to its 5′-azido-5′-deoxy derivative 5 was accomplished via a novel one-pot method employing 5′-activation (TosCl) followed by efficient nucleophilic displacement with tetramethylguanidinium azide. Compound 5 was converted to 5′-[(N-methylcarbamoyl)amino] derivative 8 via one-pot reduction/acylation employing H2/Pd-C followed by treatment with p-nitrophenyl N-methylcarbamate. N 6-phenylcarbamoyl groups were introduced by treatment with phenylisocyanate, and an efficient new method for lactonization of 2′-O-TBDMS-3′-[(ethoxycarbonyl)methyl]-3′-deoxyadenosines to give corresponding 2′,3′-lactones was also developed. Target compounds were evaluated for anti-HIV and anti-HIV integrase activities, but were not active at the concentrations tested.
Superstrings in AdS

This is a comprehensive review of the worldsheet techniques for the quantization of type IIB superstring theory on the AdS5×S5 background, using the pure spinor formalism. Particular emphasis is devoted to AdS/CFT applications, with several examples worked out in detail. The review is self-contained and pedagogical.
KANE-PUMPLIN-REPKO FACTORIZATION: ITS APPLICATION TO PRECISION MEASUREMENTS OF TRANSVERSE SPIN ASYMMETRIES AND TO THE STUDY OF TMD EVOLUTION

This article presents a summary of overlapping presentations by the author to the QCD Evolution 2013 Workshop (Jefferson Lab, May 6-10, 2013) and to the Opportunities for Polarized Physics at Fermilab workshop (Fermilab, May 20-22, 2013). It contains an introduction to the concept of Kane-Pumplin-Repko (KPR) factorization and describes how this concept can be used in the analysis of high precision measurements of parity-conserving transverse single-spin asymmetries. The discussion demonstrates that such measurements can not only probe directly for specific mechanisms that enhance our fundamental understanding of nonperturbative QCD dynamics but, because transverse spin asymmetries are unambiguously parameterized by a spin-directed momentum shift, 2 (, ) TN kx δ μ , such measurements can also be used to calibrate other phenomenological applications of transverse momentum dependent distributions (TMD’s) and of TMD evolution. The calibration supplied by these measurements can thus enable the use of TMD factorization for the exploration of a broad range of other aspects of hadronic structure. KPR factorization ensures that 2 (, ) TN kx δ μ remains invariant under TMD evolution and this invariance can be used in the precision comparison of transverse single-spin asymmetries in the Drell-Yan process with those in Semi-inclusive deep inelastic scattering.
Kerr-Schild Ansatz in Lovelock Gravity

The Kerr-Schild ansatz in Einstein gravity leads to a drastic simplification of the vacuum field equations. We show that in Gauss-Bonnet gravity a similar simplification occurs only in the limiting, special case that a single constant curvature vacuum state exists. In D = 5 this coincides with the theory that can be realized, in analogy with Einstein gravity in D = 3, as a Chern-Simons gauge theory. Our results for higher order Lovelock theories are less complete, but lead us to expect a similar conclusion. Namely, the field equations for Kerr-Schild metrics will simplify most drastically in theories having a unique, degenerate constant curvature vacuum.
On conformal field theories in four dimensions

Abstract Extending recent work of Kachru and Silverstein, we consider “orbifolds” of four-dimensional N = 4 SU(n) super-Yang-Mills theories with respect to discrete subgroups of the SU(4) R-symmetry which act non-trivially on the gauge group. We show that for every discrete subgroup of SU(4) there is a canonical choice of imbedding of the discrete group in the gauge group which leads to theories with a vanishing one-loop beta-function. We conjecture that these give rise to (generically non-supersymmetric) conformal theories. The gauge group is ⊗iSU(Nni), where ni denote the dimension of the irreducible representations of the corresponding discrete group; there is also bifundamental matter, dictated by associated quiver diagrams. The interactions can also be read off from the quiver diagram. For SU(3) and SU(2) subgroups this leads to superconformal theories with N = 1 and N = 2 , respectively. In the N = 1 case we prove the vanishing of the beta functions to two loops.
PAR-3 mediates the initial clustering and apical localization of junction and polarity proteins during C. elegans intestinal epithelial cell polarization

The apicobasal polarity of epithelial cells is critical for organ morphogenesis and function, and loss of polarity can promote tumorigenesis. Most epithelial cells form when precursor cells receive a polarization cue, develop distinct apical and basolateral domains and assemble junctions near their apical surface. The scaffolding protein PAR-3 regulates epithelial cell polarity, but its cellular role in the transition from precursor cell to polarized epithelial cell has not been determined in vivo. Here, we use a targeted protein-degradation strategy to remove PAR-3 from C. elegans embryos and examine its cellular role as intestinal precursor cells become polarized epithelial cells. At initial stages of polarization, PAR-3 accumulates in cortical foci that contain E-cadherin, other adherens junction proteins, and the polarity proteins PAR-6 and PKC-3. Using live imaging, we show that PAR-3 foci move apically and cluster, and that PAR-3 is required to assemble E-cadherin into foci and for foci to accumulate at the apical surface. We propose that PAR-3 facilitates polarization by promoting the initial clustering of junction and polarity proteins that then travel and accumulate apically. Unexpectedly, superficial epidermal cells form apical junctions in the absence of PAR-3, and we show that PAR-6 has a PAR-3-independent role in these cells to promote apical junction maturation. These findings indicate that PAR-3 and PAR-6 function sequentially to position and mature apical junctions, and that the requirement for PAR-3 can vary in different types of epithelial cells.
Silicon auditory processors as computer peripherals

Several research groups are implementing analog integrated circuit models of biological auditory processing. The outputs of these circuit models have taken several forms, including video format for monitor display, simple scanned output for oscilloscope display, and parallel analog outputs suitable for data-acquisition systems. Here, an alternative output method for silicon auditory models, suitable for direct interface to digital computers, is described. As a prototype of this method, an integrated circuit model of temporal adaptation in the auditory nerve that functions as a peripheral to a workstation running Unix is described. Data from a working hybrid system that includes the auditory model, a digital interface, and asynchronous software are given. This system produces a real-time X-window display of the response of the auditory nerve model. >
Applications of 40-Gb/s Chirp-Managed Laser in Access and Metro Networks

We investigate 40-Gb/s cost-efficient transmitter for access and metro networks. This 40-Gb/s transmitter comprises a standard directly modulated distributed-feedback (DFB) laser and a subsequent optical filter. Large dispersion tolerance of this transmitter is realized by chirp control through the phase correlation between adjacent bits for the destructive interference in order to erase the power of ldquo0rdquo bits while enhancing the extinction ratio. The chirp model of the DFB laser and the optimum parameters of the optical filter have been numerically analyzed. The chirp-managed 42.8-Gb/s transmission over 20-km standard single mode fiber (SSMF or SMF-28) without dispersion compensation and a centralized lightwave WDM-PON system are experimentally demonstrated. We have also realized the transmission over 100-m graded index plastic optical fiber (GI-POF). Moreover, the application in the metro network over 240-km SSMF or SMF-28 has also been investigated in this paper.
What Have We Learned from Helioseismology, What Have We Really Learned, and What Do We Aspire to Learn?

Helioseismology has been widely acclaimed as having been a great success: it appears to have answered nearly all the questions that we originally asked, some with unexpectedly high precision. We have learned how the sound speed and matter density vary throughout almost all of the solar interior – something which not so very long ago was generally considered to be impossible – we have learned how the Sun rotates, and we have a beautiful picture, on a coffee cup, of the thermal stratification of a sunspot, and also an indication of the material flow around it. We have tried, with some success at times, to apply our findings to issues of broader relevance: the test of the General Theory of Relativity via planetary orbit precession (now almost forgotten because the issue has convincingly been closed, albeit no doubt temporarily) the solar neutrino problem, the manner of the transport of energy from the centre to the surface of the Sun, the mechanisms of angular-momentum redistribution, and the workings of the solar dynamo. The first two were of general interest to the broad scientific community beyond astronomy, and were, quite rightly, principally responsible for our acclaimed success; the others are still in a state of flux.
Structural and electronic properties of highly doped topological insulator Bi2Se3 crystals

1 Department of Physics, Purdue University, 525 Northwestern Ave., West Lafayette, IN 47907, USA 2 Birck Nanotechnology Center, Purdue University, 1205 W. State St., West Lafayette, IN 47907, USA 3 Joseph Henry Laboratories, Department of Physics, Princeton University, Jadwin Hall, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA 4 Princeton Institute for Science and Technology of Materials, Princeton University, 70 Prospect Ave., Princeton, NJ 08544, USA 5 School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Purdue University, 465 Northwestern Ave., West Lafayette, IN 47907 USA
Single-sex classes & student outcomes: Evidence from North Carolina

The effects of single-sex education are hotly contested, both in academic and policy circles. Despite this heated debate, there exists little credible empirical evidence of the effect of a U.S. public school's decision to offer single-sex classrooms on the educational outcomes of students. This study seeks to fill this hole. Using administrative records for third through eighth graders in North Carolina public schools, the paper finds evidence that the offering of single-sex mathematics courses is associated with lower performance on end-of-grade math exams, and finds no evidence that the offering of single-sex reading scores increases performance on reading exams. Robustness checks are conducted. While the mathematics results are robust to the checks, the reading results fail an important check, and the baseline reading results should be interpreted with this in mind. Evidence of significant heterogeneity in the effect across schools is also presented.
Symbolic discrete event system specification

An extension of the discrete event system specification modeling formalism (DEVS) that facilitates symbolic expression of event times by extending the time base from the real numbers to the field of linear polynomials over the reals is presented. A simulation algorithm is developed to generate the branching trajectories resulting from the underlying nondeterminism. To efficiently manage symbolic constraints, a consistency checking algorithm for linear polynomial constraints based on a feasibility checking algorithm borrowed from linear programming is developed. The extended formalism offers a convenient means to conduct multiple, simultaneous explorations of model behaviors. Examples of application are given with concentration on fault model analysis. >
QCD Sum Rules and Soft-Hard Interplay for Hadronic Form Factors

The authors discuss two types of contributions to hadronic form factors in QCD: hard gluon exchange and soft wave function overlap. Within the QCD sum rule approach, the hard contribution has strong numeric suppression by factor ({alpha}{sub s}/{pi}) {approximately} 0.1 for each exchange. For this reason, the soft contribution dominates at accessible momentum transfers. The ``humpy'' distribution amplitudes used to enhance hard terms cannot be derived from QCD sum rules in a self-consistent way. The estimates of soft terms obtained within the local quark-hadronic duality approach in all cases are close to existing data, providing an experimental evidence that hard terms are small.
Conflicts of Interest and Analyst Behavior: Evidence from Recent Changes in Regulation

Regulation FD made analysts less dependent on insider information and diminished analysts’ motives to inflate their forecasts. The Global Research Analyst Settlement had an even bigger impact on analyst behavior: The mean forecast bias declined significantly, whereas the median forecast bias essentially disappeared. These results are similar for all analysts.
Information Search in the Testing of Quantified Hypotheses: How “All,” “Most,” “Some,” “Few,” and “None” Hypotheses Are Tested

A series of experiments examined how the search for information in the testing of hypotheses is affected by quantifiers that specify the frequency of the test relation. The experiments showed that a positive search is used more in the testing of propositions in which some instances are predicted to have the test relation than in the testing of propositions in which most or few instances are predicted to have the test relation. In addition, the studies demonstrated that a negative or disconfirmatory search is more likely to characterize tests of absolute hypotheses than tests of hypotheses of the majority or minority form. Finally, the findings indicated that a negative search also is more common in tests of hypotheses predicting the absence rather than the presence of a phenomenon. Thus, as expected, participants generally engaged in a diagnostic search rather than the confirmatory search for information that has been so ubiquitous in previous research.
Efficient approximation of symbolic network functions using matroid intersection algorithms

An efficient and effective approximation strategy is crucial to the success of symbolic analysis of large analog circuits. In this paper we propose a new approximation strategy for the symbolic analysis of linear circuits in the complex frequency domain. The strategy directly generates common spanning trees of a two-graph in decreasing order of tree admittance product, using matroid intersection algorithms. The strategy reduces the total time for computing an approximate symbolic expression in expanded format to polynomial with respect to the circuit size under the assumption that the number of product terms retained in the final expression is polynomial. Experimental results are clearly superior to those reported in previous works.
Agricultural Production, Dietary Diversity and Climate Variability

Nonseparable household models outline the links between agricultural production and household consumption, yet empirical extensions to investigate the effect of production on dietary diversity and diet composition are limited. Although a significant literature has investigated the calorie-income elasticity abstracting from production, this paper provides an empirical application of the nonseparable household model linking the effect of exogenous variation in planting season production decisions via climate variability on household dietary diversity. Using exogenous variation in degree days, rainfall, and agricultural capital stocks as instruments, the effect of production on household dietary diversity at harvest is estimated. The empirical specifications estimate production effects on dietary diversity using both agricultural revenue and crop production diversity. Significant effects of agricultural revenue and crop production diversity on dietary diversity are estimated. The dietary diversity-production elasticities imply that a 10 percent increase in agricultural revenue or crop diversity results in a 1.8 percent or 2.4 percent increase in dietary diversity, respectively. These results illustrate that agricultural income growth or increased crop diversity may not be sufficient to ensure improved dietary diversity. Increases in agricultural revenue do change diet composition. Estimates of the effect of agricultural income on share of calories by food groups indicate relatively large changes in diet composition. On average, a 10 percent increase in agricultural revenue makes households 7.2 percent more likely to consume vegetables and 3.5 percent more likely to consume fish, and increases the share of tubers consumed by 5.2 percent.
A numerical investigation on the influence of liquid properties and interfacial heat transfer during microdroplet deposition onto a glass substrate

Abstract This work investigates the impingement of a liquid microdroplet onto a glass substrate at different temperatures. A finite-element model is applied to simulate the transient fluid dynamics and heat transfer during the process. Results for impingement under both isothermal and non-isothermal conditions are presented for four liquids: isopropanol, water, dielectric fluid (FC-72) and eutectic tin–lead solder (63Sn–37Pb). The objective of the work is to select liquids for a combined numerical and experimental study involving a high resolution, laser-based interfacial temperature measurement to measure interfacial heat transfer during microdroplet deposition. Applications include spray cooling, micro-manufacturing and coating processes, and electronics packaging. The initial droplet diameter and impact velocity are 80 μm and 5 m/s, respectively. For isothermal impact, our simulations with water and isopropanol show very good agreement with experiments. The magnitude and rates of spreading for all four liquids are shown and compared. For non-isothermal impacts, the transient drop and substrate temperatures are expressed in a non-dimensional way. The influence of imperfect thermal contact at the interface between the drop and the substrate is assessed for a realistic range of interfacial Biot numbers. We discuss the coupled influence of interfacial Biot numbers and hydrodynamics on the initiation of phase change.
Surgeon-reported conflict with intensivists about postoperative goals of care.

Objective To examine surgeons' experiences of conflict with intensivists and nurses about goals of care for their postoperative patients. Design Cross-sectional incentivized US mail-based survey. Setting Private and academic surgical practices. Participants A total of 2100 vascular, neurologic, and cardiothoracic surgeons. Main Outcome Measures Surgeon-reported rates of conflict with intensivists and nurses about goals of care for patients with poor postsurgical outcomes. Results The adjusted response rate was 55.6%. Forty-three percent of surgeons reported sometimes or always experiencing conflict about postoperative goals of care with intensivists, and 43% reported conflict with nurses. Younger surgeons reported higher rates of conflict than older surgeons with both intensivists (57% vs 32%; P = .001) and nurses (48% vs 33%; P = .001). Surgeons practicing in closed intensive care units reported more frequent conflict than those practicing in open intensive care units (60% vs 41%; P = .005). On multivariate analysis, the odds of reporting conflict with intensivists were 2.5 times higher for surgeons with fewer years of experience compared with their older colleagues (odds ratio, 2.5; 95% CI, 1.6-3.8) and 70% higher for reporting conflict with nurses (odds ratio, 1.7; 95% CI, 1.1-2.6). The odds of reporting conflict with intensivists about goals of postoperative care were 40% lower for surgeons who primarily managed their intensive care unit patients than for those who worked in a closed unit (odds ratio, 0.60; 95% CI, 0.40-0.96). Conclusions Surgeons regularly experience conflict with critical care clinicians about goals of care for patients with poor postoperative outcomes. Higher rates of conflict are associated with less experience and working in a closed intensive care unit.
Photometry results for the globular clusters M10 and M12: Extinction maps, color-magnitude diagrams, and variable star candidates

We report on photometry results of the equatorial globular clusters (GCs) M10 and M12. These two clusters are part of our sample of GCs, which we are probing for the existence of photometrically varying eclipsing binary stars. During the search for binaries in M10 and M12, we discovered the signature of differential reddening across the fields of the clusters. The effect is stronger for M10 than for M12. Using our previously described dereddening technique, we create differential extinction maps for the clusters, which dramatically improve the appearance of the color-magnitude diagrams (CMDs). Comparison of our maps with the dust emissivity maps of Schlegel, Finkbeiner, & Davis (SFD) shows good agreement in terms of spatial extinction features. Several methods of adding an EV-I zero point to our differential maps are presented, of which isochrone fitting proved to be the most successful. Our EV-I values fall within the range of widely varying literature values. More specifically, our reddening zero-point estimate for M12 agrees well with the SFD estimate, whereas the one for M10 falls below the SFD value. Our search for variable stars in the clusters produced a total of five variables: three in M10 and two in M12. The M10 variables include a binary system of the W Ursae Majoris (W UMa) type, a background RR Lyrae star, and an SX Phoenicis pulsator, none of which is physically associated with M10. M12's variables are two W UMa binaries, one of which is most likely a member of the cluster. We present the phased photometry light curves for the variable stars, estimate their distances, and show their locations in the fields and the CMDs of the GCs.
Differential algebras without differentials: an easy C++ implementation

It is shown that automated differentiation can be motivated and explained rather plainly without any reference to infinitesimals or differentials whatsoever. The proposed approach clears up the confusion connected either with employing the notion of differential or with the connection to *R and its implied machinery of ultrafilters. An almost trivial implementation of this method using C++ is described. In the proposed approach, differentiation becomes an arithmetic, rather than analytic, procedure, thereby rendering it appropriate for automated computation. >
Global and local deformations of solid primitives

New hierarchical solid modeling operations are developed, which simulate twisting, bending, tapering, or similar transformations of geometric objects. The chief result is that the normal vector of an arbitrarily deformed smooth surface can be calculated directly from the surface normal vector of the undeformed surface and a transformation matrix. Deformations are easily combined in a hierarchical structure, creating complex objects from simpler ones. The position vectors and normal vectors in the simpler objects are used to calculate the position and normal vectors in the more complex forms; each level in the deformation hierarchy requires an additional matrix multiply for the normal vector calculation. Deformations are important and highly intuitive operations which ease the control and rendering of large families of three-dimensional geometric shapes.
Effect of per-capita land use changes on Holocene forest clearance and CO2 emissions

Abstract The centerpiece of the early anthropogenic hypothesis is the claim that humans took control of greenhouse-gas trends thousands of years ago because of emissions from early agriculture ( Ruddiman, 2003 , Ruddiman, 2007 ). A common reaction to this claim is that too few people lived thousands of years ago to have had a major effect on either land use or greenhouse-gas concentrations. Implicit in this view is the notion that per-capita land clearance has changed little for millennia, but numerous field studies have shown that early per-capita land use was large and then declined as increasing population density led to more intensive farming. Here we explore the potential impact of changing per-capita land use in recent millennia and conclude that greater clearance by early agriculturalists could have had a disproportionately large impact on CO2 emissions.
Using nonlinear model predictive control to find optimal therapeutic strategies to modulate inflammation

Modulation of the inflammatory response has become a key focal point in the treatment of critically ill patients. Much of the computational work in this emerging field has been carried out with the goal of unraveling the primary drivers, interconnections, and dynamics of systemic inflammation. To translate these theoretical efforts into clinical approaches, the proper biological targets and specific manipulations must be identified. In this work, we pursue this goal by implementing a nonlinear model predictive control (NMPC) algorithm in the context of a reduced computational model of the acute inflammatory response to severe infection. In our simulations, NMPC successfully identifies patient-specific therapeutic strategies, based on simulated observations of clinically accessible inflammatory mediators, which outperform standardized therapies, even when the latter are derived using a general optimization routine. These results imply that a combination of computational modeling and NMPC may be of practical use in suggesting novel immuno-modulatory strategies for the treatment of intensive care patients.
Interference Alignment With Asymmetric Complex Signaling—Settling the Høst-Madsen–Nosratinia Conjecture

It has been conjectured by Ho-Madsen and Nosratinia that complex Gaussian interference channels with constant channel coefficients have only one degree-of-freedom regardless of the number of users. While several examples are known of constant channels that achieve more than 1 degree-of-freedom, these special cases only span a subset of measure zero. In other words, for almost all channel coefficient values, it is not known if more than 1 degree-of-freedom is achievable. In this paper, we settle the Host-Madsen-Nosratinia conjecture in the negative. We show that at least 1.2 degrees-of-freedom are achievable for all values of complex channel coefficients except for a subset of measure zero. For the class of linear beamforming and interference alignment schemes considered in this paper, it is also shown that 1.2 is the maximum number of degrees-of-freedom achievable on the complex Gaussian 3 user interference channel with constant channel coefficients, for almost all values of channel coefficients. To establish the achievability of 1.2 degrees-of-freedom we use the novel idea of asymmetric complex signaling - i.e., the inputs are chosen to be complex but not circularly symmetric. It is shown that unlike Gaussian point-to-point, multiple-access and broadcast channels where circularly symmetric complex Gaussian inputs are optimal, for interference channels optimal inputs are in general asymmetric. With asymmetric complex signaling, we also show that the 2 user complex Gaussian X channel with constant channel coefficients achieves the outer bound of 4/3 degrees-of-freedom, i.e., the assumption of time-variations/frequency-selectivity used in prior work to establish the same result, is not needed.
Does ABC Information Exacerbate Hold‐Up Problems in Buyer‐Supplier Negotiations?

Negotiations between buyers and suppliers that require sharing cost details to identify profitable relationship specific investments often fail and result in hold‐ups. Based on inequity aversion, strategic uncertainty, and risk dominance criteria, we expect negotiators to be more reluctant to share fine information than coarse, less detailed information, which suggests that fine information systems can exacerbate hold‐ups. When negotiators share fine information they achieve more efficient bargaining agreements. However, we find that strategic concerns about inequitable outcomes (fear of opportunistic behavior) lead fewer negotiating pairs to share fine information (where inequitable outcomes can be larger) than coarse information (where inequitable outcomes are smaller). Our results demonstrate that information fineness leads negotiators to trade‐off potential utility losses due to fairness considerations and potential monetary gains. Fewer (more) negotiators chose to share fine (coarse) information and ...
Completions of Z=(p){Tate cohomology of periodic spectra

We construct splittings of some completions of the ℤ∕(p)–Tate cohomology of E(n) and some related spectra. In particular, we split (a completion of) tE(n) as a (completion of) a wedge of E(n−1)s as a spectrum, where t is shorthand for the fixed points of the Z∕(p)–Tate cohomology spectrum (ie the Mahowald inverse limit invlimk((P−k∧ΣE(n)))). We also give a multiplicative splitting of tE(n) after a suitable base extension.
Average Frobenius distribution for elliptic curves defined over finite Galois extensions of the rationals

Let K be a fixed number field, assumed to be Galois over Q. Let r and f be fixed integers with f positive. Given an elliptic curve E, defined over K, we consider the problem of counting the number of degree f prime ideals of K with trace of Frobenius equal to r. Except in the case f = 2, we show that ‘on average,’ the number of such prime ideals with norm less than or equal to x satisfies an asymptotic identity that is in accordance with standard heuristics. This work is related to the classical Lang‐Trotter conjecture and extends the work of several authors.
Painting the tape: Aggregate evidence

Abstract We document systematic patterns in daily aggregate market returns around end-of-quarters consistent with strategic fund manager behavior and the growing presence of mutual funds in the market.
Credence goods: a labeling problem?

The marketing of credence goods has the potential to increase revenue of agricultural producers. However, process attributes must be related to consumers effectively. This paper examines labeling issues of credence goods. Literature related to credence goods and process attributes is reviewed and the potential for labeled agricultural products is explored.
Illustrations in Financial Accounting Textbooks: Function and Placement Interact to Affect Student Learning

ABSTRACT : Prior research has documented that text readability varies among introductory accounting textbooks, but few studies in any discipline have documented the extent to which illustrations vary, and even fewer studies have explored how these variations might impact student learning. We report results of a content analysis of introductory financial accounting textbooks that reveal diversity in how illustrations are used, in ways that depart from normative recommendations in the education literature. We then conduct an experiment to test whether two of these variations, illustration function and placement, interact to affect student learning. We find that students learn more when decorational images precede rather than follow corresponding text and when conceptual images follow rather than precede corresponding text. Implications for research and practice are discussed.
Computer assisted accelerator tuning

The challenge of tuning an induction accelerator in real time has been addressed with the new TUNE GUIDE code. The code initializes a beam at a particular position using a tracer particle representation of the phase space. The particles are transported using a matrix formulation, element by element along the beamline assuming that the field of a solenoid, or steering element is constant over its length. The other allowed elements are gaps and drift sections. A great deal of effort has been spent programming TUNE GUIDE to operate under the IBMPC Windows 3.1 system. This system features an intuitive, menu driven interface, which provides an ability to rapidly change beamline component parameter values. Consequently various accelerator setups can be explored and new values determined in real time while the accelerator is operating. In addition the code has the capability of varying a component value over a range and then plotting the resulting beam properties, such as radius or centroid position, at a down stream position. Element parameter editing is also included along with an on-line hyper text oriented help package. >
Bordered Heegaard Floer Homology and Graph Manifolds

We perform two explicit computations of bordered Heegaard Floer invariants. The first is the type D trimodule associated to the trivial S^1 bundle over the pair of pants P. The second is a bimodule that is necessary for self-gluing, when two torus boundary components of a bordered manifold are glued to each other. Using the results of these two computations, we describe an algorithm for computing HF-hat of any graph manifold.