cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
On achievable rates of the two-user symmetric Gaussian interference channel

We study the Han-Kobayashi (HK) achievable sum rate for the two-user symmetric Gaussian interference channel. We find the optimal power split ratio between the common and private messages (assuming no time-sharing), and derive a closed form expression for the corresponding sum rate. This provides a finer understanding of the achievable HK sum rate, and allows for precise comparisons between this sum rate and that of orthogonal signaling. One surprising finding is that despite the fact that the channel is symmetric, allowing for asymmetric power split ratio at both users (i.e., asymmetric rates) can improve the sum rate significantly. Considering the high SNR regime, we specify the interference channel value above which the sum rate achieved using asymmetric power splitting outperforms the symmetric case.
Channel Simulation With Quantum Side Information

We study and solve the problem of classical channel simulation with quantum side information at the receiver. This is a generalization of both the classical reverse Shannon theorem, and the classical-quantum Slepian-Wolf problem. The optimal noiseless communication rate is found to be reduced from the mutual information between the channel input and output by the Holevo information between the channel output and the quantum side information. Our main theorem has two important corollaries. The first is a quantum generalization of the Wyner-Ziv problem: rate-distortion theory with quantum side information. The second is an alternative proof of the tradeoff between classical communication and common randomness distilled from a quantum state. The fully quantum generalization of the problem considered is quantum state redistribution. Here the sender and receiver share a mixed quantum state and the sender wants to transfer part of her state to the receiver using entanglement and quantum communication. We present outer and inner bounds on the achievable rate pairs.
STRUCTURE OF CYCLIC PENTACOORDINATED MOLECULES OF MAIN GROUP ELEMENTS

Abstract Ten years ago, only one structure of a cyclic phosphorane was known, the 1:1 adduct of phenanthrenequinone and triisopropyl phosphite, characterized as trigonal bipyramidal.1 At that time, the trigonal bipyramid was the prevailing structural form for main group elements.2
Microwave ablation for tachycardia

Application of microwave energy delivered through a probe and a catheter in open- and closed-chest dogs to induce atrio-ventricular block is described. Several microwave antennas/catheters with a preferential power deposition at the tip were designed, constructed and tested. These antennas were designed for operation at 2450 MHz. Measurements in saline and tissue-equivalent liquid phantoms showed greatly increased heating at the tips of these antennas. The antenna consisted of flexible coaxial cables (1.78 mm OD) with a thin, semigrid brass sleeve just proximal to the tip. The entire antenna was insulated except for the tip and could be used for recording bipolar electrograms. >
Synthesis and properties of BaCuxNi1−xS2−δ (0.0 < x < 0.4; 0.0 < δ < 0.09)

Abstract BaCu x Ni 1− x S 2−δ is found to be single phase for x = 0.0, 0.1, 0.2, 0.3 and 0.4, and δ = 0.00 to 0.09 and is isostructural with tetragonal BaNiS 2 . Lattice parameters ( a = 4.4374(2)A and c = 8.9089(4)A for x = 0.0; a = 4.4659(2)A and c = 8.9549(5)A for x = 0.4) were determined using X-ray powder diffraction. For x > 0 the resistivity is only weakly temperature dependent and ϱ(3(X)) ≈ 10 3 Ω cm. Magnetic susceptibility data indicate Pauli paramagnetic behavior withχ 0 = 0.8 × 10 6 emu g 1 .
Boronization on NSTX using deuterated trimethylboron

Boronization on the National Spherical Torus Experiment (NSTX) has proved to be quite beneficial with increases in confinement and density and decreases in impurities observed in the plasma. The boron has been applied to the interior surfaces of NSTX, about every 2 to 3 weeks of plasma operation, by producing a glow discharge in the vacuum vessel using deuterated trimethylboron (TMB) in a 10% mixture with helium. Special NSTX requirements restricted the selection of the candidate boronization method to the use of deuterated boron compounds. Deuterated TMB met these requirements but is a hazardous gas and special care in the execution of the boronization process is required. This paper describes the existing GDC, gas injection, and torus vacuum pumping system hardware used for this process, the glow discharge process, and the automated control system that allows for remote operation to maximize both the safety and efficacy of applying the boron coating. The administrative requirements and the detailed procedure for the setup, operation and shutdown of the process are also described.
Intelligently Designing Deliberative Health Care Forums: Dewey's Metaphysics, Cognitive Science and a Brazilian Example

Public policy scholars agree that those persons (or agencies) vested with the authority to establish health care priorities should elicit public input before making rationing decisions. The two most common approaches are (i) consultation and (ii) deliberation. Though deliberation has obvious advantages over consultation, it falters in the face of the objection that ordinary citizens lack the cognitive resources for the extended, rigorous inquiry required of them in undertaking the priority-setting task. To overcome this objection, I propose that deliberative forums for health care rationing should be designed so that they imitate the natural pattern of human experience. The experience of deliberation should encompass both prolonged periods of less-demanding cognitive activity, in which citizens passively receive information, and briefer periods of more-demanding cognitive activity, in which they engage in active problem-solving. In arguing for this thesis, I rely on two theoretical sources and one practical case study, in the following order: (i) John Dewey's metaphysics of experience, (ii) cognitive science research on schemas and frames, and (iii) the Health Care Council in Sao Paulo, Brazil.
Accounting for Respondent Uncertainty to Improve Willingness-to-Pay Estimates

In this paper, we develop an econometric model of willingness to pay (WTP) that integrates data on respondent uncertainty regarding their own WTP. The integration is utility consistent, there is no recoding of variables, and no need to calibrate the contingent responses to actual payment data, so the approach can “stand alone.” In an application to a valuation study related to whooping crane restoration, we find that this model generates a statistically lower expected WTP than the standard contingent valuation (CV) model. Moreover, the WTP function estimated with this model is not statistically different from that estimated using actual payment data suggesting that, when properly analyzed using data on respondent uncertainty, CV decisions can simulate actual payment decisions. This method allows for more reliable estimates of WTP that incorporate respondent uncertainty without the need for collecting comparable actual payment data.
Segmentation of sub-cortical structures by the graph-shifts algorithm

We propose a novel algorithm called graph-shifts for performing image segmentation and labeling. This algorithm makes use of a dynamic hierarchical representation of the image. This representation allows each iteration of the algorithm to make both small and large changes in the segmentation, similar to PDE and split-and-merge methods, respectively. In particular, at each iteration we are able to rapidly compute and select the optimal change to be performed. We apply graph-shifts to the task of segmenting sub-cortical brain structures. First we formalize this task as energy function minimization where the energy terms are learned from a training set of labeled images. Then we apply the graphshifts algorithm. We show that the labeling results are comparable in quantitative accuracy to other approaches but are obtained considerably faster: by orders of magnitude (roughly one minute). We also quantitatively demonstrate robustness to initialization and avoidance of local minima in which conventional boundary PDE methods fall.
The Impact of Retail Promotion on the Decision to Purchase Private Label Products: the Case of U.S. Processed Cheese

The authors examine the impact of retail promotions, specifically, store coupons, manufacturer coupons, and store features on the decision to purchase private label products. To identify these effects, a probit model is specified and estimated, which allows the calculation of the probability that the private label product is chosen conditional on a set of explanatory variables. Attention is centered on American processed cheese transactions. The source of the data is ACNielsen Homescan Panel of U.S. households for calendar years 2005 and 2006. Retail promotion using store coupons had a significant negative effect on the decision to purchase private label products. In our sample, store coupons were used to purchase both private label products and national brands. A strong negative relationship was found between national brand manufacturer couponing activity and the decision to purchase private label products. Therefore, national brand couponing appears to be an effective strategy for manufacturers to deter private label growth, at least in the processed cheese market. This analysis also shows that the decision of purchasing a private label cheese product is influenced by several sociodemographic characteristics of the household, namely household income and size, age and education of the household head, race, ethnicity, and location.
Event‐Induced Volatility and Tests for Abnormal Performance

I analyze a simple test statistic for mean abnormal returns in the presence of stochastic volatility during both event and nonevent windows and in the presence of event-induced variance increases. Unlike previous tests, the parametric test evaluated here does not require that the volatility effect of the event be the same across all securities. Simulations show that the test exhibits nontrivial gains in power over previously developed parametric and nonparametric tests, and the true null hypothesis is rejected at appropriate levels.
Bebras Informatics Contest: Criteria for Good Tasks Revised

The Bebras International Contest on Informatics and Computer Fluency has significantly grown in the number of participating countries and participants in recent years. Six years ago Dagienė and Futschek determined the criteria for good contest tasks, which are frequently used by the International Bebras Committee for selecting and improving tasks for national contest organizers. New experience and findings from several surveys allow us to reconsider these criteria from a new viewpoint and to assess which of these criteria are still actual, which need revisions and whether some new criteria are needed if the process of creation of informatics tasks for the contest is to be improved. The paper discusses the issues of motivation, interactivity, multiple-choice answers and content topics. The reviewed criteria and categories might be useful for authors of Bebras tasks as well as for creators of informatics curricula.
Kinetics of Dialin Thermolysis

The liquid-phase thermolysis of 1,2-dihydronaphthalene was studied in a batch reactor in the range of 350–400°C. The measured product distributions were in good agreement with calculations based on a free-radical scheme with rate constants estimated by thermochemical methods. The kinetic calculations were carried out by numerical integration and by the long-chain approximation (LCA), which yielded a closed-form solution.
Simulation study of the effect of differences in block energy and density on the self-assembly of block copolymers

One of the potentially most important issues in accurately modeling directed self-assembly of block copolymers (BCPs) is the fact that the real BCPs often have block energy and/or density asymmetry, meaning that each block has a different homopolymer density and/or cohesive energy density (CED). A simulation of BCP behavior based on molecular dynamics of coarse-grained polymer chains has been developed that can independently parameterize and control the density and the CED of each block to more accurately match this asymmetry. This model was used to study the effect on the order-disorder transition (ODT), domain scaling, and self-assembly of thin films of BCPs. BCPs whose blocks each have a different density show deviations from the mean-field ODT coexistence curve, exhibiting an asymmetric order-disorder transition curve. Self-assembly of thin films of BCPs with mismatches in CED shows significant changes in morphologies compared to BCPs with energetically symmetric blocks, because the lowest CED block has a strong propensity to segregate to and “wet” the free interface. This CED mismatch also gives rise to a large number of deviations from bulk behavior including changing vertical-to-horizontal morphologies through film depth, compression and expansion of domain sizes, and island and hole formations among others.
Onset rivalry: Brief presentation isolates an early independent phase of perceptual competition

When the left and right eyes are simultaneously presented with different images, observers typically report exclusive awareness of only one image. This phenomenon is termed binocular rivalry, reflecting the fact that the dominant image alternates every few seconds in a cycle of perceptual competition that continues indefinitely. Despite the apparent continuity in perceptual switching, we now demonstrate that the initial “onset” period is fundamentally different to all subsequent rivalry epochs. Using brief intermittent presentations, rivalry dominance shows strong biases such that the same target is perceived with each successive stimulus onset. These biases remain consistent within any given location, but vary across the visual field in a distribution that is stable over multiple weeks but highly idiosyncratic across observers. If the presentation exceeds ∼1sec at any location, however, the very different and much more balanced alternations of sustained binocular rivalry become apparent. These powerful onset biases are observed with brief intermittent presentations at a single location or with continual smooth motion of the targets. Periods of adaptation to one of the rivaling targets induced local switches in dominance to the non-adapted target. However, these effects were generally limited to the spatial site of adaptation and had less influence over each subsequent cycle of the target. We conclude that onset rivalry is independent of sustained rivalry and cannot be explained by local regions of monocular dominance or memory of past perceptual history, but rather reflects low-level, spatially localized factors that are stable over periods of weeks. These findings suggest that brief presentation paradigms are inappropriate for their current use in studies of the mechanisms underlying sustained rivalry. However, brief presentations are ideal for investigating early stages of perceptual competition.
Controlling macro- and mesostructures with hierarchical porosity through combined hard and soft templating

Rigid, porous objects and surfactants serve as powerful templates for the formation of mesoporous and macroporous materials. When both types of template are combined in a single synthesis, materials with intricate architectures and hierarchical porosity can be obtained. In this tutorial review, we explain how to conduct syntheses with both soft and hard templates; moreover, we describe methods to control the final structure present in the templated material. Much of the foundation for multiple templating lies in the study of materials made with only one type of template. To establish a foundation in this area, a description of hard and soft templating is given, delving into the templates available and the steps required for effective templating. This leads into an extended discussion about materials templated with both hard and soft templates. Through the use of recent examples in the literature, we aim to show the diversity of structures possible through multiple templating and the advantages these structures can provide for a wide range of applications. An emphasis is placed on how various factors—such as the type of template, type of precursor, heat-treatment temperature, confinement within a small space, and template–template interactions—impact morphology.
Reusability Through Program Transformations

We describe a methodology and supporting programming environment that provide for reuse of abstract programs. Abstract programs are written using notations and constructs natural to the problem domain in a language realized by syntactic extension of a base language. Program transformations are employed to refine an abstract program into its concrete counterpart. We discuss the use of the methodology in the setting of rapid prototyping and custom tailoring.
Without a 'doubt'? Unsupervised Discovery of Downward-Entailing Operators

An important part of textual inference is making deductions involving monotonicity, that is, determining whether a given assertion entails restrictions or relaxations of that assertion. For instance, the statement 'We know the epidemic spread quickly' does not entail 'We know the epidemic spread quickly via fleas', but 'We doubt the epidemic spread quickly' entails 'We doubt the epidemic spread quickly via fleas'. Here, we present the first algorithm for the challenging lexical-semantics problem of learning linguistic constructions that, like 'doubt', are downward entailing (DE). Our algorithm is unsupervised, resource-lean, and effective, accurately recovering many DE operators that are missing from the hand-constructed lists that textual-inference systems currently use.
Environmental dependencies in the luminosity function of galaxies

The evidence is becoming strong that the luminosity function of galaxies varies with environment. Higher density, more dynamically evolved regions appear to have more dwarfs per giant. The situation is becoming clearer as a result of wide field imaging surveys with the Canada-France-Hawaii and Subaru telescopes and spectroscopy of faint dwarfs with the Keck telescope. We report here on extensive observations of the small but dense NGC 5846 Group. The faint end of the luminosity function rises relatively steeply in this case.
Determinants of House Prices: A Quantile Regression Approach

OLS regression has typically been used in housing research to determine the relationship of a particular housing characteristic with selling price. Results differ across studies, not only in terms of size of OLS coefficients and statistical significance, but sometimes in direction of effect. This study suggests that some of the observed variation in the estimated prices of housing characteristics may reflect the fact that characteristics are not priced the same across a given distribution of house prices. To examine this issue, this study uses quantile regression, with and without accounting for spatial autocorrecation, to identify the coefficients of a large set of diverse variables across different quantiles. The results show that purchasers of higher-priced homes value certain housing characteristics such as square footage and the number of bathrooms differently from buyers of lower-priced homes. Other variables such as age are also shown to vary across the distribution of house prices.
Compact Representations of Extended Causal Models

Judea Pearl (2000) was the first to propose a definition of actual causation using causal models. A number of authors have suggested that an adequate account of actual causation must appeal not only to causal structure but also to considerations of normality. In Halpern and Hitchcock (2011), we offer a definition of actual causation using extended causal models, which include information about both causal structure and normality. Extended causal models are potentially very complex. In this study, we show how it is possible to achieve a compact representation of extended causal models.
Crazing in polypropylene

The subject of crazing in crystalline polymers is reviewed and specific consideration given to crazing in polypropylene (PP). Tensile tests conducted over a wide spectrum of temperatures and strain rates indicate that, for a given test temperature, there exists a critical strain rate above which crazing is the dominant deformation mode of PP. Similarly, for a given strain rate, there exists a critical temperature which demarcates crazing from shear yielding as the characteristic process of deformation. High deformation rates and low temperatures favor crazing, while low rates and high temperatures favor shear yielding. Crazes in crystalline PP were found to be morphologically similar to those in glassy polymers: high reflectivity, large area-to-thickness ratio, and planarity. They have a higher tendency to bifurcate than those in glassy polymers. Two types of craze fibrils could be identified: those parallel to σ11, and the randomly oriented interconnecting fibrils. It is demonstrated that microtome-trimming at low temperature followed by suitable chemical treatment is an effective technique of sample preparation for SEM examination of craze morphology in crystalline polymers. Further evidence has been provided that crazes in spherulitic polymers do not in general follow an interspherulitie path, but propagate through spherulites. The length of a craze in PP is not restricted to one spherulite diameter, nor does it grow radially.
Test of silicon hybrid pixel detector in 15 GeV electron beam

We have conducted a beam test of a three-station telescope composed of silicon hybrid pixel detectors developed at the University of California, Davis. Each detector comprises a 6 /spl times/ 90 sensor array of 64 /spl times/ 256 /spl mu/m/sup 2/ pixels bump-bonded to a radiation-hard sparsified readout application-specific integrated circuit with unit cell performance suitable for use in hadron collider experiments. We describe the pixel arrays, the telescope and its data-acquisition system, the telescope alignment optimization procedure using tracks, and the performance of the system in a 15-GeV electron beam at the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center.
An exploratory study of pre-service teachers' features related to their online behaviors and Problematic Internet Use in the United States

Quantitative study in online behaviors and Problematic Internet Use.American undergraduate pre-service teachers.Data from one self-developed questionnaire and the Online Cognition Scale.Pre-service teachers' online behaviors and PIU seems not a major concern now.Those online features may become significant concerns in a few years. This quantitative survey study was designed to investigate the features related to pre-service teachers' online behavior and their Problematic Internet Use (PIU). One hundred and fifty-five undergraduate pre-service teachers were recruited to participate in the study at a midwestern public university in the United States in 2013-2014. Data were collected from one self-developed questionnaire and the Online Cognition Scale (OCS). The OCS was used to assess an individual's PIU in four categories: social comfort, loneliness/depression, impulsivity, and distraction. It was found out that overall pre-service teachers' online behaviors and PIU do not seem to be a major concern at the moment. But it is predicted that those online features may become significant concerns in a few years. International implications for college students, pre-service teacher training, and pre-employment screening result from this study.
Synthesis and in vitro antibacterial activities of novel conformationally restricted hygromycin a analogues

Abstract The preparation of semisynthetic conformationally restricted hygromycin A analogues are described. Antibacterial results from these compounds suggest active conformations for this class of agents.
Two stochastic approximation procedures for identifying linear systems

A Robbins-Monro [1] stochastic approximation procedure for identifying a finite memory time-discrete time-stationary linear system from noisy input-output measurements is developed. Two algorithms are presented to sequentially identify the linear system. The first one is derived, based on the minimization of the mean-square error between the unknown system and a model, and is shown to develop a bias which depends only on the variance of the input signal measurement error. Under the assumption that this variance is known a priori, a second algorithm is developed which, in the limit, identifies the unknown system exactly. The case when the covariance matrix of the random input sequence is not positive definite is also considered.
Infeasibility and non-optimality tests for solution space reduction in discrete optimal design

Techniques employed for nonlinear design optimization with discrete variables are studied in the context of particular problem arising from the design of a gear train. The mathematical model formulation was presented in an earlier article. In this sequel, a solution derivation is described, patterned as a multistage process. After certain reformulation and relaxation, a variety of infeasibility and non-optimality tests are performed, greatly reducing the size of the space containing the global optimum. Methods used to investigate the remaining space do not guarantee a global optimum, but could be replaced by more costly methods that do provide such guarantees. A global infimum is generated, bounding any improvements on the best known solution.
Gas sensing using a resilient polymer photonic crystal nanocavity with ultra-high quality factor

We present a high-sensitivity, multi-use optical gas sensor based on a one-dimensional polymer photonic crystal cavity. With an experimental Q exceeding 13100, we predict detection levels on the parts-per-billion range for a variety of gases.
Cyclization of 1,6-heptadienes by α-hydroxy radicals

Abstract Addition of α-hydroxy isopropyl radicals, generated by γ irradiation of 2-propanol or photolysis of 2-propanol with acetone, to a variety of 1,6-heptadienes generates a 1-methyl-2-(2-hydroxyethyl)-cyclopentane or its heterocyclic equivalent. The cis-disubstituted cyclopentane predominates in these reactions.
Construction and covering properties of constant-dimension codes

Constant-dimension codes (CDCs) have been investigated for noncoherent error correction in random network coding. The maximum cardinality of CDCs with given minimum distance and how to construct optimal CDCs are both open problems, although CDCs obtained by lifting Gabidulin codes, referred to as KK codes, are nearly optimal. In this paper, we first construct a new class of CDCs based on KK codes, referred to as augmented KK codes, whose cardinalities are greater than previously proposed CDCs. We then propose a low-complexity decoding algorithm for our augmented KK codes using that for KK codes. Our decoding algorithm corrects more errors than a bounded subspace distance decoder by taking advantage of the structure of our augmented KK codes. In the rest of the paper we investigate the covering properties of CDCs. We first derive bounds on the minimum cardinality of a CDC with a given covering radius and then determine the asymptotic behavior of this quantity. Moreover, we show that liftings of rank metric codes have the highest possible covering radius, and hence liftings of rank metric codes are not optimal packing CDCs. Finally, we construct good covering CDCs by permuting liftings of rank metric codes.
On price risk and the inverse farm size-productivity relationship

Abstract The oft-observed inverse relationship between farm size and productivity has elicited several explanations having important policy and theoretical implications. Using advances in the analysis of price risk effects on producer behavior, and a simple two-period model of an agricultural household that both produces and consumes under price uncertainty at the time labor allocation decisions are made, this paper demonstrates analytically that a non-degenerate land distribution and price risk can together produce an inverse relationship, even absent any of the more common explanations. Empirical evidence from Madagascar confirms the plausibility of this intuitive explanation for the phenomenon.
Large-Scale Computations for Stability Analysis of Launch Vehicles Using Cluster Computers

A procedure is developed to generate a large aerodynamic database suitable for the static stability analysis of launch vehicles in the transonic regime by usingthe Navier–Stokes equations. Effects of structural deformations are also included using modal representation. It is shown that a large number of cases suitable for design can be computed within practical time limitations by using efficient protocols suitable for massively parallel computations on superclusters. Results are validated with wind-tunnel measurements that show good comparisons within the limitsofthemodelsize.Massivecomputationsonsuperclustersrevealimportantobservations,suchashighermodes having pronounced effects near transonic regime.
Spectra of lifted Ramanujan graphs

Abstract A random n-lift of a base-graph G is its cover graph H on the vertices [ n ] × V ( G ) , where for each edge uv in G there is an independent uniform bijection π, and H has all edges of the form ( i , u ) , ( π ( i ) , v ) . A main motivation for studying lifts is understanding Ramanujan graphs, and namely whether typical covers of such a graph are also Ramanujan. Let G be a graph with largest eigenvalue λ 1 and let ρ be the spectral radius of its universal cover. Friedman (2003) [12] proved that every “new” eigenvalue of a random lift of G is O ( ρ 1 / 2 λ 1 1 / 2 ) with high probability, and conjectured a bound of ρ + o ( 1 ) , which would be tight by results of Lubotzky and Greenberg (1995) [15] . Linial and Puder (2010) [17] improved Friedmanʼs bound to O ( ρ 2 / 3 λ 1 1 / 3 ) . For d-regular graphs, where λ 1 = d and ρ = 2 d − 1 , this translates to a bound of O ( d 2 / 3 ) , compared to the conjectured 2 d − 1 . Here we analyze the spectrum of a random n-lift of a d-regular graph whose nontrivial eigenvalues are all at most λ in absolute value. We show that with high probability the absolute value of every nontrivial eigenvalue of the lift is O ( ( λ ∨ ρ ) log ρ ) . This result is tight up to a logarithmic factor, and for λ ⩽ d 2 / 3 − e it substantially improves the above upper bounds of Friedman and of Linial and Puder. In particular, it implies that a typical n-lift of a Ramanujan graph is nearly Ramanujan.
ON TIME SERIES ANALYSIS OF PUBLIC HEALTH AND BIOMEDICAL DATA

▪ Abstract This paper gives an overview of time series ideas and methods used in public health and biomedical research. A time series is a sequence of observations made over time. Examples in public health include daily ozone concentrations, weekly admissions to an emergency department, or annual expenditures on health care in the United States. Time series models are most commonly used in regression analysis to describe the dependence of the response at each time on predictor variables including covariates and possibly previous values in the series. For example, Bell et al. (2) use time series methods to regress daily mortality in U.S. cities on concentrations of particulate air pollution. Time series methods are necessary to make valid inferences from data by accounting for the correlation among repeated responses over time.
Decision-making through performance simulation and code compliance from the early schematic phases of building design

This paper is about the merging of two software applications that allows building decision makers to consider code compliance and to use performance simulation tools from the early schematic phases of building design. By making the capabilities of a code compliance tool available at the early schematic phases of building design, the hope and expectation is that users will use this software to address the mandatory code compliance issues and thus have an opportunity to address other performance issues as well.
Tribunal Specialization and Institutional Targeting in Patent Enforcement

Recent scholarship on nonmarket strategies has sought to understand organizational decisions to target specific institutional venues for nonmarket actions. We contribute to this emerging literature by studying institutional targeting between specialized and general-purpose tribunals, which are available to resolve disputes in a number of settings. Whereas prior work on institutional targeting has primarily focused on the differences in the policy preferences of public actors and the susceptibility of policy positions to influence activities, we focus on the differences in expertise and procedural flexibility that typically accompany tribunal specialization. We develop a theory about targeting decisions (forum shopping) in such contexts, which suggests two main drivers of tribunal targeting—expected settlement and expected returns. Drawing on these mechanisms, we formulate hypotheses linking tribunal targeting decisions to firm-level attributes such as (market) strategic stakes, institutional distance from competitors, and tribunal-specific capabilities. Our hypotheses are tested using a novel data set of patent enforcement against U.S. imports, which also sheds light on nonmarket strategies in patents.
Modal analysis for characterization of fatigue cracks in thin metal plates

Detailed experimental investigation and numerical analysis were performed to characterize fatigue cracks in thin aluminum alloys by a low-frequency resonant modal analysis technique. The resonance frequency of plates modes is altered by the presence of fatigue cracks. This frequency shift was analyzed using a finite element approach and the results were compared to experimental data. Acoustic sensors were used to detect the fatigue cracks which were stimulated by standing waves in 0.1-cm aluminum alloy plates. The response of several different sensors to the crack noise was studied, as was the response at higher order modes. It was found that critical crack information can be obtained from the amplitude and phase of the emitted signal with respect to that of the external driving force. >
Environmental and industrial applications of pulsed power systems

The technology base formed by the development of high peak power simulators, laser drivers, free electron lasers, and inertial confinement fusion drivers from the early 60's through the late 80's is being extended to high average power short-pulse machines with the capabilities of performing new roles in environmental cleanup applications and in supporting new types of industrial manufacturing processes. In this paper we briefly discuss a new class of short-pulse high average power accelerators, now operating in laboratory environments, using semiconductor and magnetic switches to achieve megavolt electron and ion beams with 10's of kiloamperes of current and average power levels in excess of 100 kW. The technology is modular, robust in concept, and appears to be suitable for extension to the megawatt power level. The modularity allows the same technology to accelerate electron and ion beams with pulses a few 10's of nanoseconds wide with potentials of one to 10's of MeV's and, by using fewer compression stages, also to drive applications requiring pulse widths of 100 nanoseconds to microseconds at accelerating potentials of 250 keV or more. The longer pulse applications, such as drivers for pulsed corona reactors for flue gas cleanup, require high average power and also benefit from the long life, high efficiency pulse compression technology. After a brief introduction to the technology, the paper then concentrates on specific application areas that are being explored because of the availability of the high specific energies and high average powers attainable with this new family of short-pulse machines. >
Microeconomic Adjustment Hazards and Aggregate Dynamics

The basic premise of this paper is that understanding aggregate dynamics requires considering that agents are heterogeneous and that they do not adjust continuously to the shocks they perceive. We provide a general characterization of lumpy behavior at the microeconomic level in terms of an adjustment-hazard function, which relates the probability that a unit adjusts to the deviation of its state variable from its moving target. We characterize rich, cross-sectionally dependent aggregate dynamics generated by nonconstant hazards. We present an example based on U. S. manufacturing employment and job flows, and find that increasinghazard models outperform constant-hazard-partial-adjustment models in describing aggregate employment dynamics.
Vertical heat transport in eddying ocean models

[1] The effect of mesoscale eddies on the vertical heat transport of the ocean is examined using two eddy-resolving numerical models. The global heat transport by the mean flow and diffusion are both downwards and are balanced by an upward eddy heat flux. Mean and eddy advective heat fluxes dominate the subpolar regions, while diffusive flux is important primarily in the subtropics. In the subtropical abyss, the mean advective heat flux is balanced by a combination of eddy and diffusive fluxes and the classical Munk-type advective-diffusive heat balance must be modified. The Munk and Wunsch (1998) expression for the vertical turbulent diffusivity over-estimates the diffusivity by as much as a factor of four near the base of the main thermocline. This implies that the mixing required to close the meridional overturning circulation determined by Munk and Wunsch (1998) may be an over-estimate due to the neglect of mesoscale eddies.
A Bayesian hierarchical approach to multirater correlated ROC analysis

In a common ROC study design, several readers are asked to rate diagnostics of the same cases processed under different modalities. We describe a Bayesian hierarchical model that facilitates the analysis of this study design by explicitly modelling the three sources of variation inherent to it. In so doing, we achieve substantial reductions in the posterior uncertainty associated with estimates of the differences in areas under the estimated ROC curves and corresponding reductions in the mean squared error (MSE) of these estimates. Based on simulation studies, both the widths of coverage intervals and MSE of estimates of differences in the area under the curves appear to be reduced by a factor that often exceeds five. Thus, our methodology has important implications for increasing the power of analyses based on ROC data collected from an available study population.
The synthesis of dibenzofuran based diacids and amino acids designed to nucleate parallel and antiparallel β-sheet formation.

Abstract 4-( N-tert -butyloxycarbonyl-2-aminoethyl-)-6-dibenzofuranpropionic acid ( 1 ) and 4,6-dibenzofurandipropionic acid ( 2 ) designed to nucleate antiparallel and parallel β-sheet formation, respectively, have been synthesized in multi-gram quantities.
Evaluation of porosity in composite aircraft structures

The use of an analytical model for determining the moduli of elasticity of composite laminates made of woven or unidirectional plies with different porosity levels was described. The analysis of aircraft composite parts with different levels of voids (porosity) was based on a method which utilizes the results of state-of-the-art nondestructive testing methods (ultrasonic through transmission, loading, or pulse/echo) as the starting data for the analytical model. The porosity distribution over the volume of the material and correlations for the nondestructive testing methods were determined for epoxy-carbon laminates with standard and stiffened binders and corroborating experiments were conducted. It was shown that the moduli of elasticity of composite laminates decrease with an increase in the porosity levels. The type, thickness, and layup of the laminate are the basic factors that affect the decrease in the elastic properties of porous composite laminates.
Bounded Independence Fools Degree-2 Threshold Functions

For an $n$-variate degree–$2$ real polynomial $p$, we prove that $\E_{x\sim \mathcal{D}}[\sgn(p(x))]$ is determined up to an additive $\eps$ as long as $\mathcal{D}$ is a $k$-wise independent distribution over $\bits^n$ for $k = \poly(1/\eps)$. This gives a broad class of explicit pseudorandom generators against degree-$2$ boolean threshold functions, and answers an open question of Diakonikolas et al. (FOCS 2009).
Radiative heat pumps using narrow-bandgap semiconductors

Abstract The solid state radiative heat pump (SSRHP) concept is introduced. It offers the potential to pump infrared radiation - for heating and cooling - with high second law efficiency. In particular, some of the limitations of Peltier-effect heat pumps can be circumvented. Two approaches for constructing SSRHP devices will be described. In one approach the device is a large-area p-n junction, similar to an IR (light) emitting diode. In the second approach one uses orthogonal electric and magnetic fields to alter equilibrium carrier concentrations of electrons and holes near the crystal surface, altering the IR emission due to electron-hole recombination radiation. This phenomenon is usually termed galvanomagnetic luminescence (GML). Either approach can be used to make radiative heat pumps. Materials suitable for SSRHP devices are narrow-bandgap semiconductors with direct bandgaps in the range of 0.03–0.3 eV for room temperature operation. Obvious candidates are InSb, Hg 1−x Cd x Te and Pb 1−x Sn x Te . As a first step in the evaluation of InSb, our laboratory has made absolute spectral measurements of its galvanomagnetic luminescence. These and related measurements in Russia, Japan and Germany are discussed.
On the stopping distance and the stopping redundancy of codes

It is now well known that the performance of a linear code Copf under iterative decoding on a binary erasure channel (and other channels) is determined by the size of the smallest stopping set in the Tanner graph for Copf. Several recent papers refer to this parameter as the stopping distance s of Copf. This is somewhat of a misnomer since the size of the smallest stopping set in the Tanner graph for Copf depends on the corresponding choice of a parity-check matrix. It is easy to see that s les d, where d is the minimum Hamming distance of Copf, and we show that it is always possible to choose a parity-check matrix for Copf (with sufficiently many dependent rows) such that s=d. We thus introduce a new parameter, the stopping redundancy of Copf, defined as the minimum number of rows in a parity- check matrix H for Copf such that the corresponding stopping distance s(H) attains its largest possible value, namely, s(H)=d. We then derive general bounds on the stopping redundancy of linear codes. We also examine several simple ways of constructing codes from other codes, and study the effect of these constructions on the stopping redundancy. Specifically, for the family of binary Reed-Muller codes (of all orders), we prove that their stopping redundancy is at most a constant times their conventional redundancy. We show that the stopping redundancies of the binary and ternary extended Golay codes are at most 34 and 22, respectively. Finally, we provide upper and lower bounds on the stopping redundancy of MDS codes
Microcomputers in Classrooms: Educational Technology or Social Practice?

Microcomputers were given to four elementary school teachers and changes in classroom organization, teacher-student relations, and curriculum were observed. Teachers fit their new microcomputers into previously established classroom organizational practices; they seldom modified spatial and temporal arrangements. Teachers had two students work together at a computer; a different participation structure emerged in which students assisted each other and cooperated in completing tasks. Teachers used microcomputers as a means to meet previously established educational goals and as a means to reach previously unattainable educational goals. As a result of this yearlong investigation, two of the more extreme predictions about the role of microcomputers in education are questioned for being overly deterministic. Those who predict a computer revolution assume that technology causes changes in social organization while those who predict that schools will reject computer innovations assume that social organization determines technological use. Both positions confuse technology with social practice. It is not the features inherent in the machine but what people do with the machine that determine how microcomputers will be used in education. Recognizing that microcomputers are always part of a larger social system enables us to see the relationship between classroom organization and computer use as a mutually influential, not a unidirectional, relationship.
Social and governance dimensions of climate change : implications for policy

This background paper addresses two vital concerns in debate upon adaptation to climate change. First, how do author prepare countries to manage the impact of climate-change induced natural disasters? Second, how do author ensure that countries have the governmental institutions required to manage the phenomenal challenge of adaptation to climate change? A range of economic and institutional measures are tested for their potential effects upon natural disaster resilience and the quality of environmental governance. The findings suggest an important role is played by social and political institutions in determining the ability of countries to adapt to climate change and respond to natural disasters, in particular in the degree to which countries have succeeded in gender empowerment and the development of a robust civil society and nonprofit sector. As the climate change challenge moves from that of 'proving the facts' to that of 'implementing change', author suggest that international policymakers, donors, and activists must increasingly focus on building domestic policy environments that are conducive to the delivery of more effective environmental legislation, for example through implementation of gender quotas and provision of support to civil society groups.
Representations of integers by an invariant polynomial and unipotent flows

We study a refined version of Linnik's problem on the asymptotic behavior of the number of representations of integers m by an integral polynomial as m tends to infinity. Assuming that the polynomials arise from invariant theory, we reduce the question to the study of limiting behavior of measures invariant under unipotent flows. Our main tool is then Ratner's theorem on the uniform distribution of unipotent flows, in a form refined by Dani and Margulis [DM2]
One-Flask Syntheses of 6-Thioguanosine and 2′-Deoxy-6-Thioguanosine

We have previously reported that reaction of guanosine or 2′-deoxyguanosine with trifluoroacetic anhydride in pyridine gives a putative 6-pyridyl intermediate from which several 6-substituted derivatives may be obtained.1 We now report high-yield conversion of guanosine and 2′-deoxyguanosine to the corresponding 6-thio compounds in a two-step, one-flask reaction via this 6-pyridyl intermediate. Standard Raney nickel treatment, as reported for the ribonucleoside,2 then gives the 2-aminopurine nucleosides.