cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
How many ore-bearing asteroids?

Abstract A simple formalism is presented to assess how many asteroids contain ore, i.e., commercially profitable material, and not merely a high concentration of a resource. I apply this formalism to two resource cases: platinum group metals (PGMs) and water. Assuming for now that only Ni–Fe asteroids are of interest for PGMs, then 1% of NEOs are rich in PGMs. The dearth of ultra-low delta-v ( 100 m diameter. These estimates are at present highly imprecise and sensitive to small changes, especially in the maximum delta-v allowed. Nonetheless the low values found here mean that much improved determinations of each of the terms of the formalism are urgently needed. If better estimates still find small numbers of ore-bearing NEOs then thorough surveys for NEA discovery and, especially, characterization are needed. Strategies for the two classes are likely to be different.
Development of Superplastic Structural Ceramics

Superplastic structural ceramics (Y-TZP, A1203, Si3N4, and their composites) that can withstand biaxial stretching to large strains have been developed recently. Microstructural design of these ceramics first requires an ultrafine grain size that is stable against coarsening during sintering and deformation. A low sintering temperature is a necessary, but not a sufficient, condition for achieving the required microstructure. In many cases, the selection of an appropriate phase, such as tetragonal phase in zirconia or a phase in silicon nitride, which is resistant to grain growth, is crucial. The use of sintering aids and grain-growth inhibitors, particularly those that segregate to the grain boundaries, can be beneficial. Second-phase particles are especially effective in suppressing static and dynamic grain growth. Another major concern is to maintain an adequate grain-boundary cohesive strength, relative to the flow stress, to mitigate cavitation or grain-boundary cracking during large strain deformation. Existing evidence suggests that a lower grainboundary energy is instrumental in achieving this objective. The selection of an appropriate phase and the tailoring of the grain boundary or liquid-phase composition can sometimes drastically alter the cavitation resistance. Related observations on forming methods, forming characteristics, and sheet formability are also reviewed. The basic deformation characteristics are similar to diffusional creep and are dominated by R. E. Newnham-contributing editor
Graph sample and hold: a framework for big-graph analytics

Sampling is a standard approach in big-graph analytics; the goal is to efficiently estimate the graph properties by consulting a sample of the whole population. A perfect sample is assumed to mirror every property of the whole population. Unfortunately, such a perfect sample is hard to collect in complex populations such as graphs (e.g. web graphs, social networks), where an underlying network connects the units of the population. Therefore, a good sample will be representative in the sense that graph properties of interest can be estimated with a known degree of accuracy.While previous work focused particularly on sampling schemes to estimate certain graph properties (e.g. triangle count), much less is known for the case when we need to estimate various graph properties with the same sampling scheme. In this paper, we pro- pose a generic stream sampling framework for big-graph analytics, called Graph Sample and Hold (gSH), which samples from massive graphs sequentially in a single pass, one edge at a time, while maintaining a small state in memory. We use a Horvitz-Thompson construction in conjunction with a scheme that samples arriving edges without adjacencies to previously sampled edges with probability p and holds edges with adjacencies with probability q. Our sample and hold framework facilitates the accurate estimation of subgraph patterns by enabling the dependence of the sampling process to vary based on previous history. Within our framework, we show how to produce statistically unbiased estimators for various graph properties from the sample. Given that the graph analytics will run on a sample instead of the whole population, the runtime complexity is kept under control. Moreover, given that the estimators are unbiased, the approximation error is also kept under control. Finally, we test the performance of the proposed framework (gSH) on various types of graphs, showing that from a sample with -- 40K edges, it produces estimates with relative errors
Housing demand in Mexico

Abstract This paper analyzes the components of housing demand in Mexico in the context of developing and developed nations. The case of Mexico is particularly interesting given that population and income dynamics, as well as current housing shortages, suggest that the demand for housing will significantly increase in the near future. We use micro-level data from market-based mortgages that originated during the period of 2002 to 2004 for 21 metropolitan areas in Mexico. We find the price elasticity of housing demand to be −0.3, lower than previous studies for developed countries and within the range for developing countries. Permanent income is a major component of housing demand, with an elasticity of 0.8. In contrast, temporary income has a very low elasticity of 0.04. The mortgage rate elasticity for 25-year mortgages is −0.39. We believe these results provide important information to policy makers and practitioners in Mexico and other developing nations.
Policy Watch: Government Analysis of the Benefits and Costs of Regulation

Recently, Congress has shown a greater interest in assessing the economic impact of regulation. This interest was driven in part by estimates that federal regulation costs several hundred billion dollars annually. In 1996, Congress required the director of the Office of Management and Budget to provide estimates of the total annual benefits and costs of individual regulations. This essay reviews the increasing use of economic analysis in regulatory decisionmaking, critically assesses the first 0MB report, and considers how the use of economic analysis can help inform regulatory decisionmaking. It argues that policymakers need to address a growing body of evidence that casts doubt on the effectiveness and efficiency of much regulation.
The Geometry of Conventionality

There is a venerable position in the philosophy of space and time that holds that the geometry of spacetime is conventional, provided one is willing to postulate a “universal force field.” Here we ask a more focused question, inspired by this literature: in the context of our best classical theories of space and time, if one understands “force” in the standard way, can one accommodate different geometries by postulating a new force field? We argue that the answer depends on one’s theory. In Newtonian gravitation the answer is yes; in relativity theory, it is no.
Bicollimated near field gregorian reflector antenna

Abstract : A bicollimated near-field Gregorian reflector is structurally similar to a classical confocal parabolic reflector, but its surfaces are shaped to have better scan capability. A geometrical optics procedure is used in designing the reflector surfaces. A three-dimensional ray tracing procedure is used in analyzing the aperture phase errors as the beam is scanned to different angles. The results show that the bicollimated configuration has about 45% greater angular scanning range than the corresponding confocal parabolic dual-reflector system.
No Customer Left Behind: A Distribution-Free Bayesian Approach to Accounting for Missing Xs in Marketing Models

In marketing applications, it is common that some key covariates in a regression model, such as marketing mix variables or consumer profiles, are subject to missingness. The convenient method that excludes the consumers with missingness in any covariate can result in a substantial loss of efficiency and may lead to strong selection bias in the estimation of consumer preferences and sensitivities. To solve these problems, we propose a new Bayesian distribution-free approach, which can ensure that no customer is left behind in the analysis as a result of missing covariates. In this way, all customers are being considered in devising managerial policies. The proposed approach allows for flexible modeling of a joint distribution of multidimensional interrelated covariates that can contain both continuous and discrete variables. At the same time, it minimizes the impact of distributional assumptions involved in covariate modeling because the method does not require researchers to specify parametric distributions for covariates and can automatically generate suitable distributions for missing covariates. We have developed an efficient Markov chain Monte Carlo algorithm for inference. Besides robustness and flexibility, the proposed approach reduces modeling and computational efforts associated with missing covariates and therefore makes the missing covariate problems easier to handle. We evaluate the performance of the proposed method using extensive simulation studies. We then illustrate the method in two real data examples in which missing covariates occur: a mixed multinomial logit discrete-choice model in a ketchup data set and a hierarchical probit purchase incidence model in a retail store data set. These analyses demonstrate that the proposed method overcomes several important limitations of existing approaches for solving missing covariate problems and offers opportunities to make better managerial decisions with the current available marketing databases. Although our applications focus on consumer-level data, the proposed method is general and can be applied to other marketing applications where other types of marketing players are the units of analysis.
Backup and recovery in the IBM information network

The IBM Information Network is a nationwide system network architecture (SNA) network that provides users access to application offerings and network services. This paper describes the design of backup and recovery methods for insuring that the availability of the network is maintained. The communication management configuration (CMC) is highlighted and the uses of current SNA capabilities to provide dynamic switching are shown. In addition, operational and human factors in achieving and managing backup are described.
CMB temperature and polarization anisotropy fundamentals

The tremendous experimental progress in cosmic microwave background (CMB) temperature and polarization anisotropy studies over the last few years has helped establish a standard paradigm for cosmology at intermediate epochs and has simultaneously raised questions regarding the physical processes at the two opposite ends of time. What is the physics behind the source of structure in the universe and the dark energy that is currently accelerating its expansion? We review the acoustic phenomenology that forms the cornerstone of the standard cosmological model and discuss internal consistency relations which lend credence to its interpretation. We discuss future milestones in the study of CMB anisotropy that have implications for inflationary and dark energy models. These include signatures of gravitational waves and gravitational lensing in the polarization fields and secondary temperature anisotropy from the transit of CMB photons across the large-scale structure of the universe.
Added CFO voltage by the fiberglass distribution line pole

This paper presents the study results conducted on the critical flashover (CFO) voltages of the fiberglass distribution line pole and its combination with polymer and porcelain insulators. Special attention was made to evaluate the added CFO voltages by the fiberglass pole to the insulators when pole served as a second component in the distribution line structure. A discussion of the results follows the data obtained.
Policies for biodefense revisited: The prioritized vaccination process for smallpox

Handling bioterror events that involve contagious agents is a major concern for authorities and a cause for debate among policymakers about the best response policy. At the core of this debate stands the question which of the two post-event policies to adopt: mass vaccination or trace (also called ring or targeted) vaccination. We present a new dynamic epidemic-intervention model that captures key features of the situation and generalizes some previous assumptions regarding the probability distributions of inter-temporal parameters. It is shown that a mixture of mass and trace vaccination policies—the prioritized vaccination policy—is more effective than either of the two aforementioned policies.
System for reading handwritten documents

This paper describes techniques for handwritten text recognition to enable recognition of ordinary handwritten text in documents. The various components of a handwritten text recognition system are described. Sentence level recognition of /spl ges/63% (top choice) is demonstrated on a limited data set.
Flow Response and Microstructure of Polymers Reinforced with Discontinuous Fibers

The reinforcement of plastics with fibers has been practiced for many years. Only recently have long discontinuous fibers been compounded with thermoplastics by the method of pultrusion which preserves fiber length while promoting wetting of each fiber by the matrix polymer. Reinforcement of linear polymers with high strength fibers enhances physical properties and creates formable thermoplastic composites. Conventional compounding of fiber and polymer in a pelletizing extruder creates pellets. These are typically cylindrical, about 3 × 3 mm; containing fibers with a length distribution averaging 0.3 mm (but always < 3 mm). In distinction to such “short fiber” (SF) materials, greater fiber length can be achieved by the process of pultrusion. In this technology, continuous tows of fiber are wetted by molten polymer, “pultruded” through a die; and chopped to any desired length. The resulting pellets are typically 3 mm diameter, 12 mm long, and contain 30 to 60 weight percent of fibers with l/d ≥ 700. These long fiber (LF) pellets can be processed e.g. by injection molding, to give parts with net shape and good dimensional tolerances, high stiffness, tensile, and impact strength. In order to understand the distribution of discontinuous fibers in molded parts, and to comprehend the flow behavior of these non-Newtonian fiber-filled suspensions, we have examined the melt rheology of short and long fiber reinforced thermoplastics.
Flywheel technology: past, present, and 21st century projections

This paper describes the present status of flywheel energy storage technology, or mechanical batteries, and discusses realistic future projections that are possible based on stronger composite materials and advancing technology. The origins and use of flywheel technology for mechanical energy storage began several hundred years ago and was developed throughout the Industrial Revolution. One of the first "modern" dissertations on the theoretical stress limitations of rotational disks (isotropic only) is the seminal work by A. Stodola whose first translation to English was made in 1917. The next big milestones were during the 1960s and 1970s when NASA sponsored programs proposed energy storage flywheels as possible primary sources for space missions. However, it was not until the 1980's when microelectronics, magnetic bearing systems and high power density motor-generators became enabling technologies. The next decade proved that a mechanical battery could surpass chemical batteries for many applications.
The historical development of mechanochemistry

This paper reviews the history of mechanochemistry. It begins with prehistoric times, when reactions could be initiated during grinding and rubbing accidentally, and follows the main developments until recent results and current trends. There are very few records on mechanochemistry until the first systematic investigations by Spring and Lea at the end of the 19th century. For the next decades, mechanochemistry developed slowly; minerals, inorganic compounds, and polymers were the main subjects of investigation. The area became more organized in the 1960s, when several large groups were established and the first dedicated conferences were held. Mechanical alloying was invented in 1966 independently and it became a subject of intense research. Interaction between the two topics was established in the 1990s. In recent years, the mechanochemical synthesis of organic compounds was added to the main subjects and the invention of the atomic force microscope provided new ways to manipulate atoms and molecules by direct mechanical action. The theoretical explanation of mechanochemical phenomena is difficult, as the mechanism is system specific and several length and time scales are involved. Thiessen proposed the first theory, the magma–plasma model, in 1967, and deeper insight is being obtained by computer modelling combined with empirical work. Practical applications have been an important motivation throughout the history of mechanochemistry. It is used alone or in combination with other steps in an increasing number of technologies.
Abundances of Sr, Y, and Zr in Metal-Poor Stars and Implications for Chemical Evolution in the Early Galaxy

We have attributed the elements from Sr through Ag in stars of low metallicities ([Fe/H] ≾ -1.5) to charged-particle reactions (CPRs) in neutrino-driven winds, which are associated with neutron star formation in low-mass and normal supernovae (SNe) from progenitors of ~8-11 M⊙ and ~12-25 M⊙, respectively. Using this rule and attributing all Fe production to normal SNe, we previously developed a phenomenological two-component model, which predicts that [Sr/Fe] ≥ -0.32 for all metal-poor stars. This is in direct conflict with the high-resolution data now available, which show that there is a great shortfall of Sr relative to Fe in many stars with [Fe/H] ≾3. The same conflict also exists for the CPR elements Y and Zr. We show that the data require a stellar source leaving behind black holes and that hypernovae (HNe) from progenitors of ~25-50 M⊙ are the most plausible candidates. If we expand our previous model to include three components (low-mass and normal SNe and HNe), we find that essentially all of the data are very well described by the new model. The HN yield pattern for the low-A elements from Na through Zn ( including Fe) is inferred from the stars deficient in Sr, Y, and Zr. We estimate that HNe contributed ~24% of the bulk solar Fe inventory while normal SNe contributed only ~ 9% (not the usually assumed ~33%). This implies a greatly reduced role of normal SNe in the chemical evolution of the low-A elements.
Financial Value of Brands in Mergers and Acquisitions: Is Value in the Eye of the Beholder?:

In mergers and acquisitions (M&As), brands account for significant but heterogeneous proportions of overall transaction value. The marketing literature focuses on the drivers of financial value of brands when there is no change in the ownership of brands. However, in M&As, the value of brands also depends on how their new owners leverage them. This study identifies both the target and the acquirer firm characteristics that affect the value of a target firm’s brands in M&As. The study uses audited measures of acquired brand value from Securities and Exchange Commission filings (made available as a result of recent statutory reporting requirements) along with data collected from diverse secondary sources. The empirical test of the model is based on 133 M&A transactions in which acquirers attribute value to target firms’ brands. The results indicate that acquirer and target marketing capabilities and brand portfolio diversity have positive effects on a target firm’s brand value. The positive impact of acquirer brand portfolio diversity and target marketing capability is lower when the M&A is synergistic than when it is nonsynergistic. The findings are robust to various model specifications, measures, endogeneity, and sample selection.
The synthesis and evaluation of 3-substituted-7-(alkylidene)cephalosporin sulfones as β-lactamase inhibitors

A series of 3-substituted-7-(alkylidene)cephaloporin sulfones were prepared and evaluated as inhibitors of representative class A and class C serine beta-lactamase. Appropriate substituents resulted in a 1000-fold improvement in the inhibition of the class A enzymes and a simultaneous 20-fold improvement in the inhibition of class C. These new compounds have achieved the goal of creating broad scale inhibitors in the cephalosporin series.
High-temperature carbon-irradiation issues for the Sombrero ICF reactor

Abstract In order to assess the feasibility of carbon materials for the first-wall of the Sombrero KrF laser-driven ICF fusion reactor [W.R. Meier et al., OSIRIS and SOMBRERO Inertial Fusion Power Plant Designs, W.J. Schafer Associates Report, WSJA-92-01, DOE/ER/54100-1 (1992); W.R. Meier, et al., Fus. Eng. Des. 25 (1994) 145–157; I.N. Sviatoslavsky, et al., Fus. Tech. 21 (1992) 1470–1474], published experimental results relating to mechanical and thermal properties of graphites and carbon-fiber-composites (CFC's) under neutron irradiation and high heat loads are reviewed. Results are compared to published design requirements for the Sombrero ICF reactor, with particular attention to three separate issues of concern: (1) Erosion rates of the first wall are highly sensitive to the thermal conductivity value, which is itself environment-sensitive (radiation and high temperature). Erosion rates at the first wall are calculated here using a high-temperature post-irradiation conductivity value of 50 W/m K, with complete erosion of the first wall layer predicted within 1.25 full-power years (FPY), illustrating the sensitivity of erosion rates to thermal conductivity assumptions; (2) Radiation-induced swelling in 2-D and ‘pseudo 3-D’ CFC's is consistently ∼20% under high-temperature neutron damage of 5 dpa (0.33 FPY). This level of swelling would pose technical challenges to the engineering of the target chamber modules; (3) Total tritium retention is predicted to be ∼0.5–5 kg in the Sombrero chamber within 0.67 FPY, which may call into question safety-status assumptions of the CFC-based chamber design. These results indicate the urgency of high-temperature neutron-irradiation tests of fully symmetric 3-D CFC's in order to support the plausibility of a carbon first-wall IFE chamber such as proposed for Sombrero.
Jealous of the Joneses: conspicuous consumption, inequality, and crime

Empirical research on the relationship between economic inequality and crime has focussed on income inequality, despite the fact that income is not easily observed by potential criminals. We extend this literature by shifting the focus from income to its visible manifestation—conspicuous consumption. Using variation within US states over time, we document a robust association between the distribution of conspicuous consumption and violent crime. Our results link violent crime to inequality in visible expenditure, but not to inequality in total expenditure, suggesting that information plays a key role in the determination of crime. Furthermore, focussing on conspicuous expenditure allows for new tests of competing theories of crime. Our findings are consistent with social theories that link crime with relative deprivation, but provide little support for traditional economic theory.
The extended Touschek lifetime

Scattering of particles within the bunch is called Touschek scattering. If large enough, such an energy transfer may eject the particle out of the bunch. If a particle is scattered in the dispersive region, it will induce a horizontal betatron oscillation which will be coupled into vertical motion when it passes through skew components. The amount of coupling is expressed in terms of the coupling coefficient, /spl chi/. If the coupling coefficient is large enough, the resulting vertical oscillations may exceed the normally small vertical admittance of the ring. Thus the particles may be lost even though the energy loss is within the momentum acceptance. The lifetime associated with this loss mechanism is called the extended Touschek lifetime. In the usual Touschek lifetime calculation, the lifetime increases as the coupling increases. Including the effect of the vertical oscillation results in a decrease of Touschek lifetime beyond some coupling value.
Sound Velocity and Elasticity of Tetragonal Lysozyme Crystals by Brillouin Spectroscopy

Quasilongitudinal sound velocities and the second-order elastic moduli of tetragonal hen egg-white lysozyme crystals were determined as a function of relative humidity (RH) by Brillouin scattering. In hydrated crystals the measured sound velocities in the [110] plane vary between 2.12 ± 0.03 km/s along the [001] direction and 2.31 ± 0.08 km/s along the [110] direction. Dehydration from 98% to 67% RH increases the sound velocities and decreases the velocity anisotropy in (110) from 8.2% to 2.0%. A discontinuity in velocity and an inversion of the anisotropy is observed with increasing dehydration providing support for the existence of a structural transition below 88% RH. Brillouin linewidths can be described by a mechanical model in which the phonon is coupled to a relaxation mode of hydration water with a single relaxation time of 55 ± 5 ps. At equilibrium hydration (98% RH) the longitudinal moduli C11 + C12 + 2C66 = 12.81 ± 0.08 GPa, C11 = 5.49 ± 0.03 GPa, and C33 = 5.48 ± 0.05 GPa were directly determined. Inversion of the measured sound velocities in the [110] plane constrains the combination C44 + ½C13 to 2.99 ± 0.05 GPa. Further constraints on the elastic tensor are obtained by combining the Brillouin quasilongitudinal results with axial compressibilities determined from high-pressure x-ray diffraction. We constrain the adiabatic bulk modulus to the range 2.7–5.3 GPa.
The Information paradox: A Pedagogical introduction

The black hole information paradox is a very poorly understood problem. It is often believed that Hawking's argument is not precisely formulated, and a more careful accounting of naturally occurring quantum corrections will allow the radiation process to become unitary. We show that such is not the case, by proving that small corrections to the leading order Hawking computation cannot remove the entanglement between the radiation and the hole. We formulate Hawking's argument as a 'theorem': assuming 'traditional' physics at the horizon and usual assumptions of locality we will be forced into mixed states or remnants. We also argue that one cannot explain away the problem by invoking AdS/CFT duality. We conclude with recent results on the quantum physics of black holes which show that the interior of black holes have a 'fuzzball' structure. This nontrivial structure of microstates resolves the information paradox and gives a qualitative picture of how classical intuition can break down in black hole physics.
Equity Risk, Conversion Risk, and the Demand for Insurance

Existing insurance theory fails when applied to real property because it does not account for variations in the economic environment. The article studies optimal property insurance in the presence of two sources of variation: equity risk and conversion risk. Equity risk is randomness of the value of a property. It tends to raise demand for conventional insurance. In contrast, conversion risk is randomness in the value the property would have if, after severe damage, it were converted to the highest-valued use. It is distinct from equity risk because the highest-valued use is typically not the current one. Under independent conversion risk, the optimum upper limit is a compromise among underlying conversion thresholds. Absent independence, the optimum can be quite different. Conversion risk can raise or lower the demand for property insurance. Insurance contracts that fail to address conversion tend to undermine the orderly disposition of obligations and reduce the gains from reallocation of risks through insurance.
Deriving optimal checkpoint protocols for distributed shared memory architectures

Uncoordinated checkpointing is one technique used to build processes that can recover to a consistent state after crashing. This technique requires each process to periodically record its state in a checkpoint. Furthermore, the threads executing on each process log any non-deterministic action that they take following the latest checkpointed state. When a process crashes, a new process, initialized with the appropriate recorded local state, is created in its place. The new process restarts executing, and whenever one of its threads confronts a non-deterministic choice, the thread references the log in order to reproduce the same action performed before the crash. Thus, uncoordinated checkpointing implements an abstraction of a resilient process in which the crash of a process is translated into intermittent unavailability of that process.
Scattering of shock waves in QCD

The cross section of heavy-ion collisions is represented as a double functional integral with the saddle point being the classical solution of the Yang-Mills equations with boundary conditions/sources in the form of two shock waves corresponding to the two colliding ions. I develop the expansion of this classical solution in powers of the commutator of the Wilson lines describing the colliding particles and calculate the first two terms of the expansion.
Low lying zeros of families of L-functions

In Iwaniec-Sarnak [IS] the percentages of nonvanishing of central values of families of GL_2 automorphic L-functions was investigated. In this paper we examine the distribution of zeros which are at or neat s=1/2 (that is the central point) for such families of L-functions. Unlike [IS], most of the results in this paper are conditional, depending on the Generalized Riemann Hypothesis (GRH). It is by no means obvious, but on the other hand not surprising, that this allows us to obtain sharper results on nonvanishing.
INVOLUTORY HOPF ALGEBRAS AND 3-MANIFOLD INVARIANTS

We establish a 3-manifold invariant for each finite-dimensional, involutory Hopf algebra. If the Hopf algebra is a group algebra G, the invariant counts homomorphisms from the fundamental group of the manifold to G. The invariant can be viewed as a state model on a Heegaard diagram or a triangulation of the manifold. The computation of the invariant involves tensor products and contractions of the structure tensors of the algebra. We show that every formal expression involving these tensors corresponds to a unique 3-manifold modulo a well-understood equivalence. This raises the possibility of an algorithm which can determine whether two given 3-manifolds are homeomorphic.
Stokesian jellyfish: viscous locomotion of bilayer vesicles

Motivated by recent advances in vesicle engineering, we consider theoretically the locomotion of shape-changing bilayer vesicles at low Reynolds number. By modulating their volume and membrane composition, the vesicles can be made to change shape quasi-statically in thermal equilibrium. When the control parameters are tuned appropriately to yield periodic shape changes, which are not time-reversible, the result is a net swimming motion over one cycle of shape deformation. For two classical vesicle models (spontaneous curvature and bilayer coupling), we numerically determine the sequence of vesicle shapes through an enthalpy minimization, as well as the fluid-body interactions by solving a boundary integral formulation of the Stokes equations. For both models, net locomotion can be obtained either by continuously modulating fore-aft asymmetric vesicle shapes or by crossing a continuous shape-transition region and alternating between fore-aft asymmetric and fore-aft symmetric shapes. The obtained hydrodynamic efficiencies are similar to those of other low Reynolds number biological swimmers and suggest that shape-changing vesicles might provide an alternative to flagella-based synthetic microswimmers.
DIFFUSE ATOMIC AND MOLECULAR GAS IN THE INTERSTELLAR MEDIUM OF M82 TOWARD SN 2014J

We present a comprehensive analysis of interstellar absorption lines seen in moderately high resolution, high signal-to-noise ratio optical spectra of SN?2014J in M82. Our observations were acquired over the course of six nights, covering the period from ~6?days before to ~30?days after the supernova reached its maximum B-band brightness. We examine complex absorption from Na I, Ca II, K I, Ca I, CH+, CH, and CN, arising primarily from diffuse gas in the interstellar medium (ISM) of M82. We detect Li I absorption over a range in velocity consistent with that exhibited by the strongest Na I and K I components associated with M82; this is the first detection of interstellar Li in a galaxy outside of the Local Group. There are no significant temporal variations in the absorption-line profiles over the 37?days sampled by our observations. The relative abundances of the various interstellar species detected reveal that the ISM of M82 probed by SN?2014J consists of a mixture of diffuse atomic and molecular clouds characterized by a wide range of physical/environmental conditions. Decreasing N(Na I)/N(Ca II) ratios and increasing N(Ca I)/N(K I) ratios with increasing velocity are indicative of reduced depletion in the higher-velocity material. Significant component-to-component scatter in the N(Na I)/N(Ca II) and N(Ca I)/N(Ca II) ratios may be due to variations in the local ionization conditions. An apparent anti-correlation between the N(CH+)/N(CH) and N(Ca I)/N(Ca II) ratios can be understood in terms of an opposite dependence on gas density and radiation field strength, while the overall high CH+ abundance may be indicative of enhanced turbulence in the ISM of M82. The Li abundance also seems to be enhanced in M82, which supports the conclusions of recent gamma-ray emission studies that the cosmic-ray acceleration processes are greatly enhanced in this starburst galaxy.
Boundary control of an anti-stable wave equation with anti-damping on the uncontrolled boundary

Abstract Much of the boundary control of wave equations in one dimension is based on a single principle—passivity—under the assumption that control is applied through Neumann actuation on one boundary and the other boundary satisfies a homogeneous Dirichlet boundary condition. We have recently expanded the scope of tractable problems by allowing destabilizing anti-stiffness (a Robin type condition) on the uncontrolled boundary, where the uncontrolled system has a finite number of positive real eigenvalues. In this paper we go further and develop a methodology for the case where the uncontrolled boundary condition has anti-damping, which makes the real parts of all the eigenvalues of the uncontrolled system positive and arbitrarily high, i.e., the system is “anti-stable” (exponentially stable in negative time). Using a conceptually novel integral transformation, we obtain extremely simple, explicit formulae for the gain functions. For the case with only boundary sensing available (at the same end with actuation), we design backstepping observers which are dual to the backstepping controllers and have explicit output injection gains. We then combine the control and observer designs into an output-feedback compensator and prove the exponential stability of the closed-loop system.
Causes and explanations: A structural-model approach. Part I: Causes

AbstractWe propose a new definition of actual causes, using structural equations to model counterfactuals. We show that the definition yields a plausible and elegant account of causation that handl...
Generic incomparability of infinite-dimensional entangled states

Abstract In support of a recent conjecture by Nielsen (1999), we prove that the phenomena of ‘incomparable entanglement’—whereby, neither member of a pair of pure entangled states can be transformed into the other via local operations and classical communication (LOCC)—is a generic feature when the states at issue live in an infinite-dimensional Hilbert space.
Realization-Preserving Structure and Order Reduction of Nonlinear Energetic System Models Using Energy Trajectory Correlations

Previous work by the authors developed algorithms for simplifying the structure of a lumped dynamic system model and reducing its order. This paper extends this previous work to enable simultaneous model structure and order reduction. Specifically, it introduces a new energy-based metric to evaluate the relative importance of energetic connections in a model. This metric (1) accounts for correlations between energy flow patterns in a model using the Karhunen-Loeve expansion; (2) examines all energetic connections in a model, thereby assessing the relative importance of both energetic components and their interactions, and enabling both order and structural reduction; and (3) is realization preserving, in the sense of not requiring a state transformation. A reduction scheme based on this metric is presented and illustrated using a simple example. The example shows that the proposed method can successfully concurrently reduce model order and structure without requiring a realization change, and that it can provide an improved assessment of the importance of various model components due to its correlation-based nature.
Diffuse Background Radiation

A new determination of the upper limit to the cosmic diffuse background radiation, at ~110 nm, of 300 photons s-1 cm-2 sr-1 nm-1 is placed in the context of diffuse background measurements across the entire electromagnetic spectrum, including new optical, infrared, visible, and gamma-ray background measurements. The possibility that observed excess diffuse visible radiation is due to redshifted cosmological Lyα recombination radiation is explored. Also, a new standard of units for the display of spectra is advocated.
Against the Grain: Therapeutic Judging in a Traditional Family Court

The last several decades have seen a proliferation of specialized courts, including within the family court system, that deviate from the adversarial model, and that rely on therapeutic jurisprudence and other problem-solving techniques. Whether and how traditional family courts can incorporate the best practices of these specialized courts is a largely understudied area. Drawing from ethnographic observations of a traditional urban family court, this study finds that some judges are able to transform nontherapeutic courtrooms into therapeutic ones despite obstacles. These “against the grain” actors, who act contrary to the institution's dominant norms and practices, demonstrate how therapeutic jurisprudence and other problem-solving techniques can be utilized in traditional courtrooms.
Design features of Remington Rand Speed Tally

Tallying, the recording of the number of occurrences of specific events, although basically a simple repetitive act, has somehow failed to become mechanized in the general trend toward relieving humans of the drudgery of paper work. A tremendous amount of event counting is still recorded in the tally records of modern business establishments in the symbols of the ancients, the four strokes and slash. This system is used especially when the number of different events being tallied is large. It is true that the ticket taker has his thumb-operated counter and the baseball umpire his finger-operated wheels for balls and strikes, but as the number of events grows, the mechanism fails to keep pace. The Electronic Statistical machine has 62 counters and another company makes an analysis machine equipped with 80, but for the problems at hand in the field of merchandising, neither of these is at all adequate. Tens of thousands of counters are required if record of the movement of merchandise bought and sold by even a small mail-order house is to be maintained.
Extended Lorentz Transformations in Clifford Space Relativity Theory

Some novel physical consequences of the Extended Relativity Theory in C-spaces (Clifford spaces) were explored recently. In particular, generalized photon dispersion relations allowed for energy-dependent speeds of propagation while still retaining the Lorentz symmetry in ordinary spacetimes, but breaking the extended Lorentz symmetry in C-spaces. In this work we analyze in further detail the extended Lorentz transformations in Clifford Space and their physical implications. Based on the notion of “extended events” one finds a very different physical explanation of the phenomenon of “relativity of locality” than the one described by the Doubly Special Relativity (DSR) framework. A generalized Weyl-Heisenberg algebra, involving polyvector-valued coordinates and momenta operators, furnishes a realization of an extended Poincare algebra in C-spaces. In addition to the Planck constant ħ, one finds that the commutator of the Clifford scalar components of the Weyl-Heisenberg algebra requires the introduction of a dimensionless parameter which is expressed in terms of the ratio of two length scales : the Planck and Hubble scales. We finalize by discussing the concept of “photons”, null intervals, effective temporal variables and the addition/subtraction laws of generalized velocities in C-space.
Boron carbides as efficient, metal-free, visible-light-responsive photocatalysts.

Solar-powered photocatalytic and photoelectrochemical(PEC) water splitting provide two promising strategies toproduce hydrogen for future energy needs. Currently, mostphotocatalytic or PEC water-splitting materials are based ontransition metal oxide, (oxy)nitride, or (oxy)sulfide semi-conductors with suitable band gaps and band positions.
High burden of private mutations due to explosive human population growth and purifying selection.

Recent studies have shown that human populations have experienced a complex demographic history, including a recent epoch of rapid population growth that led to an excess in the proportion of rare genetic variants in humans today. This excess can impact the burden of private mutations for each individual, defined here as the proportion of heterozygous variants in each newly sequenced individual that are novel compared to another large sample of sequenced individuals. We calculated the burden of private mutations predicted by different demographic models, and compared with empirical estimates based on data from the NHLBI Exome Sequencing Project and data from the Neutral Regions (NR) dataset. We observed a significant excess in the proportion of private mutations in the empirical data compared with models of demographic history without a recent epoch of population growth. Incorporating recent growth into the model provides a much improved fit to empirical observations. This phenomenon becomes more marked for larger sample sizes, e.g. extrapolating to a scenario in which 10,000 individuals from the same population have been sequenced with perfect accuracy, still about 1 in 400 heterozygous sites (or about 6,000 variants) at the 10,001st individual are predicted to be novel, 18-times as predicted in the absence of recent population growth. The proportion of private mutations is additionally increased by purifying selection, which differentially affect mutations of different functional annotations. The burden of private mutations for each individual, which are singletons (i.e. appearing in a single copy) in a larger sample that includes this individual, is predicted to be greatly increased by recent population growth, as well as by purifying selection. Comparison with empirical data supports that European populations have experienced recent rapid population growth, consistent with previous studies. These results have important implications to the design and analysis of sequencing-based association studies of complex human disease as they pertain to private and very rare variants. They also imply that personalized genomics will indeed have to be very personal in accounting for the large number of private mutations.
The Neurology of Sleep

Neurology, by virtue of its study of the brain, is the primary medical science for the elucidation of the anatomy, physiology, pathology, and, ultimately, the function of sleep. Historical context The Greco-Roman concepts of sleep were based on their belief that there were gods and goddesses that controlled the minor and major events of their lives. They identified the goddess of night (Nyx) who had two sons: Hypnos (the god of sleep) and his brother, Thanantos (the god of death). Hypnos sprinkled drops of poppy milk into people’s eyes so that the opium would make them fall asleep and then fanned sleeping persons with his wings to enable them to sleep in comfort. As late as the beginning of the Common Era, Ovid wrote that Hypnos lived with his ‘‘thousand children,’’ the Dreams, in a cave in the Caucasus. The river of Lethe (the river of forgetfulness) was believed to run through this cave [1]. In ancient Greece, if citizens were unable to sleep because of their problems, they visited one of the many sanitariums dedicated to Asclepios (the Greek god of medicine), where the afflicted spent 3 weeks in rest, thought, and meditation, soothed by gentle music, and then, having their balance restored, would be able to sleep again (obviously predating the concept of managed care) [2]. From the time of the Middle Ages until the Renaissance, there were discrete changes in the concept of sleep. More concrete explanations of sleep were enunciated by Lucretius, the Epicurean poet and philosopher, when he described ‘‘sleep as the absence of wakefulness’’ [3]. This was the prevailing view through the centuries. As medical science advanced with the discovery
Sound pressure distribution in the outer ear.

Sound pressure transformation between several points in the outer ear and the eardrum was measured by means of a probe-tube microphone. The tip of the probe tube was positioned with the help of a fine screw arrangement and a Zeiss surgical microscope. The results slightly amend and extend the classical data of Wiener and Ross.
Catalytic platinum-initiated cation-olefin reactions with alkene terminating groups

A series of phosphine–Pt2+-catalysts is reported, which enable the oxidative cascade cyclization of poly-alkene substrates. When the terminus is appropriately arranged and a catalyst reoxidation mediator is included, several polycyclic all carbon skeletons can be obtained. In one example, a chiral P2Pt+2 catalyst provides up to 79% ee.
An Innovative Approach to Develop Conservation Agriculture Programs and Funding

The premise for the Conservation Agriculture farm demonstration is to develop actions and programs to increase profitability of agriculture by farming the best soils and establish alternatives on the rest. Communications among conservationists and farmers have been made more effective by breaching comfort zones through working in a team setting. The demonstration project improves communication on three levels: the farm family and their team, the thirteen-member advisory board of eight farmers and five agency representatives, and the partners which include non-profit organizations, federal, and state agencies. The resource analysis team, an interdisciplinary technical team, works directly with the farm family to develop a whole farm plan which addresses the trilogy of sustainability: ecology, sociology and economics. The Advisory Board oversees the Conservation Agriculture farm demonstration project, develops innovative programs, and finds funding to facilitate the whole farm plan implementation. Partners fund programs, offer advise on the process, discuss, revise, and forward the best agricultural policy ideas for debate to the state and federal levels.