cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
An automated approach to assessment management of higher education institutions

This paper presents the development of a knowledge management tool that addresses the needs of the higher education institutions in terms of their self evaluation process. The tool aims at bridging the gap between the collection, handling and distribution of data by engaging the various stakeholders in a dialogue and action to improve outcomes. It was developed and modelled according to the quality assurance standards and processes adopted by the oldest American regional accreditation association the New England Association of Schools & Colleges Inc. (NEASC). Conceptually the tool is focused on the six interrogatives of the English language: What, Where, When, Who, How and Why. The questions raised are grouped and addressed in three areas, Description, Appraisal and Projection, according to the format suggested by NEASC.
Identifying hierarchies for fast optimal search

Search with Subgoal Graphs (Uras, Koenig, and Hernandez 2013) was a non-dominated optimal path-planning algorithm in the Grid-Based Path Planning Competitions 2012 and 2013. During a preprocessing phase, it computes a Simple Subgoal Graph from a given grid, which is analogous to a visibility graph for continuous terrain, and then partitions the vertices into global and local subgoals to obtain a Two-Level Subgoal Graph. During the path-planning phase, it performs an A* search that ignores local subgoals that are not relevant to the search, which significantly reduces the size of the graph being searched. In this paper, we generalize this partitioning process to any undirected graph and show that it can be recursively applied to generate more than two levels, which reduces the size of the graph being searched even further. We distinguish between basic partitioning, which only partitions the vertices into different levels, and advanced partitioning, which can also add new edges. We show that the construction of Simple-Subgoal Graphs from grids and the construction of Two-Level Subgoal Graphs from Simple Subgoal Graphs are instances of generalized partitioning. We then report on experiments on Subgoal Graphs that demonstrate the effects of different types and levels of partitioning. We also report on experiments that demonstrate that our new N-Level Subgoal Graphs achieve a speed up of 1.6 compared to Two-Level Subgoal graphs from (Uras, Koenig, and Hernandez 2013) on maps from the video games StarCraft and Dragon Age: Origins.
Advice in the marketplace: a laboratory study

There is substantial evidence that the decisions of experienced and inexperienced agents differ in ways that impact both individual earnings and aggregate market outcomes. Typically, such evidence is gathered by studying experience as it accumulates within subjects over time. We examine a new question; whether behaviors associated with experience can be transferred directly to new market participants. Specifically, we study the intergenerational transmission of information, including direct advice, in experimental asset markets. Empirical results suggest that advice is a substitute for experience. Prices in sessions with advised traders shift towards fundamentals—a pattern consonant with prior work exploring the impact of own-experience on pricing dynamics. Further, convergence is observed in mixed-markets where only a subset of traders are advised.
Testosterone Deficiency and Sleep Apnea

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a common condition among middle-aged men and is often associated with reduced testosterone (T) levels. OSA can contribute to fatigue and sexual dysfunction in men. There is suggestion that T supplementation alters ventilatory responses, possibly through effects on central chemoreceptors. Traditionally, it has been recommended that T replacement therapy (TRT) be avoided in the presence of untreated severe sleep apnea. With OSA treatment, however, TRT may not only improve hypogonadism, but may also alleviate erectile/sexual dysfunction.
Expanding the Strained Alkyne Toolbox: Generation and Utility of Oxygen-Containing Strained Alkynes.

We report synthetic methodology that permits access to two oxacyclic strained intermediates, the 4,5-benzofuranyne and the 3,4-oxacyclohexyne. In situ trapping of these intermediates affords an array of heterocyclic scaffolds by the formation of one or more new C–C or C–heteroatom bonds. Experimentally determined regioselectivities were consistent with predictions made using the distortion/interaction model and were also found to be greater compared to selectivities seen in the case of trapping experiments of the corresponding N-containing intermediates. These studies demonstrate the synthetic versatility of oxacyclic arynes and alkynes for the synthesis of functionalized heterocycles, while further expanding the scope of the distortion/interaction model. Moreover, these efforts underscore the value of harnessing strained heterocyclic intermediates as a unique approach to building polycyclic heteroatom-containing frameworks.
Ignition by Hot Transient Jets in Confined Mixtures of Gaseous Fuels and Air

Ignition of a combustible mixture by a transient jet of hot reactive gas is important for safety of mines, prechamber ignition in IC engines, detonation initiation, and novel constant-volume combustors. The present work is a numerical study of the hot jet ignition process in a long constant-volume combustor (CVC) that represents a wave rotor channel. The hot jet of combustion products from a prechamber is injected through a converging nozzle into the main CVC chamber containing a premixed fuel-air mixture. Combustion in a two-dimensional analogue of the CVC chamber is modeled using a global reaction mechanism, a skeletal mechanism, or a detailed reaction mechanism for three hydrocarbon fuels: methane, propane, and ethylene. Turbulence is modeled using the two-equation SST -ω model, and each reaction rate is limited by the local turbulent mixing timescale. Hybrid turbulent-kinetic schemes using some skeletal reaction mechanisms and detailed mechanisms are good predictors of the experimental data. Shock wave traverse of the reaction zone is seen to significantly increase the overall reaction rate, likely due to compression heating, as well as baroclinic vorticity generation that stirs and mixes reactants and increases flame area. Less easily ignitable methane mixture is found to show slower initial reaction and greater dependence on shock interaction than propane and ethylene.
Chemical vapor detection using single-walled carbon nanotubes

Single-walled carbon nanotubes possess unique properties that make them a potentially ideal material for chemical sensing. However, their extremely small size also presents technical challenges for realizing a practical sensor technology. In this tutorial review we explore the transduction physics by which the presence of molecular adsorbates is converted into a measurable electronic signal, and we identify solutions to the problems such as nanotube device fabrication and large, low-frequency noise that have inhibited commercial sensor development. Finally, we examine strategies to provide the necessary chemical specificity to realize a nanotube-based detection system for trace-level chemical vapor detection.
Iridium‐Catalyzed Diastereoselective and Enantioselective Allylic Substitutions with Acyclic α‐Alkoxy Ketones

The asymmetric alkylation of acyclic ketones is a longstanding challenge in organic synthesis. Reported herein are diastereoselective and enantioselective allylic substitutions with acyclic α-alkoxy ketones catalyzed by a metallacyclic iridium complex to form products with contiguous stereogenic centers derived from the nucleophile and electrophile. These reactions occur between allyl methyl carbonates and unstabilized copper(I) enolates generated in situ from acyclic α-alkoxy ketones. The resulting products can be readily converted into enantioenriched tertiary alcohols and tetrahydrofuran derivatives without erosion of enantiomeric purity.
Nickel Determination by Complexation Utilizing a Functionalized Optical Waveguide Sensor

This research focuses on the design of chemically functionalized optical waveguide sensors. The waveguide is an optically transparent sol-gel coated onto a glass substrate chip. By having a higher refractive index than the substrate, the waveguide internally reflects a laser beam to photodetectors at both ends of the chip. The adsorption of any species onto the waveguide surface changes the light propagation, and therefore its effective refractive index, N. The change in N is dependent upon the amount of analyte present. By covalently bonding specific chemical receptors onto its surface, it can be designed to target a particular analyte. This research involves functionalizing the surface of the waveguide with ED3A in order to complex out of solution Ni2+. The change in N and the thickness of the adlayer will allow the concentration to be determined.
Contemporaneous Dual Catalysis by Coupling Highly Transient Nucleophilic and Electrophilic Intermediates Generated in Situ

We report herein a new process, which we call contemporaneous dual catalysis, that selectively couples two highly reactive catalytic intermediates while overcoming competing trapping by stoichiometric reactive species also present in the reaction. The reaction proceeds via the convergence of a vanadium-catalyzed propargylic rearrangement and a palladium-catalyzed allylic alkylation. It generates a variety of α-allylated α,β-unsaturated ketones, which are not readily accessible by other means. Notably, this dual catalysis is achieved using low catalyst loadings (1.0 mol % [Pd], 1.5 mol % [V]) and gives good to excellent yields (up to 98%) of the desired products.
Dynamic Modeling from Flight Data with Unknown Time Skews

A method for estimating dynamic model parameters from flight data with unknown time skews is described and demonstrated. The method combines data reconstruction, nonlinear optimization, and equation-error parameter estimation in the frequency domain to accurately estimate both dynamic model parameters and the relative time skews in the data. Data from a nonlinear F-16 aircraft simulation with realistic noise, instrumentation errors, and arbitrary time skews were used to demonstrate the approach. The approach was further evaluated using flight data from a subscale jet transport aircraft, where the measured data were known to have relative time skews. Comparison of modeling results obtained from time-skewed and time-synchronized data showed that the method accurately estimates both dynamic model parameters and relative time skew parameters from flight data with unknown time skews.
Dynamic tuning and symmetry lowering of Fano resonance in plasmonic nanostructure.

We present dynamic tuning and symmetry lowering of Fano resonances in gold heptamers accomplished by applying uniaxial mechanical stress. The flexible heptamer structure was obtained by embedding the seven-gold-nanocylinder complex in a polydimethylsiloxane membrane. Under uniaxial stress, the Fano resonance exhibited opposite spectral shifts for the two orthogonal polarizations parallel and perpendicular to the mechanical stress. Furthermore, a new resonance was observed for polarization parallel to the mechanical stress but not for the perpendicular polarization. The experimental results showed good agreement with the numerical simulations. A detailed group theoretical analysis showed that the symmetry lowering caused by the mechanical stress not only splits the originally degenerate mode but also modifies the originally optically inactive mode into an optically active mode, which then interacts strongly with a closely spaced mode and exhibits anticrossing behavior. The symmetry tuning enabled by applyi...
Three Fermat Trails to Elliptic Curves

Ezra (Bud) Brown (brown@math.vt.edu) professes mathematics at Virginia Tech, where he has been since 1969. The elliptic curve bug first bit him while he was in graduate school at Louisiana State, and has never really gone away. Although his main research has been in quadratic forms and algebraic number theory, he once wrote a paper with a sociologist. He loves to talk about mathematics and its history with anyone, especially students. He occasionally sings in operas, plays jazz piano just for fun, and bakes biscuits for his classes. He and his mathematical grandfather, L. E. Dickson, have the same birthday.
The Cost of Debt

We use exogenous variation in tax benefit functions to estimate firm-specific cost of debt functions that are conditional on company characteristics such as collateral, size, and book-to-market. By integrating the area between the benefit and cost functions, we estimate that the equilibrium net benefit of debt is 3.5% of asset value, resulting from an estimated gross benefit (cost) of debt equal to 10.4% (6.9%) of asset value. We find that the cost of being overlevered is asymmetrically higher than the cost of being underlevered and that expected default costs constitute only half of the total ex ante costs of debt. HUNDREDS OF PAPERS investigate corporate financial decisions and the factors that influence capital structure. Much theoretical work characterizes the choice between debt and equity in a trade-off context in which firms choose their optimal debt ratio by balancing the benefits and costs. Traditionally, tax savings due to the deductibility of interest have been modeled as a primary benefit of debt (Kraus and Litzenberger (1973)). Other benefits include committing managers to operate efficiently (Jensen (1986)) and engaging lenders to monitor the firm (Jensen and Meckling (1976)). The costs of debt include financial distress (Scott (1976)), personal taxes (Miller (1977)), debt overhang (Myers (1977)), and agency conflicts between managers and investors or among different groups of investors. For the most part, these theoretical predictions have been tested using reduced form regressions that attempt to explain variation in capital structure policies based on estimated slope coefficients for factors such as firm size, tax status, asset tangibility, profitability, and growth options (Rajan and Zingales (1995), Frank and Goyal (2009), Graham, Lemmon, and Schallheim (1998)).
Study of the helix structure of QCD string

The properties of a helixlike shaped QCD string are studied in the context of the Lund fragmentation model, where the concept of a three-dimensional structure of the gluon field offers an alternative approach to the modeling of the transverse momentum of hadrons. The paper is focused on the phenomenology of the model, which introduces correlations between transverse and longitudinal components of hadrons, as well as azimuthal ordering of hadrons along the string. The similarities between 2-particle correlations stemming from the helix-string structure and those commonly attributed to the Bose-Einstein interference are pointed out. It is shown that the charged asymmetry observed in hadron production of close hadron pairs can be associated with fluctuations in the space-time history of the string breakup and with the presence of resonant hadronic states.
Free and protein-bound lysine flux in developing rabbit brain.

SummaryThe rate of flux of lysine from plasma to the nonprotein nitrogen fraction of brain and the rate of flux of lysine from the nonprotein nitrogen fraction to brain proteins is greater in newborn rabbits than in rabbits 12 days old. These in vivo findings parallel the in vitro findings of other investigators that cerebral tissue in the newborn has greater ability to incorporate amino acids into brain protein than cerebral tissue removed from slightly older animals. The greater rate of flux of lysine into protein of the more immature brain most likely is a reflection of the dominance of the synthesis of rapidly metabolized brain proteins at this age.
Integrated genome browser: visual analytics platform for genomics.

Motivation: Genome browsers that support fast navigation through vast datasets and provide interactive visual analytics functions can help scientists achieve deeper insight into biological systems. Toward this end, we developed Integrated Genome Browser (IGB), a highly configurable, interactive and fast open source desktop genome browser. Results: Here we describe multiple updates to IGB, including all-new capabilities to display and interact with data from high-throughput sequencing experiments. To demonstrate, we describe example visualizations and analyses of datasets from RNA-Seq, ChIP-Seq and bisulfite sequencing experiments. Understanding results from genome-scale experiments requires viewing the data in the context of reference genome annotations and other related datasets. To facilitate this, we enhanced IGB’s ability to consume data from diverse sources, including Galaxy, Distributed Annotation and IGB-specific Quickload servers. To support future visualization needs as new genome-scale assays enter wide use, we transformed the IGB codebase into a modular, extensible platform for developers to create and deploy all-new visualizations of genomic data. Availability and implementation: IGB is open source and is freely available from http://bioviz.org/igb. Contact: aloraine@uncc.edu
Real Rigidities and Nominal Price Changes

A large literature seeks to provide microfoundations of price setting for macro models. A challenge has been to develop a model in which monetary policy shocks have the highly persistent efiects on real variables estimated by many studies. Nominal price stickiness has proved helpful but not su‐cient without some form of \real rigidity" or \strategic complementarity." We embed a model with a real rigidity a la Kimball (1995), wherein consumers ∞ee from relatively expensive products but do not ∞ock to inexpensive ones. We estimate key model parameters using micro data from the U.S. CPI, which exhibit sizable movements in relative prices of substitute products. When we impose a signiflcant degree of real rigidity, fltting the micro price facts requires very large idiosyncratic shocks and implies large movements in micro quantities.
Total syntheses of (-)-pyrimidoblamic acid and P-3A.

Total syntheses of (−)-pyrimidoblamic acid and P-3A are disclosed. Central to the convergent approach is a powerful inverse electron demand Diels–Alder reaction between substituted electron-deficient 1,2,3-triazines and a highly functionalized and chiral primary amidine, which forms the pyrimidine cores and introduces all necessary stereochemistry in a single step. Intrinsic in the convergent approach is the potential it provides for the late stage divergent synthesis of modified analogs bearing deep-seated changes in either the pyrimidine cores or the highly functionalized C2 side chain common to both natural products. The examination of the key cycloaddition reaction revealed that the inherent 1,2,3-triazine mode of cycloaddition (C4/N1 vs C5/N2) as well as the amidine regioselectivity were unaffected by introduction of two electron-withdrawing groups (−CO2R) at C4 and C6 of the 1,2,3-triazine even if C5 is unsubstituted (Me or H), highlighting the synthetic potential of the powerful pyrimidine synthesis.
Peripheral nerve sheath tumors arising in salivary glands: A clinicopathologic study

Primary salivary gland peripheral nerve sheath tumors (PNST) are uncommon. This study is a retrospective, clinicopathologic review of 9 cases of PNST (5 neurofibromas, 3 schwannomas and 1 malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumor (MPNST)) arising from the salivary glands, encountered between 1990 and 2015. All patients with neurofibromas were male (ages 1-62 years) and had a single parotid lesion of which 2 were diffuse, 2 plexiform and one mixed diffuse/plexiform. Four had a history of neurofibromatosis I. Four of 5 presented with symptoms related to mass effect including facial swelling, facial drooping, and dysphagia. All underwent de-bulking surgery and recurred due to continued growth. Of the 3 patients with schwannomas, 1 was male and 2 were female (ages 19, 44 and 56 years). One tumor each arose in the sublingual, submandibular, and parotid glands. Two of 3 presented with soreness and swelling local to the affected gland, especially while chewing. There was no recurrence of these tumors after resection. An MPNST in a male presented as a tender mass in the patient's left parotid; the tumor was resected. There was no evidence of tumor elsewhere in the body. The tumor did not recur in 12 years of follow-up. The most common tumor type in the current series was neurofibroma; most arose in the background of neurofibromatosis type I and all of which recurred after initial subtotal resection. Most PNST arose in the parotid gland.
Growth Convergence and the Middle-Income Trap

Emerging market economies in East Asia have followed a similar growth path (growth convergence) from a low-income, high-growth state to a middle-income, middle-growth state through industrialization. The economic development of Japan was followed by the “four tigers” (Hong Kong, China; the Republic of Korea; Singapore; and Taipei,China) in the 1970s; and subsequently by members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in the 1980s and the People's Republic of China in the 1990s and 2000s. The growth rates of Asian economies are slowing over time and may fall to advanced economy levels before incomes fully catch up with the advanced economies. This is defined as the middle-income trap in the paper. This paper proposes that there exist three convergence paths in Asia: low income, middle income, and high income. Economies need to shift from one convergence path to a higher one by implementing economic and political reforms that can generate innovation. Without reform, economies may fall into a low- or m...
Neuroendocrine Findings in the Schizophrenias

A host of abnormalities have been found in responses to neuroendocrine challenges in the schizophrenias. Some, such as dexamethasone suppression, may be associated with pharmacokinetic differences in the handling of agonists or may represent a contamination of a schizophrenic population by patients with affective disorders. Other abnormalities, such as the growth hormone response to thyrotropin-releasing hormone and to luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone in adolescents but not in adults, may reflect developmental changes interacting with disease processes. Still other abnormalities may be more directly reflective of different disease processes: a rapidly neuroleptic-responsive and good-prognosis psychotic disorder appears to be associated with blunted thyrotropin response to thyrotropin-releasing hormone and a blunted growth hormone response to apomorphine; a relatively drug-responsive psychotic disorder whose response requires several weeks of neuroleptic treatment appears to be associated with an excessive growth hormone response to apomorphine. The neuroendocrine windows for viewing brain function in the schizophrenias still permit indistinct images of the processes that modulate their release. Nevertheless, the images may provide important clues to the biopathology underlying these diseases.
Web archive profiling through CDX summarization

With the proliferation of public web archives, it is becoming more important to better profile their contents, both to understand their immense holdings as well as to support routing of requests in the Memento aggregator. To save time, the Memento aggregator should only poll the archives that are likely to have a copy of the requested URI. Using the crawler index files produced after crawling, we can generate profiles of the archives that summarize their holdings and can be used to inform routing of the Memento aggregator's URI requests. Previous work in profiling ranged from using full URIs (no false positives, but with large profiles) to using only top-level domains (TLDs) (smaller profiles, but with many false positives). This work explores strategies in between these two extremes. In our experiments, we correctly identified about 78 % of the URIs that were present or not present in the archive with less than 1 % relative cost as compared to the complete knowledge profile and 94 % URIs with less than 10 % relative cost without any false negatives. With respect to the TLD-only profile, the registered domain profile doubled the routing precision, while complete hostname and one path segment gave a tenfold increase in the routing precision.
POLYETHYLENE INSERT EXCHANGE: PROCEED WITH CAUTION

From 1985 through 1997, 56 isolated tibial insert exchange revisions were performed at our institution. Fifty-five patients with wear or instability were included. Those with loosening of any of the components, history of infection, severe knee stiffness or problems with the extensor mechanism were excluded. There were 29 males (1 bilateral) and 26 female patients with a mean age of 66 years (range 35 to 83 years) at the time of revision surgery. Twenty-seven inserts were exchanged based on ligamentous instability, 24 because of insert wear or breakage including two cases of polyethylene dislodgment from the tibial base-plate and 5 for other reasons. Twelve knees had one to three prior revisions. Surveillance from index arthroplasty averaged 8.3 years (range 1.6 to 16.2 years) and since revision 4.6 years (range 2 to 14 years). Knee Society and Function Scores improved from 56 and 50.9 prior to revision to 76 and 59 at final surveillance, respectively. Fourteen (25%) of the 56 knees subsequently required re-revision after a mean of only three years (range 0.5 to 6.8) from tibial insert exchange. The cumulative survival at 5.5 years was 63.5% (95% CI=+/−14.4, n=19). Of the 27 patients with preoperative instability, eight were revised and another four were considered as failures due to severe pain. Of the 24 failed inserts, five were re-revised, one was amputated as a result of chronic ankle osteomyelitis concomitant to a chronically painful arthroplasty, and another two inserts failed due to severe pain. Isolated tibial insert exchange led to a surprisingly high early failure rate. Tibial insert exchange should therefore be undertaken with caution as an isolated method of total knee revision surgery even in those circumstances for which the modular insert was designed and felt to be of greatest value.
Do domestic politics shape U.S. influence in the World Bank

Do U.S. presidential administrations exert more informal influence over international financial institutions when they face an uncooperative Congress and thus have less control over bilateral aid? Reexamining four empirical studies of the World Bank, we demonstrate that U.S. informal influence is driven by years with divided U.S. government. This provides a richer picture of when and why the U.S. exerts influence in multilateral settings and an alternate explanation to persistent questions about the role of international organizations in the international political economy.
A robot that walks: emergent behaviors from a carefully evolved network

Most animals have significant behavioral expertise built in without having to explicitly learn it all from scratch. This expertise is a product of evolution of the organism; it can be viewed as a very long-term form of learning which provides a structured system within which individuals might learn more specialized skills or abilities. This paper suggests one possible mechanism for analagous robot evolution by describing a carefully designed series of networks, each one being a strict augmentation of the previous one, which control a six-legged walking machine capable of walking over rough terrain and following a person passively sensed in the infrared spectrum. As the completely decentralized networks are augmented, the robot's performance and behavior repertoire demonstrably improve. The rationale for such demonstrations is that they may provide a hint as to the requirements for automatically building massive networks to carry out complex sensory-motor tasks. The experiments with an actual robot ensure that an essence of reality is maintained and that no critical disabling problems have been ignored.
Thermoelectric Nondestructive Evaluation of Residual Stress in Shot-Peened Metals

Abstract This paper presents a noncontacting thermoelectric method that can be used to characterize the prevailing residual stress in shot-peened specimens. This novel method is based on magnetic detection of local thermoelectric currents in the compressed near-surface layer of metals when a temperature gradient is established throughout the specimen. Besides the primary residual stress effect, the thermoelectric method is also sensitive to the secondary “material” effects of shot peening (local texture, increased dislocation density, hardening), but it is entirely insensitive to its “geometrical” by-product, i.e., the rough surface topography. Our experimental results in copper indicate that the developed method is more sensitive to residual stress effects than to the secondary material effects, but unequivocal separation of residual stress relaxation from the parallel decay of secondary cold-work effects is generally not feasible. However, since the ratio of residual stress to cold work is primarily det...
Role of convective cell in nonlinear interaction of kinetic Alfvén waves

Gyrokinetic particle simulations show that electrostatic convective cell (CC) can be generated by kinetic Alfven waves and plays a dominant role in the nonlinear interactions underlying perpendicular spectral cascade. The CC growth rate increases linearly with the field amplitude of the pump waves and has a small but finite threshold, and decreases with the parallel wavevector. The CC growth is proportional to the perpendicular wavevector when there are two pump waves, but proportional to the square of the perpendicular wavevector when there is a single pump wave.
PROXIMAL MODULAR FIXATION WITH DISTAL STABILITY: A LONG TERM SOLUTION

The S-ROM stem is distally circular canal filling with thin sharp flutes which engage the endosteal cortex. The rotational stability produced by this is 37 Nm, which exceeds the service loads on the hip of 22 Nm. The distal canal fill prevents varus and valgus displacement. The porous-coated proximal sleeve provides resistance to vertical sink and also excludes the distal stem from the effective joint space. The primary stem is straight and the long stem is bowed with a 15 degrees anteversion twist proximally. The neck comes in lengths from 30 to 46mm with varying offset. The sleeves come in variable size and geometry. The stem choice in revision surgery is based on the Scoot Diamond Classification. Type 1 (this is going to be easy) is a primary stem. Type 2 (this is going to be difficult) implies diaphyseal bone loss and will require a long stem. Type 3 (Oh My God), implies more than 70mm of completely missing proximal femur and will require a structural allograft cemented to the sleeve. Results The follow-up is from 2 to 22 years. There were 119 primary stems. Revisions for aseptic loosening were zero. One stem was removed for late sepsis at nine years. There were 262 long stem cases. Stem revision for aseptic loosening occurred in nine cases (3.7%). Four became loose because of inappropriate and obsolete techniques of allografting, one for non-union of a subtrochanteric osteotomy and four for failure of ingrowth into the sleeve. Four were revised for late sepsis. Structural allografts comprised seven cases. Three were revised at years 7, 11 and 16. Conclusion The revision rate for aseptic loosening in hip revision cases is acceptably low. Other issues such as late polyethylene wear and dislocation continue to decrease.
Material platforms for integrated quantum photonics

On-chip integration of quantum optical systems could be a major factor enabling photonic quantum technologies. Unlike the case of electronics, where the essential device is the transistor and the dominant material is silicon, the toolbox of elementary devices required for both classical and quantum photonic integrated circuits is vast. While III-V materials have been shown to host most quantum photonic components, the issues of their intercompatibility, scalability and performance are far from being solved. Therefore, many material platforms are being examined to host the future quantum photonic computers and network nodes. We discuss the pros and cons of several platforms for realizing various elementary devices, compare the current degrees of integration achieved in each platform and review several composite platform approaches.
A Joint Indoor WLAN Localization and Outlier Detection Scheme Using LASSO and Elastic-Net Optimization Techniques

In this paper, we introduce two indoor Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) positioning methods using augmented sparse recovery algorithms. These schemes render a sparse user's position vector, and in parallel, minimize the distance between the online measurement and radio map. The overall localization scheme for both methods consists of three steps: 1) coarse localization, obtained from comparing the online measurements with clustered radio map. A novel graph-based method is proposed to cluster the offline fingerprints. In the online phase, a Region Of Interest (ROI) is selected within which we search for the user's location. 2) Access Point (AP) selection and 3) fine localization through the novel sparse recovery algorithms. Since the online measurements are subject to inordinate measurement readings, called outliers, the sparse recovery methods are modified in order to jointly estimate the outliers and user's position vector. The outlier detection procedure identifies the APs whose readings are either not available or erroneous. The proposed localization methods have been tested with Received Signal Strength (RSS) measurements in a typical office environment and the results show that they can localize the user with significantly high accuracy and resolution which is superior to the results from competing WLAN fingerprinting localization methods.
Valley- and spin-polarized Landau levels in monolayer WSe2

Electrons in monolayer transition metal dichalcogenides are characterized by valley and spin quantum degrees of freedom, making it possible to explore new physical phenomena and to foresee novel applications in the fields of electronics and optoelectronics. Theoretical proposals further suggest that Berry curvature effects, together with strong spin–orbit interactions, can generate unconventional Landau levels (LLs) under a perpendicular magnetic field. In particular, these would support valley- and spin-polarized chiral edge states in the quantum Hall regime. However, this unique LL structure has not been observed experimentally in transition metal dichalcogenides. Here we report the observation of fully valley- and spin-polarized LLs in high-quality WSe2 monolayers achieved by exploiting a van der Waals heterostructure device platform. We applied handedness-resolved optical reflection spectroscopy to probe the inter-LL transitions at individual valleys and derived the LL structure in turn. We also measured a sizeable doping-induced mass renormalization driven by the strong Coulomb interactions. The fabrication of high-quality WSe2 monolayers makes it possible to access the fully valley- and spin-polarized structure of Landau levels theoretically predicted for transition metal dichalcogenides.
Fully reconfigurable compact RF photonic filters using high-Q silicon microdisk resonators.

We present a fully reconfigurable fourth-order RF photonic filter on SOI platform with a tunable 3-dB bandwidth of 0.9–5 GHz, more than 38 dB optical out-of-band rejection, FSR up to 650 GHz, and compact size (total area 0.25 mm2). The center wavelength of the filter can be tuned over a wide range with a power consumption of 10 mW/nm. The filter architecture uses a unit-cell based approach to realize the desired filter specifications. The use of high-Q resonator-based components enables a dramatic reduction in size, weight and power (SWaP) of each unit cell, with the possibility of cascading a large number of these unit cells on a single chip. Thermal reconfiguration allows for low insertion loss and therefore results in the scalability of these filters. The demonstrated filter can be used in many different applications including RF photonic front-ends and high speed optical A/D conversion.
Emotion Regulation in Young Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders

There has been little research connecting underlying emotion processes (e.g., emotion regulation) to frequent behavior problems in young children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). This study examined the stability of emotion regulation and its relationship with other aspects of child functioning. Participants included 108 children with ASD, ages 4–7, and their primary caregivers. ASD symptoms and cognitive/language abilities were assessed upon study entry. Parents reported on children’s emotion regulation, social skills and behavior problems at two time points, 10 months apart. Emotion dysregulation was stable and related strongly to social and behavioral functioning but was largely independent of IQ. Further analyses suggested that emotion dysregulation predicts increases in social and behavioral difficulties across time. Implications for intervention are discussed.
Uniform regularity for linear kinetic equations with random input based on hypocoercivity

In this paper we study the effect of randomness in kinetic equations that preserve mass. Our focus is in proving the analyticity of the solution with respect to the randomness, which naturally leads to the convergence of numerical methods. The analysis is carried out in a general setting, with the regularity result not depending on the specific form of the collision term, the probability distribution of the random variables, or the regime the system is in and thereby is termed “uniform." Applications include the linear Boltzmann equation, the Bhatnagar--Gross--Krook (BGK) model, and the Carlemann model, among many others, and the results hold true in kinetic, parabolic, and high field regimes. The proof relies on the explicit expression of the high order derivatives of the solution in the random space, and the convergence in time is mainly based on hypocoercivity, which, despite the popularity in PDE analysis of kinetic theory, has rarely been used for numerical algorithms.
Renormalized energy for dislocations in quasi-crystals

Abstract Anti-plane shear deformations of a hexagonal quasi-crystal with multiple screw dislocations are considered. Using a variational formulation, the elastic equilibrium is characterized via limit of minimizers of a core-regularized energy functional. A sharp estimate of the asymptotic energy when the core radius tends to zero is obtained using higher-order Γ -convergence. Also, the interaction between dislocations and the Peach–Kohler force at each dislocation are analyzed.
CMOS technology characterization for analog and RF design

The design of analog and radio-frequency (RF) circuits in CMOS technology becomes increasingly more difficult as device modeling faces new challenges in deep submicrometer processes and emerging circuit applications. The sophisticated set of characteristics used to represent today's "digital" technologies often proves inadequate for analog and RF design, mandating many additional measurements and iterations to arrive at an acceptable solution. This paper describes a set of characterization vehicles that can be employed to quantify the analog behaviour of active and passive devices in CMOS processes, in particular, properties that are not modeled accurately by SPICE parameters. Test structures and circuits are introduced for measuring speed, noise, linearity, loss, matching, and dc characteristics.
Servicer Contracts and the Design of Mortgage-Backed Security Pools

We develop a unified model of mortgage and servicer contracts. Renegotiating mortgage contracts following default is strictly Pareto improving, if the lender gathers updated information. An incentive compatible servicer contract requires the servicer to hold a risk position that has a value strictly greater than the cost of exerting effort. This risk position cannot in general be approximated with a horizontal “first-loss” position. An alternative, forming a non-diversified pool, preserves pool-wide information, avoids the cost of an incentive compatible servicer contract, and may increase MBS value. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved
Effects of Interlayer Coupling on Hot-Carrier Dynamics in Graphene-Derived van der Waals Heterostructures

Graphene exhibits promise as a plasmonic material with high mode confinement that could enable efficient hot carrier extraction. The lifetimes and mean free paths of energetic carriers have been investigated in free-standing graphene, graphite, and a heterostructure consisting of alternating graphene and hexagonal boron nitride layers using ab initio calculations of electron–electron and electron–phonon scattering in these materials. It is found that the extremely high lifetimes (3 ps) of low-energy carriers near the Dirac point in graphene, which are a 100 times larger than that in noble metals, are reduced by an order of magnitude due to interlayer coupling in graphite, but enhanced in the heterostructure due to phonon mode clamping. However, these lifetimes drop precipitously with increasing carrier energy and are smaller than those in noble metals at energies exceeding 0.5 eV. By analyzing the contribution of different scattering mechanisms and interlayer interactions, desirable spacer layer characteristics—high dielectric constant and heavy atoms—that could pave the way for plasmonic heterostructures with improved hot carrier transport have been identified.
Low altitude wind shear detection using airport surveillance radars

This paper describes an enhanced weather processor for the Federal Aviation Administration's Airport Surveillance Radar (ASR-9) that will include Doppler wind estimation for the detection of low altitude wind shear, scan-to-scan tracking to provide estimates of the speed and direction of storm movement and suppression' of spurious weather reports currently generated by the ASR-9's six-level weather channel during episodes of anomalous radar energy propagation (AP). This ASR-9 Wind Shear Processor (WSP) will be implemented as a retrofit to the ASR-9 through the addition of interfaces, receiving chain hardware and high-speed digital processing and display equipment. Thunderstorm activity in terminal airspace (the volume extending approximately 30 nmi from an airport and to 15,000 feet altitude) is an obvious safety issue and makes a significant overall contribution to delay in the United States commercial aviation industry. Analysis and on-line testing of the prototype ASR-9 WSP has confirmed that the system can provide operationally beneficial detection of low-altitude wind shear phenomena and enhanced weather situational awareness for Air Traffic Control teams. >
Fuel consumption and gasoline prices: The role of assortative matching between households and automobiles

Abstract Analyses of policies to reduce gasoline consumption have focused on two effects, a compositional effect on the fuel economy of the automotive fleet and a utilization effect on how much people drive. However, the literature has missed a third effect: a matching effect, in which policies change how high-utilization households are matched to fuel-efficient vehicles in equilibrium. We show that higher gas prices should lead to stronger assortative matching. Empirical estimates using US micro-level data are consistent with this hypothesis. We find a $0.50 increase in the gas tax would reduce US gas consumption by 0.8% through the matching effect alone, bringing annual environmental benefits of about $1.7 billion.
Approximately sampling elements with fixed rank in graded posets

Graded posets frequently arise throughout combinatorics, where it is natural to try to count the number of elements of a fixed rank. These counting problems are often #P-complete, so we consider approximation algorithms for counting and uniform sampling. We show that for certain classes of posets, biased Markov chains that walk along edges of their Hasse diagrams allow us to approximately generate samples with any fixed rank in expected polynomial time. Our arguments do not rely on the typical proofs of log-concavity, which are used to construct a stationary distribution with a specific mode in order to give a lower bound on the probability of outputting an element of the desired rank. Instead, we infer this directly from bounds on the mixing time of the chains through a method we call balanced bias.A noteworthy application of our method is sampling restricted classes of integer partitions of n. We give the first provably efficient Markov chain algorithm to uniformly sample integer partitions of n from general restricted classes. Several observations allow us to improve the efficiency of this chain to require O(n1/2 log(n)) space, and for unrestricted integer partitions, expected O(n9/4) time. Related applications include sampling permutations with a fixed number of inversions and lozenge tilings on the triangular lattice with a fixed average height.
Crime topic modeling

The classification of crime into discrete categories entails a massive loss of information. Crimes emerge out of a complex mix of behaviors and situations, yet most of these details cannot be captured by singular crime type labels. This information loss impacts our ability to not only understand the causes of crime, but also how to develop optimal crime prevention strategies. We apply machine learning methods to short narrative text descriptions accompanying crime records with the goal of discovering ecologically more meaningful latent crime classes. We term these latent classes ‘crime topics’ in reference to text-based topic modeling methods that produce them. We use topic distributions to measure clustering among formally recognized crime types. Crime topics replicate broad distinctions between violent and property crime, but also reveal nuances linked to target characteristics, situational conditions and the tools and methods of attack. Formal crime types are not discrete in topic space. Rather, crime types are distributed across a range of crime topics. Similarly, individual crime topics are distributed across a range of formal crime types. Key ecological groups include identity theft, shoplifting, burglary and theft, car crimes and vandalism, criminal threats and confidence crimes, and violent crimes. Though not a replacement for formal legal crime classifications, crime topics provide a unique window into the heterogeneous causal processes underlying crime.
Subject-specific abnormal region detection in traumatic brain injury using sparse model selection on high dimensional diffusion data.

Abstract We present a method to estimate a multivariate Gaussian distribution of diffusion tensor features in a set of brain regions based on a small sample of healthy individuals, and use this distribution to identify imaging abnormalities in subjects with mild traumatic brain injury. The multivariate model receives apriori knowledge in the form of a neighborhood graph imposed on the precision matrix, which models brain region interactions, and an additional L 1 sparsity constraint. The model is then estimated using the graphical LASSO algorithm and the Mahalanobis distance of healthy and TBI subjects to the distribution mean is used to evaluate the discriminatory power of the model. Our experiments show that the addition of the apriori neighborhood graph results in significant improvements in classification performance compared to a model which does not take into account the brain region interactions or one which uses a fully connected prior graph. In addition, we describe a method, using our model, to detect the regions that contribute the most to the overall abnormality of the DTI profile of a subject’s brain.
Multitask evolution with cartesian genetic programming

We introduce a genetic programming method for solving multiple Boolean circuit synthesis tasks simultaneously. This allows us to solve a set of elementary logic functions twice as easily as with a direct, single-task approach.