cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Outsourcing secure two-party computation as a black box

Secure multiparty computation SMC offers a technique to preserve functionality and data privacy in mobile applications. Current protocols that make this costly cryptographic construction feasible on mobile devices securely outsource the bulk of the computation to a cloud provider. However, these outsourcing techniques are built on specific secure computation assumptions and tools, and applying new SMC ideas to the outsourced setting requires the protocols to be completely rebuilt and proven secure. In this work, we develop a generic technique for lifting any secure two-party computation protocol into an outsourced two-party SMC protocol. By augmenting the function being evaluated with auxiliary consistency checks and input values, we can create an outsourced protocol with low overhead cost. Our implementation and evaluation show that in the best case our outsourcing additions execute within the confidence intervals of two servers running the same computation and consume approximately the same bandwidth. In addition, the mobile device itself uses minimal bandwidth over a single round of communication. This work demonstrates that efficient outsourcing is possible with any underlying SMC scheme and provides an outsourcing protocol that is efficient and directly applicable to current and future SMC techniques. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Improved Travel Time Estimation for Reliable Performance Measure Development for Closed Highways

Accurate travel time information not only is valuable for travelers but is critical to transportation agencies for quantifying the performance of their systems. Interest has been increasing in the development of reliable approaches for estimating travel time from various sensor data. Unlike the extensively studied estimation approaches based on point sensor measurements, the use of probe data from closed highway systems has been limited. To complement current understanding, this study developed an approach that used probe data from an electronic toll collection (ETC) system on closed freeways to estimate travel time. This approach differs from studies relying on automatic vehicle identification systems deployed on main lines as well as those estimated from point detectors. The proposed approach breaks down individual journey time into section travel time and fuses the probe data from vehicles that have used the links. The results, which are based on real-world case studies, illustrate the potential of min...
Landslides, threshold slopes, and the survival of relict terrain in the wake of the Mendocino Triple Junction

Establishing landscape response to uplift is critical for interpreting sediment fluxes, hazard potential, and topographic evolution. We assess how landslides shape terrain in response to a wave of uplift traversing the northern California Coast Ranges (United States) in the wake of the Mendocino Triple Junction. We extracted knickpoints, landslide erosion rates, and topographic metrics across the region modified by Mendocino Triple Junction migration. Landslide erosion rates mapped from aerial imagery are consistent with modeled uplift and exhumation, while hillslope gradient is invariant across the region, suggesting that landslides accommodate uplift, as predicted by the threshold slope model. Landslides are concentrated along steepened channel reaches downstream of knickpoints generated by base-level fall at channel outlets, and limit slope angles and relief. We find evidence that landslide-derived coarse sediment delivery may suppress catchment-wide channel incision and landscape denudation over the time required for the uplift wave to traverse the region. We conclude that a landslide cover effect may provide a mechanism for the survival of relict terrain and orogenic relief in the northern Californian Coast Ranges and elsewhere over millennial time scales.
Preoperative hypoalbuminemia is an independent predictor of poor perioperative outcomes in women undergoing open surgery for gynecologic malignancies

Abstract Objective To quantify the impact of preoperative hypoalbuminemia on 30-day mortality and morbidity after gynecologic cancer surgery. Methods Patients included in the National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (NSQIP) dataset who underwent any non-emergent surgery for gynecologic malignancy between 1/1/2008 and 12/31/2010 were identified. Analysis was conducted with albumin both as a dichotomous variable ( Results Of the total 3171 patients identified, 2110 had preoperative albumin levels available for analysis. In addition, 279 (13.3%) of these patients had low albumin levels. According to multivariate analysis, the low albumin group had significantly higher odds of developing one or more post-operative complications (OR-2,CI: 1.47–2.73, p In patients undergoing open surgery, the probability of experiencing one or more post-operative complications increased linearly with the decrease in albumin level; however, the probability of patients experiencing three or more complications and 30-day mortality increased sharply as soon as the albumin level decreased below 3g/dl. Conclusion Preoperative albumin levels
Synthesis of 2,4-(1H,3H)-quinazolinediones

Improved procedures for syntheses of kilogram quantities of quinazolinedione 5 and its intermediates 2,3 and 4 are described. The mechanism of formation of 5 is discussed as well as a side reaction resulting in 7.
Ruthenium Catalyzed Reductive Coupling of Paraformaldehyde to Trifluoromethyl Allenes: CF3-Bearing All-Carbon Quaternary Centers

Trifluoromethyl substituted allenes engage in ruthenium catalyzed reductive couplings with paraformaldehyde to form products of hydrohydroxymethylation as single regioisomers. This method enables generation of CF3-bearing all-carbon quaternary stereocenters.
Failure of Polymeric Materials under Biaxial Stress Fields

The paper reviews the various classical failure theories essentially developed for metals and then seeks to show that the same theories with slight modifications could be used to describe failure of polymeric materials. These modifications consist in the consideration of the effect of rate loading on failure behavior. In addition, the paper reports experimental results on failure of two polymeric materials under uniaxial tension loading and several biaxial stress fields corresponding to pure internal pressure, internal pressure combined with tension and torque loadings and several biaxial stress fields corresponding to pure internal pressure, internal pressure cobined with tension and torque loadings. The failure behavior under various stress fields has been studied for maximum principal rates ranging from 0.05 to 60 psi. sec. The predictions based on various criteria of faliure, which considers the effect of rate of loading, are compared with the experimental results. Finally, it is shown that failure behavior under triaxial stress fields can be reasonably predicted from biaxial stress failure data.
Iron-catalyzed cross-coupling reactions of alkyl Grignards with aryl sulfamates and tosylates.

The iron-catalyzed cross-coupling of aryl sulfamates and tosylates has been achieved with primary and secondary alkyl Grignards. This study of iron-catalyzed cross-coupling reactions also examines the isomerization and β-hydride elimination problems that are associated with the use of isopropyl nucleophiles. While a variety of iron sources were competent in the reaction, the use of FeF3•3H2O was critical to minimize nucleophile isomerization.
Patterns of Chromatin-Modifications Discriminate Different Genomic Features in Arabidopsis

Motivation: Dynamic regulation and packaging of genetic information is achieved by the organization of DNA into chromatin. Nucleosomal core histones, which form the basic repeating unit of chromatin, are subject to various post-translational modifications such as acetylation, methylation, phosphorylation and ubiquitinylation. These modifications have effects on chromatin structure and, along with DNA methylation, regulate gene transcription. The goal of this study was to determine if patterns in modifications were related to different categories of genomic features, and, if so, if the patterns had predictive value.
Carbon in High-Purity Germanium

Using 14C-spiked pyrolytic graphite-coated quartz crucibles for the growth of nine ultra-pure germanium single crystals, we have determined the carbon content and distribution in these crystals. Using autoradiography, we observe a rapidly decreasing carbon cluster concentration in successively grown crystals. Nuclear radiation detectors made from the crystals measure the betas from the internally decaying 14C nuclei with close to 100% efficiency. An average value for the total carbon concentration [14C+12C] is ~2×1014cm-3, a value substantially larger than expected from earlier metallurgical studies. Contrary to the most recent measurement, we find the shape of the beta spectrum to agree very well with the statistical shape predicted for allowed transitions.
Peering inside the Pork Barrel

This article documents Congressional transportation earmarking practice in the late 20th and early 21st centuries, analyzing how Congress earmarks funds for projects and how earmark features determine beneficiaries. First, it illuminates the Congressional process for earmarking in a bill: Committees solicit requests, leadership structures the terms for earmarking, and members identify final priorities. Second, it distinguishes between authorization and appropriation earmarks, and among demonstration, discretionary, and stand-alone earmarks. Finally, it shows how statutory, nonstatutory, and hybrid earmarks vary in legal significance, with implications for federal, state, and other agencies’ ability to change or challenge a congressionally directed project. Major themes emerge. Increases in earmarking, technological advances, and earmarking reforms have made some stages of the process more formal and visible, although key stages remain opaque. In addition, Congressional earmarking is dynamic, evolving in r...
The Conditional Lucas & Kanade Algorithm

The Lucas & Kanade (LK) algorithm is the method of choice for efficient dense image and object alignment. The approach is efficient as it attempts to model the connection between appearance and geometric displacement through a linear relationship that assumes independence across pixel coordinates. A drawback of the approach, however, is its generative nature. Specifically, its performance is tightly coupled with how well the linear model can synthesize appearance from geometric displacement, even though the alignment task itself is associated with the inverse problem. In this paper, we present a new approach, referred to as the Conditional LK algorithm, which: (i) directly learns linear models that predict geometric displacement as a function of appearance, and (ii) employs a novel strategy for ensuring that the generative pixel independence assumption can still be taken advantage of. We demonstrate that our approach exhibits superior performance to classical generative forms of the LK algorithm. Furthermore, we demonstrate its comparable performance to state-of-the-art methods such as the Supervised Descent Method with substantially less training examples, as well as the unique ability to “swap” geometric warp functions without having to retrain from scratch. Finally, from a theoretical perspective, our approach hints at possible redundancies that exist in current state-of-the-art methods for alignment that could be leveraged in vision systems of the future.
Core equivalence for residential land use models

I demonstrate that in the monocentric city model, an allocation is in the core if and only if it is an equilibrium allocation, as long as households are endowed with strictly positive quantities of a composite consumption good, enjoy any net trade bundle at least as much as they enjoy one on the boundary of their choice set, have monotonic preferences, have preferences and endowments that are not too different, and as long as there is land at every location. I also show that equilibria exist in these circumstances, so the core is not empty.
Decreased Hypothalamic Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone Secretion in Male Marathon Runners

Abstract Hypogonadotropic hypogonadism due to a deficiency in hypothalamic gonadotropin-releasing hormone is common in female athletes ("hypothalamic amenorrhea"). It is not known, however, whether a similar phenomenon occurs in male athletes. We investigated the integrity of the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis in six highly trained male marathon runners (who were running 125 to 200 km per week). The mean (±SEM) frequency of spontaneous luteinizing hormone pulses was diminished in the runners, as compared with healthy controls (2.2±0.48 vs. 3.6±0.24 pulses per eight hours, P<0.05). The amplitude of the pulses was also low in the runners (0.9±0.24 vs. 1.6±0.15 mIU per milliliter; P<0.05), and the responses of luteinizing hormone to gradually increasing doses of exogenous gonadotropin-releasing hormone were decreased. Plasma testosterone levels were similar in the two groups and increased equally in response to an intramuscular injection of 2000 units of human chorionic gonadotropin. During short-term i...
A cadaveric investigation into the demographic and bony alignment properties associated with osteoarthritis of the patellofemoral joint.

Abstract Background Patellofemoral joint osteoarthritis is common, although circumstances dictating its evolution and pathogenesis remain unclear. Advances in surgical technique have improved the ability to modify long-bone alignment in the coronal, sagittal, and axial planes. However, to our knowledge, there is no significant long-term data available in regard to the relationship between anatomic alignment parameters most amenable to surgical modification and patellofemoral joint osteoarthritis. Methods Five-hundred and seventy-one cadaveric skeletons were obtained from the Hamann–Todd osteological collection. Mechanical lateral distal femoral angle, medial proximal tibial angle, tibial slope, femoral version, tibial torsion, the position of the tibial tubercle relative to the width of the tibial plateau, trochlear depth, and patellar size were measured using validated techniques. A previously published grading system for patellofemoral joint arthritis was used to quantify macroscopic signs of degenerative joint disease. Results Increasing age (standardized beta 0.532, p Conclusions These findings confirm that patellofemoral joint osteoarthritis is strongly associated with increasing age and female gender. Valgus alignment of the distal femur, a relatively more lateral location of the tibial tubercle, and a shallower trochlear grove appear to have modest effects on the development of patellofemoral joint osteoarthritis.
Three-Axis Attitude Estimation Using Rate-Integrating Gyroscopes

Traditionally, attitude estimation has been performed using a combination of external attitude sensors and internal three-axis gyroscopes. There are many studies of three-axis attitude estimation using gyroscopes that read angular rates. Rate-integrating gyroscopes measure integrated rates or angular displacements, but three-axis attitude estimation using these types of gyroscopes has not been as fully investigated. This paper derives a Kalman filtering framework for attitude estimation using attitude sensors coupled with rate-integrating gyroscopes. To account for correlations introduced by using these gyroscopes, the state vector must be augmented, compared with filters using traditional gyroscopes that read angular rates. Two filters are derived in this paper. The first uses an augmented state-vector form that estimates attitude, gyroscope biases, and gyroscope angular displacements. The second ignores correlations, leading to a filter that estimates attitude and gyroscope biases only. Simulation compa...
Data-Driven Jump Detection Thresholds for Application in Jump Regressions

This paper develops a method to select the threshold in threshold-based jump detection methods. The method is motivated by an analysis of threshold-based jump detection methods in the context of jump-diffusion models. We show that over the range of sampling frequencies a researcher is most likely to encounter that the usual in-fill asymptotics provide a poor guide for selecting the jump threshold. Because of this we develop a sample-based method. Our method estimates the number of jumps over a grid of thresholds and selects the optimal threshold at what we term the ‘take-off’ point in the estimated number of jumps. We show that this method consistently estimates the jumps and their indices as the sampling interval goes to zero. In several Monte Carlo studies we evaluate the performance of our method based on its ability to accurately locate jumps and its ability to distinguish between true jumps and large diffusive moves. In one of these Monte Carlo studies we evaluate the performance of our method in a jump regression context. Finally, we apply our method in two empirical studies. In one we estimate the number of jumps and report the jump threshold our method selects for three commonly used market indices. In the other empirical application we perform a series of jump regressions using our method to select the jump threshold.
CROSSLINK DENSITY IS REDUCED AT THE ARTICULAR SURFACE OF RETRIEVED HIGHLY CROSSLINKED POLYETHYLENE TKA TIBIAL INSERTS

Introduction Highly crosslinked ultrahigh-molecular-weight polyethylene (XLPE) reduces wear and osteolysis in total hip arthroplasty, but it is unclear if XLPE will provide the same clinical benefit in total knee arthroplasty (TKA). Adhesive and abrasive wear generally dominate in polyethylene acetabular components, whereas fatigue wear is an important wear mechanism in polyethylene TKA tibial inserts. The wear resistance of XLPE depends on the crosslink density of the material, which may decrease during in vivo mechanical loading, leading to more wear and increased oxidation. To examine this possibility, we measured crosslink density and oxidation levels in loaded and unloaded locations of retrieved tibial inserts to evaluate the short-term performance of XLPE material in TKA. Materials and Methods Forty retrieved XLPE tibial inserts (23 remelted, 17 annealed) retrieved after a mean time of 18 ± 14 months were visibly inspected to identify loaded (burnished) and unloaded (unburnished) locations on the plateaus of each insert using a previously published damage mapping method. For each insert, four cubes (3 mm3) were cut from loaded and unloaded surface and subsurface locations (Fig. 1). Swell ratio testing was done according to ASTM F2214 to calculate crosslink density of the cubes. With a microtome, 200 μm sections were taken adjacent to the cubes and oxidation was assessed with Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy following ASTM F2102 (Fig. 2). Surface oxidation was measured in the sections adjacent the surface cubes and subsurface oxidation was measured in sections adjacent to the subsurface cubes. The effects of location (surface vs. subsurface in the loaded and unloaded regions) and thermal treatment (annealed vs. remelted) on crosslink density and oxidation were assessed with repeated measures generalized estimating equations (GEEs), with the implant treated as the repeated factor. Results are presented as means and 95% confidence intervals and the level of significance was α=0.05. Results Crosslink density was associated with location within the polyethylene tibial inserts (p Conclusions In vivo loading of XLPE decreased the crosslink density and increased the oxidation in areas that underwent wear and deformation at the articular surface of TKA inserts. Nonetheless, in these short term retrievals, no clinical complications were attributed to the change in material properties. However, if crosslink density continues to decrease with load over time, XLPE may not provide a clinical advantage over conventional polyethylene in TKA.
Finite-sample analysis of proximal gradient TD algorithms

In this paper, we show for the first time how gradient TD (GTD) reinforcement learning methods can be formally derived as true stochastic gradient algorithms, not with respect to their original objective functions as previously attempted, but rather using derived primal-dual saddle-point objective functions. We then conduct a saddle-point error analysis to obtain finite-sample bounds on their performance. Previous analyses of this class of algorithms use stochastic approximation techniques to prove asymptotic convergence, and no finite-sample analysis had been attempted. Two novel GTD algorithms are also proposed, namely projected GTD2 and GTD2-MP, which use proximal "mirror maps" to yield improved convergence guarantees and acceleration, respectively. The results of our theoretical analysis imply that the GTD family of algorithms are comparable and may indeed be preferred over existing least squares TD methods for off-policy learning, due to their linear complexity. We provide experimental results showing the improved performance of our accelerated gradient TD methods.
Hepatic fat quantification magnetic resonance for monitoring treatment response in pediatric nonalcoholic steatohepatitis.

Hepatic fat quantification magnetic resonance for monitoring treatment response in pediatric nonalcoholic steatohepatitis
Blood Transfusion in Heart Surgery

During the past three decades, hemotherapy and cardiopulmonary bypass techniques have changed drastically in conjunction with advances in open heart surgery. Today, an active cardiovascular service exerts an unyielding influence on the activities of the supporting blood bank and transfusion service. Hematologic alterations and blood transfusion requirements of patients undergoing cardiovascular surgery are discussed.
SLICER: inferring branched, nonlinear cellular trajectories from single cell RNA-seq data.

Single cell experiments provide an unprecedented opportunity to reconstruct a sequence of changes in a biological process from individual “snapshots” of cells. However, nonlinear gene expression changes, genes unrelated to the process, and the possibility of branching trajectories make this a challenging problem. We develop SLICER (Selective Locally Linear Inference of Cellular Expression Relationships) to address these challenges. SLICER can infer highly nonlinear trajectories, select genes without prior knowledge of the process, and automatically determine the location and number of branches and loops. SLICER recovers the ordering of points along simulated trajectories more accurately than existing methods. We demonstrate the effectiveness of SLICER on previously published data from mouse lung cells and neural stem cells.
Therapy of allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis

The management of ABPA depends on the extent and stage of the disease. Underlying asthma should be controlled with environmental changes, pharmaco- and immunotherapy. Baseline examinations and evaluations of pulmonary function, airway and parenchymal anatomy, and serum total IgE levels are important and should be re-evaluated based on the clinical course of the patient. The mainstay of pharmacotherapy for ABPA remains oral corticosteroids. The dose and duration of treatment in the initial stage of the disease depends on when it was diagnosed as well as the patient's clinical course. Anti-fungal agents should be considered as adjunctive. Clinical data suggests that the early institution of treatment is likely to prevent progression of ABPA to end-stage fibrosis.
Lean meats make the grade--a collaborative nutrition intervention program.

Abstract Lean Meats Make the Grade is a collaborative nutrition intervention program involving the Minnesota Heart Health Program (MHHP), the Minnesota Beef Council, and the Pork Producers Council. The purposes of this program were to educate consumers about identification of leaner cuts of meat, low-fat preparation methods, and selection of appropriate meat portion size. Program components included training for meat managers, taste testing for consumers, recipes and customer information brochures, and labels on individual meat packages to assist in the identification of leaner cuts of meat. The program was implemented through grocery stores in two of the towns selected for MHHP intervention. Population-based telephone surveys indicated that respondents in the intervention towns were more aware of the lean meats program than those in the comparison communities. Knowledge of lean cuts of meat and low-fat preparation methods also increased as a result of the program. Independently collected sales data from five participating and two control stores provided some indications of a greater interest in lean cuts and 80% lean ground beef as a result of the intervention program. Programs such as this have potential for community-wide nutrition education. J Am Diet Assoc 88:191, 1988.
The Crisis of Confidence in Research Findings in Psychology: Is Lack of Replication the Real Problem? Or Is It Something Else?

There have been frequent expressions of concern over the supposed failure of researchers to conduct replication studies. But the large number of meta-analyses in our literatures shows that replication studies are in fact being conducted in most areas of research. Many who argue for replication as the “gold standard” consider a non-significant replication attempt to be strong evidence against the initial study, an interpretation that ignores statistical power, typically low in behavioral research. Many researchers also hold that there is no need to replicate a non-significant finding, believing it will always replicate perfectly, an erroneous belief. These beliefs lead to a widely accepted sequential model of the research process that is deficient because it assumes that a single study can answer a research question, a belief that meta-analysis has shown to be false. Meta-analysis can provide the solution to these problems if the problems of publication bias and questionable research practices are successfully addressed. The real problem is not a lack of replication; it is the distortion of our research literatures caused by publication bias and questionable research practices.
Enantioselective Allylic C-H Oxidation of Terminal Olefins to Isochromans by Palladium(II)/Chiral Sulfoxide Catalysis.

The enantioselective synthesis of isochroman motifs has been accomplished by palladium(II)-catalyzed allylic C−H oxidation from terminal olefin precursors. Critical to the success of this goal was the development and utilization of a novel chiral aryl sulfoxide-oxazoline (ArSOX) ligand. The allylic C−H oxidation reaction proceeds with the broadest scope and highest levels of asymmetric induction reported to date (avg. 92 % ee, 13 examples with greater than 90 % ee).
Merging thiophene with boron: new building blocks for conjugated materials.

This perspective highlights recent progress on the design, synthesis and applications of thienylboranes as building blocks for new functional materials. Well-controlled synthetic protocols, such as boron–tin and boron–silicon exchange reactions, hydroboration of alkynyl groups, and electrophilic borylations provide opportunities to access thiophene-boranes that are chemically robust and display desirable photophysical properties, redox characteristics, and solid-state assembly behavior. Diverse protocols for further functionalization allow for facile integration into larger conjugated structures and even polymeric systems. Moreover, the strong Lewis acid character that is characteristic of trivalent boranes facilitates intra- and intermolecular Lewis acid–base interactions that can further enrich the chemical and electronic properties of thiophene-borane materials. Recent advances with respect to applications in sensing, organic electronics, and the development of molecular switches are also discussed.
Eliminating Channel Feedback in Next-Generation Cellular Networks

This paper focuses on a simple, yet fundamental question: ``Can a node infer the wireless channels on one frequency band by observing the channels on a different frequency band?'' This question arises in cellular networks, where the uplink and the downlink operate on different frequencies. Addressing this question is critical for the deployment of key 5G solutions such as massive MIMO, multi-user MIMO, and distributed MIMO, which require channel state information. We introduce R2-F2, a system that enables LTE base stations to infer the downlink channels to a client by observing the uplink channels from that client. By doing so, R2-F2 extends the concept of reciprocity to LTE cellular networks, where downlink and uplink transmissions occur on different frequency bands. It also removes a major hurdle for the deployment of 5G MIMO solutions. We have implemented R2-F2 in software radios and integrated it within the LTE OFDM physical layer. Our results show that the channels computed by R2-F2 deliver accurate MIMO beamforming (to within 0.7~dB of beamforming gains with ground truth channels) while eliminating channel feedback overhead.
Should I stay or should I go ? internal migration and household welfare in Ghana

This papers investigates to what extent internal migration contributes to improving households' welfare in Ghana. Using the most recent and nationally representative household survey (Ghana Living Standards Survey 2012/13), the estimates indicate that on average migration increases consumption significantly, and the effect is driven by households migrating from inland regions to the coastal areas of the country. The analysis also finds heterogeneous effects by gender and educational attainment, with migrant households headed by males and highly educated individuals faring significantly better than migrant households headed by females and low-educated individuals. The paper shows convincing evidence that the positive impact of migration on consumption is attributable to a physical mobility effect rather than changes in labor force status or sector of economic activity. However, the migration process in Ghana has important downsides, such as the brain drain and disruption of the social fabric in the communities originating migration. Future research in this area is warranted to have a more comprehensive picture of the social impact of migration in Ghana.
Transmit diversity over quasi-static fading channels using multiple antennas and random signal mapping

We introduce a scheme that achieves a diversity gain for coded systems under static fading conditions by using multiple antennas and random signal mapping. In a two-antenna system, the bit-error rate performance of the proposed scheme approaches that of Alamouti's scheme when the channel is perfectly known. In the presence of channel mismatch, the proposed scheme outperforms Alamouti's scheme significantly. It is shown that, as the number of transmit antennas N goes to infinity, the effective channel for the introduced scheme behaves as if it were perfectly interleaved (i.e., as if the fading was independent). When N is small, further performance gain can be achieved by expanding the original signal constellation.
Synthesis, structure, and magnetic characterization of Cr4US8

Abstract The compound Cr4US8 has been synthesized at 1073 K and its crystal structure has been determined at 100 K. The structure is modulated with a two-fold commensurate supercell. The subcell may be indexed in an orthorhombic cell but weak supercell reflections lead to the monoclinic superspace group P21/c(α0γ)0s with two Cr sites, one U site, and four S sites. The structure comprises a three-dimensional framework of CrS6 octahedra with channels that are partially occupied by U atoms. Each U atom in these channels is coordinated by eight S atoms in a bicapped trigonal-prismatic arrangement. The magnetic behavior of Cr4US8 is complex. At temperatures above ~120 K at all measured fields, there is little difference between field-cooled and zero field-cooled data and χ(T) decreases monotonously with temperature, which is reminiscent of the Curie–Weiss law. At lower temperatures, the temperature dependence of χ(T) is complex and strongly dependent on the magnetic field strength.
Ideology and Local Public Expenditure Priorities

Local governments prioritize spending on various types and levels of public services. Although scholars have shown that citizen preferences and institutional factors, such as economic, political, a...
News or Noise? The Missing Link

The literature on belief-driven business cycles treats news and noise as distinct representations of agents' beliefs. We prove they are empirically the same. Our result lets us isolate the importance of purely belief-driven fluctuations. Using three prominent estimated models, we show that existing research understates the importance of pure beliefs. We also explain how differences in both economic environment and information structure affect the estimated importance of pure beliefs.
UPPS-P model impulsivity and marijuana use behaviors in adolescents: A meta-analysis

Abstract Background Impulsivity is often included as a risk factor in models of adolescent marijuana use behaviors; however, the magnitude of the association between impulsivity and marijuana use behaviors is variable across studies. The present study reviewed existent literature to 1) quantify the relationship between separable impulsivity-related traits and both marijuana use and negative marijuana consequences and 2) quantify the size of the effect of gender on these relationships. Method Thirty-eight studies (41 independent samples) were meta-analyzed using a random effects model to examine the relationship between impulsivity traits and marijuana use behaviors. Results Marijuana use was significantly related to all impulsivity-related traits except lack of perseverance ( r ’s ranging from 0.13–0.23, p ’s Conclusions Impulsivity-related traits had more robust relationships with negative marijuana consequences than marijuana use, suggesting impulsivity-related traits are important in differentiating adolescents most likely to experience negative consequences from marijuana use. Few relationships examined gender and many of the impulsivity-related traits, other than sensation seeking. Data and trends suggest a more multi-dimensional approach to marijuana use and consequences is warranted.
Zoning and the Economic Geography of Cities

Abstract Comprehensive zoning is ubiquitous in U.S. cities, yet we know surprisingly little about its long-run impacts. We provide the first attempt to measure the causal effect of land use regulation over the long term, using as our setting Chicago's first comprehensive zoning ordinance adopted in 1923. Our results indicate that zoning played a central role in establishing residential neighborhoods free of industrial and commercial uses. The separation of uses established by the zoning ordinance persists to the present day and is reflected in housing prices, the location of polluting industrial sites, and population density.
Liberal glucose targets for critically ill diabetic patients: is it time for large clinical trials with more personalized endpoints?

The field of glycemic control for critical care patients has evolved progressively since the publication of the guidelines for the use of insulin infusions in critically ill patients (1). At that time, the data were inadequate to define an optimal target for insulin therapy, and the committee endorsed the goal to keep glucose less than 10 mmol/L for ICU patients to reduce mortality. This same trigger has been promoted by the ADA (2). While select populations may benefit from tighter levels of glucose control, the need for safety is paramount—avoiding hypoglycemia (<4 mmol/L) and minimization of glucose variability are important for optimal patient outcome. However, a contrary perspective is that hyperglycemia is a marker for stress response and severity of illness, and control of glucose may be detrimental—particularly when attempting to achieve low targets such as 4.4–6.1 mmol/L (3).
New estimates of extreme poverty for children

This paper uses household surveys from 89 countries to estimate the rate of extreme poverty among children in the developing world. The estimates are based on the same surveys and welfare measures as official World Bank poverty estimates. Of children under age 18 years, 19.5 percent are estimated to live on less than $1.90 per day, as opposed to 9.2 percent of adults ages 18 and above. Poverty rates are high for children ages 0 to 4 years, slightly higher among ages 5 to 9 years, and steadily decline for successively older age groups. The analysis also examines the sensitivity of age-based poverty estimates to the use of alternative household equivalence scales when adjusting the international poverty line accordingly. Child poverty rates remain above 17 percent, and are greater than adult poverty rates, for all reasonable two-parameter equivalence scales.
Implicitization of tensor product surfaces in the presence of a generic set of basepoints

Given a 4-dimensional vector subspace U = {f0,…,f3} of H0(ℙ1 × ℙ1,&#x1d4aa;(a,b)), a tensor product surface, denoted by XU, is the closure of the image of the rational map λU : ℙ1 × ℙ1 −−→ ℙ3 determined by U. These surfaces arise in geometric modeling and in this context it is useful to know the implicit equation of XU in ℙ3. In this paper, we show that if U ⊆ H0(ℙ1 × ℙ1,&#x1d4aa;(a, 1)) has a finite set of r basepoints in generic position, then the implicit equation of XU is determined by two syzygies of IU = 〈f0,…,f3〉 in bidegrees (a −⌈r 2⌉, 0) and (a −⌊r 2⌋, 0). This result is proved by understanding the geometry of the basepoints of U in ℙ1 × ℙ1. The proof techniques for the main theorem also apply when U is basepoint free.
Quantum metrology — Optical atomic clocks and many-body physics

I will present the latest results of an optical atomic clock based on precision measurement performed on a quantum multi-particle system.
Complexity of regular functions

Abstract We give complexity bounds for various classes of functions computed by cost register automata.
Proper alignment and adjustment of the light microscope.

The light microscope is a basic tool for biologists, who should have a thorough understanding of how it works, how it should be aligned for different applications (e.g., brightfield, phase-contrast, differential interference contrast, and fluorescence epi-illumination), and how it should be maintained as required to obtain maximum image-forming capacity and resolution. The principles of microscopy and step-by-step alignment and adjustment procedures are described in this unit.
The Lightcone Bootstrap and the Spectrum of the 3d Ising CFT

We compute numerically the dimensions and OPE coefficients of several operators in the 3d Ising CFT, and then try to reverse-engineer the solution to crossing symmetry analytically. Our key tool is a set of new techniques for computing infinite sums of SL(2, RR ) conformal blocks. Using these techniques, we solve the lightcone bootstrap to all orders in an asymptotic expansion in large spin, and suggest a strategy for going beyond the large spin limit. We carry out the first steps of this strategy for the 3d Ising CFT, deriving analytic approximations for the dimensions and OPE coefficients of several infinite families of operators in terms of the initial data {Δ_σ, Δ_ϵ, f_(σσϵ), f_(ϵϵϵ), c_T}. The analytic results agree with numerics to high precision for about 100 low-twist operators (correctly accounting for O(1) mixing effects between large-spin families). Plugging these results back into the crossing equations, we obtain approximate analytic constraints on the initial data.
Strong Fooling Sets for Multi-player Communication with Applications to Deterministic Estimation of Stream Statistics

We develop a paradigm for studying multi-player deterministic communication, based on a novel combinatorial concept that we call a strong fooling set. Our paradigm leads to optimal lower bounds on the per-player communication required for solving multi-player EQUALITY problems in a private-message setting. This in turn gives a very strong—O(1) versus Ω(n)—separation between private-message and one-way blackboard communication complexities. Applying our communication complexity results, we show that for deterministic data streaming algorithms, even loose estimations of some basic statistics of an input stream require large amounts of space. For instance, approximating the frequency moment Fk within a factor α requires Ω(n/α1/(1-k)) space for k > 1. In particular, approximation within any constant factor α, however large, requires linear space, with the trivial exception of k = 1. This is in sharp contrast to the situation for randomized streaming algorithms, which can approximate Fk to within (1±e) factors using O(1) space for k ≤ 2 and o(n) space for all finite k and all constant e > 0. Previous linear-space lower bounds for deterministic estimation were limited to small factors α, such as α
Comparison of hepatic MDCT, MRI, and DSA to explant pathology for the detection and treatment planning of hepatocellular carcinoma.

BACKGROUND/AIMS The diagnosis and treatment plan for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) can be made from radiologic imaging. However, lesion detection may vary depending on the imaging modality. This study aims to evaluate the sensitivities of hepatic multidetector computed tomography (MDCT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and digital subtraction angiography (DSA) in the detection of HCC and the consequent management impact on potential liver transplant patients. METHODS One hundred and sixteen HCC lesions were analyzed in 41 patients who received an orthotopic liver transplant (OLT). All of the patients underwent pretransplantation hepatic DSA, MDCT, and/or MRI. The imaging results were independently reviewed retrospectively in a blinded fashion by two interventional and two abdominal radiologists. The liver explant pathology was used as the gold standard for assessing each imaging modality. RESULTS The sensitivity for overall HCC detection was higher for cross-sectional imaging using MRI (51.5%, 95% confidence interval [CI]=36.2-58.4%) and MDCT (49.8%, 95% CI=43.7-55.9%) than for DSA (41.7%, 95% CI=36.2-47.3%) (P=0.05). The difference in false-positive rate was not statistically significant between MRI (22%), MDCT (29%), and DSA (29%) (P=0.67). The sensitivity was significantly higher for detecting right lobe lesions than left lobe lesions for all modalities (MRI: 56.1% vs. 43.1%, MDCT: 55.0% vs. 42.0%, and DSA: 46.9% vs. 33.9%; all P<0.01). The sensitivities of the three imaging modalities were also higher for lesions ≥2 cm vs. <2 cm (MRI: 73.4% vs. 32.7%, MDCT: 66.9% vs. 33.8%, and DSA: 62.2% vs. 24.1%; all P<0.01). The interobserver correlation was rated as very good to excellent. CONCLUSION The sensitivity for detecting HCC is higher for MRI and MDCT than for DSA, and so cross-sectional imaging modalities should be used to evaluate OLT candidacy.
A Behavioral New Keynesian Model

This paper presents a framework for analyzing how bounded rationality affects monetary and fiscal policy. The model is a tractable and parsimonious enrichment of the widely-used New Keynesian model – with one main new “cognitive discounting” parameter, which quantifies how poorly agents understand future economic disturbances. That myopia parameter, in turn, affects the power of monetary and fiscal policy in a microfounded general equilibrium. A number of consequences emerge. (i) Fiscal stimulus or “helicopter drops of money” are powerful and, indeed, pull the economy out of the zero lower bound. More generally, the model allows for the joint analysis of optimal monetary and fiscal policy. (ii) The Taylor principle is strongly modified: even with passive monetary policy, equilibrium is determinate, whereas the traditional rational model yields multiple equilibria, which reduces its predictive power, and generates indeterminate economies at the zero lower bound (ZLB). (iii) The ZLB is much less costly than in the traditional model. (iv) The model brings a natural solution to the “forward guidance puzzle”: the fact that in the rational model, shocks to very distant rates have a very powerful impact on today's consumption and inflation; because agents are partially myopic, this effect is muted. (v) Optimal policy changes qualitatively: the optimal commitment policy with rational agents demands “nominal GDP targeting”; this is not the case with behavioral firms, as the benefits of commitment are less strong with myopic firms. (vi) The model is “neo-Fisherian” in the long run, but Keynesian in the short run: a permanent rise in the interest rate decreases inflation in the short run but increases it in the long run. The non-standard behavioral features of the model seem warranted by extant empirical evidence.
The method of Gauss–Newton to compute power series solutions of polynomial homotopies

Abstract We consider the extension of the method of Gauss–Newton from complex floating-point arithmetic to the field of truncated power series with complex floating-point coefficients. With linearization we formulate a linear system where the coefficient matrix is a series with matrix coefficients, and provide a characterization for when the matrix series is regular based on the algebraic variety of an augmented system. The structure of the linear system leads to a block triangular system. In the regular case, solving the linear system is equivalent to solving a Hermite interpolation problem. We show that this solution has cost cubic in the problem size. In general, at singular points, we rely on methods of tropical algebraic geometry to compute Puiseux series. With a few illustrative examples, we demonstrate the application to polynomial homotopy continuation.
LQG Control Approach to Gaussian Broadcast Channels With Feedback

A code for communication over the k-receiver complex additive white Gaussian noise broadcast channel (BC) with feedback is presented and analyzed using tools from the theory of linear quadratic Gaussian optimal control. It is shown that the performance of this code depends on the noise correlation at the receivers and it is related to the solution of a discrete algebraic Riccati equation. For the case of independent noises, the sum rate achieved by the proposed code, satisfying average power constraint P, is characterized as 1/2 log(1+Pφ), where the coefficient φ ∈ [1,k] quantifies the power gain due to the presence of feedback. This includes a previous result by Elia and strictly improves upon the codes by Ozarow and Leung and by Kramer. When the noises are correlated, the prelog of the sum capacity of the BC with feedback can be strictly greater than 1. It is established that for all noise covariance matrices of rank r the prelog of the sum capacity is at most k-r+1 and, conversely, there exists a noise covariance matrix of rank r for which the proposed code achieves this upper bound. This generalizes a previous result by Gastpar et al. for the two-receiver BC.
D4L: Decentralized Dynamic Discriminative Dictionary Learning

We consider discriminative dictionary learning in a distributed online setting, where a network of agents aims to learn, from sequential observations, statistical model parameters jointly with data-driven signal representations. We formulate this problem as a distributed stochastic program with a nonconvex objective that quantifies the merit of the choice of model parameters and dictionary. We consider the use of a block variant of the Arrow–Hurwicz saddle point algorithm to solve this problem, which exploits factorization properties of the Lagrangian to yield a protocol in that only requires exchange of model information among neighboring nodes. We show that decisions made with this saddle point algorithm asymptotically achieve a first-order stationarity condition on average. The learning rate depends on the signal source, network structure, and discriminative task. We illustrate the algorithm performance for solving a large-scale image classification task on a network of interconnected servers and observe that practical performance is comparable to a centralized approach. We further apply this method to the problem of a robotic team seeking to autonomously navigate in an unknown environment by predicting unexpected maneuvers, demonstrating the proposed algorithm's utility in a field setting.