cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Conspicuous consumption in a recession: Toning it down or turning it up?

Abstract The 2008 recession reportedly led to the demise of conspicuous consumption with wealthy consumers abandoning luxury goods that prominently display their brands for more subdued designs. Utilizing data collected before and in the midst of the recession from designer handbag manufacturers, Louis Vuitton and Gucci, we find products introduced during the recession actually display the brand far more prominently than those products withdrawn. Data from Hermes and luxury ads in Vogue magazine also indicate manufacturers did not tone things down. Our results suggest conspicuous consumption endures in recessions; consumers who do not exit the luxury goods market are still interested in logo-laden products.
Vectorized Monte Carlo photon transport

The results of current research in the development of a Cray algorithm for time-dependent Monte Carlo photon radiation transport is presented. The method that has been developed is a fully vectorized particle-vector scheme. This technique tracks groups of particles simultaneously using a vector-stack formalism based upon particle events. Timing comparisons between this algorithm and the traditional single-particle approach are presented.
Biosynthesis: Non-stick natural products.

Fluorine imparts many drugs with beneficial properties, however, the synthesis of fluorinated complex natural products is challenging. Biosynthetic strategies and recent experimental precedents have paved the way for bioengineered fluorinated polyketides.
Hybrid approaches for classification under information acquisition cost constraint

We address a problem of classification with information acquisition cost constraint (CIACC). The objective of the CIACC problem is to develop a classification function that maximizes correct classifications under the user defined information acquisition cost constraint. We propose hybrid simulated annealing and neural network (SA-ANN), and tabu search and neural network (TS-ANN) procedures to solve the CIACC problem. Using simulated and a real-world data set from medical domain, we show that the proposed hybrid procedures solve the CIACC problem. The results of our experiments indicate that the performance of hybrid approaches is sensitive to the data distribution, and memory-based hybrid tabu search approaches may perform as good as or better than probabilistic hybrid simulated annealing approach.
Transient electromagnetic response of a sphere in a layered medium

The integral equation for the electromagnetic response of a sphere in a layered medium may be solved as follows. First, the unknown time harmonic electric field in the sphere is expanded in spherical vector waves. Secondly, the coefficients for these wave functions are found by a set of equations. The equations are found by multiplying the integral equation throughout by each wave function and integrating over the spherical conductor. Once the unknown coefficients have been determined, then the transient response may be found by taking the inverse Fourier transform. In carrying out the Fourier transform one learns that for most of the time range used in prospecting, only the lowest order vector wave function is significant. A study of the singularities of the spectrum of the transient shows that, for the time range considered, only a single branch cut is significant. There are no pole type responses. That is, the field does not decay exponentially. Previous studies of a sphere in free space reported only pole type responses. That is, at the later stages, the field decays exponentially. This study shows that, in order to model satisfactorily the effect of the host rock on transient electromagnetic fields, the sphere must be placed in layered ground.
An information theory based framework for the measurement of population health.

Abstract This paper proposes a new framework for the measurement of population health and the ranking of the health of different geographies. Since population health is a latent variable, studies which measure and rank the health of different geographies must aggregate observable health attributes into one summary measure. We show that the methods used in nearly all the literature to date implicitly assume that all attributes are infinitely substitutable. Our method, based on the measurement of multidimensional welfare and inequality, minimizes the entropic distance between the summary measure of population health and the distribution of the underlying attributes. This summary function coincides with the constant elasticity of substitution and Cobb–Douglas production functions and naturally allows different assumptions regarding attribute substitutability or complementarity. To compare methodologies, we examine a well-known ranking of the population health of U.S. states, America's Health Rankings. We find that states’ rankings are somewhat sensitive to changes in the weight given to each attribute, but very sensitive to changes in aggregation methodology. Our results have broad implications for well-known health rankings such as the 2000 World Health Report, as well as other measurements of population and individual health levels and the measurement and decomposition of health inequality.
Electron capture by multicharged ions from hydrogen atoms at eV energies

Abstract To quantitatively study electron capture during collisions of multiply charged ions with neutral atoms at near-thermal energies, keV-energy multicharged ion beams are merged with ground-state beams of H or D atoms of chosen velocity such that collisions in the relative energy range 1–1000 eV/amu result. Recent data for O 3+ , O 4+ +H(D) are presented and compared with theoretical predictions. Recently completed modifications to the apparatus are described that will provide a significant improvement in signal-to-background and angular collection. These improvements will allow measurements to be extended to lower energies, where effects due to the ion-induced dipole attraction may be evident.
Integrated data bases for municipal decision-making

Municipal governments are, in essence, created to deliver services to a geographical area. There is an unusual variety, in comparison to private industry, of services offered. Local government is often structured (or fractured) along functional lines into special districts, as well as by geography. Such structuring has precluded concentration of power, but it has increased the complexity of planning, resource allocation, or management.
Some Computations in the Cyclic Permutations of Completely Rational Nets

In this paper we calculate certain chiral quantities from the cyclic permutation orbifold of a general completely rational net. We determine the fusion of a fundamental soliton, and by suitably modified arguments of A. Coste , T. Gannon and especially P. Bantay to our setting we are able to prove a number of arithmetic properties including congruence subgroup properties for S, T matrices of a completely rational net defined by K.-H. Rehren and rationality of the central charge.
The Dynamics of Quote Adjustments

Abstract Liquidity providers on the NYSE make faster quote adjustments towards equilibrium spreads and depths than they do on NASDAQ. Liquidity providers in both markets make faster spread and depth adjustments for stocks with more frequent trading, greater return volatility, higher prices, smaller market capitalizations, and smaller trade sizes. We find that stocks with greater information-based trading and in more competitive trading environments exhibit faster quote adjustments. The speed of quote adjustment is faster after decimalization in both markets. These results are robust and not driven by differences in stock attributes between the two markets or time periods. Overall, our results indicate that stock attributes, market structure, and tick size exert a significant impact on the speed of quote adjustment.
THE EB FACTORY PROJECT. II. VALIDATION WITH THE KEPLER FIELD IN PREPARATION FOR K2 AND TESS

Large repositories of high precision light curve data, such as the Kepler data set, provide the opportunity to identify astrophysically important eclipsing binary (EB) systems in large quantities. However, the rate of classical “by eye” human analysis restricts complete and efficient mining of EBs from these data using classical techniques. To prepare for mining EBs from the upcoming K2 mission as well as other current missions, we developed an automated end-to-end computational pipeline—the Eclipsing Binary Factory (EBF)—that automatically identifies EBs and classifies them into morphological types. The EBF has been previously tested on ground-based light curves. To assess the performance of the EBF in the context of space-based data, we apply the EBF to the full set of light curves in the Kepler “Q3” Data Release. We compare the EBs identified from this automated approach against the human generated Kepler EB Catalog of ∼2600 EBs. When we require EB classification with ⩾90% confidence, we find that the EBF correctly identifies and classifies eclipsing contact (EC), eclipsing semi-detached (ESD), and eclipsing detached (ED) systems with a false positive rate of only 4%, 4%, and 8%, while complete to 64%, 46%, and 32%, respectively. When classification confidence is relaxed, the EBF identifiesmore » and classifies ECs, ESDs, and EDs with a slightly higher false positive rate of 6%, 16%, and 8%, while much more complete to 86%, 74%, and 62%, respectively. Through our processing of the entire Kepler “Q3” data set, we also identify 68 new candidate EBs that may have been missed by the human generated Kepler EB Catalog. We discuss the EBF's potential application to light curve classification for periodic variable stars more generally for current and upcoming surveys like K2 and the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite.« less
Stellar and Circumstellar Properties of Class I Protostars

We present a study of the stellar and circumstellar properties of Class I sources using low-resolution (R ~ 1000) near-infrared (near-IR) K- and L-band spectroscopy. We measure prominent spectral lines and features in eight objects and use fits to standard star spectra to determine spectral types, visual extinctions, K-band excesses, and water ice optical depths. Four of the seven systems studied are close binary pairs; only one of these systems, Haro 6-10, was angularly resolvable. For certain stars, some properties found in our analysis differ substantially from published values; we analyze the origin of these differences. We determine extinction to each source using three different methods and compare and discuss the resulting values. One hypothesis that we were testing, that extinction dominates over the K-band excess in obscuration of the stellar photospheric absorption lines, appears not to be true. Accretion luminosities and mass accretion rates calculated for our targets are highly uncertain, in part the result of our inexact knowledge of extinction. For the six targets we were able to place on a Hertzsprung-Russell diagram, our age estimates, <2 Myr, are somewhat younger than those from comparable studies. Our results underscore the value of low-resolution spectroscopy in the study of protostars and their environments; however, the optimal approach to the study of Class I sources likely involves a combination of high- and low-resolution near-IR, mid-IR, and millimeter wavelength observations. Accurate and precise measurements of extinction in Class I protostars will be key to improving our understanding of these objects.
Streamwise Flow and Heat Transfer Distributions for Jet Array Impingement with Crossflow

Two-dimensional arrays of circular jets of air impinging on a heat transfer surface parallel to the jet orifice plate are considered. The air, after impingement, is constrained to exit in a single direction along the channel formed by the surface and the jet plate. The downstream jets are subjected to a crossflow originating from the upstream jets. Experimental and theoretical results obtained for streamwise distributions of jet and crossflow velocities are presented and compared. Measured Nusselt numbers resolved to one streamwise hole spacing are correlated with individual spanwise row jet Reynolds numbers and crossflow-to-jet velocity ratios. Correlations are presented for both inline and staggered hole patterns including effects of geometric parameters: streamwise hole spacing, spanwise hole spacing, and channel height, normalized by hole diameter. The physical mechanisms influencing heat transfer coefficients as a function of flow distribution and geometric parameters are also discussed.
Weak disks of Denjoy minimal sets

This paper investigates the existence of Denjoy minimal sets and, more generally, strictly ergodic sets in the dynamics of iterated homeomorphisms. It is shown that for the full two-shift, the collection of such invariant sets with the weak topology contains topological balls of all finite dimensions. One implication is an analogous result that holds for diffeomorphisms with transverse homoclinic points. It is also shown that the union of Denjoy minimal sets is dense in the two-shift and that the set of unique probability measures supported on these sets is weakly dense in the set of all shift-invariant, Borel probability measures.
Synthesis and antiviral evaluation of 4′-hydroxymethyl-2′, 3′-dideoxy-3′-thianucleosides and their cyclic monophosphates

Abstract Novel 4′-hydroxymethyl-2′,3′-dideoxy-3′-thianucleosides and their cyclic monophosphates have been synthesized and evaluated for anti-HIV activity. This is the first report of the use of the phosphorodiamidite methodology to prepare cyclic nucleoside monophosphates.
Code-partitioning gossip

Code-Partitioning Gossip (CPG) is a novel technique to facilitate implementation and analysis of gossip protocols. A gossip exchange is a pair-wise transaction between two nodes; a gossip system executes an endless sequence of exchanges between nodes chosen by a randomized procedure. Using CPG, the effects of a gossip exchange are succinctly defined by a single function that atomically updates a pair of node states based on their previous values. This function is automatically partitioned via program slicing into executable code for the roles of gossip-initiator and gossip-recipient, and networking code is added automatically. CPG may have concrete benefits for protocol analysis and authoring composite gossip protocols.
Evasion of CO2 injected into the ocean in the context of CO2 stabilization

Abstract The eventual evasion of injected CO2 to the atmosphere is one consideration when assessing deep-sea disposal of CO2 as a potential response option to climate change concerns. Evasion estimated using an ocean carbon cycle model is compared to long-term trajectories for future CO2 emissions, including illustrative cases leading to stabilization of CO2 concentration at various levels. Modeled residence time for CO2 injected into the deep ocean exceeds the 100-year time-scale usually considered in scenarios for future emissions, and the potential impacts of climate change. Illustrative cases leading monotonically to constant CO2 concentration have been highlighted by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change to give guidance on possible timing of emission reductions that may be required to stabilize greenhouse gas concentrations at various levels. For stabilization cases considered, significant modeled evasion does not occur until long after CO2 emissions have reached a maximum and begun to decline. Illustrative cases can also lead to a maximum in CO2 concentration followed by a decline to slowly decreasing concentrations. In such cases, future injection of emissions into the deep ocean leads to lower maximum CO2 concentration, with less effect on concentration later on in time.
Isoelectric Focusing in Space

The potential of space electrophoresis is conditioned by the fact that all electrophoretic techniques require the suppression of gravity-caused convection. Isoelectric focusing (IEF) is a powerful variant of electrophoresis, in which amphoteric substances are separated in a pH gradient according to their isoelectric points. A new apparatus for large scale IEF, utilizing a recycling principle, has been developed. In the ground-based prototype, laminar flow is provided by a series of parallel filter elements. The operation of the apparatus is monitored by an automated array of pH and ultraviolet absorption sensors under control of a desk-top computer. The apparatus has proven to be useful for the purification of a variety of enzymes, snake venom proteins, peptide hormones, and other biologicals, including interferon produced by genetic engineering techniques. In planning for a possible space apparatus, a crucial question regarding electroosmosis needs to be addressed. To solve this problem, simple focusing test modules are planned for inclusion in an early Shuttle flight.
SCHOOL LUNCHES: THEIR NUTRITIVE VALUE AND RELATION TO THE HEALTH AND DIET OF CHILDREN*

DURING the past three years the Bureau of Human Nutrition and Home Economics has participated in a number of cooperative studies involving school lunches. Some of the highlights of the results of two of these will be presented briefly: (1) nutritive value of school lunches as served, determined by analysis, made possible through cooperation with the Production and Marketing Administration, and (2) nutrition of children as affected by school lunch, a pilot study carried out in cooperation with the U. S. Public Health Service and local school and health authorities in a community near Washington. Phases of the pilot study reported in this paper are: (a) chemical tests for hemoglobin and ascorbic acid on samples of capillary blood taken from the finger tip, and (b) calculations of nutritive value of food consumption of a sample of the children.
Intramolecular C-arylation of 2,3,5-tri-O-benzyl- and 2,3,5-tri-O-(3-methylbenzyl)-pentofuranose derivatives.

Abstract Upon treatment with tin(IV) chloride, 1- O -acetyl-2,3,5-tri- O -benzyl- and 1- O -acetyl-2,3,5-tri- O -(3-methylbenzyl)pentofuranose ( d - ribo , l - arabino ) undergo intramolecular Friedel—Crafts alkylation of the aromatic substituent at O-2 to give unusual internal C -glycosyl compounds (isochroman derivatives) in high yield. The final products are also partially debenzylated at O-3 or O-5 (up to 25%) under these conditions. By contrast, the corresponding methyl glycosides are poor substrates for the intramolecular C -arylation reaction, as methyl 2,3,5-tri- O -(3-methylbenzyl)-β- d -ribofuranoside was found to give preponderantly methyl 3,5-di- O -(3-methylbenzyl)-α- d -ribofuranoside ( 11 ) (49%), and the C -arylation product in 30% yield only in the presence of the same Lewis acid. The competitive formation of 11 is thought to be due to the anomerization of the substrate leading to a tin(IV) complex coordinated with O-1 and O-2, which promoted the cleavage of the benzyl group at O-2. These reactions provide a novel and efficient C -arylation method and suggest a new approach to selectively protected d -ribofuranose derivatives. Evidence for the uncommon C -arylated structure of the new products was gained from their 1 H- and 13 C(APT)-n.m.r. spectra.
The two-photon excitation spectrum of triphenylene in n-heptane single crystals

Abstract A comparison of the one-and two-photon absorption spectra of triphenylene in n -heptane single crystals at 1.6. K reveals that the lowest singlet state (S 1 ) is of 1 A′ 1 symmetry while the second singlet state(S 2 ) has 1 A′ 2 symmetry, in contradiction with the commonly accepted assignment.
What a Difference a Month Makes: Stock Analyst Valuations Following Initial Public Offerings

We examine how analysts establish target prices for IPO firms and whether comparable firms used to support target prices are helpful in explaining IPO offer prices. During the bubble period of 1999 to 2000, the average offer price was set at a discount relative to comparable firm valuations. In contrast, the average offer price was set at a small premium relative to comparables in the pre-bubble period. This shift appears to hold even after controlling for the differences in the types of firms going public during the bubble period. Moreover, target prices of IPO firms were set at a higher premium relative to comparables during the bubble period. While our results suggest that underwriters systematically dis counted offer prices during the bubble period, an alternative explanation is that the shift arose because underwriters and analysts faced different incentives and legal exposures dur ing the bubble period.
The Inability of Ambipolar Diffusion to Set a Characteristic Mass Scale in Molecular Clouds

We investigate the question of whether ambipolar diffusion (ion-neutral drift) determines the smallest length and mass scales on which structure forms in a turbulent molecular cloud. We simulate magnetized turbulence in a mostly neutral, uniformly driven, turbulent medium, using a three-dimensional, two-fluid, magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) code modified from Zeus-MP. We find that substantial structure persists below the ambipolar diffusion scale because of the propagation of compressive slow MHD waves at smaller scales. Contrary to simple scaling arguments, ambipolar diffusion thus does not suppress structure below its characteristic dissipation scale, as would be expected for a classical diffusive process. We have found this to be true for the magnetic energy, velocity, and density. Correspondingly, ambipolar diffusion leaves the clump mass spectrum unchanged. Ambipolar diffusion appears unable to set a characteristic scale for gravitational collapse and star formation in turbulent molecular clouds.
A Ballistic Motion Disrupted by Quantum Reflections

I study a Lindblad dynamics modeling a quantum test particle in a Dirac comb that collides with particles from a background gas. The main result is a homogenization theorem in an adiabatic limiting regime involving large initial momentum for the test particle. Over the time interval considered, the particle would exhibit essentially ballistic motion if either the singular periodic potential or the kicks from the gas were removed. However, the particle behaves diffusively when both sources of forcing are present. The conversion of the motion from ballistic to diffusive is generated by occasional quantum reflections that result when the test particle’s momentum is driven through a collision near to an element of the half-spaced reciprocal lattice of the Dirac comb.
A FAST NUMERICAL SOLUTION OF SCATTERING BY A CYLINDER: SPECTRAL METHOD FOR THE BOUNDARY INTEGRAL EQUATIONS

It is known that the exact analytic solutions of wave scattering by a circular cylinder, when they exist, are not in a closed form but in a closed form but in infinite series which converges slowly for high frequency waves. In this paper, we present a fast numerical solution for the scattering problem in which the Boundary Integral Equations, reformulated from the Helmholtz equation, are solved using a Fourier spectral method. It is shown that the special geometry considered here allows the implementation of the spectral method to be simple and very efficient. The present method differs from previous approaches in that the singularities of the integral kernels are removed and dealt with accurately. The proposed method preserves the spectral accuracy and is shown to have an exponential rate of convergence. Aspects of efficient implementation using FFT are discussed. Moreover, the boundary integral equations of combined single and double-layer representation are used in the present paper. This ensures the uniqueness of the numerical solution for the scattering problem at all frequencies. Although a strongly singular kernel is encountered for the Neumann boundary conditions, we show that the hypersingularity can be handled easily in the spectral method. Numerical examples that demonstrate the validity of the method are also presented.
Simple thermal decomposition reactions for storage of solar thermal energy

Abstract Simple thermal decomposition reactions have been investigated for the purpose of solar thermal energy storage. Ten criteria regarding the thermodynamics and kinetics of the reaction and the physical properties of the components of the reaction have been established. One particular reaction, the decomposition of ammonium hydrogen sulfate, has been evaluated in a preliminary manner and appears to satisfy all of the established criteria. The efficiency of storage is high and the decomposition occurs in the vicinity of 500°C. Other compounds such as ammonium halides, alkali and alkaline earth metal hydroxides, carbonates, sulfates and oxides have also been examined.
Effects of Psychological Stress on Human Semen Quality

We investigated the relationship between psychological stress and sperm concentration, motility, and morphometry in a prospective study of 157 volunteers who were enrolled in a prepaid health plan. We measured psychological job stress and life-event stress by telephone interview. Sperm-kinematic and nuclear-morphometric variables were measured using computer-assisted image analyses. Sperm concentration, percent motility, and semen volume were determined by objective visual methods. We performed multiple linear regression for each semen variable to examine its relationship to stress, controlling for potential confounders. Stress at work and total number of life events were not related to differences in semen quality. However, the recent death of a close family member was associated with a reduction in straight-line velocity (P = 0.002) and percent of progressively motile sperm (P = 0.02); it was also marginally associated with an increase in the fraction of sperm with larger and more tapered nuclei. These findings suggest that the fecundity of men experiencing the stress of a family member's death might be temporarily diminished.
Absolutely minimal Lipschitz extension of tree-valued mappings

We prove that every Lipschitz function from a subset of a locally compact length space to a metric tree has a unique absolutely minimal Lipschitz extension (AMLE). We relate these extensions to a stochastic game called Politics—a generalization of a game called Tug of War that has been used in Peres et al. (J Am Math Soc 22(1):167–210, 2009) to study real-valued AMLEs.
Etingof–Kazhdan quantization of Lie superbialgebras

Abstract For every semi-simple Lie algebra g one can construct the Drinfeld–Jimbo algebra U h DJ ( g ) . This algebra is a deformation Hopf algebra defined by generators and relations. To study the representation theory of U h DJ ( g ) , Drinfeld used the KZ-equations to construct a quasi-Hopf algebra A g . He proved that particular categories of modules over the algebras U h DJ ( g ) and A g are tensor equivalent. Analogous constructions of the algebras U h DJ ( g ) and A g exist in the case when g is a Lie superalgebra of type A-G. However, Drinfeld's proof of the above equivalence of categories does not generalize to Lie superalgebras. In this paper, we will discuss an alternate proof for Lie superalgebras of type A-G. Our proof utilizes the Etingof–Kazhdan quantization of Lie (super)bialgebras. It should be mentioned that the above equivalence is very useful. For example, it has been used in knot theory to relate quantum group invariants and the Kontsevich integral.
Prediction of cascade performance using an incompressible Navier-Stokes technique

A fully elliptic, control volume solution of the two-dimensional incompressible Navier-Stokes equations for the prediction of cascade performance over a wide incidence range is presented. The numerical technique is based on a new pressure substitution method. A Poisson equation is derived from the pressure weighted substitution of the full momentum equations into the continuity equation. The analysis of a double circular arc compressor cascade is presented, and the results are compared with the available experimental data at various incidence angles. Good agreement is obtained for the blade pressure distribution, boundary layer and wake profiles, skin friction coefficient, losses and outlet angles. Turbulence effects are simulated by the Low-Reynolds-Number version of the k-epsilon turbulence model.
Sum of Squares Lower Bounds from Pairwise Independence

We prove that for every e>0 and predicate P:{0,1}k-> {0,1} that supports a pairwise independent distribution, there exists an instance I of the Max P constraint satisfaction problem on n variables such that no assignment can satisfy more than a ~(|P-1(1)|)/(2k)+e fraction of I's constraints but the degree Ω(n) Sum of Squares semidefinite programming hierarchy cannot certify that I is unsatisfiable. Similar results were previously only known for weaker hierarchies.
Atomic Norm Denoising With Applications to Line Spectral Estimation

Motivated by recent work on atomic norms in inverse problems, we propose a new approach to line spectral estimation that provides theoretical guarantees for the mean-squared-error (MSE) performance in the presence of noise and without knowledge of the model order. We propose an abstract theory of denoising with atomic norms and specialize this theory to provide a convex optimization problem for estimating the frequencies and phases of a mixture of complex exponentials. We show that the associated convex optimization problem can be solved in polynomial time via semidefinite programming (SDP). We also show that the SDP can be approximated by an l1-regularized least-squares problem that achieves nearly the same error rate as the SDP but can scale to much larger problems. We compare both SDP and l1-based approaches with classical line spectral analysis methods and demonstrate that the SDP outperforms the l1 optimization which outperforms MUSIC, Cadzow's, and Matrix Pencil approaches in terms of MSE over a wide range of signal-to-noise ratios.
Methylation-ring opening of 3,3-disubstituted 2,3-epoxy alcohols. Synthesis of chiral quaternary fragments for assembly of briaran diterpenes

Abstract Two chiral quaternary carbon-containing fragments suitable for elaboration to the briaran diterpenes were obtained by regioselective methylation of functionalized 3,3-disubstituted 2,3-epoxy-1-ols. The factors which favor methylation at the more hindered position of a trisubstituted 2,3-epoxy alcohol were determined.
Glass is a Viable Substrate for Atomic Force Microscopy of Membrane Proteins

Since its invention in the mid-1980s, the atomic force microscope (AFM) has become an invaluable complementary tool for studying membrane proteins in near-native environments. Historically, mica is the most common substrate utilized for biological AFM. Glass being amorphous, transparent, and optically homogeneous has its own set of advantages over mica and has the potential to broaden the use the AFM into fields that require high quality non-birefringent optical access. The use of silanized glass as AFM substrates has been reported as a means to fine tune surface chemistry. However, such coatings usually require hours of additional preparation time and can lead to increased surface roughness. In this work, we present a simple technique for preparing borosilicate glass as a substrate for two membrane systems: non-crystalline translocons (SecYEG) of the general secretary system from E. coli, and bacteriorhodopsin (BR) from H. salinarum. For both these membrane proteins, quantitative comparisons of the measured protein structures on glass versus mica substrates show agreement. An additional advantage of glass is that lipid coverage is rapid (< 10 minutes) and complete (occupying the entire surface). A goal is to study the bacterial export system using recently developed precision measurement techniques such as ultra-stable AFM.
Characterization of metallic nano-particles via surface wave scattering: A. Theoretical framework and formulation

Characterization of nano-size particles and structures are crucial for successful application of self-assembly processes that lead to bottom-up machining and manufacturing concepts. Conventional light-based approaches cannot be used for these purposes, mainly because the particle and structure sizes are much smaller than the wavelength of visible light. To overcome this problem, we are in the process of developing a diagnostic tool based on surface-wave scattering. In this paper, we outline the governing equations required to describe the scattering of the electromagnetic field by a particle located near a film. The formulation given here is for a general case; a special application of this work to surface waves can be obtained by considering the fields propagating at near grazing angles. This work constitutes the theoretical frame work needed for the characterization of nano-particles on or above a thin metallic film via scattered surface waves, which is outlined in Part B (JQSRT (2004)).
Anesthetic management for obstetric hysterectomy: a multi-institutional study

A prospectively designed review of all obstetric hysterectomies performed in five university hospitals between November 1, 1984 and October 31, 1987 has been performed. There were 41,107 deliveries and 46 obstetric hysterectomies, an incidence of 0.11%. Twenty-five hysterectomies were elective and 21 were emergent. The indication for 11 of the 21 emergency hysterectomies was placenta previa and/or accreta. Women in the emergency group had greater intraoperative blood loss, were more likely to have intraoperative hypotension, and were more likely to receive donor blood than women in the elective group (P less than 0.05). Twelve patients (eight from the elective group and four from the emergency group) received continuous epidural anesthesia, and none required intraoperative induction of general anesthesia. There was no evidence that epidural anesthesia significantly affected blood loss, crystalloid replacement, or requirement for transfusion in the elective group. Abnormal placentation now represents a major indication for emergency obstetric hysterectomy. Furthermore, significant hemorrhage is more likely with emergency obstetric hysterectomy than with elective hysterectomy. Finally, elective cesarean hysterectomy is not a contraindication to performance of continuous epidural anesthesia.
RELATING CHANGES IN COMETARY ROTATION TO ACTIVITY: CURRENT STATUS AND APPLICATIONS TO COMET C/2012 S1 (ISON)

We introduce a parameter, X, to predict the changes in the rotational period of a comet in terms of the rotational period itself, the nuclear radius, and the orbital characteristics. We show that X should be a constant if the bulk densities and shapes of nuclei are nearly identical and the activity patterns are similar for all comets. For four nuclei for which rotational changes are well documented, despite the nearly factor 30 variation observed among the effective active fractions of these comets, X is constant to within a factor two. We present an analysis for the sungrazing comet C/2012 S1 (ISON) to explore what rotational changes it could undergo during the upcoming perihelion passage where its perihelion distance will be ~2.7 solar radii. When close to the Sun, barring a catastrophic disruption of the nucleus, the activity of ISON will be sufficiently strong to put the nucleus into a non-principal-axis rotational state and observable changes to the rotational period should also occur. Additional causes for rotational state changes near perihelion for ISON are tidal torques caused by the Sun and the significant mass loss due to a number of mechanisms resulting in alterations to the moments of inertia of the nucleus.
Multitask learning of signaling and regulatory networks with application to studying human response to flu.

Reconstructing regulatory and signaling response networks is one of the major goals of systems biology. While several successful methods have been suggested for this task, some integrating large and diverse datasets, these methods have so far been applied to reconstruct a single response network at a time, even when studying and modeling related conditions. To improve network reconstruction we developed MT-SDREM, a multi-task learning method which jointly models networks for several related conditions. In MT-SDREM, parameters are jointly constrained across the networks while still allowing for condition-specific pathways and regulation. We formulate the multi-task learning problem and discuss methods for optimizing the joint target function. We applied MT-SDREM to reconstruct dynamic human response networks for three flu strains: H1N1, H5N1 and H3N2. Our multi-task learning method was able to identify known and novel factors and genes, improving upon prior methods that model each condition independently. The MT-SDREM networks were also better at identifying proteins whose removal affects viral load indicating that joint learning can still lead to accurate, condition-specific, networks. Supporting website with MT-SDREM implementation: http://sb.cs.cmu.edu/mtsdrem
A New Magneto-Hydrostatic Theory of Sunspots

The structure of a stationary sunspot of circular shape is considered. Schluter-Temesvary theory, based on the ‘similarity assumption’ is criticized. It is shown that this theory does not describe the observed inclination of magnetic field lines in a sunspot. A new assumption is proposed taking into account field lines which return to the photosphere. On the basis of this assumption, the main equation of the new theory is obtained and the results compare well with observations.
Effect of an Additional Parallel Capacitor on Pulsed Inductive Plasma Accelerator Performance

A model of pulsed inductive plasma thrusters consisting of a set of coupled circuit equations and a 1-D momentum equation has been used to study the effects of adding a second parallel capacitor into the system. The equations were nondimensionalized, permitting the recovery of several already known scaling parameters and leading to the identification of a parameter that is unique to the particular topology studied. The current rise rate through the inductive acceleration coil was used as a proxy measurement of the effectiveness of inductive propellant ionization since higher rise rates produce stronger, potentially better ionizing electric fields at the coil face. Contour plots representing thruster performance (exhaust velocity and efficiency) and current rise rate in the coil were generated numerically as a function of the scaling parameters. The analysis reveals that, when the value of the second capacitor is much less than that of the first capacitor, the performance of the two-capacitor system approaches that of the single-capacitor system. In addition, as the second capacitor is decreased in value, the current rise rate can grow to be twice as great as the rise rate attained in the single-capacitor case.
Transient Solution of Time-Variant Structural Systems Using Invariant Modal Properties

This paper presents a general methodology for the solution of the transient responses for structural systems with time-varying properties, i.e., system modal properties changing with tittle. The method presented solves the modal equations of motion while treating the time-variant system properties as applied forces. The advantage of this solution technique is that only one set of system modal properties needs to be calculated. The particular modal equation of motion solution technique used in this paper assumes that the forces imposed by the varying structural properties are a linear function of time between any two solution time steps. The accuracy is thus dependent on the time step size and convergence is easily tested. Three sample problems are presented that demonstrate that this approach is easily accomplished for at least certain types of time-variant structural problems. Modal truncation effects are discussed, and it is demonstrated that, with corrections for truncated flexibility, time-variant modal systems can be solved accurately by using one set of invariant modal properties.
Guiding Blind Transmitters: Degrees of Freedom Optimal Interference Alignment Using Relays

Channel state information (CSI) at the transmitters (CSIT) is of importance for interference alignment schemes to achieve the optimal degrees of freedom (DoF) for wireless networks. This paper investigates the impact of half-duplex relays on the DoF of the X channel and the interference channel when the transmitters are blind in the sense that no CSIT is available. In particular, it is shown that adding relay nodes with global CSI to the communication model is sufficient to recover the DoF that is the optimal for these models with global CSI at the transmitters. The relay nodes in essence help steer the directions of the transmitted signals to facilitate interference alignment to achieve the optimal DoF with CSIT. The general M × N X channel with relays and the -user interference channel are both investigated, and sufficient conditions on the number of antennas at the relays and the number of relays needed to achieve the optimal DoF with CSIT are established. Using relays, the optimal DoF can be achieved in finite channel uses. The DoF for the case when relays only have delayed CSI is also investigated, and it is shown that with delayed CSI at the relay the optimal DoF with full CSIT cannot be achieved. Special cases of the X channel and interference channel are investigated to obtain further design insights.
Higher Education, Democracy, and Development: Implications for Newly Industrialized Countries.

Universities are central institutions in modern societies, providing education, research, and communication of scientific information needed by technologically based societies. The focus of this essay is on the role of universities in the emerging economies of the Newly Industrializing Countries (NIC) of the Pacific Rim, although this discussion has relevance for all countries seeking to enter the ranks of the industrialized nations. Universities in the NICs are especially important because they are the windows through which modern science enters society. Academic institutions have also served to provide an important critical voice to emerging democracies because their faculties often contribute to public debates and discussions. The roles of faculty and students in the development of the NICs is also examined in this essay.
Amide I Two-Dimensional Infrared Spectroscopy of Proteins

We review two-dimensional infrared (2D IR) spectroscopy of the amide I protein backbone vibration. Amide I modes are known for secondary structural sensitivity derived from their protein-wide delocalization. However, amide I FTIR spectra often display little variation for different proteins due to the broad and featureless line shape that arises from different structural motifs. 2D IR offers increased structural resolution by spreading the spectra over a second frequency dimension to reveal two-dimensional line shapes and cross-peaks. In addition, it carries picosecond time resolution, making it an excellent choice for understanding protein dynamics. In 2D IR spectra, cross peaks arise from anharmonic coupling between vibrations. For example, the spectra of ordered antiparallel beta sheets shows a cross peak between the strong nu perpendicular mode at approximately 1620 cm(-1) and the weaker nu parallel mode at approximately 1680 cm(-1). In proteins with beta-sheet content, disorder spreads the cross peaks into ridges, which gives rise to a "Z"-shaped contour profile. 2D IR spectra of alpha helices show a flattened "figure-8" line shape, and random coils give rise to unstructured, diagonally elongated bands. A distinguishing quality of 2D IR is the availability of accurate structure-based models to calculate spectra from atomistic structures and MD simulations. The amide I region is relatively isolated from other protein vibrations, which allows the spectra to be described by coupled anharmonic local amide I vibrations at each peptide unit. One of the most exciting applications of 2D IR is to study protein unfolding dynamics. While 2D IR has been used to study equilibrium structural changes, it has the time resolution to probe all changes resulting from photoinitiated dynamics. Transient 2D IR has been used to probe downhill protein unfolding and hydrogen bond dynamics in peptides. Because 2D IR spectra can be calculated from folding MD simulations, opportunities arise for making rigorous connections. By introduction of isotope labels, amide I 2D IR spectra can probe site-specific structure with picosecond time resolution. This has been used to reveal local information about picosecond fluctuations and disorder in beta hairpins and peptides. Multimode 2D IR spectroscopy has been used to correlate the structure sensitivity of amide I with amide II to report on solvent accessibility and structural stability in proteins.
Tetrabenzoporphyrins: metal incorporation and exchange kinetics, ligational equilibria and pulse radiolysis studies

The solution chemistry of tetrabenzoporphyrin (TBP) and several of its metal derivatives were compared with that of the corresponding octaethylporphyrins. Kinetic studies were done on zinc and cadmium ion incorporation and the exchange reactions of cadmium porphyrins with zinc. Formation constants of Cd(II), Cu(II), VO(IV), Ni(II), Zn(II) and Mg(II) porphyrins with pyridine were determined for both compounds. The spectra of the radical cations of Ni(II), Mg(II) and H2-TBP were obtained, as well as that of the radical anion of Mg(II)-TBP. Aside from the new Ni(I)-TBP, no long-lived intermediates, as noted with other porphyrins, were observed upon reduction of the tetrabenzoporphyrins. The low basicity and rigidity of the tetrabenzoporphyrin nucleus may explain many of its relative reactivity properties.
Relativistic hydrodynamics in close binary systems: Analysis of neutron star collapse

We discuss the underlying relativistic physics that causes neutron stars to compress and collapse in close binary systems as has been recently observed in numerical (3+1)-dimensional general relativistic hydrodynamic simulations. We show that compression is driven by velocity-dependent relativistic hydrodynamic terms which increase the self-gravity of the stars. They also produce fluid motion with respect to the corotating frame of the binary. We present numerical and analytic results that confirm that such terms are insignificant for uniform translation or when the hydrodynamics are constrained to rigid corotation. However, when the hydrodynamics are unconstrained, the neutron star fluid relaxes to a compressed nonsynchronized state of almost no net intrinsic spin with respect to a distant observer. We also show that tidal decompression effects are much smaller than the velocity-dependent compression terms for stars with a realistic compaction ratio. We discuss why several recent attempts to analyze this effect with constrained hydrodynamics or an analysis of tidal forces do not observe compression. We argue that an independent test of this effect must include unconstrained relativistic hydrodynamics to a sufficiently high order so that all relevant velocity-dependent terms and their possible cancellations are included. {copyright} {ital 1998} {ital The American Physical Society}
Sen’s theorem: geometric proof, new interpretations

Sen’s classic social choice result supposedly demonstrates a conflict between Pareto and minimal forms of liberalism. By providing the first direct mathematical proof of this seminal result, we underscore a significantly different interpretation: rather than conflicts among rights, Sen’s result occurs because the liberalism assumption negates the requirement that voters have transitive preferences. This explanation enriches interpretations of Sen’s conclusion by introducing radically new kinds of societal conflicts, by suggesting ways to sidestep these difficulties, and by providing insight into other approaches that have been used to avoid the difficulties.