cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Optimum microphone placement for array sound capture

Microphone arrays can be used for high-quality sound pick up in reverberant and noisy environments. The beamforming capabilities of microphone array systems allow highly directional sound capture, providing superior signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) when compared to single microphone performance. There are two aspects in microphone array system performance: The ability of the system to locate and track sound sources, and its ability to selectively capture sound from those sources. Both aspects of system performance are strongly affected by the spatial placement of microphone sensors. A method is needed to optimize sensor placement based on geometry of the environment and assumed sound source behavior. The objective of the optimization is to obtain the greatest average system SNR using a specified number of sensors. A method is derived to evaluate array performance for a given array configuration defined by the above mentioned metrics. An overall performance function is described based on these metrics. A framework for optimum placement of sensors under the practical considerations of possible sensor placement and potential location of sound sources is also characterized.
Increasing Returns in Infinite Horizon Economies

This paper shows that in a general equilibrium model with an infiniite holizonl in whichi productionl may exhibit increasing returns to scale or non-conivexities, marginal cost pricing equilibria exist anid are essential, that is, stable witlh respect to small perturbationis of the economily. As in many important models of mairket imperfections, marginal cost pricinig equilibria need not be Pareto optimal in the presence of noni-convexities, so the systematic approaches to equilibrium analysis in infinite-dimenisionial commodity spaces, which rely crucially oln the First Welfare Theorem, cainnot be used. Instead, this paper introduces Leray-Schauder degree theory, the extension of degree theor-y to Banacih and locally convex spaces, as the natural methodology for showinlg that equilibria exist and for anialyzing qualitative features of equilibria such as local uniqueness or essentiality.
QCD vacuum and axions: What's happening?

A deeper understanding of the vacuum structure in QCD invites one to rethink certain aspects of axion physics. The recent advances are mostly due to developments in super-symmetric gauge theories and the brane theory, in which QCD can be embedded. They include, but are not limited to, the studies of metastable vacua in multicolor gluo-dynamics, and the domain walls. We briefly review basics of axion physics and then present a modern perspective on a rich interplay between the QCD vacuum structure and axion physics.
Simulation of PKI-enabled communication for identity management using CyberCIEGE

CyberCIEGE is a sophisticated network security simulation packaged as a video game and used by educators around the world to enhance information assurance education and training at universities, community colleges, within the DoD, and in other government agencies. The CyberCIEGE game engine was recently expanded to include Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) features including certification authorities, selection of installed roots and cross certification. CyberCIEGE Virtual Private Network (VPN) gateways, VPN clients and email clients were then extended to incorporate the new PKI features. CyberCIEGE PKI abstractions are described in terms of player configuration choices and the consequences of these choices on network management and vulnerabilities. The CyberCIEGE game engine modifications include modeling of chains of trust and risks of cross certification schemes. The benefits of these enhancements include coherent integration of identity management technologies, ranging from the human interface through to the supporting distributed infrastructure, into scenarios. Benefits also include support for recent new scenarios focused on the PKI infrastructure, identity management, or both; and the ability to tie both identity management and PKI to concepts of identification, authentication, provenance, and access control.
An improved phenomenological model of ionospheric density

Abstract A global representation of the large scale variations of ionospheric electron density with the annual, diurnal and solar activity cycles is described. The phenomenological model, requiring minimal computer storage space, is constructed from monthly-averaged hourly ionospheric sounding data from some 50 stations during the epoch 1957–1970, as provided by World Data Center (A). The model, describing noontime F2-layer critical frequencies to better than 2 MHz average maximum error and to better than 0.5 MHz root mean squared error, is particularly suitable for applications in space communication and ionosphere-atmosphere coupling studies. Magnetic dip angle and north-south asymmetry effects are incorporated in the model. We show that a ‘secular’ variation of the ionospheric density exists in the epoch 1960–1971. The basis of comparison with data is broadened to include the 1958–1968 chronologies of 18 stations in addition to the original samplings of 50 stations. In addition, a modelling of the polar ionospheres is included.
Ageism, Honesty, and Trust

Abstract Age-based discrimination is considered undesirable, yet we know little about age stereotypes and their effects on honesty and trust. To investigate this aspect of ageism, we presented older adults (over age 50) and younger adults (under age 25) with incentivized belief elicitation tasks about anticipated interaction behaviors and then a series of same, different, and unknown-aged group interactions in a strategic-communication game. All adults shared consensual stereotypes about uncooperative younger adults and cooperative older adults that demonstrated “wisdom of crowds”. While the out-group was consistently stereotyped as relatively different and more dishonest and suspicious than observed to be, the in-group was neither consistently stereotyped more accurately nor treated with more honesty and trust. Younger adults earned more by acting dishonestly with older adults and older adults earned less by trusting younger adults (despite stereotyping them as dishonest). We discuss how ageism is relevant to intergenerational cooperation in an aging society.
Viscoelastic Loss Characteristics of Cord Rubber Composites

Calculated and experimentally generated complex moduli of tire cord-rubber composites are compared. Halpin-Tsai equations in complex form are defined and used to calculate the elastic and loss components of the composite moduli. Additionally, stress- strain relationships for bias ply composites are included. Experimental techniques consisted of prestrained cyclic tensile and torsional tests on tubular specimens. Composite properties of typical polyester and steel tire cord reinforcements were evaluated as functions of end count, cross-ply angle, and thickness of rubber filler between plies.
Synthesis of benzoylpyrimidines as antagonists of the corticotropin-releasing factor-1 receptor

A series of benzoylpyrimidines derived from the anilinepyrimidine CRF(1) antagonists were synthesized. Several synthetic routes were developed to explore the SAR of this series of compounds. Compounds such as 8d (K(i) = 15 nM) exhibited high binding affinities at the human CRF(1) receptor.
Gravitationally lensed quasars and supernovae in future wide-field optical imaging surveys

Cadenced optical imaging surveys in the next decade will be capable of detecting time-varying galaxy-scale strong gravitational lenses in large numbers, increasing the size of the statistically well-defined samples of multiply-imaged quasars by two orders of magnitude, and discovering the first strongly-lensed supernovae. We carry out a detailed calculation of the likely yields of several planned surveys, using realistic distributions for the lens and source properties and taking magnification bias and image configuration detectability into account. We find that upcoming wide-field synoptic surveys should detect several thousand lensed quasars. In particular, the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (LSST) should find more than some 8000 lensed quasars, some 3000 of which will have well-measured time delays. The LSST should also find some 130 lensed supernovae during the 10-year survey duration, which is compared with � 15 lensed supernovae predicted to be found by a deep, space-based supernova survey done by the Joint Dark Energy Mission (JDEM). We compute the quad fraction in each survey, predicting it to be � 15% for the lensed quasars and � 30% for the lensed supernovae. Generating a mock catalogue of around 1500 well-observed double-image lenses, as could be derived from the LSST survey, we compute the available precision on the Hubble constant and the dark energy equation parameters for the time delay distance experiment (assuming priors from Planck): the predicted marginalised 68% confidence intervals are σ(w0) = 0.15, σ(wa) = 0.41, and σ(h) = 0.017. While this is encouraging in the sense that these uncertainties are only 50% larger than those predicted for a space-based type-Ia supernova sample, we show how the dark energy figure of merit degrades with decreasing knowledge of the the lens mass distribution.
Stock Volatility in the New Millennium: How Wacky Is Nasdaq?

Abstract The recent volatility of stock prices has caused many people to conclude that investors have become irrational in valuing at least some stocks. This paper investigates the behavior of the volatility of stocks on the Nasdaq, which tend to be smaller companies with more growth options, in relation to the more seasoned issues reflected in the Standard & Poor's 500 portfolio. It also analyzes the relation of the unusual Nasdaq volatility to the hot IPO market in 1998 and 1999. The factor that seems to explain unusual volatility best is technology, not firm size or the immaturity of the firm.
Thermal and Electrical Transport in Carbon Nanofiber Interconnects

To carry out a systematic reliability study of carbon nanofibers (CNFs) under high-current stress, detailed electrical analysis of CNF breakdown is performed on four configurations using current annealing. This investigation can be described with a heat transport model that takes into account Joule heating and heat dissipation along the CNF, and assuming that breakdown occurs where the temperature reaches a threshold or critical value.
Managing the Repertoire: Stories, Metaphors, Prototypes, and Concept Coherence in Product Innovation

Arecognized challenge in innovation scholarship is how to coordinate the efforts of many minds contributing to the design of a single artifact. Much research shows that product concept representations can help coordinate design tasks, but we know little about the practices that make representations more or less effective. We used an inductive approach to examine how six teams in three industries used concept representations when creating novel products. All six teams crafted three types of representations: stories, metaphors, and prototypes. However, merely using representations did not ensure a shared repertoire and concept coherence—a common understanding of desired product attributes. Teams that failed to consistently engage in three practices—(1) collective scrutiny of representations, (2) linking representations to design constraints, and (3) active editing of representations—produced concept disunity, with disparate understandings of desired product attributes. Teams that maintained concept coherenc...
Surface Chemistry of Mesoporous Materials: Effect of Nanopore Confinement

Acid-base titration and metal sorption experiments were performed on both mesoporous alumina and alumina particles under various ionic strengths. It has been demonstrated that surface chemistry and ion sorption within nanopores can be significantly modified by a nano-scale space confinement. As the pore size is reduced to a few nanometers, the difference between surface acidity constants (ΔpK = pK2 – pK1 ) decreases, giving rise to a higher surface charge density on a nanopore surface than that on an unconfined solid-solution interface. The change in surface acidity constants results in a shift of ion sorption edges and enhances ion sorption on that nanopore surfaces.
Effect of Intercostal Nerve Blockade on Respiratory Mechanics and CO2 Chemosensitivity at Rest and Exercise

Lower intercostal and abdominal muscles interact with other respiratory muscles to produce inspiration as well as expiration. Intercostal nerve blockade from T6-T12 was produced in seven healthy males to study its effect on: 1) supine pulmonary function, 2) inspiratory effort, 3) hypercapnic ventilatory response, including mouth occlusion pressures with and without an expiratory load, and 4) ventilation during progressive exercise on a cycle ergometer. Studies during control and blocked states were performed on different days. Lower chest and abdominal wall paralysis was documented with electromyography. Findings include a minimal decrease in peak expiratory flows with intercostal blockade (P = 0.02), but no other changes in supine resting pulmonary function tests, inspiratory effort, or hypercapnic ventilatory response slopes. Minute ventilation, respiratory rate, and VT/TI during exercise were also minimally increased, indicating an increase in the drive to breathe, which was unrelated to a change in metabolic rate. During exercise, total time to exhaustion was decreased following intercostal nerve blockade. Bilateral intercostal nerve blockade produced minimal decreases in peak expiratory flow at rest in supine subjects. During seated exercise, there was a slight increase in respiratory drive, probably due to minor alterations in the mechanics of breathing induced by intercostal blockade. The authors conclude that, in healthy young subjects, intercostal nerve blockade does not exert a clinically significant adverse affect on pulmonary mechanics and that ventilatory function is well-maintained even at extremes of ventilatory demand.
The Importance of Eigenvectors for Local Preconditioners of the Euler Equations

The design of local preconditioners to accelerate the convergence to a steady state for the compressible Euler equations has so far been solely based on eigenvalue analysis. However, numerical evidence exists that the eigenvector structure also has an influence on the performance of preconditioners and should therefore be included in the design process. In this paper, we present the mathematical framework for the eigenvector analysis of local preconditioners for the multi-dimensional Euler equations. The non-normality of the preconditioned system is crucial in determining the potential for transient amplification of perturbations. Several existing local preconditioners are shown to possess a highly non-normal structure for low Mach numbers. This non-normality leads to significant robustness problems at stagnation points. A modification to these preconditioners which eliminates the non-normality is suggested, and numerical results are presented showing the marked improvement in robustness.
Cation-π interactions as a tool to enhance the power of a chiral auxiliary during asymmetric photoreactions within zeolites

Owing to the existence of cation–π interactions, aryl chiral auxiliaries perform far better than alkyl chiral auxiliaries during asymmetric photoreaction.
Retirement Patterns and Employee Benefits: Do Benefits Matter?

Any views expressed in this article are those of the author and should not be ascribed to the officers, trustees, members, or other sponsors of EBRI, EBRI-ERF, or their staffs. The author wishes to thank Joseph F. Quinn and Jack L. VanDerhei for their comments.This article investigates the impact of postretirement employee benefits on the likelihood that workers expect to retire before age 62 and age 65. Using data from the 1992 Health and Retirement Study, probit regression models were estimated to explore the effect of pension plans and retiree health insurance on the expectation of early retirement. With respect to pension plans, the effects of both the type of pension plan and the expected benefits from those plans are explored. Similar effects were explored for retiree health benefits. The results indicate that postretirement pension benefits and the availability of retiree health benefits have a significant influence on workers' retirement age expectations.
Dynamic assessment of baroreflex control of heart rate during induction of propofol anesthesia using a point process method.

In this paper, we present a point process method to assess dynamic baroreflex sensitivity by estimating the baroreflex gain as focal component of a simplified closed-loop model of the cardiovascular system. Specifically, an inverse Gaussian probability distribution is used to model the heartbeat interval, whereas the instantaneous mean is identified by linear and bilinear bivariate regressions on both the previous R-R intervals (RR) and blood pressure (BP) beat-to-beat measures. The instantaneous baroreflex gain is estimated as the feedback branch of the loop with a point-process filter, while the RR→BP feedforward transfer function representing heart contractility and vasculature effects is simultaneously estimated by a recursive least-squares (RLS) filter. These two closed-loop gains provide a direct assessment of baroreflex control of heart rate. In addition, the dynamic coherence, cross-bispectrum, and their power ratio can also be estimated. All statistical indices provide a valuable quantitative assessment of the interaction between heartbeat dynamics and hemodynamics. To illustrate the application, we have applied the proposed point process model to experimental recordings from eleven healthy subjects in order to monitor cardiovascular regulation under propofol anesthesia. We present quantitative results during transient periods, as well as statistical analyses on steady state epochs before and after propofol administration. Our findings validate the ability of the algorithm to provide a reliable and fast-tracking assessment of baroreflex sensitivity (BRS), and show a clear overall reduction in baroreflex gain from the baseline period to the start of propofol anesthesia, confirming that instantaneous evaluation of arterial baroreflex control of heart rate may yield important implications in clinical practice, particularly during anesthesia and in postoperative care.
Modulation of medium pH by Caulobacter crescentus facilitates recovery from uranium-induced growth arrest.

ABSTRACT The oxidized form of uranium [U(VI)] predominates in oxic environments and poses a major threat to ecosystems. Due to its ability to mineralize U(VI), the oligotroph Caulobacter crescentus is an attractive candidate for U(VI) bioremediation. However, the physiological basis for U(VI) tolerance is unclear. Here we demonstrated that U(VI) caused a temporary growth arrest in C. crescentus and three other bacterial species, although the duration of growth arrest was significantly shorter for C. crescentus. During the majority of the growth arrest period, cell morphology was unaltered and DNA replication initiation was inhibited. However, during the transition from growth arrest to exponential phase, cells with shorter stalks were observed, suggesting a decoupling between stalk development and the cell cycle. Upon recovery from growth arrest, C. crescentus proliferated with a growth rate comparable to that of a control without U(VI), although a fraction of these cells appeared filamentous with multiple replication start sites. Normal cell morphology was restored by the end of exponential phase. Cells did not accumulate U(VI) resistance mutations during the prolonged growth arrest, but rather, a reduction in U(VI) toxicity occurred concomitantly with an increase in medium pH. Together, these data suggest that C. crescentus recovers from U(VI)-induced growth arrest by reducing U(VI) toxicity through pH modulation. Our finding represents a unique U(VI) detoxification strategy and provides insight into how microbes cope with U(VI) under nongrowing conditions, a metabolic state that is prevalent in natural environments.
Tax Credits, Labor Supply, and Child Care

We explore the impact of the child care tax credit in the U.S. income tax system on the labor supply decisions of married women with young children by incorporating the cost of child care into a st...
Cold atom guidance in a capillary using blue-detuned, hollow optical modes

We demonstrate guiding of cold 85Rb atoms through a 100-micron-diameter hollow core dielectric waveguide using cylindrical hollow modes. We have transported atoms using blue-detuned light in the 1st order, azimuthally-polarized TE01 hollow mode, and the 2nd order hollow modes (HE31, EH11, and HE12), and compared these results with guidance in the red-detuned, fundamental HE11 mode. The blue-detuned hollow modes confine atoms to low intensity along the capillary axis, far from the walls. We determine scattering rates in the guides by directly measuring the effect of recoil on the atoms. We observe higher atom numbers guided using red-detuned light in the HE11 mode, but a 10-fold reduction in scattering rate using the 2nd order modes, which have an r4 radial intensity profile to lowest order. We show that the red-detuned guides can be used to load atoms into the blue-detuned modes when both high atom number and low perturbation are desired.
Ordinary differential equations and the symmetric eigenvalue problem

In this paper the authors develop a general framework for calculating the eigenvalues of a symmetric matrix using ordinary differential equations. New algorithms are suggested and old algorithms, including $QR$, are interpreted.
Inverse Method for Estimating Resistivity of Carbon Fiber Composite Structures

A method to estimate the resistivity of composite structures using an inverse problem solving algorithm is presented that uses voltage distribution on the structure as data. Electrodes attached to the surface of the structure are used to obtain voltage data in response to current injection through a pair of these electrodes. The forward problem involves using the finite element method to predict the voltages at the electrodes using known values of resistivity. The inverse problem involves solving for the resistivity values using the experimentally measured voltage data. If the material does not have uniform properties, the computed resistivity values are average values. Damage or defect in a composite structure can significantly alter the average resistivity of the structure. To explore the possibility of using this approach to detect defects in manufacturing or damage due to loading, the effect of artificially induced damage/defect on the overall resistivity of the structure is studied.
A Factor 2 Approximation Algorithm for the Generalized Steiner Network Problem

We present a factor 2 approximation algorithm for finding a minimum-cost subgraph having at least a specified number of edges in each cut. This class of problems includes, among others, the generalized Steiner network problem, which is also known as the survivable network design problem. Our algorithm first solves the linear relaxation of this problem, and then iteratively rounds off the solution. The key idea in rounding off is that in a basic solution of the LP relaxation, at least one edge gets included at least to the extent of half. We include this edge into our integral solution and solve the residual problem.
DUAL MOBILITY OBVIATES THE NEED FOR CONSTRAINED LINERS IN REVISION THA – AFFIRMS

Constrained liners are a tantalizing solution to both prevent and treat instability, as they markedly increase the force needed for a dislocation to occur. They have, however, several important negatives that the surgeon must consider before entertaining their use including: Increased stresses at the implant bone interface which can increase the risk of loosening or cause catastrophic failure in the early post-operative period; Decreased range of motion with a greater risk of impingement; and Usually require an open reduction if they dislocate or otherwise fail. Given the limitations of constrained liners, we have looked to dual mobility articulations as an alternative to constrained liners in the past five years in our practice, including patients with abductor deficiency. We retrospectively compared a consecutive series of revision THA that were at high risk for instability and treated with either a constrained liner or a dual mobility articulation. Indications for both groups included abductor insufficiency, revision for instability, or inadequate intra-operative stability when trialing. Forty-three hips were reviewed in the constrained group (mean follow-up 3.4 years) and thirty-six in the dual-mobility group (mean follow-up 2.4 years). The rate of failure was compared using a Fisher9s exact test with a p-value of At a minimum of two years, there were 10 dislocations in the constrained group (10/43 or 23.3%) compared to 3 in the dual-mobility group (3/36 or 8.3%; p = 0.06). There were 15 repeat revisions in the constrained group (10 for instability, 4 for infection, and 1 broken locking mechanism) compared to 4 in the dual mobility group (2 mechanical failures of cemented dual mobility liners with dislocation and 2 for infection); 34.9% vs. 11.1% (p = 0.01). With repeat revision for instability as an endpoint, the failure rate was 23% for the constrained group and 5.5% for the dual mobility group (p = 0.03). Mean Harris Hip Score (HHS) improved from 45 to 76 points in the constrained liner group, and from 46 to 89 points in the dual-mobility group. Dual mobility articulations offer anatomic sized femoral heads that greatly increase jump distance, without many of the negatives of a constrained liner. While dual mobility is associated with its own concerns and problems (including intra-prosthetic dislocation and wear) our initial results suggest that they are a viable alternative to a constrained liner, even in the most challenging situations.
Total synthesis of herboxidiene/GEX 1A.

A convergent enantioselective synthesis of herboxidiene/GEX 1A (1) is described that features a double stereodifferentiating crotylation, [4 + 2] annulation, and a silicon-based sp2−sp2 cross-coupling to assemble the conjugated diene.
Cytochrome P450/NADPH-dependent formation of trans epoxides from trans-arachidonic acids

Abstract Trans -arachidonic acids ( trans -AA) are products of cis-trans isomerization of arachidonic acid by nitrogen dioxide radical (NO 2 ), and occur in vivo, but their metabolism is unknown. We found that hepatic microsomes oxidized trans -AA via cytochrome P450/NADPH system to epoxides, which were hydrolyzed by epoxide hydrolase to diols (DiHETEs). 14,15- trans -AA produced one erythro diol and three threo diols each having one trans double bond.
Interactive Proof Systems with Polynomially Bounded Strategies

Interactive proof systems in which the Prover is restricted to have a polynomial size strategy are investigated. The restriction of polynomial size computation tree, visible to the Prover, or logarithmically bounded number of coin flips by the Verifier guarantee a polynomial size strategy. The additional restriction of logarithmic space is also investigated. A main result of the paper is that interactive proof systems in which the Prover is restricted to a polynomial size strategy are equivalent to MA, Merlin-Arthur games, defined by Babai and Moran. Polynomial tree size is also equivalent to MA, but when logarithmic space is added as a restriction, the power of polynomial tree size reduces to NP. Logarithmically bounded number of coin flips are equivalent to MP, and when logarithmic space is added as a restriction, the power is not diminished. The proof that NP ? of or equal to IP (log-space, log-random-bits) illustrates an interesting application of the new "fingerprinting" method of Lipton. Public interactive proof systems which have polynomial size strategies are also investigated.
Handling Emergent Nondeterminism in Replicated Services

When distributed applications are replicated for fault tolerance, the presence of even a single nondeterministic service can lead to emergent system-wide nondeterminism that compromises replica consistency. Our approach, Midas identifies and addresses multiple sources of nondeterminism (including system calls, multithreading, etc.) in a multi-service replicated distributed architecture. Midas involves a synergistic combination of compile-time dependency, concurrency and nondeterminism analyses, followed by the performance-sensitive compensation of nondeterminism at runtime. This approach upholds existing application semantics and allows services to continue to be nondeterministic, while yet maintaining their replicas consistent. We demonstrate Midas' scalability through a microbenchmark that shows the underlying tradeoffs under different kinds of dependencies between clients, services and invocations in a distributed system. We also validate our claims by modeling a representative multi-service application using Java Pathfinder.
List rankings and on-line list rankings of graphs

A k -ranking of a graph G is a labeling of its vertices from { 1 , ? , k } such that any path on at least two vertices whose endpoints have the same label contains a larger label. The least k for which G has a k -ranking is the ranking number of G , also known as tree-depth. The list ranking number of G is the least k such that if each vertex of G is assigned a set of k potential labels, then G can be ranked by labeling each vertex with a label from its assigned list. Rankings model a certain parallel processing problem in manufacturing, while the list ranking version adds scheduling constraints. We compute the list ranking number of paths, cycles, and trees with many more leaves than internal vertices. Some of these results follow from stronger theorems we prove about on-line versions of list ranking, where each vertex starts with an empty list having some fixed capacity, and potential labels are presented one by one, at which time they are added to the lists of certain vertices; the decision of which of these vertices are actually to be ranked with that label must be made immediately.
Understanding the Southern African ‘Anomaly’: Poverty, Endemic Disease and HIV

The epicentre of the global HIV epidemic is southern Africa. Previous explanations point to migration patterns and highly skewed income distribution, both thought to promote risky sexual behaviour. This study emphasizes the importance of common infectious and parasitic diseases that increase the likelihood of HIV transmission by increasing contagiousness and vulnerability to infection. Using multiple regression analysis on country-level data, the authors find that socio-economic variables explain statistically only one-tenth of the difference in HIV prevalence between southern Africa and other low- and middle-income countries. Measures of five cofactor infections together with the socio-economic variables, however, explain statistically about two-thirds of the southern Africa difference in HIV prevalence. They conclude that the relative affluence of countries in southern Africa and historical migration patterns have tended to mask the vulnerability of the majority of their populations who are poor and who have very high prevalence of infectious and parasitic diseases. Those diseases replicate a cycle of poverty that produces biological vulnerability through coinfections. An important implication of this research is that integrating treatment of endemic diseases with other HIV-prevention policies may be necessary to slow the spread of HIV.
Episodes of Unemployment Reduction in Rich, Middle-Income, and Transition Economies

This paper studies the incidence and determinants of episodes of drastic unemployment reduction, defined as swift, substantial, and sustained declines in unemployment. Forty-three episodes are identified over a period of nearly three decades in 94 rich, middle-income, and transition countries. Unemployment reductions often coincide with an acceleration of growth and an improvement in macroeconomic conditions. Episodes are much more prevalent in countries with higher levels of unemployment and, given unemployment, are more likely in countries with better regulation. An efficient legal system that enforces contracts expeditiously is particularly important for reducing unemployment. The results imply that while employment is largely related to the business cycle, better regulation reduces the likelihood of high unemployment and facilitates a more rapid recovery in the event unemployment builds up.
Evaluating the Legacy of Nonviolence in South Africa

Nelson Mandela departed from Gandhian nonviolence when he asserted that apartheid rule made resort to violence by the African National Congress necessary. Mandela claimed that the anti-apartheid movement in South Africa was strengthened by including both violence and nonviolence. This paper investigates the claims of several authors who claim that South Africa would have gained freedom from apartheid more quickly if it had remained purely nonviolent. It finds the claims plausible, when argued carefully. But some historians and nonviolence advocates have oversimplified the story of the anti-apartheid struggle and give the impression that the struggle was more nonviolent than it was
The Intersection of Pensions and Enterprise Risk Management

How to deliver adequate pension benefits at reasonable costs is a huge challenge confronting our ageing societies. This book delivers a comprehensive overview of the latest insights into pension finance, pension system design, pension governance and risk based supervision. It combines state-of-the-art analyses with innovative policy proposals to increase the efficiency and resilience of pension systems and to advance these systems’ contribution to global financial stability. Renowned pension experts offer cutting-edge guidance for future decision making and the development of best practices. This exciting exploration of the frontiers in pension finance highlights key aspects of securing long term retirement provisions.
Design calculations for NIF convergent ablator experiments

The NIF convergent ablation tuning effort is underway. In the early experiments, we have discovered that the design code simulations over-predict the capsule implosion velocity and shock flash rhor, but under-predict the hohlraum x-ray flux measurements. The apparent inconsistency between the x-ray flux and radiography data implies that there are important unexplained aspects of the hohlraum and/or capsule behavior.
Cultural Beliefs, Values and Economics: A Survey

The present work reviews the relation between culture and economics; in doing so, we often distinguish between the historical component of culture (i.e. inherited values) and its contemporaneous component (i.e. social interactions). First, the paper emphasizes which cultural traits are relevant in economics, reviews situations where culture affects economic outcomes and addresses the relevance of culture across time and space. Then, it explains the theoretical framework of reference for the transmission of both contemporaneous and inherited culture. Finally, it presents econometric techniques available to the researchers and suitable to investigate the impact of culture on economic outcomes, providing suggestions for future research.
Perturbation Detection Through Modeling of Gene Expression on a Latent Biological Pathway Network: A Bayesian Hierarchical Approach

Cellular response to a perturbation is the result of a dynamic system of biological variables linked in a complex network. A major challenge in drug and disease studies is identifying the key factors of a biological network that are essential in determining the cell’s fate. Here, our goal is the identification of perturbed pathways from high-throughput gene expression data. We develop a three-level hierarchical model, where (i) the first level captures the relationship between gene expression and biological pathways using confirmatory factor analysis, (ii) the second level models the behavior within an underlying network of pathways induced by an unknown perturbation using a conditional autoregressive model, and (iii) the third level is a spike-and-slab prior on the perturbations. We then identify perturbations through posterior-based variable selection. We illustrate our approach using gene transcription drug perturbation profiles from the DREAM7 drug sensitivity predication challenge dataset. Our propos...
Storm time dynamics of ring current protons: Implications for the long-term energy budget in the inner magnetosphere

Our investigation of the long-term ring current proton pressure evolution in Earth's inner magnetosphere based on Van Allen Probes data shows drastically different behavior of the low- and high- energy components of the ring current proton population with respect to the SYM-H index variation. We found that while the low-energy component of the protons ( 100 keV) varies on much longer timescales and shows either no correlation or anticorrelation with the absolute value of SYM-H index. Our study also shows that the contributions of the low- and high- energy protons to the inner magnetosphere energy content are comparable. Thus, our results conclusively demonstrate that proton dynamics, and as a result the energy budget in the inner magnetosphere, do not vary strictly on storm time timescales as those are defined by the SYM-H index.
From racemic alcohols to enantiopure amines: Ru-catalyzed diastereoselective amination.

A commercially available ruthenium(II) PNP-type pincer catalyst (Ru-Macho) promotes the formation of α-chiral tert-butanesulfinylamines from racemic secondary alcohols and Ellman’s chiral tert-butanesulfinamide via a hydrogen borrowing strategy. The formation of α-chiral tert-butanesulfinylamines occurs in yields ranging from 31% to 89% with most examples giving >95:5 dr.
Palladium-catalyzed direct arylation of 5-halouracils and 5-halouracil nucleosides with arenes and heteroarenes promoted by TBAF.

The 1-N-benzyl-5-iodo(or bromo)uracil undergoes Pd-catalyzed [Pd2(dba)3] direct arylation with benzene and other simple arenes in the presence of TBAF in DMF without the necessity of adding any ligands or additives to give 5-arylated uracil analogues. The TBAF-promoted coupling also occurs efficiently with electron rich heteroarenes at 100 °C (1 h) even with only small excess of heteroarenes. The protocol avoids usage of the arylboronic acid or stannane precursors for the synthesis of 5-(2-furyl, or 2-thienyl, or 2-pyrrolyl)uracil nucleosides, which are used as important RNA and DNA fluorescent probes. The fact that 1-N-benzyl-3-N-methyl-5-iodouracil did not undergo the TBAF-promoted couplings with arenes or heteroarenes suggests that the C4-alkoxide (enol form of uracil) facilitates coupling by participation in the intramolecular processes of hydrogen abstraction from arenes. TBAF-promoted arylation was extended into the other enolizable heterocyclic systems such as 3-bromo-2-pyridone. The π-excessive he...
The effect of a curvature-dependent surface tension on the singularities at the tips of a straight interface crack

A problem of an interface crack between two semi-planes made out of different materials under an action of an in-plane loading of general tensile-shear type is treated in a semi-analytical manner with the help of Dirichlet-to-Neumann mappings. The boundaries of the crack and the interface between semi-planes are subjected to a curvature-dependent surface tension. The resulting system of six singular integro-differential equations is reduced to the system of three Fredholm equations. It is shown that the introduction of the curvature-dependent surface tension eliminates both classical integrable power singularity of the order 1/2 and an oscillating singularity present in a classical linear elasticity solutions. The numerical results are obtained by solving the original system of singular integro-differential equations by approximating unknown functions with Taylor polynomials.
A Study of Ion Drag for Ground and Microgravity Dusty Plasma Experiments

This paper presents the results of a recent study of the interaction between charged dust particles and plasma ions through the electrostatic and ion drag forces in a dc glow discharge plasma. Measurements of the dust particles motion are carried out using particle image velocimetry (PIV). When an electrostatic perturbation is applied to the dust cloud, the particle motion, in response to the perturbation, is shown to reverse direction as the gas pressure is increased. An analysis of the dust particle motion and background plasma parameters suggests that there is a change in the equilibrium position and competition between the electrostatic force and the ion drag force on the particles that lead to the asymmetric motion of the cloud. The ion drag and electric forces on the dust particles are calculated at each pressure using detailed measurements of the plasma parameters, as measured by a single Langmuir probe. The analysis of these measurements suggests that the reversal of direction is a result of the change in the electric field in the plasma, but that the effectiveness of the perturbation at displacing the dust cloud is controlled by the ion drag force.
Group IVB Oxides as High Permittivity Gate Insulators

Increasing MOSFET performance requires scaling, the systematic reduction in device dimensions. Tunneling leakage, however, provides an absolute scaling limit for SiO2of about 1.5 nm. Power limitations and device reliability are likely to pose softer limits slightly above 2 nm. We have investigated the use of high permittivity materials such as TiO2, ZrO2, and their silicates as potential replacements for SiO2. We have synthesized titanium nitrate (Ti(NO3)4or TN), zirconium nitrate (Zr(NO3)4or ZrN), and hafnium nitrate (Hf(NO3)4or HfN) as hydrogen and carbon free deposition precursors. Several problems arise in the use of these films including the formation of an amorphous low permittivity interfacial layer. For TiO2this layer is formed by silicon up diffusion. Surface nitridation retards the formation of the interfacial layer. We discuss the effects of both thermal and remote plasma surface nitridation treatments on the properties of the film stack. ZrO2and HfO2appear to form a thermal layer of silicon oxide between the high permittivity film and the silicon and have excess oxygen in the bulk of the film.
Metal-Catalyzed Rearrangement of Cyclopropenes to Allenes

A novel transition-metal-catalyzed rearrangement of silylated cyclopropenes to the corresponding allenes is described. The presence of both the trimethylsilyl group on the cyclopropene and the platinum catalyst are crucial for this rearrangement.
Determination of amplitude and duration magnitudes and site residuals from short-period seismographs in northern California

Abstract Equations for determining amplitude magnitude ( MX ) and duration magnitude ( MF ) that employ all calibrated instruments in the USGS short-period telemetered seismic network in northern California (NCSN) were developed and tested against a set of 1276 earthquakes from 1986 to 1990 that were analyzed on the Caltech-USGS processing system (CUSP). The expressions for decay of amplitude and record duration in these equations are functions of distance alone. Sensitivity corrections for both MX and MF are simply the logarithms of the ratios of the magnification of the reference instrument to that of the instrument actually used. Component corrections were chosen so as to minimize the dependence of instrument site residuals on instrument component. MF site residuals were found to be closely linked to MX site residuals in a manner that suggests both depend primarily on site amplification. Both MX and MF site residuals vary systematically with bedrock lithology: older well-consolidated rocks produce negative residuals (smaller amplitudes and shorter durations) and younger unconsolidated rocks produce positive residuals (larger amplitudes and longer durations). Average station magnitude residuals are virtually independent of distance from the epicenter to at least 800 km; and MX-MF, averaged over 0.5 unit magnitude intervals, is less than 0.05 from M 0.5 to M 5.5. Comparison of MX and MBK ( M L , UC Berkeley) for 293 events in both the CUSP data set and the Berkeley catalog shows that calculated MX s are marginally larger than the corresponding MBK s. MX-MBK averages about + 0.04. The characteristics of the standard Wood-Anderson seismograph employed to calculate MX are: free period 0.8 sec, damping constant 0.8, and static magnification 2080.
Superconformal Bottom-Up Nickel Deposition in High Aspect Ratio Through Silicon Vias

This work demonstrates void-free nickel filling of 56 μm tall, annular Through Silicon Vias (TSVs) using a mechanism that couples suppression breakdown and surface topography to achieve controlled superconformal, void-free deposition. The chemistry, a Watts electrolyte containing a dilute suppressing additive, and processes are fully detailed. The impact of deposition potential and additive concentration on the filling of the patterned features is presented. Voltammetric measurements on planar substrates, including the impact of rotation rate and suppressor concentration on the rate of metal deposition and potential of suppression breakdown, are used to quantify the interplay between metal deposition and suppressor adsorption. The derived kinetics are then used to quantitatively predict the observed bottom-up filling in the TSVs using the S-shaped negative differential resistance (S-NDR) mechanism for superconformal deposition; the predictions capture the experimental observations. This work extends understanding and application of the additive-derived S-NDR mechanism developed with non-ferrous metals.
Uncertainty in Clinical Data and Stochastic Model for In-vitro Fertilization

In-vitro Fertilization (IVF) is the most common technique in Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART). It has been divided into four stages; (i) superovulation, (ii) egg retrieval, (iii) insemination/fertilization and (iv) embryo transfer. The first stage of superovulation is a drug induced method to enable multiple ovulation, i.e., multiple follicle growth to oocytes or matured follicles in a single menstrual cycle. IVF being a medical procedure that aims at manipulating the biological functions in the human body is subjected to inherent sources of uncertainty and variability. Also, the interplay of the hormones with the natural functioning of the ovaries make the procedure dependent on several factors like patient’s condition in terms of cause of infertility, actual ovarian function, responsiveness to medication, etc. The treatment requires continuous monitoring and testing and this can give rise to errors in observations. Thus, it becomes essential to look at the process noise and deviations and think of a way to account for them to build better representative models for follicle growth. The purpose of this work is to come up with a robust model which can project the superovulation cycle outcome based on the hormonal doses and patient response in presence of uncertainty. The customized stochastic model results in better projection of the cycle outcome for the patients where the deterministic model has some deviations from the clinical observations and the growth term value is not within the range of ‘0.3 to 0.6’. It was found that the prediction accuracy was enhanced by more than 70% for some patients by using the stochastic model projections.