cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Observational constraints on mixed-phase clouds imply higher climate sensitivity

Global climate model (GCM) estimates of the equilibrium global mean surface temperature response to a doubling of atmospheric CO2, measured by the equilibrium climate sensitivity (ECS), range from 2.0° to 4.6°C. Clouds are among the leading causes of this uncertainty. Here we show that the ECS can be up to 1.3°C higher in simulations where mixed-phase clouds consisting of ice crystals and supercooled liquid droplets are constrained by global satellite observations. The higher ECS estimates are directly linked to a weakened cloud-phase feedback arising from a decreased cloud glaciation rate in a warmer climate. We point out the need for realistic representations of the supercooled liquid fraction in mixed-phase clouds in GCMs, given the sensitivity of the ECS to the cloud-phase feedback.
Engineering a Factorable Photon Pair Source

Spontaneous parametric downconversion is an important process for providing pairs of photons for quantum optics. We discuss a scheme for eliminating undesired inter-photon correlations inherent in this process, and several methods of characterizing these correlations.
Pedagogical Tools for Teaching Exploration

A common problem faced in post-secondary education is how do we move our students past being satisfied with the first answer they find and to a more thoughtful, more complete, and more nuanced solution? Once our students have ‘solved’ a case problem, they believe there is nothing more to do. Students, especially freshmen and sophomores, are not accustomed to exploring the case situation for additional insights beyond the first solution. This paper presents two pedagogical tools that have dramatically improved my students’ performance in using the methods presented in the classroom. These tools have helped my students understand how to go beyond the first solution and explore the situation from more than their own perspective and thereby gain valuable insights into the situation. The first tool is a two-step grading procedure, in which I grade both a rough draft and a final draft. Instead of the grading being a punitive exercise, it has become a way to guide and further educate my students. The second tool is specifically designed in-class demonstrations that highlight the improvements that result when exploring beyond the first solution. http://dx.doi.org/10.4995/HEAd15.2015.345
Three Challenges to Central Bank Orthodoxy

Since 2007-09, the Federal Reserve has pursued a very aggressive monetary policy strategy. This strategy has been associated with healthy labor market conditions, moderate economic growth, and inflation—netting out the effects of a major oil price shock—that is close to the Federal Open Market Committee’s (FOMC’s) 2 percent target. Thus, with the economy returning to normal, it is natural for the FOMC to begin the process of exiting its highly accommodative policy. The FOMC has laid out several well-defined steps for this process. This strategy may be called central bank orthodoxy, since it is a natural extension of the classical view. However, three challenges to this orthodoxy have developed. Although each challenge is interesting and potentially helpful, the orthodox view provides a better basis for devising near- and medium-term monetary policy decisions.
Reductive Cyclopropanations Catalyzed by Dinuclear Nickel Complexes

Dinuclear Ni complexes supported by naphthyridine-diimine (NDI) ligands catalyze the reductive cyclopropanation of alkenes with CH2 Cl2 as the methylene source. The use of mild terminal reductants (Zn or Et2 Zn) confers significant functional-group tolerance, and the catalyst accommodates structurally and electronically diverse alkenes. Mononickel catalysts bearing related N chelates afford comparatively low cyclopropane yields (≤20 %). These results constitute an entry into catalytic carbene transformations from oxidized methylene precursors.
Cinemicrographic observations of cultured adrenocortical tumor cells. Dynamic responses to ACTH and cytochalasin B.

ACTH increases the basal steroidogenic activity of cultured adrenocortical tumor cells, whereas moderate-high doses of cytochalasin B (CB) inhibit both basal and ACTH-induced steroidogenesis. Previous ultrastructural studies have revealed that ACTH rearranges microfilaments in these adrenal cells, whereas CB causes microfilaments to aggregate into felt-like masses. It has been postulated that the ACTH effects may facilitate organelle motility and increase organelle interactions that are required for steroid biosynthesis, and that the CB-created “foci” may impede or prevent the organelle meetings. To shed light on these possibilities, we have employed 16 mm cinemicrography of unstimulated adrenal tumor cells and cells incubated for 1–2 h with ACTH (10 mU/ml), or low (10 μg/ml), or high (50 μg/ml) doses of CB. ACTH caused initial increases in membrane ruffling and a “flurry” of particle (organelle) activity above that seen in unstimulated cells. The stimulated cells then retracted from each other and began their characteristic “rounding up” in response to the hormone. Particles appeared to move towards the nucleus, and in fully-rounded cells were extremely congested. Steroid production rose several fold above basal levels. CB10 produced slight-marked cell convexities, nearly stopped particle motility and inhibited steroid production moderately. CB50 produced an asymmetrical, spidery cell form, stopped membrane ruffling and particle motility and abolished steroidogenesis. After a washout of CB50, particle motility resumed nearly immediately. Our CB data indicate that associations between particles, presumably between mitochondria and various sources of cholesterol, are prerequisite for basal steroidogenesis in the adrenal tumor cells. In ACTH-stimulated cells, increases in steroid output correspond with increased opportunities for particle associations. These opportunities appear to arise directly or indirectly from ACTH effects on microfilaments. The responses of microfilaments to the hormone may be particularly intense in tumorous forms. By these means, the cells may express their differentiated function, although their cytoplasm has a distinctly unspecialized appearance.
(Mis)Understanding Our Influence Over Others A Review of the Underestimation-of-Compliance Effect

I review a burgeoning program of research examining people’s perceptions of their influence over others. This research demonstrates that people are overly pessimistic about their ability to get others to comply with their requests. Participants in our studies have asked more than 14,000 strangers a variety of requests. We find that participants underestimate the likelihood that the people they approach will comply with their requests. This error is robust (it persists across various samples and requests) and substantial (on average, requesters underestimate compliance by 48%). We find that this error results from requesters’ failure to appreciate the awkwardness of saying “no” to a request. In addition to reviewing evidence for the underestimation-of-compliance effect and its underlying mechanism, I discuss some factors that have been found to strengthen, attenuate, and reverse the effect. This research offers a starting point for examining a neglected perspective in influence research: the psychological ...
Are Online and Offline Prices Similar? Evidence from Large Multi-channel Retailers

Abstract Online prices are increasingly used for measurement and research applications, yet little is known about their relation to prices collected offline, where most retail transactions take pla...
Protecting products versus platforms

P have long been the most important legal assets of biotech companies. Increasingly, however, biotech firms find themselves on one side of a divide: as either traditional product companies or platform companies. Given the differences between these two types of business models, the merits of intellectual property (IP) protection vary between them. This article explores how those differences relate to biotech startups and entrepreneurs seeking to protect their inventions.
PRIMARY TRITANIUM ACETABULAR COMPONENTS ARE ASSOCIATED WITH A HIGH PREVALENCE OF RADIOLUCENCIES WHICH COMPROMISE CLINICAL FUNCTION AT SHORT TERM FOLLOW-UP

Introduction Cementless fixation is the current preferred method for acetabular reconstruction in total hip arthroplasty (THA). Despite promising long-term results among several designs, theoretic concerns regarding the high modulus of elasticity, low friction against bone and low volumetric porosity of contemporary cementless cups have spurred the introduction of novel porous surfaces that are designed to improve osseointegration and decrease aseptic loosening. Although several novel surfaces have been introduced into clinical use over the past decade, very little literature regarding their clinical and radiographic performance exists. The current study investigates the performance of one such novel surface, Tritanium (Stryker, Mahwah, NJ). Methods We prospectively evaluated 121 consecutive THAs performed in 94 patients by a single arthroplasty surgeon using the Tritanium Primary Acetabular Component (Stryker, Mahwah, NJ). 109 hips (90.1%) had adequate clinical and radiological follow-up for analysis. Clinical parameters recorded included implant survivorship, Harris Hip Scores, WOMAC and SF-12. Furthermore, radiographs at the 6-week, 1 year and most recent clinical visit were evaluated by two blinded observers for implant position, evidence of radiolucency, sclerosis and component migration. Results At an average of 3.88+1.71 years, implant survivorship was 98.1% with two hips requiring revision for aseptic loosening. Radiographs revealed that at one year postoperatively, 35.5% of hips demonstrated radiolucencies and sclerotic changes in two or more DeLee zones, with half of these (17.3%) involving all three zones. These proportions subsequently increased (37.2% and 18.4% respectively) on radiographs taken at a minimum of two years postoperatively. Hips with radiolucencies in three zones exhibited significantly lower Harris Hip Scores at two years compared to non-radiolucent hips (p=0.016). Age, gender, BMI, preoperative function and cup position did not differ between patients with and without radiolucencies. Observable bone-implant gaps on six-week radiographs were not found to be correlated with the later presence of radiolucencies. Conclusion Despite adequate implant survivorship, we found that over one third of hips implanted with a Tritanium coated primary shell exhibit radiographic signs of fibrous ingrowth that appear to increase in prevalence over time and lead to poorer clinical function. We advocate that patients that have received this implant be followed closely for evidence of clinical deterioration and component loosening.
Adenosine Deaminase Deficiency

This enzymatic disorder is one of the rare “experiments of nature” that provide critical insights into normal functioning, specifically into the mechanisms of immunologic response. It is also important as one of the very small group of genetic disorders that can be cured and one of the leading candidates for treatment and correction by the application of gene therapy.
Inflation at the household level

Abstract We use scanner data to estimate inflation rates at the household level. Households’ inflation rates have an annual interquartile range of 6.2–9.0 percentage points. Most of the heterogeneity comes not from variation in broadly defined consumption bundles but from variation in prices paid for the same types of goods. Lower-income households experience higher inflation, but most cross-sectional variation is uncorrelated with observables. Households’ deviations from aggregate inflation exhibit only slightly negative serial correlation. Almost all variability in a household’s inflation rate comes from variability in household-level prices relative to average prices, not from variability in aggregate inflation.
System Requirements for Electrically Conductive Concrete Heated Pavements

Ice and snow on airport pavements can contribute to flight cancellations and delays. Traditional deicing methods that involve chemical or salt application can cause environmental or structural damage to airport infrastructure. Electric heated pavements, in which electric heating energy is transferred to the pavement via embedded insulated conductors or conductive materials to maintain surface temperatures above freezing, have gained attention as a promising technology for mitigating snow and ice accumulation. The objective of the study was to identify the requirements of an electrically conductive concrete (ECON) heated pavement system to achieve cost-effective performance. A small-scale prototype ECON heated slab was designed and constructed with the optimized ECON mixture recently developed at Iowa State University and then tested to determine its performance and efficiency. The energy consumption and energy cost of the prototype ECON slab were found to be the lowest of the electric heated pavement syst...
Parotidectomy: a ten year experience with fine needle aspiration and frozen section biopsy correlation.

During the years 1980 through 1990, 247 patients underwent parotidectomy at our institution for the removal of primary parotid lesions. Charts were reviewed in an effort to document the distributio...
"Don't eat so much:" how parent comments relate to female weight satisfaction.

Purpose How will the words of a parent influence the adult weight of their daughter? This retrospective study evaluates how the recalled comments of parents made about the weight or eating habits of a daughter related to her adult BMI and satisfaction with her weight.
Resistance to Thyroid Hormone

Resistance to thyroid hormone encompasses a clinically heterogeneous group of conditions characterized by reduced responses of target tissues to a supply of thyroid hormone that under normal circumstances would be excessive. The syndrome of resistance to thyroid hormone is first suspected when serum thyroid hormone levels are found to be elevated in the presence of nonsuppressed serum thyrotropin (TSH). Clinical confirmation of the diagnosis requires the demonstration of the failure of full replacement doses of thyroid hormone to produce the expected suppressive effect on the secretion of TSH and a failure to induce appropriate responses in peripheral tissues.
Stokes solitons in optical microcavities

Solitonic modes that are redshifted due to a Raman-related effect are reported in optical microcavities, and termed Stokes solitons.
State estimation for mega RTOs

Control and operation of electric power system is based on the ability to determine the state of the system in real time. State estimation was introduced in the 1960s to achieve this objective. The initial implementation was based on single phase measurements and a power system model that is assumed to operate under single frequency, balanced conditions and symmetric system model. These assumptions are still prevelant today. The single frequency, balanced and symmetric system assumptions have simplified the implementation but have generated practical problems. The experience is that the state estimation problem does not have 100% performance, i.e. there are cases and time periods that the SE algorithm will not converge. There are practical and theoretical reasons for this and they are explained in the paper. Mergers and mandated RTOs as well as announcements for formation of mega RTOs will result in the application of the SE in systems of unprecedented size. We believe that these practical and theoretical issues will become of greater importance. There are scientists that believe that the SE problem is scalable meaning that it will work for the mega RTOs the same way as it performs now for medium-large systems. There are scientists that they believe this is not true. The fact of the matter is that no-one has investigated the problem, let alone perform numerical experiments to prove or disprove any claims. This paper identifies a number of issues relative to SE of mega RTOs. These issues are discussed on a theoretical basis. The paper also calls for numerical experiments that will provide answers to these questions.
INTRAOPERATIVE CELL SALVAGE IN NON-SPINAL PAEDIATRIC ORTHOPAEDIC SURGERY

Aim The use of intraoperative cell salvage as a tool for reducing allogenic transfusion has been demonstrated in pelvic osteotomies. The aims of this audit were to identify any problems or complications with cell salvage, reduction in allogenic transfusion and identify procedures that would benefit. Methods The use of cell salvage and allogenic transfusions were prospectively recorded over a 27-month period for all those who had major non spinal surgery looking at whether cell-salvage reduced allogenic transfusions and where cell salvage was used it was matched to procedure, diagnosis and age with cases where it was not used over the same time period. Results Cell salvage was used in 61 cases. For these, average blood loss was 624mls and re-transfused volume 176mls (range=0-888mls). There were no complications. 4 problems occurred, 2 where suction became desterilised and 2 with insufficient sample to process. Of those that were matched, 3/55 cases required allogenic transfusion versus 11/55 that did not have cell salvage (p=0.03). Sub group analysis according to procedure did not reach significance. Excluding those with osteogenesis imperfecta, no isolated femoral osteotomy required allogenic transfusion (total number=48). Conclusion Overall its use has reduced the number of children receiving allogenic blood and negates the need to cross match preoperatively. Group and save sample is probably sufficient for most major paediatric orthopaedic surgery with cell salvage. The specific indications for cell salvage have not been identified by this study, though useful in OI.
A novel method to accurately locate and count large numbers of steps by photobleaching.

A new Bayesian photobleaching trace analysis method that is computationally inexpensive can be used to treat blinking, reactivation, and overlapping events and reliably detect up to 50 fluorophores...
Shifted convolution L-series values for elliptic curves

Using explicit constructions of the Weierstrass mock modular form and Eisenstein series coefficients, we obtain closed formulas for the generating functions of values of shifted convolution L-functions associated to certain elliptic curves. These identities provide a surprising relation between weight 2 newforms and shifted convolution L-values when the underlying elliptic curve has modular degree 1 with conductor N such that $$\text {genus}(X_0(N)) = 1$$ .
History, present state-of-art and future of incremental ADCs

Integrated sensor interface circuits require power-efficient high-accuracy data converters. Incremental A/D converters (IADCs) are often the best choice for these, since they can provide excellent energy efficiency, and are easily multiplexed, need only simple digital filtering, and allow low latency. By performing the conversion in multiple steps, the hardware can also be multiplexed among all steps. In this paper, the past, present and anticipated future of IADCs are described. The focus is on multi-step converters.
PROXIMAL FEMORAL DEFORMITY IN THA: ACCOMMODATING NATURE'S TWIST

Introduction: The goal is to avoid letting femoral deformity force suboptimal implant position/fixation. Suboptimal implant position has an adverse effect on hip biomechanics and often on hip function and durability. Classification: Practical approach to femoral deformities: categorise into 3 main groups: Very proximal, Subtrochanteric, Distal. Management: Management of distal deformities: Most can be ignored if there is sufficient room to place conventional femoral implant. Management of proximal deformities: Option 1: Use implants that allow satisfactory positioning despite deformity…or… Option 2: Remove the deformity. Management of subtrochanteric level deformities: These are the most difficult. Problems: Too proximal to ignore, Too distal to bypass. Main treatment options: Resurfacing THA, Short stem THA, Corrective osteotomy with THA. Corrective osteotomy with THA: Perform osteotomy at level of deformity, In most cases a corrective osteotomy that creates a transverse osteotomy junction is simplest, Use an implant that provides reliable fixation in the femur (usually uncemented), Use implant that provides fixation of the proximal and distal fragments Conclusions: Majority of proximal femoral deformities managed with one-stage procedure: Excise deformity and replace with metal, Implants that allow ignoring deformity, Corrective osteotomy.
Weightbearing radiographs facilitate functional treatment of ankle fractures of uncertain stability

The most important determinant in the treatment of malleolar fractures is stability. Stable fractures have an intact deep deltoid ligament and do not displace with functional treatment. If the deep deltoid/medial malleolar complex is disrupted, the talus is at risk of displacement. Weber (2010) showed that weightbearing radiographs predicted stability in patients with undisplaced ankle fractures. We developed clinical criteria for potential instability and applied them to a prospective series of patients. Criteria included: medial clear space of < 4mm; medial tenderness, bruising or swelling; a fibular fracture above the syndesmosis; a bimalleolar or trimalleolar fracture; an open fracture; a high-energy fracture mechanism. A consecutive, prospectively documented series of 37 patients chose functional brace treatment of potentially unstable fractures. Weightbearing radiographs were performed in the brace before treatment, and free of brace at clinical union (6–9 weeks in all patients). Patients were encouraged to bear full weight and actively exercise their ankles in the brace. All fractures healed without displacement. The risk of displacement was 0% (95% CI 0–11.2%). This preliminary series gives support for the use of weightbearing radiographs to guide treatment of undisplaced ankle fractures.
Modeling and control of a combined wind-solar microgrid

This paper introduces a standalone hybrid power generation system consisting of solar and wind power sources and a DC load. A supervisory control unit, designed to execute maximum power point tracking (MPPT), is introduced to maximize the simultaneous energy harvesting from overall power generation under different climatic conditions. Two contingencies are considered and categorized according to the power generation from each energy source, and the load requirement. Simulation results demonstrate effectiveness of the controllers and functionality of the maximum power point tracking algorithm in each operating condition for both solar and wind power sources.
Electoral Rules and Legislative Parties in the Ukrainian Rada

Critics of Ukraine's single-member district majoritarian and mixed-member majoritarian electoral systems argue that they undermined the efficiency of the Supreme Rada by permitting nonpartisan single-member district deputies to enter the legislature in large numbers. Such deputies changed parties and ignored party positions. This article argues that the effect of the differences in how legislators are elected is dependent upon whether legislators are partisans. The statistical analysis of party switching and party cohesion in the Rada from 1998 to 2002 shows that nonpartisan single-member district deputies were the most likely to switch parties and the least cohesive.
Environmentally-Driven Galaxy Evolution

The galaxy population in clusters differs from that in the field. The cluster galaxy population (at z 0.4) is dominated by red, early-type galaxies. Although some of this can be explained by the mass-morphology relation, in this proceedings I discuss work that has shown that, particularly in low-mass galaxies, there is environmentally-driven evolution from blue (star-forming) to red (non-star-forming). While environment can be measured in several ways, I show that local environment affects galaxies up to the scale of the halo in which they reside. Focusing on clusters, I introduce the different mechanisms that can affect galaxies: galaxy-cluster, galaxy-galaxy, and galaxy-intracluster medium interactions. I then give an overview of the evidence that the colorevolution of galaxies from blue to red is reflected in the morphological evolution of galaxies from spiral to S0, and discuss the necessary steps in the evolution of spirals into S0s. I then briefly describe some of my own research examining the role of ram pressure stripping on the morphological evolution of spiral galaxies. While ram pressure stripping can effectively remove the fuel for star formation and redden galaxies, this will form S0s that are less luminous than their spiral progenitors. Therefore, while ram pressure stripping may be an important mechanism driving the formation of S0s from spirals, it cannot be the only process driving this morphological evolution.
The Role of Online Social Support in Supporting and Educating Parents of Young Children With Special Health Care Needs in the United States: A Scoping Review

Background: When parents of young children with special health care needs (CSHCN) receive their child’s diagnosis, they encounter information they may not understand, emotions they may not know how to cope with, and questions about their child’s immediate and long-term future that frequently lack answers. The challenge of health care providers is how to prepare parents for caring for their CSHCN, for coping with any resulting challenges, and for accessing the systems and services that can assist them. Objective: The purpose of this work was to review evidence of the information and support needs of parents of young CSHCN and to determine whether online social support can serve as an avenue for learning and empowerment for these parents. Methods: A scoping review identified the challenges, coping mechanisms, and support needs among parents of CSHCN, and the reach and effectiveness of digital technologies with these families and health care providers. We also conducted interviews with professionals serving parents of CSHCN. Results: The literature review and interviews suggested that parents best learn the information they need, and cope with the emotional challenges of raising a CSHCN, with support from other parents of CSHCN, and that young parents in recent years have most often been finding this parent-to-parent support through digital media, particularly social media, consistent with the theory of online social support. Evidence also shows that social media, particularly Facebook, is used by nearly all women aged 18-29 years across racial and socioeconomic lines in the United States. Conclusions: Parents of young CSHCN experience significant stress but gain understanding, receive support, and develop the ability to care for and be advocates for their child through parent-to-parent emotional and informational social support. Online social support is most effective with young adults of childbearing age, with social media and apps being the most useful within the theoretical framework of social support. This opens new opportunities to effectively educate and support parents of young CSHCN. Providers seeking to inform, educate, and support families of CSHCN should develop strategies to help parents find and use social support through digital resources to facilitate their emotional adjustment and practical abilities to care for and access services for their child. [J Med Internet Res 2016;18(12):e333]
Resolving Information Asymmetry: Signaling, Endorsement, and Crowdfunding Success:

This article draws on information economics to examine when signals and endorsements obtained from multiple information sources enhance or diminish one another's effects. We propose that signals th...
SAFEGUARD: An assured safety net technology for UAS

As demands increase to use unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) for a broad spectrum of commercial applications, regulatory authorities are examining how to safely integrate them without loss of safety or major disruption to existing airspace operations. This work addresses the development of the Safeguard system as an assured safety net technology for UAS. The Safeguard system monitors and enforces conformance to a set of rules defined prior to flight (e.g., geospatial stay-out or stay-in regions, speed limits, altitude limits). Safeguard operates independently of the UAS autopilot and is strategically designed in a way that can be realized by a small set of verifiable functions to simplify compliance with regulatory standards for commercial aircraft. A framework is described that decouples the system from any other devices on the UAS as well as introduces complementary positioning source(s) for applications that require integrity and availability beyond what the Global Positioning System (GPS) can provide. Additionally, the high level logic embedded within the software is presented, as well as the steps being taken toward verification and validation (V&V) of proper functionality. Next, an initial prototype implementation of the described system is disclosed. Lastly, future work including development, testing, and system V&V is summarized.
Human Auditory Evoked Potentials

Introduction: Past, Present and Potential Recording Evoked Potentials: Means to an End Frequency-Domain: Music of the Hemispheres Finding Sources: Forwards and Backwards Sounds to Charm the Brain Interpreting the Waveforms: Time and Uncertainty Electrocochleography: From Song to Synapse Auditory Brainstem Responses: Peaks Along the Way Middle Latency Responses - The Brain and the Brawn Auditory Steady State and Following Responses: Dancing to the Rhythms Late Auditory Evoked Potentials: Changing the Things Which Are Endogenous Auditory Evoked Potentials: Attention Must Be Paid Infant Hearing Assessment: Opening Ears Neurotology and Neurology: From Cochlea to Cortex Auditory Neuropathy: When Time is Broke Cochlear Implants: Body Electric Concluding Comments: Beginning to Live
Information-Theoretically Optimal Compressed Sensing via Spatial Coupling and Approximate Message Passing

We study the compressed sensing reconstruction problem for a broad class of random, band-diagonal sensing matrices. This construction is inspired by the idea of spatial coupling in coding theory. As demonstrated heuristically and numerically by Krzakala [30], message passing algorithms can effectively solve the reconstruction problem for spatially coupled measurements with undersampling rates close to the fraction of nonzero coordinates. We use an approximate message passing (AMP) algorithm and analyze it through the state evolution method. We give a rigorous proof that this approach is successful as soon as the undersampling rate δ exceeds the (upper) Renyi information dimension of the signal, d(pX). More precisely, for a sequence of signals of diverging dimension n whose empirical distribution converges to pX, reconstruction is with high probability successful from d(pX) n+o(n) measurements taken according to a band diagonal matrix. For sparse signals, i.e., sequences of dimension n and k(n) nonzero entries, this implies reconstruction from k(n)+o(n) measurements. For “discrete” signals, i.e., signals whose coordinates take a fixed finite set of values, this implies reconstruction from o(n) measurements. The result is robust with respect to noise, does not apply uniquely to random signals, but requires the knowledge of the empirical distribution of the signal pX.
suCAQR: A Simplified Communication-Avoiding QR Factorization Solver Using the TBLAS Framework

The scope of this paper is to design and implement a scalable QR factorization solver that can deliver the fastest performance for tall and skinny matrices and square matrices on modern supercomputers. The new solver, named scalable universal communication-avoiding QR factorization (suCAQR), introduces a simplified and tuning-less way to realize the communication-avoiding QR factorization algorithm to support matrices of any shapes. The software design includes a mixed usage of physical and logical data layouts, a simplified method of dynamic-root binary-tree reduction, and a dynamic dataflow implementation. Compared with the existing communication avoiding QR factorization implementations, suCAQR has the benefits of being simpler, more general, and more efficient. By balancing the degree of parallelism and the proportion of faster computational kernels, it is able to achieve scalable performance on clusters of multicore nodes. The software essentially combines the strengths of both synchronization-reducing approach and communication-avoiding approach to achieve high performance. Based on the experimental results using 1,024 CPU cores, suCAQR is faster than DPLASMA by up to 30%, and faster than ScaLAPACK by up to 30 times.
Spectral statistics of lattice graph structured, non-uniform percolations

Design of filters for graph signal processing benefits from knowledge of the spectral decomposition of matrices that encode graphs, such as the adjacency matrix and the Laplacian matrix, used to define the shift operator. For shift matrices with real eigenvalues, which arise for symmetric graphs, the empirical spectral distribution captures the eigenvalue locations. Under realistic circumstances, stochastic influences often affect the network structure and, consequently, the shift matrix empirical spectral distribution. Nevertheless, deterministic functions may often be found to approximate the asymptotic behavior of empirical spectral distributions of random matrices. This paper uses stochastic canonical equation methods developed by Girko to derive such deterministic equivalent distributions for the empirical spectral distributions of random graphs formed by structured, non-uniform percolation of a D-dimensional lattice supergraph. Included simulations demonstrate the results for sample parameters.
What makes a query temporally sensitive

This work examines factors that affect manual classifications of "temporally sensitive" information needs. We introduce the concepts of temporal relevance and temporal topicality to differentiate between different aspects of temporal retrieval research. We use qualitative and quantitative techniques to analyze 660 topics from the Text Retrieval Conference (TREC) previously used in the experimental evaluation of temporal retrieval models. We use regression analysis to model previous manual classifications. We identify factors and potential problems with previous classifications, proposing principles and guidelines for future work on the evaluation of temporal retrieval models.
Hedging strategies for load-serving entities in wholesale electricity markets

Load-serving entities which procure electricity from the wholesale electricity market to service end-users face significant quantity and price risks due to the volatile nature of electricity demand and quasi-fixed residential tariffs at which electricity is sold. This paper investigates strategies for load serving entities to hedge against such price risks. Specifically, we compute profit-maximizing portfolios of forward contract and call options as a function of uncertain aggregate user demand and wholesale electricity prices. We compare the profit to the case of Demand Response, where users are offered monetary incentives to temporarily reduce their consumption during periods of supply shortages. Using smart meter data of residential customers in California, we simulate optimal portfolios and derive conditions under which Demand Response outperforms call options and forward contracts. Our analysis suggests that Demand Response becomes more competitive as wholesale electricity prices increase.
Precise Null Pointer Analysis Through Global Value Numbering

Precise analysis of pointer information plays an important role in many static analysis tools. The precision, however, must be balanced against the scalability of the analysis. This paper focusses on improving the precision of standard context and flow insensitive alias analysis algorithms at a low scalability cost. In particular, we present a semantics-preserving program transformation that drastically improves the precision of existing analyses when deciding if a pointer can alias Null. Our program transformation is based on Global Value Numbering, a scheme inspired from compiler optimization literature. It allows even a flow-insensitive analysis to make use of branch conditions such as checking if a pointer is Null and gain precision. We perform experiments on real-world code and show that the transformation improves precision (in terms of the number of dereferences proved safe) from 86.56% to 98.05%, while incurring a small overhead in the running time.
Neutrino physics: fundamentals of neutrino oscillations.

In this lecture we review some of the basic properties of neutrinos, in particular their mass and the oscillation behavior. First we discuss how to describe the neutrino mass. Then, under the assumption that neutrinos are massive and mixed, the fundamentals of the neutrino oscillations are discussed with emphasis on subtle aspects which have been overlooked in the past. We then review the terrestrial neutrino oscillation experiments in the framework of three generations of neutrinos with the standard mass hierarchy. Finally, a brief summary of the current status of the solar and atmospheric neutrino problems will be given.
MINIMISING INFECTION RISK: A PRE-OPERATIVE CHECKLIST

Minimizing the risk of periprosthetic joint infection (PJI) is of interest to all surgeons performing hip and knee arthroplasty. Among the most critical factors to reducing the risk of infection include the use of pre-incisional antibiotics, appropriate skin preparation with clippers (as opposed to a razor for hair removal) and the use of an alcohol-based skin preparation. Host factors are also likewise critically important including obesity, diabetes, inflammatory arthritis, renal insufficiency, skin disorders and patients who are otherwise immune-compromised. If modifiable risk factors are identified, it would seem reasonable to delay elective surgery until these can be optimised. One other factor to consider is the nutritional status of the patient. In a study of 501 consecutive revisions, we found that serological markers suggestive of malnutrition (albumin, transferrin or total lymphocyte count) were extremely common in the revision population. Specifically, among patients who presented for treatment of a chronic infection, 53% (67 of 126) had at least one marker for malnutrition. The prevalence of serological markers of malnutrition was lower (33%) in the group of patients undergoing revision for an aseptic reason suggesting that malnutrition was a risk factor for septic failure (p < 0.001 and OR 2.1). Interestingly, malnutrition was most common among patients of normal weight but was also common among obese patients (so-called “paradoxical” malnutrition). What was more disturbing, however, that of those patients undergoing an aseptic revision, serum markers of malnutrition were associated with a 6x risk of acute postoperative infection complicating the patient's aseptic revision. At our center, we also have studied the use of dilute betadine at the end of the case, prior to wound closure, in an attempt to decrease the load of bacteria in the wound. In a retrospective review the prevalence of acute postoperative infection was reduced from just under 1% (18/1862) to 0.15% (1 of 688; p = 0.04). It is critical that the betadine utilised be STERILE and the dilution we use is 0.35% made by diluting 17.5cc of 10% povidone-iodine paint in 500cc of normal saline. Although this is a retrospective review, it does suggest a benefit and we have not seen any problems associated with its use.
Participatory surveillance of diabetes device safety: A social media-based complement to traditional FDA reporting

Background and objective Malfunctions or poor usability of devices measuring glucose or delivering insulin are reportable to the FDA. Manufacturers submit 99.9% of these reports. We test online social networks as a complementary source to traditional FDA reporting of device-related adverse events. Methods Participatory surveillance of members of a non-profit online social network, TuDiabetes.org, from October 2011 to September 2012. Subjects were volunteers from a group within TuDiabetes, actively engaged online in participatory surveillance. They used the free TuAnalyze app, a privacy-preserving method to report detailed clinical information, available through the network. Network members were polled about finger-stick blood glucose monitors, continuous glucose monitors, and insulin delivery devices, including insulin pumps and insulin pens. Results Of 549 participants, 75 reported device-related adverse events, nearly half (48.0%) requiring intervention from another person to manage the event. Only three (4.0%) of these were reported by participants to the FDA. All TuAnalyze reports contained outcome information compared with 22% of reports to the FDA. Hypoglycemia and hyperglycemia were experienced by 48.0% and 49.3% of participants, respectively. Discussion Members of an online community readily engaged in participatory surveillance. While polling distributed online populations does not yield generalizable, denominator-based rates, this approach can characterize risk within online communities using a bidirectional communication channel that enables reach-back and intervention. Conclusions Engagement of distributed communities in social networks is a viable complementary approach to traditional public health surveillance for adverse events related to medical devices.
Computable categoricity for algebraic fields with splitting algorithms

A computably presented algebraic field F has a splitting algorithm if it is decidable which polynomials in F [X] are irreducible there. We prove that such a field is computably categorical iff it is decidable which pairs of elements of F belong to the same orbit under automorphisms. We also show that this criterion is equivalent to the relative computable categoricity of F .
Exclusive π - Electroproduction off the Neutron in Deuterium in the Resonance Region

The goal of our research is to provide the exclusive \({\gamma }^{*}n(p) \rightarrow p{\pi }^{-} (p)\) reaction cross section from deuterium data. The existing \({\gamma }^{*}n \rightarrow p{\pi }^{-}\) event generator based on MAID (Drechsel et al. in Nucl Phys A 645:145, 1999) is modified to include the spectator (proton) information based via the CD-Bonn potential (Entem and Machleidt in Phys Rev C 68:041001, 2003) to simulate the quasi-free production process. With this method, the exclusive quasi-free process has been isolated successfully as demonstrated by the comparison of the spectator momentum distribution of the simulation with the missing momentum distribution of the data, and a kinematical final-state-interaction contribution factor \(R_{FSI}\) is extracted directly from the data according to the ratio between the exclusive quasi-free and full cross sections. Furthermore, the corresponding structure functions are extracted from those cross sections as well. The experiment was done in Hall B at the Thomas Jefferson National Laboratory (JLab) by using the CEBAF Large Acceptance Spectrometer (CLAS) detector, the “e1e” run data off a liquid deuterium target will provide final results with a kinematic coverage for the hadronic invariant mass (W) up to \(1.825\,\text {GeV}\) and in the momentum transfer (\(Q^{2}\)) range of 0.4–\(1.0\,\text {GeV}/c^{2}\).
Inviscid Scaling Laws of a Self-Propelled Pitching Airfoil

Inviscid computational results are presented on a self-propelled virtual body combined with an airfoil undergoing pitch oscillations about its leading edge. The scaling trends of the time-averaged ...
Willing (White) Workers on Organic Farms? Reflections on Volunteer Farm Labor and the Politics of Precarity

Many young, university-educated adults these days go to work on organic farms as volunteers and interns, despite that this work is extremely demanding, painful, and has been historically demeaning. Through interviews and discussions with students, I have learned that many who participate in these ventures do so to travel, gain experience, and support organic farms yet rarely consider the impact of their voluntary labor on waged labor. I suggest that their interest in DIY experimentation more generally reflects different relationships to work than their middle-class parents enjoyed, as middle-class jobs become less desirable and attainable. I then juxtapose their chosen precarity with the situation of migrant farmworkers who are valued for their labor but do not receive biopolitical recognition. I conclude this research-inspired thought piece by positing that young adults who volunteer on farms and engage in other acts of self-provisioning may indeed be engaged in a politics of work reconfiguration but not one of solidarity.
Analyzing Resilience of Interest-Based Social Networks Against Node and Link Failures

In typical online social networks, users are linked by symmetric friend relations and can define circles of friends based on shared interests. In this paper, we look at social networks where users form links subject to both friendships and shared interests. Our goal is to understand resilience of these networks in terms of connectivity when both nodes and links are allowed to fail. We derive a zero-one law as well as the asymptotically exact probability result for connectivity under both node and link failures. The results answer the question of how to set the network parameters such that reliable message dissemination can be achieved. We formally prove the results and confirm the results via experiments as well.
Persistence Terrace for Topological Inference of Point Cloud Data

Topological data analysis (TDA) is a rapidly developing collection of methods for studying the shape of point cloud and other data types. One popular approach, designed to be robust to noise and ou...
Working and Reflected Active Powers of Three Phase Loads

Unbalanced and/or harmonic generating loads have to be supplied with a working active power, which is higher than the active power measured at the load terminals. Consequently, energy providers of such loads are under paid for the energy delivered. The difference between the working active power and the common active power is referred to as the reflected active power. The reflected active power increases with the decline of the short circuit to load power ratio. Therefore, the reflected active power could be easily visible in weaker power systems, such as micro-grids in islanded mode or on terminals of very high power industrial loads, such as pulsing loads or arc furnaces. The load generated harmonics and/or load imbalance are the causes for the reflected active power. The paper presents results of studies on the dependence of the reflected active power on the relative short circuit power of the supply source.
Stare decisis and judicial log-rolls: a gains-from-trade model

The practice of horizontal stare decisis requires that judges occasionally decide cases "incorrectly''. What sustains this practice? Given a heterogeneous bench, we show that the increasing differences in dispositions property of preferences generates gains when judges trade dispositions over the case space. These gains are fully realized by implementing a compromise rule – stare decisis. Absent commitment, we provide conditions that sustain the compromise in a repeated game. When complete compromises become unsustainable, partial compromises still avail. Moreover, judges may prefer to implement partial compromises even when perfect ones are sustainable. Thus, stare decisis is consistent with a partially-settled-partially-contested legal doctrine.