cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Improving Noise Tolerance of Mixed-Signal Neural Networks

Mixed-signal hardware accelerators for deep learning achieve orders of magnitude better power efficiency than their digital counterparts. In the ultra-low power consumption regime, limited signal precision inherent to analog computation becomes a challenge. We perform a case study of a 6-layer convolutional neural network running on a mixed-signal accelerator and evaluate its sensitivity to hardware specific noise. We apply various methods to improve noise robustness of the network and demonstrate an effective way to optimize useful signal ranges through adaptive signal clipping. The resulting model is robust enough to achieve 80.2% classification accuracy on CIFAR-10 dataset with just 1.4 mW power budget, while 6 mW budget allows us to achieve 87.1% accuracy, which is within 1% of the software baseline. For comparison, the unoptimized version of the same model achieves only 67.7% accuracy at 1.4 mW and 78.6% at 6 mW.
Functionally critical residues in the aminoglycoside resistance-associated methyltransferase RmtC play distinct roles in 30S substrate recognition

Methylation of the small ribosome subunit rRNA in the ribosomal decoding center results in exceptionally high-level aminoglycoside resistance in bacteria. Enzymes that methylate 16S rRNA on N7 of nucleotide G1405 (m7G1405) have been identified in both aminoglycoside-producing and clinically drug-resistant pathogenic bacteria. Using a fluorescence polarization 30S-binding assay and a new crystal structure of the methyltransferase RmtC at 3.14 A resolution, here we report a structure-guided functional study of 30S substrate recognition by the aminoglycoside resistance-associated 16S rRNA (m7G1405) methyltransferases. We found that the binding site for these enzymes in the 30S subunit directly overlaps with that of a second family of aminoglycoside resistance-associated 16S rRNA (m1A1408) methyltransferases, suggesting that both groups of enzymes may exploit the same conserved rRNA tertiary surface for docking to the 30S. Within RmtC, we defined an N-terminal domain surface, comprising basic residues from both the N1 and N2 subdomains, that directly contributes to 30S-binding affinity. In contrast, additional residues lining a contiguous adjacent surface on the C-terminal domain were critical for 16S rRNA modification but did not directly contribute to the binding affinity. The results from our experiments define the critical features of m7G1405 methyltransferase–substrate recognition and distinguish at least two distinct, functionally critical contributions of the tested enzyme residues: 30S-binding affinity and stabilizing a binding-induced 16S rRNA conformation necessary for G1405 modification. Our study sets the scene for future high-resolution structural studies of the 30S-methyltransferase complex and for potential exploitation of unique aspects of substrate recognition in future therapeutic strategies.
Mixed multiplicities of divisorial filtrations

Abstract Suppose that R is an excellent local domain with maximal ideal m R . The theory of multiplicities and mixed multiplicities of m R -primary ideals extends to (possibly non Noetherian) filtrations of R by m R -primary ideals, and many of the classical theorems for m R -primary ideals continue to hold for filtrations. The celebrated theorems involving inequalities continue to hold for filtrations, but the good conclusions that hold in the case of equality for m R -primary ideals do not hold for filtrations. In this article, we consider multiplicities and mixed multiplicities of R by m R -primary divisorial filtrations. We show that some important theorems on equalities of multiplicities and mixed multiplicities of m R -primary ideals, that are not true in general for filtrations, are true for divisorial filtrations. We prove that a theorem of Rees showing that if there is an inclusion of m R -primary ideals I ⊂ I ′ with the same multiplicity then I and I ′ have the same integral closure also holds for divisorial filtrations. This theorem does not hold for arbitrary filtrations. The classical Minkowski inequalities for m R -primary ideals I 1 and I 2 hold quite generally for filtrations. If R has dimension two and there is equality in the Minkowski inequalities, then Teissier and Rees and Sharp have shown that there are powers I 1 a and I 2 b that have the same integral closure. This theorem does not hold for arbitrary filtrations. The Teissier-Rees-Sharp theorem has been extended by Katz to m R -primary ideals in arbitrary dimension. We show that the Teissier-Rees-Sharp theorem does hold for divisorial filtrations in an excellent local domain of dimension two. We also show that the mixed multiplicities of divisorial filtrations are anti-positive intersection products on a suitable normal scheme X birationally dominating R, when R is an algebraic local domain (essentially of finite type over a field).
Multiquark states in the Thomas-Fermi quark model and on the lattice

We describe work being done at Baylor University investigating the possibility of new states of mesonic matter containing two or more quark–antiquark pairs. To put things in context, we begin by describing the lattice approach to hadronic physics. We point out there is a need for a quark model which can give an overall view of the quark interaction landscape. A new application of the Thomas–Fermi (TF) statistical quark model is described, similar to a previous application to baryons. The main usefulness of this model will be to detect systematic energy trends in the composition of the various particles. It could be a key to identifying families of bound states, rather than individual cases. Numerical results based upon a set of parameters derived from a phenomenological model of tetraquarks are given.
Monitoring and characterizing soluble and membrane-bound ectonucleotidases CD73 and CD39

The success of immunotherapy treatment in oncology ushered a new modality for treating a wide variety of cancers. However, lack of effect in some patients made it imperative to identify other pathways that are exploited by cancer cells to circumvent immune surveillance, and possibly synergize immune checkpoint treatment in those cases. It has been recently recognized that adenosine levels increase significantly in the tumor microenvironment and that adenosine/adenosine receptors play a powerful role as immunosuppressive and attenuating several effector T cell functions. The two main enzymes responsible for generating adenosine in the microenvironment are the ectonucleotidases CD39 and CD73, the former utilizes both ATP and ADP and produces AMP while the latter utilizes AMP and generates adenosine. Thus, these two enzymes combined are the major source for the bulk of adenosine produced in the microenvironment. They were shown to be validated targets in oncology leading to several clinical trials that include small molecules as well as antibodies, showing positive and encouraging results in the preclinical arena. Towards the development of novel drugs to target these enzymes, we have developed a platform that can be utilized to monitor the activities of both enzymes in vitro (biochemical) as well as in cells (cell based) assays. We have developed very sensitive and homogenous assays that enabled us to monitor the activity of both enzymes and demonstrate selectivity of known inhibitors as well as monoclonal antibodies. This should speed up screening for novel inhibitors that might lead to more effective cancer therapy.
On the Foundational Conflict of Quantum Theory and Classical Gravity

We compile a short list of reasons explaining why Quantum Theory (QT) and General Relativity (GR) cannot be trivially reconciled. Our opinion reflects a personal viewpoint and is likely to stand at odds with mainstream beliefs on Quantum Gravity, Black Hole phenomenology and related foundational topics.
Holistic Engineering and Educational Reform

The challenges of the coming century will demand creative, innovative and holistic solutions that will require broader pre-professional preparation. This paper summarized several programs that have model curricula designed to address these concerns. Curriculum reform is not without challenges and it is not suggested that all traditional programs abandon a departmental structure and seek an integrated organization and curriculum. However, a first step in moving toward a curriculum that can better educate holistic engineers might be to work toward true interdisciplinarity at both ends of the undergraduate experience. By structuring a first year design course that brings together students of varied interests and backgrounds, the profession of engineering can be contextualized within a societal framework inspiring students to seek creative solutions. Complementing the first year course, a unified senior design course that is truly interdisciplinary and involves engineering students of all disciplines together would better prepare our students to design the holistic, creative, and integrated solutions that will serve society's needs.
Economies of Scale and the Operating Efficiency of REITs: A Revisit

Building on past research regarding the operating efficiency of Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) and recognizing the substantial changes in this industry since the turn of the millennium, we examine REIT efficiency over the period 2001–2015. Using both time-varying stochastic frontier and linear models of costs, revenues, and performance measures, we find evidence showing that the REIT industry is slowly moving away from both cost and revenue efficiency over time; however, size remains positively correlated with efficiency. Despite the rapid expansion of asset sizes and evidence of diminishing efficiencies of scale, larger REITs still enjoy comparative advantages over smaller REITs in both revenue (production) and costs. We also find evidence that post-recession efficiencies exceed pre-recession efficiencies, and we document modest evidence of the “weeding-out” of inefficient enterprises during the market downturn. The results suggest, through a diverse set of measures, that additional efficiency opportunities for REITs may be achievable through continued growth and consolidation.
Vertex ordering problems in directed graph streams

We consider directed graph algorithms in a streaming setting, focusing on problems concerning orderings of the vertices. This includes such fundamental problems as topological sorting and acyclicity testing. We also study the related problems of finding a minimum feedback arc set (edges whose removal yields an acyclic graph), and finding a sink vertex. We are interested in both adversarially-ordered and randomly-ordered streams. For arbitrary input graphs with edges ordered adversarially, we show that most of these problems have high space complexity, precluding sublinearspace solutions. Some lower bounds also apply when the stream is randomly ordered: e.g., in our most technical result we show that testing acyclicity in the p-pass random-order model requires roughly n1+1/p space. For other problems, random ordering can make a dramatic difference: e.g., it is possible to find a sink in an acyclic tournament in the one-pass random-order model using polylog(n) space whereas under adversarial ordering roughly n1/p space is necessary and sufficient given Θ(p) passes. We also design sublinear algorithms for the feedback arc set problem in tournament graphs; for random graphs; and for randomly ordered streams. In some cases, we give lower bounds establishing that our algorithms are essentially space-optimal. Together, our results complement the much maturer body of work on algorithms for undirected graph streams.
Composite plants for a composite plant: an efficient protocol for root studies in the sunflower using composite plants approach

Sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) is an important oilseed crop in the world and the sunflower oil is prized for its exceptional quality and flavor. The recent availability of the sunflower genome can allow genome-wide characterization of genes and gene families. With plant transformation usually being the rate-limiting step for gene functional studies of sunflower, composite plants can alleviate this bottleneck. Composite plants, produced using Agrobacterium rhizogenes, are plants with transgenic roots and wild type shoots. Composite plants offer benefits over creating fully transgenic plants, namely time and cost. Here we outlined the critical steps and parameters for a protocol for the production of sunflower composite plants. We tested more than a dozen genotypes and three constitutive promoters to validate the utility and efficiency of this protocol. Moreover, functional gene characterization by overexpression and RNAi silencing of a root-related transcription factor, HaLBD16, further emphasize the value of the system in the sunflower studies. With the protocol developed here an experiment can be carried efficiently and in only 2 months. This procedure adds to the arsenal of approaches for the functional genetics/genomics in sunflower for characterization candidate genes involved in root development and stress adaptation. Composite plants technique described here is fast and efficient approach for roots functional studies in sunflower.
Silica Anchored Bis(trialkylphosphine) Platinum Oxalate. A Photogenerated Catalyst for Olefin Hydrosilation.

Ultraviolet irradiation of the silica attached complex Pt(C2O4)L2, [L=(H3CO)3Si(CH2)2PEt2], yields a [SiO2]-L2Pt species that catalyzes olefin hydrosilation or adds 2 CO to yield a surface dicarbonyl complex.
Atomic embeddability, clustered planarity, and thickenability

We study the atomic embeddability testing problem, which is a common generalization of clustered planarity (c-planarity, for short) and thickenability testing, and present a polynomial time algorithm for this problem, thereby giving the first polynomial time algorithm for c-planarity. C-planarity was introduced in 1995 by Feng, Cohen, and Eades as a variant of graph planarity, in which the vertex set of the input graph is endowed with a hierarchical clustering and we seek an embedding (crossing free drawing) of the graph in the plane that respects the clustering in a certain natural sense. Until now, it has been an open problem whether c-planarity can be tested efficiently, despite relentless efforts. The thickenability problem for simplicial complexes emerged in the topology of manifolds in the 1960s. A 2-dimensional simplicial complex is thickenable if it embeds in some orientable 3-dimensional manifold. Recently, Carmesin announced that thickenability can be tested in polynomial time. Our algorithm for atomic embeddability combines ideas from Carmesin's work with algorithmic tools previously developed for weak embeddability testing. We express our results purely in terms of graphs on surfaces, and rely on the machinery of topological graph theory. Finally we give a polynomial-time reduction from c-planarity to thickenability and show that a slight generalization of atomic embeddability to the setting in which clusters are toroidal graphs is NP-complete.
Human Rights for Health across the United Nations

The United Nations (UN) plays a central role in realizing human rights to advance global health. Looking beyond state obligations, the UN has called on all its specialized agencies to implement human rights across all their activities. With globalization compelling these UN institutions to meet an expanding set of global challenges to underlying determinants of health, human rights are guiding these international organizations in addressing public health. These international organizations within the UN system are actively engaged in implementing health-related human rights—in both their mission and their actions to carry out that mission. Through this mainstreaming of human rights, global health institutions have embraced human rights treaty obligations as a framework for global governance. Given the dramatic development of human rights law through the UN and the parallel proliferation of UN institutions devoted to global health and development, there arises an imperative to understand the implementation of human rights in global health governance. This special section analyzes the evolving focus on health and human rights in global governance, examining an expansive set of UN institutions that employ human rights in responding to public health challenges in a rapidly globalizing world. To understand the ways in which human rights are implemented, this special section examines the role of institutions across the UN system in the realization of human rights for public health. Drawing from our recent Oxford University Press volume on Human Rights in Global Health: Rights-Based Governance for a Globalizing World, this special section brings together several of the contributors to analyze ongoing efforts to reform UN institutions to mainstream human rights. These contributors—from academia, nongovernmental organizations, and the UN system—explore (1) the foundations of human rights as a framework for global governance, (2) the work of UN organizations across a range of health-related human rights, (3) the influence of rights-based economic governance on public health, and (4) the advancement of health through UN human rights institutions. Looking beyond the chapters in Human Rights in Global Health, this special section examines how international institutions are changing to meet the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), with sweeping implications for the mainstreaming of human rights for health across the UN.
Synonymous codon substitutions perturb cotranslational protein folding in vivo and impair cell fitness

In the cell, proteins are synthesized from N to C terminus and begin to fold during translation. Cotranslational folding mechanisms are therefore linked to elongation rate, which varies as a function of synonymous codon usage. However, synonymous codon substitutions can affect many distinct cellular processes, which has complicated attempts to deconvolve the extent to which synonymous codon usage can promote or frustrate proper protein folding in vivo. Although previous studies have shown that some synonymous changes can lead to different final structures, other substitutions will likely be more subtle, perturbing predominantly the protein folding pathway without radically altering the final structure. Here we show that synonymous codon substitutions encoding a single essential enzyme lead to dramatically slower cell growth. These mutations do not prevent active enzyme formation; instead, they predominantly alter the protein folding mechanism, leading to enhanced degradation in vivo. These results support a model in which synonymous codon substitutions can impair cell fitness by significantly perturbing cotranslational protein folding mechanisms, despite the chaperoning provided by the cellular protein homeostasis network.
PUF-RLA: A PUF-Based Reliable and Lightweight Authentication Protocol Employing Binary String Shuffling

Physically unclonable functions (PUFs) can be employed for device identification, authentication, secret key storage, and other security tasks. However, PUFs are susceptible to modeling attacks if a number of PUFs' challenge-response pairs (CRPs) are exposed to the adversary. Furthermore, many of the embedded devices requiring authentication have stringent resource constraints and thus require a lightweight authentication mechanism. We propose PUF-RLA, a PUF-based lightweight, highly reliable authentication scheme employing binary string shuffling. The proposed scheme enhances the reliability of PUF as well as alleviates the resource constraints by employing error correction in the server instead of the device without compromising the security. The proposed PUF-RLA is robust against brute force, replay, and modeling attacks. In PUF-RLA, we introduce an inexpensive yet secure stream authentication scheme inside the device which authenticates the server before the underlying PUF can be invoked. This prevents an adversary from brute forcing the device's PUF to acquire CRPs essentially locking out the device from unauthorized model generation. Additionally, we also introduce a lightweight CRP obfuscation mechanism involving XOR and shuffle operations. Results and security analysis verify that the PUF-RLA is secure against brute force, replay, and modeling attacks, and provides 99% reliable authentication. In addition, PUF-RLA provides a reduction of 63% and 74% for look-up tables (LUTs) and register count, respectively, in FPGA compared to a recently proposed approach while providing additional authentication advantages.
Tree decomposition of Reeb graphs, parametrized complexity, and applications to phylogenetics

Inspired by the interval decomposition of persistence modules and the extended Newick format of phylogenetic networks, we show that, inside the larger category of partially ordered Reeb graphs, every Reeb graph with n leaves and first Betti number s, can be identified with a coproduct of at most $$2^s$$ partially ordered trees with $$(n + s)$$ leaves. Reeb graphs are therefore classified up to isomorphism by their tree-decomposition. An implication of this result, is that the isomorphism problem for Reeb graphs is fixed parameter tractable when the parameter is the first Betti number. We propose partially ordered Reeb graphs as a model for time consistent phylogenetic networks and propose a certain Hausdorff distance as a metric on these structures.
Continuous single-mode scanning of tunable lasers: a new approach

We describe a novel method that allows for continuous single-mode scanning of tunable lasers over a large spectral range. The method, which is most applicable to lasers using a diffraction grating as dispersive element, is illustrated here as a modification to the grazing incidence pulsed dye laser.1
Nonlinear error field response in the presence of plasma rotation and real frequencies due to favorable curvature

We present nonlinear NIMROD resistive MHD simulations of the response of a rotating plasma to an error field when the plasma has weakly damped linear tearing modes (TMs), stabilized by a pressure gradient and favorable curvature. The favorable curvature leads to the Glasser effect: the occurrence of real frequencies and stabilization with positive stability index Δ ′. A cylinder with hollow pressure is used to model the toroidal favorable curvature. Linear simulations with rotation and an error field ψ w show that, in agreement with analytical results, the peak reconnected flux occurs for a rotation rate near the TM phase velocity. Nonlinear simulations with small ψ w show that the real frequency and stabilization by the favorable average curvature are masked by a nonlinear effect that occurs for very thin islands: flattening of the pressure across the island, mainly due to sound wave propagation. This flattening causes the disappearance of real frequency and destabilization of the mode, allowing it to grow to large amplitude similar to a β = 0 unstable TM. The flattening of the current for larger islands saturates the mode nonlinearly. In the post-saturation phase, the interaction of the error field with the destabilized spontaneous tearing mode, which rotates with the plasma, leads to oscillations in the Maxwell torque and therefore modulations in the plasma rotation. The islands also rotate with modulated phase velocity, undergoing small-amplitude oscillations due to these modulations. We also present a quasilinear model with an unstable spontaneous TM and error fields, showing that the superposition of these fields results in similar oscillations.
It's the fiber, not the fat: significant effects of dietary challenge on the gut microbiome

Dietary effects on the gut microbiome play key roles in the pathophysiology of inflammatory disorders, metabolic syndrome, obesity, and behavioral dysregulation. Often overlooked in such studies is the consideration that experimental diets vary significantly in the proportion and source of their dietary fiber. Commonly, treatment comparisons are made between animals fed a purchased refined diet that lacks soluble fiber and animals fed a standard vivarium-provided chow diet that contains a rich source of soluble fiber. Despite the well-established critical role of soluble fiber as the source of short chain fatty acid production via the gut microbiome, the extent to which measured outcomes are driven by differences in dietary fiber is unclear. Further, the interaction between sex and age in response to dietary transition is likely important and should also be considered. We compared the impact of transitioning young adult and 1-year aged male and female mice from their standard chow diet to a refined low soluble fiber diet on gut microbiota community composition. Then, to determine the contribution of dietary fat, we also examined the impact of transitioning a subset of animals from refined low-fat to refined high-fat diet. We used a serial sampling strategy coupled with 16S rRNA marker gene sequencing to examine consequences of recurrent dietary switching on gut microbiota community dynamics. Analysis revealed that the transition from a chow diet to a refined diet that lacks soluble fiber accounted for most of the variance in community structure, diversity, and composition across all groups. This dietary transition was characterized by a loss of taxa within the phylum Bacteroidetes and expansion of Clostridia and Proteobacteria in a sex- and age-specific manner. Most notably, no changes to gut microbiota community structure and composition were observed between mice consuming either refined low- or high-fat diet, suggesting that transition to the refined diet that lacks soluble fiber is the primary driver of gut microbiota alterations, with limited additional impact of dietary fat on gut microbiota. Collectively, our results show that the choice of control diet has a significant impact on outcomes and interpretation related to diet effects on gut microbiota. As the reduction of soluble fiber may influence synthesis of microbial metabolites that are important for regulating metabolic, immune, behavioral, and neurobiological outcomes, additional studies are now needed to fully delineate the contribution of fat and fiber on the gut microbiome.
A class of fully nonlinear equations

In this paper we consider a class of fully nonlinear equations which cover the equation introduced by S. Donaldson a decade ago and the equation introduced by Gursky-Streets recently. We solve the equation with uniform weak $C^2$ estimates, which hold for degenerate case.
Dynamics and topology of non-Hermitian elastic lattices with non-local feedback control interactions

We investigate non-Hermitian elastic lattices characterized by non-local feedback control interactions. In one-dimensional lattices, we show that the proportional control interactions produce complex dispersion relations characterized by gain and loss in opposite propagation directions. Depending on the non-local nature of the control interactions, the resulting non-reciprocity occurs in multiple frequency bands characterized by opposite non-reciprocal behavior. The dispersion topology is also investigated with focus on winding numbers and non-Hermitian skin effect, which manifests itself through bulk modes localized at the boundaries of finite lattices. In two-dimensional lattices, non-reciprocity is associated with directional dependent wave amplification. Moreover, the non-Hermitian skin effect manifests as modes localized at the boundaries of finite lattice strips, whose combined effect in two directions leads to the presence of bulk modes localized at the corners of finite two-dimensional lattices. Our results describe fundamental properties of non-Hermitian elastic lattices, and open new possibilities for the design of metamaterials with novel functionalities related to selective wave filtering, amplification and localization. The results also suggest that feedback interactions may be a useful strategy to investigate topological phases of non-Hermitian systems.
Inferring Diversity: Life After Shannon

The diversity of a community that cannot be fully counted must be inferred. The two preeminent inference methods are the MaxEnt method, which uses information in the form of constraints and Bayes’ rule which uses information in the form of data. It has been shown that these two methods are special cases of the method of Maximum (relative) Entropy (ME). We demonstrate how this method can be used as a measure of diversity that not only reproduces the features of Shannon’s index but exceeds them by allowing more types of information to be included in the inference. A specific example is solved in detail. Additionally, the entropy that is found is the same form as the thermodynamic entropy.
A sensor simulation framework for the testing and evaluation of external hazard monitors and integrated alerting and notification functions

ABSTRACT This paper discusses a sensor simulator/synthesizer framework that can be used to test and evaluate various sensor integration strategies for the implementation of an External Hazard Monitor (EHM) and Integrated Alerting and Notification (IAN) function as part of NA SAs Integrated Intelligent Flight Deck (IIFD) project. The IIFD project under the NASAs Aviation Safety program  pursues technologies related to the flight deck that ensure crew workload and situational awareness are both safely optimized and adapted to the future operational environment as envisioned by NextGen . Within the simulation framework, various inputs to the IIFD and its subsystems, the EHM and IAN, are simulated, synthesized from actual collected data, or played back from actual flight test sensor data. Sensors and avionics included in this framework are TCAS, ADS-B, Forward-Looking Infrared, Vision cameras, GPS, Inertial navigators, EGPWS, Laser Detection and Ranging sensors, altimeters, communication links with ATC, and weather radar. The framework is implemented in Simulink
Learning Domain Invariant Representations for Child-Adult Classification from Speech

Diagnostic procedures for ASD (autism spectrum disorder) involve semi-naturalistic interactions between the child and a clinician. Computational methods to analyze these sessions require an end-to-end speech and language processing pipeline that goes from raw audio to clinically-meaningful behavioral features. An important component of this pipeline is the ability to automatically detect who is speaking when i.e., perform child-adult speaker classification. This binary classification task is often confounded due to variability associated with the participants’ speech and background conditions. Further, scarcity of training data often restricts direct application of conventional deep learning methods. In this work, we address two major sources of variability–age of the child and data source collection location–using domain adversarial learning which does not require labeled target domain data. We use two methods, generative adversarial training with inverted label loss and gradient reversal layer to learn speaker embeddings invariant to the above sources of variability, and analyze different conditions under which the proposed techniques improve over conventional learning methods. Using a large corpus of ADOS-2 (autism diagnostic observation schedule, 2nd edition) sessions, we demonstrate up to 13.45% and 6.44% relative improvements over conventional learning methods.
Viscosity of Water in Clay Systems1

A method was devised for obtaining the activation energy for the viscous flow of a fluid through a porous medium and the method was applied to the flow of water through samples of Na-bentonite. The resulting activation energies were generally higher than the activation energy for the flow of pure water. The activation energy depended on the length of time the water was in contact with the clay and also on the particular sample. For any given sample, the water flow rate was negatively correlated with the activation energy, in accordance with theory. To help interpret these results, data are presented on the tension of water in Na-bentonite suspensions at different intervals of time after stirring. The water tension was near zero immediately after stirring but increased gradually with time. Simultaneously the suspension gelled. Data also are presented on the specific volumes of water, the activation energies for ion movement, the diffusion coefficients of chloride salts and the unfrozen water at–5°C in Li-, Na- and K-bentonite. The activation energies for ion movement and the amounts of unfrozen water were positively correlated with the specific volumes of the water, whereas the diffusion coefficients of the chloride salts were negatively correlated with the specific volumes of the water. In each clay the specific volume of the water and the activation energy for ion movement were higher than those in normal water. It is concluded that a water structure, which varies in extent with particle arrangement and the adsorbed cationic species, exists at the surface of clay particles. This structure bestows a high viscosity to the adsorbed water.
Budget Learning via Bracketing

Conventional machine learning applications in the mobile/IoT setting transmit data to a cloud-server for predictions. Due to cost considerations (power, latency, monetary), it is desirable to minimise device-to-server transmissions. The budget learning (BL) problem poses the learner's goal as minimising use of the cloud while suffering no discernible loss in accuracy, under the constraint that the methods employed be edge-implementable. We propose a new formulation for the BL problem via the concept of bracketings. Concretely, we propose to sandwich the cloud's prediction, $g,$ via functions $h^-, h^+$ from a `simple' class so that $h^- \le g \le h^+$ nearly always. On an instance $x$, if $h^+(x)=h^-(x)$, we leverage local processing, and bypass the cloud. We explore theoretical aspects of this formulation, providing PAC-style learnability definitions; associating the notion of budget learnability to approximability via brackets; and giving VC-theoretic analyses of their properties. We empirically validate our theory on real-world datasets, demonstrating improved performance over prior gating based methods.
The enslaved ontology: Peoples of the historic slave trade

Abstract We present the Enslaved Ontology (V1.0) which was developed for integrating data about the historic slave trade from diverse sources in a use case driven by historians. Ontology development followed modular ontology design principles as derived from ontology design pattern application best practices and the eXtreme Design Methodology. Ontology content focuses on data about historic persons and the event records from which this data can be taken. It also incorporates provenance modeling and some temporal and spatial aspects. The ontology is available as serialized in the Web Ontology Language OWL, and carries modularization annotations using the Ontology Pattern Language (OPLa). It is available under the Creative Commons CC BY 4.0 license.
On entropy and intrinsic ergodicity of coded subshifts

Any coded subshift X defined by a set C of code words contains a subshift, which we call L, consisting of limits of single code words. We show that when C satisfies a unique decomposition property, the topological entropy h(X) of X is determined completely by h(L) and the number of code words of each length. More specifically, we show that h(X) = h(L) exactly when a certain infinite series is less than or equal to 1, and when that series is greater than 1, we give a formula for h(X_C). In the latter case, an immediate corollary (using results of Climenhaga and Thompson) is that X has a unique measure of maximal entropy.
CHAPTER 3 – Messenger RNA

A typical human fibroblast cell contains approximately 1 pg of messenger RNA (mRNA), which is equivalent to about 106 molecules transcribed from a particular subset of an estimated 30,000 to 40,000 different genes. Although this mRNA heterogeneity reflects the equally diverse population of proteins that these mRNAs encode, a typical eukaryotic mRNA molecule shares several topological features with nearly all other mRNA molecules. Only 1% to 3% of the total RNA in the cytoplasm of a typical eukaryotic cell is mature mRNA; these mRNAs may be further subdivided into a particular mRNA species depending on the cytoplasmic prevalence or abundance. There are three such official categories: high abundance, medium abundance, and low abundance mRNAs. Highly abundant transcripts are present in hundreds of copies per cell. These are most often observed when a cell is producing an enormous quantity of a particular protein or is highly specialized or differentiated to perform a unique function. Medium abundance transcripts are best thought of as being present in dozens of copies per cell; often many genes with housekeeping functions manifest their mRNAs at this level of prevalence in the cell. Low abundance mRNAs are generally prevalent in 10 or fewer copies per cell and often are difficult to assay by many of the older, classical techniques—such as Northern analysis—without some form of enrichment to increase the statistical probability that such rare messages will be detectable.
A fluid description of plasma double-layers

This paper describes the space-charge double-layer that forms between two plasmas with different densities and thermal energies. Three progressively more realistic models are treated by fluid theory, taking into account four species of particles: electrons and ions reflected by the double-layer, and electrons and ions transmitted through it. First, the two plasmas are assumed to be cold, and the self-consistent potential, electric field and space-charge distributions within the double-layer are determined. Second, the effects of thermal velocities are taken into account for the reflected particles, and the modifications to the cold plasma solutions are established. Third, the further modifications due to thermal velocities of the transmitted particles are examined. The applicability of a one-dimensional fluid description, rather than plasma kinetic theory, is discussed. One valuable product of this description is the potential difference across the double- layer in terms of the parameters of the two plasmas which it separates. A useful length parameter is defined characterizing the distance over which most of this potential is dropped. Comparisons are then made between theoretical predictions, and double-layer potentials and lengths deduced from laboratory and space plasma experiments.
Distributed multi-target search and tracking using the PHD filter

This paper proposes a distributed estimation and control algorithm that enables a team of mobile robots to search for and track an unknown number of targets. These targets may be stationary or moving, and the number of targets may vary over time as targets enter and leave the area of interest. The robots are equipped with sensors that have a finite field of view and may experience false negative and false positive detections. The robots use a novel, distributed formulation of the Probability Hypothesis Density (PHD) filter, which accounts for the limitations of the sensors, to estimate the number of targets and the positions of the targets. The robots then use Lloyd’s algorithm, a distributed control algorithm that has been shown to be effective for coverage and search tasks, to drive their motion within the environment. We utilize the output of the PHD filter as the importance weighting function within Lloyd’s algorithm. This causes the robots to be drawn towards areas that are likely to contain targets. We demonstrate the efficacy of our proposed algorithm, including comparisons to a coverage-based controller with a uniform importance weighting function, through an extensive series of simulated experiments. These experiments show teams of 10–100 robots successfully tracking 10–50 targets in both 2D and 3D environments.
The Perils of Parity: Should Citizen Science and Traditional Research Follow the Same Ethical and Privacy Principles?

The individual right of access to one’s own data is a crucial privacy protection long recognized in U.S. federal privacy laws. Mobile health devices and research software used in citizen science of...
8 – Economic Aspects

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses how the replacement of the two older chlor-alkali technology by membrane technology is continuing. By far the largest application for the fluorinated ionomer is as a separator in chlor-alkali cells. There was a significant increase in capacity in the membrane process and a reduction in the other technologies. In 2003, the worldwide capacity by the membrane process was 20.3 million tons of chlorine per year. More recent updates indicate a total caustic capacity of about 75 million tons per year in 2009, with a share of 50 million tons by the membrane process. Actual production rate by the membrane process was about 40 million tons per year. Note that the most recent data are for caustic, not chlorine, production. With an average service life of slightly more than 3 years, the membrane replacement business is about $180 million per year. In terms of geographic distribution, chlorine production in the older industrial countries was either stagnant (Western Europe) or declining (North America), with a modest replacement of their older technologies (mercury and asbestos, respectively) by new membrane installations. Chlorine capacity in Asia increased substantially where membrane technology was the dominant process. The current market for polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) fuel cells can be divided into three main categories: portable power, stationary power, and transportation. This is further divided into five groups. Portable and the related small stationary power together account for about 85% of all the installed units, transportation for about 12%, and large stationary power for only a small fraction. For large stationary power, other fuel cell systems, such as phosphoric acid, or different technologies, may be more economical.
NETWORK EFFECTS AND WELFARE CULTURES

We empirically examine the role of social networks in welfare participation using data on language spoken at home to better infer networks within an area. Our empirical strategy asks whether being surrounded by others who speak the same language increases welfare use more for those from high welfare-using language groups. This methodology allows us to include local area and language group fixed effects and to control for the direct effect of being surrounded by one’s language group; these controls eliminate many of the problems in previous studies. The results strongly confirm the importance of networks in welfare participation.
Open problem: Tightness of maximum likelihood semidefinite relaxations

We have observed an interesting, yet unexplained, phenomenon: Semidefinite programming (SDP) based relaxations of maximum likelihood estimators (MLE) tend to be tight in recovery problems with noisy data, even when MLE cannot exactly recover the ground truth. Several results establish tightness of SDP based relaxations in the regime where exact recovery from MLE is possible. However, to the best of our knowledge, their tightness is not understood beyond this regime. As an illustrative example, we focus on the generalized Procrustes problem.
Immigration Challenges of the Past Decade and Future Reforms

Over the past decade, immigrants have faced numerous challenges in the United States, including a dramatic increase in deportations, the expansion and privatization of immigration detention, major changes to the asylum system combined with drastic cutbacks in refugee admissions, and a new wave of racism and xenophobia. This Article discusses these challenges and explores possible ways to address them in 2020 and beyond.
Is happiness U-shaped everywhere? Age and subjective well-being in 145 countries

A large empirical literature has debated the existence of a U-shaped happiness-age curve. This paper re-examines the relationship between various measures of well-being and age in 145 countries, including 109 developing countries, controlling for education and marital and labor force status, among others, on samples of individuals under the age of 70. The U-shape of the curve is forcefully confirmed, with an age minimum, or nadir, in midlife around age 50 in separate analyses for developing and advanced countries as well as for the continent of Africa. The happiness curve seems to be everywhere. While panel data are largely unavailable for this issue, and the findings using such data largely confirm the cross-section results, the paper discusses insights on why cohort effects do not drive the findings. I find the age of the minima has risen over time in Europe and the USA.
On the distributional effects of exchange rate fluctuations

Abstract How do exchange rate movements affect different sectors of an economy? We address this question in a simple general equilibrium model, stressing the different exposures of various sectors to foreign competition, an aspect ignored in earlier contributions. The impact of exchange rate shifts is highly heterogenous across sectors. While a depreciation leads to a substantial competitiveness and welfare gain for agents with a high exposure to foreign competition, agents facing mostly domestic competition are adversely affected.
Chapter 8 – Creep Behavior of Particle-Strengthened Alloys

This chapter will discuss the behavior of two types of materials that have creep properties enhanced by second phases. These materials contain particles with square or spherical aspect ratios that are both coherent and incoherent with the matrix, and are of relatively low volume fractions. This chapter is a review of work in this area, but it must be recognized that other reviews have been published and this chapter reflects the particularly high -quality reviews by Reppich and coworkers, Arzt, and others. It should also be mentioned that this chapter will emphasize those cases where there are relatively wide separations between the particles, or, statedaid another way, the volume fractions of the precipitate discussed here are nearly always less than 30% and usually less than 10%. This contrasts with the case of some γ/γ′ alloys where the precipitate, γ′, occupies a substantial volume fraction of the alloys; these that are discussed in Chapter 11.
WHAT WOULD YOU DO? CHALLENGES IN KNEE SURGERY

This session will deal with common problems and challenges in knee arthroplasty surgery. It will include discussion of indications, surgical options, surgical technique, and management of complications. This symposium is intended to focus on common problems that face all of us as orthopaedic surgeons rather than deal with issues that are almost never encountered. The panel includes a group of experienced surgeons who deal with such problems in their own practice.
On the polarization of ligands by proteins

Although ligand-binding sites in many proteins contain a high number density of charged side chains that can polarize small organic molecules and influence binding, the magnitude of this effect has not been studied in many systems. Here, we use a quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics (QM/MM) approach, in which the ligand is the QM region, to compute the ligand polarization energy of 286 protein-ligand complexes from the PDBBind Core Set (release 2016). Calculations were performed both with and without implicit solvent based on the domain decomposition Conductor-like Screening Model. We observe that the ligand polarization energy is linearly correlated with the magnitude of the electric field acting on the ligand, the magnitude of the induced dipole moment, and the classical polarization energy. The influence of protein and cation charges on the ligand polarization diminishes with the distance and is below 2 kcal mol-1 at 9 A and 1 kcal mol-1 at 12 A. Compared to these embedding field charges, implicit solvent has a relatively minor effect on ligand polarization. Considering both polarization and solvation appears essential to computing negative binding energies in some crystallographic complexes. Solvation, but not polarization, is essential for achieving moderate correlation with experimental binding free energies.