cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Effect of Loading Pattern on Thermal and Shielding Performance of a Spent Fuel Cask

Two key considerations that must be addressed in licensing spent fuel storage systems are peak cladding temperatures and surface dose rates. Generally, storage systems are approved for a uniform loading of a design basis fuel. This analytical study addresses the effect of non-uniform loading patterns on peak fuel temperatures and cask surface dose rates. Three radial power distributions are considered: uniform loading, hotter assemblies in the center of the cask, and hotter assemblies near the wall of the cask. This paper summarizes the results of an analytical study [1] in which it was shown that, for the same total heat load in a cask, peak fuel temperatures are reduced by loading hotter assemblies around the outside of the cask’s basket. It was also shown that loading the hotter assemblies around the outside of the cask results in modest increases in surface dose rates.Copyright © 2002 by ASME
Energetics and dipole moment of transition metal monoxides by quantum Monte Carlo

The transition metal (TM) oxygen bond appears very prominently throughout chemistry and solid-state physics. Many materials, from biomolecules to ferroelectrics to the components of supernova remnants, contain this bond in some form. Many of these materials’ properties depend strongly on fine details of the TM–O bond, which makes accurate calculations of their properties very challenging. Here the authors report on highly accurate first principles calculations of the properties of TM monoxide molecules within fixed-node diffusion Monte Carlo and reptation Monte Carlo.
A theory of stopping time games with applications to product innovations and asset sales

In this paper, the pure strategy subgame perfect equilibria of a general class of stopping time games are studied. It is shown that there always exists a natural class of Markov Perfect Equilibria, called stopping equilibria. Such equilibria can be computed as a solution of a single agent stopping time problem, rather than of a fixed point problem. A complete characterization of stopping equilibria is presented. Conditions are given under which the outcomes of such equilibria span the set of all possible outcomes from perfect equilibria. Two economic applications of the theory, product innovations and the timing of asset sales, are discussed.
Acute Tocolysis for Fetal Distress: Terbutaline Versus Magnesium Sulphate

Summary: Forty-six women in active labour who developed fetal distress requiring abdominal delivery were randomized to receive 0.25 mg of terbutaline (subcutaneously) or magnesium sulphate as a 4-g bolus (intravenously) to decrease uterine activity. The terbutaline-treated group in contrast to the magnesium sulphate-treated group had reduced uterine activity as measured by Montevideo units (p <0.002). This decrease in uterine activity was noted more rapidly in all 23 patients who received terbutaline, 1.8 ±0.74 minutes compared to 7.5 ±2.1 minutes in the 16 of 23 patients (magnesium sulphate-treated women) in whom a decrease in uterine activity occurred (p <0.001). Umbilical cord arterial blood pH at delivery was less than 7.20 in only 2 of the 23 patients treated with terbutaline versus 7 of the 23 in the magnesium sulphate-treated group. We conclude that terbutaline is an effective and more rapid-acting tocolytic agent to arrest uterine activity prior to delivery for fetal distress.
Contributions of Economists to the Housing-Price Bubble

There has been much discussion of what economists could have done differently to help avert the 2007 financial crisis and "Great Recession" that followed. One issue concerns information supplied by economists to the general public about causes of high appreciation in home prices and their likely future course, as good information could have helped the public hedge their finances against downside risks while bad information may have encouraged them to take on too much risk. This paper analyzes data on views of economists quoted in California newspapers as to whether bubbles were forming in the state's housing markets. We find that the public was fairly decently served by economists offering their views via the media — although with some significant problems of biased forecasts not made in good faith, and of inattention to concerns about "harm avoidance" that ought to apply when economists share their opinions in this way.
Collapse and fragmentation of molecular cloud cores. IX. Magnetic braking of initially filamentary clouds

The collapse and fragmentation of initially filamentary, magnetic molecular clouds are calculated in three dimensions with a gravitational, radiative hydrodynamics code. The code includes magnetic field effects in an approximate manner: magnetic pressure, tension, braking, and ambipolar diffusion are all modeled. The parameters varied are the ratio of the ambipolar diffusion time to the free-fall time at the center of the filamentary cloud (tad/tff = 10, 20, or 106 ~ ∞), the cloud's reference magnetic field strength (Boi = 0, 200, or 300 μG—the latter two values leading to magnetically subcritical clouds), the ratio of rotational to gravitational energy of the filament (10-4 or 10-2), and the efficiency of magnetic braking (represented by a factor fmb = 0, 10-4, or 10-3). Three types of outcomes are observed: direct collapse and fragmentation into a multiple protostar system (models with Boi = 0), periodic contraction and expansion without collapse (models with tad/tff = 106), or periodic contraction and expansion leading eventually to collapse on a timescale of ~6tff-12tff (all other models). Because the computational grid is a finite-volume sphere, the expanding clouds bounce off the spherical boundary and recollapse toward the center of the spherical grid, leading to the periodic formation of shocked regions where the infalling gas collides with itself, forming dense layers susceptible to sustained collapse and eventual fragmentation. The models develop weakly supersonic velocity fields as a result of rebounding prior to collapse. The models show that magnetically supported clouds subject to magnetic braking can undergo dynamic collapse leading to protostellar fragmentation on scales of 10-100 AU, consistent with typical binary star separations.
The practice of general internal medicine by subspecialists

To determine the proportion of specialists in internal medicine at a university medical center practicing general internal medicine in addition to their specialty, full-time and voluntary faculty were asked to complete a questionnaire concerning their practice patterns. In addition, the directories of two of the largest managed-care groups in the area were reviewed to identify physicians who were also faculty members, to determine whether faculty in these directories self-identified as general internists. Excluding those with primary research appointments, 303 faculty in the Department of Medicine were asked to participate. Of these, 187 (62%) responded, of whom 86 (46%) were full-time and 101 (54%) voluntary faculty. Of the respondents, 183 (98%) were either board certified (152; 81%) or board eligible (31; 17%) in a subspecialty. Both general internal medicine and specialty medicine were practiced by 116 (65%), with full-time faculty being more likely to have solely subspecialty practices (P<001). The majority of faculty (150; 80%) participated in managed care. A review of directories of two managed-care groups revealed that 100 (87%) of the 115 faculty with appointments within subspecialty divisions of the Department of Medicine were listed as general internists. Subspecialists in internal medicine already spend considerable time practicing general medicine and are increasingly willing to identify themselves as generalists. Unless this is recognized, the future need for generalists may be overestimated considerably.
Regioselective synthesis of 1,3,5-13C3 and 2,4-13C2-labeled 2-deoxyribonolactones.

The synthesis of 1,3,5-13C3- and 2,4-13C2-labeled 5-O-bromobenzyl-2-deoxyribonolactones 2, precursors to 13C-enriched nucleoside phosphoramidites for solid-phase synthesis of DNA oligonucletides, is described. An equimolar combination of these two multiply labeled lactones affords a “population-labeled” mixture of isotopomers which exhibits an approximately 50-fold increase in the sensitivity of 13C-NMR compared to natural abundance measurements. The 13C-13C 2-bond and 4-bond coupling constants are reported for the lactones; all are < 2 Hz, confirming that this labeling scheme should be especially useful for NMR-relaxation measurements.
Thermally Induced Vibration of an Internally Heated Beam

Virtually all previous research on thermally induced vibrations has investigated vibrations caused by surface heating. This paper describes the first detailed study of a thermally induced vibration caused by internal heating. A mathematical model was developed to predict the thermal-structural behavior of an internally heated beam. The results from the model were verified using experimental data for an internally heated beam undergoing thermally induced vibrations. The model was shown to predict the steady-state temperatures accurately. The model predicted the steady-state displacements adequately, although it predicted the displacement histories with some error. The analysis showed that the natural frequency of the beam was more important than the heating rate in determining if vibrations will occur. Once initiated, the amplitude of the vibration increased until the amplitude was such that the heat removed by convection balanced the internal heating. The steady-state amplitude was not affected by the initial displacement of the beam. The convection heat transfer caused the vibrations and controlled the steady-state amplitude. This study showed that thermally induced vibrations of internally heated beams belong to the class of vibrations called self-sustaining oscillations.
GPU-based ultra-fast direct aperture optimization for online adaptive radiation therapy.

Online adaptive radiation therapy (ART) has great promise to significantly reduce normal tissue toxicity and/or improve tumor control through real-time treatment adaptations based on the current patient anatomy. However, the major technical obstacle for clinical realization of online ART, namely the inability to achieve real-time efficiency in treatment re-planning, has yet to be solved. To overcome this challenge, this paper presents our work on the implementation of an intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) direct aperture optimization (DAO) algorithm on the graphics processing unit (GPU) based on our previous work on the CPU. We formulate the DAO problem as a large-scale convex programming problem, and use an exact method called the column generation approach to deal with its extremely large dimensionality on the GPU. Five 9-field prostate and five 5-field head-and-neck IMRT clinical cases with 5 × 5 mm2 beamlet size and 2.5 × 2.5 × 2.5 mm3 voxel size were tested to evaluate our algorithm on the GPU. It takes only 0.7–3.8 s for our implementation to generate high-quality treatment plans on an NVIDIA Tesla C1060 GPU card. Our work has therefore solved a major problem in developing ultra-fast (re-)planning technologies for online ART.
Microfluidic assembly blocks

An assembly approach for microdevice construction using prefabricated microfluidic components is presented. Although microfluidic systems are convenient platforms for biological assays, their use in the life sciences is still limited mainly due to the high-level fabrication expertise required for construction. This approach involves prefabrication of individual microfluidic assembly blocks (MABs) in PDMS that can be readily assembled to form microfluidic systems. Non-expert users can assemble the blocks on glass slides to build their devices in minutes without any fabrication steps. In this paper, we describe the construction and assembly of the devices using the MAB methodology, and demonstrate common microfluidic applications including laminar flow development, valve control, and cell culture.
Conversion of Carbon–Fluorine Bonds α to Transition Metal Centers to Carbon–Hydrogen, Carbon–Carbon, and Carbon–Heteroatom Bonds

Pseudo-tetrahedral primary fluoroalkyl complexes of iridium provide a template on which to study the stereoselectivity of carbon–fluorine bond activation α to iridium by external protic acids. Coupled with migration of internal nucleophiles, this reaction leads to diastereoselective formation of new carbon–oxygen, carbon–sulfur, carbon–hydrogen, and carbon–carbon bonds. Stereochemical studies of the conformational properties of starting fluoroalkyl complexes and relativestereocenter configurations for diastereomeric products, together with kinetic studies of reactions in different solvents, allow a self-consistent mechanism for these reactions to be established. (© Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, 69451 Weinheim, Germany, 2009)
The Distribution of High- and Low-Redshift Type IA Supernovae

The distribution of high-redshift Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) with respect to projected distance from the center of the host galaxy is studied and compared with the distribution of local SNe. The distribution of high-z SNe Ia is found to be similar to that of the local sample of SNe Ia discovered with CCDs, but different than that of the sample discovered photographically. This is shown to be due to the Shaw effect. These results have implications for the use of SNe Ia to determine cosmological parameters if the local sample of supernovae used to calibrate the light-curve decline relationships is drawn from a sample discovered photographically. A K-S test shows that the probability that the high-redshift SNe of the Supernova Cosmology Project are drawn from the same distribution as the low-redshift calibrators of Riess et al. is 0.1%. This is a potential problem because photographically discovered SNe are preferentially discovered farther away from the galaxy nucleus, where SNe show a lower scatter in absolute magnitude and are on average 0.3 mag fainter than SNe located closer to the center of their host galaxy. This raises questions about whether or not the calibration SNe sample the full range of parameters potentially present in high-redshift SNe Ia. The limited data available suggest that the calibration process is adequate; however, it would be preferable if high-redshift SNe and the low-redshift SNe used to calibrate them were drawn from the same sample, as subtle differences may be important. Data are also presented that suggest that the seeming anti-Malmquist trend noticed by Tammann et al. for SNe Ia in galaxies with Cepheid distances may be due to the location of the SNe in their host galaxies.
Computerized Image Analysis of Dielectric Breakdown Phenomena in Polyethylene

Quantitative measurement of trees, voids, and inclusions in polyethylene insulated cables is a very tedious job which can be greatly simplified by the application of computerized image analysis. Improved sample preparation methods and the application of image analysis to the automated quantification of these features is discussed. Currently employed counting methods in which small numbers of features are measured and distributions are calculated based on predicted fits are judged excessively inaccurate to be of significant use. The work described herein concerns the initial development of this improved method of quantification of features of interest in PE insulated cable insulation and some examples of its application.
Supersonic Combustion of Hydrogen Injected Perpendicular to a Ducted Vitiated Airstream

The reaction of hydrogen injected into a supersonic vitiated airstream from perpendicular injectors equally spaced over opposite walls of a two-dimensional duct is experimentally investigated. Information is obtained in the form of pitot pressure and gas sample surveys of the duct exit flow and static pressures along the duct walls for several injector arrangements differing in number, spacing, and size of injectors and operating at two levels of equivalence ratio. The amount of the injected hydrogen reacted is deduced from the static pressure data using a one-dimensional theory and is correlated with relative injection pressure and injector spacing-to-diameter ratio. These results are used with a mixing distribution correlation derived from nonreacting hydrogen-air results to predict static pressure distributions.
RELEAF: An Algorithm for Learning and Exploiting Relevance

Recommender systems, medical diagnosis, network security, etc., require on-going learning and decision-making in real time. These—and many others—represent perfect examples of the opportunities and difficulties presented by Big Data: the available information often arrives from a variety of sources and has diverse features so that learning from all the sources may be valuable but integrating what is learned is subject to the curse of dimensionality. This paper develops and analyzes algorithms that allow efficient learning and decision-making while avoiding the curse of dimensionality. We formalize the information available to the learner/decision-maker at a particular time as a context vector which the learner should consider when taking actions. In general the context vector is very high dimensional, but in many settings, the most relevant information is embedded into only a few relevant dimensions. If these relevant dimensions were known in advance, the problem would be simple—but they are not. Moreover, the relevant dimensions may be different for different actions. Our algorithm learns the relevant dimensions for each action, and makes decisions based in what it has learned. Formally, we build on the structure of a contextual multi-armed bandit by adding and exploiting a relevance relation. We prove a general regret bound for our algorithm whose time order depends only on the maximum number of relevant dimensions among all the actions, which in the special case where the relevance relation is single-valued (a function), reduces to $\mathtilde{O}(T^{2(\sqrt{2}-1)})$ ; in the absence of a relevance relation, the best known contextual bandit algorithms achieve regret $\mathtilde{O}(T^{(D+1)/(D+2)})$ , where $D$ is the full dimension of the context vector. Our algorithm alternates between exploring and exploiting and does not require observing outcomes during exploitation (so allows for active learning). Moreover, during exploitation, suboptimal actions are chosen with arbitrarily low probability. Our algorithm is tested on datasets arising from network security and online news article recommendations.
Splaying a search tree in preorder takes linear time

In this paper we prove that if the nodes of an arbitrary no-node binary search tree T are splayed in the preorder sequence of T then the total time is O(n). This is a special case of the splay tree traversal conjecture of Sleator and Tarjan.
Optimal Design of Resonance Suppression Helical Springs

Based on a previously developed and verified helical spring dynamic model, optimization and FFT subroutines have been added to the spring dynamic model as controlling and postprocessing units to form a computer-based optimal design tool. The objective function minimized is the amplitude of spring resonance. Design variables are the coefficients of a polynomial which describes the variation of the diameter of the spring wire along the spring helix. Constraints are the maximum fatigue stress at any location of the spring wire, the minimum and maximum wire diameter, and the maximum required spring force. In a case study for an automobile engine valve spring, resonant harmonic power has been reduced by 47 percent, given the newly designed spring a potential to be used at 8.3 percent higher engine speed before potential valve toss occurs.
Supply Contracts with Financial Hedging

We study the performance of a stylized supply chain where two firms, a retailer and a producer, compete in a Stackelberg game. The retailer purchases a single product from the producer and afterward sells it in the retail market at a stochastic clearance price. The retailer, however, is budget constrained and is therefore limited in the number of units that he may purchase from the producer. We also assume that the retailer's profit depends in part on the realized path or terminal value of some observable stochastic process. We interpret this process as a financial process such as a foreign exchange rate or interest rate. More generally, the process can be interpreted as any relevant economic index. We consider a variation (the flexible contract) of the traditional wholesale price contract that is offered by the producer to the retailer. Under this flexible contract, at t = 0 the producer offers a menu of wholesale prices to the retailer, one for each realization of the financial process up to a future time τ. The retailer then commits to purchasing at time τ a variable number of units, with the specific quantity depending on the realization of the process up to time τ. Because of the retailer's budget constraint, the supply chain might be more profitable if the retailer was able to shift some of the budget from states where the constraint is not binding to states where it is binding. We therefore consider a variation of the flexible contract, where we assume that the retailer is able to trade dynamically between zero and τ in the financial market. We refer to this variation as the flexible contract with hedging. We compare the decentralized competitive solution for the two contracts with the solutions obtained by a central planner. We also compare the supply chain's performance across the two contracts. We find, for example, that the producer always prefers the flexible contract with hedging to the flexible contract without hedging. Depending on model parameters, however, the retailer might or might not prefer the flexible contract with hedging.
On periodic matrix-valued Weyl–Titchmarsh functions

Abstract We consider a certain class of Herglotz–Nevanlinna matrix-valued functions which can be realized as the Weyl–Titchmarsh matrix-valued function of some symmetric operator and its self-adjoint extension. New properties of Weyl–Titchmarsh matrix-valued functions as well as a new version of the functional model for such realizations are presented. In the case of periodic Herglotz–Nevanlinna matrix-valued functions, we provide a complete characterization of their realizations in terms of the corresponding functional model. We also obtain properties of a symmetric operator and its self-adjoint extension which generate a periodic Weyl–Titchmarsh matrix-valued function. We study pairs of operators (a symmetric operator and its self-adjoint extension) with constant Weyl–Titchmarsh matrix-valued functions and establish connections between such pairs of operators and representations of the canonical commutation relations for unitary groups of operators in Weyl's form. As a consequence of such an approach, we obtain the Stone–von Neumann theorem for two unitary groups of operators satisfying the commutation relations as well as some extension and refinement of the classical functional model for generators of those groups. Our examples include multiplication operators in weighted spaces, first and second order differential operators, as well as the Schrodinger operator with linear potential and its perturbation by bounded periodic potential.
On contracting for uncertain R&D

Using a two-stage model, this paper studies auctions of research and development (R&D) contracts when the outcome of research is uncertain. The agent is contracted by the principal to invent a new product or a new process. The principal selects the most capable agent through an auction and writes an incentive contract with the winning agent to share risks. The main finding of the paper is that the generally superior incentive contracts might not be desirable under plausible conditions in R&D contracting. In particular, we find that the principal prefers a cost-plus contract in cases of large R&D projects or rising innovation benefits, but would prefer a fixed-price contract when the number of bidders increases. An alternate elasticity interpretation of results holds promise for empirical analysis. Public policy implications are finally discussed. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Implicitization of rational parametric equations

Abstract Based on the Grobner basis method, we present algorithms for a complete solution to the following problems in the implicitization of a set of rational parametric equations. (1) Find a basis of the implicit prime ideal determined by a set of rational parametric equations. (2) Decide whether the parameters of a set of rational parametric equations are independent. (3) If the parameters of a set of rational parametric equations are not independent, reparameterize the parametric equations so that the new parametric equations have independent parameters. (4) Compute the inversion maps of parametric equations, and as a consequence, give a method to decide whether a set of parametric equations is proper. (5) In the case of algebraic curves, find a proper reparameterization for a set of improper parametric equations.
Silver-Catalyzed Vinylogous Fluorination of Vinyl Diazoacetates

A silver-catalyzed vinylogous fluorination of vinyl diazoacetates to generate γ-fluoro-α,β-unsaturated carbonyls is presented. Application of this method to the fluorination of farnesol and steroid derivatives was achieved.
A compact electroactive polymer actuator suitable for refreshable Braille display

The large strain, high elastic modulus, and easy processing of poly(vinylidene fluoride-trifluoroethylene-chlorofluoroethylene) (P(VDF-TrFE-CFE)) electrostrictive terpolymer make it very attractive to replace low strain piezoceramics and piezopolymers in many applications with much improved performance. In this paper, a compact polymer actuator is developed utilizing the electrostrictive terpolymer, which is suitable for full page Braille display and graphic display. Key issues related to the reliability of electroactive polymers used in the compact actuators and for the mass fabrication of these polymer actuators are investigated. Making use of a recently developed conductive polymer, a screen printing deposition method was developed which enables direct deposition of very thin conductive polymer electrode layer (<0.1 μm) with strong bonding to the terpolymer surface and short fabrication time. It was observed that the thin conductive polymer electrodes lead to the self-healing of the polymer after electric breakdown. An electroactive polymer (EAP) compact Braille actuator was designed and fabricated with these terpolymer films wound on a spring core. The test results demonstrate that the EAP Braille actuator meets all the functional requirements of actuators for refreshable full Braille display, which offers compact size, reduced cost and weight.
Improving Transient Performance of Adaptive Control Architectures using Frequency-Limited System Error Dynamics

Although adaptive control theory offers mathematical tools to achieve system performance without excessive reliance on dynamical system models, its applications to safety-critical systems can be limited due to poor transient performance and robustness. In this paper, we develop an adaptive control architecture to achieve stabilisation and command following of uncertain dynamical systems with improved transient performance. Our framework consists of a new reference system and an adaptive controller. The proposed reference system captures a desired closed-loop dynamical system behaviour modified by a mismatch term representing the high-frequency content between the uncertain dynamical system and this reference system, i.e., the system error. In particular, this mismatch term allows the frequency content of the system error dynamics to be limited, which is used to drive the adaptive controller. It is shown that this key feature of our framework yields fast adaptation without incurring high-frequency oscillat...
Structure of Restacked MoS2 and WS2 Elucidated by Electron Crystallography

There has been a lot of confusion about the nature of restacked MoS2 and WS2. The structure has been proposed to be trigonal TiS2 type with octahedral M4+ and called 1T-MoS2. The presence of a distortion in the metal plane that gives rise to a superstructure has been suggested. We have performed electron crystallographic studies on small (submicron) single crystal domains of restacked WS2 and MoS2 to solve their superstructure. We find that what initially seems to be a trigonal crystal is actually a “triplet” of three individual orthorhombic crystals. Using two-dimensional hk0 data from films for both “triple” and “single” crystals we calculated corresponding Patterson projections, which reveal a severe distortion in the Mo/W plane, forming infinite zigzag chains. The projection of the structure suggests M−M distances of 2.92 and 2.74 A for MoS2 and WS2, respectively. Least-squares refinement from the single-crystal data gives R1 = 13.3% for WS2 and R1 = 15.3% for MoS2. Therefore, we submit that restacked...
A closer look at keyboard acoustic emanations: random passwords, typing styles and decoding techniques

We take a closer look at keyboard acoustic emanations specifically for the purpose of eavesdropping over random passwords. In this scenario, dictionary and HMM language models are not applicable; the attacker can only utilize the raw acoustic information which has been recorded. We investigate several existing signal processing techniques for our purpose, and introduce a novel technique -- time-frequency decoding -- that improves the detection accuracy compared to previous techniques. We also carefully examine the effect of typing style -- a crucial variable largely ignored by prior research -- on the detection accuracy. Our results show that using the same typing style (hunt and peck) for both training and decoding the data, the best case success rate for detecting correctly the typed key is 64% per character. The results also show that changing the typing style, to touch typing, during the decoding stage reduces the success rate, but using the time-frequency technique, we can still achieve a success rate of around 40% per character.Our work takes the keyboard acoustic attack one step further, bringing it closer to a full-fledged vulnerability under realistic scenarios (different typing styles and random passwords). Our results suggest that while the performance of these attacks degrades under such conditions, it is still possible, utilizing the time-frequency technique, to considerably reduce the exhaustive search complexity of retrieving a random password.
Parietal lesions produce illusory conjunction errors in rats

When several different objects are presented, visual objects are perceived correctly only if their features are identified and then bound together. Illusory-conjunction errors result when an object is correctly identified but is combined incorrectly. The parietal cortex (PPC) has been shown repeatedly to play an important role in feature binding. The present study builds on a series of recent studies that have made use of visual search paradigms to elucidate the neural system involved in feature binding. This experiment attempts to define the role the PPC plays in binding the properties of a visual object that varies on the features of color and size in rats. Rats with PPC lesions or control surgery were exposed to three blocks of 20 trials administered over a 1-week period, with each block containing ten-one feature and ten-two feature trials. The target object consisted of one color object (e.g. black and white) and one size object (e.g. short and tall). Of the ten one feature trials, five of the trials were tailored specifically for size discrimination and five for color discrimination. In the two-feature condition, the animal was required to locate the targeted object among four objects with two objects differing in size and two objects differing in color. The results showed a significant decrease in learning the task for the PPC lesioned rats compared to controls, especially for the two-feature condition. Based on a subsequent error analysis for color and size, the results showed a significant increase in illusory conjunction errors for the PPC lesioned rats relative to controls for color and relative to color discrimination, suggesting that the PPC may support feature binding as it relates to color. There was an increase in illusory conjunctions errors for both the PPC lesioned and control animals for size, but this appeared to be due to a difficulty with size discrimination.
Network utility maximization over partially observable Markovian channels

Abstract We study throughput utility maximization in a multi-user network with partially observable Markovian channels. Here, instantaneous channel states are unavailable and all controls are based on partial channel information provided by ACK/NACK feedback from past transmissions. Equivalently, we formulate a restless multi-armed bandit problem in which we seek to maximize concave functions of the time average reward vector. Such problems are generally intractable and in our problem the set of all achievable throughput vectors is unknown. We use an achievable region approach by optimizing the utility functions over a non-trivial reduced throughput region, constructed by randomizing well-designed round robin policies. Using a new ratio MaxWeight rule, we design admission control and channel scheduling policies that stabilize the network with throughput utility that is near-optimal within the reduced throughput region. The ratio MaxWeight rule generalizes existing MaxWeight-type policies for the optimization of frame-based control systems with policy-dependent frame sizes. Our results are applicable to limited channel probing in wireless networks, dynamic spectrum access in cognitive radio networks, and target tracking of unmanned aerial vehicles.
Designing a Carbon Tax to Reduce U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions

AbstractThis article describes a revenue and distributionally neutral approach to reducing U.S. greenhouse gas emissions that uses a carbon tax. The revenue from the carbon tax is used to finance a...
Removal of metallic bodies with the aid of a metal locator

Abstract 1. 1. A metal locator is a definite addition to operating room equipment. 2. 2. Two case reports are submitted.
Five Dwarf Novae with Orbital Periods below Two Hours

We give mean spectra and report orbital periods Porb based on radial velocities taken near minimum light for five dwarf novae, all of which prove to have Porb<2 hr. The stars and their periods are KX Aql, 0.06035(3) day; FT Cam, 0.07492(8) day; PU CMa, 0.05669(4) day; V660 Her, 0.07826(8) day; and DM Lyr, 0.06546(6) day. The emission lines in KX Aql are notably strong and broad, and the other stars' spectra appear generally typical for short‐period dwarf novae. We observed FT Cam, PU CMa, and DM Lyr on more than one observing run and constrain their periods accordingly. Differential time‐series photometry of FT Cam shows strong flickering but rules out deep eclipses. Although dwarf novae in this period range generally show the superhumps and superoutbursts characteristic of the SU UMa subclass of dwarf novae, none of these objects have well‐observed superhumps.
Studies of X-ray production following charge exchange recombination between highly charged ions and neutral atoms and molecules

We have used microcalorimeters built by the NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center and the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory SuperEBIT electron beam ion trap to measure X-ray emission produced by charge exchange reactions between highly charged ions colliding with neutral helium, hydrogen, and nitrogen gas. Our measurements show the spectral dependence on neutral species and also show the distinct differences between spectra produced by charge exchange reactions and those produced by direct electron-impact excitation. These results are part of an ongoing experimental investigation at the LLNL SuperEBIT facility of charge exchange spectral signatures and can be used to interpret X-ray spectra produced by a variety of laboratory and celestial sources including cometary and planetary atmospheres, the Earth's magnetosheath, the heliosphere, and tokamaks.
Radical surgical cytoreduction in the treatment of ovarian carcinosarcoma.

Abstract Objective Carcinosarcomas are rare and aggressive ovarian malignancies. Treatment recommendations, which include surgical cytoreduction followed by platinum based chemotherapy, have been based on small amounts of retrospective data or extrapolated from experience with high-grade epithelial ovarian adenocarcinoma. Our objective was to determine the effects of radical primary cytoreduction on progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS). Methods Following IRB approval, records of women with ovarian carcinosarcomas diagnosed between 2000 and 2012 at our institution were reviewed. Demographics, tumor characteristics, treatments, PFS, and OS were collected. Patients were divided into three groups based on the amount of residual disease: >1cm of disease, ≤1cm of disease, or no visible disease. Chi-square and student's t-test were used to compare variables among groups. Kaplan–Meier survival curves were generated and compared with the log-rank test. Results 51 patients with ovarian carcinosarcoma were identified and all underwent primary cytoreductive surgery. Following surgical cytoreduction, 18 patients (35%) had no visible disease, 20 (39%) had ≤1cm of disease, and 13 (25%) had >1cm of residual disease. Median PFS varied significantly among groups: 29 vs. 21 vs. 2months (p=0.036) as did median OS: 57 vs. 32 vs. 11months (p=0.015). When patients with stage 3 disease were analyzed separately, median OS still varied significantly among groups: 57 versus 31 versus 3months (p=0.009). Conclusion Degree of surgical cytoreduction appears to correlate with PFS and OS. Radical surgery resulting in no visible disease is recommended for the upfront surgical treatment of ovarian carcinosarcoma.
Rotational spectra of p-anisaldehyde. Assignment of the planar conformers and observation of torsionally excited states

Abstract Rotational spectra of p -anisaldehyde were obtained at a very low temperature in a pulsed beam Fourier transform-microwave spectrometer and over a range of much higher temperatures in a continuous wave spectrometer. Two species with ground state rotational constants A = 4661.95(4) MHz, B =698.3951(1) MHz and C =610.0577(1) MHz, and A =4160.64(2) MHz, B =717.8407(1) MHz and C =614.8932(1) MHz, were observed in the beam and are consistent with planar anti and syn conformers, respectively. Relative intensities of the rotational transitions indicate that the two planar conformers have nearly equal energies. The anti and syn conformers produce low-resolution microwave (LRMW) band series with B + C values of 1311.2(5) MHz and 1334.9(3) MHz, respectively. A third band series with an intermediate B + C value, 1323.2(2) MHz, is observed in the LRMW spectrum of p -anisaldehyde. At 298 K the third series is the most intense spectral feature and its relative intensity doubles with a 50° increase in temperature. This temperature dependence precludes assigning the third series to a third conformational species. This series may originate from many weakly bound and/or freely rotating torsional satellites with similar rotational constants.
Introduction to spherical field theory

Abstract Spherical field theory is a new non-perturbative method for studying quantum field theories. It uses the spherical partial wave expansion to reduce a general d -dimensional Euclidean field theory into a set of coupled one-dimensional systems. The coupled one-dimensional systems are then converted to partial differential equations and solved numerically. We demonstrate the methods of spherical field theory by analyzing Euclidean φ 4 theory in two dimensions.
Cooperative database systems

In recent years, there has been considerable interest in techniques that enhance the cooperative behavior of database systems and many different techniques have been developed. These techniques approach the goal of cooperation in diverse ways ; the differences may be in the specific task in which they offer cooperation, in the details of the solution, and even in the very interpretation of cooperative behavior. In this article we classify many different techniques into categories of cooperation, and we survey the techniques in some of these categories. Finally, we consider the challenges that remain and offer directions for new research.
A taxonomy of automated trade execution systems

Abstract A taxonomy of automated trade execution systems in financial markets is developed. Over 50 automated market structures in 16 countries are analyzed. These markets consist of computerized rules governing both allowable message types and the means by which such messages are translated into trades. Computerized market structures are classified by ordered sets of trade execution priority rules, trade matching protocols and associated degree of automation of price discovery, and transparency, to include informational asymmetries between classes of market participants. Differences in systems across types of financial instruments, geographical locations, and over time are analyzed. (JEL G15, D44).
Ruthenium-Catalyzed Hydrohydroxyalkylation of Acrylates with Diols and α-Hydroxycarbonyl Compounds To Form Spiro- and α-Methylene-γ-butyrolactones

Under the conditions of ruthenium(0)-catalyzed hydrohydroxyalkylation, vicinal diols 1a–1l and methyl acrylate 2a are converted to the corresponding lactones 3a–3l in good to excellent yield. The reactions of methyl acrylate 2a with hydrobenzoin 1f, benzoin didehydro-1f, and benzil tetradehydro-1f form the same lactone 3f product, demonstrating that this process may be deployed in a redox level-independent manner. A variety of substituted acrylic esters 2a–2h participate in spirolactone formation, as illustrated in the conversion of N-benzyl-3-hydroxyoxindole 1o to cycloadducts 4a–4h. Hydrohydroxyalkylation of hydroxyl-substituted methacrylate 2i with diols 1b, 1f, 1j, and 1l forms α-exo-methylene-γ-butyrolactones 5b, 5f, 5j, and 5l in moderate to good yield. A catalytic cycle involving 1,2-dicarbonyl–acrylate oxidative coupling to form oxaruthenacyclic intermediates is postulated. A catalytically competent mononuclear ruthenium(II) complex was characterized by single-crystal X-ray diffraction. The influe...
Fine-grained analysis of packet loss symptoms in wireless sensor networks

In a wireless sensor networks, packet losses can result from attacks affecting the nodes or the wireless links connecting the nodes. Failure to identify the actual attack can undermine the efficacy of the attack responses. We thus need approaches to correctly identify the cause of packet losses. In this poster paper, we address this problem by proposing and building a fine-grained analysis (FGA) tool that investigates the causes of packet losses and reports the most likely cause of these losses. Our tool uses parameters, e.g. RSSI and LQI, transmitted with every received packet to profile the links between nodes and their corresponding neighborhood. Through real-world experiments, we have validated our approach and shown that our tool is able to differentiate between the various attacks that may affect the nodes and the links.
Deposition of Fluorine Doped Tungsten Oxide Thin Films by Atmospheric Pressure Chemical Vapor Deposition

Polycrystalline fluorine doped tungsten oxide thin films were deposited onto glass substrates by reacting tungsten hexafluoride, difluoroethane, and isopropanol. The reaction was performed in an atmospheric pressure chemical vapor deposition reactor at a temperature of approximately 400 °C. The electrical conductivity and spectral properties were suggestive of n-type substitutional doping in which oxygen is partially replaced by fluorine. Temperature dependent resistivity measurements were consistent with the presence of polarons. The films were blue in color with enhanced reflectance and absorbance in the IR. These optical characteristics are potentially useful in improving the solar control properties of glass. Scanning electron microscopy revealed a faceted surface morphology. The fluorine atom concentration decreased when the films were annealed in air.
The transition from a pharmacophore-guided approach to a receptor-guided approach in the design of potent protein kinase C ligands.

Abstract The pharmacophore-guided approach used in the first phase of the design of novel protein kinase C (PKC) ligands was based on the study of the geometry of bioequivalent pharmacophores present in diacylglycerol (DAG) and in the more potent phorbol ester tumor promoters. A number of potent DAG lactones were generated by this approach, in which the glycerol backbone was constrained into various heterocyclic rings to reduce the entropic penalty associated with DAG binding. Based on the information provided by X-ray and NMR structures of the cysteine-rich, C1 phorbol ester/DAG binding domain, the DAG lactones were further modified to optimize their interaction with a group of highly conserved hydrophobic amino acids along the rim of the C1 domain. This receptor-guided approach culminated with the synthesis of a series of “super DAG” molecules that can bind to PKC with low nanomolar affinities. These compounds provide insight into the basis for PKC ligand specificity. Moreover, some of the compounds reviewed herein show potential utility as antitumor agents.
Nanocarbon-based electrochemical systems for sensing, electrocatalysis, and energy storage

Summary Carbon materials are important for many electrochemical applications due to their tunable electron-transfer and charge-storage properties. Judicious structural manipulation of carbon to modulate its chemical, electronic, and crystalline properties is key to the rational design of many high-performance electrochemical devices. Here we focus on three types of carbon nanomaterials of recent interest in electrochemistry, namely, carbon nanofibers, carbon nanotubes, and graphene. We concentrate on how structural variations in these carbon nanomaterials impact their electrochemical activities. In this review, following a brief overview of the synthesis methods for each class of carbon nanomaterials, we discuss their electrochemical applications for sensing, electrocatalysis, and energy storage, with emphasis on general carbon structure manipulation strategies that impart specific functionalities to suit each application area. Special attention is devoted to articulating how the electronic structure of carbon influences its electrochemical activity. Through the analysis of different electrochemical devices, we find that some of the modification techniques apply to more than one application area; thus structural manipulation methods in one class of electrochemical devices may be extended to other types.
Multi-Chip Module (MCM-D) using thin film technology

This work presents results of the Multi-Chip Module-Deposited technology built with thin film processes over a substrate of alumina and oxidized silicon that was used to micro-fabricate passive components (capacitors, resistors, inductors). Metal layers were deposited by sputtering, electrolytic and electroless techniques and benzocyclobutene was used as dielectric. Electrical characteristics of passive components and filters were evaluated indicating that the testchip and processes were effective to manufacture the devices.