cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Cognition and Strategy: A Deliberation Experiment

A theory of deliberation must provide a plausible account both of individuals’ choices to speak or to listen and of how they reinterpret their own views in the aftermath of deliberation. We describe a game-theoretic laboratory experiment in which subjects with diverse interests speak or listen before voting over a common outcome. An important feature of our strategic setting is that introspective agents may, upon hearing an unpersuasive argument, update away from the speaker's preferred position. While subjects are responsive to strategic incentives, they also deviate from Bayesian predictions by “overspeaking” when speech is likelier to alienate than persuade. Subjects thus come closer to the deliberative democratic ideal of a free exchange of arguments than equilibrium predictions suggest. We interpret evidence from subjects’ deliberative choices and policy votes in terms of a cognitive hierarchy among subjects, defined by differing abilities to grasp the strategic implications of different kinds of inf...
Factors influencing clinical outcomes after revascularization in the Asymptomatic Cardiac Ischemia Pilot (ACIP)

BACKGROUND AND AIM The Asymptomatic Cardiac Ischemia Pilot is the first randomized trial where revascularization involved choice of either coronary bypass or angioplasty used in an early or a delayed symptom-driven approach. One-year outcomes were favorable (reduced recurrent ischemia and adverse outcomes) for an early revascularization strategy (within 4 weeks), compared with an early medical strategy when revascularization was delayed until symptom-driven. This ancillary study examined variables influencing outcomes after these 2 revascularization approaches (early vs. delayed until symptom-driven). METHODS Participants were clinically stable coronary disease patients with stress-induced and daily life ischemia who underwent revascularization. Characteristics associated with clinical outcomes occurring within the year following revascularization were examined using Cox regression analysis. RESULTS A total of 262 patients received revascularization; 170 in the early approach and 92 in the delayed symptom-driven approach. Thirty-three patients had adverse outcomes (death, nonfatal myocardial infarction, or repeat revascularization) during 1-year follow-up. The most important independent predictor of improved outcome during the follow-up year was attempted revascularization of > or = 66% of vessels with significant stenosis for the early (risk ratio [RR] 0.25, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.09-0.67) and the delayed (RR 0.21, CI 0.08-0.58) approaches. Factors such as age, stress test results, and coronary angiographic findings did not predict clinical outcome. CONCLUSIONS Our findings are important in the planning of a large trial with longer follow-up.
On the number of embeddings of minimally rigid graphs

(MATH) Rigid frameworks in some Euclidian space are embedded graphs having a unique local realization (up to Euclidian motions) for the given edge lengths, although globally they may have several. We study first the number of distinct planar embeddings of rigid graphs with n vertices. We show that, modulo planar rigid motions, this number is at most $2n-4\choose n-2 \approx 4n. We also exhibit several families which realize lower bounds of the order of 2n, 2.21n and 2.88n.(MATH) For the upper bound we use techniques from complex algebraic geometry, based on the (projective) Cayley-Menger variety CM 2,n(C)\subset P_n\choose 2-1(C)$ over the complex numbers C. In this context, point configurations are represented by coordinates given by squared distances between all pairs of points. Sectioning the variety with 2n-4 hyperplanes yields at most deg(CM 2,n) zero-dimensional components, and one finds this degree to be D 2,n =\frac122n-4\choose n-2$. The lower bounds are related to inductive constructions of minimally rigid graphs via Henneberg sequences.(MATH) The same approach works in higher dimensions. In particular we show that it leads to an upper bound of 2 D^3,n= \frac2^n-3n-2n-6\choosen-3$ for the number of spatial embeddings with generic edge lengths of the $1$-skeleton of a simplicial polyhedron, up to rigid motions.
Hodge gauge fixing in three dimensions

Abstract A progress report on experiences with a gauge fixing method proposed in LATTICE 94 is presented. In this algorithm, an SU (N) operator is diagonalized at each site, followed by gauge fixing the diagonal (Cartan) part of the links to Coulomb gauge using the residual abelian freedom. The Cartan sector of the link field is separated into the physical gauge field αμ(f) responsible for producing fμνCartan, the pure gauge part, lattice artifacts, and zero modes. The gauge transformation to the physical gauge field αμ(f) is then constructed and performed. Compactness of the fields entails issues related to monopoles and zero modes which are addressed.
Further Generalization of an Equivalent Plate Representation for Aircraft Structural Analysis

Recent developments from a continuing effort to provide an equivalent plate representation for aircraft structural analysis are described. Previous work provided an equivalent plate analysis formulation that is capable of modeling aircraft wing structures with a general planform such as cranked wing boxes. However, the modeling is restricted to representing wing boxes having symmetric cross sections. Further developments, which are described, allow modeling of wing cross sections having asymmetries that can arise from airfoil camber or from thicknesses being different in the upper and lower cover skins. An implementation of thermal loadings, which are described as temperature distributions over the planform of the cover skins, has been included. Spring supports have been added to provide for a more general set of boundary conditions. Numerical results are presented to assess the effect of wing camber on the static and dynamic response of an example wing structure under pressure and thermal loading. These results are compared with results from a finite element analysis program to indicate how well a cambered wing box can be represented with an equivalent plate formulation.
A comparison of transform and iterative reconstruction techniques for a volume-imaging PET scanner with a large axial acceptance angle

The authors present the results of comparing 3-D transform and iterative reconstruction methods with measured PET data from the HEAD PENN-PET scanner, which has a very large axial acceptance angle of 27/spl deg/. The algorithms compared are the 3-D-reprojection (3DRP) method, the iterative algebraic reconstruction technique (ART), and the maximum likelihood (ML-EM) algorithm. For the iterative methods, alternatives to the cubic voxel basis functions are also implemented. The comparisons are based on a series of figures of merit, including the point-spread function, the contrast recovery coefficient, and signal-to-noise ratios (SNR). The results show that the ART method implemented with the new basis functions requires only one cycle through the data to produce images with measured SNR values comparable to or better than the 3DRP method. The ML-EM method was run for 10 iterations and produced images with lower SNR values for the test phantom used. With the exception of the ML-EM results, these are in agreement with the authors' previous simulation studies.
Non-Gatherable Triples for Classical Affine Root Systems

This paper contains a complete description of minimal non-gatherable triangle triples in the lambda-sequences for the affine classical root systems, as well as certain general claims for arbitrary (reduced) affine root systems. It continues the previous paper of the same authors devoted to the nonaffine case. The lambda-sequences are the sequences of affine positive roots associated with reduced decompositions (words) in affine Weyl groups. The existence of the non-gatherable triples is a combinatorial obstacle for using the technique of intertwining operators in the theory of irreducible representations of (double) affine Hecke algebras.
Boundary Behavior of Non-Negative Solutions of the Heat Equation in Sub-Riemannian Spaces

We prove Fatou type theorems for solutions of the heat equation in sub-Riemannian spaces. The doubling property of L-caloric measure, the Dahlberg estimate, the local comparison theorem, among other results, are established here. A backward Harnack inequality is proved for non-negative solutions vanishing in the lateral boundary.
Readability Changes in Employee Handbooks of Identical Companies During a Fifteen-Year Period

This study, by a well-known student of the subject, presents a comparison of the readability changes in employee handbooks since Flescli first heightened interest in the subject in 1949. It appears that there has been some improvement in the read ability of employee handbooks, although much is still left to be desired. Interestingly, the firms which had the most read able handbooks in 1949 also had the most readable ones in 1964.This article is printed with the permission of Personnel Psychology, in which it will appear this Winter.
ZrO2‐Transformation‐Toughened Glass‐Ceramics Prepared by the Sol‐Gel Process from Metal Alkoxides

Glasses of composition 3ZrO/sub 2/.2SiO/sub 2/ were prepared by the sol-gel process from metal alkoxides. Tetragonal ZrO/sub 2/ was precipitated by appropriate heat treatment at 1000/sup 0/ to 1200/sup 0/C. The fracture toughness of these glass-ceramics increased with increasing crystallite size of the tetragonal ZrO/sub 2/, reaching approx. = 5.0 Mn/M/sup 32/ at a size of approx. = 40 Nm. The higher fracture toughness was attributed to tetragonal ..-->.. monoclinic ZrO/sub 2/ transformation toughening.
Transaction costs and market efficiency: Evidence from commission deregulation ☆

Abstract This study analyzes the impacts of explicit transaction costs on weak-form market efficiency within the context of the brokerage commission deregulation in Japan in October 1999, which led to lower commission rates across the market. Applying two alternative statistical tests to both daily and weekly data, we find that return randomness (unpredictability) increases significantly for stocks listed in Japan, but not for the Japanese stocks dually listed in the United States, which are immune to the deregulation. These results suggest an inefficiency loss or an efficiency gain in the Japanese equity market following the deregulation, insofar as randomness proxies for efficiency.
Dimension, entropy rates, and compression

This paper develops new relationships between resource-bounded dimension, entropy rates, and compression. New tools for calculating dimensions are given and used to improve previous results about circuit-size complexity classes. Approximate counting of SpanP functions is used to prove that the NP-entropy rate is an upper bound for dimension in @D"3^E, the third level of the exponential-time hierarchy. This general result is applied to simultaneously improve the results of Mayordomo [E. Mayordomo, Contributions to the study of resource-bounded measure, PhD thesis, Universitat Politecnica de Catalunya, 1994] on the measure on P/poly in @D"3^E and of Lutz [J.H. Lutz, Dimension in complexity classes, SIAM J. Comput. 32 (5) (2003) 1236-1259] on the dimension of exponential-size circuit complexity classes in ESPACE. Entropy rates of efficiently rankable sets, sets that are optimally compressible, are studied in conjunction with time-bounded dimension. It is shown that rankable entropy rates give upper bounds for time-bounded dimensions. We use this to improve results of Lutz [J.H. Lutz, Almost everywhere high nonuniform complexity, J. Comput. System Sci. 44 (2) (1992) 220-258] about polynomial-size circuit complexity classes from resource-bounded measure to dimension. Exact characterizations of the effective dimensions in terms of Kolmogorov complexity rates at the polynomial-space and higher levels have been established, but in the time-bounded setting no such equivalence is known. We introduce the concept of polynomial-time superranking as an extension of ranking. We show that superranking provides an equivalent definition of polynomial-time dimension. From this superranking characterization we show that polynomial-time Kolmogorov complexity rates give a lower bound on polynomial-time dimension.
Bifurcations and pattern formation in particle physics: An introductory study

Quantum field theories lead in general to a large number of coupled nonlinear equations. Solving field equations in analytic form or through lattice-based computations is a difficult task that has been only partially successful. We argue that the theory of nonlinear dynamical systems offers valuable insights and a fresh approach to this challenge. It is suggested that universal transition to chaos in nonlinear dissipative systems provides novel answers to some of the open questions surrounding the standard model for particle physics.
Relation of Salinity and Selenium in Shallow Ground Water to Hydrologic and Geochemical Processes, Western San Joaquin Valley, California

Abstract Salinity and selenium concentrations in shallow groundwater of the western San Joaquin Valley, California, are related to the geomorphology and hydrology of the alluvial fans. The highest salinity and selenium concentrations in shallow groundwater occur in alluvium deposited by ephemeral streams and at the margins of the major alluvial fans, where there were naturally saline, fine-grained soils. Low-to-moderate salinity and selenium concentrations in shallow groundwater are associated with upper and middle areas of the major alluvial fans deposited by intermittent streams. Areas with the most naturally saline soils have been irrigated in the last 40 years. These are now the areas of highest salinity and selenium concentrations in the shallow groundwater. Present-day (1986) groundwater salinity is spatially correlated with natural soil salinity in these areas. Isotopic data indicate that the highest salinity and selenium concentrations in groundwater present at low altitudes resulted from evaporative concentration when the water table was shallow.
Substance abuse treatment need among older adults in 2020: the impact of the aging baby-boom cohort.

Background: There is concern that as the baby boom population ages in the US, there will be a substantial increase in the number of older adults needing treatment for substance abuse problems. To address this concern, projections of future treatment need for older adults (defined as age 50 and older) were made. Methods: Using data from the National Household Survey on Drug Abuse, regression models including predictors of treatment need in 2000 and 2001 were developed. Treatment need was defined as having a DSM-IV alcohol or illicit drug use disorder in the past year. Regression parameters from these models were applied to the projected 2020 population to obtain estimates of the number of older adults needing treatment in 2020. Results: The number of older adults in need of substance abuse treatment is estimated to increase from 1.7 million in 2000 and 2001 to 4.4 million in 2020. This is due to a 50 percent increase in the number of older adults and a 70 percent increase in the rate of treatment need among older adults. Conclusions: The aging baby boom cohort will place increasing demands on the substance abuse treatment system in the next two decades, requiring a shift in focus to address the special needs of an older population of substance abusers. There is also a need to develop improved tools for measuring substance use and abuse among older adults.
Range Bias Modeling for Hyperbolic-Frequency-Modulated Waveforms in Target Tracking

Hyperbolic-frequency-modulated (HFM) waveforms offer detection performance that is “Doppler insensitive”-relatively unaffected by target range rate in matched filtering. They have been applied in radar; but more they are particularly useful in sonar where the wideband Doppler insensitivity is especially prized. However, Doppler insensitivity does come hand in hand with a range bias, which would significantly degrade the tracking performance. In this paper, we model the range bias as a function of range rate and system parameters, and then utilize that to calibrate the measurement equation in very precise target tracking. By doing so, the tracking performance can be improved, particularly for fast maneuvering targets.
Time-Dependent Behavior of a Graphite/Thermoplastic Composite and the Effects of Stress and Physical Aging

Experimental studies were performed to determine the effects of stress and physical aging on the matrix dominated time dependent properties of IM7/8320 composite. Isothermal tensile creep/aging test techniques developed for polymers were adapted for testing of the composite material. Time dependent transverse and shear compliance's for an orthotropic plate were found from short term creep compliance measurements at constant, sub-T(8) temperatures. These compliance terms were shown to be affected by physical aging. Aging time shift factors and shift rates were found to be a function of temperature and applied stress.
Optimal ranking in networks with community structure

Abstract The World-Wide Web (WWW) is characterized by a strong community structure in which groups of webpages (e.g. those devoted to a common topic or belonging to the same organization) are densely interconnected by hyperlinks. We study how such network architecture affects the average Google rank of individual communities. Using a mean-field approximation, we quantify how the average Google rank of community webpages depend on the degree to which it is isolated from the rest of the world in both incoming and outgoing directions, and α the only intrinsic parameter of Google's PageRank algorithm. Based on this expression we introduce a concept of a web-community being decoupled or conversely coupled to the rest of the network. We proceed with empirical study of several internal web-communities within two US universities. The predictions of our mean-field treatment were qualitatively verified in those real-life networks. Furthermore, the value α = 0.15 used by Google seems to be optimized for the degree of isolation of communities as they exist in the actual WWW.
Risk-adjusted, ex ante, optimal technical trading rules in equity markets ☆

Abstract This article uses genetic programming to construct risk-adjusted, ex ante, optimal, trading rules for the S&P500 Index and then characterizes the predictive content of these rules. These results extend previous results by using risk adjustment selection criteria to generate ex ante rules with improved performance. There is, however, no evidence that the rules significantly outperform the buy-and-hold strategy on a risk-adjusted basis. Therefore, the results are consistent with market efficiency. Nevertheless, risk-adjustment techniques should be seriously considered when evaluating trading strategies.
X-rays from isolated black holes in the Milky Way

Galactic stellar-population-synthesis models, chemical-enrichment models, and possibly gravitational microlensing indicate that about Ntot=108–109 stellar-mass black holes reside in our Galaxy. We study X-ray emission from accretion from the interstellar medium on to isolated black holes. Although black holes may be fewer in number than neutron stars, NNS∼109, their higher masses, 〈M〉∼9 M⊙, and smaller space velocities, σv∼40 km s-1, result in Bondi–Hoyle accretion rates ∼4×103 times higher than for neutron stars. Given a total number of black holes Ntot=N9109 within the Milky Way, we estimate that ∼103N9 should accrete at M˙>1015 g s-1, comparable to accretion rates inferred for black hole X-ray binaries. If black holes accrete at the Bondi–Hoyle rate with efficiencies only ∼10−4(NNS/Ntot)0.8 of the neutron-star accretion efficiency, a comparable number of each may be detectable. We make predictions for the number of isolated accreting black holes in our Galaxy that can be detected with X-ray surveys as a function of efficiency, concluding that all-sky surveys at a depth of F=F-1510-15 erg cm-2 s-1 dex-1 can find N(>F)∼104N9(F-15/e-5)-1.2 isolated accreting black holes for a velocity dispersion of 40 km s−1 and an X-ray accretion efficiency of e=e-510-5. Deeper surveys of the Galactic plane with Chandra or XMM-Newton may find tens of these objects per year, depending on the efficiency. We argue that a mass estimate can be derived for microlensing black hole candidates with an X-ray detection.
Experimental investigation of the dissolution of quartz by a muscovite mica surface: Implications for pressure solution

Using the surface forces apparatus, which can measure small changes in thickness occurring even at essentially geological timescales, we have measured dissolution of quartz sheets when pressed against muscovite mica surfaces in aqueous electrolyte solution, but no dissolution is observed under dry conditions. It is postulated that the dissolved quartz may reprecipitate outside the contact junction as a fragile silica gel, which could be the main factor limiting the rate of further dissolution.
Commissars and cars: A case study in the political economy of dictatorship

Abstract We use unique archival data on the allocation of vehicles, i.e. cars and trucks, in the 1930s by a three-person commission of top Soviet officials for an empirical investigation of resource allocation by a dictatorship. Two distinct models of dictatorial allocative behavior, namely, an economic planning model and a political gift exchange model, are considered. We use censored regression and ordered probit to show that the political gift exchange model is supported strongly by the data, but the economic model is rejected. Moreover, the political model explains better the rejection of petitions rather than their success, suggesting that the dictator preferred unconstrained decision-making discretion. We argue that the dictator used gift exchange to purchase loyalty against uncontrolled market exchanges and that political bias in resource allocation was undermining the dictator's power in the long run.
A MOLECULAR SPIRAL ARM IN THE FAR OUTER GALAXY

We have identified a spiral arm lying beyond the Outer Arm in the first Galactic quadrant ~15 kpc from the Galactic center. After tracing the arm in existing 21 cm surveys, we searched for molecular gas using the CfA 1.2 m telescope and detected CO at 10 of 220 positions. The detections are distributed along the arm from l = 13°, v = –21 km s–1 to l = 55°, v = –84 km s–1 and coincide with most of the main H I concentrations. One of the detections was fully mapped to reveal a large molecular cloud with a radius of 47 pc and a molecular mass of ~50,000 M ☉. At a mean distance of 21 kpc, the molecular gas in this arm is the most distant yet detected in the Milky Way. The new arm appears to be the continuation of the Scutum-Centaurus Arm in the outer Galaxy, as a symmetric counterpart of the nearby Perseus Arm.
Iron(III) Tosylate-Catalyzed Deprotection of Aromatic Acetals in Water

Abstract The deprotection of aromatic as well as conjugated acetals and ketals in water is catalyzed by iron(III) tosylate (1.0–5.0 mol %). Iron(III) tosylate is an inexpensive and readily available catalyst. The use of water, the most environmentally benign solvent, makes this procedure especially attractive for acetal deprotection.
Landscape controls on the timing of spring, autumn, and growing season length in mid‐Atlantic forests

The timing of spring leaf development, trajectories of summer leaf area, and the timing of autumn senescence have profound impacts to the water, carbon, and energy balance of ecosystems, and are likely influenced by global climate change. Limited field-based and remote-sensing observations have suggested complex spatial patterns related to geographic features that influence climate. However, much of this variability occurs at spatial scales that inhibit a detailed understanding of even the dominant drivers. Recognizing these limitations, we used nonlinear inverse modeling of medium-resolution remote sensing data, organized by day of year, to explore the influence of climate-related landscape factors on the timing of spring and autumn leaf-area trajectories in mid-Atlantic, USA forests. We also examined the extent to which declining summer greenness (greendown) degrades the precision and accuracy of observations of autumn offset of greenness. Of the dominant drivers of landscape phenology, elevation was the strongest, explaining up to 70% of the spatial variation in the onset of greenness. Urban land cover was second in importance, influencing spring onset and autumn offset to a distance of 32 km from large cities. Distance to tidal water also influenced phenological timing, but only within ~5 km of shorelines. Additionally, we observed that (i) growing season length unexpectedly increases with increasing elevation at elevations below 275 m; (ii) along gradients in urban land cover, timing of autumn offset has a stronger effect on growing season length than does timing of spring onset; and (iii) summer greendown introduces bias and uncertainty into observations of the autumn offset of greenness. These results demonstrate the power of medium grain analyses of landscape-scale phenology for understanding environmental controls on growing season length, and predicting how these might be affected by climate change.
The Next Chapter of the Tobacco Wars: Unpacking the Latest Round of Constitutional Challenges

We have considered the tobacco industry’s challenges to legislative attempts to provide more health-related information on retail packaging. The first issue is taking and acquiring the industry’s intellectual property in Australia. The second challenge involves the tensions between graphic images and the First Amendment in the United States. We have argued that the Obama administration should take advantage of the current window of opportunity to aggressively restrict the industry’s control of its products.
AN EFFECTIVE FIELD THEORY LOOK AT DEEP INELASTIC SCATTERING

This talk discusses the effective field theory view of deep inelastic scattering. In such an approach, the standard factorization formula of a hard coefficient multiplied by a parton distribution function arises from matching of QCD onto an effective field theory. The DGLAP equations can then be viewed as the standard renormalization group equations that determines the cutoff dependence of the nonlocal operator whose forward matrix element is the parton distribution function. As an example, the non-singlet quark splitting function is derived directly from the renormalization properties of the nonlocal operator itself. This approach, although discussed in the literature, does not appear to be well known to the larger high energy community. In this talk we give a pedagogical introduction to this subject.
Laboratory studies of irradiated nitrogen-methane mixtures - applications to Triton

The characteristics of the near-IR spectrum of Triton is addressed in view of 0.8-2.5 micron laboratory transmission spectra obtained for methane dissolved in liquid nitrogen. It is found that, for methane concentrations greater than 3 percent of the saturation value, the collision-induced, 2.152-micron first-overtone band of molecular nitrogen is overshadowed by the methane band centered at 2.3 microns. While gamma-radiolysis of nitrogen-methane mixtures generates an unstable precipitate whose yellowish color is qualitatively similar to the yellow color of Triton, no specific absorption band in the precipitate can be unambiguously identified on Triton.
Ex Post Information in Auctions

assumptions. Maskin and Riley (1984) show that when the amount a buyer is willing to pay for the auctioned object is not independent of his wealth, expected revenue tends to be lower under open bidding. In contrast, Milgrom and Weber (1982) relax the assumption that valuations are independent and assume instead that buyers' private estimates of the item's value are affiliated. A buyer with a high estimate then tends to believe that other buyers will have higher estimates as well. Maintaining the other assumptions, Milgrom and Weber show that expected revenue is higher in the open ascending bid auction. The intuition behind this result is that in sealed high bid auctions a buyer's bid is determined not only by his own beliefs but, via their bids, by the beliefs of those with lower estimates. A buyer with a low estimate believes that others are more likely to have low estimates as well. He therefore bids less aggressively. It follows that a buyer can beat all opponents who have lower estimates with a bid which is lower than it would be if beliefs were independent.2 Milgrom and Weber also show that if the seller purchases and then publicly reveals information which is positively linked to buyers' valuations, this also raises expected (gross) revenue from an auction. The intuition here is that this helps to reduce the difference in bidders' willingness to pay.3 That such a reduction should raise expected revenue is easily understood for the limiting case in which the seller's information includes all the buyers' private information; for then all buyer asymmetry is eliminated and so expected buyer profit is bid away to zero. The seller therefore reaps the entire surplus. In the following pages the implications of correlated signals are further explored. While Milgrom and Weber emphasized the potential gains to a seller who reveals information ex ante, the focus here is on ex post information. In Section 2 it is shown that, under weak assumptions, the sealed high bid auction is dominated by any auction
Non-linear beam-type vibrations of long cylindrical shells

Abstract This paper presents a closed-form solution of the problem of free beam-type vibration of a long cylindrical shell subject to uniform axial tension, uniform internal pressure, and elastic axial restraint. The shell is assumed to be clamped at the ends. The bending moment-curvature relationship employed in this paper is non-linear due to the effect of ovalization (flattening) of initially circular cross sections. Another non-linear effect taken into account is the stretching of the shell axis which is caused by the axial restraint. The analysis results in a cubic differential equation; the frequency of the solution of this equation is found exactly using elliptic integrals.
Near-infrared Polarimetry of a Normal Spiral Galaxy Viewed through the Taurus Molecular Cloud Complex

Few normal galaxies have been probed using near-infrared polarimetry, even though it reveals magnetic fields in the cool interstellar medium better than either optical or radio polarimetry. Deep H-band (1.6 μm) linear imaging polarimetry toward Taurus serendipitously included the galaxy 2MASX J04412715+2433110 with adequate sensitivity and resolution to map polarization across nearly its full extent. The observations revealed the galaxy to be a steeply inclined (∼75 ◦ ) disk type with a diameter, encompassing 90% of the Petrosian flux, of 4.2 kpc at a distance of 53 Mpc. Because the sight line passes through the Taurus Molecular Cloud complex, the foreground polarization needed to be measured and removed. The foreground extinction AV of 2.00 ± 0.10 mag and reddening E(H −K) of 0.125 ±0.009 mag were also assessed and removed, based on analysis of Two Micron All Sky Survey, UKIRT Infrared Deep Sky Survey, Spitzer, and Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer photometry using the NearInfrared Color Excess, NICE-Revisited, and Rayleigh‐Jeans Color Excess methods. Corrected for the polarized foreground, the galaxy polarization values range from 0% to 3%. The polarizations are dominated by a disk-parallel magnetic field geometry, especially to the northeast, while either a vertical field or single scattering of bulge light produces disk-normal polarizations to the southwest. The multi-kiloparsec coherence of the magnetic field revealed by the infrared polarimetry is in close agreement with short-wavelength radio synchrotron observations of edge-on galaxies, indicating that both cool and warm interstellar media of disk galaxies may be threaded by common magnetic fields.
RHIC performance and future plans

Abstract The relativistic heavy ion collider (RHIC) at Brookhaven National Laboratory, consisting of two 3.8 km long superconducting rings, was commissioned in 1999. Since then the machine collided fully stripped gold ions at five different energies, up to 100 GeV/n, deuterons with gold ions at 100 GeV/n and protons at 100 GeV with a beam polarizations of up 45%. Over four operating periods the heavy ion luminosity has increased by two orders of magnitude, and now exceeds the design value by a factor of two. Another factor of two is targeted for the next four years, as well as a more than 10-fold increase in the proton luminosity and a 2-fold increase in the polarization. Possible further upgrades include an electron beam ion source (EBIS), stochastic and electron cooling and an electron ring to form an electron–ion collider (eRHIC).
Information-Theoretic Integration of Sensing and Communication for Active Robot Networks

This paper presents an information-theoretic approach to sensor placement that incorporates communication capacity into an optimal formulation. A new formulation is presented that maximizes the information rate achievable by a set of sensors communicating wirelessly to a single collection node. Shannon capacity and the standard radio propagation model are used to model the throughput achievable by a sensor configuration. Likewise, the d-optimality criterion from the active sensing literature is used to model information gain provided by range and bearing sensors. The combination of information-theoretic measures leads to a metric equivalent to the expected information rate achievable by the system. Sensor positions are selected that optimize this measure.
Facile reaction of carboxylic acids with isonitriles in toluene

Isonitriles react with low concentrations of carboxylic acids in toluene at 110 °C to give N-formylamides in yields generally above 70%. These concentrations can be obtained either by syringe pump addition of a toluene solution of the acid, or by using a suspension of the acid if it has limited solubility in toluene at room temperature.
Image processing assisted voltage overscaling for energy efficient IC realization of motion estimation

This paper presents an energy efficient VLSI architecture for motion estimation using image processing assisted voltage overscaling (VOS). Motion estimation is the most computationally expensive block inside any video encoder, typically consuming 40-60% of the total power. This work focuses on using VOS to reduce power consumption at the expense of marginal loss of visual quality. Some image processing techniques are used to assist VOS so that a better trade-off between power and visual quality can be achieved. The design is demonstrated using full search and three step search algorithms. Simulation results in 65nm CMOS technology show that the proposed technique can save up to 30% power at the cost of 0.5dB loss of PSNR.
Correlated electrons in manganites

Abstract We consider a cluster of eight mixed-valent Mn ions at the corners of a cube embedded into an electron gas. The spins of the localized t2g electrons are oriented in the magnetic configurations of the A, C and G phases of the manganites. The eg electrons are itinerant with directed and correlated hopping. Using a mean-field slave-boson formulation we study the groundstate energy, and the response to the formation of small polarons, Jahn–Teller distortions and charge order.
Two-stage optimal component analysis

Linear techniques are widely used to reduce the dimension of image representation spaces in applications such as image indexing and object recognition. Optimal Component Analysis (OCA) is a method that addresses the problem of learning an optimal linear representation for a particular classification task. The problem is formulated in the framework of optimization on a Grassmann manifold and treated with stochastic gradient methods intrinsic to the manifold. OCA has been successfully applied to image classification problems arising in a variety of contexts. However, as the search space is typically very high dimensional, OCA optimization often requires a large number of iterations, each involving extensive computations that make the algorithm somewhat costly to implement. In this paper, we propose a two-stage method, which we refer to as two-stage OCA, that improves the search efficiency by orders of magnitude without compromising the quality of the estimation. In fact, extensive experiments using face and object classification datasets indicate that the proposed method often leads to more accurate classification than the original OCA since it is not as prone to over-fitting. Two-stage OCA also leads to substantial improvement in classification performance as compared to other linear dimension reduction methods.
Edge detection in textures

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the problem of detecting edges in cellular textures. Detecting edges is an important first step in the solution of many image analysis tasks. Edges are used primarily to aid in the segmentation of an image into meaningful regions, but they are also extensively used to compute relatively local measures of textural variation. Once edges are detected in textured regions, they can be used to define texture descriptors in a variety of ways. A general edge detection procedure may involve applying an edge-sensitive operator to the texture, thresholding the results of the edge operator, and finally computing peaks from the above-threshold points. Subsequently, one can compute first-order statistics of edge properties, such as orientation, contrast, and fuzziness, or higher-order statistics that can measure the spatial arrangement of edges in the texture. Such statistics can be computed from generalized co-occurrence matrices, which count the number of times that specific pairs of edges occur in specific relative spatial positions. The utility of such tools depends on the reliability with which edges can be detected in textures.
Accretion disk coronae

Recent observations of partial X-ray eclipses from 4U1822-37 have shown that the central X-ray source in this system is diffused by a large Compton-thick accretion disk corona (ADC). Another binary, 4U2129-47, also displays a partial eclipse and contains an ADC. The possible origin of an ADC is discussed and a simple hydrostatic evaporated ADC model is developed which, when applied to 4U1822-37, 4U2129+47 and Cyg X-3, can explain their temporal and spectral properties. The quasi-sinusoidal modulation of all three sources can be reconciled with the partial occultation of the ADC by a bulge at the edge of the accretion disk which is caused by the inflowing material. The height of this bulge is an order of magnitude larger than the hydrostatic disk height and is the result of turbulence in the outer region of the disk. The spectral properties of all three sources can be understood in terms of Compton scattering of the original source spectrum by the ADC. Spectral variations with epoch in Cyg X-3 are probably caused by changes in the optical depth of the corona. A consequence of our model is that any accreting neutron star X-ray source in a semi-detached binary system which is close to its Eddington limit most likely contains an optically thick ADC.
Reduction of quantization noise in PCM speech coding

A new technique to reduce the effect of quantization noise in PCM speech coding is proposed. The procedure consists of using dither noise to ensure that the quantization errors can be modeled as additive signal-independent noise, and then reducing this noise through the use of a noise reduction system. The procedure is illustrated with examples.
Nanotubes, nanoparticles, and aspects of fullerene related carbons

Abstract Recent developments and understanding with regards to nanotubes and nanoparticles/nanocapsules are reviewed. Some of the challenges for future research on these materials are discussed.
Guanidinoglycosides: A Novel Family of RNA Ligands

The guanidinium group plays a key role at many RNA-protein binding interfaces, including the complexes formed between transcriptional elongation factors with mRNA, tRNA synthetases with tRNAs, ribosomal proteins with rRNA, and viral regulatory proteins with their cognate RNA binding sites. 10 In contrast to ammonium groups, guanidinium groups are highly basic, planar, and exhibit directionality in their H-bonding interactions. We hypothesized that the RNA affinity and selectivity of aminoglycoside-based ligands can be increased by replacing the ammonium groups with guanidinium groups. In this report, we disclose a new family of RNA ligands, termed “guanidinoglycosides”, in which all of the ammonium groups of the natural aminoglycoside antibiotics have been converted into guanidinium groups (Figure 1). 11
Atomistic simulation of the electronic states of adatoms in monolayer MoS2

Using an ab initio density functional theory based electronic structure method, we study the effects of adatoms on the electronic properties of monolayer transition metal dichalcogenide Molybdenum-disulfide (MoS2). We consider the 1st (Li, Na, K) and 7th (F, Cl, Br) column atoms and metals (Sc, Ti, Ta, Mo, Pd, Pt, Ag, Au). Three high symmetry sites for the adatom on the surface of monolayer MoS2 are examined as starting points to search for the most energetically stable configuration for each adatom-monolayer MoS2 system, as well as the type of associated bonding. For the most stable adatom positions, we characterize the emergence of adatom-induced electronic states including any dopant states.
A surface enhanced hyper‐Raman scattering study of pyridine adsorbed onto silver: Experiment and theory

This paper presents a combined experimental and theoretical study of the hyper‐Raman spectrum of pyridine adsorbed onto roughened silver electrodes. The surface enhanced hyper‐Raman spectra (SEHRS) were measured using a focused cw mode‐locked Nd:YAG laser with a peak power density of approximately 107 W/cm2 . Dominant bands in the pyridine spectra are the same (totally symmetric) bands as have been seen in the corresponding Raman (SERS) spectrum, although the relative intensities are different. To interpret these spectra, we present a semiempirical molecular orbital method for determining excitation energies, polarizability derivatives, and hyperpolarizability derivatives that is based on the π‐electron Pariser–Parr–Pople (PPP) method. An empirical molecular force field is used to derive vibrational information, and the accuracy of the spectra is assessed by comparison with normal Raman spectra for liquid pyridine and with SERS spectra. The resulting SEHRS spectra are in good agreement with the measured s...
Cycle expansions with pruned orbits have branch points

Abstract Cycle expansions are an efficient scheme for computing the properties of chaotic systems. When enumerating the orbits for a cycle expansion not all orbits that one would expect at first are present — some are pruned. This pruning leads to convergence difficulties when computing properties of chaotic systems. In numerical schemes, I show that pruning reduces the number of reliable eigenvalues when diagonalizing quantum mechanical operators, and that pruning slows down the convergence rate of cycle expansion calculations. I then exactly solve a diffusion model that displays chaos and show that its cycle expansion develops a branch point.
An iteration procedure for parametric model building and boundary value problems

A steepest descent iterative approach based on least squares error minimization is employed to obtain the optimum set of parameters typifying a system such that the system outputs satisfy desired performance criteria. The iteration process is shown to converge under fairly general conditions provided the initial guess lies in a neighborhood of the true optimum. An automatic gain control assures stability of the iteration procedure, which is a single step iteration process, i.e., only one parameter is updated at a time, which aside from theoretical considerations minimizes equipment duplication. The optimization procedure may also be applied to the problem of determining the parameters defining a physical system by comparing the outputs of the physical system to those of an approximate model simulated on an analog computer. The errors due to the comparison are minimized by the optimization procedure to determine the parameters of interest. The same procedure can be applied to home in on boundary conditions in ordinary differential equations.
THERMODYNAMICS AND EXCITATIONS OF THE SUPERSYMMETRIC t-J MODEL

The free energy of the supersymmetric t-J model is expressed in terms of finite temperature excitations away from thermodynamic equilibrium. This reveals that the free energy has the form of noninteracting fermions with temperature dependent excitation spectra. We also discuss the ground state and zero temperature excitations.
Enzymatic functionalization of carbon–hydrogen bonds

The development of new catalytic methods to functionalize carbon-hydrogen (C-H) bonds continues to progress at a rapid pace due to the significant economic and environmental benefits of these transformations over traditional synthetic methods. In nature, enzymes catalyze regio- and stereoselective C-H bond functionalization using transformations ranging from hydroxylation to hydroalkylation under ambient reaction conditions. The efficiency of these enzymes relative to analogous chemical processes has led to their increased use as biocatalysts in preparative and industrial applications. Furthermore, unlike small molecule catalysts, enzymes can be systematically optimized via directed evolution for a particular application and can be expressed in vivo to augment the biosynthetic capability of living organisms. While a variety of technical challenges must still be overcome for practical application of many enzymes for C-H bond functionalization, continued research on natural enzymes and on novel artificial metalloenzymes will lead to improved synthetic processes for efficient synthesis of complex molecules. In this critical review, we discuss the most prevalent mechanistic strategies used by enzymes to functionalize non-acidic C-H bonds, the application and evolution of these enzymes for chemical synthesis, and a number of potential biosynthetic capabilities uniquely enabled by these powerful catalysts (110 references).
COST OF HIGHWAY WORK ZONE INJURIES

Two types of accidents occur in highway work zones: those that involve construction workers, which account for 30% of the accidents; and those that involve motorists outside the construction area, which account for 70% of the accidents. Construction/maintenance workers suffer approximately 27,000 first-aid injuries and 26,000 lost-time injuries per year at a total annual cost of $2.46 billion, and motorists suffer approximately 700 fatalities, 40,000 injuries, and 52,000 property-damage-only accidents, at a total cost of $6.2 billion per year. Highway work zone fatalities per billion dollars spent cost at least four times more than in total U.S. construction. This paper presents brief details of the various injury types and their cost estimates. While the highway traffic fatality rate has been declining by approximately 3.3 per year since 1960, and construction fatalities have been decreasing by approximately 6% per year since 1970, work zone fatalities have stayed constant at around 700 deaths per year. ...