cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Optimum Treatment Rate for Tebuthiuron on Rangeland Infested with Sand Shinnery Oak

Over 4.2 billion pounds of beef were produced in Texas with a value of over $1.2 billion in 1971, the greatest for any of the fifty states. Texas production of range livestock is limited by the availability of rangeland. In 1967, over 53% of the land area in Texas was classified as rangeland and 82% of the grasslands of the state was infested with undesirable woody plants (Osborn and Witkowski). Brush problems, for the most part, are brought on by man himself. Brush is a problem because it competes with grasses needed for livestock grazing. Sand shinnery oak typically has a large root system which is extremely hard to kill. Top kill of the sand shinnery oak is relatively easy, but the root kill is usually low. Total plant kill from aerially applied liquid herbicides is rare. Following top growth disturbance new shoots may arise from buds along with the more shallow rhizomes, resulting in only temporary control. Tebuthiuron has been used on sand shinnery oak, and rates above 3 kilograms per hectare essentially "cleaned out" the plant community. Grass yields increased dramatically following oak kill, but judicious grazing management with occasional deferment is needed to retain a healthy plant cover (Pettit). At the end of a third growing season after treatment with tebuthiuron at different treatment rates of active ingredient per acre, it was found that oak was reduced as the rate of herbicide increased (Jones and Pettit). Tebuthiuron at a rate of 0.4 kilogram per hectare or greater converted the sand shinnery oak into a mid-grass prairie. At these rates, over 80% of the sand sagebrush was killed and the yield of sand shinnery oak was reduced by at least 90% (Jones). One goal of a rancher is to utilize his land at the highest productive capacity. Today, more ranchers are achieving this goal through initiating some type of brush control program. Chemical control of sand shinnery oak through aerial application of tebuthiuron has been introduced as an effective brush control program. Little economic analysis has been done on the costs and returns associated with aerial application of tebuthiuron; therefore, this paper attempts to explain those factors associated with determining the optimum treatment rate for aerially applied tebuthiuron on sand shinnery oak. The specific objectives of this paper are (a) to develop an equation which estimates the total grass production associated with different treatment rates, (b) to estimate the annual revenue and costs associated with the application of tebuthiuron, and (c) to estimate the optimum treatment rate to the Texas High Plains rancher under current economic conditions in the livestock market and application costs.
Production of Defects in Metals by Collision Cascades: Tem Experiments

This paper reviews experimental TEM data on production of dislocation loops by low energy ion bombardment to low doses, as simulations of similar collision cascades produced by fast neutrons, in various metals and alloys. Dependence of vacancy dislocation loop formation on recoil energy, temperature and metal/alloy is examined. Emphasis is placed on effects on dilute alloy additions. A model for cascade melting is used to understand these effects; this will require an examination of the role of electron-phonon coupling in cascade cooling and recrystallization. Formation of interstitial dislocation loops as cascade defects and the effect of nearby surfaces are briefly discussed.
Flow and Heat Transfer in Micro Pin Fin Heat Sinks With Nano-Encapsulated Phase Change Materials

In this paper, a 3D conjugated heat transfer model for Nano-Encapsulated Phase Change Materials (NEPCMs) cooled Micro Pin Fin Heat Sink (MPFHS) is presented. The governing equations of flow and heat transfer are solved using a finite volume method based on collocated grid and the results are validated with the available data reported in the literature. The effect of nanoparticles volume fraction (C = 0.1, 0.2, 0.3), inlet velocity (Vin = 0.015, 0.030, 0.045 m/s), and bottom wall temperature (Twall = 299.15, 303.15, 315.15, 350.15 K) are studied on Nusselt and Euler numbers as well as temperature contours in the system. The results indicate that significant heat transfer enhancement is achieved when using NEPCM slurry as an advanced coolant. The maximum Nusselt number when NEPCM slurry (C = 0.3) with Vin = 0.015, 0.030, 0.045 (m/s) is employed, are 2.27, 1.81, 1.56 times higher than the ones with base fluid, respectively. However, with increasing bottom wall temperature, the Nusselt number first increases then decreases. The former is due to higher heat transfer capability of coolant at temperatures over the melting range of PCM particles due to partial melting of nanoparticles in this range. While, the latter phenomena is due to the lower capability of NEPCM particles and consequently coolant in absorbing heat at coolant temperatures higher than the temperature correspond to fully melted NEPCM. It was observed that NEPCM slurry has a drastic effect on Euler number, and with increasing volume fraction and decreasing inlet velocity, the Euler number increases accordingly.
Stabilized Nearest Neighbor Classifier and its Statistical Properties

ABSTRACTThe stability of statistical analysis is an important indicator for reproducibility, which is one main principle of the scientific method. It entails that similar statistical conclusions can be reached based on independent samples from the same underlying population. In this article, we introduce a general measure of classification instability (CIS) to quantify the sampling variability of the prediction made by a classification method. Interestingly, the asymptotic CIS of any weighted nearest neighbor classifier turns out to be proportional to the Euclidean norm of its weight vector. Based on this concise form, we propose a stabilized nearest neighbor (SNN) classifier, which distinguishes itself from other nearest neighbor classifiers, by taking the stability into consideration. In theory, we prove that SNN attains the minimax optimal convergence rate in risk, and a sharp convergence rate in CIS. The latter rate result is established for general plug-in classifiers under a low-noise condition. Ext...
Sectoral diversification as insurance against economic instability

This paper examines the extent to which sectoral diversification can act as an insurance mechanism against fluctuations in regional gross value-added growth rates. Portfolio theory is applied to the growth-instability properties of German districts. Furthermore, a comprehensive diversification measure is defined. Stochastic Frontier Analysis is deployed in order to estimate whether diversification allows regions to achieve more efficient growth-instability combinations. The results confirm that diversification does generate such effects. Spatial interactions do also play a role: The effects are less pronounced for regions whose economic performance is mainly driven by the surrounding regions.
Judicial versus ‘natural’ selection of legal rules with an application to accident law

Law and economics scholars argue that the common law evolves toward efficiency. Invisible-hand theories suggest that the law is primarily driven by a selection process whereby inefficient laws are litigated more frequently than efficient laws, and hence are more likely to be overturned. However, the preferences of judges also necessarily affect legal change. This paper models the interaction of these two forces to evaluate the efficiency claim, and then applies the conclusions to the evolution of accident law in the United States beginning in the 19th century. Specifically, it attributes the persistence of negligence to its efficiency properties, despite its having been initially selected by judges for a different reason. The paper relates legal evolution to biological evolution by employing the concepts of natural and artificial selection, and the more recent concept of exaptation.
Continuous Flow through Peritoneal Dialysis (Cfpd): Comparison of Efficiency to Ipd, Tpd, and Capd in An Animal Model:

ObjectiveTo determine whether continuous flow through peritoneal dialysis (CFPD), a treatment schedule in which peritoneal dialysate is infused continuously into one part of the abdomen (over the l...
The world in itself: Neither uniform nor physical

Since Hume, philosophers of induction have debated the question of whether we have any reason for assuming that nature is uniform. This debate has always presumed that the uniformity hypothesis is itself coherent. In Part 1 of the following I argue that a proper appreciation of Nelson Goodman's so-called grue-green problem1 should lead us to the conclusion that the uniformity hypothesis, under its usual interpretation as a strictly ontological thesis, is incoherent. In Part 2 I argue that further consideration of the grue-green problem leads to the conclusion that certain popular versions of the thesis of physical supervenience/the primacy of physics, under their usual interpretation as strictly ontological theses, are false. In Part 3 I argue that the notions of natural kinds and nature's joints should not be taken as ontologically objective notions but as interest relative. Together Parts 1, 2, and 3 provide support for the Nietzsche-Goodman thesis that philosophers are prone to mistakenly identify as absolute, mind and language independent, features of the world which are in fact only features of a particular discourse, or of the world relative to a particular discourse.
Speeding up Graph Algorithms via Switching Classes

Given a graph G, a vertex switch of \(v \in V(G)\) results in a new graph where neighbors of v become nonneighbors and vice versa. This operation gives rise to an equivalence relation over the set of labeled digraphs on n vertices. The equivalence class of G with respect to the switching operation is commonly referred to as G’s switching class. The algebraic and combinatorial properties of switching classes have been studied in depth; however, they have not been studied as thoroughly from an algorithmic point of view. The intent of this work is to further investigate the algorithmic properties of switching classes. In particular, we show that switching classes can be used to asymptotically speed up several super-linear unweighted graph algorithms. The current techniques for speeding up graph algorithms are all somewhat involved insofar that they employ sophisticated pre-processing, data-structures, or use “word tricks” on the RAM model to achieve at most a \(O(\log (n))\) speed up for sufficiently dense graphs. Our methods are much simpler and can result in super-polylogarithmic speedups. In particular, we achieve better bounds for diameter, transitive closure, bipartite maximum matching, and general maximum matching.
The asymptotic covariance matrix of the QMLE in ARMA models

ABSTRACTA compact analytical representation of the asymptotic covariance matrix, in terms of model parameters directly, of the quasi maximum likelihood estimator (QMLE) is derived in autoregressive moving average (ARMA) models with possible nonzero means and non-Gaussian error terms. For model parameters excluding the error variance, it is found that the Huber (1967) sandwich form for the asymptotic covariance matrix degenerates into the inverse of the associated information matrix. In comparison to the existing result that involves the second moments of some auxiliary variables for the case of zero-mean ARMA models, the analytical asymptotic covariance in this article has an advantage in that it can be conveniently estimated by plugging in the estimated model parameters directly.
Laser transmitter design and performance for the slope imaging multi-polarization photon-counting lidar (SIMPL) instrument

The Slope Imaging Multi-polarization Photon-counting Lidar (SIMPL) is a polarimetric, two-color, multi-beam push broom laser altimeter developed through the NASA Earth Science Technology Office Instrument Incubator Program. It has flown successfully on multiple airborne platforms beginning in 2008.1 It was developed to demonstrate new altimetry capabilities that combine height measurements and information about surface composition and properties. In this talk we will discuss the laser transmitter design and performance and present recent science data collected over the Greenland ice sheet and arctic sea ice in support of the second NASA Ice Cloud and land Elevation Satellite (ICESat-2) mission to be launched in 2017.2
Tuning the Relative Stability and Reactivity of Manganese Dioxygen and Peroxo Intermediates via Systematic Ligand Modification.

ConspectusMany fundamental processes of life depend on the chemical energy stored in the O–O bond of dioxygen (O2), the majority of which is derived from photosynthetic H2O oxidation. Key steps in these processes involve Mn-, Fe-, or Cu-promoted formation or cleavage of O–O and O–H bonds, the mechanisms of which are not fully understood, especially with Mn. Metal–peroxo and high-valent metal–oxo species are proposed to be involved as intermediates. The metal ion properties that favor O–O and O–H bond formation versus cleavage have yet to be systematically explored. Herein we examine the O2 reactivity of a series of structurally related Mn(II) complexes and show that several metastable intermediates are observed, the relative stabilities of which depend on subtle differences in ligand architecture. We show that in contrast to Fe and Cu complexes, O2 binds irreversibly to Mn(II). By crystallizing an entire series of the first reported examples of Mn(III)–OOR peroxos as well as an O2-derived binuclear trans-...
Activation of C–H Bonds via the Merger of Photoredox and Organocatalysis: A Coupling of Benzylic Ethers with Schiff Bases

The photoredox-mediated coupling of benzylic ethers with Schiff bases has been accomplished. Direct benzylic C–H activation by a combination of a thiol catalyst with an iridium photocatalyst and subsequent radical–radical coupling with secondary aldimines affords a variety of β-amino ether products in good to excellent yields. Mechanistic studies suggest that a reductive quenching pathway of the photocatalyst is operable.
Gordon Tullock’s implicit analytical history of government

Gordon Tullock wrote widely on the emergence and effects of political and legal institutions. Although he did not provide an analytical narrative, perse, his work provides explanations for the emergence of the state, civil law, constitutional law, and democracy. When his work is organized as a historical narrative, it becomes clear that conflict, rather than trade or cooperation, are at the core of Tullock’s approach to constitutional political economy.
A new class of orthosteric uPAR·uPA small-molecule antagonists are allosteric inhibitors of the uPAR·vitronectin interaction.

The urokinase receptor (uPAR) is a GPI-anchored cell surface receptor that is at the center of an intricate network of protein–protein interactions. Its immediate binding partners are the serine proteinase urokinase (uPA), and vitronectin (VTN), a component of the extracellular matrix. uPA and VTN bind at distinct sites on uPAR to promote extracellular matrix degradation and integrin signaling, respectively. Here, we report the discovery of a new class of pyrrolone small-molecule inhibitors of the tight ∼1 nM uPAR·uPA protein–protein interaction. These compounds were designed to bind to the uPA pocket on uPAR. The highest affinity compound, namely 7, displaced a fluorescently labeled α-helical peptide (AE147-FAM) with an inhibition constant Ki of 0.7 μM and inhibited the tight uPAR·uPAATF interaction with an IC50 of 18 μM. Biophysical studies with surface plasmon resonance showed that VTN binding is highly dependent on uPA. This cooperative binding was confirmed as 7, which binds at the uPAR·uPA interface...
Catalytic Synthesis of n-Alkyl Arenes through Alkyl Group Cross-Metathesis

National Science Foundation (U.S.) (CCI Center for Enabling New Technologies through Catalysis (CENTC) Phase II Renewal (CHE-1205189))
Focal Points in Public Policy: Evidence from Voluntary Regulation

Numerous studies argue that law affects behavior “expressively”—such as when states create focal points that overcome the coordination difficulties firms face. We argue that governments help firms overcome coordination dilemmas by explicating a preferred strategy for firms weighing investment in voluntary regulation. Firms would prefer to coordinate on a common strategy as a way of reducing the costs of voluntary regulation and increasing its benefits. We test our hypothesis about the efficacy of focal point selection with the European Union's (EU) advocacy of the Eco-Management and Audit Scheme (EMAS) over a rival environmental management system, International Standards Organization (ISO) 14001. EU nations have statistically significantly lower rates of ISO 14001 certification than comparable countries at least in part due to their advocacy of EMAS. These results emphasize the role the state plays in coordinating business behavior even when such policy is simply expressive.
Asymmetric Hydroformylation of Z-Enamides and Enol Esters with Rhodium-Bisdiazaphos Catalysts

Asymmetric hydroformylation (AHF) of Z-enamides and Z-enol esters provides chiral, alpha-functionalized aldehydes with high selectivity and atom economy. Rh-bisdiazaphospholane catalysts enable hydroformylation of these challenging disubstituted substrates under mild reaction conditions and low catalyst loadings. The synthesis of a protected analog of l-DOPA demonstrates the utility of AHF for enantioselective, atom-efficient synthesis of peptide precursors.
Development of the weapon borne sensor parachute system

A parachute system was designed and prototypes built to deploy a telemetry package behind an earth-penetrating weapon just before impact. The parachute was designed to slow the 10 lb. telemetry package and wire connecting it to the penetrator to 50 fps before impact occurred. The parachute system was designed to utilize a 1.3-ft-dia cross pilot parachute and a 10.8-ft-dia main parachute. A computer code normally used to model the deployment of suspension lines from a packed parachute system was modified to model the deployment of wire from the weapon forebody. Results of the design calculations are presented. Two flight tests of the WBS were conducted, but initiation of parachute deployment did not occur in either of the tests due to difficulties with other components. Thus, the trajectory calculations could not be verified with data. Draft drawings of the major components of the parachute system are presented.
Some Low Temperature Properties of Elastomers

A modification of the apparatus employed in measuring the Young's modulus of elastomers at low temperatures is described. The changes made in the apparatus permit the use of a simplified technique which can be adapted to routine testing procedure. The effects of various softeners on the low temperature bending moduli and the brittle point temperatures of stocks based on four butadiene‐acrylonitrile (B/A) type copolymers are given. It is shown that the softeners tested have the same relative effects in all four types and that a wide variation in low temperature properties is imparted to the stocks by the different softeners. Bending modulus curves and brittle point temperatures are given for typical test stocks based on Thiokol FA, and ``mass'' and ``emulsion'' polymerized polybutadiene. It is shown that continued exposure to low temperature affects the Young's modulus of some but not all typical vulcanizates. Data are presented showing this effect on an uncured Hevea gum stock held at 0°C. Certain softeners have been found to induce time effects in one of the B/A type stocks, which exhibits no crystallization, and hence no progressive stiffening in the absence of the given softeners. A method for measuring and evaluating creep under dead load at low temperatures is presented. Accompanying data indicate that in the case of those stocks tested, the creep constant defined reaches a maximum at a definite temperature which is a characteristic of the given stock.
Continuous Displacement of “Lattice” Atoms

In the existing CVM (Cluster Variation Method) formulations, atoms are placed on lattice points. A modification is proposed in which an atom can be displaced from a lattice point. The displaced position is written by a vector r, which varies continuously. This model is treated in the CVM framework by regarding an atom at r as a species r. The probability of finding an atom displaced at r in dr is written as f(r)dr, and the corresponding pair probability is written as g(r1, r2)dr1dr2. We formulate using the pair approximation of the CVM in the present paper. The interatomic potential is assumed given, for example as the Lennard-Jones form. The entropy is written in terms of f(r) and g(r1, r2) using the CVM formula. The special feature of the present formulation which is different from the prevailing no-displacement cases of the CVM is that rotational symmetry of the lattice is to be satisfied by the f(r) and g(r1, r2) functions. After the general equations are written in the continuum vector form and in the integral equation formulation, an example of a single-component system is solved by changing integrals into summations over finite intervals. Further we construct simulations of displacement patters in such a way that the pattern satisfies the pair probability distribution which has been calculated as the output of the CVM analysis. The simulated pattern shows the wavy behavior of phonons. Future directions are discussed.
Biased Beliefs, Asset Prices, and Investment: A Structural Approach

We structurally estimate a model in which agents’ information processing biases can cause predictability in firms’ asset returns and investment inefficiencies. We generalize the neoclassical investment model by allowing for two biases—overconfidence and overextrapolation of trends—that distort agents’ expectations of firm productivity. Our model’s predictions closely match empirical data on asset pricing and firm behavior. The estimated bias parameters are well identified and exhibit plausible magnitudes. Alternative models without either bias or with efficient investment fail to match observed return predictability and firm behavior. These results suggest that biases affect firm behavior, which in turn affects return anomalies.
An additive version of Ramsey’s theorem

We show that, for every r, k, there is an n = n(r, k) so that any r-coloring of the edges of the complete graph on [n] will yield a monochromatic complete subgraph on vertices { a+ ∑ i∈I di | I ⊆ [k] } for some choice of a, d1, . . . , dk. In particular, there is always a solution to x1 + . . .+ x` = y1 + . . .+ y` whose induced subgraph is monochromatic.
Ideology and Interests in the Political Marketplace

I develop a statistical method to measure the ideology of candidates and political action committees (PACs) using contribution data. The method recovers ideal points for incumbents that strongly correlate with ideological measures recovered from voting records, while simultaneously recovering positions for PACs, unsuccessful challengers, and open-seat candidates. As the candidate ideal points are estimated independently of voting records, they represent a useful new resource for testing models of legislative behavior. By incorporating nonideological covariates known to influence PAC contributions, the method also shows promise as a platform for furthering our understanding of PAC contribution behavior.
Lignin-Based Thermoplastic Materials

Lignin-based thermoplastic materials have attracted increasing interest as sustainable, cost-effective, and biodegradable alternatives for petroleum-based thermoplastics. As an amorphous thermoplastic material, lignin has a relatively high glass-transition temperature and also undergoes radical-induced self-condensation at high temperatures, which limits its thermal processability. Additionally, lignin-based materials are usually brittle and exhibit poor mechanical properties. To improve the thermoplasticity and mechanical properties of technical lignin, polymers or plasticizers are usually integrated with lignin by blending or chemical modification. This Review attempts to cover the reported approaches towards the development of lignin-based thermoplastic materials on the basis of published information. Approaches reviewed include plasticization, blending with miscible polymers, and chemical modifications by esterification, etherification, polymer grafting, and copolymerization. Those lignin-based thermoplastic materials are expected to show applications as engineering plastics, polymeric foams, thermoplastic elastomers, and carbon-fiber precursors.
Multifaceted Aid for Low-Income Students and College Outcomes: Evidence from North Carolina

We study the evolution of a campus-based aid program for low-income students that began with grant-heavy financial aid and later added a suite of nonfinancial supports. We find little to no evidence that program eligibility during the early years (2004–2006), in which students received additional institutional grant aid and few nonfinancial supports, improved postsecondary progress, performance, or completion. In contrast, program-eligible students in more recent cohorts (2007–2010), when the program supplemented grant-heavy aid with an array of nonfinancial supports, were more likely to meet credit accumulation benchmarks toward timely graduation and earned higher grade point averages than their barely ineligible counterparts. (JEL I21, I23, I24, J08)
NPY signaling inhibits extended amygdala CRF neurons to suppress binge alcohol drinking

Binge alcohol drinking is a tremendous public health problem because it leads to the development of numerous pathologies, including alcohol abuse and anxiety. It is thought to do so by hijacking brain systems that regulate stress and reward, including neuropeptide Y (NPY) and corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF). The central actions of NPY and CRF have opposing functions in the regulation of emotional and reward-seeking behaviors; thus, dysfunctional interactions between these peptidergic systems could be involved in the development of these pathologies. We used converging physiological, pharmacological and chemogenetic approaches to identify a precise neural mechanism in the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNST), a limbic brain region involved in pathological reward and anxiety behaviors, underlying the interactions between NPY and CRF in the regulation of binge alcohol drinking in both mice and monkeys. We found that NPY Y1 receptor (Y1R) activation in the BNST suppressed binge alcohol drinking by enhancing inhibitory synaptic transmission specifically in CRF neurons via a previously unknown Gi-mediated, PKA-dependent postsynaptic mechanism. Furthermore, chronic alcohol drinking led to persistent alterations in Y1R function in the BNST of both mice and monkeys, highlighting the enduring, conserved nature of this effect across mammalian species. Together, these data provide both a cellular locus and signaling framework for the development of new therapeutics for treatment of neuropsychiatric diseases, including alcohol use disorders.
Toda Theory From Six Dimensions

We describe a compactification of the six-dimensional (2,0) theory on a foursphere which gives rise to a two-dimensional Toda theory at long distances. This construction realizes chiral Toda fields as edge modes trapped near the poles of the sphere. We relate our setup to compactifications of the (2,0) theory on the five and six-sphere. In this way, we explain a connection between half-BPS operators of the (2,0) theory and twodimensional W-algebras, and derive an equality between their conformal anomalies. As we explain, all such relationships between the six-dimensional (2,0) theory and Toda field theory can be interpreted as statements about the edge modes of complex Chern-Simons on various three-manifolds with boundary.
Activity Monitoring System for Independent Elderly Living

Some elderly people prefer to live independently and not in group settings, such as nursing homes. As age increases, health risks for independent living increase, including incapacitation. The longer one remains in an incapacitated state before being detected and receiving help, the higher the risk of permanent impairment or death. Systems that monitor activity within a residence may allow an elderly person to live independently, since the system would detect a lack of activity and would make alerts for help to arrive if one were to enter an incapacitated state. The objectives of this project were to develop and test modules of an activity monitoring system for a bathroom, the toiletry restroom of a residence. Prototype modules have been developed based on a Raspberry Pi, sensors for motion, contact switches to determine opening and closing of doors and cabinets, water valve sensors, and a temperature and humidity sensor. LEDs in the prototype serve the role of alerts or actuators, to be developed further. The prototype system did read from each sensor and controlled LEDs that modeled actuators. The received data was stored in Google Spreadsheet with data presented in graphs. The system shows promise but further development and testing are required toward application.
Prevalence of left atrial abnormalities in atrial fibrillation versus normal sinus patients

BackgroundAtrial fibrillation (AF) may be the cause or sequela of left atrial abnormalities and variants.PurposeTo determine the prevalence of left atrial (LA) abnormalities in AF patients compared to normal sinus rhythm (NSR) patients.Material and MethodsWe retrospectively reviewed 281 cardiac CT examinations from 2010 to 2012, excluding patients with prior pulmonary vein ablation, known coronary artery disease, prior coronary stent placement, or coronary artery bypass grafts. The first group consisted of 159 AF patients undergoing cardiac CT prior to pulmonary vein ablation and the second group consisted of 122 NSR patients evaluated with coronary CT angiography. Demographic data were collected. LA abnormalities were analyzed. Left atrial diameter was measured on an axial view.ResultsA total of 281 patients were included. The male gender has significantly higher prevalence of AF than female gender, P value <0.001. Patients with AF were significantly older (mean age, 57.4 years; standard deviation [SD], ...
The exception that improves the rule

The database community has developed numerous tools and techniques for data curation and exploration, from declarative languages, to specialized techniques for data repair, and more. Yet, there is currently no consensus on how to best expose these powerful tools to an analyst in a simple, intuitive, and above all, flexible way. Thus, analysts continue to rely on tools such as spreadsheets, imperative languages, and notebook style programming environments like Jupyter for data curation. In this work, we explore the integration of spreadsheets, notebooks, and relational databases. We focus on a key advantage that both spreadsheets and imperative notebook environments have over classical relational databases: ease of exception. By relying on set-at-a-time operations, relational databases sacrifice the ability to easily define singleton operations, exceptions to a normal data processing workflow that affect query processing for a fixed set of explicitly targeted records. In comparison, a spreadsheet user can easily change the formula for just one cell, while a notebook user can add an imperative operation to her notebook that alters an output "view". We believe that enabling such idiosyncratic manual transformations in a classical relational database is critical for curation, as curation operations that are easy to declare for individual values can often be extremely challenging to generalize. We explore the challenges of enabling singletons in relational databases, propose a hybrid spreadsheet/relational notebook environment for data curation, and present our vision of Vizier, a system that exposes data curation through such an interface.
Activated Carbon Removal of Hydrogen Sulfide

The removal of hydrogen sulfide from an air-gas mixture presents many problems. The paper deals with the removal by one media only (activated carbon), but considers the many types of conditions that could occur, as well as the basic conditions that are created during the dynamic chemisorption.
Are Few Bins Enough: Testing Histogram Distributions

A probability distribution over an ordered universe [n]={1,...,n} is said to be a k-histogram if it can be represented as a piecewise-constant function over at most k contiguous intervals. We study the following question: given samples from an arbitrary distribution D over [n], one must decide whether D is a k-histogram, or is far in L_1 distance from any such succinct representation. We obtain a sample and time-efficient algorithm for this problem, complemented by a nearly-matching information-theoretic lower bound on the number of samples required for this task. Our results significantly improve on the previous state-of-the-art, due to Indyk, Levi, and Rubinfeld 2012) and Canonne, Diakonikolas, Gouleakis, and Rubinfeld (2016).
Pointed Hopf actions on fields, II

Abstract This is a continuation of the authors' study of finite-dimensional pointed Hopf algebras H which act inner faithfully on commutative domains. As mentioned in Part I of this work, the study boils down to the case where H acts inner faithfully on a field. These Hopf algebras are referred to as Galois-theoretical. In this work, we provide classification results for finite-dimensional pointed Galois-theoretical Hopf algebras H of finite Cartan type. Namely, we determine when such H of type A 1 × r and some H of rank two possess the Galois-theoretical property. Moreover, we provide necessary and sufficient conditions for Reshetikhin twists of small quantum groups to be Galois-theoretical.
Concept study for a compact homodyne astrophysics spectrometer for exoplanets (CHASE)

ABSTRACT In this concept study, we are targeting to build a new instrument to sequentially observe exoplanet atmospheres and their SDUHQW¶VVWHOODUVSHFWUDRYHUDV LJQLILFDQWWLPHLQ189DQG)897KH&RPSDFW+RPRG\QH$VWURSK\VLFV6SHFWURPHWHUI or E xoplanets (CHASE) offers integrated spectra over a wide field -of -view (FOV~40arcsec) in high spectr al resolution (R>10 5 LQ D PLQLDWXUL]HGDU FKLWHFWXUHXVLQJQ R RUD VPDOO P S ULPDU\PLUURU& +$6(¶VZLGH)29LVFR PSDWLEOHZLWKthe relaxed pointing requirements of current CubeSats and SmallSats which makes it readily qualifiable for space in a compac t format and have the potential to enable major scientific breakthroughs. Keywords: Exoplanets , Spatial H omodyne Spectrometer, SHS, interferometry, spectrometry, 1. INTRODUCTION Here, we describe the concept study for a new compact, high -performance, high spectral resolution ultraviolet (UV) spectrometer for astrophysics science . Exoplanet science is now in its full expansion, particularly after the CoRoT and Kepler space missions. However, lack of data and knowledge of temporal variations in the parent sta U¶VV WHOODUV SHFWUDDQGabundance of key photochemical species (e.g., O
The phosphatase calcineurin regulates pathological TDP-43 phosphorylation

Detergent insoluble inclusions of TDP-43 protein are hallmarks of the neuropathology in over 90 % of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) cases and approximately half of frontotemporal dementia (FTLD-TDP) cases. In TDP-43 proteinopathy disorders, lesions containing aggregated TDP-43 protein are extensively post-translationally modified, with phosphorylated TDP-43 (pTDP) being the most consistent and robust marker of pathological TDP-43 deposition. Abnormally phosphorylated TDP-43 has been hypothesized to mediate TDP-43 toxicity in many neurodegenerative disease models. To date, several different kinases have been implicated in the genesis of pTDP, but no phosphatases have been shown to reverse pathological TDP-43 phosphorylation. We have identified the phosphatase calcineurin as an enzyme binding to and catalyzing the removal of pathological C-terminal phosphorylation of TDP-43 in vitro. In C. elegans models of TDP-43 proteinopathy, genetic elimination of calcineurin results in accumulation of excess pTDP, exacerbated motor dysfunction, and accelerated neurodegenerative changes. In cultured human cells, treatment with FK506 (tacrolimus), a calcineurin inhibitor, results in accumulation of pTDP species. Lastly, calcineurin co-localizes with pTDP in degenerating areas of the central nervous system in subjects with FTLD-TDP and ALS. Taken together, these findings suggest calcineurin acts on pTDP as a phosphatase in neurons. Furthermore, patient treatment with calcineurin inhibitors may have unappreciated adverse neuropathological consequences.
Study of Nuclear Level Density and gamma-Strength Function in 90 Zr, 196 Pt, and 197 Pt

Nuclear level density and ?-strength functions have been investigated with two independent experimental methods; one is the evaporation method for 90Zr by the (d,n) reaction on 89Y and the other one is the Oslo method for 196Pt and 197Pt by the (p,p?) and (d,p?) reactions on 196Pt, respectively.The experimental cross sections of 89Y(d,n) were compared with EMPIRE calculations. Comparison indicates that the energy dependence of the neutron evaporation cross sections is consistent with the one from theoretical calculation but the magnitude of our experimental data points is lower than calculations by a factor of 2. In the measured cross section, broad peaks are also observed at the outgoing neutron energies of 8.5-10 MeV and 10-11.5 MeV for the bombarding deuteron energies of 6 and 7.5 MeV, respectively. These peaks might be produced due to strongly populated states 0+, 4-, and 5- of 90Zr via direct reactions. The experimental level density of 90Zr is compared with the Fermi-gas and the constant temperature models. We also found the step structure located at Ex = 4 MeV, resulting from the breaking of Cooper pairs.The measured strength function of 197Pt was compared to the experimental data of 198Au taken from Ref. [1]. The extracted parameters of the pygmy resonance for 197Pt show good agreement with the ones for 198Au, implying that both nuclei have the similar nuclear structure. However, several pronounced lines due to contamination by the aluminum exposed to a proton beam in the 196Pt(p,p?) reaction are found in the coincidence matrix of 196Pt. The new coincidence matrix, which is free of those Al peaks, was obtained by putting a gate on the 2+ to 0+ ?-transition populating the ground state of 196Pt. As a result, consistent results were obtained between 197Pt and 196Pt data. Comparing to theoretical models, we can conclude that the Lorentzian with the energy dependent damping width with the varying temperature and the generalized Lorentzian model with the constant temperature reproduce the measured ?-strength functions for 197Pt and 196Pt well.
A robust combinatorial approach to reduce singularities in quadrilateral meshes

There are many automatic quadrilateral mesh generators that can produce a high-quality mesh with low distortion. However, they typically generate a large number of singularities that could be detrimental to downstream applications. This paper introduces Minimum Singularity Templates (MST) to reduce the number of singularities in a pure quad mesh. These templates are easy to encode with high-level grammar rules for complete automation or interactive control. The MST exploits two important properties of quadrilateral meshes: (1) every submesh has even number of quad edges on its boundary, and (2) every submesh with 3, 4 or 5 topological convex corners on its boundary can be transformed into a patch that has at most two interior singularities. The MST (1) does not change the boundary edges of the patch, (2) avoids corner picking on a patch and solving NP-hard interval matching algorithm to select divisions, (3) is extremely fast with time complexity of O(1) in template creation, and (4) has low memory footprint and is robust. To illustrate the concepts, we consider quadrilateral meshes generated using Abaqus, Gmsh, and Cubit, and reduce the singularities within these meshes.Besides improving the topological quality of an existing quad mesh, we describe two additional algorithms that exploit the above MST operations to (1) generate an ab-initio high-quality quadrilateral mesh in a complex domain, and (2) convert a quad-dominant mesh to a pure quadrilateral mesh. We provide Minimum Singularity Templates which reduce singularities in a quad-mesh.Our approach is inexpensive, deterministic, efficient, and simple.Singularity reduction is supported by a theory.We extend it to generate a high-quality quad mesh and convert a quad dominant mesh to a pure quad-mesh.
Scalable 3D hybrid parallel Delaunay image-to-mesh conversion algorithm for distributed shared memory architectures

In this paper, we present a scalable three-dimensional hybrid parallel Delaunay image-to-mesh conversion algorithm (PDR.PODM) for distributed shared memory architectures. PDR.PODM is able to explore parallelism early in the mesh generation process thanks to the aggressive speculative approach employed by the Parallel Optimistic Delaunay Mesh generation algorithm (PODM). In addition, it decreases the communication overhead and improves data locality by making use of a data partitioning scheme offered by the Parallel Delaunay Refinement algorithm (PDR). PDR.PODM supports fully functional volume grading by creating elements with varying size. Small elements are created near boundary or inside the critical regions in order to capture the fine features while big elements are created in the rest of the mesh. We tested PDR.PODM on Blacklight, a distributed shared memory (DSM) machine in Pittsburgh Supercomputing Center. For the uniform mesh generation, we observed a weak scaling speedup of 163.8 and above for up to 256 cores as opposed to PODM whose weak scaling speedup is only 44.7 on 256 cores. PDR.PODM scales well on uniform refinement cases running on DSM supercomputers. The end result is that PDR.PODM can generate 18 million elements per second as opposed to 14 million per second in our earlier work. The varying size version sharply reduces the number of elements compared to the uniform version and thus reduces the time to generate the mesh while keeping the same fidelity. Represents the surface with topological and geometrical guarantees.Recovers the surface and meshes the volume simultaneously in parallel.Supports parallel graded mesh generation for multi-material objects.
THE EFFECT OF THE BUSINESS CYCLE ON FRESHMAN FINANCIAL AID

When the economy slips into recession, more needy students enroll in college, increasing the need for financial aid while resources for aid become more scarce. We use “Freshman Survey” data from the Higher Education Research Institute to observe changes in financial aid composition from 1980 to 2000. We use state-level tax revenues, unemployment rates, and personal income growth as macroeconomic indicators. During recessions, we find that the burden of financing a student's college education shifts from states and institutions to families and federal programs. We also show that these macroeconomic fluctuations are increasingly volatile for underrepresented minorities. (JEL I22, H52, E32)
Government Intervention and Information Aggregation by Prices

Governments intervene in firms' lives in a variety of ways. To enhance the efficiency of government intervention, many researchers and policy makers call for governments to make use of information contained in stock market prices. However, price informativeness is endogenous to government policy. We analyze government policy in light of this endogeneity. In some cases, it is optimal for a government to commit to limit its reliance on market prices to avoid harming the aggregation of information into market prices. For similar reasons, it is optimal for a government to limit transparency in some dimensions
The Effect of Carbonate and pH on Hydrogen Oxidation and Oxygen Reduction on Pt-Based Electrocatalysts in Alkaline Media

We investigated the performance of several carbon-supported RuxPty electrocatalysts for their alkaline hydrogen oxidation and oxygen reduction performance in the presence of carbonate and compared their performance with monometallic, carbon-supported Pt. Our results indicate a strong dependence of HOR upon pH for the monometallic Pt catalysts (22 mV/pH) and a weak dependence upon pH for the Ru-containing electrocatalysts (3.7, 2.5, and 4.7 mV/pH on Ru0.2Pt0.8, Ru0.4Pt0.6, and Ru0.8Pt0.2, respectively). These results are consistent with our previous findings that illustrate a change in rds from electron transfer (on monometallic Pt) to dissociative hydrogen adsorption (on RuxPty catalysts). Analysis of the kinetic currents to determine the rate-determining step via Tafel slope analysis provides additional data supporting this conclusion. There is no difference in the performance at comparable pH values in the presence or absence of carbonate on monometallic Pt indicating that water/hydroxide is the primary proton acceptor for alkaline HOR. Finally, we observe no pH or carbonate dependence for the ORR on monometallic Pt.
A Usability Comparison of Laser Suction Handpieces for Percutaneous Nephrolithotomy

Abstract Introduction: The holmium laser has revolutionized the practice of minimally invasive endoscopy for kidney stones. Recently, a novel, rigid handpiece for use in percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL) that couples the holmium laser with suction has been developed. To date, limited data exist regarding the usability and ergonomics of such treatment systems. We thus sought to compare surgeon-rated usability with three different suction laser handpieces in a porcine model. Materials and Methods: We performed bilateral reverse PCNL on four female domestic farm pigs. After induction of general anesthesia, percutaneous access was obtained into each kidney by using biplanar fluoroscopy and 8 mm stones (plaster of Paris) were inserted into the calix or renal pelvis for treatment. Four surgeons tested the LASER Suction Tube (Karl Storz®, Germany), LithAssist™ (Cook® Medical), and Suction Handpiece (HP) (Lumenis®, Israel) by using a combination of fragmentation (5 Joules/20 Hertz) and dusting (0.8 Joules/80 He...
Plea Bargaining and Prosecutorial Motives

This Article argues that the structure of the plea-bargaining system— which the Supreme Court recently recognized “is the criminal justice system”—hinges on something previously unappreciated by scholars and unaddressed in criminal procedure doctrine: prosecutors’ motives. This Article addresses that problem by studying the prosecutor’s disclosure obligations when defendants plead guilty. Courts and commentators have been divided for years over whether Brady v. Maryland applies when defendants plead guilty. But the current split blinds us to more important, and more vexing, aspects of the problem. The fact is, there already is a disclosure obligation, albeit a hidden one. Armed with an understanding of the dormant disclosure obligation, this Article then addresses tricky issues surrounding this problem and, in doing so, exposes the centrality of prosecutorial motives, which existing scholarship has not addressed. A full understanding of the role of prosecutorial motives in the plea-bargaining system solves several existing doctrinal puzzles—chief among them whether defendants can waive their right to disclosure—yields workable definitions of concepts like “impeachment” and “materiality,” and addresses issues that go to the heart of the plea-bargaining system.