cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A distributed observer for a time-invariant linear system

A time-invariant, linear, distributed observer is described for estimating the state of an m > 0 channel, n-dimensional continuous-time linear system of the form x = Ax, y i = C i x, i 2 ∈ {1, 2, …, m}. The state x is simultaneously estimated by m agents assuming each agent i senses y i and receives the state z j of each of its neighbors' estimators. Neighbor relations are characterized by a constant directed graph ℕ whose vertices correspond to agents and whose arcs depict neighbor relations. For the case when the neighbor graph is strongly connected, the overall distributed observer consists of m linear estimators, one for each agent; m‒1 of the estimators are of dimension n and one estimator is of dimension n+m‒1. Using results from classical decentralized control theory, it is shown that subject to the assumptions that (i) none of the Ci are zero, (ii) the neighbor graph ℕ is strongly connected, (iii) the system whose state is to be estimated is jointly observable, and nothing more, it is possible to freely assign the spectrum of the overall distributed observer. For the more general case when ℕ has q > 1 strongly connected components, it is explained how to construct a family of q distributed observers, one for each component, which can estimate x at a preassigned convergence rate.
A robust diarization system for measuring dominance in Peer-Led Team Learning groups

Peer-Led Team Learning (PLTL) is a structured learning model where a team leader is appointed to facilitate collaborative problem solving among students for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) courses. This paper presents an informed HMM-based speaker diarization system. The minimum duration of short conversational-turns and number of participating students were fed as side information to the HMM system. A modified form of Bayesian Information Criterion (BIC) was used for iterative merging and re-segmentation. Finally, we used the diarization output to compute a novel dominance score based on unsupervised acoustic analysis.
Identifying Genetic Variants in Adolescents With Oppositional Defiant Disorders and/or Conduct Disorders: A Brief Report.

PROBLEM To add to diversity in our state biobank, we explored the feasibility of collecting genetic material from adolescents with oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) and/or conduct disorder (CD) and their family members. We also preliminarily explored genetic factors associated with ODD and/or CD by comparing participant data to 1000 Genome Project data on minor allele frequencies. METHODS Adolescents with ODD and/or CD and family members provided saliva samples for genetic testing. We evaluated five single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), respectively, in the dopamine receptor subtype D2, dopamine receptor subtype D3, dopamine beta-hydroxylase, dopamine transporter gene SLC6A3, and alpha-2-adrenergic receptor genes. Fisher's exact tests were used to examine differences in minor allele frequencies for each SNP. FINDINGS Thirty-one viable samples were genotyped from 15 affected adolescents and 16 unaffected family members; the 60% consent rate reflected high feasibility. Compared with the 1000 Genome Project frequencies, affected adolescents had higher frequencies of the genetic variant in the dopamine receptor subtype D2 (p = .05) and dopamine beta-hydroxylase (p = 0.03), but not of the other three SNPs examined. CONCLUSIONS Collecting genetic materials from an ethnically diverse sample of affected adolescents and their families is feasible. We offer practical suggestions to strengthen the integrity of future research studies.
Internalizing European Court of Human Rights Interpretations: Russia's Courts of General Jurisdiction and New Directions in Civil Defamation Law

Over the past several years, Russia’s courts of general jurisdiction [hereafter, "Ordinary Courts"] have made significant changes in Russia’s system of civil defamation law. In February, 2005, utilizing its power to issue interpretations of legislation, the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation ["SC"] consolidated and made generally applicable throughout the ordinary court system a set of modifications, a number of which certain lower courts already had applied in adjudication of discrete disputes. The simultaneous threshold steps in this process were the courts' expansion of the range of applicable sources of law beyond the Russian Federation Civil Code to include also free expression guarantees in the European Convention on Human Rights (“ECHR”) --an international treaty to which Russia acceded in 1998 --and their internalization of the interpretative practice of the European Court of Human Rights ("ECtHR"). Although it will examine closely certain lower court decisions that foreshadowed and accompanied the SC's 2005 Explanation, this article is not a comprehensive empirical study of
Phytoplankton size impact on export flux in the global ocean

Efficiency of the biological pump of carbon to the deep ocean depends largely on biologically mediated export of carbon from the surface ocean and its remineralization with depth. Global satellite studies have primarily focused on chlorophyll concentration and net primary production (NPP) to understand the role of phytoplankton in these processes. Recent satellite retrievals of phytoplankton composition now allow for the size of phytoplankton cells to be considered. Here we improve understanding of phytoplankton size structure impacts on particle export, remineralization, and transfer. A global compilation of particulate organic carbon (POC) flux estimated from sediment traps and 234Th are utilized. Annual climatologies of NPP, percent microplankton, and POC flux at four time series locations and within biogeochemical provinces are constructed. Parameters that characterize POC flux versus depth (export flux ratio, labile fraction, and remineralization length scale) are fit for time series locations, biogeochemical provinces, and times of the year dominated by small and large phytoplankton cells where phytoplankton cell size show enough dynamic range over the annual cycle. Considering all data together, our findings support the idea of high export flux but low transfer efficiency in productive regions and vice versa for oligotrophic regions. However, when parsing by dominant size class, we find periods dominated by small cells to have both greater export flux efficiency and lower transfer efficiency than periods when large cells comprise a greater proportion of the phytoplankton community.
Water-Hammer Analysis Including Fluid Friction

A theoretical analysis of water hammer with the inclusion of hydraulic friction losses leads to a set of nonlinear, partial differential equations. These equations are transformed into characterist...
Dissecting the genetics of complex traits using summary association statistics

During the past decade, genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have been used to successfully identify tens of thousands of genetic variants associated with complex traits and diseases. These studies have produced extensive repositories of genetic variation and trait measurements across large numbers of individuals, providing tremendous opportunities for further analyses. However, privacy concerns and other logistical considerations often limit access to individual-level genetic data, motivating the development of methods that analyse summary association statistics. Here, we review recent progress on statistical methods that leverage summary association data to gain insights into the genetic basis of complex traits and diseases.
Decentralized hierarchical control of active power distribution nodes

This paper explores control strategies for active power distribution nodes (APDNs) using a hierarchical approach. The proposed APDN consists of multiple bi-directional interface modules and an embedded energy storage that is commonly connected to these modules. Such configuration properties make the APDN attractive as a major interface unit for active power flow control in microgrids and power distribution networks. A two level hierarchy is considered so that the primary level performs load sharing using droop control, and the secondary level performs embedded energy storage management. The stability of the proposed control framework is studied, and the proposed design is verified by an experimental set-up.
Market Integration as a Mechanism of Growth

In what sense are institutions a deep determinant of growth? In this paper, we address this question by examining the relationship between city growth and institutional reform in 19th century Germany, when some cities experienced deep institutional reform as a result of French rule. Employing an instrumental-variables approach, we find there is a hierarchy of growth factors in which institutions affect market integration more than market integration affects institutions. It was institutional improvements that were crucial to market integration, rather than just declining transport costs, which increased city growth during this time period. The institutional reforms, however, were transmitted through the mechanism of market integration. This created a much larger impact on city growth compared to the institutional impact independent from the market integration mechanism. The approach we take can be applied to other causes of economic growth.
Long intergenic non-coding RNA expression signature in human breast cancer

Breast cancer is a complex disease, characterized by gene deregulation. There is less systematic investigation of the capacity of long intergenic non-coding RNAs (lincRNAs) as biomarkers associated with breast cancer pathogenesis or several clinicopathological variables including receptor status and patient survival. We designed a two-stage study, including 1,000 breast tumor RNA-seq data from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) as the discovery stage, and RNA-seq data of matched tumor and adjacent normal tissue from 50 breast cancer patients as well as 23 normal breast tissue from healthy women as the replication stage. We identified 83 lincRNAs showing the significant expression changes in breast tumors with a false discovery rate (FDR) < 1% in the discovery dataset. Thirty-seven out of the 83 were validated in the replication dataset. Integrative genomic analyses suggested that the aberrant expression of these 37 lincRNAs was probably related with the expression alteration of several transcription factors (TFs). We observed a differential co-expression pattern between lincRNAs and their neighboring genes. We found that the expression levels of one lincRNA (RP5-1198O20 with Ensembl ID ENSG00000230615) were associated with breast cancer survival with P < 0.05. Our study identifies a set of aberrantly expressed lincRNAs in breast cancer.
Checks, Balances, and the Cost of Regulation Evidence from the American States

This article examines the relationship between political veto points, credible commitments, and regulatory compliance costs. Its central purpose is to assess whether different types of political veto points credibly constrain regulatory change and thus lower compliance costs. The authors conceptualize veto points broadly, including legislative oversight, gubernatorial powers, and direct democracy. We analyze state-level environmental compliance costs from 1988 to 1994 as a function of the structure of state political institutions and state political and economic characteristics. The results suggest that a key veto point, the authority for legislators to review bureaucratic behavior, consistently reduces compliance costs.
Visualizing dispersive features in 2D image via minimum gradient method

We developed a minimum gradient based method to track ridge features in a 2D image plot, which is a typical data representation in many momentum resolved spectroscopy experiments. Through both analytic formulation and numerical simulation, we compare this new method with existing DC (distribution curve) based and higher order derivative based analyses. We find that the new method has good noise resilience and enhanced contrast especially for weak intensity features and meanwhile preserves the quantitative local maxima information from the raw image. An algorithm is proposed to extract 1D ridge dispersion from the 2D image plot, whose quantitative application to angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy measurements on high temperature superconductors is demonstrated.
The effect of the top 20 Alzheimer disease risk genes on gray-matter density and FDG PET brain metabolism.

Abstract Introduction We analyzed the effects of the top 20 Alzheimer disease (AD) risk genes on gray-matter density (GMD) and metabolism. Methods We ran stepwise linear regression analysis using posterior cingulate hypometabolism and medial temporal GMD as outcomes and all risk variants as predictors while controlling for age, gender, and APOE e4 genotype. We explored the results in 3D using Statistical Parametric Mapping 8. Results Significant predictors of brain GMD were SLC24A4/RIN3 in the pooled and mild cognitive impairment (MCI); ZCWPW1 in the MCI; and ABCA7 , EPHA1 , and INPP5D in the AD groups. Significant predictors of hypometabolism were EPHA1 in the pooled, and SLC24A4/RIN3, NME8 , and CD2AP in the normal control group. Discussion Multiple variants showed associations with GMD and brain metabolism. For most genes, the effects were limited to specific stages of the cognitive continuum, indicating that the genetic influences on brain metabolism and GMD in AD are complex and stage dependent.
Fiber Arts and Generative Justice

The fiber arts, because they are practiced in different forms around the globe, have the potential to teach us much about generative justice that unites labor, ecological, and expressive values. The ecological mutualism documented in Navajo corrals supports traditional weaving, dyeing, food, and medicinal practices in a sustainable and generative cycle that survives despite disruption and exploitation. The network of fiber craftspeople, retailers, ranchers, teachers, spinners, and dyers and their organizations supports the social mutualism of fiber communities. Fiber arts practices can benefit individuals, communities, the environment, and public health, among other things. Conscious fiber activism and critical making can also be used to explicitly draw attention to problems such as overconsumption, waste, industrial “fast fashion,” labor exploitation, environmental degradation, toxic risks, intolerance, and the devaluing of women and their work. Fiber arts have the potential to support environmental and social mutualism and catalyze a new aesthetic of long-term attachment to meaningful objects and communities, reinforcing the creation and conservation of expressive, ecological, and labor value.
Topology discovery of sparse random graphs with few participants

We consider the task of topology discovery of sparse random graphs using end-to-end random measurements (e.g., delay) between a subset of nodes, referred to as the participants. The rest of the nodes are hidden, and do not provide any information for topology discovery. We consider topology discovery under two routing models: (a) the participants exchange messages along the shortest paths and obtain end-to-end measurements, and (b) additionally, the participants exchange messages along the second shortest path. For scenario (a), our proposed algorithm results in a sub-linear edit-distance guarantee using a sub-linear number of uniformly selected participants. For scenario (b), we obtain a much stronger result, and show that we can achieve consistent reconstruction when a sub-linear number of uniformly selected nodes participate. This implies that accurate discovery of sparse random graphs is tractable using an extremely small number of participants. We finally obtain a lower bound on the number of participants required by any algorithm to reconstruct the original random graph up to a given edit distance. We also demonstrate that while consistent discovery is tractable for sparse random graphs using a small number of participants, in general, there are graphs which cannot be discovered by any algorithm even with a significant number of participants, and with the availability of end-to-end information along all the paths between the participants. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Random Struct. Alg., 2013
Political Instability and Lessons for Pakistan: Case Study of 2014 PTI Sit in/Protests

Abstract. It’s a short allegory to present the case for the importance of Political stability in the economic progress of a country. The Arab spring protests were seen as strengthening democracy in the Arab world. Notwithstanding the surprise Arab spring brought in shape of further destabilizing Middle East, a similar environment of unrest and protests in a practicing democracy like Pakistan capture same dynamics of uncertainty that dampen economic destabilization. The paper briefly covers PTI’s sit in protests in year 2014 to make a case for how political instability stifled economic progress in Pakistan though momentarily. Keywords. Political economy, Pakistan economy. JEL. D72, F59, P16.
SummaRuNNer: A Recurrent Neural Network Based Sequence Model for Extractive Summarization of Documents

We present SummaRuNNer, a Recurrent Neural Network (RNN) based sequence model for extractive summarization of documents and show that it achieves performance better than or comparable to state-of-the-art. Our model has the additional advantage of being very interpretable, since it allows visualization of its predictions broken up by abstract features such as information content, salience and novelty. Another novel contribution of our work is abstractive training of our extractive model that can train on human generated reference summaries alone, eliminating the need for sentence-level extractive labels.
Experimental evidence of directivity-enhancing mechanisms in nonlinear lattices

In this letter, we experimentally investigate the directional characteristics of propagating, finite-amplitude wave packets in lattice materials, with an emphasis on the functionality enhancement due to the nonlinearly generated higher harmonics. To this end, we subject a thin, periodically perforated sheet to out-of-plane harmonic excitations, and we design a systematic measurement and data processing routine that leverages the full-wavefield reconstruction capabilities of a laser vibrometer to precisely delineate the effects of nonlinearity. We demonstrate experimentally that the interplay of dispersion, nonlinearity, and modal complexity which is involved in the generation and propagation of higher harmonics gives rise to secondary wave packets with characteristics that conform to the dispersion relation of the corresponding linear structure. Furthermore, these nonlinearly generated wave features display modal and directional characteristics that are complementary to those exhibited by the fundamental ...
Follow the Rules to Safer Care Delivery

Address the safety and regulatory compliance of care and technology within your facility's progressive care units.
Chemical disinfection of holding tank sewage

A number of chemical disinfectants were evaluated for their bactericidal and virucidal effectiveness in holding-tank sewage. It was found that the disinfection efficiencies of formaldehyde, benzalkonium chloride, cetylpyridinium chloride, and methylene blue were markedly improved if the pH of the sewage was raised from 8.0 to 10.5. When formaldehyde, benzalkonium chloride, and methylene blue were tested with either 2-week holding times with no sewage additions or 10-day holding times with daily sewage additions, disinfection effectiveness was maintained as long as the sewage pH was kept at 10.5 and the disinfectant concentration was kept at 100 mg/liter or more. Calcium hypochlorite, zinc sulfate, and phenol were found to be relatively ineffective disinfectants for holding-tank sewage.
Lattice Coding and Decoding for Multiple-Antenna Ergodic Fading Channels

For ergodic fading, a lattice coding and decoding strategy is proposed and its performance is analyzed for the single-input single-output (SISO) and multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) point-to-point channel as well as the multiple-access channel (MAC), with channel state information available only at the receiver (CSIR). At the decoder a novel strategy is proposed consisting of a time-varying equalization matrix followed by decision regions that depend only on channel statistics, not individual realizations. Our encoder has a similar structure to that of Erez and Zamir. For the SISO channel, the gap to capacity is bounded by a constant under a wide range of fading distributions. For the MIMO channel under Rayleigh fading, the rate achieved is within a gap to capacity that does not depend on the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), and diminishes with the number of receive antennas. The analysis is extended to the $K$ -user MAC where similar results hold. Achieving a small gap to capacity while limiting the use of CSIR to the equalizer highlights the scope for efficient decoder implementations, since decision regions are fixed, i.e., independent of channel realizations.
Medieval representative assemblies: collective action and antecedents of limited government

Medieval monarchs in Western Europe responded to financial and military pressures by instituting representative assemblies. Three estates (classes; orders) were represented in these assemblies: clergy, nobility, and burghers. In the late medieval and early modern periods, some states tended towards absolutism (e.g., France); others towards constitutional monarchy (e.g., England). The German historian Otto Hintze conjectured that two-chamber assemblies were more likely to resist monarchical encroachments on their political authority than three-chamber assemblies. We argue that the two- versus three-chamber distinction is coincidental to what was truly relevant: whether chambers were estate-based or had mixed representation from multiple estates. We provide a comparative institutional analysis that emphasizes political bargaining and the costs of expressing special versus common interests. This analysis suggests that mixed representation assemblies, all else equal, provided a stronger check on absolutism than their estate-based counterparts. We also provide historical case studies of France and England that lend insights into why an estate-based Estates General arose in the former, while a mixed representation Parliament arose in the latter.
High-speed bounding with the MIT Cheetah 2: Control design and experiments

This paper presents the design and implementation of a bounding controller for the MIT Cheetah 2 and its experimental results. The paper introduces the architecture of the controller along with the...
THERAPEUTIC UHMWPE BEARING SURFACES AGAINST PERIPROSTHETIC INFECTION

Introduction Radiation cross-linking of ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) has reduced the in vivo wear and osteolysis associated with bearing surface wear (1), significantly reducing revisions associated with this complication (2). Currently, one of the major and most morbid complications of joint arthroplasty is peri-prosthetic infection (3). In this presentation, we will present the guiding principles in using the UHMWPE bearing surface as a delivery device for therapeutic agents and specifically antibiotics. We will also demonstrate efficacy in a clinically relevant intra-articular model. Materials and Methods Medical grade UHMWPE was molded together with vancomycin at 2, 4, 6, 8, 10 and 14 wt%. Tensile mechanical testing and impact testing were performed to determine the effect of drug content on mechanical properties. Elution of the drug was performed in phosphate buffered saline (PBS) for up to 8 weeks and the detection of the drug in PBS was done by UV-Vis spectroscopy. A combination of vancomycin and rifampin in UHMWPE was developed to address chronic infection and layered construct containing 1 mm-thick drug-containing UHMWPE in the non-load bearing regions was developed for delivery. In a lapine (rabbit) intra-articular model (n=6 each), two plug of the layered UHMWPE construct were placed in the trochlear grove of the rabbit femoral surface and a porous titanium rod with a pre-grown biofilm of bioluminescent S. Aureus was implanted in the tibia. Bioluminescent imaging was employed to visualize and quantify the presence of the bacteria up to 3 weeks. Results and Discussion Increasing drug content decreased both the ultimate tensile strength (UTS) and the impact toughness of vancomycin-containing UHMWPE (Figure 1). Elution data and structural analysis suggested that a percolation threshold was reached at above 6 wt% drug in UHMWPE, which resulted in sustained drug delivery above the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC; 1 mg/ml) for up to 8 weeks (Figure 2). The layered constructs implanted in rabbits were able to eradicate all detectable bacteria from the biofilm on the titanium surfaces implanted on the counterface (Figure 3), suggesting clinically relevant efficacy. Significance To our knowledge, this is the first study showing the design and efficacy of an antibiotic-eluting UHMWPE bearing surface. Such a device has the potential of reducing all two-stage revisions to single-stage treatment with load-bearing components, enhancing the mobility and quality of life for the patients and reducing the cost of infection treatment in arthroplasty. For figures/tables, please contact authors directly.
Can investors anticipate post-IPO mergers and acquisitions?

Abstract Given the frequency and value implications of post-IPO merger and acquisition activity, we investigate empirically whether investors can utilize information based on IPO deal structure to predict merger and acquisition activity among newly public firms. Consistent with the hypothesis that some firms conduct IPOs to facilitate future M&A activity, we find that aspects of IPO deal structure predict whether a newly public firm subsequently becomes a bidder or target. These characteristics include underwriter quality, promotional activity, pricing, proceeds, ownership structure, and issuance activity suggestive of market timing. Investors appear to rely on these observable aspects of a firm's going public process to anticipate the implications of M&A activity for security valuation. Specifically, when newly public firms with IPO deal structures predictive of acquisition activity announce an acquisition their stock returns are indistinguishable from zero. In contrast, abnormal returns to acquisition announcements by unlikely or surprise bidders are positive on average. These results suggest that the going public process has important implications for future M&A activity and valuation.
Pension reforms in Chile and social security principles, 1981–2015

Chile pioneered in Latin America not only the introduction of social security pensions, but the structural reform that privatized them and a process of “re-reform” implementing key improvements. A Presidential Commission in Chile, appointed in 2014 to evaluate reform progress and remaining problems in the pension system, released its report in September 2015. In light of the Commission’s findings, the article assesses Chile’s compliance with International Labour Organization social security guiding principles: social dialogue, universal coverage, equal treatment, social solidarity, gender equity, adequacy of benefits, efficiency and affordable administrative cost, social participation in management, state role and supervision, and financial sustainability. The exercise follows three stages: the structural reform (1981–2008), the re-reform (2008–2015), and the Presidential Commission proposals (2015).
An Energy-Scalable Accelerator for Blind Image Deblurring

Camera shake is a common cause of blur in cell-phone camera images. Removing blur requires deconvolving the blurred image with a kernel, which is typically unknown and needs to be estimated from the blurred image. This kernel estimation is computationally intensive and takes several minutes on a CPU, which makes it unsuitable for mobile devices. This paper presents the first hardware accelerator for kernel estimation for image deblurring applications. Our approach, using a multi-resolution iteratively reweighted least squares deconvolution engine with DFT-based matrix multiplication, a high-throughput image correlator, and a high-speed selective update-based gradient projection solver, achieves a 78x reduction in kernel estimation runtime, and a 56x reduction in total deblurring time for a $1920\times 1080$ image, enabling quick feedback to the user. Configurability in kernel size and number of iterations gives up to ten times energy scalability, allowing the system to trade off runtime with image quality. The test chip, fabricated in TSMC 40-nm CMOS technology, consumes 105 mJ for kernel estimation running at 83 MHz and 0.9 V, making it suitable for integration into mobile devices.
Simulation technique for slurries interacting with moving parts and deformable solids with applications

A numerical method for particle-laden fluids interacting with a deformable solid domain and mobile rigid parts is proposed and implemented in a full engineering system. The fluid domain is modeled with a lattice Boltzmann representation, the particles and rigid parts are modeled with a discrete element representation, and the deformable solid domain is modeled using a Lagrangian mesh. The main issue of this work, since separately each of these methods is a mature tool, is to develop coupling and model-reduction approaches in order to efficiently simulate coupled problems of this nature, as in various geological and engineering applications. The lattice Boltzmann method incorporates a large eddy simulation technique using the Smagorinsky turbulence model. The discrete element method incorporates spherical and polyhedral particles for stiff contact interactions. A neo-Hookean hyperelastic model is used for the deformable solid. We provide a detailed description of how to couple the three solvers within a unified algorithm. The technique we propose for rubber modeling/coupling exploits a simplification that prevents having to solve a finite-element problem at each time step. We also developed a technique to reduce the domain size of the full system by replacing certain zones with quasi-analytic solutions, which act as effective boundary conditions for the lattice Boltzmann method. The major ingredients of the routine are separately validated. To demonstrate the coupled method in full, we simulate slurry flows in two kinds of piston valve geometries. The dynamics of the valve and slurry are studied and reported over a large range of input parameters.
SUM: Sequential scene understanding and manipulation

In order to perform autonomous sequential manipulation tasks, perception in cluttered scenes remains a critical challenge for robots. In this paper, we propose a probabilistic approach for robust sequential scene estimation and manipulation — Sequential Scene Understanding and Manipulation (SUM). SUM considers uncertainty due to discriminative object detection and recognition in the generative estimation of the most likely object poses maintained over time to achieve a robust estimation of the scene under heavy occlusions and unstructured environment. Our method utilizes candidates from discriminative object detector and recognizer to guide the generative process of sampling scene hypothesis, and each scene hypotheses is evaluated against the observations. Also SUM maintains beliefs of scene hypothesis over robot physical actions for better estimation and against noisy detections. We conduct extensive experiments to show that our approach is able to perform robust estimation and manipulation.
Characterizing and Improving Stability in Neural Style Transfer

Recent progress in style transfer on images has focused on improving the quality of stylized images and speed of methods. However, real-time methods are highly unstable resulting in visible flickering when applied to videos. In this work we characterize the instability of these methods by examining the solution set of the style transfer objective. We show that the trace of the Gram matrix representing style is inversely related to the stability of the method. Then, we present a recurrent convolutional network for real-time video style transfer which incorporates a temporal consistency loss and overcomes the instability of prior methods. Our networks can be applied at any resolution, do not require optical flow at test time, and produce high quality, temporally consistent stylized videos in real-time.
Parallel replica dynamics method for bistable stochastic reaction networks: Simulation and sensitivity analysis.

Stochastic reaction networks that exhibit bistable behavior are common in systems biology, materials science, and catalysis. Sampling of stationary distributions is crucial for understanding and characterizing the long-time dynamics of bistable stochastic dynamical systems. However, simulations are often hindered by the insufficient sampling of rare transitions between the two metastable regions. In this paper, we apply the parallel replica method for a continuous time Markov chain in order to improve sampling of the stationary distribution in bistable stochastic reaction networks. The proposed method uses parallel computing to accelerate the sampling of rare transitions. Furthermore, it can be combined with the path-space information bounds for parametric sensitivity analysis. With the proposed methodology, we study three bistable biological networks: the Schlogl model, the genetic switch network, and the enzymatic futile cycle network. We demonstrate the algorithmic speedup achieved in these numerical benchmarks. More significant acceleration is expected when multi-core or graphics processing unit computer architectures and programming tools such as CUDA are employed.
Personalized News Recommendation Using Twitter.

Online news reading has become a popular way to read news articles from a huge collection of news sources around the globe. News recommender systems help users manage this flood by suggesting articles based on user interests rather than presenting articles in order of their occurrence. We present our research on developing personalized news recommendation system with the help of a popular micro-blogging service, "Twitter." News articles are ranked based on the popularity of the article identified with the help of the tweets from Twitter's public timeline. In addition, users construct profiles based on their interests and news articles are also ranked based on their match to the user profile. By combining these two approaches, we present a hybrid news recommendation model that recommends interesting news stories to the user based on their popularity as well as their relevance to the user profile.
Minimizing the Pain of Local Anesthesia

We studied the effect of depth of lidocaine injection into the skin, rate of injection, and temperature of the solution on pain experienced. The intervals of onset and duration of anesthesia were also evaluated. Intracutaneous instillation of lidocaine at body temperature (37 degrees C) is no less painful than injection at room temperature (21 degrees C), but superficial wheal-producing dermal injection is uniformly much more painful than that into the deep dermal-subcutaneous tissue region. Rapid injection almost always hurts more than slow. Full anesthesia to pinprick is produced immediately with superficial injection and is present 5 to 6 minutes after deep injection. We suggest that the best method for minimizing the discomfort of inducing local anesthesia is to use a syringe fitted with a No. 30 needle and to inject the smallest amount necessary slowly into the deep dermal-subcutaneous tissue as the needle is being slowly withdrawn.
Loop-Free Backpressure Routing Using Link-Reversal Algorithms

The backpressure routing policy is known to be a throughput optimal policy that supports any feasible traffic demand, but may have poor delay performance when packets traverse loops in the network. In this paper, we study loop-free backpressure routing policies that forward packets along directed acyclic graphs (DAGs) to avoid the looping problem. These policies use link reversal algorithms to improve the DAGs in order to support any achievable traffic demand. For a network with a single commodity, we show that a DAG that supports a given traffic demand can be found after a finite number of iterations of the link-reversal process. We use this to develop a joint link-reversal and backpressure routing policy, called the loop free backpressure (LFBP) algorithm. This algorithm forwards packets on the DAG, while the DAG is dynamically updated based on the growth of the queue backlogs. We show by simulations that such a DAG-based policy improves the delay over the classical backpressure routing policy. We also propose a multicommodity version of the LFBP algorithm and via simulation show that its delay performance is better than that of backpressure.
Interactive 3D simulation for fluid–structure interactions using dual coupled GPUs

The scope of this work involves the integration of high-speed parallel computation with interactive, 3D visualization of the lattice-Boltzmann-based immersed boundary method for fluid–structure interaction. An NVIDIA Tesla K40c is used for the computations, while an NVIDIA Quadro K5000 is used for 3D vector field visualization. The simulation can be paused at any time step so that the vector field can be explored. The density and placement of streamlines and glyphs are adjustable by the user, while panning and zooming is controlled by the mouse. The simulation can then be resumed. Unlike most scientific applications in computational fluid dynamics where visualization is performed after the computations, our software allows for real-time visualizations of the flow fields while the computations take place. To the best of our knowledge, such a tool on GPUs for FSI does not exist. Our software can facilitate debugging, enable observation of detailed local fields of flow and deformation while computing, and expedite identification of ‘correct’ parameter combinations in parametric studies for new phenomenon. Therefore, our software is expected to shorten the ‘time to solution’ process and expedite the scientific discoveries via scientific computing.
How Much Can Expanding Access to Long-Acting Reversible Contraceptives Reduce Teen Birth Rates?

We estimate the degree to which expanding access to long-acting reversible contraceptives (LARCs) can reduce teen birth rates by analyzing Colorado's Family Planning Initiative, the first large-scale policy intervention to expand access to LARCs in the United States. Using a difference-in-differences approach, we find that the $23M program reduced the teen birth rate in counties with clinics receiving funding by 6.4 percent over 5 years. These effects were concentrated in the second through fifth years of the program and in counties with relatively high poverty rates. State-level synthetic control estimates offer supporting evidence but suffer from a lack of power.
A new formula for Chebotarev Densities

We give a new formula for the Chebotarev Densities of Frobenius elements in Galois groups. This formula is given in terms of smallest prime factors $$p_{\mathrm {min}}(n)$$ p min ( n ) of integers $$n\ge 2$$ n ≥ 2 . More precisely, let C be a conjugacy class of the Galois group of some finite Galois extension K of $$\mathbb {Q}$$ Q . Then we prove that $$\begin{aligned} -\lim _{X\rightarrow \infty }\sum _{\begin{array}{c} 2\le n\le X\\ \left[ \frac{K/\mathbb {Q}}{p_{\mathrm {min}}(n)}\right] =C \end{array}}\frac{\mu (n)}{n}=\frac{\#C}{\#G}. \end{aligned}$$ - lim X → ∞ ∑ 2 ≤ n ≤ X K / Q p min ( n ) = C μ ( n ) n = # C # G . This theorem is a generalization of a result of Alladi from 1977 that asserts that largest prime divisors $$p_{\mathrm {max}}(n)$$ p max ( n ) are equidistributed in arithmetic progressions modulo an integer k, which occurs when K is a cyclotomic field $$\mathbb {Q}(\zeta _k)$$ Q ( ζ k ) .
Depth-sensitive reflectance measurements using obliquely oriented fiber probes

Computer simulation was used to facilitate the design of fiber-probe geometries which enable enhanced detection of optical signals arising from specific tissue depths. Obtaining understanding of the relationship between fiber-probe design and tissue interrogation is critical when developing strategies for optical detection of epithelial pre-cancers which originate at known depths from the tissue surface. We investigated how the depth of optical interrogation may be controlled through combinations of collection angles, source-detector separations and numerical apertures. We found that increasing the obliquity of collection fibers at a given source-detector separation can effectively enhance the detection of superficially scattered signals. Fiber numerical aperture provides additional depth selectivity; however, the perturbations in sampling depth achieved through this means are modest relative to the changes generated by modifying the angle of collection and source-detection separation.
Gladys M. Ilarregui and the Post-Modern Poetics of Transparency

Born in Argentina in 1958, Gladys M. Ilarregui emigrated with her husband to the United States in 1983. She was educated both in Argentina where she studied German and primary education and in the United States where she received her M.A. from George Mason University in Contemporary Latin American Literature and her Ph.D. in 1995 from Catholic University with a major in Colonial Literature and Historiography. As a Post Modern poet Ilarregui draws on both European and American traditions in her poetics; she alludes most often to Hispanic and Anglo sources. Gertrude Stein and T.S. Eliot figure along with Gabriela Mistral, Juan Ramon Jimenez, and Pablo Neruda among Ilarregui’s poetic ancestors. Well-versed in European literature, she also incorporates allusions to Heinrich Boll and such other European authors as Rene Char, Italo Calvino, and Tomas Transtromer. English and German phrases sometimes appear in her poetry. The American landscape from Alaska to Argentina engages her imagination. She finds material as readily in a twelfth-century German monastery as in a New Mexican Indian reservation. To illustrate the Post Modern ethos of her poetry, I shall analyze two of her most important poems: both bear the title of “Transparencias.” The first is from Oficios y personas and the second from Guia para perplejos ; the two books were published in a single volume in 1996. Both might be called “metapoems” for they treat the subject of writing poetry. In her description of this process Ilarregui occupies a position midway between Neruda and Jimenez. She is closer to Neruda in the description of the creative process, but closer to Jimenez in the tranquil assurance of its accomplishment. In the piercing intensity of her poetic epiphany, Ilarregui is the direct descendant, albeit a secular one, of Santa Teresa de Jesus and Gabriela Mistral. The texts of Ilarregui’s two poems as well as Neruda’s “Arte poetica” and Jimenez’s “Sere yo solo” are reproduced at the conclusion of this essay. Before I undertake analysis of the poems, I shall diverge to define the term Post Modernism as I use it in relation to Ilarregui’s poetry.
Poor recovery from cystic fibrosis pulmonary exacerbations is associated with poor long-term outcomes.

Rationale People with CF treated with IV antibiotics for a pulmonary exacerbation (PEx) frequently fail to recover to baseline FEV1. The long-term impact of these events has not been studied. Objectives To determine if a patient's spirometric recovery after a PEx is associated with time to next PEx within 1 year, the spirometric recovery after the next PEx, and/or the number of PEx episodes in the next 3 years. Methods We used data from the CF Foundation Patient Registry from 2004 to 2011. We randomly selected one PEx per patient that met inclusion/exclusion criteria. Patients were defined as Non-Responders if their best FEV1 (in liters) recorded in the 3 months after the PEx was <90% of the best FEV1 (in liters) in the 6 months before the PEx. We compared Responders and Non-Responders using multivariable regression models. Results We randomly chose 13 954 PEx episodes that met inclusion/exclusion criteria. A total of 2 762 (19.8%) patients were classified as Non-Responders. Non-Responders had a shorter median time to the next PEx, 235 (95%CI 218, 252) days, versus >365 days for Responders. Thirty-four percent of Non-Responders at the initial PEx were also Non-Reponders at the next PEx, versus 20% of Responders at the initial PEx. Non-Responders had more PEx episodes over the next 3 years, 4.99 (95%CI 4.84, 5.13), than Responders, 3.46 (95%CI 3.41, 3.51). Conclusions Poor recovery after a PEx is associated with a shorter time to the next PEx, increased risk of poor recovery at a second PEx, and more frequent subsequent PEx treatments.
25-Hydroxyvitamin D deficiency and risk of MS among women in the Finnish Maternity Cohort.

Objective: To determine whether and to what extent vitamin D deficiency is associated with multiple sclerosis (MS) risk. Methods: We conducted a prospective nested case-control study among women in the Finnish Maternity Cohort (FMC). The FMC had 1.8 million stored serum samples taken during the pregnancies of over 800,000 women at the time of this study. Through linkages with hospital and prescription registries, we identified 1,092 women with MS diagnosed between 1983 and 2009 with at least 1 serum sample collected prior to date of MS diagnosis; ≥2 serum samples were available for 511 cases. Cases were matched to up to 3 controls (n = 2,123) on date of birth (±2 years) and area of residence. 25-Hydroxyvitamin D (25[OH]D) levels were measured using a chemiluminescence assay. We used conditional logistic regression adjusted for year of sample collection, gravidity, and parity to estimate relative risks (RRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Results: A 50 nmol/L increase in 25(OH)D was associated with a 39% reduced risk of MS (RR 0.61, 95% CI 0.44–0.85), p = 0.003. Women with 25(OH)D levels p = 0.04) as compared to women with levels ≥50 nmol/L. In women with ≥2 samples, MS risk was 2-fold higher in women with 25(OH)D p = 0.01). Conclusions: These results directly support vitamin D deficiency as a risk factor for MS and strengthen the rationale for broad public health interventions to improve vitamin D levels.
Segmentation of retinal OCT images using a random forest classifier

Optical coherence tomography (OCT) has become one of the most common tools for diagnosis of retinal abnormalities. Both retinal morphology and layer thickness can provide important information to aid in the differential diagnosis of these abnormalities. Automatic segmentation methods are essential to providing these thickness measurements since the manual delineation of each layer is cumbersome given the sheer amount of data within each OCT scan. In this work, we propose a new method for retinal layer segmentation using a random forest classifier. A total of seven features are extracted from the OCT data and used to simultaneously classify nine layer boundaries. Taking advantage of the probabilistic nature of random forests, probability maps for each boundary are extracted and used to help refine the classification. We are able to accurately segment eight retinal layers with an average Dice coefficient of 0.79 ± 0.13 and a mean absolute error of 1.21 ± 1.45 pixels for the layer boundaries.