cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Long-term musical experience and auditory and visual perceptual abilities under adverse conditions

Musicians have been shown to have enhanced speech perception in noise skills. It is unclear whether these improvements are limited to the auditory modality, as no research has examined musicians' visual perceptual abilities under degraded conditions. The current study examined associations between long-term musical experience and visual perception under noisy or degraded conditions. The performance of 11 musicians and 11 age-matched nonmusicians was compared on several auditory and visual perceptions in noise measures. Auditory perception tests included speech-in-noise tests and an environmental sound in noise test. Visual perception tasks included a fragmented sentences task, an object recognition task, and a lip-reading measure. Participants' vocabulary knowledge and nonverbal reasoning abilities were also assessed. Musicians outperformed nonmusicians on the speech perception in noise measures as well as the visual fragmented sentences task. Musicians also displayed better vocabulary knowledge in comparison to nonmusicians. Associations were found between perception of speech and visually degraded text. The findings show that long-term musical experience is associated with modality-general improvements in perceptual abilities. Possible systems supporting musicians' perceptual abilities are discussed.
Dynamics of mode-coupling-induced microresonator frequency combs in normal dispersion

We experimentally and theoretically investigate the dynamics of microresonator-based frequency comb generation assisted by mode coupling in the normal group-velocity dispersion (GVD) regime. We show that mode coupling can initiate intracavity modulation instability (MI) by directly perturbing the pump-resonance mode. We also observe the formation of a low-noise comb as the pump frequency is tuned further into resonance from the MI point. We determine the phase-matching conditions that accurately predict all the essential features of the MI and comb spectra, and extend the existing analogy between mode coupling and high-order dispersion to the normal GVD regime. We discuss the applicability of our analysis to the possibility of broadband comb generation in the normal GVD regime.
EmojiNet: Building a Machine Readable Sense Inventory for Emoji

Emoji are a contemporary and extremely popular way to enhance electronic communication. Without rigid semantics attached to them, emoji symbols take on different meanings based on the context of a message. Thus, like the word sense disambiguation task in natural language processing, machines also need to disambiguate the meaning or ‘sense’ of an emoji. In a first step toward achieving this goal, this paper presents EmojiNet, the first machine readable sense inventory for emoji. EmojiNet is a resource enabling systems to link emoji with their context-specific meaning. It is automatically constructed by integrating multiple emoji resources with BabelNet, which is the most comprehensive multilingual sense inventory available to date. The paper discusses its construction, evaluates the automatic resource creation process, and presents a use case where EmojiNet disambiguates emoji usage in tweets. EmojiNet is available online for use at http://emojinet.knoesis.org.
How well do local algorithms solve semidefinite programs

Several probabilistic models from high-dimensional statistics and machine learning reveal an intriguing and yet poorly understood dichotomy. Either simple local algorithms succeed in estimating the object of interest, or even sophisticated semi-definite programming (SDP) relaxations fail. In order to explore this phenomenon, we study a classical SDP relaxation of the minimum graph bisection problem, when applied to Erdos-Renyi random graphs with bounded average degree d > 1, and obtain several types of results. First, we use a dual witness construction (using the so-called non-backtracking matrix of the graph) to upper bound the SDP value. Second, we prove that a simple local algorithm approximately solves the SDP to within a factor 2d^2/(2d^2 + d - 1) of the upper bound. In particular, the local algorithm is at most 8/9 suboptimal, and 1 + O(d^-1) suboptimal for large degree. We then analyze a more sophisticated local algorithm, which aggregates information according to the harmonic measure on the limiting Galton-Watson (GW) tree. The resulting lower bound is expressed in terms of the conductance of the GW tree and matches surprisingly well the empirically determined SDP values on large-scale Erdos-Renyi graphs. We finally consider the planted partition model. In this case, purely local algorithms are known to fail, but they do succeed if a small amount of side information is available. Our results imply quantitative bounds on the threshold for partial recovery using SDP in this model.
Collisions in dispersion managed soliton propagation

We study collisions in dispersion-managed pulse propagation at and near zero net dispersion. We show that the collisions can lead to group velocity changes and spectral collapse. Filters prevent spectral collapse but do not affect the velocity changes.
A new financial order in Asia: Will a RMB bloc emerge?

Abstract The objective of this paper is three-fold. First, the monetary and exchange rate regimes of the Asian countries are described and analyzed. The degrees of flexibility in exchange rates and capital controls vary across countries. Some countries have adopted a flexible inflation targeting framework, while others have pursued exchange rate targeting. The paper presents a new result of a tradeoff between price stability and exchange rate stability in the hyperbolic relationship of Asian countries. Second, a framework that analyzes and quantifies the degree of currency internationalization is proposed and applied to the RMB. In every indicator, the RMB’s weight in private-sector international finance has grown in the last several years, both in the private and public sectors. In the settlement role of currency, the RMB is ranked 8th in the BIS survey and 7th in SWIFT usage. This paper exploits data of a recent period when the RMB became de-pegged from the USD and show some of the emerging Asian currencies co-moving with the RMB, more so than the USD. In the official sector, RMB is also increasing its weight. The Chinese central bank has extended the currency-swap agreements with 30-some countries, so that the RMB can be used for trade finance and liquidity assistance. The RMB is adopted as a composition currency of the Special Drawing Rights (SDR), effective in October 2016, with 10.92%, ranking number 3, surpassing the JPY and GBP. Finally, potential impending changes in the Asian monetary and exchange rate regimes in Asia are discussed. Projecting the growth of the Chinese economy into the future, the weight of the RMB in the financial markets will increase globally as well as in Asia.
Self-aligned multi-channel silicon nanowire field-effect transistors

Abstract Si nanowire field effect transistors (SiNW FETs) with multiple nanowire channels and different gate lengths have been fabricated by using a directed assembly approach combined with a standard photolithographic process. The electrical characteristics of SiNW FETs containing different numbers of nanowire channels were measured and compared. The multi-channel SiNW FETs show excellent performance: small subthreshold slope (≈75 mV/dec), large ON/OFF ratio (≈10 8 ), good break-down voltage (>30 V) and good carrier mobility ( μ p ≈ 100 cm 2 V −1 s −1 ). These excellent device properties were achieved by using a clean self-alignment process and an improved device structure with Schottky barriers at the source and drain contacts. Such high-performance multi-nanowire FETs are attractive for logic, memory, and sensor applications.
Enhanced Reaction Efficiency in Continuous Flow

Continuous flow reactors are enabling tools that can significantly benefit chemical reactions, especially those that are path length dependent (e.g., photochemical), mixing or transport dependent (e.g., gas-liquid), exothermic, or utilize hazardous or unstable intermediates. In this review, it is demonstrated how the nearly instantaneous mixing, exceptionally fast mass transfer, safe access to high temperatures and pressures, and high surface area to volume ratio can be leveraged to improve product yield, reaction rates and/or selectivity. By showcasing five synthetic methodologies examined by our group, it is hoped that the reader will gain an appreciation of the accessible and transformative nature of flow chemistry for improving existing transformations, enabling rapid optimization, and for developing new methodologies that depend on precise parameter controls.
Combinatorial prophet inequalities

We introduce a novel framework of Prophet Inequalities for combinatorial valuation functions. For a (non-monotone) submodular objective function over an arbitrary matroid feasibility constraint, we give an O(1)-competitive algorithm. For a monotone subadditive objective function over an arbitrary downward-closed feasibility constraint, we give an O(log n log2r)-competitive algorithm (where r is the cardinality of the largest feasible subset).Inspired by the proof of our subadditive prophet inequality, we also obtain an O(log n · log2r)-competitive algorithm for the Secretary Problem with a monotone subadditive objective function subject to an arbitrary downward-closed feasibility constraint. Even for the special case of a cardinality feasibility constraint, our algorithm circumvents an [EQUATION] lower bound by Bateni, Hajiaghayi, and Zadimoghaddam [10] in a restricted query model.En route to our submodular prophet inequality, we prove a technical result of independent interest: we show a variant of the Correlation Gap Lemma [14, 1] for non-monotone submodular functions.
HDG methods for elastodynamics

Abstract We derive and analyze a hybridizable discontinuous Galerkin (HDG) method for approximating weak solutions to the equations of time-harmonic linear elasticity on a bounded Lipschitz domain in three dimensions. The real symmetry of the stress tensor is strongly enforced and its coefficients as well as those of the displacement vector field are approximated simultaneously at optimal convergence with respect to the choice of approximating spaces, wavenumber, and mesh size. Sufficient conditions are given so that the system is indeed transferable onto a global hybrid variable that, for larger polynomial degrees, may be approximated via a smaller-dimensional space than the original variables. We construct several variants of this method and discuss their advantages and disadvantages, and give a systematic approach to the error analysis for these methods. We touch briefly on the application of this error analysis to the time-dependent problem, and finally, we examine two different implementations of the method over various polynomial degrees and numerically demonstrate the convergence properties proven herein.
Stably accessing octave-spanning microresonator frequency combs in the soliton regime.

Microresonator frequency combs can be an enabling technology for optical frequency synthesis and timekeeping in low size, weight, and power architectures. Such systems require comb operation in low-noise, phase-coherent states such as solitons, with broad spectral bandwidths (e.g., octave-spanning) for self-referencing to detect the carrier-envelope offset frequency. However, accessing such states is complicated by thermo-optic dispersion. For example, in the Si3N4 platform, precisely dispersion-engineered structures can support broadband operation, but microsecond thermal time constants often require fast pump power or frequency control to stabilize the solitons. In contrast, here we consider how broadband soliton states can be accessed with simple pump laser frequency tuning, at a rate much slower than the thermal dynamics. We demonstrate octave-spanning soliton frequency combs in Si3N4 microresonators, including the generation of a multi-soliton state with a pump power near 40 mW and a single-soliton state with a pump power near 120 mW. We also develop a simplified two-step analysis to explain how these states are accessed without fast control of the pump laser, and outline the required thermal properties for such operation. Our model agrees with experimental results as well as numerical simulations based on a Lugiato–Lefever equation that incorporates thermo-optic dispersion. Moreover, it also explains an experimental observation that a member of an adjacent mode family on the red-detuned side of the pump mode can mitigate the thermal requirements for accessing soliton states.
Cash and Distressed House Sales Price Discounts: Dual Sample Selection Spatial Interdependence Approaches

Beginning with a hedonic price model, and then progressing to a method accounting for dual sample selectivity biases and spatial interdependence; we document (and correct for) these potential confounding biases, and produce price counterfactuals for (1) all-cash financed property, (2) distressed property, and (3) all-cash and distressed property transactions. Results provide evidence of self- selection biases with all-cash purchasers, distressed properties, and distressed and all-cash properties. Significant disparities in observed cash (−13% and −6.5%) and distressed property discounts (−1% and −6%) are documented in pre-and post-recessionary environments, Further, cash discounts are consistent for non-distressed transactions (−11%) during both periods; however cash discounts associated with non-distressed transactions are significantly reduced post-recession (−23.3% to −3.7%. This attenuation is attributed to a significant increase in the relative frequency of cash purchased distressed properties post-recession, i.e., larger percentage of cash buyers. Sub-sample counterfactual tests confirm prior results, and expand our understanding of all-cash and distressed discount determinants. These results provide insight into observed time variant all-cash, and distressed property discount affect sizes.
Constructivist grounded theory

Grounded theory is a systematic method consisting of several flexible strategies for constructing theory through analyzing qualitative data (Glaser & Strauss, 1967). This method begins with inducti...
Is Virginia for lovers? Geographic variation in adult attachment orientation

Abstract People often use relationships to characterize and describe places. Yet, little research examines whether people’s relationships and relational style vary across geography. The current study examined geographic variation in adult attachment orientation in a sample of 127,070 adults from the 50 United States. The states that were highest in attachment anxiety tended to be in the mid-Atlantic and Northeast region of the United States. The states that were highest in attachment avoidance tended to be in the frontier region of the United States. State-level avoidance was related to state-level indicators of relationship status, social networks, and volunteering behavior. The findings are discussed in the context of the mechanisms that may give rise to regional variation in relational behavior.
PERTURBATION-THEORY RULES FOR COMPUTING THE SELF-ENERGY OPERATOR IN QUANTUM STATISTICAL MECHANICS

Convenient rules are given for the general term in the time-independent perturbation-theory expansion for the self-energy operator of quantum statistical mechanics. The rules are derived by starting from the usual formalism involving time-dependent Green's functions.
Metabolite exchange between microbiome members produces compounds that influence Drosophila behavior

Animals associate with communities of microorganisms, also known as their microbiome, that live in or on their bodies. Within these communities, microbes – such as yeast and bacteria – interact by producing chemical compounds called metabolites that can influence the activity of other members of the community. These metabolites can also affect the host, helping with nutrition or causing disease. The behavior of an animal may help it to acquire its microbiome, although this has not been properly explored experimentally. For example, the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster acquires members of its microbiome from the microbes found on the fermented fruit that it eats. It is possible that the flies – and other animals – respond to microbial metabolites, which act as signals or cues that cause the animal to avoid or seek the microbial community. The fruit fly microbiome is commonly studied in the laboratory because it has a much simpler composition than mammalian microbiomes. Previous studies have explored how the flies respond to odors produced by individual types of microbes, but none have explored how the behavior of the flies changes in response to the odors produced by a mixed microbial community. Fischer et al. now show that fruit flies are preferentially attracted to microbiome members that are interacting with each other. The flies detected members of the microbiome by responding to chemicals that are only produced when community members grew together. For example, one member of the microbial community produces ethanol that is then converted to acetate by another community member. Neither ethanol nor acetate alone attracted flies as strongly. Fischer et al. also discovered that both adult fruit flies and their larvae benefit from acquiring a mixture of different microbes at the same time. Adult flies benefit by avoiding harmful concentrations of either ethanol or acetic acid, and larvae benefit from developing in an environment that reduces how quickly disease-causing microbes can grow. Overall, the results presented by Fischer et al. detail how flies select a beneficial, interactive microbiome from an external reservoir of microorganisms. Flies also have internal mechanisms, like their immune system, that help them to select their microbiome. Therefore a future challenge will be to integrate the behavioral and internal selection mechanisms into a single model of microbiome acquisition.
The Energy Trilemma and the Smart Grid: Implications Beyond the United States

This article argues that smart grid technologies enable policy-makers and communities to successfully manage enduring energy policy concerns. It defines what ‘smart’ energy technologies, grids and policies mean, and then evaluates how the smart grid can enable policy-makers to respond to an emerging energy ‘trilemma’. Drawing on case studies from the United States, the article suggests that the automated communications enabled by smart grid technologies significantly benefit each dimension of the energy trilemma: economic, social and environmental. However, successful smart grid implementation requires smart communication beyond technology. Failure to engage with customers through targeted communication, or to adequately address customers' privacy concerns, risks alienating customers, threatening the value of the smart grid investment. This article concludes that, with smart communication, both technical and human, the smart grid is an important step towards a sustainable energy future for stakeholders well beyond the United States.
Integrated Mode Choice and Dynamic Traveler Assignment in Multimodal Transit Networks: Mathematical Formulation, Solution Procedure, and Large-Scale Application

This paper introduces an integrated mode choice–multimodal transit assignment model and solution procedure intended for large-scale urban applications. The cross-nested logit mode choice model assigns travelers to car, transit, or park-and-ride. The dynamic multimodal transit assignment–simulation model determines minimum hyperpaths and assigns and simulates transit and park-and-ride travelers iteratively until the network approaches a state of equilibrium. After a given number of iterations, the updated transit network travel times are fed into the mode choice model and the model reassigns travelers to transit, car, or park-and-ride. The outer feedback loop between the mode choice model and the transit assignment model continues until the mode probabilities for each traveler do not change between iterations. A unique contribution of the method presented in this paper is that it reaches mode choice convergence with the use of disaggregate agents (travelers) instead of aggregate modal flows at the origin–d...
Disparities in Supports for Student Wellness Promotion Efforts Among Secondary Schools in Minnesota.

BACKGROUND We examined whether there are differences in the presence of supports for student wellness promotion (1) between schools in city, suburban and rural locations and, (2) among rural schools, according to distance from a metropolitan center. METHODS The analysis was conducted in a sample of 309 secondary schools using 2012 Minnesota School Health Profiles surveys and National Center for Educational Statistics Common Core Data. Scores for overall support addressed school health improvement coordination (range: 0-29), collaboration on health education activities (range: 0-5), and teachers' professional preparation (range: 0-7). RESULTS Mean overall scores for health improvement coordination (10.5 ± 7.3), collaboration on health education activities (3.0 ± 1.5) and professional preparation (4.0 ± 1.9) indicated supports are lacking in schools across city, suburban, and rural locations. Comparison of overall scores did not identify disparities; however, weaknesses and strengths of particular relevance for rural schools were identified in examining specific aspects of support. For example, the proportion of rural schools having a written school improvement plan was 54.8% compared to 84.6% of city schools and 64.3% of suburban schools (p = .01). CONCLUSIONS Tailored training and technical assistance are needed to better support schools in implementing recommended wellness policies and practices.
Improving Grasp Performance Using In-Hand Proximity and Contact Sensing

We describe the grasping and manipulation strategy that we employed at the autonomous track of the Robotic Grasping and Manipulation Competition at IROS 2016. A salient feature of our architecture is the tight coupling between visual (Asus Xtion) and tactile perception (Robotic Materials), to reduce the uncertainty in sensing and actuation. We demonstrate the importance of tactile sensing and reactive control during the final stages of grasping using a Kinova Robotic arm. The set of tools and algorithms for object grasping presented here have been integrated into the open-source Robot Operating System (ROS). We have focused exclusively on the manipulation aspect (Track 1) of the competition as the bin-picking task (Track 2) would require a different perception strategy, focusing more on object identification.
On Chebyshev polynomials in the complex plane

The estimates of the uniform norm of the Chebyshev polynomials associated with a compact set K in the complex plane are established. These estimates are exact (up to a constant factor) in the case where K consists of a finite number of quasiconformal curves or arcs. The case where K is a uniformly perfect subset of the real line is also studied.
Estimation of RFID Tag Population Size by Gaussian Estimator

Radio Frequency IDentification (RFID) systems are prevalent in all sorts of daily life endeavors. Most previous tag estimation schemes worked with relatively smaller frame size and large number of rounds. Here we propose a new estimator named \textquotedblleft Gaussian Estimator of RFID Tags,\textquotedblright (GERT), that works with large enough frame size to be accurately approximated to Gaussian distribution within a frame. The selection of the frame size is done according to Triangular Array Central Limit Theorem which also enables us to quantify the approximation error. Larger frame size helps the statistical average to converge faster to the ensemble mean of the estimator and the quantification of the approximation error helps to determine the number of rounds to keep up with the accuracy requirements. The overall performance of GERT is better than the previously proposed schemes considering the number of slots required for estimation to achieve a given level of estimation accuracy.
THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN TAXES AND GROWTH AT THE STATE LEVEL: NEW EVIDENCE

The effects of state tax policy on economic growth, entrepreneur ship, and employment remain controversial. Using a framework that in prior research generated significant, negative, and robust effe...
Fuzzy logic control for an automated guided vehicle

This paper describes the use of fuzzy logic control for the high level control systems of a mobile robot. The advantages of the fuzzy logic system are that multiple types of input such as that from vision and sonar sensors as well as stored map information can be used to guide the robot. Sensor fusion can be accomplished between real time sensed information and stored information in a manner similar to a human decision maker. Vision guidance is accomplished with a CCD camera with a zoom lens. The data is collected through a commercial tracking device, communicating to the computer the X,Y coordinates of a lane marker. Testing of these systems yielded positive results by showing that at five miles per hour, the vehicle can follow a line and avoid obstacles. The obstacle detection uses information from Polaroid sonar detection system. The motor control system uses a programmable Galil motion control system. This design, in its modularity, creates a portable autonomous controller that could be used for any mobile vehicle with only minor adaptations.
Generalized Bump–Hoffstein conjecture for coverings of the general linear groups

Abstract We investigate the extent to which the Bump–Hoffstein conjecture could be generalized for central coverings of the general linear groups. We provide evidence for such generalized Bump–Hoffstein conjecture by proving some special cases.
Nonsymmetric Macdonald polynomials and a refinement of Kostka–Foulkes polynomials

We study the specialization of the type A nonsymmetric Macdonald polynomials at $t=0$ based on the combinatorial formula of Haglund, Haiman, and Loehr. We prove that this specialization expands nonnegatively into the fundamental slide polynomials, introduced by the author and Searles. Using this and weak dual equivalence, we prove combinatorially that this specialization is a positive graded sum of Demazure characters. We use stability results for fundamental slide polynomials to show that this specialization stabilizes and to show that the Demazure character coefficients give a refinement of the Kostka--Foulkes polynomials.
Generating families and augmentations for Legendrian surfaces

We study augmentations of a Legendrian surface L in the 1 –jet space, J 1 M , of a surface M . We introduce two types of algebraic/combinatorial structures related to the front projection of L that we call chain homotopy diagrams (CHDs) and Morse complex 2 –families (MC2Fs), and show that the existence of a ρ –graded CHD or a ρ –graded MC2F is equivalent to the existence of a ρ –graded augmentation of the Legendrian contact homology DGA to ℤ ∕ 2 . A CHD is an assignment of chain complexes, chain maps, and homotopy operators to the 0 –, 1 –, and 2 –cells of a compatible polygonal decomposition of the base projection of L with restrictions arising from the front projection of L . An MC2F consists of a collection of formal handleslide sets and chain complexes, subject to axioms based on the behavior of Morse complexes in 2 –parameter families. We prove that if a Legendrian surface has a tame-at-infinity generating family, then it has a 0 –graded MC2F and hence a 0 –graded augmentation. In addition, continuation maps and a monodromy representation of π 1 ( M ) are associated to augmentations, and then used to provide more refined obstructions to the existence of generating families that (i) are linear at infinity or (ii) have trivial bundle domain. We apply our methods in several examples.
Local algorithms for interactive clustering

We study the design of interactive clustering algorithms. The user supervision that we consider is in the form of cluster split/merge requests; such feedback is easy for users to provide because it only requires a high-level understanding of the clusters. Our algorithms start with any initial clustering and only make local changes in each step; both are desirable properties in many applications. Local changes are desirable because in practice edits of other parts of the clustering are considered churn - changes that are perceived as quality-neutral or quality-negative. We show that in this framework we can still design provably correct algorithms given that our data satisfies natural separability properties. We also show that our framework works well in practice.
The genesis of involutions (polarizations and lattice paths)

Abstract The number of Borel orbits in the symmetric space S L n ∕ S ( G L p × G L q ) is analyzed, various (bivariate) generating functions are found. Relations to lattice path combinatorics are explored.
Strategies for imaging with Marchenko-retrieved Green’s functions

ABSTRACTRecent papers show that imaging with the retrieved Green’s function constructed by the Marchenko equations, called Marchenko imaging, reduces artifacts from internal and free-surface multiples compared with standard imaging techniques. Even though artifacts are reduced, they can still be present in the image, depending on the imaging condition used. We have found that when imaging with the up- and downgoing Green’s functions, the multidimensional deconvolution (MDD) imaging condition yields better images than correlation and deconvolution. “Better” in this case means improved resolution, fewer artifacts, and a closer match with the true reflection coefficient of the model. We have determined that the MDD imaging condition only uses primaries to construct the image, whereas multiples are implicitly subtracted in the imaging step. Consequently, combining the first arrival of the downgoing Green’s function with the complete upgoing Green’s function produces superior (or at least equivalent) images th...
Predicting Atomic Decay Rates Using an Informational-Entropic Approach

We show that a newly proposed Shannon-like entropic measure of shape complexity applicable to spatially-localized or periodic mathematical functions known as configurational entropy (CE) can be used as a predictor of spontaneous decay rates for one-electron atoms. The CE is constructed from the Fourier transform of the atomic probability density. For the hydrogen atom with degenerate states labeled with the principal quantum number n, we obtain a scaling law relating the n-averaged decay rates to the respective CE. The scaling law allows us to predict the n-averaged decay rate without relying on the traditional computation of dipole matrix elements. We tested the predictive power of our approach up to n = 20, obtaining an accuracy better than 3.7% within our numerical precision, as compared to spontaneous decay tables listed in the literature.
Power-aware partitioned cache architectures

Focuses on partitioning the cache resources architecturally for energy and energy-delay optimizations. Specifically, we investigate ways of splitting the cache into several smaller units, each of which is a cache by itself (called subcache). Subcache architectures not only reduce the per-access energy costs but can potentially improve the locality behavior as well. We present a unified framework for designing, implementing and evaluating different subcache architectures. Different techniques for data placement, subcache prediction, and selective probing are proposed and evaluated using a diverse set of applications. The results show that intelligent subcache mechanisms proposed in this paper are effective.
How to solve a design centering problem

This work considers the problem of design centering. Geometrically, this can be thought of as inscribing one shape in another. Theoretical approaches and reformulations from the literature are reviewed; many of these are inspired by the literature on generalized semi-infinite programming, a generalization of design centering. However, the motivation for this work relates more to engineering applications of robust design. Consequently, the focus is on specific forms of design spaces (inscribed shapes) and the case when the constraints of the problem may be implicitly defined, such as by the solution of a system of differential equations. This causes issues for many existing approaches, and so this work proposes two restriction-based approaches for solving robust design problems that are applicable to engineering problems. Another feasible-point method from the literature is investigated as well. The details of the numerical implementations of all these methods are discussed. The discussion of these implementations in the particular setting of robust design in engineering problems is new.
Sparse PCA via covariance thresholding

In sparse principal component analysis we are given noisy observations of a low-rank matrix of dimension n × p and seek to reconstruct it under additional sparsity assumptions. In particular, we assume here each of the principal components v1, . . . , vr has at most s0 non-zero entries. We are particularly interested in the high dimensional regime wherein p is comparable to, or even much larger than n. In an in uential paper, Johnstone and Lu (2004) introduced a simple algorithm that estimates the support of the principal vectors v1, . . . , vr by the largest entries in the diagonal of the empirical covariance. This method can be shown to identify the correct support with high probability if s0 ≤ K1√n/log p, and to fail with high probability if s0 ≥ K2n/log p for two constants 0 < K1; K2 < ∞. Despite a considerable amount of work over the last ten years, no practical algorithm exists with provably better support recovery guarantees. Here we analyze a covariance thresholding algorithm that was recently proposed by Krauthgamer, Nadler, Vilenchik, et al. (2015). On the basis of numerical simulations (for the rank-one case), these authors conjectured that covariance thresholding correctly recover the support with high probability for s0 K √n (assuming n of the same order as p). We prove this conjecture, and in fact establish a more general guarantee including higher-rank as well as n much smaller than p. Recent lower bounds (Berthet and Rigollet, 2013; Ma and Wigderson, 2015) suggest that no polynomial time algorithm can do significantly better. The key technical component of our analysis develops new bounds on the norm of kernel random matrices, in regimes that were not considered before. Using these, we also derive sharp bounds for estimating the population covariance, and the principal component (with l2-loss).
A cubesat centrifuge for long duration milligravity research.

We advocate a low-cost strategy for long-duration research into the ‘milligravity’ environment of asteroids, comets and small moons, where surface gravity is a vector field typically less than 1/1000 the gravity of Earth. Unlike the microgravity environment of space, there is a directionality that gives rise, over time, to strangely familiar geologic textures and landforms. In addition to advancing planetary science, and furthering technologies for hazardous asteroid mitigation and in situ resource utilization, simplified access to long-duration milligravity offers significant potential for advancing human spaceflight, biomedicine and manufacturing. We show that a commodity 3U (10 × 10 × 34 cm3) cubesat containing a laboratory of loose materials can be spun to 1 r.p.m. = 2π/60 s−1 on its long axis, creating a centrifugal force equivalent to the surface gravity of a kilometer-sized asteroid. We describe the first flight demonstration, where small meteorite fragments will pile up to create a patch of real regolith under realistic asteroid conditions, paving the way for subsequent missions where landing and mobility technology can be flight-proven in the operational environment, in low-Earth orbit. The 3U design can be adapted for use onboard the International Space Station to allow for variable gravity experiments under ambient temperature and pressure for a broader range of experiments.
Data-driven rank breaking for efficient rank aggregation

Rank aggregation systems collect ordinal preferences from individuals to produce a global ranking that represents the social preference. To reduce the computational complexity of learning the global ranking, a common practice is to use rank-breaking. Individuals' preferences are broken into pairwise comparisons and then applied to efficient algorithms tailored for independent pairwise comparisons. However, due to the ignored dependencies, naive rank-breaking approaches can result in inconsistent estimates. The key idea to produce unbiased and accurate estimates is to treat the paired comparisons outcomes unequally, depending on the topology of the collected data. In this paper, we provide the optimal rank-breaking estimator, which not only achieves consistency but also achieves the best error bound. This allows us to characterize the fundamental tradeoff between accuracy and complexity in some canonical scenarios. Further, we identify how the accuracy depends on the spectral gap of a corresponding comparison graph.
Expert System Shells for Combining Symbolic and Numeric Processing in CADCS

Abstract During the last few years several knowledge-based systems for Computer-Aided Design in Control Systems (CADCS) have been built. This paper surveys some of the CADCS programs which require the coupling of symbolic and numeric computation, reviews methods used thus far in building these coupled systems, comments on the characteristics that one should require of software tools in order to build coupled systems, reviews several expert systems shells which may be used, and recommends a direction for future efforts. Section 1 introduces the subject. Section 2 surveys several knowledge-based systems for computer-aided control system design which require coupling of symbolic and numeric computation. Section 3 comments on capabilities of expert system programming environments for coupled CADCS systems. Section 4 reviews several expert system shells. Section 5 recommends a direction for future efforts and the paper is concluded in Section 6.
Cluster of Cases of the Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome. Patients Linked by Sexual Contact

The possibility that homosexual men with the acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) had been sexual partners of each other was studied. Of the first 19 homosexual male AIDS patients reported from southern California, names of sexual partners were obtained for 13. Nine of the 13 patients had sexual contact with one or more AIDS patients within five years of the onset of symptoms. Four of the patients from southern California had contact with a non-Californian AIDS patient, who was also the sexual partner of four AIDS patients from New York City. Ultimately, 40 patients in 10 cities were linked by sexual contact. On the basis of six pairs of patients, a mean latency period of 10.5 months (range seven to 14 months) is estimated between sexual contact and symptom onset. The finding of a cluster of AIDS patients linked by sexual contact is consistent with the hypothesis that AIDS is caused by an infectious agent.
When does it count? The timing of food stamp receipt and educational performance

Abstract The effect of poor nutrition has been established as an important determinant of learning and achievement among school-age children. Further, it has been shown that households’ receiving food stamps fail to smooth consumption over the benefit month and experience periods of meaningful nutritional deficiencies. This paper exploits detailed administrative data on standardized math tests scores and randomized food stamp receipt dates to allow us to measure the impact of these low nutritional periods on student performance. Our main results demonstrate that scores are notably lower when the exam falls near the end of the benefit cycle and when food stamps arrive on the 4 days immediately preceding the exam. While both male and female students experienced a similar penalty with receipt near the end of the cycle, the effect from receipt just prior to the exam appears to be partially explained by a large negative effect associated with weekend receipt, which coincides with the 4 days prior to the exam. Our results provide evidence that households do not sufficiently smooth consumption and that this has measurable effects on student performance.
Revascularization of Kidneys with Totally Occluded Renal Arteries

Nephrectomy has been the accepted treatment for renovascular hypertension due to an occluded renal artery but successful revascularization of occluded renal arteries has resulted in partial return of function and relief of hypertension. We performed aorticorenal bypass operations on four patients whose renal arteries were not patent. One graft failed immediately, two remained open for four to six months, and one is functioning at two years. In 70 other cases in which totally occluded arteries were revascularized, the overall patency rate was 96%. Hypertension was relieved for controlled in 77%.
Temperature dependence of spin-orbit torques across the magnetic compensation point in a ferrimagnetic TbCo alloy film

The temperature dependence of spin-orbit torques (SOTs) and spin-dependent transport parameters is measured in bilayer Ta/TbCo ferrimagnetic alloy films with bulk perpendicular magnetic anisotropy. We find that the dampinglike (DL)-SOT effective field diverges as temperature is swept through the magnetic compensation temperature (${T}_{\mathrm{M}}$), where the net magnetization vanishes due to the opposing contributions from the Tb and Co sublattices. We show that DL-SOT scales with the inverse of the saturation magnetization (${M}_{\mathrm{s}}$), whereas the spin-torque efficiency is independent of the temperature-dependent ${M}_{\mathrm{s}}$. Our findings provide insight into spin transport mechanisms in ferrimagnets and highlight low-${M}_{\mathrm{s}}$ rare-earth/transition-metal alloys as promising candidates for SOT device applications.
Comparison of an alternative schedule of extended care contacts to a self-directed control: a randomized trial of weight loss maintenance

Behavioral interventions for obesity produce clinically meaningful weight loss, but weight regain following treatment is common. Extended care programs attenuate weight regain and improve weight loss maintenance. However, less is known about the most effective ways to deliver extended care, including contact schedules. We compared the 12-month weight regain of an extended care program utilizing a non-conventional, clustered campaign treatment schedule and a self-directed program among individuals who previously achieved ≥5% weight reductions. Participants (N = 108; mean age = 51.6 years; mean weight = 92.6 kg; 52% African American; 95% female) who achieved ≥5% weight loss during an initial 16-week behavioral obesity treatment were randomized into a 2-arm, 12-month extended care trial. A clustered campaign condition included 12 group-based visits delivered in three, 4-week clusters. A self-directed condition included provision of the same printed intervention materials but no additional treatment visits. The study was conducted in a U.S. academic medical center from 2011 to 2015. Prior to randomization, participants lost an average of −7.55 ± 3.04 kg. Participants randomized to the 12-month clustered campaign program regained significantly less weight (0.35 ± 4.62 kg) than self-directed participants (2.40 ± 3.99 kg), which represented a significant between-group difference of 2.28 kg (p = 0.0154) after covariate adjustments. This corresponded to maintaining 87% and 64% of lost weight in the clustered campaign and self-directed conditions, respectively, which was a significant between-group difference of 29% maintenance of lost weight after covariate adjustments, p = 0.0396. In this initial test of a clustered campaign treatment schedule, this novel approach effectively promoted 12-month maintenance of lost weight. Future trials should directly compare the clustered campaigns with conventional (e.g., monthly) extended care schedules. Clinicaltrials.gov NCT02487121 . Registered 06/26/2015 (retrospectively registered)
Variations on a Hartmann theme

We explore modifications of the classical Hartmann wavefront sensing technique that can be used to improve its accuracy, dynamic range, and spatial resolution. We describe a differential sensor with variable sensitivity. We review the use of various possible Hartmann masks and discuss their interferometric properties. We propose the use of Fourier analysis and show its relationship to moire methods. We finally envisage the possibility of mapping both the slope and the total curvature (Laplacian) of the wavefront with the same setup.
Dynamic transparency: An audit of Mexico's Freedom of Information Act

Freedom of Information Acts (FOIAs) aim to provide a channeled exchange between citizens and public officials that, irrespective of the citizen’s identity, results in the provision of timely, relevant, and often new information about policy. The authors of this paper evaluated Mexico’s FOIA by submitting 307 information requests on behalf of an average male citizen to government entities in the years 2007, 2013, and 2015. In 2007, the authors also submitted the same requests to 87 comparable entities on behalf of a male citizen who signaled clout. For the most part, entities are not discriminating between regular and seemingly influential citizens. Entities are also answering more frequently and providing more information in 2015 compared to earlier years, but they are taking longer to answer, frequently charging fees, and often failing to provide quality information to questions they are legally bound to answer. Mexico’s FOIA is a functional system demanding significant improvements.
Directed attention and nonparametric learning

Abstract This paper examines the implications of learning for the effects of ambiguity aversion. The key result is that since agents naturally choose to learn about the sources of uncertainty that reduce utility the most, information acquisition attenuates the most severe effects of ambiguity aversion. The specific setting we study is the canonical consumption/savings problem. Agents endogenously learn most about income dynamics at the very lowest frequencies. While ambiguity aversion typically implies in this setting excessive extrapolation of income shocks, that effect is eliminated here. Furthermore, deviations of consumption from the full-information benchmark are largest at high frequencies, so the model naturally generates overreaction of consumption to predictable short-run income variation.
Blockwise p -Tampering Attacks on Cryptographic Primitives, Extractors, and Learners

Austrin et al. [1] studied the notion of bitwise p-tampering attacks over randomized algorithms in which an efficient ‘virus’ gets to control each bit of the randomness with independent probability p in an online way. The work of [1] showed how to break certain ‘privacy primitives’ (e.g., encryption, commitments, etc.) through bitwise p-tampering, by giving a bitwise p-tampering biasing attack for increasing the average \({\mathbb {E}}[f(U_n)]\) of any efficient function \(f :\{0,1\}^n \mapsto [-1,+1]\) by \(\varOmega (p \cdot {\text {Var}}[f(U_n)])\).
Strategies to augment volitional and reflex function may improve locomotor capacity following incomplete spinal cord injury.

Many studies highlight the remarkable plasticity demonstrated by spinal circuits following an incomplete spinal cord injury (SCI). Such plasticity can contribute to improvements in volitional motor...