cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
An Effective Problem Decomposition Method for Scheduling of Diffusion Processes Based on Mixed Integer Linear Programming

Diffusion processes in semiconductor fabrication facilities (Fabs) usually refer to the series of processes from wafer cleaning processes to furnace processes. Most furnace tools are batch tools with large batch sizes and have relatively long process times when compared to the other processes. Strict time window constraints link cleaning processes with furnace processes for quality control. Those operational requirements for diffusion processes make their scheduling very difficult. This paper proposes an advanced scheduling approach based on a rolling horizon scheduling concept. Due to the combinatorial nature of the scheduling problem, the complexity of the problem increases exponentially when the number of jobs and tools increase. However, the computation time allowed for the scheduler is limited in practice, because the variability in most fabs requires schedulers to update the schedule in short intervals. We suggest an MILP (Mixed Integer Linear Programming) model for diffusion processes and propose an effective decomposition method to deal with this complexity problem. The decomposition method repeats multiple scheduling iterations as it gradually extends the number of runs on tools enabling the scheduler to generate near-optimal schedules in limited time intervals. The scheduler could make large improvements on KPIs such as queue time violation rates, batch sizes, throughput, etc. The software architecture of the scheduler implementation is also addressed in this paper.
Stretch-free migration imaging condition

ABSTRACTPrestack migration has angle-dependent wavelet stretch effects, which lowers the image resolution at large reflection angles. Most current stretch correction methods operate on the migrated images. We develop a new stretch-free imaging condition, which does a shrink-and-shift operation on the extracted propagation wavelet after extrapolation, but before the imaging condition is applied. The algorithm is illustrated with the excitation amplitude imaging condition; the new images show successful stretch corrections over wide angle apertures, and preserve amplitude and phase.
Bolivia: The Evolution of a Multi-Ethnic Society

This new edition reflects the major changes in Bolivia since publication of the first edition: the collapse of the Bolivian economy; the rise of an illegal economy based on cocaine; the strengthening of the democratic regime; and the growth in the political and social power of the `Mestizos' in the middle class (the mixed Indian-white population), a new phenomenon in Latin America.
Evolving an optimal group size in groups of prey under predation

Considerable progress has been made in understanding the evolutionary forces underlying animal group-living behavior. Even so, Krause and Ruxton (2002) identified optimal group size as an under-researched area characterized by unwieldy large-predator study systems and simulations based on group rather than individual decision-making. Therefore, we present a simple, flexible simulation of foraging and predation that demonstrates that the evolution of an optimal, evolutionarily stable group size is in fact possible. Prey genomes are evolved in subpopulations, each with a coevolved group size factor. These groups can be either heterogeneous or homogeneous. Genome fitness is determined by placing the subpopulation in the predator simulation used in Olson et al. (2014). Fitness-proportionate selection first acts on entire subpopulations (where a subpopulation’s fitness is the mean fitness of its genomes) and then on genomes within each subpopulation (if the subpopulation is heterogeneous). Group size can also mutate between generations, with selection again choosing candidates for removal when a group shrinks and reproduction when it grows. To study the potential disadvantages of living in large groups (e.g., competition for mates and resources), we apply a grouping penalty to foraging prey proportionate to the size of the group. This penalty is described by the equation:
Multifunctional Pt(II) Reagents: Covalent Modifications of Pt Complexes Enable Diverse Structural Variation and In-Cell Detection.

ConspectusTo enhance the functionality of Pt-based reagents, several strategies have been developed that utilize Pt compounds modified with small, reactive handles. This Account encapsulates work done by us and other groups regarding the use of Pt(II) compounds with reactive handles for subsequent elaboration with fluorophores or other functional moieties. Described strategies include the incorporation of substituents for well-known condensation or nucleophilic displacement-type reactions and their use, for example, to tether spectroscopic handles to Pt reagents for in vivo investigation. Other chief uses of displacement-type reactions have included tethering various small molecules exhibiting pharmacological activity directly to Pt, thus adding synergistic effects. Click chemistry-based ligation techniques have also been applied, primarily with azide- and alkyne-appended Pt complexes. Orthogonally reactive click chemistry reactions have proven invaluable when more traditional nucleophilic displacement re...
Motivating Process Compliance Through Individual Electronic Monitoring: An Empirical Examination of Hand Hygiene in Healthcare

The design and use of standard processes are foundational recommendations in many operations practices. Yet, given the demonstrated performance benefits of standardized processes, it is surprising that they are often not followed consistently. One way to ensure greater compliance is by electronically monitoring the activities of individuals, although such aggressive monitoring poses the risk of inducing backlash. In the setting of hand hygiene in healthcare, a context where compliance with standard processes is frequently less than 50% and where this lack of compliance can result in negative consequences, we investigated the effectiveness of electronic monitoring. We did so using a unique, radio frequency identification (RFID)-based system deployed in 71 hospital units. We found that electronically monitoring individual compliance resulted in a large, positive increase in compliance. We also found that there was substantial variability in the effect across units and that units with higher levels of preact...
Skill Use, Skill Deficits, and Firm Performance in Formal Sector Enterprises Evidence from the Tanzania Enterprise Skills Survey, 2015

Inadequacies in Tanzania's education and training systems compromise the quality of workforce skills, giving rise to skill shortages, and constraining the operations and growth of formal sector firms in the country. This study addressed these concerns using data from a unique Enterprise Skills Survey that asked Tanzanian employers about the education, training, and occupational mix of their workforce, the skill gaps in cognitive, noncognitive, and job-specific competencies affecting their operations, and the strategies they are using to overcome these skill gaps. The study investigates the consequences for firm productivity of employers' choices about their optimal skills mix, and their strategies to mitigate shortfalls in skills supply. Compared with noninnovators and firms primarily serving the domestic market, exporters and innovators face greater skill demand and suffer from skill shortages that are more likely to constrain their operations in such areas as quality assurance, use of new technology, and introducing new products and services. In analyzing firm performance and its relation to skill mix, the study found that firms with higher shares of tertiary-educated workers are more productive; it found no impact, however, from secondary education and technical vocational education and training qualifications, possibly reflecting the universally acknowledged poor quality of secondary education in Tanzania. Employers use a range of strategies to address skill deficiencies, from hiring new workers, to training current workers in-house or externally, using high-skill expatriate workers, or outsourcing professional services. Almost all were associated with higher labor productivity. The exception, employer provided in-house training, had no measurable impact on productivity.
Beware of Government Agents Bearing Trojan Horses

This Article focuses on when and how authorization of search warrant applications for network investigative techniques are appropriate, addressing the implications of the standards enunciated in the Fourth Amendment and Rule 41 in ascertaining whether a search warrant should be issued. Moreover, it discusses various search warrant applications seeking authorization for these techniques and analyzes whether the search warrants were appropriate. Finally, it addresses the privacy concerns that put these search methods in direct opposition with both constitutional protections and procedural requirements for search warrants, proposing solutions to avoid the overreaching and invasive concerns that the use of these devices create.
Visual recognition of paper analytical device images for detection of falsified pharmaceuticals

Falsification of medicines is a big problem in many developing countries, where technological infrastructure is inadequate to detect these harmful products. We have developed a set of inexpensive paper cards, called Paper Analytical Devices (PADs), which can efficiently classify drugs based on their chemical composition, as a potential solution to the problem. These cards have different reagents embedded in them which produce a set of distinctive color descriptors upon reacting with the chemical compounds that constitute pharmaceutical dosage forms. If a falsified version of the medicine lacks the active ingredient or includes substitute fillers, the difference in color is perceivable by humans. However, reading the cards with accuracy takes training and practice, which may hamper their scaling and implementation in low resource settings. To deal with this, we have developed an automatic visual recognition system to read the results from the PAD images. At first, the optimal set of reagents was found by running singular value decomposition on the intensity values of the color tones in the card images. A dataset of cards embedded with these reagents is produced to generate the most distinctive results for a set of 26 different active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) and excipients. Then, we train two popular convolutional neural network (CNN) models, with the card images. We also extract some "hand-crafted" features from the images and train a nearest neighbor classifier and a non-linear support vector machine with them. On testing, higher-level features performed much better in accurately classifying the PAD images, with the CNN models reaching the highest average accuracy of over 94%.
Bayesian Prognostic Model for Genomic Discovery in Bipolar Disorder

Integrative approaches that incorporate multiple experiments have shown a potential application in the discovery of disease-related attributes. This study presents a unique, data-driven, integrative, Bayesian approach to merge gene expression data from various experiments into prognostic models and evaluate them for the discovery of bipolar-related attributes. Two prognostic models were constructed: a singlystructured Bayesian and a Bayesian multi-net model, which differentiated Bipolar disease state at a higher level of abstraction. These prognostic models were evaluated to find the most common attributes responsible for the disease and their AUROC, using external crossvalidation. The multi-net model achieved an AUROC of 0.907 significantly outperforming the single-structured model with an AUROC of 0.631. The study found six new genes and five chromosomal regions associated with the bipolar state. Enrichment analysis performed in this study revealed biological concepts and proteins responsible for the disease. We anticipate this method and results will be used in the future to integrate information from multiple experiments for the same or related phenotypes of various diseases and also to predict the disease state earlier.
Copper-catalyzed asymmetric addition of olefin-derived nucleophiles to ketones

Enantioenriched alcohols found in an array of bioactive natural products and pharmaceutical agents are often synthesized by asymmetric nucleophilic addition to carbonyls. However, this approach generally shows limited functional-group compatibility, requiring the use of preformed organometallic reagents in conjunction with a stoichiometric or substoichiometric amount of chiral controller to deliver optically active alcohols. Herein we report a copper-catalyzed strategy for the stereoselective nucleophilic addition of propargylic and other alkyl groups to ketones, using easily accessible (poly)unsaturated hydrocarbons as latent carbanion equivalents. Our method features the catalytic generation of highly enantioenriched organocopper intermediates and their subsequent diastereoselective addition to ketones, allowing for the effective construction of highly substituted stereochemical dyads with excellent stereocontrol. Moreover, this process is general, scalable, and occurs at ambient temperature.
Ethics and managed care.

Managed care presents physicians with potential ethical dilemmas different from dilemmas in traditional fee-for-service practice. The ethical assumptions of managed care are explored, with special attention to the evolving dual responsibilities of physicians as patient advocates and as entrepreneurs. A number of proposals are described that delineate issues in support of and in opposition to managed care. Through an understanding of how to apply basic ethical principles to managed care participation, physicians may yet retain the basic tenet of the fiduciary doctor-patient relationship.
Preliminary report on the use of oral tacrolimus (FK506) in the treatment of complicated proximal small bowel and fistulizing Crohn's disease.

Background Tacrolimus (FK506) has a mechanism of action similar to cyclosporine. Unlike standard oral cyclosporine, tacrolimus is well absorbed orally, even from diseased small bowel mucosa. Objective To report the use of oral tacrolimus in three patients with complicated proximal small bowel or fistulizing Crohn's disease as a "bridge" to methotrexate or 6-mercaptopurine. Case reports Oral tacrolimus was started at doses of 0.15-0.29 mg/kg/day and adjusted to a whole blood tacrolimus concentration range of 10-20 ng/ml. Case 1: Gastroenterostomy for gastroduodenal Crohn's disease complicated by recurrent gastrointestinal hemorrhage from persistent duodenal ulceration. Case 2: Diffuse jejunoileal Crohn's disease, seven prior stricturoplasties, and a postoperative small intestinal fistula causing an abdominal abscess. Case 3: Perianal and pouch-vaginal fistulae after colectomy and ileal pouch-anal anastomosis in a patient with Crohn's disease. All three patients had good oral absorption of tacrolimus, rapid clinical improvement of their Crohn's disease, and began long-term remission maintenance treatment with either methotrexate (n = 2) or 6-mercaptopurine (n = 1). Dose dependent side effects resulting from tacrolimus therapy occurred in all three patients (nephrotoxicity, hyperkalemia, diarrhea, nausea, flushing, headache, tremor, paresthesias, and insomnia). Conclusions Oral tacrolimus (0.15-0.29 mg/kg/day) is well absorbed in patients with Crohn's disease with proximal small bowel involvement or fistulae and appears to be of clinical benefit as a rapidly acting "bridge" to long-term therapy with methotrexate or 6-mercaptopurine.
Simulation of incompressible two-phase flow in porous media with large timesteps

Abstract Multiphase flow in porous media occurs in several disciplines including petroleum reservoir engineering, petroleum systems' analysis, and CO 2 sequestration. While simulations often use a fully implicit discretization to increase the time step size, restrictions on the time step often exist due to non-convergence of the nonlinear solver (e.g. Newton's method). Here this problem is addressed for the Buckley–Leverett equations, which model incompressible, immiscible, two-phase flow with no capillary potential. The equations are recast as a gradient flow using the phase-field method, and a convex energy splitting scheme is applied to enable large timesteps, even for high degrees of heterogeneity in permeability and viscosity. By using the phase-field formulation as a homotopy map, the underlying hyperbolic flow equations can be solved with large timesteps. For a heterogeneous test problem, the new homotopy method allows the timestep to be increased by more than six orders of magnitude relative to the unmodified equations while maintaining convergence.
Clearing complexity from the Common Rule NPRM

On September 8, 2015, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services proposed major changes to the regulations known as the Common Rule, whose purpose is to protect human subjects in federally funded research. The proposed changes have been criticized as unduly burdening the conduct of research. While some of the proposed changes are supported by legitimate practical, legal, or ethical considerations, we believe that others lack compelling justification. This article addresses those unjustified changes that we view as especially problematic, focusing on the proposed disparate treatment of secondary research involving data and secondary research involving biospecimens across a number of provisions. The primary rationale for this disparate treatment is that individuals have a strong autonomy interest in the research use of their biospecimens that does not extend to their private information. We explain why this and other justifications do not hold up to scrutiny and how the proposed changes will introduce new layers of complexity to the conduct of research while incentivizing behaviors that undermine the Common Rule's effectiveness and integrity. We conclude by recommending the removal of these unjustified complexities from the regulations that ultimately are adopted.
Line-frequency rectifier dc-bus voltage instability analysis and mitigation

Use of small dc bus capacitors is desirable in variable-speed drives and distributed power systems as it can reduce the size and improve reliability of the system. However, small dc bus capacitors may lead to instability of the dc bus voltage. Such voltage stability problem can occur when the bus is fed from a PWM rectifier or a line-frequency rectifier. This paper considers the case when a line-frequency rectifier is used and presents a method for the analysis of dc bus voltage instability in such systems. Small-signal input impedance of multipulse line-frequency rectifiers is used in conjunction with the ac source output impedance to detect possible instability on the dc bus. Stabilization of the dc bus voltage by a passive damping is presented and compared to other stabilization methods such as increasing dc bus capacitance or placing the damper at the ac input of the rectifier. Experimental results from a 12-pulse rectifier feeding an electronic load that is programmed to emulate constant-power load behavior typical of DPS and variable-speed drives are presented to validate the analysis and design approach.
Cascade Copper-Catalyzed 1,2,3-Trifunctionalization of Terminal Allenes

A cascade cyanation/diborylation of terminal allenes proceeds efficiently with copper catalysis using bis(pinacolato)diboron (B2Pin2) and N-cyano-N-phenyl-p-methylbenzenesulfonamide (NCTS) as reagents. Mechanistic studies suggest that the process proceeds through cyanoborylation of the substituted π-system of the allene followed by hydroboration of the remaining π-component. A wide array of product derivatives may be accessed through site-selective cross-couplings and N-bromosuccinimide-promoted heteroarylations as well as standard oxidative and reductive conversions of the initially obtained adducts.
The Effect of Population Aging on Economic Growth, the Labor Force and Productivity

Population aging is widely assumed to have detrimental effects on economic growth yet there is little empirical evidence about the magnitude of its effects. This paper starts from the observation that many U.S. states have already experienced substantial growth in the size of their older population and much of this growth was predetermined by historical trends in fertility. We use predicted variation in the rate of population aging across U.S. states over the period 1980-2010 to estimate the economic impact of aging on state output per capita. We find that a 10% increase in the fraction of the population ages 60 decreases the growth rate of GDP per capita by 5.5%. Two-thirds of the reduction is due to slower growth in the labor productivity of workers across the age distribution, while one-third arises from slower labor force growth. Our results imply annual GDP growth will slow by 1.2 percentage points this decade and 0.6 percentage points next decade due to population aging.
Arithmetic progressions in multiplicative groups of finite fields

Let G be a multiplicative subgroup of the prime field F p of size |G| > p1−κ and r an arbitrarily fixed positive integer. Assuming κ = κ(r) > 0 and p large enough, it is shown that any proportional subset A ⊂ G contains non-trivial arithmetic progressions of length r. The main ingredient is the Szemeredi–Green–Tao theorem.
Pelvic inflammatory disease

Due to its polymicrobial origins and potential for causing infertility and ectopic pregnancy, pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) is a particularly challenging infection to treat. Treatment of mild PID has long been standardized: a single dose of an IM antibiotic followed by oral therapy. Patients with advanced PID requiring long-term therapy may be candidates for outpatient parenteral therapy.
Perspective Functions: Properties, Constructions, and Examples

Many functions encountered in applied mathematics and in statistical data analysis can be expressed in terms of perspective functions. One of the earliest examples is the Fisher information, which appeared in statistics in the 1920s. We analyze various algebraic and convex-analytical properties of perspective functions and provide general schemes to construct lower semicontinuous convex functions from them. Several new examples are presented and existing instances are featured as special cases.
Hyperspectral unmixing with endmember variability using Partial Membership Latent Dirichlet Allocation

The application of Partial Membership Latent Dirichlet Allocation (PM-LDA) for hyperspectral endmember estimation and spectral unmixing is presented. PM-LDA provides a model for a hyperspectral image analysis that accounts for spectral variability and incorporates spatial information through the use of superpixel-based “documents.” In our application of PM-LDA, we employ the Normal Compositional Model in which endmembers are represented as Normal distributions to account for spectral variability and proportion vectors are modeled as random variables governed by a Dirichlet distribution. The use of the Dirichlet distribution enforces positivity and sum-to-one constraints on the proportion values. Algorithm results on real hyperspectral data indicate that PM-LDA produces endmember distributions that represent the ground truth classes and their associated variability.
Effects of adult health interventions at scale on children’s schooling: Evidence from antiretroviral therapy in Zambia

Abstract In 2007, approximately one in five children in Zambia lived with an HIV positive adult. We identify the effect of adult antiretroviral therapy (ART) availability at scale on children’s educational outcomes by combining data on the expansion of ART availability with two national household surveys that include HIV testing. Through a triple difference specification, we find that the availability of ART increased the likelihood that children in households with HIV positive household heads started school on time and were the appropriate grade-for-age. Two mechanisms were likely decreased incidental infections in the household and related care giving duties.
Characterization of active harmonic phase standard with improved characteristics for nonlinear vector network analyzer calibration

This paper presents unique characteristics of a new active harmonic phase standard (HPS) for use in phase calibration of nonlinear vector network analyzers (NVNAs). The phase and amplitude characteristics are measured at various input powers, fundamental frequencies, and temperatures. The new active HPS is found to have a low sensitivity to these variables. This means that unlike conventional SRD-based HPS approaches, the new active HPS can be calibrated at a single fundamental frequency, input power level, and temperature, and still be successfully applied to a wide range of input powers and fundamental frequencies. The new HPS is compared to a conventional SRD-based HPS and found to be superior for NVNA calibration and related applications.
Multiple imputation as a flexible tool for missing data handling in clinical research

The last 20 years has seen an uptick in research on missing data problems, and most software applications now implement one or more sophisticated missing data handling routines (e.g., multiple imputation or maximum likelihood estimation). Despite their superior statistical properties (e.g., less stringent assumptions, greater accuracy and power), the adoption of these modern analytic approaches is not uniform in psychology and related disciplines. Thus, the primary goal of this manuscript is to describe and illustrate the application of multiple imputation. Although maximum likelihood estimation is perhaps the easiest method to use in practice, psychological data sets often feature complexities that are currently difficult to handle appropriately in the likelihood framework (e.g., mixtures of categorical and continuous variables), but relatively simple to treat with imputation. The paper describes a number of practical issues that clinical researchers are likely to encounter when applying multiple imputation, including mixtures of categorical and continuous variables, item-level missing data in questionnaires, significance testing, interaction effects, and multilevel missing data. Analysis examples illustrate imputation with software packages that are freely available on the internet.
Tensor Products and Support Varieties for Some Noncocommutative Hopf Algebras

We explore questions of projectivity and tensor products of modules for finite dimensional Hopf algebras. We construct many classes of examples in which tensor powers of nonprojective modules are projective and tensor products of modules in one order are projective but in the other order are not. Our examples are smash coproducts with duals of group algebras, some having algebra and coalgebra structures twisted by cocycles. We apply support variety theory for these Hopf algebras as a tool in our investigations.
Note on Power Propagation Time and Lower Bounds for the Power Domination Number

We present a counterexample to a lower bound for the power domination number given in Liao (J Comb Optim 31:725–742, 2016). We also define the power propagation time, using the power domination propagation ideas in Liao and the (zero forcing) propagation time in Hogben et al. (Discrete Appl Math 160:1994–2005, 2012).
Geographic variation in empathy: A state-level analysis ☆

Abstract Empathy is often studied at the individual level, but little is known about variation in empathy across geographic regions and how this variation is associated with important regional-level outcomes. The present study examined associations between state-level empathy, prosocial behavior, and antisocial behavior in the United States. Participants were 79,563 U.S. residential adults who completed measures of cognitive and emotional empathy (i.e., perspective taking and empathic concern). Information on prosocial and antisocial behavior was retrieved from publicly available government databases. All indices of empathy were related to lower rates of violent crime, aggravated assault, and robbery. Total empathy was associated with higher well-being and higher volunteer rates. Implications for geographic variation in empathy, prosocial behavior, and antisocial behavior are discussed.
Kaon production in heavy-ion collisions and kaon condensation in neutron stars

The recent past witnesses the growing interdependence between the physics of hadrons, the physics of relativistic heavy-ion collisions, and the physics of compact objects in astrophysics. A notable example is the kaon which plays a special roles in all the three fields. In this contribution, we present a transport model study of kaon production and flow in heavy-ion collisions at SIS energies. We also discuss the effects of the kaon in-medium properties extracted from heavy-ion data on neutron star properties.
RF stability in energy recovering free electron lasers: theory and experiment

Abstract Phenomena that result from the interaction of the beam with the RF fields in superconducting cavities, and can potentially limit the performance of high average power Energy Recovering Free Electron Lasers (FELs), are reviewed. These phenomena include transverse and longitudinal multipass, multibunch beam breakup, longitudinal beam-loading type of instabilities and their interaction with the FEL, Higher Order Mode power dissipation and RF control issues. We present experimental data obtained at the Jefferson Lab IR FEL with average current up to 5 mA, compare with analytic calculations and simulations and extrapolate the performance of Energy Recovering FELs to much higher average currents, up to ∼100 mA.
Grounded and embodied mathematical cognition: Promoting mathematical insight and proof using action and language.

We develop a theory of grounded and embodied mathematical cognition (GEMC) that draws on action-cognition transduction for advancing understanding of how the body can support mathematical reasoning. GEMC proposes that participants’ actions serve as inputs capable of driving the cognition-action system toward associated cognitive states. This occurs through a process of transduction that promotes valuable mathematical insights by eliciting dynamic depictive gestures that enact spatio-temporal properties of mathematical entities. Our focus here is on pre-college geometry proof production. GEMC suggests that action alone can foster insight but is insufficient for valid proof production if action is not coordinated with language systems for propositionalizing general properties of objects and space. GEMC guides the design of a video game-based learning environment intended to promote students’ mathematical insights and informal proofs by eliciting dynamic gestures through in-game directed actions. GEMC generates several hypotheses that contribute to theories of embodied cognition and to the design of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education interventions. Pilot study results with a prototype video game tentatively support theory-based predictions regarding the role of dynamic gestures for fostering insight and proof-with-insight, and for the role of action coupled with language to promote proof-with-insight. But the pilot yields mixed results for deriving in-game interventions intended to elicit dynamic gesture production. Although our central purpose is an explication of GEMC theory and the role of action-cognition transduction, the theory-based video game design reveals the potential of GEMC to improve STEM education, and highlights the complex challenges of connecting embodiment research to education practices and learning environment design.
What are the underlying units of perceived animacy? Chasing detection is intrinsically object-based.

One of the most foundational questions that can be asked about any visual process is the nature of the underlying 'units' over which it operates (e.g., features, objects, or spatial regions). Here we address this question—for the first time, to our knowledge—in the context of the perception of animacy. Even simple geometric shapes appear animate when they move in certain ways. Do such percepts arise whenever any visual feature moves appropriately, or do they require that the relevant features first be individuated as discrete objects? Observers viewed displays in which one disc (the “wolf”) chased another (the “sheep”) among several moving distractor discs. Critically, two pairs of discs were also connected by visible lines. In the Unconnected condition, both lines connected pairs of distractors; but in the Connected condition, one connected the wolf to a distractor, and the other connected the sheep to a different distractor. Observers in the Connected condition were much less likely to describe such displays using mental state terms. Furthermore, signal detection analyses were used to explore the objective ability to discriminate chasing displays from inanimate control displays in which the wolf moved toward the sheep’s mirror-image. Chasing detection was severely impaired on Connected trials: observers could readily detect an object chasing another object, but not a line-end chasing another line-end, a line-end chasing an object, or an object chasing a line-end. We conclude that the underlying units of perceived animacy are discrete visual objects.
Does Financial Literacy Increase Students' Perceived Value of Schooling?.

Using data from the 2012 Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) for Italy, this paper investigates whether financial literacy skills play a role in shaping the value that high school...
Complexation between DNA and Hydrophilic-Cationic Diblock Copolymers

We examine connections among polycation composition, DNA-polycation binding thermodynamics, binding strength, and resulting complex properties, for circular and linear DNA and hydrophilic diblock copolymers possessing cationic blocks. Two poly(2-deoxy-2-methacrylamido glucopyranose)-block-poly(N-(2-aminoethyl) methacrylamide) (PMAG-b-PAEMA), with block degrees of polymerization of PMAG56-b-PAEMA30 and PMAG52-b-PAEMA63, are employed. DNA binding behavior of these diblocks is also compared with that of a PAEMA homopolymer, in order to evaluate the role of the hydrophilic, charge-neutral PMAG block. In addition, DNA structure was varied, utilizing both circular and linear DNA with the same contour length. The enthalpy change due to DNA-polycation interactions (ΔHint) is observed via isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC) during titrations of DNA with the polycations. With circular DNA, a higher cationic content is found to result in a completion of binding with a smaller amount of polycation, as well as a larger initial ΔHint. In contrast to the common understanding that a neutral block simply provides colloidal stability, the PMAG block turns out to significantly impact both the extent of the binding and the size and dispersity of the final complexes. With a lower cationic content, the complex is less compact, but both the size and dispersity are more stable. Changes in circular dichroism spectra of DNA are shown to be correlated with PMAG-to-PAEMA block length ratio. PMAG52-b-PAEMA63 leads to stronger binding with DNA, compared to PMAG56-b-PAEMA30. Better-defined polyplexes and more disruption in the DNA helices are observed when the PMAG-to-PAEMA ratio is lower. All in all, while PMAG itself does not directly interact with DNA, the DNA-polycation binding turns out to be sensitive to the balance between the DNA-PAEMA attraction and PMAG solvation. In addition, it is confirmed that polyelectrolyte complexation is favored both entropically and enthalpically when the ionic strength of the solution is low. While only endothermic interactions occur in the buffered systems, exothermic initial interactions are observed in low-salt, unbuffered cases. Finally, complexes formed with linear DNA show clear bimodal size distributions, distinct from those formed with circular DNA. Collectively, these data provide insights into the controllable parameters in DNA-polycation complexation, which may advance the development of polymeric vehicles for large biomolecules such as nucleic acids.
A Monitoring and Diagnostic Approach for Stochastic Textured Surfaces

We develop a supervised-learning-based approach for monitoring and diagnosing texture-related defects in manufactured products characterized by stochastic textured surfaces that satisfy the localit...
Finite sums of commutators

We show that elements of unital C*-algebras without tracial states are finite sums of commutators. Moreover, the number of commutators involved is bounded, depending only on the given C*-algebra.
Completing colored graphs to meet a target property

We consider the problem of deciding whether a k-colored graph can be completed to have a given property. We establish that, when k is not fixed, the completion problems for (Helly) circular-arc graphs, even (Helly) proper or (Helly) unit circular-arc graphs, are NP-complete. When k is fixed, in the case of completion to a (Helly) circular-arc graph, (Helly) proper circular-arc graph, or (Helly) unit circular-arc graph we fully classify the complexities of the problems. We also show that deciding whether a 3-colored graph can be completed to be strongly chordal can be done in O(n2) time. As a corollary of our results, the sandwich problems for Helly circular-arc graphs, Helly proper circular-arc graphs, and Helly unit circular-arc graphs are NP-complete.
Observations of bunch-lengthening effects in the APS 7-GeV storage ring

Measurements of the bunch length and horizontal beam size at a dispersive point in the lattice versus single-bunch current have been done on the Advanced Photo Source (APS) 7-GeV storage ring. These data are relevant to issues (limits) of obtaining high peak currents for storage-ring-based FELs. Bunch lengths from {sigma}{sub {tau}} {approx} 25 to 70 ps were measured using a Hamamatsu C5680 dual-sweep streak camera. Additional complementary data on energy spread deduced from horizontal beam size at a dispersive point in the lattice were also tracked versus single-bunch current. Both optical synchrotron radiation (OSR) and x-ray synchrotron radiation (XSR) techniques were used. For the set of data taken at a synchrotron frequency of 1.2 kHz (indicating rf gap voltage {<=} 6 MV), the significant bunch lengthening without a comparable horizontal size change ({Delta}E growth) is consistent with the potential well distortion model rather than the predictions of a microwave instability calculation. With higher rf gap voltage, peak currents up to 400 A were observed. A bunch-lengthening effect in multibunch mode was also observed as the stored-beam current approached the available rf power limit.
Hayek on socialism and on the welfare state: A comment on Farrant and Mcphail's "Does F.A. Hayek's Road to Serfdom deserve to make a comeback?"

In an earlier issue of Challenge, Andrew Farrant and Edward McPhail noted the new popularity of F.A. Hayek's The Road to Serfdom and proceeded to criticize it comprehensively. In this piece, a leading Hayek scholar defends the book as a brilliant criticism of "hot socialism," not of the welfare state itself. This particularly literate author makes clear that the term "socialism" is widely misused today. In the article that follows, Farrant and McPhail reply.
Thinking Fast and Slow: Optimization Decomposition Across Timescales

Many real-world control systems, such as the smart grid and software defined networks, have decentralized components that react quickly using local information and centralized components that react slowly using a more global view. This work seeks to provide a theoretical framework for how to design controllers that are decomposed across timescales in this way. The framework is analogous to how the network utility maximization framework uses optimization decomposition to distribute a global control problem across independent controllers, each of which solves a local problem; except our goal is to decompose a global problem temporally, extracting a timescale separation. Our results highlight that decomposition of a multi-timescale controller into a fast timescale, reactive controller and a slow timescale, predictive controller can be near-optimal in a strong sense. In particular, we exhibit such a design, named Multi-timescale Reflexive Predictive Control (MRPC), which maintains a per-timestep cost within a constant factor of the offline optimal in an adversarial setting.
Cataclysm No More: New Views on the Timing and Delivery of Lunar Impactors

If properly interpreted, the impact record of the Moon, Earth’s nearest neighbour, can be used to gain insights into how the Earth has been influenced by impacting events since its formation ~4.5 billion years (Ga) ago. However, the nature and timing of the lunar impactors – and indeed the lunar impact record itself – are not well understood. Of particular interest are the ages of lunar impact basins and what they tell us about the proposed “lunar cataclysm” and/or the late heavy bombardment (LHB), and how this impact episode may have affected early life on Earth or other planets. Investigations of the lunar impactor population over time have been undertaken and include analyses of orbital data and images; lunar, terrestrial, and other planetary sample data; and dynamical modelling. Here, the existing information regarding the nature of the lunar impact record is reviewed and new interpretations are presented. Importantly, it is demonstrated that most evidence supports a prolonged lunar (and thus, terrestrial) bombardment from ~4.2 to 3.4 Ga and not a cataclysmic spike at ~3.9 Ga. Implications for the conditions required for the origin of life are addressed.
OBESITY IN THA: DOES IT MATTER?

As the American population ages and a trend toward performing total hip arthroplasty (THA) in younger patients continues, the number of Americans undergoing THA is projected to increase over time. The advent of the bundled payment system combined with the current medical utilization climate has placed considerable pressure on surgeons to produce excellent results with early functional recovery and short hospital stays. The US obesity epidemic has transcended into the arthroplasty patient population and surgeons must assess whether obesity is a risk factor for poor outcomes in THA and determine how it should be managed. We performed a recent literature review to determine how obesity impacts outcomes in total hip arthroplasty and what must be done to improve outcomes in the obese arthroplasty patient. Our goal is to answer 3 questions: does obesity increase the complication rate in THA, if obesity matters how obese is too obese, and what must be done to improve outcomes in the obese patient? Ultimately, obesity has been shown to correlate with increased post-operative complications in THA. The arthroplasty surgeon must optimise the obese patient prior to surgery by identifying associated comorbidities and consider malnutrition screening with counseling. Notice should be taken of the degree of obesity as patients with BMI > 40 have demonstrated much higher complication rates. Strong consideration should be given to avoiding direct anterior approach in the obese patient. Healthy weight loss must be encouraged with appropriate patient counseling and treatment in order to achieve success with THA in obese patients.
An Experimental Investigation of Churning Power Losses of a Gearbox

In this study, load-independent (spin) power losses of a gearbox operating under dip-lubrication conditions are investigated experimentally using a final-drive helical gear pair from an automotive transmission as the example system. A dedicated gearbox is developed to operate a single gear or a gear pair under given speed and temperature conditions. A test matrix that consists of sets of tests with (i) single gears (spur, helical, or representative disks with no teeth), and (ii) helical gear pairs is executed at various temperatures, immersion depths and pinion positions relative to its mating gear. Power losses from single gears and gear pairs at identical operating conditions are compared to quantify the components of the total spin loss in the form of losses due to gear drag, gear mesh pocketing, and bearings and seals.Copyright © 2017 by ASME and General Motors
Reactive Compensation of LTI Loads in Three-Wire Systems at Asymmetrical Voltage

The paper presents fundamentals of design of reactive compensators for total compensation of the reactive and unbalanced currents of linear time invariant (LTI) loads supplied with asymmetrical sinusoidal voltage in three-wire systems. Theoretical fundamentals for the presented method are provided by the Currents' Physical Components (CPC) based power theory. Development of the reactive compensator equation is the very core of the method presented. A draft of the CPC-based power theory of LTI loads in three-wire systems with asymmetrical, but sinusoidal supply voltage is also presented in the paper.
Zero-shot task generalization with multi-task deep reinforcement learning

As a step towards developing zero-shot task generalization capabilities in reinforcement learning (RL), we introduce a new RL problem where the agent should learn to execute sequences of instructions after learning useful skills that solve subtasks. In this problem, we consider two types of generalizations: to previously unseen instructions and to longer sequences of instructions. For generalization over unseen instructions, we propose a new objective which encourages learning correspondences between similar subtasks by making analogies. For generalization over sequential instructions, we present a hierarchical architecture where a meta controller learns to use the acquired skills for executing the instructions. To deal with delayed reward, we propose a new neural architecture in the meta controller that learns when to update the subtask, which makes learning more efficient. Experimental results on a stochastic 3D domain show that the proposed ideas are crucial for generalization to longer instructions as well as unseen instructions.
The distribution of advanced tongue root harmony and interior vowels in the Macro-Sudan Belt

In this paper we investigate the distribution of vowel systems in the Macro-Sudan Belt, an area of Western and Central Africa proposed in recent areal work (Guldemann 2008, 2011; Clements & Rialland 2008). We report on a survey of 615 language varieties with entries coded for two phonological features: advanced tongue root (ATR) harmony and the presence of interior vowels (i.e. non-peripheral vowels, such as [ɨ ɯ ɜ ə ʌ ...). Our results show that the presence of ATR harmony in the Macro-Sudan Belt is limited to three separated zones: an Atlantic ATR Zone, a West African ATR Zone, and an East African ATR Zone, all geographically unconnected to one another. We additionally show that between the West and East African ATR Zones is a geographically extensive, genetically heterogeneous region of Central Africa where ATR harmony is systematically absent which we term the Central African ATR-less Zone. Our results also show a large region where phonemic and allophonic interior vowels are disproportionately prevalent, which we term the Central African Interior Vowel Zone. This zone noticeably overlaps with the Central African ATR-less Zone, suggesting that ATR and interiority have an antagonistic relationship. Chi-squared tests support the presence of a strong relationship between the two types of vowel contrasts.