cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
On a Refined Stark Conjecture for Function Fields

We prove that a refinement of Stark's Conjecture formulated by Rubin in Ann. Inst Fourier 4 (1996) is true up to primes dividing the order of the Galois group, for finite, Abelian extensions of function fields over finite fields. We also show that in the case of constant field extensions, a statement stronger than Rubin's holds true.
Macro prudential policies from a micro prudential angle

The standard macro(prudential) models focus on externalities and treat all prudential instruments as alternative, but equivalent, forms of Pigouvian taxes. This paper explicitly models individual banks' risk choices and shows that different prudential instruments affect banks' risk-taking incentives differently. Thus, conflicts may arise between the micro and macro prudential stance.
Analysis of a high harmonic rectangular gyrotron using ribbon beams

Results of the theoretical analysis of a high harmonic axially grooved rectangular gyrotron using a ribbon beam are discussed. Optimization of the operating parameters of the gyrotron is made for maximum efficiency of conversion through the solution of the linearized relativistic Vlasov equation and non-linear particle simulations. Results for a gyrotron using a ribbon beam simulated by 1200 electrons and operating at 90 GHz and the 6th harmonic are presented.
Souslin’s hypothesis and convergence in category

A sequence of functions fn : X → R from a Baire space X to the reals R is said to converge in category iff every subsequence has a subsequence which converges on all but a meager set. We show that if there exists a Souslin tree, then there exists a nonatomic Baire space X such that every sequence which converges in category converges everywhere on a comeager set. This answers a question of Wagner and Wilczynski who proved the converse. Suppose that S ⊆ P (X) is a σ-field of subsets of X and I ⊆ S is a σ-ideal. If I has the countable chain condition (ccc), i.e., every family of disjoint sets in S \ I is countable, then S/I is a complete boolean algebra. A boolean algebra is atomic iff there is an atom beneath every nonzero element. A function f : X → R is S-measurable iff f−1(U) ∈ S for every open set U . A sequence of S-measurable functions fn : X → R converges I-a.e. to a function f iff there exists A ∈ I such that fn(x)→ f(x) for all x ∈ (X \A). If (X,S, μ) is a finite measure space, then a sequence of measurable functions fn : X → R converges in measure to a function f iff for any > 0 there exists N such that for any n > N : μ({x ∈ X : |fn(x) − f(x)| > }) < . In this case if I is the ideal of measure zero sets, then fn converges to f in measure iff every subsequence {fn : n ∈ A} (where A ⊆ N) has a subsequence B ⊆ A such that {fn : n ∈ B} converges I-a.e. This allows us to define convergence in measure without mentioning the measure, only the ideal I. So in the abstract setting define the following: fn converges to f with respect to I iff every subsequence {fn : n ∈ A} has a subsequence B ⊆ A such that {fn : n ∈ B} converges I-a.e. (where A and B range over infinite sets of natural numbers.) For more background on this subject in case I is the ideal of meager sets, see Poreda, Wagner-Bojakoska, and Wilczynski [PWW] and Ciesielski, Larson, and Ostaszewski [CLO]. Marczewski [M] showed that if (X,S, μ) is an atomic measure and I the μ-null sets, then ‘I-a.e. convergence’ is the same as ‘convergence with respect to I’. Gribanov [G] proved the converse, if (X,S, μ) is a finite measure space and I the μ-null sets, then if ‘I-a.e. convergence’ is the same as ‘convergence with respect to I’ then μ is an atomic measure. Received by the editors November 2, 1994. 1991 Mathematics Subject Classification. Primary 28A20; Secondary 03E65, 54E52. I want to thank Krzysztof Ciesielski for many helpful conversations. The results presented in this paper were obtained during the Joint US–Polish Workshop in Real Analysis, Lodź, Poland, July 1994. The workshop was partially supported by the NSF grant INT–9401673. c ©1996 American Mathematical Society
Barrett's esophagus in childhood

This study describes the clinical, radiologic, esophageal function test, endoscopic, and histologic findings of Barrett's esophagus in 11 children aged 6-14 yr. All had long-standing symptoms of gastroesophageal reflux, which had begun in the first year of life in 10 of the 11. Eight of the 11 patients had mid or upper esophageal strictures and 10 of the 11 required fundoplication. Most patients had low lower esophageal sphincter pressures and abnormal pH probe studies. Only 6 of the 11 children had the characteristic pink-red appearance of the mucosa at endoscopy. Fifty endoscopic biopsy specimens taken at multiple levels in the esophagus contained columnar-lined epithelium above the gastroesophageal junction. Five of the patients had specialized (intestinal-type) epithelium as part of the histologic spectrum. The clinical expression of Barrett's esophagus in children is similar to that in adults except that strictures appear to be more common in children, and the endoscopic appearance of the mucosa is not always typical in color. As in adults, gastroesophageal reflux appears to be the etiology. In children beyond infancy, Barrett's esophagus is the most common indication for antireflux surgery at our institution. Biopsy specimens should be taken from multiple levels in the esophagus to avoid overdiagnosis and to establish the diagnosis with certainty.
On the Importance of Registers for Computability

All consensus hierarchies in the literature assume that we have, in addition to copies of a given object, an unbounded number of registers. But why do we really need these registers?
Time resolved x-ray pinhole photography of compressed laser fusion targets

AbstractIn this paper we discuss use of the Livermore x -ray streak camera to temporally recordx -ray pinhole images of laser compressed targets. Use is made of specially fabricatedcomposite x -ray pinholes which are near diffraction limited for 6 It x -rays, but easily aligned with a He -Ne laser of 6328 A wavelength. With a 6 pm x -ray pinhole, the overallsystem can be aligned to 5 pm accuracy and provides implosion characteristics with space -time resolutions of approximately 6 pm and 15 psec. Acceptable criteria for pinhole align-ment, requisite x -ray flux, and filter characteristics are discussed. Implosion character-istics are presented from our present experiments with 68 pm diameter glass microshelltargets and 0.45 terawatt, 70 psec Nd laser pulses. Final implosion velocities in excessof 3 x 107 cm /sec are evident.IntroductionExperiments designed to study laser driven implosions of glass microshells are underwayin several laboratories around the world. The ultimate goal of these experiments is todrive the encapsulated deuterium -tritium fuel to a sufficiently high density and tempera-ture that the resultant thermonuclear reaction produces a net energy gain 1, 2. In prelim-inary experiments it has been shown that modest compressions are achieved 3, and that theresulting neutrons are of a thermonuclear origin 4. It is important that these earlyexperiments be understood in sufficient detail that future experiments can be accuratelydesigned. Because of the high densities and temperatures involved, x -ray emission fromthe compressed target provides a primary source of data regarding dynamics of the implosionprocess. A typical implosion experiment involves an approximately 100 micron initial diam-eter target which implodes to a fraction of its initial size on a time scale of roughly100 picoseconds. The x -ray data must therefore be resolved spatially to microns and tem-porally to several picoseconds in order to provide direct data describing the heating andimplosion processes. However, diagnostics available to date have not had the capability ofsimultaneously providing the required space -time resolutions. Time integrated x -ray imag-ing studies provide spatially resolved photographs showing target compression 3, 5. Spa-tially integrated streak camera studies provide temporally resolved x -ray spectral signalsinterpretable in terms of implosion times
On the complexity of dynamic mechanism design

We introduce a dynamic mechanism design problem in which the designer wants to offer for sale an item to an agent, and another item to the same agent at some point in the future. The agent's joint distribution of valuations for the two items is known, and the agent knows the valuation for the current item (but not for the one in the future). The designer seeks to maximize expected revenue, and the auction must be deterministic, truthful, and ex post individually rational. The optimum mechanism involves a protocol whereby the seller elicits the buyer's current valuation, and based on the bid makes two take-it-or-leave-it offers, one for now and one for the future. We show that finding the optimum deterministic mechanism in this situation --- arguably the simplest meaningful dynamic mechanism design problem imaginable --- is NP-hard. We also prove several positive results, among them a polynomial linear programming-based algorithm for the optimum randomized auction (even for many bidders and periods), and we show strong separations in revenue between non-adaptive, adaptive, and randomized auctions, even when the valuations in the two periods are uncorrelated. Finally, for the same problem in an environment in which contracts cannot be enforced, and thus perfection of equilibrium is necessary, we show that the optimum randomized mechanism requires multiple rounds of cheap talk-like interactions.
The Government Monitoring and Evaluation System in India : A Work in Progress

This paper is discusses the evolution of Indias approach to monitoring and evaluation of government programs. It is organized into 8 sections. (1) Describes the Indian government structure and sets the context for the challenges of building a government-wide M&E system in India. (2) Outlines a short history of the evaluation system under the planning commission and its stages of development. (3) Examines the demand side of evaluation  the sources of demand for accountability, especially in recent years, and for evaluation in particular, and the locus of decisions regarding the selection of which programs to monitor and evaluate. (4) Discusses supply-side and operational issues such as staffing and capacity, and technical approaches (including the type or range of methodology applied). This section also examines the role of the private sector, think tanks, and civil society. (5) Examines the new institutional arrangements M&E. This section also examines the state of management information systems (MISs), outcome budgeting encouraged by the Ministry of Finance, and the performance management system as it operates in India. (6) Discusses the new Independent Evaluation Office (which became functional recently, in 2013). (7) Highlights the fiscal issues underpinning the emerging accountability and effectiveness processes. It outlines the current system of fiscal transfers from the center to the states and the highly centralized central-state fiscal relations, and how they may affect performance and evaluation. (8) Concludes with some observations about ways forward.
Automatic tuning for a teleoperated arm controller

The problem of determining an optimal set of gains for a controller for a teleoperated arm is addressed. An automatic tuning technique is applied and investigated for tuning an independent-joint proportional-derivative controller for a teleoperated manipulator. The Hooke and Jeeves method is used in conjunction with a one dimensional search routine in the tuning algorithm. The algorithm was used to optimize gains for a two-link teleoperator simulation, and the results of several optimizations were used to determine the best form for an input trajectory and cost function. The desired joint angle trajectory is taken from low-pass filtered step inputs with randomly generated magnitudes, which vary at a predetermined interval. Both positive and negative angles are generated, but they are constrained to lie within the manipulator workspace. It was determined that the cost function should be based on tracking error, peak position error over the entire desired path, overshoot, actuator torque bounds, and gain limits. The optimized gains obtained from the simulation were applied to an actual teleoperator, and some improvement was seen. >
New proof of the cobordism invariance of the index

We give a simple proof of the cobordism invariance of the index of an elliptic operator. The proof is based on a study of a Witten-type deformation of an extension of the operator to a complete Riemannian manifold. One of the advantages of our approach is that it allows us to treat directly general elliptic operators which are not of Dirac type.
Distributions of topological tree metrics between a species tree and a gene tree

In order to conduct a statistical analysis on a given set of phylogenetic gene trees, we often use a distance measure between two trees. In a statistical distance-based method to analyze discordance between gene trees, it is a key to decide “biologically meaningful” and “statistically well-distributed” distance between trees. Thus, in this paper, we study the distributions of the three tree distance metrics: the edge difference, the path difference, and the precise K interval cospeciation distance, between two trees: First, we focus on distributions of the three tree distances between two random unrooted trees with n leaves ( $$n \ge 4$$ ); and then we focus on the distributions the three tree distances between a fixed rooted species tree with n leaves and a random gene tree with n leaves generated under the coalescent process with the given species tree. We show some theoretical results as well as simulation study on these distributions.
The UCLID Decision Procedure

UCLID is a tool for term-level modeling and verification of infinite-state systems expressible in the logic of counter arithmetic with lambda expressions and uninterpreted functions (CLU). In this paper, we describe a key component of the tool, the decision procedure for CLU. Apart from validity checking, the decision procedure also provides other useful features such as concrete counterexample generation and proof-core generation.
Three methods for covering missing input data in XCS

Missing data pose a potential threat to learning and classification in that they may compromise the ability of a system to develop robust, generalized models of the environment in which they operate. This investigation reports on the effects of three approaches to covering these data using an XCS-style learning classifier system. Using fabricated datasets representing a wide range of missing value densities, it was found that missing data do not appear to adversely affect LCS learning and classification performance. Furthermore, three types of missing value covering were found to exhibit similar efficiency on these data, with respect to convergence rate and classification accuracy.
Carrier Concentration Dependencies of Magnetization & Transport in Ga1−xMnxAs1−yTey

We have investigated the transport and magnetization characteristics of Ga1−xMnxAs intentionally compensated with shallow Te donors. Using ion implantation followed by pulsed‐laser melting, we vary the Te compensation and drive the system through a metal‐insulator transition (MIT). This MIT is associated with enhanced low‐temperature magnetization and an evolution from concave to convex temperature‐dependent magnetization.
A twisted tale of cochains and connections

Early in the history of higher homotopy algebra [Sta63], it was realized that Massey products are homotopy invariants in a special sense, but it was the work of Tornike Kadeisvili that showed they were but a shadow of an A1-structure on the homology of a differential graded algebra. Here we relate his work to that of Victor Gugenheim [Gug82] and K.T. (Chester) Chen [Che73a]. This paper is a personal tribute to Tornike and the Georgian school of homotopy theory as well as to Gugenheim and Chen, who unfortunately are not with us to appreciate this convergence.
Innovating development finance - from financing sources to financial solutions

As early as 2000, development partners embarked on a decade-long search for 'innovative' or alternative sources of official development assistance to help finance achievement of the millennium development goals. For their part, developing countries have sought not only more financial flows but better financial solutions, for example, through partnerships that mobilize private finance for public service delivery, risk mitigation efforts that promote private entry in the productive sectors, and support for carbon trading. This paper offers a framework to organize and understand this heterogeneous mix of innovations in fundraising and financial solutions for development. It also provides, for the first time, a stocktaking of actual innovations that make up the international landscape and highlights the World Bank Group's role to date. The stocktaking shows that innovative finance mechanisms have played a more significant role in supporting financial solutions on the ground than in identifying and exploiting 'alternative sources of ODA.' Innovative fund-raising therefore should be viewed as a complement to, rather than a substitute for traditional efforts to mobilize official flows, in particular concessional flows. Going forward, innovations need to be tested and evaluated to determine value-added.
Constructing pairing-friendly elliptic curves with embedding degree 10

We present a general framework for constructing families of elliptic curves of prime order with prescribed embedding degree. We demonstrate this method by constructing curves with embedding degree k = 10, which solves an open problem posed by Boneh, Lynn, and Shacham [6]. We show that our framework incorporates existing constructions for k = 3, 4, 6, and 12, and we give evidence that the method is unlikely to produce infinite families of curves with embedding degree k > 12.
Temporal Sparse Promoting Three Dimensional Imaging of Cardiac Activation

A new Cardiac Electrical Sparse Imaging (CESI) technique is proposed to image cardiac activation throughout the three-dimensional myocardium from body surface electrocardiogram (ECG) with the aid of individualized heart-torso geometry. The sparse property of cardiac electrical activity in the time domain is utilized in the temporal sparse promoting inverse solution, one formulated to achieve higher spatial-temporal resolution, stronger robustness and thus enhanced capability in imaging cardiac electrical activity. Computer simulations were carried out to evaluate the performance of this imaging method under various circumstances. A total of 12 single site pacing and 7 dual sites pacing simulations with artificial and the hospital recorded sensor noise were used to evaluate the accuracy and stability of the proposed method. Simulations with modeling error on heart-torso geometry and electrode-torso registration were also performed to evaluate the robustness of the technique. In addition to the computer simulations, the CESI algorithm was further evaluated using experimental data in an animal model where the noninvasively imaged activation sequences were compared with those measured with simultaneous intracardiac mapping. All of the CESI results were compared with conventional weighted minimum norm solutions. The present results show that CESI can image with better accuracy, stability and stronger robustness in both simulated and experimental circumstances. In sum, we have proposed a novel method for cardiac activation imaging, and our results suggest that the CESI has enhanced performance, and offers the potential to image the cardiac activation and to assist in the clinical management of ventricular arrhythmias.
Degree of Negation of an Axiom

In this article we present the two classical negations of Euclid's Fifth Postulate (done by Lobachevski-Bolyai-Gauss, and respectively by Riemann), and in addition of these we propose a partial negation (or a degree of negation) of an axiom in geometry. The most important contribution of this article is the introduction of the degree of negation (or partial negation) of an axiom and, more general, of a scientific or humanistic proposition (theorem, lemma, etc.) in any field - which works somehow like the negation in fuzzy logic (with a degree of truth, and a degree of falsehood) or like the negation in neutrosophic logic [with a degree of truth, a degree of falsehood, and a degree of neutrality (i.e. neither truth nor falsehood, but unknown, ambiguous, indeterminate)].
The apéritif effect: Alcohol's effects on the brain's response to food aromas in women.

Objective Consuming alcohol prior to a meal (an aperitif) increases food consumption. This greater food consumption may result from increased activity in brain regions that mediate reward and regulate feeding behavior. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging, we evaluated the blood oxygenation level dependent (BOLD) response to the food aromas of either roast beef or Italian meat sauce following pharmacokinetically controlled intravenous infusion of alcohol. Methods BOLD activation to food aromas in non-obese women (n = 35) was evaluated once during intravenous infusion of 6% v/v EtOH, clamped at a steady-state breath alcohol concentration of 50 mg%, and once during infusion of saline using matching pump rates. Ad libitum intake of roast beef with noodles or Italian meat sauce with pasta following imaging was recorded. Results BOLD activation to food relative to non-food odors in the hypothalamic area was increased during alcohol pre-load when compared to saline. Food consumption was significantly greater, and levels of ghrelin were reduced, following alcohol. Conclusions An alcohol pre-load increased food consumption and potentiated differences between food and non-food BOLD responses in the region of the hypothalamus. The hypothalamus may mediate the interplay of alcohol and responses to food cues, thus playing a role in the aperitif phenomenon.
Cape Verde's infrastructure : a continental perspective

Across West Africa, infrastructure improvements most notably in the information and communications technology (ICT) sector have contributed some 0.9 percentage points to recent improvements in per capita growth rates. Looking ahead, if West Africa's infrastructure performance could be enhanced to the levels of Africa's leading country, Mauritius, growth performance could be boosted by 2.9 percentage points per capita. Within Africa, Cape Verde stands out as a country whose economic geography poses major and unique challenges to infrastructure development. As befits its middle-income status, Cape Verde already has quite well-developed infrastructure networks. Road density is relatively high, and around three-quarters of the national network is paved to some degree. Almost all of the nine islands have port and airport facilities. Around 70 percent of the population has access to power and (some form of) utility water. Nevertheless, prices of all services are exceptionally high, reflecting the high-cost environment. Power prices, at over $0.40 per kilowatt-hour (kWh), and water tariffs, at $4.43 per cubic meter (m3), are by far the highest in Africa and must be among the highest in the world; yet, even so, cost recovery is inadequate. High prices have led to relatively low usage of infrastructure services: both power and water consumption is a fraction of middle-income levels. Prices of ICT services are also around 50 percent higher than regional benchmarks. In addition to high prices, the quality of services is often deficient. At least half of the national road network is in poor condition. The power sector has been plagued by unreliable supply. Around half of the population receiving utility water depends on stand posts rather than private taps. There are also serious operational inefficiencies, including relatively high distribution losses for both power and water. Cape Verde devotes around $147 million per year or almost 15 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) to infrastructure, one of the highest levels of infrastructure spending found on the African continent. Spending is quite heavily skewed toward capital expenditure, and the resources devoted to transport are particularly high relative to regional benchmarks. In addition, some $50 million a year is being lost to inefficiencies of various kinds, primarily under pricing and operational inefficiencies in the power sector. In sum, the main challenges for the country are to improve the effectiveness with which resources are being used, and to seek new approaches to reducing the exceptionally high costs of infrastructure service provision.
The Chemistry of NO- and HNO-Producing Diazeniumdiolates

Although most diazeniumdiolates (R-N(O)=NO− Na+) are stable as solid salts, current interest in their chemistry stems from their ability to produce nitric oxide (NO), nitroxyl (HNO), and/or a mixture of NO and HNO upon decomposition in aqueous solution. Following a discussion concerning the synthesis of diazeniumdiolates, this chapter focuses on how the substituent (R) and experimental conditions influence decomposition chemistry and NO/HNO production. Representative applications of NO- and HNO-producing diazeniumdiolates are also provided. Keywords: diazeniumdiolate; nitric oxide (NO); nitroxyl (HNO); Angeli’s salt; Cupferron; DEA/NO; IPA/NO
Prazosin + Naltrexone Decreases Alcohol Drinking More Effectively Than Does Either Drug Alone in P Rats with a Protracted History of Extensive Voluntary Alcohol Drinking, Dependence, and Multiple Withdrawals.

Background Prazosin (PRZ; an α1-adrenergic receptor antagonist) and naltrexone (NTX; a nonspecific opioid receptor antagonist) each decrease alcohol drinking when administered to rats selectively bred for high voluntary alcohol drinking (alcohol-preferring or “P”), and the combination of PRZ + NTX decreases alcohol drinking more effectively than does either drug alone. As drug responsiveness can depend on history of alcohol drinking and dependence, we investigated whether various schedules of PRZ and NTX administration, alone or in combination, are effective in decreasing alcohol drinking in male P rats with a history of protracted voluntary alcohol drinking, dependence, and repeated withdrawals closely resembling human alcoholism. Methods Male P rats became alcohol-dependent during 1 year of ad libitum 24 h/d access to food, water, and 20% alcohol with repetitive temporary alcohol withdrawals. Four sequential studies then addressed effects of oral PRZ (2 mg/kg) and NTX (10 mg/kg), alone or together, on alcohol drinking during: (i) daily alcohol access with daily drug treatment, (ii) intermittent alcohol access with daily drug treatment, (iii) intermittent alcohol access with occasional drug treatment, and (iv) postdeprivation reinstatement of alcohol access. Results The combination of PRZ + NTX consistently suppressed alcohol drinking during daily or intermittent alcohol access conditions and when drug treatment was either daily or occasional. PRZ + NTX was consistently more effective than either drug alone. The reduction in alcohol drinking was not due to sedation, motor effects, or malaise. Conclusions Both daily and “as-needed” treatment with PRZ + NTX are highly effective in suppressing daily, intermittent, and postdeprivation alcohol drinking in male P rats with a protracted history of alcohol dependence and repeated withdrawals. This drug combination may be especially effective for treating individuals with long histories of heavy alcohol abuse, dependence, and repeated relapse, as commonly encountered in clinical practice.
Duality and the renormalization group

The requirement that duality and renormalization group transformations commute as motions in the space of a theory has recently been explored to extract information about the renormalization flows in different statistical and field theoretical systems. After a review of what has been accomplished in the context of 2 d sigma models, new results are presented which set up the stage for a fully generic calculation at two-loop order, with particular emphasis on the question of scheme dependence.
The Newtonian scientific revolution and its intellectual significance

This report was presented at the 1678th Stated Meeting of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences held in Cambridge, MA, 11 Mar. 1987; it is reprinted here by permission. An earlier version was published by the Burndy Library, Norwalk, CT. An expanded version appears as an article in the Harvard Library Bulletin, Spring 1988.
Intramolecular [3+2]-cycloaddition of nitrones with allenes and alkynes

Abstract The intramolecular dipolar cycloaddition reactions of allenyl and alkynyl nitrones proceed smoothly to give high yields of cycloadducts.
Rethinking deposit insurance on brokered deposits

In a bid to understand how the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) can aid in promoting financial stability, economists have recently called the definition of core deposits into question. Deposit insurance is extended to core deposits because they represent the stable funding base that the banking system relies on for liquidity. The criteria used by the FDIC to determine whether a funding source is insurable are not consistent with any objective criteria available to define core deposits. Herein I assess current FDIC criteria and whether the kinds of deposits currently insured are good candidates for coverage. I find brokered deposits to be particularly ill-suited to insurance. The FDIC could further promote banking-system stability while simultaneously reducing potential costs by ending its extension of insurance to brokered deposits.
Improved Approximation Algorithms for Maximum Resource Bin Packing and Lazy Bin Covering Problems

In this paper, we study two variants of the bin packing and covering problems called Maximum Resource Bin Packing (MRBP) and Lazy Bin Covering (LBC) problems, and present new approximation algorithms for them. For the offline MRBP problem, the previous best known approximation ratio is $\frac{6}{5}$(=1.2) achieved by the classical First-Fit-Increasing (FFI) algorithm (Boyar et al. in Theor. Comput. Sci. 362(1–3):127–139, 2006). In this paper, we give a new FFI-type algorithm with an approximation ratio of $\frac{80}{71}$(≈1.12676). For the offline LBC problem, it has been shown in Lin et al. (COCOON, pp. 340–349, 2006) that the classical First-Fit-Decreasing (FFD) algorithm achieves an approximation ratio of $\frac{71}{60}$(≈1.18333). In this paper, we present a new FFD-type algorithm with an approximation ratio of $\frac{17}{15}$(≈1.13333). Our algorithms are based on a pattern-based technique and a number of other observations. They run in near linear time (i.e., O(nlog n)), and therefore are practical.
Trajectory Requirements for Comet Rendezvous

Future spacecraft mission for short period comets rendezvous, considering trajectory requirements and launch vehicle payload capabilities
Distances and Metallicities of High- and Intermediate-Velocity Clouds

A table is presented that summarizes published absorption line measurements for the high- and intermediate-velocity clouds (HVCs and IVCs). New values are derived for N(H I) in the direction of observed probes, in order to arrive at reliable abundances and abundance limits (the H I data are described in Paper II). Distances to stellar probes are revisited and calculated consistently, in order to derive distance brackets or limits for many of the clouds, taking care to properly interpret nondetections. The main conclusions are the following. (1) Absolute abundances have been measured using lines of S II, N I, and O I, with the following resulting values: ~0.1 solar for one HVC (complex C), ~0.3 solar for the Magellanic Stream, ~0.5 solar for a southern IVC, and ~solar for two northern IVCs (the IV Arch and LLIV Arch). Finally, approximate values in the range 0.5-2 solar are found for three more IVCs. (2) Depletion patterns in IVCs are like those in warm disk or halo gas. (3) Most distance limits are based on strong UV lines of C II, Si II, and Mg II, a few on Ca II. Distance limits for major HVCs are greater than 5 kpc, while distance brackets for several IVCs are in the range 0.5-2 kpc. (4) Mass limits for major IVCs are 0.5-8 × 105 M☉, but for major HVCs they are more than 106 M☉. (5) The Ca II/H I ratio varies by up to a factor 2-5 within a single cloud, somewhat more between clouds. (6) The Na I/H I ratio varies by a factor of more than 10 within a cloud, and even more between clouds. Thus, Ca II can be useful for determining both lower and upper distance limits, but Na I only yields upper limits.
The Joseph W. St Geme Jr Lecture: Striving for “Polygamy”

Physicians and their families are often conflicted about the task of meeting their responsibilities at work and at home. This is the stress of work-life balance. It is a topic that is rarely addressed directly in formal medical education seminars or lectures but one that frequently arises during informal discussions within groups of housestaff and more senior physicians—but rarely between these groups. My objectives in dedicating the Joseph W. St Geme Jr lecture to this topic are to (1) shine a bright light on the issues of work-life balance and, thus, open communication and discussion about it within the medical community, (2) suggest a new framework for thinking about work-life balance, and (3) make some practical suggestions that might help to lessen its stress. The issues of work-life balance are complex and can generate great emotion, so perhaps a 20-minute award-reception speech does not do it justice. On hearing the term “work-life balance” most people immediately conjure the image of the balanced (or sometimes unbalanced) scales (Fig 1). In this model the scales are in a dependent relationship with one another. Add weight to one side of the scales, and immediately the balance changes, altering the position of the other side of the fulcrum. One of my objectives is to change that image to a bigger vision—beyond just 2 sides to the balance—and thus, my title, “Striving for Polygamy.” What does this mean? The “polygamy” I intend here is a metaphor for conducting 3 simultaneous “marriages.” I obviously do not intend for anyone to break the marriage laws of their state or to encourage extramarital relationships. The “polygamy” I would like to strive for is one that has been addressed in a book by David Whyte.1 Mr Whyte is a poet, and for a thorny conundrum like the issue … Address correspondence to Stephen Ludwig, MD, Division of General Pediatrics, 12NW-82, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, 34th Street and Civic Center Boulevard, Philadelphia, PA 19104. E-mail: ludwig{at}email.chop.edu
Analytic solution of perturbed motion in near-circular orbit due to air drag from a rotating oblate atmosphere with day-to-night density variation☆

Abstract The analytic treatment of the atmospheric drag perturbation effect on the motion of a spacecraft in a low, near-circular orbit with arbitrary inclination energy and perigee location is presented. Due to the oblateness of the Earth it is assumed that the surfaces of constant density are spheroidal with the same flattening as the Earth. Furthermore, these constant density contours are assumed to form a bulge that lags behind the sun by about 2 h. Assuming an exponential decay law with radial distance from the Earth center for the air density ϱ, a constant scale height and a uniform rotation rate for the atmosphere as well as a sinusoidal variation of ϱ with angular distance ∅ between the spacecraft and the center of the diurnal bulge, a suitable expression for ϱ is derived in terms of the true anomaly which is then converted to a function of time as measured from any arbitrarily selected initial epoch on the near-circular orbit. Analytic expressions for the air relative velocity vector and its magnitude are also obtained and the acceleration vector due to drag is formed, from which radial tangential and out-of-plane components are derived. These components are then used to drive the linearized Euler-Hill equations of motion yielding thereby in the rotating frame attached to a reference circular orbit the six position and velocity components of the state vector in closed form as a function of time.
Installation management: the next ten years

In this paper we will give our extrapolation of the exciting challenges facing installation managers in the coming years and how we expect to react to these challenges. We view the evolution to the present stage as having gone through three generations of installation management. The first generation was marked by the early computers with small memories and relatively crude input devices in which the operation of the computer was done mainly by the person using the computer. In this early generation the computer installation manager had the hardy pioneer spirit and knew most of his customers by first name. One of his main worries was how fast he could get the next model of the computer.
Iterative Methods in Semiconductor Device Simulation

This paper examines iterative methods for solving the semiconductor device equations. The emphasis is on fully coupled methods, because of the failure of decoupled methods for on-state devices. Using the PISCES-II device simulator as a vehicle, incomplete factorization and operator decomposition iterative methods are presented for solving the Newton equations. The dependencies of these methods on factors such as choice of variables, bias condition and initial guess are analyzed. The results are compared with sparse Gaussian elimination.
Zero-Pressure Balloon Design

In atmospheric balloon research it is very important to describe accurately the balance of forces applied to a film and to use this analytical description to produce a suitable manufactured balloon shape. This paper investigates several additions to the presently accepted method for free balloon design. This includes a study of the nonuniform stress state created by the inclusion of load tapes in the theoretical model. The effects of balloon material properties and deformations are also considered. These refinements result in a more accurate theoretical model and an improved design for atmospheric balloons.
Cops and Robbers on diameter two graphs

In this short paper we study the game of Cops and Robbers, played on the vertices of some fixed graph G of order n . The minimum number of cops required to capture a robber is called the cop number of G . We show that the cop number of graphs of diameter 2 is at most 2 n , improving a recent result of Lu and Peng by a constant factor. We conjecture that this bound is still not optimal, and obtain some partial results towards the optimal bound.
Statewide assessment triggers urban school reform : But how high the stakes for urban minorities?

The articles by Linda Skrla and James Joseph Scheurich (2001), Edward Fuller and Joseph Johnson (2001), and James Koschoreck (2001) in this issue of Education and Urban Society report on urban schools using social justice principles to enact meaningful reforms for African American and Latino/Latina students through the use of state testing policy in Texas. The articles offer readers a detailed analysis of teacher/administrator/community-led, proactive policy initiatives in the contested political terrain of high-stakes educational assessment accountability. The authors review the key findings of assessment measures and their deleterious impact on African American and Latino/Latina children, as well as various efforts by schools and school districts in Texas to use the Texas Assessment of Academic Skills (TAAS) requirements as an opportunity to raise the level of care about the academic welfare of African American and Latino/Latina children in particular urban districts in Texas. This is very similar to efforts going on in other states like California and how some school districts have reacted to statewide assessment mandates with increased efforts to focus on the technical core of curriculum and instruction in mathematics (Cohen & Hill, 2000). The authors also do justice in discussing and showing overall support for the main points of the race/culture-based movements to challenge the power of these tests and the state education agency to define minority education. Despite the authors' implicit support of the overall goal to abolish testing and standardized assessment, they also realize that controversy surrounding this political/psychometric issue will not go away. Therefore, one can put forth a proposition, borrowed from critical race theory's Derrick Bell (1995), of interest convergence, in that Whites will concede or agree to public policy changes that involve African Americans only if the White interest converges with the African American interest. This major
RADICAL FRAGMENTATION OF CYCLOBUTANES : AN APPROACH TO MEDIUM RING FUSED CARBOCYCLES

Abstract The combination of a zinc-copper mediated conjugate addition-cyclization, an intramolecular [2+2] photocycloaddition, and a radical fragmentation reaction provides access to a variety of medium ring fused carbocyclic systems in good overall yields.
Aerosol organic carbon to black carbon ratios: Analysis of published data and implications for climate forcing

Measurements of organic carbon (OC) and black carbon (BC)concentrations over a variety of locations worldwide, have been analyzed to infer the spatial distributions of the ratios of OC to BC. Since these ratios determine the relative amounts of scattering and absorption, they are often used to estimate the radiative forcing due to aerosols. An artifact in the protocol for filter measurements of OC has led to widespread overestimates of the ratio of OC to BC in atmospheric aerosols. We developed a criterion to correct for this artifact and analyze corrected OC to BC ratios. The OC to BC ratios, ranging from 1.3to 2.4, appear relatively constant and are generally unaffected by seasonality, sources or technology changes, at the locations considered here. The ratios compare well with emission inventories over Europe and China but are a factor of two lower in other regions. The reduced estimate for OC/BC in aerosols strengthens the argument that reduction of soot emissions maybe a useful approach to slow global warming.
RUBIDIUM IN THE INTERSTELLAR MEDIUM

We present observations of interstellar rubidium toward o Per, ζ Per, AE Aur, HD 147889, χ Oph, ζ Oph, and 20 Aql. Theory suggests that stable 85Rb and long-lived 87Rb are produced predominantly by high-mass stars, through a combination of the weak s- and r-processes. The 85Rb/87Rb ratio was determined from measurements of the Rb I line at 7800 A and was compared to the solar system meteoritic ratio of 2.59. Within 1σ uncertainties, all directions except HD 147889 have Rb isotope ratios consistent with the solar system value. The ratio toward HD 147889 is much lower than the meteoritic value and similar to that toward ρ Oph A; both lines of sight probe the Rho Ophiuchus Molecular Cloud. The earlier result was attributed to a deficit of r-processed 85Rb. Our larger sample suggests instead that 87Rb is enhanced in these two lines of sight. When the total elemental abundance of Rb is compared to the K elemental abundance, the interstellar Rb/K ratio is significantly lower than the meteoritic ratio for all the sight lines in this study. Available interstellar samples for other s- and r- process elements are used to help interpret these results.
Strategic management and financial markets

Porter has argued that the U.S. capital investment system is deficient relative to those in Germany and Japan and this has caused a decline in the competitiveness of U.S. corporations. He suggests the increasing importance of financial institutions has led to transient ownership which encourages firms to focus on the short term. This paper argues that the openness and diversity of opinion encouraged by the U.S. financial system has significant advantages and transient ownership is consistent with firms taking a long view. It is suggested that the competitiveness of German and Japanese corporations may be due to the managerial incentives made possible by high growth rates.
Coherent and Incoherent Quantum Stochastic Resonance

We study quantum stochastic resonance (QSR) in the periodically driven biased spin-boson system. The amplitude and the phase of the nonlinear response function vs temperature are studied in the incoherent and coherent tunneling regimes, encompassing adiabatic and nonadiabatic driving, weak and strong Ohmic coupling $\ensuremath{\alpha}$. For $\ensuremath{\alpha}\phantom{\rule{0ex}{0ex}}=\phantom{\rule{0ex}{0ex}}1/2$ we present exact QSR results. As a general feature, a principal maximum appears when the static asymmetry exceeds the driving frequency and strength. Moreover, the nonlinear QSR shows a noise-induced suppression of higher harmonics and a characteristic phase shift.
Developmental changes in neuroendocrine regulation of gonadotropin secretion in gonadal dysgenesis

Patients with gonadal dysgenesis have a marked increase in gonadotropin levels at the age when puberty normally occurs. To determine whether this increase results from a change in the frequency or the amplitude of gonadotropin pulses, we measured the 24-h profile of plasma LH and FSH by RIA in 31 patients with gonadal dysgenesis, aged 2-20 yr. Gonadotropin pulses were defined as a rise from nadir to peak that exceeded 3 times the intraassay coefficient of variation. This criterion, based on an empirical study of RIA noise, reduced the rate of false positive peaks to less than 3-4/24 h. Using this criterion, peak amplitude increased significantly at the time of puberty for both LH and FSH (P less than 0.01). The overall frequency of gonadotropin pulses (the sum of the FSH peaks plus the LH peaks that occurred without a concomitant FSH peak), however, did not differ among prepubertal (12.7 +/- 1.8 peaks/24 h), pubertal aged (14.3 +/- 2.3 peaks/24 h), and adult patients (14.7 +/- 0.9 peaks/24 h). Thus, the increase in gonadotropin concentration in pubertal aged patients with gonadal dysgenesis appears to result primarily from an increase in gonadotropin peak amplitude rather than an increase in peak frequency.
A spatial analysis of common property deforestation

Abstract This paper develops and tests a theory of common property deforestation over space. The model examines both the spatial distribution of forest loss and the total amount of deforestation within a given community, showing how these outcomes are jointly determined. The model equations are estimated in a four-step process using data from 318 Mexican common properties. In contrast to previous deforestation theories, this paper shows that the allocation of deforestation across space is dependent upon both the absolute and relative quality and location of each hectare of land in the same community and on the overall deforestation decision of the community. Simultaneously, total deforestation depends upon the value of deforested land, which is determined by its physical attributes, as well as the characteristics of the community that affect its collective choice problem. Smaller group size, higher secondary education, and greater inequality correspond to lower deforestation.
A formal verification approach to the design of synthetic gene networks

The design of genetic networks with specific functions is one of the major goals of synthetic biology. However, constructing biological devices that work “as required” remains challenging, while the cost of uncovering flawed designs experimentally is large. To address this issue, we propose a fully automated framework that allows the correctness of synthetic gene networks to be formally verified in silico from rich, high level functional specifications.
Exact Lagrangians in \(A_n\)-surface singularities

In this paper we classify Lagrangian spheres in $$A_n$$ -surface singularities up to Hamiltonian isotopy. Combining with a result of Ritter (Geom Funct Anal 20(3):779–816, 2010), this yields a complete classification of exact Lagrangians in $$A_n$$ -surface singularities. Our main new tool is the application of a technique which we call ball-swappings and its relative version.