cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Whatever Gets you Through the Night: Officer Coping Strategies after the High-Profile Line of Duty Deaths in Dallas and Baton Rouge

The policing profession has recently experienced events that affected officers across the nation. Several high-profile cases involving police and members of minority communities intensified the tensions among these groups. Amid public criticisms of policing, law enforcement officers have become targets of attacks. Multiple cases of officer ambushes and assassinations have further troubled the already stressful occupational position of law enforcement. This study investigates what coping strategies officers used after the deadly attacks on police in Dallas, Texas and Baton Rouge, Louisiana that occurred in July, 2016. We also investigate how the coping strategies used affects job motivation among officers. Our findings suggest officers turned to three coping strategies: support networks, stoic self-help, and self-medication. These coping strategies were found to be ineffective mechanisms for protecting officer job motivation; however, some strategies adversely affected motivation more than others. Understanding how officers are coping and why effective strategies are not being employed adequately is imperative for both the safety of officers and the public.
RecAdvisor: Criteria-based Ph.D. Supervisor Recommendation

This demo presents RecAdvisor, a prototype recommender system for finding and recommending potential Ph.D. supervisors for students by identifying different criteria to consider when selecting a supervisor.
Nutrition in Infants: Risks and Management

Infancy is the stage of life with abrupt transition from fetal period to the neonatal phase during first year of childhood. Infancy creates a sudden need of necessary nutrients from external sources. Provision of adequate energy and nutrients is needed in the first year of life to support the most rapid growth and development period in a person’s life. From birth to 6 months of age about 108 calories per kilogram per day are needed; by 12 months a baby needs about 100 calories per kilogram per day. Since babies can eat only a small volume of food to support rapid growth, they require nutrient-dense, highly caloric foods. Fat must contribute at least 30 % of total calories to meet the demands of growth and development. Babies should double their birth weight by 4–6 months of age and triple it by 1 year. The key of proper infant growth is right proportion of essential and supplemented nutrients supply through mother milk or alternate nutrition formula. Unfortunately, growing dependence of infants on alternate milk formulas or artificial milk feeding is putting infants at the risk of obesity. On average, their length increases by 50 % in the first year of life. The present chapter puts forth the nutritional demands in infancy and importance of breast feeding during early first year of infancy. A comprehensive alternate of mother milk and importance of nutrients in mother and cow’s milk is highlighted. In the following section, importance of vitamins in infant growth and growing threat of weight gain and obesity is highlighted due to lack of maternal nutrition.
Education for Woman: The Utah Legacy:

This article presents data on the history of women at the University of Utah from 1850 to 1915 in an effort to put into perspective the meaning behind the inclusion of women at the beginning of the institution at a time when that was still relatively uncommon nationwide. Information is drawn from an in-depth review of all primary resources in the Records Center and Archives of the University of Utah. Other relevant collections and manuscripts at the University of Utah and the Historical Department, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Salt Lake City, were also consulted. The findings lead to the conclusion that the inclusion of women had a pragmatic economic base, did not give them equal access to University resources, increasingly reinforced prevalent social expectations by educating them for roles as wives, mothers and teachers and was not rooted in a basic commitment to equal education for men and women.
Reducing Symptom Burden in Older Patients with Multiple Myeloma (MM) Using Interleukin-6 (IL-6) Blockage Peri-Autologous Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation (AHCT)

Background For MM patients (pts), AHCT improves progression free and overall survival, but in older pts is often associated with significant symptom burden. IL-6 levels peak during count nadir when symptom burden also peaks. We aimed to improve symptom burden using siltuximab (anti-IL-6 antibody, Janssen) peri-AHCT. Methods Siltuximab was given at 11 mg/kg on day -7 and day +21 from AHCT. MD Anderson Symptom Inventory – MM was measured at baseline, day -2, +7, and +30. IL-6 and C-reactive protein (CRP) were measured at baseline, day -2, 0, +3, +7, +14, +21, and +30. Results Between 1/2018 – 8/2018, 14 pts (median age 65 (range 60-70), 7 female) were enrolled. One pt was removed from study after the day -7 siltuximab due to primary physician request as AHCT was delayed due to frailty and non-compliance. Results below are based on remaining 13 pts. Median HCT-CI was 1 (range 0-8, with 5 pts’ HCT-CI >2) and median KPS on day -2 was 80 (range 70-90). Two pts had mild infusion reactions, one with tingling of lips and one with hives which resolved with Benadryl. Neither had a reaction with the subsequent infusion. Neutrophil engraftment occurred at a median of 9 days (range 8-11), but 5 pts (38%) received at least one dose of filgrastim after engraftment. No pts had neutropenic fevers, but one pt developed a pneumonia requiring high-flow oxygen. Two pts (15%) had engraftment syndrome. CRP levels were elevated at baseline in 85% of pts with median level of 0.12 mg/dL (range Conclusion Siltuximab appears to decrease fatigue without delaying engraftment, but may delay full count recovery. No pts developed a neutropenic fever. Full interim analysis of MDASI-MM, IL-6, and CRP trends will be presented.
BOUNDARY LAYER (ATMOSPHERIC) AND AIR POLLUTION | Surface Layer

The atmospheric surface layer represents the medium for nearly all activity on planet Earth. With a depth of order one kilometer, the physics governing profiles of wind, temperature, and gases can be represented in terms of a small number of key turbulent processes framed by Monin–Obukhov similarity (MOS) theory. This article summarizes the assumptions and applications of MOS theory to the surface layer, and key scientific challenges are summarized where MOS theory is exposed to conditions that violate basic assumptions.
Cooperative effects and energy barriers to bromonium ion transfer in cyclic (BrX)n halogen-bonded clusters (X = F, OH, or NH2; n = 3–5): An ab initio study

Abstract Cooperative effects on the Br–X⋯Br–X halogen bond interactions present in cyclic (BrX)n clusters, (n = 3–5, X = F, OH or NH2) are investigated using theoretical calculations at the B3LYP and MP2 level using the aug-cc-pvtz basis set unless indicated otherwise. Pertinent geometrical, vibrational, energetic and topological parameters are used as primary indicators of halogen bond strength, and consequently for assessment of cooperativity. Trimer formation weakens, relative to the dimer, the halogen bond interaction while formation of the larger cluster strengthens it. Cooperative enhancement of the Br⋯X halogen bond depends on X, and follows the order X = F > X = OH > X = NH2. Thus, the weakest dimer interaction exhibits the largest cooperative enhancement in these halogen bonded systems. A linear relationship is found between the average dissociation energies of the clusters with electron density at the halogen bond critical point, while a second order polynomial relationship is found between the average dissociation energies of the clusters and the average amount of charge transfer, 〈qT〉, from the acceptor X lone pairs into the antibonding Br–X orbitals, nX → σ∗Br–X. It is found that multiple Br transfer exhibits relatively high energy barriers, and follows a concerted mechanism with transition state geometries of Dnh symmetry for BrF and BrNH2 cyclic clusters, and with geometries of Cn symmetry for the transition states of the corresponding BrOH clusters.
The Use of Audible Traffic Signals in the United States.

Audible traffic signals (ATS) can be of considerable value to visually impaired pedestrians. This article describes these devices and their use in this and other countries and presents areas of concern regarding their widespread installation, including the types of intersections at which ATS should be installed, the locations of poles and buttons for activating the systems, and the specific type of device to be used. Because there is a dearth of applied research on ATS, it is recommended that 1) unusually complex intersections not be the sites for ATS installation; 2) particular attention should be paid to the locations of poles and buttons; and 3) the type of device to be installed at a new site should be consistent with those at sites in the same area.
Androgen decline and survival during docetaxel therapy in metastatic castration resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC).

Multiple androgens drive prostate cancer progression and higher pre-treatment levels of androgens, even within the castrate range, have been previously shown to be associated with an improved overall survival (OS) in mCRPC. Docetaxel impairs microtubules, has androgen receptor (AR) inhibitory effects and is used in both the castration resistant and sensitive settings, where androgen dynamics may impact outcome. The present analysis evaluates the association of decline in serum androgen levels (Testosterone (T), Androstenedione (A) and DHEA in docetaxel-treated mCRPC patients with OS. Data from 1050 men treated on CALGB 90401 with docetaxel, prednisone and either bevacizumab or placebo were evaluated. Eligibility required progressive mCRPC and no prior chemotherapy. Pre-treatment, 6 week and progression serum assays for T, A and DHEA were performed via tandem Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). Changes in T, A and DHEA levels from baseline to 6 weeks were calculated as the ratio of 6-week over baseline. The proportional hazards model was used to assess the prognostic significance of changes in T, A, and DHEA from baseline to 6 weeks in predicting OS adjusting for known prognostic factors. Median baseline values for T, A, and, DHEA were 1.0, 13.5, and 8.1 ng/dL respectively while 6 week levels were 0.64, 7.0, and 6.8 ng/dL respectively. Median OS for low testosterone decline is 20.9 months vs 26.3 months for high testosterone decline. In multivariable analysis including known prognostic variables, change in testosterone levels was independently associated with greater OS; the hazard ratio for death with each unit increase in the 6-week/baseline ratio is 1.02 (95% CI = 1.01–1.03, p = 0.001). Decline in A and DHEA were not significant predictors of OS. In multivariable analysis change in the serum changes did not predict PFS however the ratio of T at 6-weeks over baseline was prognostic of ≥50% decline in PSA with an odds ratio of 0.93 (95% CI = 0.85–0.98, p-value = 0.039). Declines in testosterone during docetaxel treatment is associated with a longer survival, consistent with a favorable prognostic significance of higher serum androgens in the CRPC.
Faster response in bounded-update-rate, discrete-time linear networks using delayed self-reinforcement

ABSTRACTThe response speed of a network impacts the efficacy of its actions to external stimuli. However, for a given bound on the update rate, the network-response speed is limited by the need to ...
Impact of insulin reduction on glycemic control in children attending a residential diabetes camp.

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES Children attending diabetes camp are more active, increasing the risk of hypoglycemia. Decreasing initial insulin doses may reduce this risk. The objectives of our study were to compare glycemic control between campers receiving multiple daily injections (MDI) and continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion (CSII), and analyze the impact of decreasing basal insulin by 10%. METHODS We analyzed 849 camp sessions (599 children, 5-19 years old) from Camp Sweeney's 2016/2017 summers. Campers were separated into groups by year and insulin route (MDI_2016, MDI_2017, CSII_2016, and CSII_2017). The MDI_2016 group had initial basal insulin decreased 10%, while CSII_2016, MDI_2017, and CSII_2017 did not. Time spent in blood glucose ranges and area under the curve (AUC) were compared by year and insulin route using ANOVA. We also performed repeated measures ANOVA using campers who attended both years. RESULTS No significant differences in time spent in any glucose range could be attributed to the initial 10% basal decrease, including on paired analysis. MDI_2017 had more decreases to basal insulin than the other groups. CSII campers had higher AUC and more hyperglycemia than MDI campers. CONCLUSIONS Campers on MDI may benefit from decreasing basal insulin, either at the beginning of camp or during the first week. Future research is needed to optimize glycemic control in the camp setting.
One hundred years of neurosurgery at the Medical College of Virginia/Virginia Commonwealth University (1919–2019)

The Department of Neurosurgery at the Medical College of Virginia/Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) celebrates its 100th anniversary in 2019. It was founded by C. C. Coleman, who directed the US Army School of Brain Surgery during World War I and was one of the original members of the Society of Neurological Surgeons. Coleman began a residency program that was among the first four such programs in the United States and that produced such prominent graduates as Frank Mayfield, Gayle Crutchfield, and John Meredith. Neurosurgery at VCU later became a division under the medical school's surgery department. Division chairs included William Collins and Donald Becker. It was during the Becker years that VCU became a leading National Institutes of Health-funded neurotrauma research center. Harold Young oversaw the transition from division to department and expanded the practice base of the program. In 2015, Alex Valadka assumed leadership and established international collaborations for research and education. In its first 100 years, VCU Neurosurgery has distinguished itself as an innovator in clinical research and an incubator of compassionate and service-oriented physicians.
On evaluating the effects of feedback for Sign language learning using Explainable AI

Computer Aided Sign Language Learning (CASLL) is a recent and promising field of research which is made feasible by advances in Computer Vision and Sign Language Recognition. The importance of feedback for language learning has been established by many research works. In this work, we introduce SignGuru a chat-bot based AI tutor that can provide fine-grained feedback to learners of American Sign Language. SignGuru provides feedback directly relating to the fundamental concepts of ASL using a modular and explainable AI. The chatbot is designed not only as an interactive for learners to choose a curriculum and go through the interactive learning process, but also to perform retention and execution tests. The usability and utility of SignGuru has been validated by a user-study using 14 ASL signs with 26 users. We demonstrate the fully functioning application with a variety of different curriculum.
The Effect of Repetition on Truth Judgments Across Development

According to numerous research studies, when adults hear a statement twice, they are more likely to think it is true compared with when they have heard it only once. Multiple theoretical explanations exist for this illusory-truth effect. However, none of the current theories fully explains how or why people begin to use repetition as a cue for truth. In this preregistered study, we investigated those developmental origins in twenty-four 5-year-olds, twenty-four 10-year-olds, and 32 adults. If the link between repetition and truth is learned implicitly, then even 5-year-olds should show the effect. Alternatively, realizing this connection may require metacognition and intentional reflection, skills acquired later in development. Repetition increased truth judgments for all three age groups, and prior knowledge did not protect participants from the effects of repetition. These results suggest that the illusory-truth effect is a universal effect learned at a young age.
The Lived Experience of Postpartum Women Attending Outpatient Substance Treatment for Opioid or Heroin Use.

INTRODUCTION The current opioid crisis and associated heroin epidemic have exhausted the limited community services that are available to substance users, with only about 12% of substance use treatment facilities offering special programs for pregnant women. Little information is known about the lived experience of postpartum women in outpatient substance use treatment programs, who are working toward abstinence and caring for a newborn. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore the lived experience of postpartum women attending outpatient substance use treatment for illicit opioid or heroin use. METHODS Individual interviews were conducted between December 2017 and November 2018, with 10 postpartum women with opioid use disorder (OUD) engaged in outpatient substance use treatment programs. A 4-step conceptual framework as suggested by Moustakas was used to understand and synthesize the lived experiences shared by the women. RESULTS Five themes emerged from the raw data: the presence of a stigma in providers of health care services, a fear of being reported to family services, children are primary motivators to remain engaged in treatment, concern for the welfare of the infant, and barriers to treatment. DISCUSSION Postpartum women with OUD and their infants have complex needs that may best be served by treatment programs that offer comprehensive care. The fear of being reported to family services and possible loss of custody influenced all aspects of their decision-making.
High egg rejection and low aggressive responses of Mountain Bluebirds (Sialia currucoides) toward Brown-headed Cowbirds (Molothrus ater)

Hosts of brood parasitic Brown-headed Cowbirds (Molothrus ater) have acquired a suite of behavioral responses against them, including egg rejection and nest defense. Several cavity-nesting species have been shown to exhibit egg rejection, including the Mountain Bluebird (Sialia currucoides). Previous work reported egg rejection rates as low as 20%, under the assumption that they may instead be relying heavily on aggressive interactions to defend their nests from parasitism. In the present study, we evaluated the egg rejection and aggression behaviors of a population of Mountain Bluebirds in western Montana. Results indicate a higher rate of rejection than previously documented, with model cowbird eggs rejected in over 40% of trials (n = 37), compared with 5% rejection of mimetic eggs. In contrast, we found little aggressive response by Mountain Bluebirds toward both an adult cowbird model and a nonthreatening American Goldfinch (Carduelis tristis) model. Aggression patterns were consistent between sexes, with the most common behaviors including sitting and watching from within 5 m and flying past the models (n = 21). Hovering above the model was observed on a few occasions, and physical contact by bluebirds happened on only 3 occasions toward the goldfinch model. In summary, Mountain Bluebirds in western Montana showed relatively high rates of cowbird egg rejection but little aggressive response toward adult heterospecific nest intruders.
Changes in the chemical state of metallic Cr during deposition on a polyimide substrate: Full soft XPS and ToF-SIMS depth profiles

Abstract We demonstrate the effectiveness of the combination of depth profile analyses based on soft X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) with Ar+ sputtering and time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF–SIMS) with Cs+ sputtering, to determine the changes in the chemical states of Cr nanofilms during deposition on a polyimide (PI) substrate, with nanoscale-depth resolution. The XPS and ToF-SIMS depth profiles obtained show evidence of preferential oxygen sputtering during Ar+ and Cs+ bombardment. Therefore, detailed analyses of the depth profiles and spectra were performed with consideration of the results of cross-sectional electron energy loss spectroscopy and non-destructive hard XPS for the same sample. As a result, the depth profiles for Cr, Cr2O, Cr2O3, Cr(OH)3, and CrO3 in the Cr film were successfully differentiated with nanoscale resolution. At the deeper area, the ratio of Cr2O3, Cr(OH)3, and CrO3 decreases, while that of Cr metal and Cr2O increases, which was caused by Ar+ and Cs+ sputtering. The presence of the Cr2O phase in the Cr film was revealed, regardless of the preferential sputtering. These results are very useful for optimization of the Cr/PI bilayer fabrication process, which is one of the most important components in flexible electronics.
Longitudinal inter-relations between school cultural socialization and school engagement: The mediating role of school climate

Abstract The question of whether schools should promote cultural pride and engage students in ethnic traditions is hotly contested. To contribute to this debate, this longitudinal study examined whether school cultural socialization predicted adolescents' engagement in school over time and whether this relation was mediated by school climate. Data were collected in four waves during a two-year period from 254 African American fifth-graders (53.9% males; Mage = 10.95 at Wave 1) enrolled in three public middle schools. Results revealed that African American youth who reported more school cultural socialization also had greater school engagement over time. This longitudinal relation was fully mediated by youth's perceptions of school climate. Implications for how to promote African American youth's perceptions of schools as culturally sensitive and supportive environments are discussed.
Learning from emancipation: The Port Royal Experiment and transition theory:

Over the last decade, transition studies has emerged as an intellectual field aimed at answering the question: How do we get to a more sustainable world? Emerging from a combination of science and ...
Duration Comparisons for Vision and Touch Are Dependent on Presentation Order and Temporal Context.

Integrating visual and tactile information in the temporal domain is critical for active perception. To accomplish this, coordinated timing is required. Here, we study perceived duration within and across these two modalities. Specifically, we examined how duration comparisons within and across vision and touch were influenced by temporal context and presentation order using a two-interval forced choice task. We asked participants to compare the duration of two temporal intervals defined by tactile or visual events. Two constant standard durations (700 ms and 1,000 ms in ‘shorter’ sessions; 1,000 ms and 1,500 ms in ‘longer’ sessions) were compared to variable comparison durations in different sessions. In crossmodal trials, standard and comparison durations were presented in different modalities, whereas in the intramodal trials, the two durations were presented in the same modality. The standard duration was either presented first ( ) or followed the comparison duration ( ). In both crossmodal and intramodal conditions, we found that the longer standard duration was overestimated in trials and underestimated in trials whereas the estimation of shorter standard duration was unbiased. Importantly, the estimation of 1,000ms was biased when it was the longer standard duration within the shorter sessions but not when it was the shorter standard duration within the longer sessions, indicating an effect of temporal context. The effects of presentation order can be explained by a central tendency effect applied in different ways to different presentation orders. Both crossmodal and intramodal conditions showed better discrimination performance for trials than trials, supporting the Type B effect for both crossmodal and intramodal duration comparison. Moreover, these results were not dependent on whether the standard duration was defined using tactile or visual stimuli. Overall, our results indicate that duration comparison between vision and touch is dependent on presentation order and temporal context, but not modality.
Autophagy in cell plasticity with particular focus on paligenosis

Abstract Cells can switch their fates, either by reverting to a more primitive phenotype (dedifferentiating) or by directly converting to another specialized cell type (transdifferentiating). A mature cell can become a progenitor-like cell through such cell plasticity events and contribute to tissue repair after injury. It has been proposed that the cellular mechanisms that convert mature cells into proliferating progenitors may be evolutionarily conserved. Autophagy, the pivotal first step in one such proposed, evolutionarily conserved program (paligenosis), is employed by cells to downscale the mature cell architecture and degrade and recycle organelles, ultimately liberating molecular building blocks such as fatty acids, amino acids, and nucleotides that activate mTORC1 to fuel cell cycle entry. The induction of autophagy after injury is conserved across tissues and species and contributes to repair. Because plasticity is often linked to tumorigenesis, autophagy may be key to understanding cancer origins. Failure to undergo autophagy during the plasticity required for tissue repair also likely contributes to various diseases. This chapter summarizes the current state of autophagy in cell plasticity and related emerging developments.
High Speed Permanent Magnet Machine Design for Optimum Volumetric Power Density

High speed permanent magnet machines show growing interests in the research domain since they offer power density improvement in many applications. The main drawbacks are the expensive heavy rare earth magnets and the elevated iron loss at high speed operation with conventional steel. This paper explores a machine design option which adapts low dysprosium magnets and low loss density Supercore steel materials, in order to reduce the magnet cost while providing high power density and efficiency at high speed operation. Both concentrated and distributed winding designs are considered and their major characteristics, features, and performance are compared against each other, leading to a conclusion that the concentrated winding design is more volumetric power dense compared to the distributed winding design, and thus it is more suitable for high speed applications.
Optimum Design of Distributed Mass and Stiffness Structural Systems Under Constraints

Abstract Shell structures are classic examples of distributed parameter systems. In this paper an approach is developed to obtain the optimum (minimum weight) configuration of a general shell structure subjected to simultaneous frequency and stress constraints. The constrained frequencies are determined by discretizing the shell using a finite-element technique and then minimizing special Rayleigh quotients defined for the finite-element model. The optimum configuration is determined by optimal decision of a vector of material and geometric design parameters using a modified Complex technique. The approach is demonstrated by application to a conical shell of elliptical cross-section subjected to inertial and externally applied loadings. An analytical solution to this problem, obtained using least squares techniques and Lagrange multipliers, is presented for comparison.
Approximate Nonlinear Forecasting Methods

We review key aspects of forecasting using nonlinear models. Because economic models are typically misspecified, the resulting forecasts provide only an approximation to the best possible forecast. Although it is in principle possible to obtain superior approximations to the optimal forecast using nonlinear methods, there are some potentially serious practical challenges. Primary among these are computational difficulties, the dangers of overfit, and potential difficulties of interpretation. In this chapter we discuss these issues in detail. Then we propose and illustrate the use of a new family of methods (QuickNet) that achieves the benefits of using a forecasting model that is nonlinear in the predictors while avoiding or mitigating the other challenges to the use of nonlinear forecasting methods.
Discrete Gaussian Leftover Hash Lemma over Infinite Domains

The classic Leftover Hash Lemma LHL is often used to argue that certain distributions arising from modular subset-sums are close to uniform over their finite domain. Though very powerful, the applicability of the leftover hash lemma to lattice based cryptography is limited for two reasons. First, typically the distributions we care about in lattice-based cryptography are discrete Gaussians, not uniform. Second, the elements chosen from these discrete Gaussian distributions lie in an infinite domain: a lattice rather than a finite field. In this work we prove a "lattice world" analog of LHL over infinite domains, proving that certain "generalized subset sum" distributions are statistically close to well behaved discrete Gaussian distributions, even without any modular reduction. Specifically, given many vectors $\{\vec x_i\}_{i=1}^m$ from some lattice Li¾?i¾?i¾?ℝ n , we analyze the probability distribution $\sum_{i=1}^m z_i \vec x_i$ where the integer vector $\vec z \in \mathbb{Z}^m$ is chosen from a discrete Gaussian distribution. We show that when the $\vec x_i$ 's are "random enough" and the Gaussian from which the $\vec z$ 's are chosen is "wide enough", then the resulting distribution is statistically close to a near-spherical discrete Gaussian over the latticei¾?L. Beyond being interesting in its own right, this "lattice-world" analog of LHL has applications for the new construction of multilinear maps [5], where it is used to sample Discrete Gaussians obliviously. Specifically, given encoding of the $\vec x_i$ 's, it is used to produce an encoding of a near-spherical Gaussian distribution over the lattice. We believe that our new lemma will have other applications, and sketch some plausible ones in this work.
Function-Private Identity-Based Encryption: Hiding the Function in Functional Encryption

We put forward a new notion, function privacy, in identity-based encryption and, more generally, in functional encryption. Intuitively, our notion asks that decryption keys reveal essentially no information on their corresponding identities, beyond the absolute minimum necessary. This is motivated by the need for providing predicate privacy in public-key searchable encryption. Formalizing such a notion, however, is not straightforward as given a decryption key it is always possible to learn some information on its corresponding identity by testing whether it correctly decrypts ciphertexts that are encrypted for specific identities.
Permuted random walk exits typically in linear time

Given a permutation σ of the integers {−n, −n + 1,...,n} we consider the Markov chain Xσ, which jumps from k to σ(k ± 1) equally likely if k ≠ −n,n. We prove that the expected hitting time of {−n,n} starting from any point is Θ(n) with high probability when σ is a uniformly chosen permutation. We prove this by showing that with high probability, the digraph of allowed transitions is an Eulerian expander; we then utilize general estimates of hitting times in directed Eulerian expanders.
Gradient estimates of Hamilton–Souplet–Zhang type for a general heat equation on Riemannian manifolds

The purpose of this paper is to study gradient estimates of Hamilton–Souplet–Zhang type for the following general heat equation $$u_t=\Delta_V u + au\log u+bu$$ on noncompact Riemannian manifolds. As its application, we show a Harnack inequality for the positive solution and a Liouville type theorem for a nonlinear elliptic equation. Our results are an extension and improvement of the work of Souplet and Zhang (Bull London Math Soc 38:1045–1053, 2006), Ruan (Bull London Math Soc 39:982–988, 2007), Li (Nonlinear Anal 113:1–32, 2015), Huang and Ma (Gradient estimates and Liouville type theorems for a nonlinear elliptic equation, Preprint, 2015), and Wu (Math Zeits 280:451–468, 2015).
Group-Linear Empirical Bayes Estimates for a Heteroscedastic Normal Mean

ABSTRACTThe problem of estimating the mean of a normal vector with known but unequal variances introduces substantial difficulties that impair the adequacy of traditional empirical Bayes estimators. By taking a different approach that treats the known variances as part of the random observations, we restore symmetry and thus the effectiveness of such methods. We suggest a group-linear empirical Bayes estimator, which collects observations with similar variances and applies a spherically symmetric estimator to each group separately. The proposed estimator is motivated by a new oracle rule which is stronger than the best linear rule, and thus provides a more ambitious benchmark than that considered in the previous literature. Our estimator asymptotically achieves the new oracle risk (under appropriate conditions) and at the same time is minimax. The group-linear estimator is particularly advantageous in situations where the true means and observed variances are empirically dependent. To demonstrate the meri...
The Role of Insurance in Reducing Losses from Extreme Events: The Need for Public–Private Partnerships

This paper describes the challenges that consumers, insurers and insurance regulators face in dealing with insurance for low-probability, high-consequence events. Given their limited experience with catastrophes, there is a tendency for all three parties often to engage in short-term intuitive thinking rather than long-term deliberative thinking when making these insurance-related decisions. Public–private partnerships can encourage investment in protective measures prior to a disaster, deal with affordability problems and provide coverage for catastrophic risks. Insurance premiums based on risk provide signals to residents and businesses as to the hazards they face and enable insurers to lower premiums for properties where steps have been taken to reduce risk. To address issues of equity and fairness, homeowners who cannot afford insurance could be given vouchers tied to loans for investing in loss reduction measures. The National Flood Insurance Program provides an opportunity to implement a public–private partnership that could eventually be extended to other extreme events.
Teledyne H1RG, H2RG, and H4RG Noise Generator

This paper describes the near-infrared detector system noise generator (NG) that we wrote for the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) Near Infrared Spectrograph (NIRSpec). NG simulates many important noise components including; (1) white "read noise", (2) residual bias drifts, (3) pink 1/f noise, (4) alternating column noise, and (5) picture frame noise. By adjusting the input parameters, NG can simulate noise for Teledyne's H1RG, H2RG, and H4RG detectors with and without Teledyne's SIDECAR ASIC IR array controller. NG can be used as a starting point for simulating astronomical scenes by adding dark current, scattered light, and astronomical sources into the results from NG. NG is written in Python-3.4.
Scalably scheduling power-heterogeneous processors

We show that a natural online algorithm for scheduling jobs on a heterogeneous multiprocessor, with arbitrary power functions, is scalable for the objective function of weighted flow plus energy.
Vertex isoperimetric inequalities for a family of graphs on Z^k

We consider the family of graphs whose vertex set is $\mathbb{Z}^k$ where two vertices are connected by an edge when their $\ell_\infty$-distance is 1. We prove the optimal vertex isoperimetric inequality for this family of graphs. That is, given a positive integer $n$, we find a set $A\subset \mathbb{Z}^k$ of size $n$ such that the number of vertices who share an edge with some vertex in $A$ is minimized. These sets of minimal boundary are nested, and the proof uses the technique of compression. We also show a method of calculating the vertex boundary for certain subsets in this family of graphs. This calculation and the isoperimetric inequality allow us to indirectly find the sets which minimize the function calculating the boundary.
Plasma enhancement of radial acceletron

Summary form only given. Plasma enters many high power microwave sources inadvertently, and often has a disruptive effect on the operation of the source. Recent numerical studies, however, have shown that the presence of plasma in some of the high power microwave sources using intense charged beams, when properly introduced, may actually enhance the efficiency of the source. These findings have been confirmed by experimental results for two high power microwave sources. The enhancements have been partly attributed to the neutralizing effect of the positively charged plasma on lowering the disruptive space charge effects of the electron beam used to generate the RF, and partly to a modification of the dispersion relation leading to higher group velocities for the traveling RF waves. Mode selection may also be favorably affected by the presence of plasma in the source. Transit-time oscillators, because of their intense and well confined beam, are likely to benefit from plasma enhancement. Here we present the results of numerical simulations carried out to study the effect of plasma on an acceletron device. Both neutral as well as positively charged plasmas have been explored. The acceletron device is run in TM/sub 001/ mode and generates a 3.2 GHz steady oscillation without any competing modes. The effect of the plasma at several different densities has been explored. Our results indicate a significant enhancement of the acceletron operation due to the plasma. Other plasma densities are being studied. The PIC code used in simulations was the MRC 2/sub 1/2/ dimensional code MAGIC.
On the contribution of demographic change to aggregate poverty measures for the developing world

Recent literature and new data help determine plausible bounds to some key demographic differences between the poor and non-poor in the developing world. The paper estimates that selective mortality — whereby poorer people tend to have higher death rates — accounts for 10-30% of the developing world’s trend rate of “$1 a day” poverty reduction in the 1990s. However, in a neighborhood of plausible estimates, differential fertility — whereby poorer people tend also to have higher birth rates — has had a more than offsetting poverty-increasing effect. The net impact of differential natural population growth represents 1050% of the trend rate of poverty reduction.
Proactive fault tolerance in MPI applications via task migration

Failures are likely to be more frequent in systems with thousands of processors. Therefore, schemes for dealing with faults become increasingly important. In this paper, we present a fault tolerance solution for parallel applications that proactively migrates execution from processors where failure is imminent. Our approach assumes that some failures are predictable, and leverages the features in current hardware devices supporting early indication of faults. We use the concepts of processor virtualization and dynamic task migration, provided by Charm++ and Adaptive MPI (AMPI), to implement a mechanism that migrates tasks away from processors which are expected to fail. To demonstrate the feasibility of our approach, we present performance data from experiments with existing MPI applications. Our results show that proactive task migration is an effective technique to tolerate faults in MPI applications.
Ritt-Wu's Decomposition Algorithm and Geometry Theorem Proving

An improved Ritt-Wu's decomposition (of an algebraic set into the union of irreducible varieties) algorithm is given. The algorithm has been used to prove geometric theorems that Wu's original method addresses. Unlike Wu's original approach, nondegenerate conditions are given explicitly at the beginning, not generated during the proof process. A program based on this improved version of the algorithm proved more than 500 theorems, including Morley's trisector theorem.
The fiscal cost of weak governance : evidence from teacher absence in India

The relative return to input-augmentation versus inefficiency-reduction strategies for improving education system performance is a key open question for education policy in low-income countries. Using a new nationally-representative panel dataset of schools across 1297 villages in India, this paper shows that the large investments over the past decade have led to substantial improvements in input-based measures of school quality, but only a modest reduction in inefficiency as measured by teacher absence. In the data, 23.6 percent of teachers were absent during unannounced visits with an associated fiscal cost of $1.5 billion/year. There are two robust correlations in the nationally-representative panel data that corroborate findings from smaller-scale experiments. First, reductions in student-teacher ratios are correlated with increased teacher absence. Second, increases in the frequency of school monitoring are strongly correlated with lower teacher absence. Simulations using these results suggest that investing in better governance by increasing the frequency of monitoring could be over ten times more cost effective at increasing teacher-student contact time (net of teacher absence) than hiring more teachers. Thus, at current margins, policies that decrease the inefficiency of public spending in India are likely to yield substantially higher returns than those that augment inputs.
Future Hadron Physics at Fermilab

Today, hadron physics research occurs at Fermilab as parts of broader experimental programs. This is very likely to be the case in the future. Thus, much of this presentation focuses on our vision of that future — a future aimed at making Fermilab the host laboratory for the International Linear Collider (ILC). Given the uncertainties associated with the ILC — the level of needed R&D, the ILC costs, and the timing — Fermilab is also preparing for other program choices. I will describe these latter efforts, efforts focused on a Proton Driver to increase the numbers of protons available for experiments. As examples of the hadron physics which will be coming from Fermilab, I summarize three experiments: MIPP/E907 which is running currently, and MINERνA and Drell‐Yan/E906 which are scheduled for future running periods. Hadron physics coming from the Tevatron Collider program will be summarized by Arthur Maciel in another talk at Hadron05.
A novel Gaussian Sum Filter Method for accurate solution to the nonlinear filtering problem

The paper presents two methods of updating the weights of a Gaussian mixture to account for the density propagation within a data assimilation setting. The evolution of the first two moments of the Gaussian components is given by the linearized model of the system. When observations are available, both the moments and the weights are updated to obtain a better approximation to the a posteriori probability density function. This can be done through a classical Gaussian sum filter. When the measurement model offers little or no information in updating the states of the system, better estimates may be obtained by updating the weights of the mixands to account for the propagation effect on the probability density function. The update of the forecast weights proves to be important in pure forecast settings, when the frequency of the measurements is low, when the uncertainty of the measurements is large or the measurement model is ambiguous making the system unobservable. Updating the weights not only provides us with better estimates but also with a more accurate probability density function. The numerical results show that updating the weights in the propagation step not only gives better estimates between the observations but also gives superior performance for systems when the measurements are ambiguous.
MobiEyes: Distributed Processing of Continuously Moving Queries on Moving Objects in a Mobile System

Location monitoring is an important issue for real time management of mobile object positions. Significant research efforts have been dedicated to techniques for efficient processing of spatial continuous queries on moving objects in a centralized location monitoring system. Surprisingly, very few have promoted a distributed approach to real-time location monitoring. In this paper we present a distributed and scalable solution to processing continuously moving queries on moving objects and describe the design of MobiEyes, a distributed real-time location monitoring system in a mobile environment. Mobieyes utilizes the computational power at mobile objects, leading to significant savings in terms of server load and messaging cost when compared to solutions relying on central processing of location information at the server. We introduce a set of optimization techniques, such as Lazy Query Propagation, Query Grouping, and Safe Periods, to constrict the amount of computations handled by the moving objects and to enhance the performance and system utilization of Mobieyes. We also provide a simulation model in a mobile setup to study the scalability of the MobiEyes distributed location monitoring approach with regard to server load, messaging cost, and amount of computation required on the mobile objects.
Inductive Invariants for Nested Recursion

We show that certain input-output relations, termed inductive invariants are of central importance for termination proofs of algorithms defined by nested recursion. Inductive invariants can be used to enhance recursive function definition packages in higher-order logic mechanizations. We demonstrate the usefulness of inductive invariants on a large example of the BDD algorithm Apply. Finally, we introduce a related concept of inductive fixpoints with the property that for every functional in higher-order logic there exists a largest partial function that is such a fixpoint.
Homologous Deformations of Tiltable Telescopes

The deformation of a structure is defined to be homologous if a given geometrical relation holds for a given number of structural points, before, during, and after the deformation. Applied to radio telescopes, the task is to find a structure where the gravitational deformations of the surface, when tilted, transform one paraboloid of revolution into another one, yielding an exactly focussing mirror for any angle of tilt. A mathematical method is presented for obtaining homology solutions, in terms of the bar areas of all members, for any telescope structure with given geometrical shape. The method is linearized and iterative; it uses the notations of linear algebra. Finally, a two-gradient method is suggested for obtaining that homology solution which fulfils all external load conditions with a minimum amount of total weight.
Eligibility and Payment Requirements of the Disaster Assistance Package

Discusses the details of the disaster assistance package approved by Congress in the fall of 1998. The package provides $2.375 billion for financial assistance to farmers who have suffered losses due to natural disasters. Crop loss disaster assistance is available for 211 crops included in either federal crop insurance or the Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program (NAP). Producers may qualify for crop loss compensation on either a single year (1998) or multi-year (1994-1998) basis.