cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Pulsed megawatt X-band klystron

Development of a broadband, long pulse, high power klystron at X-band is discussed. The electrical design, performance, and the construction of the tube are presented. The tube has a peak power output of 1.25 MW and an average power output of 6 KW. Bandwidth of the tube is 4 percent with a maximum power variation of 1 db. A seven cavity stagger-tuned tube was developed in order to realize 47 db large signal gain and 4 percent bandwidth. The correlation between the expected performance and theactual performance will be noted. The mechanical design of the tube and the method of assembly will be discussed. A number of window designs and materials were investigated for handling the high r-f voltage gradients at the output.
Control of surface induced phase separation in immiscible semiconductor alloy core-shell nanowires

Abstract Semiconductor nanowires have been shown to exhibit novel optoelectronic properties with respect to bulk specimens made of the same material. However, if a semiconductor alloy has a miscibility gap in its phase diagram, at equilibrium it will phase separate, leading to deterioration of the aforementioned properties. One way to prevent this separation is to grow the material at low temperatures and therefore to suppress kinetics. Such growth often needs to be followed by high-temperature annealing in order to rid the system of undesirable growth-induced defects. In this study, we propose a method to control phase separation in core-shell nanowires during high temperature annealing by tailoring geometry and strain. Using a phase field model we determined that phase separation in nanowires begins at the free surface and propagates into the bulk. We discovered that including a thin shell around the core delays the phase separation whereas a thick shell suppresses the separation almost entirely.
Time reversal imaging of the 2015 Illapel tsunami source

Studies of the 2015 Illapel earthquake show large variance in the east-west location of the principal slip, and it is also controversial if there is significant slip near the trench. In this study, we derive the initial water elevation from tsunami waves based on the time reversal imaging technique. This approach does not make assumptions on the fault geometry required by finite-fault inversions. We adopt 4 out of total 24 stations based on their azimuthal coverage in the time reversal analysis. Additionally, we introduce a correction that scales the wave amplitude at each station by the epicentral distance to account for the 2-D spreading effects. The results show a focused region of water elevation with a maximum height of 2.0 m located approximately 30 km from the trench. By comparison to the initial deformation predicted by several finite-fault models, our results indicate minimum slip distribution near the trench.
Anisotropic blockade using pendular long-range Rydberg molecules

We propose an experiment to demonstrate a blockade mechanism caused by long-range anisotropic interactions in an ultracold dipolar gas composed of the recently observed ``butterfly'' Rydberg molecules. At the blockade radius, the strong intermolecular interaction between two adjacent molecules shifts their molecular states out of resonance with the photoassociation laser, preventing their simultaneous excitation. When the molecules are prepared in a quasi-one-dimensional (Q1D) trap, the interaction's strength can be tuned via a weak external field. The molecular density thus depends strongly on the angle between the trap axis and the field. The available Rydberg and internal molecular states provide a wide range of tunability.
New Probabilistic Multi-graph Decomposition Model to Identify Consistent Human Brain Network Modules

Many recent scientific efforts have been devoted to constructing the human connectome using Diffusion Tensor Imaging (DTI) data for understanding large-scale brain networks that underlie higher-level cognition in human. However, suitable network analysis computational tools are still lacking in human brain connectivity research. To address this problem, we propose a novel probabilistic multi-graph decomposition model to identify consistent network modules from the brain connectivity networks of the studied subjects. At first, we propose a new probabilistic graph decomposition model to address the high computational complexity issue in existing stochastic block models. After that, we further extend our new probabilistic graph decomposition model for multiple networks/graphs to identify the shared modules cross multiple brain networks by simultaneously incorporating multiple networks and predicting the hidden block state variables. We also derive an efficient optimization algorithm to solve the proposed objective and estimate the model parameters. We validate our method by analyzing both the weighted fiber connectivity networks constructed from DTI images and the standard human face image clustering benchmark data sets. The promising empirical results demonstrate the superior performance of our proposed method.
Fermionic SPT phases in higher dimensions and bosonization

We discuss bosonization and Fermionic Short-Range-Entangled (FSRE) phases of matter in one, two, and three spatial dimensions, emphasizing the physical meaning of the cohomological parameters which label such phases and the connection with higher-form symmetries. We propose a classification scheme for fermionic SPT phases in three spatial dimensions with an arbitrary finite point symmetry G. It generalizes the supercohomology of Gu and Wen. We argue that the most general such phase can be obtained from a bosonic “shadow” by condensing both fermionic particles and strings.
THE ANTERIOR TABLED APPROACH: FIRST AMONG EQUALS – OPPOSES

Outcome in total hip replacement is influenced by a variety of factors including patient selection, implant technology, surgical expertise and peri-operative management. As it relates to the direct anterior approach, there has been extensive marketing in order to drive patients to specific surgeons who use specific implants. Associated with this marketing, claims about superiority of this approach have been made with very little evidence to support these claims. In a study comparing the direct anterior (DA) to the miniposterior approach, Pagnano et al showed no difference in length of stay, operative complications, IV breakthrough analgesia, stairs, maximum feet walked in hospital or percent discharged to home. The DA approach had longer operative times, higher maximum visual analog pain score and at two weeks more of the DA group required gait aids. At eight weeks the DA group had a higher Harris Hip Score but lower return to work and driving. They concluded no advantage of the DA approach. Even when comparing the DA approach to the conventional posterior approach Ranawat et al were only able to identify some benefit at 2 weeks which had disappeared by 6 weeks. Finally in a randomised prospective trial Taunton et al demonstrated very little differences between the DA and miniposterior approaches. The DA group time to ambulation without aids was slightly better in the DA group (22 vs. 28 days) and the three week SF mental scores were slightly better in the miniposterior group. They concluded little clinical or radiographic benefit was seen between the cohorts. The evidence suggests if done well both approaches work well. The key to long term success is to get the parts in write regardless of approach.
Global sensitivity based dimension reduction for fast variability analysis of nonlinear circuits

In this paper, a dimension reduction methodology for expedited polynomial chaos (PC) based variability analysis of nonlinear circuits is presented. The key feature of this work is the development of an efficient global sensitivity approach to quantify the relative impact of each random dimension on the variance of the circuit outputs. This global sensitivity measure is then used to guide the truncation of the original high-dimensional random space into a reduced dimensional random subspace. Performing the PC expansion of the circuit model on this reduced dimensional subspace leads to far faster variability analysis with only marginal loss of accuracy.
Reliable Estimation of Shock Position in Shock-Capturing Compressible Hydrodynamics Codes

The displacement method for estimating shock position in a shock-capturing compressible hydrodynamics code is introduced. Common estimates use simulation data within the captured shock, but the displacement method uses data behind the shock, making the estimate consistent with and as reliable as estimates of material parameters obtained from averages or fits behind the shock. The displacement method is described in the context of a steady shock in a one-dimensional lagrangian hydrodynamics code, and demonstrated on a piston problem and a spherical blast wave.The displacement method's estimates of shock position are much better than common estimates in such applications.
Augmented Gamma-spaces, the stable rank filtration, and a bu analogue of the Whitehead conjecture

We explore connections between (4), where we constructed spectra that interpolate between bu and HZ, and earlier work of Kuhn and Priddy on the Whitehead conjecture and of Rognes on the stable rank filtration in algebraic K-theory. We construct a "chain complex of spectra" that is a bu-analogue of an auxiliary complex used by Kuhn- Priddy; we conjecture that this chain complex is "exact"; and we give some supporting evidence. We tie this to work of Rognes by showing that our auxiliary complex can be constructed in terms of the stable rank filtration. As a by-product, we verify for the case of topological complex K-theory a conjecture made by Rognes about the connectiv- ity (for certain rings) of the filtration subquotients of the stable rank filtration of algebraic K-theory. In (4), we introduced a sequence of spectra{Am} interpolating between the connective complex K-theory spectrum bu and the integral Eilenberg- MacLane spectrum HZ. These new spectra resulted from a general con- struction on permutative categories endowed with an "augmentation." In the current work, we explore connections of that construction to other set- tings, in particular to work of Kuhn and Priddy (9) on the Whitehead Con- jecture, and to work of Rognes (15) on the stable rank filtration of algebraic K-theory. Connections to Kuhn and Priddy's work were suggested by the many properties that the spectra Am share with the symmetric powers of the sphere spectrum, Sp m (S), which can also be given as an example of the categorical construction of (4). This led us to call Am the "bu-analogue" of Sp m (S) and to propose a bu-analogue of the Whitehead Conjecture. On the other hand, our construction was also reminiscent of the stable rank filtration in algebraic K-theory, and this made it natural to ask the exact relationship between the two filtrations for bu. Curiously, the two threads converged: in this paper we construct a bu-analogue of an auxiliary complex 2000 Mathematics Subject Classification. 2010 MSC: Primary 55P48, 19L41 ; Sec- ondary 55P91, 55R45.
Neutral-current weak interactions at an EIC

A simulation study of measurements of neutral current structure functions of the nucleon at the future high-energy and high-luminosity polarized electron-ion collider (EIC) is presented. A new series of $\gamma$ -Z interference structure functions, $F_{1}^{\gamma Z}$ , $F_{3}^{\gamma Z}$ , $g_{1}^{\gamma Z}$ , $g_{5}^{\gamma Z}$ become accessible via parity-violating asymmetries in polarized electron-nucleon deep inelastic scattering (DIS). Within the context of the quark-parton model, they provide a unique and, in some cases, yet-unmeasured combination of unpolarized and polarized parton distribution functions. The uncertainty projections for these structure functions using electron-proton collisions are considered for various EIC beam energy configurations. Also presented are uncertainty projections for measurements of the weak mixing angle $ \sin^{2} \theta_{W}$ using electron-deuteron collisions which cover a much higher $ Q^{2}$ than that accessible in fixed target measurements. QED and QCD radiative corrections and effects of detector smearing are included with the calculations.
REBAR: Low-variance, unbiased gradient estimates for discrete latent variable models

Learning in models with discrete latent variables is challenging due to high variance gradient estimators. Generally, approaches have relied on control variates to reduce the variance of the REINFORCE estimator. Recent work \citep{jang2016categorical, maddison2016concrete} has taken a different approach, introducing a continuous relaxation of discrete variables to produce low-variance, but biased, gradient estimates. In this work, we combine the two approaches through a novel control variate that produces low-variance, \emph{unbiased} gradient estimates. Then, we introduce a modification to the continuous relaxation and show that the tightness of the relaxation can be adapted online, removing it as a hyperparameter. We show state-of-the-art variance reduction on several benchmark generative modeling tasks, generally leading to faster convergence to a better final log-likelihood.
THE EFFECT OF PARTIAL DEMINERALISED AND LASER-PERFORATED BONE ALLOGRAFTS WITH/WITHOUT ALLOGENIC BONE MARROW STROMAL CELLS ON HEALING OF RAT CRITICAL FEMORAL DEFECT

Background Despite promising results have shown by osteogenic cell-based demineralized bone matrix composites, they need to be optimized for grafts that act as structural frameworks in load-bearing defects. The purpose of this experiment is to determine the effect of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells seeding on partially demineralized laser-perforated structural allografts that have been implanted in critical femoral defects. Materials and Methods Thirty-two wistar rats were divided into four groups according to the type of structural bone allograft; the first: partially demineralized only (Donly), the second: partially demineralized stem cell seeded (DST), the third: partially demineralized laser-perforated (DLP), and the fourth: partially demineralized laser-perforated and stem cell seeded (DLPST). Trans-cortical holes were achieved in four rows of three holes approximated cylindrical holes 0.5 mm in diameter, with centres 2.5 mm apart. P3 MSCs were used for graft seeding. Histologic and histomorphometric analysis were performed at 12 weeks. Results DLP grafts had the highest woven bone formation, where most parts of laser pores were completely healed by woven bone. DST and DLPST grafts surfaces had extra vessel-ingrowth-like porosities. Furthermore, in the DLPST grafts, a distinct bone formation at the interfaces was noted. Conclusion This study indicated that surface changes induced by laser perforation, accelerated angiogenesis induction by MSCs, which resulted in endochondral bone formation at the interface. Despite non-optimal results, stem cells showed a tendency to improve osteochondrogenesis, and the process might have improved, if they could have been supplemented with the proper stipulations.
A relativistic gravity train

A nonrelativistic particle released from rest at the edge of a ball of uniform charge density or mass density oscillates with simple harmonic motion. We consider the relativistic generalizations of these situations where the particle can attain speeds arbitrarily close to the speed of light; generalizing the electrostatic and gravitational cases requires special and general relativity, respectively. We find exact closed-form relations between the position, proper time, and coordinate time in both cases, and find that they are no longer harmonic, with oscillation periods that depend on the amplitude. In the highly relativistic limit of both cases, the particle spends almost all of its proper time near the turning points, but almost all of the coordinate time moving through the bulk of the ball. Buchdahl’s theorem imposes nontrivial constraints on the general-relativistic case, as a ball of given density can only attain a finite maximum radius before collapsing into a black hole. This article is intended to be pedagogical, and should be accessible to those who have taken an undergraduate course in general relativity.
Known mutator alleles do not markedly increase mutation rate in clinical Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains.

Natural selection has the potential to act on all phenotypes, including genomic mutation rate. Classic evolutionary theory predicts that in asexual populations, mutator alleles, which cause high mu...
Valid inequalities for problems with additive variable upper bounds

We study the facial structure of a polyhedron associated with the single node relaxation of network flow problems with additive variable upper bounds. This type of structure arises, for example, in production planning problems with setup times and in network certain expansion problems. We derive several classes of valid inequalities for this polyhedron and give conditions under which they are facet-defining. Our computational experience with large network expansion problems indicates that these inequalities are very effective in improving the quality of the linear programming relaxations.
Lights, Camera, Action! Exploring Effects of Visual Distractions on Completion of Security Tasks

Human errors in performing security-critical tasks are typically blamed on the complexity of those tasks. However, such errors can also occur because of (possibly unexpected) sensory distractions. A sensory distraction that produces negative effects can be abused by the adversary that controls the environment. Meanwhile, a distraction with positive effects can be artificially introduced to improve user performance.
Why Do Firms Sit on Cash? An Asymmetric Information Approach

In this paper, we build a simple formal model of cash holdings that can explain this and other empirical regularities. Our model is based on the well-known “lemons” problem associated with equity issuance. We show that firms with poor growth opportunities and those with excellent opportunities will not hold excess cash, whereas firms with opportunities in the middle range will hold excess cash. We derive empirical implications relating excess cash to the extent of asymmetric information, growth opportunities, value of assets in place, and cash holding costs.
Detrital zircon microtextures and U-PB geochronology of Upper Jurassic to Paleocene strata in the distal North American Cordillera foreland basin

Detrital zircon surface microtextures, geochronologic U-Pb data, and tectonic subsidence analysis from Upper Jurassic to Paleocene strata in the Black Hills of South Dakota reveal provenance variations in the distal portion of the Cordillera foreland basin in response to tectonic events along the outboard margin of western North America. During Late Jurassic to Early Cretaceous time, nonmarine strata record initially low rates of tectonic subsidence that facilitated widespread recycling of older foreland basin strata in eolian and fluvial systems that dispersed sediment to the northeast, with minimal sediment derived from the thrust belt. By middle Cretaceous time, marine inundation reflects increased subsidence rates along with a change to eastern sediment sources. Lowstand Albian fluvial systems in the Black Hills may have been linked to fluvial systems upstream in the midcontinent and downstream in the Bighorn Basin in Wyoming. During latest Cretaceous time, tectonic uplift in the study area reflects dynamic processes related to Laramide low-angle subduction that, relative to other basins to the west, was more influential due to the greater distance from the thrust load. Provenance data from Maastrichtian and Lower Paleocene strata indicate a change back to western sources that included the Idaho-Montana batholith and exhumed Belt Supergroup. This study provides a significant contribution to the growing database that is refining the tectonics and continental-scale sediment dispersal patterns in North America during Late Jurassic-Early Paleocene time. In addition, it demonstrates the merit of using detrital zircon grain shape and surface microtextures to aid in provenance interpretations.
Coping With Racism: Moderators of the Discrimination–Adjustment Link Among Mexican‐Origin Adolescents

What strategies help ethnic minority adolescents to cope with racism? The present study addressed this question by testing the role of ethnic identity, social support, and anger expression and suppression as moderators of the discrimination–adjustment link among 269 Mexican-origin adolescents (Mage = 14.1 years), 12–17 years old from the Midwestern U.S. Results from multilevel moderation analyses indicated that ethnic identity, social support, and anger suppression, respectively, significantly attenuated the relations between discrimination and adjustment problems, whereas outward anger expression exacerbated these relations. Moderation effects differed according to the level of analysis. By identifying effective coping strategies in the discrimination–adjustment link at specific levels of analysis, the present findings can guide future intervention efforts for Latino youth.
A Brief Comment on Maxwell(/Newton)[-Huygens] Spacetime

I provide an alternative characterization of a “standard of rotation” in the context of classical spacetime structure that does not refer to any covariant derivative operator.
Pituitary Gonadotropin-Independent Male-Limited Autosomal Dominant Sexual Precocity in Nine Generations: Familial Testotoxicosis

A recently described, distinct form of male sexual precocity is characterized by premature Leydig and germinal cell maturation in the absence of pituitary gonadotropin stimulation. Analysis of a nine-generation kidred with at least 28 affected males supports sex-limited autosomal dominant transmission. Three boys, with precocious sexual development at 1 to 4 years of age, had low basal plasma gonadotropin values without pubertal-type pulsatility and a minimal rise in luteinizing hormone after acute stimulation with luteinizing hormone releasing factor or its potent analog D-Trp 6 -Pro 9 -NEt-LRF, distinguishing them from boys with true precocious puberty. Two affected adults had a mature luteinizing hormone response to LRF. Testicular biopsies showed a progression of abnormalities in the seminiferous tubules from childhood to maturity; in one adult this disorder was associated with marked oligospermia and selective elevation of plasma follicle-stimulating hormone. The findings are consistent with an inherited intratesticular defect. Furthermore, the majority of cases of familial male sexual precocity seem to be examples of this disorder rather than central or true precocious puberty.
Laser Physics and Tissue Interaction

An understanding of basic laser physics and tissue interaction is required to select and utilize the appropriate laser for a given indication. Biophysical principles demonstrate how in-vivo use differs from bench-top physics. Dosimetry studies help to point out the effects of lasers.
Using Health Impact Assessment as an Interdisciplinary Teaching Tool

Health Impact Assessment (HIA) courses are teaching public health and urban planning students how to assess the likely health effects of proposed policies, plans, and projects. We suggest that public health and urban planning have complimentary frameworks for training practitioners to address the living conditions that affect health. Planning perspectives emphasize practical skills for impacting community change, while public health stresses professional purpose and ethics. Frameworks from both disciplines can enhance the HIA learning experience by helping students tackle questions related to community impact, engagement, social justice, and ethics. We also propose that HIA community engagement processes can be enriched through an empathetic practice that focuses on greater personal introspection.
Megakaryocytes in Renal Glomeruli

Reported are 27 autopsies with significant increases in the numbers of megakaryocytes within the renal glomerular capillary network (P less than 0.001). These were selected from 118 cases in which peripheral vascular megakaryocytosis could be expected preterminally. Generally, the histologically observed increases in numbers of renal megakaryocytes corresponded to increases in the pulmonary microcirculation and in the bone marrow. An exception to the latter was noted in patients who had morphologic evidence of coagulopathy without sepsis.
Chemotherapeutic Treatment of the Nb Rat Adenocarcinoma Androgen-Insensitive Tumor III

Single and combination chemotherapy were evaluated in the treatment of these Nb rat prostate adenocarcinomas. Single-agent treatment consisted of 1,3-bis(2-chloroethyl)-1-nitrosourea (BCNU), cyclophosphamide, adriamycin, and cis-platinum; the combination therapy included BCNU and adriamycin; BCNU, adriamycin, and 5-fluorouracil; cyclophosphamide and cis-platinum; adriamycin and cis-platinum; and adriamycin, cis-platinum, and cyclophosphamide. Controls had a metastatic incidence of 46%. The best results as measured by tumor volume and low incidence of metastasis were achieved with triple drug therapy utilizing adriamycin, cis-platinum, and cyclophosphamide; and cis-platinum and cyclophosphamide. This tumor, Nb Pr A.I. III, has proven to be the most unresponsive tumor in the Noble prostatic adenocarcinoma prostate model. No animal treated with any of the above regimes had complete tumor regression.
Villous Adenoma of the Urinary Bladder: A Morphologic or Biologic Entity

Villous adenomas in the urinary bladder are rare neoplasms whose malignant potential is unclear. A case of a morphologically benign non-invasive mucin producing papillary neoplasm of the urinary bladder associated with cystitis glandularis is presented. Absence of A tissue isoantigen from the neoplastic and metaplastic cells and the presence of H tissue isoantigen in both neoplastic and metaplastic cells is observed in a patient whose blood type is A, indicating incomplete maturation of surface coat constituents. The histologically benign appearance of this lesion may belie a malignant potential.
High density 3D fanout package for heterogeneous integration

Three-dimensional (3D) fanout package stacking offers new levels of performance, high-density integration, and form factor advantages. Known-good fanout packages are stacked, and the vertical connection is built through Cu pillars in the molding area and solder bumps. Compared to existing TSV-based 3D integrated circuits (3DIC) technology, this solution reduces thermal crosstalk when integrating devices of different die sizes. Fanout package stacking potentially provides a cost-effective platform for highly flexible heterogeneous integration of digital, memory, analog, radio-frequency (RF) and optical devices.
Strategies to Enhance Implementation of Infrastructure Asset Management in Developing Countries

Infrastructure around the world is deteriorating, particularly in developing countries, where systems for managing infrastructure assets are immature or nonexistent. Because of successful implementation of infrastructure asset management in developed countries, there are promising approaches to address the difficulties faced by developing countries’ infrastructure organizations and their managers. This paper presents an infrastructure asset management organizational model to help decision makers in developing countries explore the impact of various strategies on the organization’s performance in a variety of external conditions. These decisions will support managers in implementing infrastructure asset management in their organizations. The researchers first categorized countries into three classes according to external conditions: supportive, intermediate, or unsupportive environments. Then a cross-impact analysis model was applied to simulate the impacts of strategy alternatives, drivers, and processes ...
LATISSIMUS TRANSFER IN REVERSE TOTAL SHOULDER ARTHROPLASTY: ONE GOOD TURN DESERVES ANOTHER

Reverse total shoulder arthroplasty (TSA) has demonstrated success in restoring active elevation for patients with rotator cuff dysfunction (with or without arthritis). However, recovery of active external rotation after reverse TSA has demonstrated variable success. Transfer of the latissimus dorsi has shown promise in restoring active external rotation in those patients with profound external rotation deficits. The combined latissimus transfer and reverse TSA procedure is intra-operatively challenging and fraught with post-operative complications. Technical details and precise indications are necessary to produce the best chance of success with this operation.
COMPETING QUANTUM ORDERINGS IN CUPRATE SUPERCONDUCTORS: A MINIMAL MODEL

We present a minimal model for cuprate superconductors. At the unrestricted mean-field level, the model produces homogeneous superconductivity at large doping, striped superconductivity in the underdoped regime and various antiferromagnetic phases at low doping and for high temperatures. On the underdoped side, the superconductor is intrinsically inhomogeneous and global phase coherence is achieved through Josephson-like coupling of the superconducting stripes. The model is applied to calculate experimentally measurable ARPES spectra.
Observations on group psychotherapy with hospitalized patients.

We have presented some observations regarding group therapy. In the opinion of the writer, group therapy has certain specific and unique advantages for the acutely disturbed patient of the type described. These advantages are: (1) schizophrenics appear to be able to understand one another's behavior and symbolic productions successfully; (2) the learning of new behavioral patterns or modification of old behavior is best achieved for some patients in group therapy; (3) group therapy facilitates the transition and adjustment of the patient to the hospital, and to discharge from the hospital; (4) group psychotherapy greatly facilitates the patient's ultimate adjustment to society.
Using Evidential Reasoning Technology to Enhance the Audit Quality Assurance Inspection Process

ABSTRACT This paper considers the use of an emerging technology based on formal evidential reasoning to help audit quality assurers conduct higher-quality inspections of audit engagements. Although the ideas should be relevant to the inspection process in general, we focus on PCAOB stated objectives and procedures and, as an illustration, the inspection of Satyam Computer Services Limited. To enhance audit quality assurance (AQA), we propose and illustrate a portion of a prototype technology that uses formal evidential reasoning to help assess audit quality. The use of a formal evidential reasoning model and a structured process should provide better documented and more precise, consistent, and rigorous AQA assessments of risk, of the sufficiency and competency of audit evidence collected, and of various auditor judgments. The potential of this technology is illustrated by evaluating the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board's (PCAOB) inspection of Satyam Computer Services Limited, in particular the a...
The Marital Covenant in John Calvin’s Geneva

ABSTRACTThis article, prepared for a symposium issue on the impact of the Protestant Reformation, analyzes John Calvin’s reformation of Western family law in sixteenth-century Geneva. Calvin depicted marriage as a sacred and presumptively enduring union, but also a conditional and breakable covenant with distinct and discernible goods and goals that couples and communities alike had to support. This covenantal framework gave Calvin new rationales for old rules concerning marital and non-marital sex and cohabitation, courtship and weddings, procreation, nurture, and education of children, and the punishment of adultery, polygamy, and “unnatural” sex within and beyond the marital bed. But Calvin also set out new teachings on the proper communal formation and maintenance of the marital covenant, and introduced into Genevan law the rights of husbands and wives alike to divorce and remarry in cases of hard fault.
An alternative model of Metcalfe’s Law for valuing Bitcoin

Abstract This short paper presents a new model of the market capitalization of Bitcoin that builds upon a standard model based upon Metcalfe’s Law. The model incorporates the logistic diffusion of the innovation, which could be extended to capture population and economic factors. This model appears to have some improved efficacy over the standard model. Using this model, some areas for future research are briefly discussed.
Rapid Low-Cost Assembly of the Drosophila melanogaster Reference Genome Using Low-Coverage, Long-Read Sequencing

Accurate and comprehensive characterization of genetic variation is essential for deciphering the genetic basis of diseases and other phenotypes. A vast amount of genetic variation stems from large-scale sequence changes arising from the duplication, deletion, inversion, and translocation of sequences. In the past 10 years, high-throughput short reads have greatly expanded our ability to assay sequence variation due to single nucleotide polymorphisms. However, a recent de novo assembly of a second Drosophila melanogaster reference genome has revealed that short read genotyping methods miss hundreds of structural variants, including those affecting phenotypes. While genomes assembled using high-coverage long reads can achieve high levels of contiguity and completeness, concerns about cost, errors, and low yield have limited widespread adoption of such sequencing approaches. Here we resequenced the reference strain of D. melanogaster (ISO1) on a single Oxford Nanopore MinION flow cell run for 24 hr. Using only reads longer than 1 kb or with at least 30x coverage, we assembled a highly contiguous de novo genome. The addition of inexpensive paired reads and subsequent scaffolding using an optical map technology achieved an assembly with completeness and contiguity comparable to the D. melanogaster reference assembly. Comparison of our assembly to the reference assembly of ISO1 uncovered a number of structural variants (SVs), including novel LTR transposable element insertions and duplications affecting genes with developmental, behavioral, and metabolic functions. Collectively, these SVs provide a snapshot of the dynamics of genome evolution. Furthermore, our assembly and comparison to the D. melanogaster reference genome demonstrates that high-quality de novo assembly of reference genomes and comprehensive variant discovery using such assemblies are now possible by a single lab for under $1,000 (USD).
Age and High-Growth Entrepreneurship

Many observers, and many investors, believe that young people are especially likely to produce the most successful new firms. We use administrative data at the U.S. Census Bureau to study the ages of founders of growth-oriented start-ups in the past decade. Our primary finding is that successful entrepreneurs are middle-aged, not young. The mean founder age for the 1 in 1,000 fastest growing new ventures is 45.0. The findings are broadly similar when considering high-technology sectors, entrepreneurial hubs, and successful firm exits. Prior experience in the specific industry predicts much greater rates of entrepreneurial success. These findings strongly reject common hypotheses that emphasize youth as a key trait of successful entrepreneurs.
Improving social harm indices with a modulated Hawkes process

Abstract Communities are affected adversely by a range of social harm events, such as crime, traffic crashes, medical emergencies, and drug use. The police, fire, health and social service departments are tasked with mitigating such social harm through various types of interventions. While various different social harm indices have been proposed for allocating resources to spatially fixed hotspots, the risk of social harm events is dynamic, and new algorithms and software systems that are capable of quickly identifying risks and triggering appropriate public safety responses are needed. We propose a novel modulated Hawkes process for this purpose that offers flexible approaches to both (i) the incorporation of spatial covariates and leading indicators for variance reduction in the case of rarer event categories, and (ii) the capture of dynamic hotspot formation through self-excitation. We present an efficient l1-penalized EM algorithm for estimating the model that performs feature selection for the spatial covariates of each incident type simultaneously. We provide simulation results using data from the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department in order to illustrate the advantages of the modulated Hawkes process model of social harm over various recently introduced social harm indices and property crime Hawkes processes.
Developing Multi-agent-based Thought Experiments: A Case Study on the Evolution of Gamete Dimorphism

Multi-agent modeling is a computational approach to model behavior of complex systems in terms of simple micro level agent rules that result in macro level patterns and regularities. It has been argued that complex systems approaches provide distinct advantages over traditional equation-based mathematical modeling approaches in the process of scientific inquiry. We present a case study on how multi-agent modeling can be used to develop thought experiments in order to push theory forward. We develop a model of the evolution of gamete dimorphism (anisogamy), for which there are several competing theories in the evolutionary biology literature. We share the outcomes of our model and discuss how the model findings compare with, and contribute to previous work in the literature. The model clarifies mechanisms that can result in the evolution of anisogamy and offers a much simpler structure that is easier to understand, test, modify and extend.
Much ado about nothing: The zero effect in life-saving decisions

Zero is a special value in our daily lives, and previous research on how zero values affect decision making leaves many questions to be explored. The present research examined the zero effect in life-saving decisions and found that people expressed strong preferences for options offering a possibility that no one will die, even when the expected loss was relatively high. The prominence effect was proposed as one possible explanation, i.e., the notion that the option with possibly zero deaths is easy to defend and justify. Furthermore, we also found the zero effect in these life-saving decisions occurs only in loss framing rather than gain framing. We discuss the relationship between the zero effect, domain, framing, and evaluation mode.
The Murine Polyomavirus MicroRNA Locus Is Required To Promote Viruria during the Acute Phase of Infection.

Polyomaviruses (PyVs) can cause serious disease in immunosuppressed hosts. Several pathogenic PyVs encode microRNAs (miRNAs), small RNAs that regulate gene expression via RNA silencing. Despite recent advances in understanding the activities of PyV miRNAs, the biological functions of PyV miRNAs during in vivo infections are mostly unknown. The studies presented here used murine polyomavirus (MuPyV) as a model to assess the roles of the PyV miRNAs in a natural host. This analysis revealed that a MuPyV mutant that is unable to express miRNAs has enhanced viral DNA loads in select tissues at late times after infection. This is consistent with the PyV miRNAs functioning to reduce viral replication during the persistent phase of infection in a natural host. Additionally, the MuPyV miRNA locus promotes viruria during the acute phase of infection as evidenced by a defect in shedding during infection with the miRNA mutant virus. The viruria defect of the miRNA mutant virus could be rescued by infecting Rag2−/− mice. These findings implicate the miRNA locus as functioning in both the persistent and acute phases of infection and suggest a role for MuPyV miRNA in evading the adaptive immune response. IMPORTANCE MicroRNAs are expressed by diverse viruses, but for only a few is there any understanding of their in vivo function. PyVs can cause serious disease in immunocompromised hosts. Therefore, increased knowledge of how these viruses interact with the immune response is of clinical relevance. Here we show a novel activity for a viral miRNA locus in promoting virus shedding. This work indicates that in addition to any role for the PyV miRNA locus in long-term persistence, it also has biological activity during the acute phase. As this mutant phenotype is alleviated by infection of mice lacking an adaptive immune response, our work also connects the in vivo activity of the PyV miRNA locus to the immune response. Given that PyV-associated disease is associated with alterations in the immune response, our findings help to better understand how the balance between PyVs and the immune response becomes altered in pathogenic states.
Passive Static Equilibrium with Frictional Contacts and Application to Grasp Stability Analysis

This paper studies the problem of passive grasp stability under an external disturbance, that is, the ability of a grasp to resist a disturbance through passive responses at the contacts. To obtain physically consistent results, such a model must account for friction phenomena at each contact; the difficulty is that friction forces depend in non-linear fashion on contact behavior (stick or slip). We develop the first polynomial-time algorithm which either solves such complex equilibrium constraints for two-dimensional grasps, or otherwise concludes that no solution exists. To achieve this, we show that the number of possible `slip states' (where each contact is labeled as either sticking or slipping) that must be considered is polynomial (in fact quadratic) in the number of contacts, and not exponential as previously thought. Our algorithm captures passive response behaviors at each contact, while accounting for constraints on friction forces such as the maximum dissipation principle.
Tonal Noise Prediction of a Distributed Propulsion Unmanned Aerial Vehicle

Noise is expected to be a major barrier of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to public acceptance. A noise prediction scheme is introduced in this paper and applied to a specific vehicle configuration, namely, the Greased Lightning-10. Results herein will be used to demonstrate the feasibility of incorporating a noise constraint within the flight control system of a distributed electric propulsion vehicle by modifying commands for low-noise operation over sensitive areas, e.g., communities, schools, etc. Steady loading and thickness noise signatures of single propellers are computed using the Propeller Analysis System of the NASA Aircraft NOise Prediction Program. The individual signatures are then superposed at far field observers after applying corrections for spherical spreading and phase delays based on straight ray propagation. Two-propeller source fields are verified using analytical directivity patterns of monopoles. Notional effects of rotation rate, rotation direction, and relative propeller phase are given. Under ideal circumstances and equivalent RPM, random phasing, which occurs in most small UAVs, can produce up to 20 decibels uncertainty in the tonal sound pressure level at a given ground observer. Additionally, directivity modification via relative propeller phase control is shown to have great potential as a noise reduction technique. This paper will focus on the forward flight mode but will also briefly discuss the vertical flight mode.
Search Rank Fraud De-Anonymization in Online Systems

We introduce the fraud de-anonymization problem, that goes beyond fraud detection, to unmask the human masterminds responsible for posting search rank fraud in online systems. We collect and study search rank fraud data from Upwork, and survey the capabilities and behaviors of 58 search rank fraudsters recruited from 6 crowdsourcing sites. We propose Dolos, a fraud de-anonymization system that leverages traits and behaviors extracted from these studies, to attribute detected fraud to crowdsourcing site fraudsters, thus to real identities and bank accounts. We introduce MCDense, a min-cut dense component detection algorithm to uncover groups of user accounts controlled by different fraudsters, and leverage stylometry and deep learning to attribute them to crowdsourcing site profiles. Dolos correctly identified the owners of 95% of fraudster-controlled communities, and uncovered fraudsters who promoted as many as 97.5% of fraud apps we collected from Google Play. When evaluated on 13,087 apps (820,760 reviews), which we monitored over more than 6 months, Dolos identified 1,056 apps with suspicious reviewer groups. We report orthogonal evidence of their fraud, including fraud duplicates and fraud re-posts.
Integration of MRI target delineation into rapid workflow cervical cancer brachytherapy: Impact on clinical outcomes

INTRODUCTION We evaluated the impact of MRI-based target delineation on toxicity and tumour control after implementation of a protocol to incorporate MRI while minimizing impact on overall procedural time. METHODS We retrospectively reviewed outcomes for a cohort of 96 consecutive patients who received intracavitary brachytherapy for cervical cancer at our institution during 2012-2016. Starting in October 2014, an outpatient MRI was obtained for patients after Smit sleeve placement and first insertion to assess concurrent chemoradiotherapy tumour response. Then, for subsequent fractions, the MRI was co-registered by the Smit sleeve to the planning CT for target volume delineation. The primary and secondary outcomes were toxicity and local control, respectively. RESULTS Median follow-up for the pre- (n = 50) and post-MRI-based (n = 46) planning groups was 24.6 and 14.7 months, respectively. Median treatment duration for patients before and after MRI implementation was 56 and 58 days (P = 0.052), respectively. Cumulative rectal D2 cc was less for those with MRI-based target delineation (P = 0.005). On multivariable analysis, patients with MRI-based target delineation experienced fewer severe late (CTCAE grade ≥ 3) toxicities (P = 0.025, hazard ratio = 0.25). Local control was 86% and 91% of the pre- and post-MRI groups, respectively (P = 0.959). CONCLUSIONS Preliminary findings using this technique, which is applicable to other institutions without in-room MRI availability, are associated with lower radiation prescription doses, lower rectal doses and favourable toxicity rates while maintaining a rapid workflow. Longer follow-up is required to confirm equivalent local control.
The impact of patent protection and financial development on industrial R&D

Abstract Stronger protection of patent rights is thought to spur innovation through securing returns to R&D investments. Those investments must be financed, however, suggesting that the responsiveness of R&D to patent reforms varies with financial development levels. We examine the joint impact of domestic and international financial-market development and patent protection on R&D intensities in 22 manufacturing industries in 20 OECD countries for the period 1990-2009. We show that stronger patent rights increase R&D intensities in patent-intensive industries, accounting for the need for external financing and the amount of tangible assets. The primary impact varies across types of financial development: patent protection raises R&D in high-patent industries where countries have more limited equity and credit markets. In contrast, in countries with more developed bond markets industry R&D is more sensitive to patent rights. Interestingly, patent rights in countries that are more exposed to foreign direct investment increase R&D intensities at all levels of financial development.