cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Tidal triggering of earthquakes in the Northeast Pacific Ocean

SUMMARY There have been many searches for evidence of tidal triggering in earthquake catalogues. With the exception of volcanically active regions, the more rigorous studies in continental settings tend to find no correlation or only a very weak correlation. In the oceans, the effect of loading by the ocean tides can increase tidal stresses by about an order of magnitude over continental settings. In recent years, several studies have reported evidence of tidal triggering in oceanic regions and such observations can represent a useful constraint on models of earthquake rupture. In this paper, I systematically search for a link between ocean tide height and the incidence of earthquakes in the Northeast Pacific Ocean, a region of high-amplitude open ocean tides. The focal mechanisms of most of the earthquakes in these catalogues are unknown but it can be shown that tidal stresses will in most instances promote failure at low tides. I investigate three declustered data sets comprising (1) earthquakes from 1980 to 2007 on the Juan de Fuca plate and in the Queen Charlotte Fault region from land based catalogues; (2) earthquakes from 1992 to 2001 on the Juan de Fuca plate located with the US Navy’s Sound Surveillance System (SOSUS) hydrophone array and (3) earthquakes from 1980 to 2001 south of Alaska and the Aleutians located with land based networks. I look at the distributions of earthquakes with ocean tide phase, height, and tidal range and apply Schuster and binomial tests and Monte Carlo simulations to determine if they deviate significantly from random. The results show no evidence of triggering during intervals of increased tidal range but all three data sets show a significant increase in earthquake incidence at low tides. The signal is particularly strong in the land-based catalogue for the Juan de Fuca Plate and Queen Charlotte Fault regions where there is a 15 per cent increase in the rate of seismicity within 15 ◦ of the lowest tides. The signal is weakest in the SOSUS data set, which may reflect the lower average tidal range at epicentres in this data set or an analysis that is influenced by gaps in the catalogue. The triggering signal in the Alaska/Aleutian may be partially obscured by earthquakes in the Aleutians where the total tidal stresses can be significantly out of phase with the ocean tide height. The increase in the rates of seismicity I observe at low tides is less than observed by local networks on mid-ocean ridges, similar to the prediction from an analysis of global thrust earthquakes and greater than inferred by extrapolating laboratory simulations of fault failure under tidal loading.
Detecting duplicate biological entities using Markov random field-based edit distance

Detecting duplicate entities in biological data is an important research task. In this paper, we propose a novel and context-sensitive Markov random field-based edit distance (MRFED) for this task. We apply the Markov random field theory to the Needleman–Wunsch distance and combine MRFED with TFIDF, a token-based distance algorithm, resulting in SoftMRFED. We compare SoftMRFED with other distance algorithms such as Levenshtein, SoftTFIDF, and Monge–Elkan for two matching tasks: biological entity matching and synonym matching. The experimental results show that SoftMRFED significantly outperforms the other edit distance algorithms on several test data collections. In addition, the performance of SoftMRFED is superior to token-based distance algorithms in two matching tasks.
Optimal robustness in the gap metric

The application of the gap metric to robust stabilization of feedback systems is considered. In particular, a solution to the problem of robustness optimization in the gap metric is presented. The problem of robust stabilization under simultaneous plant-controller perturbations is addressed, and the least amount of combined plant-controller uncertainty, measured by the gap metric, that can cause instability of a nominally stable feedback system is determined. Included are a detailed summary of the main properties of the gap metric and the introduction of a dual metric called the T-gap metric. A key contribution of this study is to show that the problem of robustness optimization in the gap metric is equivalent to robustness optimization for normalized coprime factor perturbations. This settles the question as to whether maximizing allowable coprime factor uncertainty corresponds to tolerating the largest ball of uncertainty in a well-defined metric. >
Restructuring the Classroom: Conditions for Productive Small Groups

Moving beyond the general question of effectiveness of small group learning, this conceptual review proposes conditions under which the use of small groups in classrooms can be productive. Included in the review is recent research that manipulates various features of cooperative learning as well as studies of the relationship of interaction in small groups to outcomes. The analysis develops propositions concerning the kinds of discourse that are productive of different types of learning as well as propositions concerning how desirable kinds of interaction may be fostered. Whereas limited exchange of information and explanation are adequate for routine learning in collaborative seatwork, more open exchange and elaborated discussion are necessary for conceptual learning with group tasks and ill-structured problems. Moreover, task instructions, student preparation, and the nature of the teacher role that are eminently suitable for supporting interaction in more routine learning tasks may result in unduly con...
Light scattering by hexagonal columns in the discrete dipole approximation

Scattering by infinite hexagonal ice prisms is calculated using Maxwell’s equations in the discrete dipole approximation for size parameters x = πD/λ up to x = 400 (D = prism diameter). Birefringence is included in the calculations. Applicability of the geometric optics approximation is investigated. Excellent agreement between wave optics and geometric optics is observed for large size parameter in the outer part of the 22 degree halo feature. For smaller ice crystals halo broadening is predicted, and there is appreciable “spillover” of the halo into shadow scattering angles < 22 degrees. Ways to retrieve ice crystal sizes are suggested based on the full width at half-maximum of the halo, the power at < 22deg, and the halo polarization.
Perinatal sulfur dioxide exposure alters brainstem parasympathetic control of heart rate.

Aims Sulfur dioxide (SO2) is an air pollutant that impedes neonatal development and induces adverse cardiorespiratory health effects, including tachycardia. Here, an animal model was developed that enabled characterization of (i) in vivo alterations in heart rate and (ii) altered activity in brainstem neurons that control heart rate after perinatal SO2 exposure. Methods and results Pregnant Sprague–Dawley dams and their pups were exposed to 5 parts per million SO2 for 1 h daily throughout gestation and 6 days postnatal. Electrocardiograms were recorded from pups at 5 days postnatal to examine changes in basal and diving reflex-evoked changes in heart rate following perinatal SO2 exposure. In vitro studies employed whole-cell patch-clamp electrophysiology to examine changes in neurotransmission to cardiac vagal neurons within the nucleus ambiguus upon SO2 exposure using a preparation that maintains fictive inspiratory activity recorded from the hypoglossal rootlet. Perinatal SO2 exposure increased heart rate and blunted the parasympathetic-mediated diving reflex-evoked changes in heart rate. Neither spontaneous nor inspiratory-related inhibitory GABAergic or glycinergic neurotransmission to cardiac vagal neurons was altered by SO2 exposure. However, excitatory glutamatergic neurotransmission was decreased by 51.2% upon SO2 exposure. This diminished excitatory neurotransmission was tetrodotoxin-sensitive, indicating SO2 exposure impaired the activity of preceding glutamatergic neurons that synapse upon cardiac vagal neurons. Conclusions Diminished glutamatergic, but unaltered inhibitory neurotransmission to cardiac vagal neurons provides a mechanism for the observed SO2-induced elevated heart rate via an impairment of brainstem cardioinhibitory parasympathetic activity to the heart.
WRITING THE RULES TO RANK THE CANDIDATES: EXAMINING THE IMPACT OF INSTANT‐RUNOFF VOTING ON RACIAL GROUP TURNOUT IN SAN FRANCISCO MAYORAL ELECTIONS

Instant-runoff voting (IRV)—a relatively new electoral reform adopted in several cities in the United States—gives voters the option to rank-order more than one candidate preference for each office...
Chandra X-Ray Observations of Young Clusters. II. Orion Flanking Fields Data

We present results of Chandra observations of two flanking fields (FFs) in Orion, outside the Orion Nebula Cluster (ONC). The observations were taken with the ACIS-I camera with an exposure time of about 48 ks each field. We present a catalog of 417 sources, which includes X-ray luminosity, optical and infrared photometry, and X-ray variability information. We have found 91 variable sources, 33 of which have a flarelike light curve and 11 of which have a pattern of a steady increase or decrease over a 10 hr period. The optical and infrared photometry for the stars identified as X-ray sources are consistent with most of these objects being pre–main-sequence stars with ages younger than 10 Myr. We present evidence for an age difference among the X-ray–selected samples of NGC 2264, Orion FFs, and ONC, with NGC 2264 being the oldest and ONC being the youngest.
Segmented-core fiber for long-haul and local-area-network applications

Design and experimental results for a segmented-core fiber optimized for long-haul and local-area-network applications are presented. It is compatible with existing dispersion nonshifted fibers above 1300 nm and has high bandwidth (2-4 GHz) over a wide wavelength range in the so-called few mode region near 800 nm. At this wavelength it also provides at least an additional 4.8-dB system margin compared to a single-mode fiber. >
Non-contiguous pattern avoidance in binary trees

In this paper we consider the enumeration of binary trees avoiding non-contiguous binary tree patterns. We begin by computing closed formulas for the number of trees avoiding a single binary tree pattern with 4 or fewer leaves and compare these results to analogous work for contiguous tree patterns. Next, we give an explicit generating function that counts binary trees avoiding a single non-contiguous tree pattern according to number of leaves and show that there is exactly one Wilf class of k-leaf tree patterns for any positive integer k. In addition, we give a bijection between between certain sets of pattern-avoiding trees and sets of pattern-avoiding permutations. Finally, we enumerate binary trees that simultaneously avoid more than one tree pattern.
Diamond Machining And Mechanical Inspection Of Optical Components

Displacement measurement and motion control are discussed for rotary and linear axes of motion, as necessary for the dimensional measurement and diamond-tool machining of grazing incidence x-ray optics. Examples of available performance levels are drawn from measurements made on current developmental hardware, and are coupled with speculation on possible future extensions.
Characterizing user-level network virtualization: performance, overheads and limits

Connectivity limitations in the current Internet have motivated the development of many overlay networking technologies that enable applications to transparently overcome such limitations. For easy development and deployment, overlay networks are typically implemented via a user-level network virtualization software layer, often using highlevel languages. Existing solutions report performance that can keep up with slow wide-area links--however, the question remains as to how overlay networks perform on new high-speed Internet connections. This paper characterizes the performance of user-level packet processing, which is at the core of most overlay networks implementations. To this end, building blocks of packet-processing software are identifi ed and characterized, and performance of IP forwarders developed in C and Java are compared through extensive measurements. Factors that affect the performance of overlay networks and limitations of existing solutions are characterized, providing insights on possible improvements. Experimental results show the following: to achieve maximum throughput, only a few microseconds (2-5) can be spent in virtual network processing; processing of small packets can limit TCP throughput; and overlays need to be carefully architected as encapsulation overheads can be substantial. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Factors affecting task management in aviation

OBJECTIVE: We investigated the influence of ongoing task display"compellingness"on attention allocation patterns and assessed its interaction with interrupting task salience and importance. BACKGROUND: There are some concerns that the compellingness of flight deck tunnel displays renders the task they support more resistant to interruptions, thus preventing the pilot from noticing cues signaling the need to divert attention to other tasks. METHODS: Forty pilots flew three curved approaches in a high-fidelity simulation using a synthetic vision system (SVS) display. In addition to the primary task of flying, during the last approach they were required to select the approach path on the basis of environmental information concerning weather. The display layout supporting the primary flight task (tunnel vs. baseline display), the nature of the cue signaling the need to divert attention to the path selection task (visual vs. auditory-visual cue), and the cost of not performing the secondary task were manipulated to investigate their influence on task prioritization. RESULTS: The modality and priority of the cue affected the frequency of the switch to the secondary task. Furthermore, pilots flying with a tunnel display were more likely to detect the change in the weather and were easily interrupted by the secondary task when priority was high. CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that some of the concerns regarding the negative consequences of the compelling nature of the tunnel display may not be as pronounced as thought. APPLICATIONS: This study highlights the utility of the tunnel display in improving flight safety. Language: en
Poverty Persistence and Intra-Household Heterogeneity in Occupations: Evidence from Urban Ethiopia

Previous studies of poverty in developing countries have to a great extent focussed on the characteristics of the household head and used these as proxies for the underlying ability of the household to generate income. This paper uses five rounds of panel data to investigate the persistence of poverty in urban Ethiopia, with a particular focus on the role of intra-household heterogeneity in occupations. Dynamic probit and system generalised method of moments regression results suggest that international remittances and labour market status of non-head household members are important determinants of households' poverty status. Results also show that controlling for these variables and the “initial conditions problem” encountered in nonlinear dynamic probit models reduces the magnitude of estimated poverty persistence significantly for urban Ethiopia. These findings have important implications for identifying the poor and formulating effective poverty reduction and targeting strategies.
A new concept for an obstacle avoidance system for the AUV “SLOCUM glider” operation under ice

This paper presents a concept for a control system for an autonomous underwater vehicle under ice using a “SLOCUM” underwater glider. The project concept, the separate working tasks for the next one-and-a-half years and the first results will be presented. In this context the structure of the obstacle avoidance system and a simulator structure with a sensor and environment simulation as well as the interfaces to the glider hardware will be discussed. As a first result of the main research, a graph-based algorithm for the path planning in a time-varying environment (variable ocean field, moving obstacles) will be described.
Congestion control and traffic management in ATM networks: recent advances and a survey

Congestion control mechanisms for ATM networks as selected by the ATM Forum traffic management group are described. Reasons behind these selections are explained. In particular, selection criterion for selection between rate-based and credit-based approach and the key points of the debate between these two approaches are presented. The approach that was finally selected and several other schemes that were considered are described.
Complexity and the Economy

After two centuries of studying equilibria—static patterns that call for no further behavioral adjustments—economists are beginning to study the general emergence of structures and the unfolding of patterns in the economy. When viewed in out-of-equilibrium formation, economic patterns sometimes simplify into the simple static equilibria of standard economics. More often they are ever changing, showing perpetually novel behavior and emergent phenomena. Complexity portrays the economy not as deterministic, predictable, and mechanistic, but as process dependent, organic, and always evolving.
Best rank one approximation of real symmetric tensors can be chosen symmetric

We show that a best rank one approximation to a real symmetric tensor, which in principle can be nonsymmetric, can be chosen symmetric. Furthermore, a symmetric best rank one approximation to a symmetric tensor is unique if the tensor does not lie on a certain real algebraic variety.
Heterocyclic α-Alkylidene Cyclopentenones Obtained via a Pauson−Khand Reaction of Amino Acid Derived Allenynes. A Scope and Limitation Study Directed toward the Preparation of a Tricyclic Pyrrole Library

The synthesis of a novel class of tricyclic pyrroles has been accomplished by using a Pauson-Khand/Stetter/Paal-Knorr reaction sequence. Full details of the Pauson-Khand reaction of amino acid tethered allenynes 4a-e and 9a-d are disclosed. The study of this reaction led to the discovery of an unprecedented substituent effect on the diastereoselectivity of the Mo(CO)6 mediated allenic Pauson-Khand reaction. It was found that amino acid tethered allenynes with aromatic side chains afford alpha-alkylidene cyclopentenones with the opposite diastereoselectivity compared to those with aliphatic side chains. This effect has been attributed to complexation of the metal mediator to the aromatic ring in the substrate. Furthermore, an isomerization of one of the diastereomers of the alpha-alkylidene cyclopentenones was encountered, leading to eventual decomposition. The stable diastereomers were found to react well in the Stetter reaction leading to 1,4-diketones that were converted to pyrroles. The observation that the first generation of 2-alkyl-substituted pyrroles was unstable led to a second generation of 2-carboxamide pyrroles with sufficient stability for biological tests which are in progress.
Goldilocks and the entrepreneurs: Mainstream party strategies on immigration in Flanders and the Netherlands

This article addresses competition over immigration in the Dutch and Flemish party systems. By looking at when, whether and how mainstream parties engage with immigration in each place, this article seeks to understand how parties compete on an issue under non-ownership conditions. Drawing on an analysis of party manifestos, it supports the concept of combined competence and positional competition, and of parties emphasizing immigration when they have a distinct position, and shows how the presence of intra-party tensions is relevant for understanding how parties choose to emphasize (or avoid) immigration as part of their electoral strategy. On the other hand, there is less support for the premise that party size predicts emphasis on immigration. These results are discussed with respect to the wider implications for understanding party strategies in Western Europe, and for the (party) politics of immigration specifically.
Annotate: a Web-based knowledge management support system for document collections

Knowledge management is an increasingly important source of competitive advantage for organizations. Knowledge is a renewable, re-usable and accumulating asset of value to firms that increases in value with employee experience and organizational life. Knowledge embedded in the organization's business processes or the employee's skills are assets are generally hard to discern, accumulate and replicate by competitors. It provides the firm with unique capabilities or resources to deliver customers with a product or service. In contrast, as we undertake electronic commerce, customer interfaces and business strategies generally become more visible to competitors. Thus, the organization's capacity to effectively accumulate and leverage knowledge assets better than its competitors becomes a key source of competitive differentiation. As firms become more knowledge intensive, more effort is being expended on knowledge management (KM). While much progress has been made on designing IS to support decision making, the art and design of KM systems to preserve, index, formalize and leverage knowledge in organizations is still new. This paper reviews approaches to knowledge management support systems (KMSS) and proposes the need to design systems that carefully map their features to target organizations and user groups. It illustrates Annotate as a specific KMSS designed to support the knowledge management of document collections in federated organizations which lack common vocabularies and central authority.
Path following in the exact penalty method of convex programming

Classical penalty methods solve a sequence of unconstrained problems that put greater and greater stress on meeting the constraints. In the limit as the penalty constant tends to $$\infty $$?, one recovers the constrained solution. In the exact penalty method, squared penalties are replaced by absolute value penalties, and the solution is recovered for a finite value of the penalty constant. In practice, the kinks in the penalty and the unknown magnitude of the penalty constant prevent wide application of the exact penalty method in nonlinear programming. In this article, we examine a strategy of path following consistent with the exact penalty method. Instead of performing optimization at a single penalty constant, we trace the solution as a continuous function of the penalty constant. Thus, path following starts at the unconstrained solution and follows the solution path as the penalty constant increases. In the process, the solution path hits, slides along, and exits from the various constraints. For quadratic programming, the solution path is piecewise linear and takes large jumps from constraint to constraint. For a general convex program, the solution path is piecewise smooth, and path following operates by numerically solving an ordinary differential equation segment by segment. Our diverse applications to (a) projection onto a convex set, (b) nonnegative least squares, (c) quadratically constrained quadratic programming, (d) geometric programming, and (e) semidefinite programming illustrate the mechanics and potential of path following. The final detour to image denoising demonstrates the relevance of path following to regularized estimation in inverse problems. In regularized estimation, one follows the solution path as the penalty constant decreases from a large value.
Ortho vs ipso: site-selective Pd and norbornene-catalyzed arene C-H amination using aryl halides.

A Pd and norbornene-catalyzed ortho-arene amination via Catellani-type C–H functionalization is reported. Aryl halides are used as substrates; N-benzoyloxyamines and isopropanol are employed as the amine source (oxidant) and reductant respectively. Examples are provided in 50–99% yields with high functional group tolerance. This method gives complementary site selectivity at the ortho- instead of ipso-position of aryl halides.
The impact of spatial correlation on routing with compression in wireless sensor networks

The efficacy of data aggregation in sensor networks is a function of the degree of spatial correlation in the sensed phenomenon. The recent literature has examined a variety of schemes that achieve greater data aggregation by routing data with regard to the underlying spatial correlation. A well known conclusion from these papers is that the nature of optimal routing with compression depends on the correlation level. In this article we show the existence of a simple, practical, and static correlation-unaware clustering scheme that satisfies a min-max near-optimality condition. The implication for system design is that a static correlation-unaware scheme can perform as well as sophisticated adaptive schemes for joint routing and compression.
The 'flickering switch' of late Pleistocene climate change revisited

Extremely rapid fluctuations observed in records of electrical conductivity measurements (ECM) from Greenland ice-cores provoked the idea that the climate system may be capable of flickering between two states during rapid climate transitions. Here it is shown that in general, the flickers seen in ECM records probably reflect the highly non-linear response of electrical conductivity as ice approaches acid/base neutrality, rather than significant changes in the climate system. High frequency, relatively low amplitude changes in chemistry, superimposed upon the broader changes typical of climate transitions would be capable of producing the observed characteristics of ECM records. It must be stated that this result does not detract from the observation of extremely rapid changes in, for example, ice core chemistry and isotopes, which clearly demonstrate that Earth's climate is capable of very rapid and major reorganisations.
Hybrid Endovascular Repair of Thoracic Aortic Aneurysm in a Patient with Behçet's Disease Following Right to Left Carotid-carotid Bypass Grafting

Endovascular repair of inflammatory aortic aneurysms has been reported as an alternative to open surgical treatment. In selective cases, adjunctive bypass surgery may be required to provide an adequate landing zone. We report a case of endovascular repair of an inflammatory aortic aneurysm in a patient with Behcet's disease using a carotid-carotid bypass graft to provide an adequate landing zone. A 45-yr-old man with a voice change was referred to our hospital with the diagnosis of saccular aneurysm of the distal aortic arch resulting from vasculitis. Computed tomography showed a thoracic aortic aneurysm with thrombosis. Right to left carotid-carotid bypass grafting was performed. After 8 days, the patient underwent an endovascular stent graft placement distal to the origin of the innominate artery. The patient was discharged with medication and without postoperative complications after 5 days. Hybrid endovascular treatment may be suitable a complementary modality for repairing inflammatory aortic aneurysms.
A fuzzy ARTMAP based on quantitative structure-property relationships (QSPRs) for predicting aqueous solubility of organic compounds.

Quantitative structure−property relationships (QSPRs) for estimating aqueous solubility of organic compounds at 25 °C were developed based on a fuzzy ARTMAP and a back-propagation neural networks using a heterogeneous set of 515 organic compounds. A set of molecular descriptors, developed from PM3 semiempirical MO-theory and topological descriptors (first-, second-, third-, and fourth-order molecular connectivity indices), were used as input parameters to the neural networks. Quantum chemical input descriptors included average polarizability, dipole moment, resonance energy, exchange energy, electron−nuclear attraction energy, and nuclear−nuclear (core−core) repulsion energy. The fuzzy ARTMAP/QSPR correlated aqueous solubility (S, mol/L) for a range of −11.62 to 4.31 logS with average absolute errors of 0.02 and 0.14 logS units for the overall and validation data sets, respectively. The optimal 11−13−1 back-propagation/QSPR model was less accurate, for the same solubility range, and exhibited larger avera...
Bureaucratic structure and bureaucratic performance in less developed countries

Abstract We argue that several easily identifiable structural features constitute the key ingredients of effective state bureaucracies and should help to predict ratings of bureaucratic performance: competitive salaries, internal promotion and career stability, and meritocratic recruitment. We collect a new dataset on these features for bureaucracies of 35 less developed countries. Controlling for country income, level of education, and ethnolinguistic diversity, we find that our measure of meritocratic recruitment is a statistically significant determinant of ratings supplied by two of three country risk agencies. The importance of competitive salaries and internal promotion and career stability could not be clearly established.
The Investment Function Revisited: Disciplining Capital in Korea

Post-Keynesian and Marxian macro models assume that wage increases that lower profits have an adverse impact on investment spending. The experience of Korea during the period 1975-1993 contradicts this assumption. This paper reports results obtained from estimating a modified neo-Kaleckian investment function that examines the impact of increases in the wage share on business spending. Results of the Granger tests that assess the direction of causality between wages, investment, and productivity are also given. Tests indicate that lagged values of the wage share of income have a positive impact on investment. There are several explanations for this, most of which stem from restrictions on foreign direct investment, and the government's ability to discipline capital through its control over loanable funds coupled with the use of measurable benchmarks in export sales in return for access to subsidized credit and other "carrots." Firms appear to be constrained by these factors to respond to wages hikes by adopting technological upgrades, thereby raising productivity and maintaining export competitiveness.
Crystal growth of inter-lanthanide LaLn′O3 (Ln′ = Y, Ho–Lu) perovskites from hydroxide fluxes

Abstract In this article, we report the growth of single crystals of the inter-lanthanide series La Ln′ O 3 ( Ln′ = Y, Ho–Lu) using molten hydroxide fluxes. Inter-lanthanide oxides, LnLn′ O 3 (where Ln and Ln′ = lanthanides) typically crystallize in the A -, B - or C-Ln 2 O 3 or in the AB O 3 perovskite structure types, depending on the relative sizes of the lanthanide cations involved. The inter-lanthanide oxides, La Ln′ O 3 ( Ln′ = Y, Ho–Lu), reported herein were determined to crystallize in the orthorhombic ( Pnma ) perovskite-type structure. A discussion on the effect of cation radii on the resultant crystal structure for La Ln′ O 3 ( Ln′ = Y, Ho–Lu) and other reported inter-lanthanide oxides is presented herein.
Explicit Formula for Constructing Binomial Confidence Interval with Guaranteed Coverage Probability

In this article, we derive an explicit formula for constructing the confidence interval of binomial parameters with guaranteed coverage probability. The formula overcomes the limitation of normal approximation which is asymptotic in nature and thus inevitably introduces unknown errors in applications. Moreover, the formula is very tight in comparison with classic Clopper–Pearson's approach from the perspective of interval width. Based on the rigorous formula, we also obtain approximate formulas with an excellent performance of coverage probability.
Who Are You Calling Irrational? Marginal Costs, Variable Costs, and the Pricing Practices of Firms

Economists sometimes decry the persistence with which firms set prices above marginal cost and thus, according to the economists, fail to maximize profits. But it is the economists who have it wrong – first, because variable accounting costs are not always a good proxy for marginal economic costs, but more importantly because in an industry with U-shaped cost curves, a firm at a long-run sustainable equilibrium faces increasing marginal costs – i.e., a rising shadow price on some constrained input – i.e., in general, acost of capital. A corollary is that in such an industry the equilibrium mark-up over variable cost varies directly with capital intensity.
Savigny's theory of choice-of-law as a principle of 'voluntary submission'

This article offers an innovative understanding of Friedrich Carl von Savigny’s comprehensive choice-of-law theory. This theory has been generally misunderstood in academic literature in that it has most often been perceived as a kind of blind reference to the mysterious ‘universal seat formula.’ In contrast to this commonly perceived view, it will be argued that Savigny’s choice-of-law theory is fundamentally grounded in the single organizing principle of ‘voluntary submission’ as a reflection of the person’s choice. Furthermore, it will be argued that the proposed understanding of Savigny’s choice-of-law theory is not detached from the reality of American judicial practice but, in fact, reflects it. In particular, it will be suggested that Savigny’s approach provides the key to grasping the theoretical underpinnings of the most central element of the popular Second Restatement – the most-significant-relationship principle.
Harmonic cavities for the NLC damping rings

To achieve high luminosity, a linear collider needs damping rings to produce beams with very small transverse emittances. In the NLC, design constraints place the main damping rings in a parameter regime where intrabeam scattering (IBS) is likely to be a limitation on the emittance, and hence on the final luminosity. It is possible to mitigate the effects of IBS by lengthening the bunch: this may be achieved by redesigning the lattice with higher momentum compaction, or by use of higher harmonic cavities. Here, we consider the latter approach. We estimate the required bunch lengthening that might be needed, outline some appropriate parameters for the harmonic cavities, and discuss some of the effects that might be introduced or exacerbated by the cavities, such as synchronous phase variation along the bunch train.
Mechanisms for convection triggering by cold pools

Cold pools are fundamental ingredients of deep convection. They contribute to organizing the subcloud layer and are considered key elements in triggering convective cells. It was long known that this could happen mechanically, through lifting by the cold pools' fronts. More recently, it has been suggested that convection could also be triggered thermodynamically, by accumulation of moisture around the edges of cold pools. A method based on Lagrangian tracking is here proposed to disentangle the signatures of both forcings and quantify their importance in a given environment. Results from a simulation of radiative-convective equilibrium over the ocean show that parcels reach their level of free convection through a combination of both forcings, each being dominant at different stages of the ascent. Mechanical forcing is an important player in lifting parcels from the surface, whereas thermodynamic forcing reduces the inhibition encountered by parcels before they reach their level of free convection.
Porcine small intestine submucosal grafts for post-tumor resection orbital reconstruction

Objectives/Hypothesis Removal of the medial orbital wall for sinonasal tumor involvement is required to obtain complete oncologic resection. However, orbital fat herniation can produce significant morbidity, including enophthalmos and diplopia. The purpose of the current study was to evaluate outcomes following use of porcine small intestine submucosa (SIS) grafts for orbital reconstruction following extirpation of sinonasal malignancies. Study Design Case series in a tertiary hospital setting. Methods Review of prospectively collected data regarding orbital reconstruction using SIS was performed. Demographics, tumor histology, size of orbital defect, adjuvant treatment, clinical status, and complications were recorded. Results Seventeen patients (average age, 58 years; range, 27–82 years) had SIS grafting of the medial orbital wall over a 5-year period at our tertiary academic institution. The average orbital wall defect size was 4.6 cm2 (range, 1 cm2−24 cm2). Tumor histopathology included esthesioneuroblastoma (n = 5), squamous cell carcinoma (n = 4), adenocarcinoma (n = 2), sinonasal undifferentiated carcinoma (n = 2), melanoma (n = 3), and neuroendocrine carcinoma (n = 1). Surgical goals were curative intent in all patients. Ten patients had postoperative radiation therapy, whereas five individuals had surgical extirpation following neoadjuvant chemotherapy and radiation. All patients had complete locoregional control at last clinical follow-up (average, 16 months; range, 2–54 months), although three patients developed distant metastases. The only orbital complications noted were enophthalmos (n = 1), periorbital cellulitis (n = 1), and orbital wall crusting (n = 1). Conclusions SIS reconstruction of orbital wall defects was effective in the current series of patients, with only one patient developing noticeable enophthalmos and a low incidence of surgical complications. Level of Evidence 4. Laryngoscope, 124:E219–E223, 2014
A science-based approach to understanding waste form durability in open and closed nuclear fuel cycles

There are two compelling reasons for understanding source term and near-field processes in a radioactive waste geologic repository. First, almost all of the radioactivity is initially in the waste form, mainly in the spent nuclear fuel (SNF) or nuclear waste glass. Second, over long periods, after the engineered barriers are degraded, the waste form is a primary control on the release of radioactivity. Thus, it is essential to know the physical and chemical state of the waste form after hundreds of thousands of years. The United States Department of Energy’s Yucca Mountain Repository Program has initiated a long-term program to develop a basic understanding of the fundamental mechanisms of radionuclide release and a quantification of the release as repository conditions evolve over time. Specifically, the research program addresses four critical areas: (a) SNF dissolution mechanisms and rates; (b) formation and properties of U 6+ -secondary phases; (c) waste form–waste package interactions in the near-field; and (d) integration of in-package chemical and physical processes. The ultimate goal is to integrate the scientific results into a larger scale model of source term and near-field processes. This integrated model will be used to provide a basis for understanding the behaviour of the source term over long time periods (greater than 10 5 years). Such a fundamental and integrated experimental and modelling approach to source term processes can also be readily applied to development of advanced waste forms as part of a closed nuclear fuel cycle. Specifically, a fundamental understanding of candidate waste form materials stability in high temperature/high radiation environments and near-field geochemical/hydrologic processes could enable development of advanced waste forms ‘tailored’ to specific geologic settings.
A training based scheme for communicating over unknown channels with feedback

We consider a communication system with noiseless feedback where the channel is not known to the encoder or the decoder. The channel belongs to a known family of channels and remains constant over time. Using the noiseless feedback, the encoder can learn the channel over time and communicate at a rate equal to the capacity of the actual realization of the channel. Thus, not knowing the channel does not affect capacity. However, analyzing the error exponent (for variable length coding) is more challenging. Tchamkerten and Telatar (2006) showed that for certain families of channels, not knowing the channel does not change the error exponent; for other families, not knowing the channel results in a strict decrease in the error exponent. In general, the error exponent is not known. It is also known that simple training based schemes have poor error exponent behavior. In this paper, we show that a smart training based scheme can achieve an error exponent which is a multiplicative factor less than the error exponent for known channel. This shows that contrary to popular belief, smart training based schemes preserve the main advantage of feedback — an error exponent with non-zero slope at rates close to capacity.
TEMPERATURE MEASUREMENT OF COAL PARTICLES IN SHOCK-HEATED AIR

Temperature histories of coal particles in shock-heated air up to 2200 K are measured using the two-wavelength pyrometry. A very small amount (less than 10) of coal particles of various sizes (40,100, and 200 μm) is subjected to simultaneous heating, so that the resulting temperature history may represent that of a single particle. The results show that the initial particle temperature rise is extremely high and that the particle temperature is in general higher than the surrounding gas temperature.
X-ray Observations of the Warm-Hot Intergalactic Medium

We present Chandraobservations that provide the most direct evidence to date for the pervasive, moderate density, shock-heated intergalactic medium predicted by leading cosmological scenarios. We also comment briefly on future observations with Constellation-X.
Effects of Recrystallization on Time Variant Sorption of Radionuclides onto Steel Corrosion Products

Corrosion products resulting from the oxidation of steel containers and iron-containing waste can alter the local geochemical environment in radioactive waste disposal vaults and trenches. In addition, corrosion products can enhance the retention of radionuclides by providing a highly sorptive media. Initial hydrous corrosion products are poorly crystalline with large surface area, high sorption capacity, and large K{sub d}S. Over time, corrosion products recrystallize by step-wise dehydration to phases with significantly smaller surface areas. The decreased surface area results in decreased sorption and the potential for remobilization of previously sorbed radionuclides. The impact of time-dependent variation in sorption on radionuclide transport is a complex function of the rate of recrystallization and the radionuclide half-life. A mathematical model has been developed, which coupling mass transport with corrosion product recrystallization and equilibrium sorption of radionuclides. The model is applied release of radionuclides with a range of half-lives (year to 100,000s of years) from radioactive waste disposal facilities to illustrate the significance of corrosion product recrystallization on release.
Large character sums

Assuming the Generalized Riemann Hypothesis, the authors study when a character sum over all n infinity and q -> infinity (q is the size of the finite field).
An assessment of some growth and yield indices of six varieties of watermelon (Citrulus lanatus thumb) in Asaba area of Delta state, Nigeria

Field experiments were conducted in 2011 and 2012 cropping seasons in the Teaching and Research Farm of Delta State University, Asaba Campus, Nigeria to assess some growth and yield indices of six varieties of watermelon (Sugar baby, Charleston gray, Crimson sweet, Green gold, Jubilee, and Ice box) in Asaba area of Delta State, Nigeria. The experiments were carried out in a Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with three replicates. Four parameters were assessed to achieve the objectives of the study-vine length, number of leaves/plant, number of branches /plant, and weight of fruits at 75 days after sowing. The results of the two-year evaluation indicated that Sugar baby variety was superior at 4, 6, and 8 weeks in the parameters tested with mean vine length of 63.4 cm, 133.1 cm, and 181.1 cm, respectively; mean number of leaves/plant of 30.5, 33.5 and 40.4 respectively; mean number of branches/plant of 5.0, 6.0, and 7.0, respectively; and mean weight of fruits of 1315.43 t ha-1 at 75 days after sowing in 2011 and 2012. Based on the findings of this study, it was recommended that farmers in the study area grow Sugar baby variety for increased growth and yield of watermelon. Tropical Agricultural Research and Extension 16(4): 2013: page 123-129
Inductor Design Methods With Low-Permeability RF Core Materials

This paper presents a design procedure for inductors based on low-permeability magnetic materials, for use in very high frequency power conversion. The proposed procedure offers an easy and fast way to compare different magnetic materials based on Steinmetz parameters and quickly select the best among them, to estimate the achievable inductor quality factor and size, and to design the inductor. Approximations used in the proposed methods are discussed. Geometry optimization of magnetic-core inductors is also investigated. The proposed design procedure and methods are verified by experiments.
Active learning and semi-supervised learning for speech recognition: A unified framework using the global entropy reduction maximization criterion

We propose a unified global entropy reduction maximization (GERM) framework for active learning and semi-supervised learning for speech recognition. Active learning aims to select a limited subset of utterances for transcribing from a large amount of un-transcribed utterances, while semi-supervised learning addresses the problem of selecting right transcriptions for un-transcribed utterances, so that the accuracy of the automatic speech recognition system can be maximized. We show that both the traditional confidence-based active learning and semi-supervised learning approaches can be improved by maximizing the lattice entropy reduction over the whole dataset. We introduce our criterion and framework, show how the criterion can be simplified and approximated, and describe how these approaches can be combined. We demonstrate the effectiveness of our new framework and algorithm with directory assistance data collected under the real usage scenarios and show that our GERM based active learning and semi-supervised learning algorithms consistently outperform the confidence-based counterparts by a significant margin. Using our new active learning algorithm cuts the number of utterances needed for transcribing by 50% to achieve the same recognition accuracy obtained using the confidence-based active learning approach, and by 60% compared to the random sampling approach. Using our new semi-supervised algorithm we can determine the cutoff point in determining which utterance-transcription pair to use in a principled way by demonstrating that the point it finds is very close to the achievable peak point.
Correlation Functions in Berkovits' Pure Spinor Formulation

We use Berkovits' pure spinor quantization to compute various three-point tree correlation functions in position-space for the Type IIB superstring. We solve the constraint equations for the vertex operators and obtain explicit expressions for the graviton and axion components of the vertex operators. Using these operators we compute tree level correlation functions in flat space and discuss their extension to the AdS5 × S5 background.