cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Eels-Stem Investigation of the Formation of Nano-Zones in Iron Catalysts for Fischer-Tropsch Synthesis

This chapter studies Iron Fischer-Tropsch (Fe-FTS) catalyst particles using high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM) and electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS) as well as energy filtered TEM (EFTEM) with spectrum imaging spectral analysis and mapping capabilities. These studies have independently demonstrated the formation of various nanozones within iron catalyst particles. By this study's classification schema, nanozones comprises of nm-wide layers that host a dense array of either iron carbide or iron oxide crystallites and multiple carbon-rich nano-layers that occur both on the exterior of the Fe-FTS catalyst grains and also further inwards. The precursor catalyst material that underwent phase transformations leads to the formation of the reported nanozones during the FT-experiments was a precipitated unsupported iron oxide and the materials under investigation were derived from slurry-bed reactor runs that were sampled after exposure to increasing length of synthesis time. It discusses that the presence of a carbon-rich layer closer to the core was a surprise, while the amorphous carbon zone that occurs at the rim of the catalyst grains had already been known. The chapter explores the carbon-rich layer located closer to the core in fact has carbon EELS signatures that are different from those of the carbide carbon that is concentrated in the core region and also those of the exterior amorphous carbon layer. It suggests that the inner carbon nanozone was derived either from the carbide core after some phase transformations of the iron carbide crystallites that caused a spatial repositioning of extra carbon outside of the iron carbide nanozone, or that the carbon was independently deposited onto the inner core during the reactor runs.
Sampling Issues in Categorical Data

The sampling method used to collect response on categorical variables determines both the probability of the specific configuration of a contingency table, and, more importantly, determines the interpretation of the data. Sampling methods leading to three probability distributions; the hypergeometric, the binomial, and the negative binomial, are discussed. The three sampling methods indicate the same probability of observing an example contingency table, but lead to different interpretations of the data. Keywords: categorical variable; contingency table; sampling; χ2 goodness-of-fit test; probability distribution
First impressions with websites: the effect of the familiarity and credibility of corporate logos on perceived consumer swift trust of websites

The current study extends theory related to the truth effect and mere-exposure effect by detailing how increased familiarity with third-party vendor logos will increase consumer short-term trust in unfamiliar websites, based on short-term impressions. The study uses a controlled 254-participant experiment. The results indicate that familiarity with a third-party logo positively impacts the credibility and short-term (swift) trust of an unfamiliar website. Additionally, the study finds that credibility of a third-party logo positively impacts the swift trust a visitor has in a website. Overall, the study concludes that both familiarity and credibility of third-party logos positively impacts swift trust in consumer websites, and familiarity has a positive impact on increasing credibility.
Generating random graphs with large girth

We present a simple and efficient algorithm for randomly generating simple graphs without small cycles. These graphs can be used to design high performance Low-Density Parity-Check (LDPC) codes. For any constant k, α ≤ 1/2k(k + 3) and m = O(n1+α), our algorithm generates an asymptotically uniform random graph with n vertices, m edges, and girth larger than k in polynomial time. To the best of our knowledge this is the first polynomial algorithm for the problem.Our algorithm generates a graph by sequentially adding m edges to an empty graph with n vertices. Recently, this type of sequential process has been very successful for efficiently counting and generating random graphs [35, 18, 11, 7, 5, 6].
OPTIMAL MANAGEMENT OF MULTI-VALUE RENEWABLE RESOURCES: AN APPLICATION TO THE AFRICAN ELEPHANT

This study extends dynamic models of renewable terrestial resources to evaluate the optimal long-run management strategy for African Elephants. Changes in many model parameters have ambiguous effects on elephant stocks and point to a need for empirical research to provide parameterizations for a theoretical model and a better basis for policy.
Agreeing to disagree: a survey

Aumann (1976) put forward a formal definition of common knowledge and used it to prove that two ""like minded"" individuals cannot ""agree to disagree"" in the following sense. If they start from a common prior and update the probability of an event E (using Bayes'' rule) on the basis of private information, then it cannot be common knowledge between them that individual 1 assigns probability p to E and individual 2 assigns probability q to E with p Â¹ q. In other words, if their posteriors of event E are common knowledge then they must coincide. Aumann''s Agreement Theorem has given rise to a large literature which we review in this paper. The results are classified according to whether they are probabilistic (Bayesian) or qualitative. Particular attention is paid to the issue of how to interpret the notion of Harsanyi consistency as a (local) property of belief hierarchies.
Not Just Heavy “Grignards”: Recent Advances in the Organometallic Chemistry of the Alkaline Earth Metals Calcium, Strontium and Barium

Since their initial development in the early 1900’s, Grignard reagents have proven to be immensely useful and are among the most common organometallic reagents. The nature of the reagents in solution is complex and depends on substituents, solvent, concentration and temperature. Despite continuing questions about their solid state and solution composition and conformation, organomagnesium reagents find new applications continually. In contrast, little information about the heavier alkaline earth organometallic compounds RMX and R2M (R = alkyl, aryl; M = Ca, Sr, Ba, X = halide) exists. High reactivity due to the predominantly ionic character of the metal-ligand bond and increased lability complicates synthetic access. Recent interest in the organometallic chemistry of the alkaline earth metals calcium, strontium and barium has been sparked by the realization that heavy alkaline earth metal organometallics play unique roles in synthetic applications, such as polymerization initiators and as reagents to modify polymers. As a result, the organometallic chemistry of calcium, strontium and barium has received significant attention over the last few years. This article summarizes recent results in this emerging area of chemistry. (© Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH, 69451 Weinheim, Germany, 2002)
X-Ray Spectroscopy of AGN with the AXAF "Microcalorimeter"

A novel technique for X-ray spectroscopy has been configured as part of the definition payload of the AXAF Observatory. It is basically a calorimeter which, operating at 0.1 K, senses the total conversion of single photoelectrically absorbed X-rays via the differential temperature rise of the absorber. The technique promises to achieve less than 10 eV FWHM with near-unit efficiency simultaneously over the entire AXAF bandpass. This combination of high resolution and high efficiency allows for the possibility of investigating thermal, fluorescent and absorption X-ray line features in many types of X-ray source, including a large sample of active galactic nuclei.
An application of the two-stage, semi-parametric approach with double bootstrap to analyze technical efficiency of Critical Access Hospitals

This study examines technical efficiency of Critical Access Hospitals (CAH) using a two-stage approach and bootstrap procedures for making valid inference about the impact of environmental variables on CAH efficiency. In the first stage, a data envelopment analysis (DEA) efficiency estimator is used to estimate technical efficiency of each hospital in the sample. In the second stage, efficiency scores are regressed on environmental variables using a truncated regression with bootstrap. Alternatively, a double bootstrap procedure is used, where bias-corrected DEA efficiency scores, obtained by means of bootstrap in the first stage, are used in the second stage bootstrapped truncated regression. While both procedures provide valid inference in the second stage analysis, the double bootstrap procedure has also been shown to improve statistical efficiency in the second stage truncated regression. Our results indicate that, while the two procedures yield in general similar and consistent results, only the double bootstrap procedure unveiled the direct association between Medicare cost-based reimbursement and CAH inefficiency.
Structural proteomics of minimal organisms: conservation of protein fold usage and evolutionary implications.

Background Determining the complete repertoire of protein structures for all soluble, globular proteins in a single organism has been one of the major goals of several structural genomics projects in recent years.
Differential miRNA Expression in Cells and Matrix Vesicles in Vascular Smooth Muscle Cells from Rats with Kidney Disease

Vascular calcification is a complex process and has been associated with aging, diabetes, chronic kidney disease (CKD). Although there have been several studies that examine the role of miRNAs (miRs) in bone osteogenesis, little is known about the role of miRs in vascular calcification and their role in the pathogenesis of vascular abnormalities. Matrix vesicles (MV) are known to play in important role in initiating vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) calcification. In the present study, we performed miRNA microarray analysis to identify the dysregulated miRs between MV and VSMC derived from CKD rats to understand the role of post-transcriptional regulatory networks governed by these miRNAs in vascular calcification and to uncover the differential miRNA content of MV. The percentage of miRNA to total RNA was increased in MV compared to VSMC. Comparison of expression profiles of miRNA by microarray demonstrated 33 miRs to be differentially expressed with the majority (~ 57%) of them down-regulated. Target genes controlled by differentially expressed miRNAs were identified utilizing two different complementary computational approaches Miranda and Targetscan to understand the functions and pathways that may be affected due to the production of MV from calcifying VSMC thereby contributing to the regulation of genes by miRs. We found several processes including vascular smooth muscle contraction, response to hypoxia and regulation of muscle cell differentiation to be enriched. Signaling pathways identified included MAP-kinase and wnt signaling that have previously been shown to be important in vascular calcification. In conclusion, our results demonstrate that miRs are concentrated in MV from calcifying VSMC, and that important functions and pathways are affected by the miRs dysregulation between calcifying VSMC and the MV they produce. This suggests that miRs may play a very important regulatory role in vascular calcification in CKD by controlling an extensive network of post-transcriptional targets.
Network Lifetime and Power Assignment in ad hoc Wireless Networks

Used for topology control in ad-hoc wireless networks, Power Assignment is a family of problems, each defined by a certain connectivity constraint (such as strong connectivity) The input consists of a directed complete weighted graph G=(V,c). The power of a vertex u in a directed spanning subgraph H is given by PH (u) = max uv ∈ E(H) c(uv). The power of H is given by \(p(H) = \sum_{u \in v}p{\sc H}(u)\), Power Assignment seeks to minimize p(H) while H satisfies the given connectivity constraint. We present asymptotically optimal O(log n)-approximation algorithms for three Power Assignment problems: Min-Power Strong Connectivity, Min-Power Symmetric Connectivity (the undirected graph having an edge uv iff H has both uv and vu must be connected) and Min-Power Broadcast (the input also has r ∈ V , and H must be a r-rooted outgoing spanning arborescence).
Patterns of economic growth : hills, plateaus, mountains, and plains

The recent growth literature has underestimated the importance - and ignored the implications - of the instability and volatility of growth rates. In particular, the use of panel data to investigate the effects of long-term growth in developing countries - especially with fixed effects estimates - is potentially more problematic than helpful. Except during the Great Depression, the historical path for per capita GDP in the United States has been reasonably stable exponential trend growth, with modest cyclical deviation. Graphically, growth in the United States displays as a modestly sloping, only slightly bumpy, hill. But almost nothing that is true about per capita GDP for the United States (or for other OECD countries) is true for developing countries. First, per capita GDP in most developing countries does not follow a single time trend: For a given country, there is great instability in growth rates over time, relative to both average level of growth and to cross-sectional variance. These shifts in growth rates lead to distinct patterns. Some countries have had steady growth (hills and steep hills); others have had rapid growth followed by stagnation (plateaus); others have had rapid growth followed by declines (mountains) or even catastrophic declines (cliffs); still others have experienced continuous stagnation (plains) or even steady decline (valleys). Second, volatility - however measured - is much greater in developing than in industrial countries. These stylized observations about growth rates, Pritchett concludes, suggest that it may be useless to use panel data to investigate long-term growth rates in developing countries. Perhaps more can be learned about developing countries by investigating what initiates (or halts) episodes of growth. There is something of a professional split in growth literature, Pritchett observes. Macroeconomists studying industrial countries discuss steady-state growth and ponder whether all countries in the convergence club will reach the same happy level in the end. Development economists, on the other hand, are the pathologists of economics, having discovered that developing countries are most emphatically not all alike. Developing countries have found ways to be ecstatic but they have also discovered many different ways to be unhappy. This paper - a product of the Development Research Group - is part of a larger effort in the group to understand the determinants of economic growth.
Efficient conflict analysis for finding all satisfying assignments of a boolean circuit

Finding all satisfying assignments of a propositional formula has many applications to the synthesis and verification of hardware and software. An approach to this problem that has recently emerged augments a clause-recording propositional satisfiability solver with the ability to add “blocking clauses.” One generates a blocking clause from a satisfying assignment by taking its complement. The resulting clause prevents the solver from visiting the same solution again. Every time a blocking clause is added the search is resumed until the instance becomes unsatisfiable. Various optimization techniques are applied to get smaller blocking clauses, since enumerating each satisfying assignment would be very inefficient. In this paper, we present an improved algorithm for finding all satisfying assignments for a generic Boolean circuit. Our work is based on a hybrid SAT solver that can apply conflict analysis and implications to both CNF formulae and general circuits. Thanks to this capability, reduction of the blocking clauses can be efficiently performed without altering the solver's state (e.g., its decision stack). This reduces the overhead incurred in resuming the search. Our algorithm performs conflict analysis on the blocking clause to derive a proper conflict clause for the modified formula. Besides yielding a valid, nontrivial backtracking level, the derived conflict clause is usually more effective at pruning the search space, since it may encompass both satisfiable and unsatisfiable points. Another advantage is that the derived conflict clause provides more flexibility in guiding the score-based heuristics that select the decision variables. The efficiency of our new algorithm is demonstrated by our preliminary results on SAT-based unbounded model checking of VIS benchmark models.
Estimating Global Climate Change Impacts on Hydropower Projects : Applications in India, Sri Lanka and Vietnam

The world is faced with considerable risk and uncertainty about climate change. Particular attention has been paid increasingly to hydropower generation in recent years because it is renewable energy. However, hydropower is among the most vulnerable industries to changes in global and regional climate. This paper aims to examine the possibility of applying a simple vector autoregressive model to forecast future hydrological series and evaluate the resulting impact on hydropower projects. Three projects are considered - in India, Sri Lanka, and Vietnam. The results are still tentative in terms of both methodology and implications; but the analysis shows that the calibrated dynamic forecasts of hydrological series are much different from the conventional reference points in the 90 percent dependable year. The paper also finds that hydrological discharges tend to increase with rainfall and decrease with temperature. The rainy season would likely have higher water levels, but in the lean season water resources would become even more limited. The amount of energy generated would be affected to a certain extent, but the project viability may not change so much. Comparing the three cases, it is suggested that having larger installed capacity and some storage capacity might be useful to accommodate future hydrological series and seasonality. A broader assessment will be called for at the project preparation stage.
A compact architecture for montgomery elliptic curve scalar multiplication processor

We propose a compact architecture of a Montgomery elliptic curve scalar multiplier in a projective coordinate system over GF(2m). To minimize the gate area of the architecture, we use the common Z projective coordinate system where a common Z value is kept for two elliptic curve points during the calculations, which results in one register reduction. In addition, by reusing the registers we are able to reduce two more registers. Therefore, we reduce the number of registers required for elliptic curve processor from 9 to 6 (a 33%). Moreover, a unidirectional circular shift register file reduces the complexity of the register file, resulting in a further 17% reduction of total gate area in our design. As a result, the total gate area is 13.2k gates with 314k cycles which is the smallest compared to the previous works.
You can't do that! Hugo Münsterberg and misapplied psychology.

This article examines a false start in the application of psychology to the law. While there had been expert testimony from physicians in criminal and civil cases in America since the nineteenth century, forensic psychology first emerged in the early twentieth century. Following European traditions of experimental psychology, Hugo Munsterberg applied the nascent science of memory research to the assessment of witness credibility. A brilliant and popular Harvard professor, Munsterberg touted his technique of word-association to determine truth. Forensic psychology's development was stalled by resistance from within legal authorities, including John Henry Wigmore, the leading expert on evidence. However, Munsterberg was a sensation in popular media. In this article, the authors examine early attempts to import experimental psychology into the courtroom and the arguments against them. Not only were Munsterberg's findings premature, they touched on a forbidden domain for witnesses: fact finding. While sincere, he learned that the determination of truth lay within the province of juries and judges, not psychologists. Thus, the application of psychology to the law was delayed. The authors review the lessons from Munsterberg's false start and comment on developments in the admissibility of scientific testimony.
Behavioral and Cognitive-Behavioral Treatments for Alcoholism Research Opportunities

This status report on behavioral and cognitive-behavioral treatments (CBT) for alcoholism is based on an article commissioned by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) for a review of its treatment research priorities. A number of gaps in knowledge and consequent research opportunities were identified. Additional work on cue exposure is needed to identify the most potent cues for drinking, and strategies for reducing the impact of drinking cues. Regarding contingency management, there is need for further studies with alcoholics, investigation of reinforcement schedules, and exploration of maintenance factors. With respect to the community reinforcement approach (CRA), research should identify its most effective elements and ways to sustain gains following treatment. The mediating role assigned to coping skills in the cognitive-behavioral model needs to be substantiated, and the effectiveness of various coping skills components must be determined. Further studies of relapse prevention (RP) are needed to improve the system for classifying relapse episodes, and to identify the most effective interventions for each type of episode. Studies of behavioral marital therapy should include identifying active ingredients, and testing hypothesized mediators of change. Patient-treatment matching strategies may help to identify clients likely to benefit from these strategies. Finally, given the overlap among these approaches, it is likely that research along the lines suggested will impact several of them and lead to a consolidation of their most effective elements into a common treatment package.
How the Quality of Institutions Affects Technological Deepening in Developing Countries

The lower the risk of expropriation and the greater the rule of law (that is, the greater the security of property and contract rights), the greater the research and development spending in developing countries and the greater the likelihood that foreign direct investment will increase - two routes to technological deepening. Clarke assesses the effect of institutional quality on research and development (R&D) expenditures in developing countries. He finds that the risk of expropriation and the rule of law - two measures used as proxies for the security of property and contract rights - are correlated with R&D spending. Both institutional variables increase as institutional quality improves (that is, as the risk of expropriation decreases and the rule of law improves). This suggests that strong institutions encourage greater spending on R&D. R&D is not the main way developing countries gain access to technology, but this result is interesting for at least two reasons: R&D might encourage technological deepening better than other approaches developing countries take to gain access to technology (for example, through foreign direct investment or through imports of capital goods). Past work has shown that another important way countries gain access to technology - foreign direct investment - is also positively correlated with institutional quality. That is, foreign direct investment increases as institutional quality improves. This paper - a product of Regulation and Competition Policy, Development Research Group - is part of a larger effort in the group to identify institutional factors that affect enterprise productivity and growth.
Iterative constructions and private data release

In this paper we study the problem of approximately releasing the cut function of a graph while preserving differential privacy, and give new algorithms (and new analyses of existing algorithms) in both the interactive and non-interactive settings. Our algorithms in the interactive setting are achieved by revisiting the problem of releasing differentially private, approximate answers to a large number of queries on a database. We show that several algorithms for this problem fall into the same basic framework, and are based on the existence of objects which we call iterative database construction algorithms. We give a new generic framework in which new (efficient) IDC algorithms give rise to new (efficient) interactive private query release mechanisms. Our modular analysis simplifies and tightens the analysis of previous algorithms, leading to improved bounds. We then give a new IDC algorithm (and therefore a new private, interactive query release mechanism) based on the Frieze/Kannan low-rank matrix decomposition. This new release mechanism gives an improvement on prior work in a range of parameters where the size of the database is comparable to the size of the data universe (such as releasing all cut queries on dense graphs). We also give a non-interactive algorithm for efficiently releasing private synthetic data for graph cuts with error O(|V|1.5). Our algorithm is based on randomized response and a non-private implementation of the SDP-based, constant-factor approximation algorithm for cut-norm due to Alon and Naor. Finally, we give a reduction based on the IDC framework showing that an efficient, private algorithm for computing sufficiently accurate rank-1 matrix approximations would lead to an improved efficient algorithm for releasing private synthetic data for graph cuts. We leave finding such an algorithm as our main open problem.
Space efficient streaming algorithms for the distance to monotonicity and asymmetric edit distance

Approximating the length of the longest increasing sequence (LIS) of an array is a well-studied problem. We study this problem in the data stream model, where the algorithm is allowed to make a single left-to-right pass through the array and the key resource to be minimized is the amount of additional memory used. We present an algorithm which, for any δ > 0, given streaming access to an array of length n provides a (1 + δ)-multiplicative approximation to the distance to monotonicity (n minus the length of the LIS), and uses only O((log2n)/δ) space. The previous best known approximation using polylogarithmic space was a multiplicative 2-factor. The improved approximation factor reflects a qualitative difference between our algorithm and previous algorithms: previous polylogarithmic space algorithms could not reliably detect increasing subsequences of length as large as n/2, while ours can detect increasing subsequences of length βn for any β > 0. More precisely, our algorithm can be used to estimate the length of the LIS to within an additive δn for any δ > 0 while previous algorithms could only achieve additive error n(1/2 -- o(1)).Our algorithm is very simple, being just 3 lines of pseudocode, and has a small update time. It is essentially a polylogarithmic space approximate implementation of a classic dynamic program that computes the LIS.We also show how our technique can be applied to other problems solvable by dynamic programs. For example, we give a streaming algorithm for approximating LCS(x, y), the length of the longest common subsequence between strings x and y, each of length n. Our algorithm works in the asymmetric setting (inspired by [AKO10]), in which we have random access to y and streaming access to x, and runs in small space provided that no single symbol appears very often in y. More precisely, it gives an additive-δn approximation to LCS(x, y) (and hence also to E(x, y) = n -- LCS(x, y), the edit distance between x and y when insertions and deletions, but not substitutions, are allowed), with space complexity O(k(log2n)/δ), where k is the maximum number of times any one symbol appears in y.We also provide a deterministic 1-pass streaming algorithm that outputs a (1 + δ)-multiplicative approximation for E(x, y) (which is also an additive δn-approximation), in the asymmetric setting, and uses O(√n/δ log(n)) space. All these algorithms are obtained by carefully trading space and accuracy within a standard dynamic program.
Quasi-experimental and experimental approaches to environmental economics

Abstract This paper argues that an increased application of quasi-experimental and experimental techniques will improve understanding about core environmental economics questions. This argument is supported by a review of the limitations of associational evidence in assessing causal hypotheses. The paper also discusses the benefits of experiments and quasi-experiments, outlines some quasi-experimental methods, and highlights threats to their validity. It then illustrates the quasi-experimental method by assessing the validity of a quasi-experiment that aims to estimate the impact of the Endangered Species Act on property markets in North Carolina. The paper's larger argument is that greater application of experimental and quasi-experimental techniques can identify efficient policies that increase social welfare.
Tidal Oscillations, Shorter Period Gravity Waves and Shear Waves

Recent developments in the study of atmospheric tides, shorter period gravity waves and shear waves are reviewed. Most noteworthy are: 1) the theoretical clarification of the excitation and distribution of diurnal tidal oscillations, 2) the introduction of sequential rocketborne measurements of tidal parameters to heights of 150 km, and 3) clarification of the roles played by thermal and wind gradients, and by dissipative processes, in the propagation of gravity waves.
Newton to Einstein: The Trail of Light: An Excursion to the Wave-Particle Duality and the Special Theory of Relativity

Preface 1. How light behaves 2. Newton's particle theory 3. A wave theory of light 4. Interference 5. Electromagnetic waves 6. The photon 7. The wave-particle duality 8. Does the speed of light depend on the motion of the source of light? 9. The principles of the Special Theory of Relativity 10. Time dilation and length contraction 11. E=mc2 12. The twins 13. The Lorentz transformations 14. Space and time Glossary Appendices Index.
Performance of Advanced Light Source particle beam diagnostics

The Advanced Light Source (ALS), a third generation synchrotron radiation facility, is complete. The particle beam diagnostics have been installed and tested. The beam injection systems have been running for two years. We have performance data on beam position monitors, beam intensity monitors, scintillators, beam collimators, a 50 /spl Omega/ Faraday cup, and broad-band striplines and kickers used in the linac, transport lines, and the booster synchrotron. The single-turn monitoring capability of the booster beam position monitoring system has been particularly useful for studying beam dynamics. Beam diagnostics for the storage ring are being commissioned. In this paper we describe each instrument, show its performance, and outline how the instruments are controlled and their output data displayed. >
Motif discovery through predictive modeling of gene regulation

We present MEDUSA, an integrative method for learning motif models of transcription factor binding sites PSSMs by incorporating promoter sequence and transcriptome gene expression data. We use a modern large-margin machine learning approach, based on boosting, to enable feature selection from the high-dimensional search space of candidate binding sequences while avoiding overfitting. At each iteration of the algorithm, MEDUSA builds a motif model whose presence in the promoter region of a gene, coupled with activity of a regulator in an experiment, is predictive of differential expression. In this way, we learn motifs that are functional and predictive of regulatory response rather than motifs that are simply overrepresented in promoter sequences. Moreover, MEDUSA produces a model of the transcriptional control logic that can predict the expression of any gene in the organism, given the sequence of the promoter region of the target gene and the expression state of a set of known or putative transcription factors and signaling molecules. Each motif model is either a k-length sequence, a dimer, or a PSSM that is built by agglomerative probabilistic clustering of sequences with similar boosting loss. By applying MEDUSA to a set of environmental stress response expression data in yeast, we learn motifs whose ability to predict differential expression of target genes outperforms motifs from the TRANSFAC dataset and from a previously published candidate set of PSSMs. We also show that MEDUSA retrieves many experimentally confirmed binding sites associated with environmental stress response from the literature.
Supersymmetric Wilson Loops and Super Non-Abelian Stokes Theorem

We generalize the standard product integral formalism to supersymmetric product integrals. Using these, we provide an unambiguous mathematical representation of supersymmetric Wilson line and Wilson loop operators and study their properties. We also prove the supersymmetric version of non-abelian Stokes theorem.
Inference using message propagation and topology transformation in vector Gaussian continuous networks

We extend continuous Gaussian networks - directed acyclic graphs that encode probabilistic relationships between variables - to its vector form. Vector Gaussian continuous networks consist of composite nodes representing multivariables, that take continuous values. These vector or composite nodes can represent correlations between parents, as opposed to conventional univariate nodes. We derive rules for inference in these networks based on two methods: message propagation and topology transformation. These two approaches lead to the development of algorithms, that can be implemented in either a centralized or a decentralized manner. The domain of application of these networks are monitoring and estimation problems. This new representation along with the rules for inference developed here can be used to derive current Bayesian algorithms such as the Kalman filter, and provide a rich foundation to develop new algorithms. We illustrate this process by deriving the decentralized form of the Kalnaan filter. This work unifies concepts from artificial intelligence and modern control theory.
Adaptive sensing resource allocation over multiple hypothesis tests

This paper considers multiple binary hypothesis tests with adaptive allocation of sensing resources from a shared budget over a small number of stages. A Bayesian formulation is provided for the multistage allocation problem of minimizing the sum of Bayes risks, which is then recast as a dynamic program. In the single-stage case, the problem is a non-convex optimization, for which an algorithm is presented that ensures a global minimum under a sufficient condition. In the mutistage case, the approximate dynamic programming method of open-loop feedback control is employed. The proposed allocation policies outperform alternative adaptive procedures when the numbers of true null and alternative hypotheses are not too imbalanced. In the case of few alternative hypotheses, the proposed policies are competitive using only a few stages of adaptation. In all cases substantial gains over non-adaptive sensing are observed.
cTPM: a cloud TPM for cross-device trusted applications

Current Trusted Platform Modules (TPMs) are illsuited for cross-device scenarios in trusted mobile applications because they hinder the seamless sharing of data across multiple devices. This paper presents cTPM, an extension of the TPM's design that adds an additional root key to the TPM and shares that root key with the cloud. As a result, the cloud can create and share TPM-protected keys and data across multiple devices owned by one user. Further, the additional key lets the cTPM allocate cloud-backed remote storage so that each TPM can benefit from a trusted real-time clock and high-performance, non-volatile storage.This paper shows that cTPM is practical, versatile, and easily applicable to trusted mobile applications. Our simple change to the TPM specification is viable because its fundamental concepts - a primary root key and off-chip, NV storage - are already found in the current specification, TPM 2.0. By avoiding a clean-slate redesign, we sidestep the difficult challenge of re-verifying the security properties of a new TPM design. We demonstrate cTPM's versatility with two case studies: extending Pasture with additional functionality, and reimplementing TrInc without the need for extra hardware.
Distances on cosmological scales with VLTI

We present here a new method using interferometric measurements of quasars, that allows the determination of direct geometrical distances on cosmic scales. Quasar Broad Emission Line Regions sizes provide a ‘meter rule’ with which to measure the metric of the Universe. This method is less dependent of model assumptions, and even of variations in the fundamental constants (other than c). We discuss the spectral and spatial requirements on the VLTI observations needed to carry out these measurements.
ILP Modulo Theories

We present Integer Linear Programming (ILP) Modulo Theories (IMT). An IMT instance is an Integer Linear Programming instance, where some symbols have interpretations in background theories. In previous work, the IMT approach has been applied to industrial synthesis and design problems with real-time constraints arising in the development of the Boeing 787. Many other problems ranging from operations research to software verification routinely involve linear constraints and optimization. Thus, a general ILP Modulo Theories framework has the potential to be widely applicable. The logical next step in the development of IMT and the main goal of this paper is to provide theoretical underpinnings. This is accomplished by means of BC(T), the Branch and Cut Modulo T abstract transition system. We show that BC(T) provides a sound and complete optimization procedure for the ILP Modulo T problem, as long as T is a decidable, stably-infinite theory. We compare a prototype of BC(T) against leading SMT solvers.
Third-order solution of an artificial-satellite theory

A third-order solution is developed for the motions of artificial satellites moving in the gravitational field of the Earth, whose potential includes the second-, third-, and fourth-order zonal harmonics. Third-order periodic perturbations with fourth-order secular perturbations are derived by Hori’s perturbations method. All quantities are expanded into power series of the eccentricity, but the solution is obtained so as to be closed with respect to the inclination. A comparison with the results of numerical integration of the equations of motion indicates that the solution can predict the position of a close-earth satellite with a small eccentricity with an accuracy of better than 1 cm over 1 month.
Elicit the Values of On- and Off-margin Consumers: Combining Choice Rankings and Auctions

Auctions are commonly used when a seller is unsure about the values that potential buyers attach to the object being sold. Bidders’ willingness to pay can be elicited in the form of bids. Many auctions are designed to be truth revealing such that bidders’ optimal strategy is to bid their true value. However, people sometimes do not bid sincerely; in particular off-margin bidders, whose values are far below or above the market-clearing price, are often observed not to bid sincerely (Shorgen et al. 2001). Low-value bidders might believe they will never win, while high-value bidders might believe they will never lose. Therefore, off-margin bidders often do not reveal their true values (Miller and Plott, 1985; Franciosi et al. 1993). For example, Knetsch et al. (2001) found that a second-price auction might not engage low-value bidders, whereas a ninth-price auction might not engage high value bidders. This paper presents a combined choice ranking and 11th-price sealed-bid auction mechanism which reveals the values of both on- and off- margin consumers for seven fruit products. Unlike experimental auctions that use lab-induced values to generate on- and off-margin bidders, the choice rankings reveal bidders’ preference and signal their relative positions on the value distributions. We found that low-value bidders tend not to bid attentively while high-value bidders place bids strongly agreeing with their rankings of the products. Our approach provides an effective mechanism to discriminate sincere bidders from casual bidders and improves the reliability of the elicitation of consumer valuations.
Magnetic helicity and the relaxation of fossil fields

In the absence of an active dynamo, purely poloidal magnetic field configurations are unstable to large-scale dynamical perturbations, and decay via reconnection on an Alfvenic time-scale. Nevertheless, a number of classes of dynamo-free stars do exhibit significant, long-lived, surface magnetic fields. Numerical simulations suggest that the large-scale poloidal field in these systems is stabilized by a toroidal component of the field in the stellar interior. Using the principle of conservation of total helicity, we develop a variational principle for computing the structure of the magnetic field inside a conducting sphere surrounded by an insulating vacuum. We show that, for a fixed total helicity, the minimum energy state corresponds to a force-free configuration. We find a simple class of axisymmetric solutions, parametrized by angular and radial quantum numbers. However, these solutions have a discontinuity in the toroidal magnetic field at the stellar surface which will exert a toroidal stress on the surface of the star. We then describe two other classes of solutions, the standard spheromak solutions and ones with fixed surface magnetic fields, the latter being relevant for neutron stars with rigid crusts. We discuss the implications of our results for the structure of neutron star magnetic fields, the decay of fields, and the origin of variability and outbursts in magnetars.
Checks and balances in utility regulation - the U.K. experience

In the United States the courts have long been involved in the oversight of regulators. In the United Kingdom, which created its utility regulators from scratch in the 1980s, an alternative system was sought. This system centers on three concerns: the procedure followed by the regulator, the substance of the decisions, and the acceptability of the decisions to the public. Three main institutions have oversight roles: the Competition Commission (formerly the Monopolies and Mergers Commission), parliamentary select committees, and the courts. This Note reviews the roles of these institutions.
Triazole–gold promoted intermolecular propargyl alcohol addition to alkyne: the reaction cascade toward substituted allenes

Gold-catalyzed intermolecular propargyl alcohol addition to alkyne was achieved. The reaction of propargyl alcohol with a typical gold catalyst gave the hydration product almost exclusively. The triazole gold catalyst (TA–Au) successfully prevented the hydration, giving the vinyl ether followed by a 3,3-rearrangement. Synthetically useful substituted allenes were formed with high efficiency, substrate tolerability and chemoselectivity. Also, more than 95% chirality transfer from propargyl alcohol to allene was obtained.
The Effect of Uncertainty on Pollution Control Policy

I study a class of differential games of pollution control with profit functions that are polynomial in the global pollution stock. Given an emissions path satisfying mild regularity conditions, a simple polynomial ambient transfer scheme is exhibited that induces it in Markov-perfect equilibrium (MPE). Proposed transfers are a polynomial function of the difference between actual and desired pollution levels; moreover, they are designed so that in MPE no tax or subsidy is ever levied. Their applicability under stochastic pollution dynamics is studied for a symmetric game of polluting oligopolists with linear demand. I discuss a quadratic scheme that induces agents to adopt Markovian emissions strategies that are stationary and linear-decreasing in total pollution. Total expected ambient transfers are always non-positive and increase linearly in volatility and the absolute value of the slope of the inverse demand function. However, if the regulator is interested in inducing a constant emissions strategy then, in expectation, transfers vanish.
The Drivers of Non-Revenue Water : How Effective are Non-Revenue Water Reduction Programs?

To many, reducing water losses is seen as key to more sustainable water management. The arguments to reduce water losses are compelling, but reducing water losses has turned out to be challenging. This paper applies a panel data analysis with fixed effects to determine the major drivers of non-revenue water, which is define as the volume of water losses per kilometer of network per day. The analysis uses data from the International Benchmarking Network for Water and Sanitation Utilities, covering utilities in 68 countries between 2006 and 2011. The analysis finds that non-revenue water is driven by many factors. Some of the most important drivers are beyond the control of the utility, such as population density per kilometer of network, the type of distribution network, and the length of the network, which are largely the result of urbanization and settlement patterns in the localities that the utility serves. The opportunity costs of water losses are also key in explaining what drives non-revenue water. The paper finds that very low opportunity costs of water losses have an adverse effect on the reduction of non-revenue water. Country fixed effects turn out to be important, meaning that the environment in which the utility operates has an important impact on non-revenue water levels. An important conclusion is that the design of non-revenue water reduction programs should study the main drivers of non-revenue water to provide utility managers with a better understanding of what can be achieved in terms of non-revenue water reduction and whether the benefits of these reductions exceed their costs.
Resurgence and dynamics of O(N) and Grassmannian sigma models

We study the non-perturbative dynamics of the two dimensional O(N ) and Grassmannian sigma models by using compactification with twisted boundary conditions on $$ \mathbb{R}\times {S}^1 $$ , semi-classical techniques and resurgence. While the O(N) model has no instantons for N > 3, it has (non-instanton) saddles on $$ {\mathbb{R}}^2 $$ , which we call 2d-saddles. On $$ \mathbb{R}\times {S}^1 $$ , the resurgent relation between perturbation theory and non-perturbative physics is encoded in new saddles, which are associated with the affine root system of the o(N ) algebra. These events may be viewed as fractionalizations of the 2d-saddles. The first beta function coefficient, given by the dual Coxeter number, can then be intepreted as the sum of the multiplicities (dual Kac labels) of these fractionalized objects. Surprisingly, the new saddles in O(N ) models in compactified space are in one-to-one correspondence with monopole-instanton saddles in SO(N ) gauge theory on $$ {\mathbb{R}}^3\times {S}^1 $$ . The Grassmannian sigma models Gr(N, M ) have 2d instantons, which fractionalize into N kink-instantons. The small circle dynamics of both sigma models can be described as a dilute gas of the one-events and two-events, bions. One-events are the leading source of a variety of non-perturbative effects, and produce the strong scale of the 2d theory in the compactified theory. We show that in both types of sigma models the neutral bion emulates the role of IR-renormalons. We also study the topological theta angle dependence in both the O(3) model and Gr(N, M ), and describe the multi-branched structure of the observables in terms of the theta-angle dependence of the saddle amplitudes, providing a microscopic argument for Haldane’s conjecture.