cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Liquids with Chiral Bond Order

I describe new phases of a chiral liquid crystal with nematic and hexatic order. I find a conical phase, similar to that of a cholesteric in an applied magnetic field for Frank elastic constants K 2 > K 3 . I discuss the role of fluctuations in the context of this phase and the possibility of satisfying the inequality for sufficiently long polymers. In addition I derive the topological constraint relating defects in the bond order field to textures of the nematic and elucidate its physical meaning. Finally I make the analogy between smectic liquid crystals and chiral hexatics and propose a defect-riddled ground state, akin to the Renn-Lubensky twist grain boundary phase of chiral smectics.
A system-theoretic appropriate realization of the empty matrix concept

An algebraic realization of the empty matrix concept that is appropriate for system-theoretic applications is proposed. The utility of the realization of the empty matrix concept and the deficiencies of the current MATLAB realization of this concept are demonstrated using examples. These examples fully delineate how the empty matrix concept can be utilized to transparently handle static and for single-vector-input, single-vector-output systems within the more general context of dynamic, two-vector-input, two-vector-output systems. >
Potential Games with Continuous Player Sets

Abstract We study potential games with continuous player sets, a class of games characterized by an externality symmetry condition. Examples of these games include random matching games with common payoffs and congestion games. We offer a simple description of equilibria which are locally stable under a broad class of evolutionary dynamics, and prove that behavior converges to Nash equilibrium from all initial conditions. We consider a subclass of potential games in which evolution leads to efficient play. Finally, we show that the games studied here are the limits of convergent sequences of the finite player potential games studied by Monderer and Shapley [22]. Journal of Economic Literature Classification Numbers: C72, C73, D62, R41.
Living at the Edge: A Large Deviations Approach to the Outage MIMO Capacity

A large deviations approach is introduced, which calculates the probability density and outage probability of the multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) mutual information, and is valid for large antenna numbers N . In contrast to previous asymptotic methods that only focused on the distribution close to its most probable value, this methodology obtains the full distribution, including its non-Gaussian tails. The resulting distribution interpolates between the Gaussian approximation for rates R close its mean and the asymptotic distribution for large signal-to-noise ratios (SNRs) ρ . For large enough N, this method provides the outage probability over the whole (R, ρ) parameter space. The presented analytic results agree very well with numerical simulations over a wide range of outage probabilities, even for small N. In addition, the outage probability thus obtained is more robust over a wide range of ρ and R than either the Gaussian or the large-ρ approximations, providing an attractive alternative in calculating the probability density of the MIMO mutual information. Interestingly, this method also yields the eigenvalue density constrained in the subset where the mutual information is fixed to R for given ρ. Quite remarkably, this eigenvalue density has the form of the Marcenko-Pastur distribution with square-root singularities.
A linear-optical proof that the permanent is #P-hard

One of the crown jewels of complexity theory is Valiant9s theorem that computing the permanent of an n × n matrix is # P -hard. Here we show that, by using the model of linear-optical quantum computing —and in particular, a universality theorem owing to Knill, Laflamme and Milburn—one can give a different and arguably more intuitive proof of this theorem.
Elliptic curves with a lower bound on 2-Selmer ranks of quadratic twists

For any number field K with a complex place, we present an infinite family of elliptic curves defined over K such that dimF2 Sel2(E F /K) ≥ dimF2 E F (K)(2) + r2 for every quadratic twist E F of every curve E in this family, where r2 is the number of complex places of K. This provides a counterexample to a conjecture appearing in work of Mazur and Rubin.
Diversity analysis of peaky FSK signaling in fading channels

Error performance of noncoherent detection of on-off frequency shift keying (OOFSK) modulation over fading channels is analyzed when the receiver is equipped with multiple antennas. The analysis is conducted for two cases: 1) the case in which the receiver has the channel distribution knowledge only; and 2) the case in which the receiver perfectly knows the fading magnitudes. For both cases, the maximum a posteriori probability (MAP) detection rule is derived and analytical probability of error expressions are obtained. Numerical and simulation results indicate that for sufficiently low duty cycle values, lower error probabilities with respect to FSK signaling are achieved. Equivalently, when compared to FSK modulation, OOFSK with low duty cycle requires less energy to achieve the same probability of error, which renders this modulation a more energy efficient transmission technique. Also, through numerical results, the impact of number of antennas, antenna correlation, duty cycle values, and unknown channel fading on the performance are investigated.
Design, Synthesis, and Biochemical Evaluation of 1,5,6,7-Tetrahydro-6,7-dioxo-9-d-Ribitylaminolumazines Bearing Alkyl Phosphate Substituents as Inhibitors of Lumazine Synthase and Riboflavin Synthase.

The last two steps in the biosynthesis of riboflavin, an essential metabolite that is involved in electron transport, are catalyzed by lumazine synthase and riboflavin synthase. To obtain structural probes and inhibitors of these two enzymes, two ribityllumazinediones bearing alkyl phosphate substituents were synthesized. The synthesis involved the generation of the ribityl side chain, the phosphate side chain, and the lumazine system in protected form, followed by the simultaneous removal of three different types of protecting groups. The products were designed as intermediate analogue inhibitors of lumazine synthase that would bind to its phosphate-binding site as well as its lumazine binding site. Both compounds were found to be effective inhibitors of Bacillus subtilis lumazine synthase as well as Escherichia coli riboflavin synthase. Molecular modeling of the binding of one of the two compounds provided a structural explanation for how these compounds are able to effectively inhibit both enzymes. In ...
Three-dimensional morphology and gene expression in the Drosophila blastoderm at cellular resolution II: dynamics.

Background To accurately describe gene expression and computationally model animal transcriptional networks, it is essential to determine the changing locations of cells in developing embryos.
Bankshot: caching slow storage in fast non-volatile memory

Emerging non-volatile storage (e.g., Phase Change Memory, STTRAM) allow access to persistent data at latencies an order of magnitude lower than SSDs. The density and price gap between NVMs and denser storage make NVM economically most suitable as a cache for larger, more conventional storage (i.e., NAND flashbased SSDs and disks). Existing storage caching architectures (even those that use fast flash-based SSDs) introduce significant software overhead that can obscure the performance benefits of faster memories. We propose Bankshot, a caching architecture that allows cache hits to bypass the OS (and the associated software overheads) entirely, while relying on the OS for heavy-weight operations like servicing misses and performing write backs. We evaluate several design decisions in Bankshot including different cache management policies and different levels of hardware, software support for tracking dirty data and maintaining meta-data. We find that with hardware support Bankshot can offer upto 5x speedup over conventional caching systems.
Compositions inside a rectangle and unimodality

Let c k,l (n) be the number of compositions (ordered partitions) of the integer n whose Ferrers diagram fits inside a k×l rectangle. The purpose of this note is to give a simple, algebraic proof of a conjecture of Vatter that the sequence c k,l (0),c k,l (1),?,c k,l (kl) is unimodal. The problem of giving a combinatorial proof of this fact is discussed, but is still open.
Ocean planet or thick atmosphere: On the mass-radius relationship for solid exoplanets with massive atmospheres

The bulk composition of an exoplanet is commonly inferred from its average density. For small planets, however, the average density is not unique within the range of compositions. Variations of a number of important planetary parameters—whicharedifficultorimpossibletoconstrainfrommeasurementsalone—produceplanetswiththesame averagedensitiesbutwidelyvaryingbulkcompositions.Wefindthataddingagasenvelopeequivalentto0.1%Y10% of the mass of a solid planet causes the radius to increase 5%Y60% above its gas-free value. A planet with a given mass and radius might have substantial water ice content (a so-called ocean planet), or alternatively alarge rocky iron coreandsomeHand/orHe.Forexample,awidevarietyof compositionscanexplaintheobservedradiusof GJ436b, althoughallmodelsrequiresomeH/He.Weconcludethattheidentificationof waterworldsbasedonthemass-radius relationship alone is impossible unless a significant gas layer can be ruled out by other means. Subject headingg planets and satellites: general — planetary systems — stars: individual (GJ 436) Online material: color figures
Quantum anomalous Hall state in bilayer graphene

We present a symmetry-based analysis of competition between different gapped states that have been proposed in bilayer graphene (BLG), which are all degenerate on a mean-field level. We classify the states in terms of a hidden SU(4) symmetry, and distinguish symmetry-protected degeneracies from accidental degeneracies. One of the states, which spontaneously breaks discrete time-reversal symmetry but no continuous symmetry, is identified as a quantum anomalous Hall (QAH) state, which exhibits quantum Hall effect at zero magnetic field. We investigate the lifting of the accidental degeneracies by thermal and zero-point fluctuations, taking account of the modes softened under renormalization group (RG). Working in a ``saddle point plus quadratic fluctuations'' approximation, we identify two types of RG-soft modes which have competing effects. Zero-point fluctuations, dominated by ``transverse'' modes which are unique to BLG, favor the QAH state. Thermal fluctuations, dominated by ``longitudinal'' modes, favor a SU(4) symmetry-breaking multiplet of states. We discuss the phenomenology and experimental signatures of the QAH state in BLG, and also propose a way to induce the QAH state using weak external magnetic fields.
Effect of camber on the aerodynamics of adaptive-wing micro air vehicles

Four microair vehicle wind-tunnel models were built with 3, 6, 9, and 12% camber, all based upon the S5010-TOP24C-REF thin, cambered-plate airfoil. These models were tested in the Low Speed Wind Tunnel at angles of attack ranging from 0 to 35 deg and velocities of 5, 7.5, and 10 m/s, corresponding to mean aerodynamic chord Reynolds numbers of 5 × 10 4 , 7.5 × 10 4 , and 1 x 10 5 , respectively. Aerodynamic coefficients C L , C D , C M and lift-to-drag ratio (LID) were obtained and plotted vs angle of attack for all of the cambers at each velocity
The structure of the nucleon: Elastic electromagnetic form factors

Precise proton and neutron form factor measurements at Jefferson Lab, using spin observables, have recently made a significant contribution to the unraveling of the internal structure of the nucleon. Accurate experimental measurements of the nucleon form factors are a test-bed for understanding how the nucleon’s static properties and dynamical behavior emerge from QCD, the theory of the strong interactions between quarks. There has been enormous theoretical progress, since the publication of the Jefferson Lab proton form factor ratio data, aiming at reevaluating the picture of the nucleon. We will review the experimental and theoretical developments in this field and discuss the outlook for the future.
2-Aminothiazoles: A new class of agonist allosteric enhancers of A1 adenosine receptors

Abstract This report describes the synthesis and structure–activity relationships of a new class of A1 adenosine receptor agonist allosteric enhancers, 2-aminothiazolium salts. The EC50 of compounds 6a, 6b, 7, and 8 were 0.3, 4.5, 3.8, and 1.2 μM, substantially lower than that of the ‘Gold Standard’ 2-amino-3-benzoyl thiophene (PD 81,723), which has an EC50 of 38 μM.
Côte d'Ivoire's Infrastructure: A Continental Perspective

Infrastructure contributed 1.8 percentage points to Cote d'Ivoire's annual per capita GDP growth over the mid-2000s before conflict began to erase the country's infrastructure and its growth contributions. Raising the country's infrastructure endowment to the level of the region's middle-income countries could boost the growth rate by a further 2 percentage points. Private sector contracts signed in the 1990s resulted in improved operational performance and funding for investments in the water, power, transport, and ICT sectors. Impressively, those contracts survived the crisis and delivered uninterrupted service. But private investment flows have decreased since the mid-2000s. Cote d'Ivoire's most pressing infrastructural challenge will be to regain the financial equilibrium needed to restore a reliable energy supply. Reestablishing the prominence of Abidjan's port will require investments in terminal capacity and road and rail infrastructure upgrades on hinterland linkages. The underfunding of road maintenance and poor sanitation are additional challenges. Cote d'Ivoire's annual infrastructure spending was $750 million in the mid-2000s, with going to power sector operations and maintenance. If the underpricing of power and other inefficiencies (valued at $200 million annually) were eliminated, the countrys annual infrastructure funding gap would amount to $1 billion, and infrastructure goals could be reached within 20 years. Cote d'Ivoire's has relatively good prospects for bridging its funding gap by raising public investment from its low current level, choosing more efficient technologies, and harnessing additional private investment for infrastructure.
Renegotiation of Listing Contracts, Seller Opportunism and Efficiency: An Economic Analysis

When a property owner engages a real estate broker to sell his or her property, the parties enter into a listing contract which entitles the broker to a commission if a ready, willing and able buyer is found before the contract expires. While a limit on the duration of the contract provides the broker with an incentive to work hard to find a buyer, it also creates the potential for seller opportunism. In particular, sellers have an incentive to renegotiate a lower commission as the end of the contract approaches. The paper concludes that, from an efficiency perspective, courts should generally enforce such renegotiations, given that transaction costs between brokers and sellers are ordinarily low.
Diastereoselective Synthesis of C3‐Quaternary Indolenines Using α,β‐Unsaturated N‐Aryl Ketonitrones and Activated Alkynes

Title compounds, obtained by reaction of readily available α,β-unsaturated N-aryl ketonitrones and activated alkynes, are potentially applicable to the synthesis of complex indole alkaloids and related compounds.
AdS dual of the critical O(N) vector model

Abstract We suggest a general relation between theories of infinite number of higher-spin massless gauge fields in AdS d +1 and large N conformal theories in d dimensions containing N -component vector fields. In particular, we propose that the singlet sector of the well-known critical 3-d O ( N ) model with the ( φ a φ a ) 2 interaction is dual, in the large N limit, to the minimal bosonic theory in AdS 4 containing massless gauge fields of even spin.
Parameter identifiability of multichannel ARMA models of linear non-Gaussian signals via cumulant matching

The problem of estimating the parameters of a vector, stationary, ARMA (p,q) signal model driven by an i.i.d. vector non-Gaussian sequence is considered. The focus of the paper is the problem of parameter identifiability of multichannel ARMA models given the higher order cumulants of the signal on a finite set of lags. The authors specify the finite lag set for general ARMA (p,q) models. The approach is to first derive the basic results via a diagonal canonical form and then to extend the parameter identifiability results to other (more parsimonious) canonical forms.
Perinatal, Infant, and Child Death Rates among the Old Order Amish

The Old Order Amish are a distinct ethnic group with a very high birth rate and patterns of perinatal risk factors quite different from those of the general population. This study reports marital fertility and perinatal, infant, and child death rates for an entire Amish settlement of approximately 10,000 individuals, centered around Geauga County, Ohio. All 6,623 births from 1948 to 1988 listed in a directory of Geauga Settlement Amish households were studied. The childbearing experience of all 475 married women over the age of 44 years was also described. Women aged > 44 years had a median of 8.3 births; 24% of the births were to women aged > 34 years. Despite a higher prevalence of several risk factors for perinatal and infant death among the Amish, neonatal and infant death rates for Geauga Settlement Amish have been very similar to the corresponding rates for white children in rural Ohio and the state as a whole. The beneficial aspects of Amish society that may lessen the impact of perinatal risk factors on mortality merit further study.
High-speed water jets from vertically accelerated rotating cones

Water jets are produced by vertically accelerating a rotating cone partially filled with water. It is shown that the acceleration of the parabolic meniscus results in a motion similar to that observed in a shaped explosive charge (Monroe jet). Acceleration of the cone is effected by means of an inductive electromagnetic accelerating device (conical pinch) whose theory is developed in terms of the WKB approximation. A second-order inviscid theory for the motion of the fluid in the cone in terms of the Penney-Price linearization procedure is presented and it is shown that good agreement for the jet head velocity can be achieved for low velocities. At higher velocities, experimental results appear to lag behind the theoretical ones, probably owing to the dispersal of the jet head through viscous drag with the surrounding atmosphere. The shape of the jet at early times is well represented by first-order theory.
Sampling Telephone Numbers and Adults, Interview Length, and Weighting in The California Health Interview Survey Cell Phone Pilot Study

This article describes several features included in a Cal- ifornia Health Interview Survey cell phone pilot study that differ from earlier cell phone surveys conducted in the United States. One differ- ence is that the study used a screening design and only adults living in cell-only households were interviewed. Most of the previous studies used dual frame designs. Another difference was the development and implementation of a within-household adult sampling procedure to cover adults when cell phones were shared in the household. The study was also intended to determine if conducting a cell phone interview of the same scope and length as a regular telephone interview was feasible. Most pre- vious surveys were focused on cell phone topics and were shorter than the comparable landline surveys. We then explore some interesting problems that arise in weighting a cell phone survey using a screening design. We conclude with a discussion of planning a new cell phone survey in 2007 that incorporates findings from this study.
Error bands for impulse responses

We show how correctly to extend known methods for generating error bands in reduced form VAR's to overidentified models. We argue that the conventional pointwise bands common in the literature should be supplemented with measures of shape uncertainty, and we show how to generate such measures. We focus on bands that characterize the shape of the likelihood. Such bands are not classical confidence regions. We explain that classical confidence regions mix information about parameter location with information about model fit, and hence can be misleading as summaries of the implications of the data for the location of parameters. Because classical confidence regions also present conceptual and computational problems in multivariate time series models, we suggest that likelihood-based bands, rather than approximate confidence bands based on asymptotic theory, be standard in reporting results for this type of model.
How banks go abroad: Branches or subsidiaries?

The authors examine the factors that influence banks' type of organizational form when operating in foreign markets using an original database of the branches and subsidiaries in Latin America and Eastern Europe of the top 100 international banks. They find that regulation, taxation, the degree of desired penetration in the local market, and host-country economic and political risks matter. Banks are more likely to operate as branches in countries that have higher corporate taxes and when they face lower regulatory restrictions on bank entry, in general, and on foreign branches, in particular. Subsidiaries are the preferred organizational form by banks that seek to penetrate the local market establishing large and mostly retail operations. Finally, there is evidence that economic and political risks have opposite effects on the type of organizational form, suggesting that legal differences in the degree of parent bank responsibility vis-a-vis branches and subsidiaries under different risk scenarios play an important role in the kind of operations international banks maintain overseas
SOME OBSERVATIONS ON LOCAL AND PROJECTIVE HYPERSURFACES

Let $R$ be a hypersurface in an equicharacteristic or unramified regular local ring. For a pair of modules $(M,N)$ over $R$ we study applications of rigidity of $\Tor^R(M,N)$, based on ideas by Huneke, Wiegand and Jothilingam. We then focus on the hypersurfaces with isolated singularity and even dimension, and show that modules over such rings behave very much like those over regular local rings. Connections and applications to projective hypersurfaces such as intersections of subvarieties and cohomological criteria for splitting of vector bundles are discussed.
Communication and synchronization in, disconnected networks with dynamic topology: moving neighborhood networks.

We consider systems that are well modelled as networks that evolve in time, which we call Moving Neighborhood Networks. These models are relevant in studying cooperative behavior of swarms and other phenomena where emergent interactions arise from ad hoc networks. In a natural way, the time-averaged degree distribution gives rise to a scale-free network. Simulations show that although the network may have many noncommunicating components, the recent weighted time-averaged communication is sufficient to yield robust synchronization of chaotic oscillators. In particular, we contend that such time-varying networks are important to model in the situation where each agent carries a pathogen (such as a disease) in which the pathogen's life-cycle has a natural time-scale which competes with the time-scale of movement of the agents, and thus with the networks communication channels.
Trading Relative Performance with Alpha Indexes

Relative performance is central to investment management, and yet relative performance securities do not trade directly. Complex trading strategies must be devised to capture relative gains. The authors introduce a suite of relative performance indexes and index derivatives that offer new and attractive payoff structures. They demonstrate a variety of ways in which these products can provide a more efficient and cost-effective means of realizing investment objectives than can traditional futures and option markets.
Laryngopharyngeal reflux: paradigms for evaluation, diagnosis, and treatment.

Objective:This study aimed to describe current patterns for diagnosis and treatment of laryngopharyngeal reflux (LPR) and analyze differences between laryngologists and non-laryngologists.Methods:A...
Chameleons in Imagined Conversations: A New Approach to Understanding Coordination of Linguistic Style in Dialogs

Conversational participants tend to immediately and unconsciously adapt to each other's language styles: a speaker will even adjust the number of articles and other function words in their next utterance in response to the number in their partner's immediately preceding utterance. This striking level of coordination is thought to have arisen as a way to achieve social goals, such as gaining approval or emphasizing difference in status. But has the adaptation mechanism become so deeply embedded in the language-generation process as to become a reflex? We argue that fictional dialogs offer a way to study this question, since authors create the conversations but don't receive the social benefits (rather, the imagined characters do). Indeed, we find significant coordination across many families of function words in our large movie-script corpus. We also report suggestive preliminary findings on the effects of gender and other features; e.g., surprisingly, for articles, on average, characters adapt more to females than to males.
Rough solutions of the Einstein-vacuum equations

This is the first in a series of papers in which we initiate the study of very rough solutions to the initial value problem for the Einstein-vacuum equations expressed relative to wave coordinates. By very rough we mean solutions which cannot be constructed by the classical techniques of energy estimates and Sobolev inequalities. Following [Kl-Ro] we develop new analytic methods based on Strichartz-type inequalities which result in a gain of half a derivative relative to the classical result. Our methods blend paradifferential techniques with a geometric approach to the derivation of decay estimates. The latter allows us to take full advantage of the specific structure of the Einstein equations.
Practical synthesis of enantiomerically pure myo-inositol derivatives

Abstract The synthesis of enantiomerically pure myo-inositol derivatives is accomplished using a mandelic acid-derived acyl protecting group.
A Gamma-Ray Burst Trigger Toolkit

The detection rate of a gamma-ray burst detector can be increased by using a count rate trigger with many accumulation times DELTAt and energy bands DELTAE Because a burst's peak flux varies when averaged over different DELTAt and DELTAE the nominal sensitivity (the numerical value of the peak flux) of a trigger system is less important than how much fainter a burst could be at the detection threshold as DELTAt and DELTAE are changed. The relative sensitivity of different triggers can be quantified by referencing the detection threshold back to the peak flux for a fiducial value of DELTAt and DELTA E. This mapping between peak flux values for different sets of DELTAt and DELTAE varies from burst to burst. Quantitative estimates of the burst detection rate for a given detector and trigger system can be based on the observed rate at a measured peak flux value in this fiducial trigger. Predictions of a proposed trigger's burst detection rate depend on the assumed burst population, and these predictions can be wildly in error for triggers that differ significantly from previous missions. I base the fiducial rate on the BATSE observations: 550 bursts per sky above a peak flux of 0.3 ph per square centimeter per second averaged over DELTAt=1.024 sec and DELTAE=50-300 keV. Using a sample of 100 burst lightcurves I find that triggering on any value of DELTAt that is a multiple of 0.064 sec decreases the average threshold peak flux on the 1.024 sec timescale by a factor of 0.6. Extending DELTAE to lower energies includes the large flux of the X-ray background, increasing the background count rate. Consequently a low energy DELTAE is advantageous only for very soft bursts. Whether a large fraction of the population of bright bursts is soft is disputed; the new population of X-ray Flashes is soft but relatively faint.
Do Retail Trades Move Markets

We study the trading of individual investors using transaction data and identifying buyer- or seller-initiated trades. We document four results: (1) Small trade order imbalance correlates well with order imbalance based on trades from retail brokers. (2) Individual investors herd. (3) When measured annually, small trade order imbalance forecasts future returns; stocks heavily bought underperform stocks heavily sold by 4.4 percentage points the following year. (4) Over a weekly horizon, small trade order imbalance reliably predicts returns, but in the opposite direction; stocks heavily bought one week earn strong returns the subsequent week, while stocks heavily sold earn poor returns.
Pharmacological analysis of the rat cone electroretinogram.

The electroretinogram (ERG) of the cone system provides a useful noninvasive measure of the activity of the cone pathway. Despite a wide application of the cone ERG in the study of rodent models of human hereditary retinal disease, the cellular origins of the rat cone ERG have not been well defined. Here, we address this issue using a pharmacological approach that has been used previously to derive ERG response components. Agents that impair synaptic transmission at well-defined retinal loci were dissolved in saline and injected into the vitreous of adult Sprague-Dawley rats anesthetized with ketamine/xylazine, and cone ERGs were recorded approximately 2 h later. Analysis of the resulting waveforms indicated that the rat cone ERG includes a relatively small-amplitude component of negative polarity that is derived from the activity of cone photoreceptors, and perhaps retinal glial (Muller) cells. The cone depolarizing bipolar cell pathway contributes a positive potential of large amplitude to the rat cone ERG. In comparison, the contribution of hyperpolarizing bipolar cells is of negative polarity and of much smaller amplitude. The inner retina contributes a negative wave upon which higher frequency oscillations are superimposed. These results provide a foundation for interpreting changes in the waveform of the rat cone ERG that may be observed following genetic alteration or other experimental treatment.
Thirty-five-year trends in cardiovascular risk factors in Finland

Background In the late 1960s, coronary heart disease (CHD) mortality among Finnish men was the highest in the world. From 1972 to 2007, risk factor surveys have been carried out to monitor risk factor trends and assess their contribution to declining mortality in Finland. Methods The first risk factor survey was carried out in the North Karelia and Kuopio provinces in 1972 as the basis for the evaluation of the North Karelia Project. Since then, up to five geographical areas have been included in the surveys. The target population has been persons aged 25-74 years, except in the first two surveys where the sample was drawn from a population aged 30-59 years. Risk factor contribution on mortality change was assessed by a logistic regression model. Results A remarkable decline in serum cholesterol levels was observed between 1972 and 2007. Blood pressure declined among both men and women until 2002 but levelled off during the last 5 years. Prevalence of smoking decreased among men. Among women, smoking increased throughout the survey years until 2002 but did not increase between 2002 and 2007. Body mass index (BMI) has continuously increased among men. Among women, BMI decreased until 1982, but since then an increasing trend has been observed. Risk factor changes explained a 60% reduction in coronary mortality in middle-aged men while the observed reduction was 80%. Conclusions The 80% decline in coronary mortality in Finland mainly reflects a great reduction of the risk factor levels; these in turn have been associated with long-term comprehensive chronic disease prevention and health promotion interventions.
A software system for interventional magnetic resonance image-guided prostate brachytherapy.

Objective: Current prostatic brachytherapy implant procedures use ultrasound imaging for geometric guidance during surgery, with pre-surgical planning based on ultrasound images and post-surgical dosimetry based on computed tomography (CT). This procedure suffers from the poor soft-tissue contrast of ultrasound and CT and problems inherent in the repositioning of the patient at surgery. We have designed and implemented an integrated real-time imaging and treatment-planning software system that combines the superior soft-tissue contrast of magnetic resonance (MR) images with the real-time acquisition of those images for localization, verification, and dosimetric purposes. The system permits the surgeon and patient to complete all phases of treatment in one setting.Materials and Methods: We utilize an intra-operative MR unit that permits real-time imaging and stereotactic localization during a surgical procedure. Our software system integrates with the unit and features (i) a calibration schema to calibrate...
Passive Control of Overhead Cranes

The focus of this paper is on the design of optimal passive controllers for rest-to-rest maneuvers of flexible structures. The parameters of the passive controller are determined by formulating an optimization problem to minimize the integral of the time absolute error, subject to control constraints. Appropriate outputs are selected, resulting in passive input-output transfer functions for the plant. The design technique is first illustrated on the benchmark floating oscillator problem. This technique is then used to design dissipative controllers for two models of overhead cranes. In the first model, a crane has a cable/mass combination that is assumed to be a rigid link; in the second model, the wave equation is used to represent the dynamics of the cable. Numerical results illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed technique.
An application study for sizing and rating controlled and conventional series compensation

A step by step method for determining controlled and conventional series compensation requirements is developed. The Montana 500 kV transmission system is taken as an example in this study. A base transfer rating of 2200 MW for the system already exists, and it is assumed that as its power loading increases, controlled series compensation is needed to reinforce the system. Combination of conventional and thyristor-controlled series compensators (TCSCs) is considered as a means of increasing the system transfer capability. Powerflow and transient stability studies are performed to rate and size the series compensators. The TCSC reactance control capabilities are established for steady-state and transient conditions. An installation sequence is developed relating facility requirements to system loading.
Ranking multiple criteria alternatives with half-space, convex, and non-convex dominating cones: quasi-concave and quasi-convex multiple attribute utility functions

Abstract In this paper we introduce a quasi-concave nonlinear multiple attribute utility function (MAUF) to rank multiple criteria alternatives. We demonstrate that the quasi-concave MAUF (QCMAUF) is more general and flexible than additive, multiplicative, and multilinear MAUFs. New definitions of weights for QCMAUFs are developed that can be used to rank alternatives. It is shown that paired comparison questions can be used to generate local partial information on the weights. Definitions and procedures for ranking alternatives with complete local unique weights (by half-space cones), partial local information on unique weights (by convex cones), and non-unique local weights (by non-convex cones) are developed. They are all based on problems that can be solved by linear programming. It is shown that if the MAUF is quasi-convex, similar results can be stated. It is possible to determine whether the decision maker's behavior is quasi-concave or quasi-convex and use the appropriate theory to rank alternatives. Several examples are presented.
Stochastic Damage Evolution Modeling in Laminates

A stochastic mesomechanics model has been developed for damage accu mulation analysis in advanced laminated composites. The model is based on a theory of excursions of random process beyond the bounds. Stochastic strains in the laminate sub jected to random Gaussian inplane loading are calculated using lamination theory and random functions theory. Probabilistic variation of stiffness and strength characteristics of plies is used in the analysis. A stochastic version of the maximum strain failure criterion is applied for damage probability calculation. A mesovolume concept is utilized in model ing stiffness degradation. The capabilities of the model are illustrated by predictions of damage accumulation and failure in a Kevlar®/epoxy [0/ 4 30/90]. laminate under quasi stationary, longterm stationary, and cyclic loading. Effects of loading rate, deviation, sta tionary level, and cyclic amplitude on damage evolution are discussed. Inversion of the in fluence of loading deviation on laminate strength with var...
Electronic structure of a realistic model of amorphous graphene

In this note, we calculate the electronic properties of a realistic atomistic model of amorphous graphene. The model contains odd-membered rings, particularly five and seven membered rings and no coordination defects. We show that odd-membered rings increase the electronic density of states at the Fermi level relative to crystalline graphene; a honeycomb lattice with semi-metallic character. Some graphene samples contain amorphous regions, which even at small concentrations, may strongly affect many of the exotic properties of crystalline graphene, which arise because of the linear dispersion and semi-metallic character of perfectly crystalline graphene. Estimates are given for the density of states at the Fermi level using a tight-binding model for the π states.
Cryogenic Loss Monitors with FPGA TDC Signal Processing

Radiation hard helium gas ionization chambers capable of operating in vacuum at temperatures ranging from 5K to 350K have been designed, fabricated and tested and will be used inside the cryostats at Fermilab's Superconducting Radiofrequency beam test facility. The chamber vessels are made of stainless steel and all materials used including seals are known to be radiation hard and suitable for operation at 5K. The chambers are designed to measure radiation up to 30 kRad/hr with sensitivity of approximately 1.9 pA/(Rad/hr). The signal current is measured with a recycling integrator current-to-frequency converter to achieve a required measurement capability for low current and a wide dynamic range. A novel scheme of using an FPGA-based time-to-digital converter (TDC) to measure time intervals between pulses output from the recycling integrator is employed to ensure a fast beam loss response along with a current measurement resolution better than 10-bit. This paper will describe the results obtained and highlight the processing techniques used.
Simulation of complex phenomena in optical fibres

Optical fibres are essential for many types of highly multiplexed and precision spectroscopy. The success of the new generation of multifibre instruments under construction to investigate fundamental problems in cosmology, such as the nature of dark energy, requires accurate modellization of the fibre system to achieve their signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) goals. Despite their simple construction, fibres exhibit unexpected behaviour including non-conservation of etendue (focal ratio degradation, FRD) and modal noise. Furthermore, new fibre geometries (non-circular or tapered) have become available to improve the scrambling properties that, together with modal noise, limit the achievable SNR in precision spectroscopy. These issues have often been addressed by extensive tests on candidate fibres and their terminations, but these are difficult and time-consuming. Modelling by ray tracing and wave analysis is possible with commercial software packages, but these do not address the more complex features, in particular FRD. We use a phase-tracking ray-tracing method to provide a practical description of FRD derived from our previous experimental work on circular fibres and apply it to non-standard fibres. This allows the relationship between scrambling and FRD to be quantified for the first time. We find that scrambling primarily affects the shape of the near-field pattern but has negligible effect on the barycentre. FRD helps to homogenize the near-field pattern but does not make it completely uniform. Fibres with polygonal cross-section improve scrambling without amplifying the FRD. Elliptical fibres, in conjunction with tapering, may offer an efficient means of image slicing to improve the product of resolving power and throughput, but the result is sensitive to the details of illumination. We also investigated the performance of fibres close to the limiting numerical aperture since this may affect the uniformity of the SNR for some prime focus fibre instrumentation.
Radical Cyclizations of Acylgermanes. New Reagent Equivalents of the Carbonyl Radical Acceptor Synthon

An in depth study of the capability of acylgermanes to function as acceptors in radical cyclizations is reported. Radicals add to acylgermanes, and rapid fragmentation of the resulting α-germylalkoxy radicals provides ketones and germyl radicals. The germyl radicals in turn propagate the chain by addition or abstraction, so the reaction occurs by a unimolecular chain transfer (UMCT) process. In contrast, acylsilanes also function as radical acceptors, but they do not participate in UMCT processes because a “radical-Brook” rearrangement intervenes. Cyclizations in 5-exo and 6-exo modes show good to excellent scope, and rate constants for cyclization can be varied over 2 orders of magnitude by changing the germanium substituents. Acyltriarylgermanes are among the best radical acceptors yet identified, and this quality makes them superior reagent equivalents of the carbonyl radical acceptor synthon. Parent cyclizations in the 4-exo and 7-exo modes fail. Attempted 3-exo cyclization results in a 1,2-acyl shift...
Fast and Accurate Statistical Static Timing Analysis with Skewed Process Parameter Variation

This paper presents a fast and accurate statistical static timing analysis method that supports skewed non-Gaussian process parameter variations. First, we propose modeling of non-Gaussian sources of variation using a Skew-Normal random variable which can represent a large class of non-Gaussian distributions such as Log-Normal and Poisson. Second, we present a linear gate delay model in terms of this Skew-Normal as well as Gaussian parameters. Third, we approximate arrival times as skewed random variables in an effort to simply capture the shape of the arrival times without loss of accuracy. A proposed linear encoding of skewed arrival times enables computing the exact analytical expression for the MAX of arrival times as well as for their first three moments which can be evaluated in an efficient manner. Overall, calculation of the MAX operation is done efficiently (i.e., comparable to the fastest-known Gaussian linear approximation of Clark) with high accuracy and restriction-free for a realistic representation of non-Gaussian process parameters.
Broadcast Channels With Cooperating Decoders

We consider the problem of communicating over the general discrete memoryless broadcast channel (DMBC) with partially cooperating receivers. In our setup, receivers are able to exchange messages over noiseless conference links of finite capacities, prior to decoding the messages sent from the transmitter. In this paper, we formulate the general problem of broadcast with cooperation. We first find the capacity region for the case where the BC is physically degraded. Then, we give achievability results for the general broadcast channel, for both the two independent messages case and the single common message case
Issuer Quality and Corporate Bond Returns

We show that the credit quality of corporate debt issuers deteriorates during credit booms, and that this deterioration forecasts low excess returns to corporate bondholders. The key insight is that changes in the pricing of credit risk disproportionately affect the financing costs faced by low quality firms, so the debt issuance of low quality firms is particularly useful for forecasting bond returns. We show that a significant decline in issuer quality is a more reliable signal of credit market overheating than rapid aggregate credit growth. We use these findings to investigate the forces driving time-variation in expected corporate bond returns.
Nanocomposites of poly(vinylidene fluoride) with multiwalled carbon nanotubes

The preparation and characterization of nanocomposites of poly(vinylidene fluoride), PVDF, with acid treated multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT) with a wide composition range, from 0.1 to 5.0% MWCNT by weight, is reported. Effect of uniaxial orientation by zone drawing on these nanocomposites is discussed and compared with unoriented compression molded films. Static room temperature two-dimensional wide angle X-ray scattering and Fourier transform infrared spectros- copy were used for phase identification. Differential scan- ning calorimetry, polarizing optical microscopy, dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA), and thermogravimetic analy- sis (TGA) were used to study the thermal and mechanical properties. Incorporation of MWCNT into PVDF has no obvious effect in forming beta phase crystal in the PVDF/ MWCNT bulk films, while zone drawing cause a signifi- cant alpha to beta transition in PVDF/MWCNT. Results indicate that MWCNTs act as nucleation agent during crystallization and slightly increase the degree of crystal- linity of PVDF/MWCNT bulk films. TGA indicates the thermal stability is improved when MWCNT concentration increases for unoriented PVDF/MWCNT film. The modu- lus also increases significantly when MWCNT concentra- tion increases. The glass transition temperature measured by the peak position of tand from DMA does not change with MWCNT concentration, but a slightly higher glass transition can be obtained by zone drawing. V C 2009 Wiley
Video error correction using steganography

The transmission of any data is always subject to corruption due to errors, but video transmission, because of its real time nature must deal with these errors without retransmission of the corrupted data. The error can be handled using forward error correction in the encoder or error concealment techniques in the decoder. This MPEG-2 compliant codec uses data hiding to transmit error correction information and several error concealment techniques in the decoder. The decoder resynchronizes more quickly with fewer errors than traditional resynchronization techniques. It also allows for perfect recovery of differentially encoded DCT-DC components and motion vectors. This provides for a much higher quality picture in an error-prone environment while creating an almost imperceptible degradation of the picture in an error-free environment.