cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
On Clustering Induced Voronoi Diagrams

In this paper, we study a generalization of the classical Voronoi diagram, called the clustering induced Voronoi diagram (CIVD). Different from the traditional model, CIVD takes as its sites the power set $U$ of an input set $P$ of objects. For each subset $C$ of $P$, CIVD uses an influence function $F(C,q)$ to measure the total (or joint) influence of all objects in $C$ on an arbitrary point $q$ in the space $\mathbb{R}^d$ and determines the influence-based Voronoi cell in $\mathbb{R}^d$ for $C$. This generalized model offers a number of new features (e.g., simultaneous clustering and space partition) to the Voronoi diagram which are useful in various new applications. We investigate the general conditions for the influence function which ensure the existence of a small-size (e.g., nearly linear) approximate CIVD for a set $P$ of $n$ points in $\mathbb{R}^d$ for some fixed $d$. To construct CIVD, we first present a stand-alone new technique, called approximate influence (AI) decomposition, for the genera...
The influence of gender, and race/ethnicity on advancement in information technology (IT)

Abstract With increased attention paid to the lack of diversity in U.S. technology firms, little attention is paid to women already in the technology workforce who aspire to senior leadership roles. This research study focused on understanding the experiences of African American/black, Asian American, European American/white, and Hispanic American/Latina women who advanced from technical/operational IT roles to senior IT executive (SITE) roles in corporate America. Previous research solely focused on gender, race, or ethnicity provided an insufficient and limited description of women's advancement journey. Rather than treat gender and race/ethnicity as mutually exclusive categories of experience and analysis, this study approached the topic from a gender intersectionality perspective and used the individual differences theory of gender and IT as an analytical lens. Specifically, the study examined women's career progression in a more nuanced manner—observing gender within race or ethnic group—which provided greater insight into the participants' advancement journey. The intent of this study was to understand how individual and organizational factors influenced each participant's career progression and what role, if any, gender and race/ethnicity played in the journey. As a result of the analysis, six themes emerged: Pathways to the SITE Role; Informal Networks; Bias; Credibility and Legitimacy; Support; and Technical Skills. Issues of gender and race/ethnicity permeated most of the factors and influenced whether the factors helped or hindered. Although some findings support existing research on women's career barriers, the intent was not to generalize the findings to all women. Rather, the study's results demonstrate that racial and ethnic variations among the women in addition to a variety of other factors contribute to different career progression experiences.
Interaction of PKR with Single Stranded RNA

Although the antiviral kinase PKR was originally believed to interact with only duplex RNAs, evidence has accumulated that the enzyme can be activated by a variety of structured RNAs. A potent PKR activating motif consists of a short stem loop containing single stranded tails (ss-dsRNA). The ssRNA tails contribute to binding and activation. However, PKR does not contain a canonical ssRNA binding domain. Here, we demonstrate that isolated ssRNAs interact with PKR. Both homopolymeric (rU)30 and heteropolymeric 30 nt ssRNAs bind with micromolar dissociation constants. Addition of a 5′-triphosphate slightly enhances binding affinity. A homopolymeric (dT)30 ssDNA binds more weakly than (rU)30, indicating a contribution of the 2′OH moiety. PKR contains a conserved region N-terminal to the kinase that is enriched in basic residues. ssRNA binds to a construct containing the basic region and kinase and also binds to the isolated dsRNA binding domain. Both full length PKR and the basic region/kinase domain construct are weakly activated by ssRNA. However, the isolated kinase is not activated and does not bind ssRNA. Photocrosslinking measurements were performed using a ss-dsRNA containing 4-thiouridine and PKR constructs with a TEV protease cleavage site at different positions between the kinase and dsRNA binding domain. Analysis of the products following crosslinking and TEV cleavage demonstrates that that the basic region interacts with ss-dsRNA in the context of full length PKR. Our results support a model where PKR activation by RNAs is regulated in vivo by interaction with both duplex and single stranded regions.
Techno-economic optimization of community-based manure processing

Abstract This study investigates community-based processing of manure to produce organic fertilizer using granulation. We developed a mixed-integer optimization model to determine the minimum sale price of granulated manure, i.e., price corresponding to zero net present value (NPV = 0). We used dairy farms inventories for two regions in Wisconsin to develop case studies to evaluate community-based processing. Minimum sale price of granulated manure varied between $360 and $460 per ton based on the region and the imposed aggregation radius. Granulation facilities were located on the farm with the largest herd in each case. Selection of farms for participation in granulation facility relied on both proximity and herd size. Sensitivity analyses were performed to analyze the impacts of market changes and subsidies on the investment. Community-based manure processing was found to offer an opportunity to facilitate processing and export of nutrients due to economies of scale advantage.
Mixed RF/FSO Cooperative Relaying Systems With Co-Channel Interference

In this paper, we provide a global framework analysis of a dual-hop mixed radio frequency (RF)/free space optical (FSO) system with multiple branches/relays wherein the first and second hops, respectively, consist of RF and FSO channels. To cover various cases of fading, we propose generalized channels’ models for RF and FSO links that follow the Nakagami-m and the double generalized gamma distributions, respectively. Moreover, we suggest channel state information (CSI)-assisted relaying or variable relaying gain based amplifiy-and-forward amplification. Partial relay selection with outdated CSI is assumed as a relay selection protocol based on the knowledge of the RF CSI. In order to derive the end-to-end signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio statistics, such as the cumulative distribution function, the probability density function, the higher order moments, the amount of fading and the moment generating function, the numerical values of the fading severity parameters are only valid for integer values. Based on these statistics, we derive closed-forms of the outage probability, the bit error probability, the ergodic capacity, and the outage capacity in terms of Meijer-G, univariate, bivariate, and trivariate Fox-H functions. Capitalizing on these expressions, we derive the asymptotic high SNR to unpack valuable engineering insights of the system performance. Monte Carlo simulation is used to confirm the analytical expressions.
Tropical Hodge numbers of non-archimedean curves

We study the tropical Dolbeault cohomology of non-archimedean curves as defined by Chambert-Loir and Ducros. We give a precise condition for when this cohomology satisfies Poincare duality. The condition is always satisfied when the residue field of the non-archimedean base field is the algebraic closure of a finite field. We also show that for curves over fields with residue field ℂ, the tropical (1, 1)-Dolbeault cohomology can be infinite dimensional. Our main new ingredient is an exponential type sequence that relates tropical Dolbeault cohomology to the cohomology of the sheaf of harmonic functions. As an application of our Poincare duality result, we calculate the dimensions of the tropical Dolbeault cohomology, called tropical Hodge numbers, for (open subsets of) curves.
Stringency of Land-Use Regulation: Building Heights in US Cities

Abstract This paper explores the stringency of land-use regulation in US cities, focusing on building heights. Stringency is substantial when regulated heights are far below free-market heights, while stringency is lower when the two values are closer. Using FAR (the floor-area ratio) as a height index, theory shows that the elasticity of the land price with respect to FAR is a proper stringency measure. This elasticity is estimated for five US cities by combining CoStar land-sales data with FAR values from local zoning maps, and the results show that New York and Washington, D.C., have stringent height regulations, while Chicago’s and San Francisco’s regulations are less stringent (Boston represents an intermediate case). The paper also provides evidence on stringency variation within the cities.
Transcriptome-wide Interrogation of the Functional Intronome by Spliceosome Profiling.

Summary Full understanding of eukaryotic transcriptomes and how they respond to different conditions requires deep knowledge of all sites of intron excision. Although RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) provides much of this information, the low abundance of many spliced transcripts (often due to their rapid cytoplasmic decay) limits the ability of RNA-seq alone to reveal the full repertoire of spliced species. Here, we present "spliceosome profiling," a strategy based on deep sequencing of RNAs co-purifying with late-stage spliceosomes. Spliceosome profiling allows for unambiguous mapping of intron ends to single-nucleotide resolution and branchpoint identification at unprecedented depths. Our data reveal hundreds of new introns in S. pombe and numerous others that were previously misannotated. By providing a means to directly interrogate sites of spliceosome assembly and catalysis genome-wide, spliceosome profiling promises to transform our understanding of RNA processing in the nucleus, much as ribosome profiling has transformed our understanding mRNA translation in the cytoplasm.
The interaction of recovery and environmental conditions: An analysis of the outer shelf edge of western North America during the early Triassic

Abstract Biotic recovery from the Permian-Triassic mass extinction was complex and uneven, with prior studies typically revealing a long, drawn-out recovery that was either delayed for some interval, or was subdued and stepwise in nature. Examples of rapid recovery at the outcrop scale cloud this narrative and point to the importance of environmental stresses in determining the timing and shape of recovery. The Union Wash Formation at the Darwin locality (east-central California) contains at least 3 recovery intervals that terminate with the onset of deleterious conditions and therefore offers a means to examine the relationship between environmental stress and recovery. The first recovery is manifested as bioturbated (ii = 5–6), shallow marine micritic limestones that contain small diameter (2–4 mm) Thalassinoides burrows that form complex networks. This interval is overlain by 650.5 m of laminated mudstone that signal deleterious environmental conditions. The second recovery interval begins directly above seafloor precipitate-bearing micritic limestones that make up the lowermost 130 m of the upper member of the Union Wash Formation and is marked by the occurrence of a 3 m-thick interval containing sphinctozoan sponges, an intervening ~1 m-thick laminated (ii = 1) micritic limestone, and an overlying, 5 m-thick bivalve-rich and bioturbated calcareous siltstone (ii = 4–5) that contains Chrondrites trace fossils. This interval is overlain by 18 m of laminated green shale (ii = 1) that signifies another incursion of anoxic waters. The third recovery interval is represented by a 30 m-thick unit that includes beds of micritic limestone, fossiliferous limestone containing transported fossil grains (including bivalves, microgastropods, sphinctozoan sponges, microgastropods, flat clams, and terebratulid brachiopods), flat pebble conglomerate and vermicular limestone. The results of this study, therefore, point to an uneven recovery within the Union Wash Formation, in which an initially robust recovery in the lower member deteriorated across the remainder of the study section. Areas exposed to persistent environmental stress, therefore, demonstrate protracted and complex recoveries. Study localities located within the habitable zone instead exhibit accelerated recoveries during the post-extinction interval and are indicative of an environmental bias in the form of persistent favorable conditions. The most accurate measures of post – extinction recovery, therefore, are those that examine biotic trends over a broad geographic area, and, as a result, incorporate the role of environmental stress in determining when and how life recovered from the Permian – Triassic mass extinction.
Dissipativity theory for accelerating stochastic variance reduction: A unified analysis of SVRG and Katyusha using semidefinite programs

Techniques for reducing the variance of gradient estimates used in stochastic programming algorithms for convex finite-sum problems have received a great deal of attention in recent years. By leveraging dissipativity theory from control, we provide a new perspective on two important variance-reduction algorithms: SVRG and its direct accelerated variant Katyusha. Our perspective provides a physically intuitive understanding of the behavior of SVRG-like methods via a principle of energy conservation. The tools discussed here allow us to automate the convergence analysis of SVRG-like methods by capturing their essential properties in small semidefinite programs amenable to standard analysis and computational techniques. Our approach recovers existing convergence results for SVRG and Katyusha and generalizes the theory to alternative parameter choices. We also discuss how our approach complements the linear coupling technique. Our combination of perspectives leads to a better understanding of accelerated variance-reduced stochastic methods for finite-sum problems.
BLASYS: approximate logic synthesis using boolean matrix factorization

Approximate computing is an emerging paradigm where design accuracy can be traded off for benefits in design metrics such as design area, power consumption or circuit complexity. In this work, we present a novel paradigm to synthesize approximate circuits using Boolean matrix factorization (BMF). In our methodology the truth table of a sub-circuit of the design is approximated using BMF to a controllable approximation degree, and the results of the factorization are used to synthesize a less complex subcircuit. To scale our technique to large circuits, we devise a circuit decomposition method and a subcircuit design-space exploration technique to identify the best order for subcircuit approximations. Our method leads to a smooth trade-off between accuracy and full circuit complexity as measured by design area and power consumption. Using an industrial strength design flow, we extensively evaluate our methodology on a number of testcases, where we demonstrate that the proposed methodology can achieve up to 63% in power savings, while introducing an average relative error of 5%. We also compare our work to previous works in Boolean circuit synthesis and demonstrate significant improvements in design metrics for same accuracy targets.
The Genomic Architecture of a Rapid Island Radiation: Recombination Rate Variation, Chromosome Structure, and Genome Assembly of the Hawaiian Cricket Laupala

Phenotypic evolution and speciation depend on recombination in many ways. Within populations, recombination can promote adaptation by bringing together favorable mutations and decoupling beneficial and deleterious alleles. As populations diverge, crossing over can give rise to maladapted recombinants and impede or reverse diversification. Suppressed recombination due to genomic rearrangements, modifier alleles, and intrinsic chromosomal properties may offer a shield against maladaptive gene flow eroding coadapted gene complexes. Both theoretical and empirical results support this relationship. However, little is known about this relationship in the context of behavioral isolation, where coevolving signals and preferences are the major hybridization barrier. Here we examine the genomic architecture of recently diverged, sexually isolated Hawaiian swordtail crickets (Laupala). We assemble a de novo genome and generate three dense linkage maps from interspecies crosses. In line with expectations based on the species' recent divergence and successful interbreeding in the laboratory, the linkage maps are highly collinear and show no evidence for large-scale chromosomal rearrangements. Next, the maps were used to anchor the assembly to pseudomolecules and estimate recombination rates across the genome to test the hypothesis that loci involved in behavioral isolation (song and preference divergence) are in regions of low interspecific recombination. Contrary to our expectations, the genomic region where a male song and female preference QTL colocalize is not associated with particularly low recombination rates. This study provides important novel genomic resources for an emerging evolutionary genetics model system and suggests that trait-preference coevolution is not necessarily facilitated by locally suppressed recombination.
An Integrated Reconciliation Framework for Domain, Gene, and Species Level Evolution

The majority of genes in eukaryotes consists of one or more protein domains that can be independently lost or gained during evolution. This gain and loss of protein domains, through domain duplications, transfers, or losses, has important evolutionary and functional consequences. Yet, even though it is well understood that domains evolve inside genes and genes inside species, there do not exist any computational frameworks to simultaneously model the evolution of domains, genes, and species and account for their inter-dependency. Here, we develop an integrated model of domain evolution that explicitly captures the interdependence of domain-, gene-, and species-level evolution. Our model extends the classical phylogenetic reconciliation framework, which infers gene family evolution by comparing gene trees and species trees, by explicitly considering domain-level evolution and decoupling domain-level events from gene-level events. In this paper, we (i) introduce the new integrated reconciliation framework, (ii) prove that the associated optimization problem is NP-hard, (iii) devise an efficient heuristic solution for the problem, (iv) apply our algorithm to a large biological dataset, and (v) demonstrate the impact of using our new computational framework compared to existing approaches. The implemented software is freely available from http://compbio.engr.uconn.edu/software/seadog/ .
Infotality: On Living, Loving, and Dying Through Information.

Ethical analyses lag behind the phenomena to which they respond. The revolutions of the information age have exacerbated this age-old predicament, frustrating the plodding of philosophers and human...
Context-Aware Analysis Scheduling in Wireless Body Area Networks

Wireless body area networks have seen a rise in popularity both for clinical and personal use. Infrastructures have been developed to enhance scalability, flexibility, and incorporate real-time analysis with cloud servers. However, much work needs to be done to address clinical settings with many dynamic variables and constraints. Our proposed system focuses on how analyses can be scheduled to meet user needs, while not exceeding battery limitations. We consider several different scheduling approaches, and introduce a context-aware adaptation that provides a more equal distribution among analyses. These are performed within a budget based framework which specifies the number of analyses the system may perform. This budget changes dynamically based on contextual variables, working to preserve the battery life of the device for some extended period of time specified by the user.
Does a robot path have clearance c

Most path planning problems among polygonal obstacles ask to find a path that avoids the obstacles and is optimal with respect to some measure or a combination of measures, for example an u-to-v shortest path of clearance at least c, where u and v are points in the free space and c is a positive constant. In practical applications, such as emergency interventions/evacuations and medical treatment planning, a number of u-to-v paths are suggested by experts and the question is whether such paths satisfy specific requirements, such as a given clearance from the obstacles. We address the following path query problem: Given a set S of m disjoint simple polygons in the plane, with a total of n vertices, preprocess them so that for a query consisting of a positive constant c and a simple polygonal path \(\pi \) with k vertices, from a point u to a point v in free space, where k is much smaller than n, one can quickly decide whether \(\pi \) has clearance at least c (that is, there is no polygonal obstacle within distance c of \(\pi \)). To do so, we show how to solve the following related problem: Given a set S of m simple polygons in \(\mathfrak {R}^{2}\), preprocess S into a data structure so that the polygon in S closest to a query line segment s can be reported quickly. We present an \(O(t \log n)\) time, O(t) space preprocessing, \(O((n / \sqrt{t}) \log ^{7/2} n)\) query time solution for this problem, for any \(n ^{1 + \epsilon } \le t \le n^{2}\). For a path with k segments, this results in \(O((n k / \sqrt{t}) \log ^{7/2} n)\) query time, which is a significant improvement over algorithms that can be derived from existing computational geometry methods when k is small.
Risk of cerebral palsy by gestational age among pregnancies at-risk for preterm birth

Objective: Our objective was to describe cerebral palsy (CP) incidence stratified by gestational age (GA) groups within a group at risk for spontaneous preterm birth (sPTB).Study design: This is a ...
Marketing Research Challenges and Opportunities

This article considers three contemporary challenges faced by today’s marketing researchers. These challenges involve big data, survey data, and publishing. With a marketer’s perennial optimism, each challenge is seen as an opportunity, to obtain better information than ever before.
Matching Graphs with Community Structure: A Concentration of Measure Approach

In this paper, matching pairs of random graphs under the community structure model is considered. The problem emerges naturally in various applications such as privacy, image processing and DNA sequencing. A pair of randomly generated labeled graphs with pairwise correlated edges are considered. It is assumed that the graph edges are generated based on the community structure model. Given the labeling of the edges of the first graph, the objective is to recover the labels in the second graph. The problem is considered under two scenarios: i) with side-information where the community membership of the nodes in both graphs are known, and ii) without side-information where the community memberships are not known. A matching scheme is proposed which operates based on typicality of the adjacency matrices of the graphs. Achievability results are derived which provide theoretical guarantees for successful matching under specific assumptions on graph parameters. It is observed that for the proposed matching scheme, the conditions for successful matching do not change in the presence of side-information. Furthermore, a converse result is derived which characterizes a set of graph parameters for which matching is not possible.
Child Access Prevention Laws and Juvenile Firearm-Related Homicides

Abstract Debate over safe-storage gun regulations has captured public attention in the aftermath of several high-profile shootings committed by minors. To date, the existing literature provides no evidence that these laws are effective at deterring gun crime, a conclusion that has prompted the National Rifle Association to assert that such regulations are “unnecessary” and “ineffective.” Using data from the FBI's Supplementary Homicide Reports for the period 1985–2013, we find that child access prevention (CAP) laws are associated with a 17 percent reduction in firearm-related homicides committed by juveniles. The estimated effect is stronger among whites than nonwhites and is driven by states enforcing the strictest safe-storage standard. We find no evidence that CAP laws are associated with firearm-related homicides committed by adults or with non-firearm-related homicides committed by juveniles, suggesting that the observed relationship between CAP laws and juvenile firearm-related homicides is causal.
Energy Band Alignment of ZnS x Se 1-x Films on Si for Photovoltaic Carrier-Selective Contacts

ZnS x Se 1-x films are promising materials for front carrier-selective contacts in silicon photovoltaics given their wide bandgaps and low resistivities compared to amorphous silicon. Xray photoelectron spectra of ZnS x Se 1-x (x ranging from 0 to 1) films grown on Si by molecular beam epitaxy were used to measure band offsets of ZnS x Se 1-x with respect to Si for purposes of accurate optoelectronic simulations of photovoltaic devices incorporating ZnS x Se 1-x carrier-selective contacts. Conduction band offsets ranged from 0.68 eV (x = 0) to 1.52 eV (x = 1) showing a significant departure from both Anderson model and density functional theory predictions.
PaToPaEM: A Data-Driven Parameter and Topology Joint Estimation Framework for Time-Varying System in Distribution Grids

Grid topology and line parameters are essential for grid operation and planning, which may be missing or inaccurate in distribution grids. Existing data-driven approaches for recovering such information usually suffer from ignoring 1) input measurement errors and 2) possible state changes among historical measurements. While using the errors-in-variables model and letting the parameter and topology estimation interact with each other (PaToPa) can address input and output measurement error modeling, it only works when all measurements are from a single system state. To solve the two challenges simultaneously, we propose the “PaToPaEM” framework for joint line parameter and topology estimation with historical measurements from different unknown states. We improve the static framework that only works when measurements are from one single state, by further treating state changes in historical measurements as an unobserved latent variable. We then systematically analyze the new mathematical modeling, decouple the optimization problem, and incorporate the expectation-maximization (EM) algorithm to recover different hidden states in measurements. Combining these, the “PaToPaEM” framework enables joint topology and line parameter estimation using noisy measurements from multiple system states. It lays a solid foundation for data-driven system identification in distribution grids. Superior numerical results validate the practicability of the PaToPaEM framework.
Self-Leveling Micromechanical Gas Sensors

We present the design, construction and initial testing of a new type of micromechanical bending-type gas sensor structure which is more resistant to ambient temperature changes than conventional cantilever beams. The new devices are constructed utilizing a self-leveling geometry that minimizes common-mode mechanical deflections induced by temperature changes while producing differential deflections sensitive to gas concentration. Preliminary experiments with water vapor sensing indicate the common mode thermal deflection of the new sensor geometry is reduced by 2.3 fold compared to that observed on a conventional microcantilever-based gas sensor. Unassisted recovery of the sensor action was also observed in 17 seconds.
How Many Life-Years Have New Drugs Saved? A 3-Way Fixed-Effects Analysis of 66 Diseases in 27 Countries, 2000-2013

BACKGROUND We analyzed the role that the launch of new drugs has played in reducing the number of years of life lost (YLL) before three different ages (85, 70 and 55 y) due to 66 diseases in 27 countries. METHODS We estimated two-way fixed-effects models of the rate of decline of the disease- and country-specific age-standardized YLL rate. The models control for the average decline in the YLL rate in each country and from each disease. RESULTS One additional drug launch 0-11 y before year t is estimated to have reduced the pre-age-85 y YLL rate (YLL85) in year t by 3.0%, and one additional drug launch ≥12 y before year t is estimated to have reduced YLL85 by 5.5%. (A drug's utilization peaks 8-10 y after it is launched.) Controlling for the number of drugs previously launched, YLL rates are unrelated to the number of drug classes previously launched. CONCLUSIONS The estimates imply that, if no new drugs had been launched after 1981, YLL85 in 2013 would have been 2.16 times as high as it actually was. We estimated that pharmaceutical expenditure per life-year saved before age 85 y in 2013 by post-1981 drugs was $2837. This amount is about 8% of per capita GDP, indicating that post-1981 drugs launched were very cost-effective overall. But the fact that an intervention is cost-effective does not necessarily mean that it is 'affordable.'
Everything in Moderation: Dual Role Consent and State Law Mandates.

Morain and colleagues (2019) advocate rethinking the rather dogmatic guidance from both regulatory authorities and professional associations cautioning physician-investigators against obtaining inf...
A Likelihood-Free Estimator of Population Structure Bridging Admixture Models and Principal Components Analysis

We introduce a simple and computationally efficient method for fitting the admixture model of genetic population structure, called ALStructure The strategy of ALStructure is to first estimate the low-dimensional linear subspace of the population admixture components, and then search for a model within this subspace that is consistent with the admixture model's natural probabilistic constraints. Central to this strategy is the observation that all models belonging to this constrained space of solutions are risk-minimizing and have equal likelihood, rendering any additional optimization unnecessary. The low-dimensional linear subspace is estimated through a recently introduced principal components analysis method that is appropriate for genotype data, thereby providing a solution that has both principal components and probabilistic admixture interpretations. Our approach differs fundamentally from other existing methods for estimating admixture, which aim to fit the admixture model directly by searching for parameters that maximize the likelihood function or the posterior probability. We observe that ALStructure typically outperforms existing methods both in accuracy and computational speed under a wide array of simulated and real human genotype datasets. Throughout this work, we emphasize that the admixture model is a special case of a much broader class of models for which algorithms similar to ALStructure may be successfully employed.
Learning from Sets of Items in Recommender Systems

Most of the existing recommender systems use the ratings provided by users on individual items. An additional source of preference information is to use the ratings that users provide on sets of items. The advantages of using preferences on sets are twofold. First, a rating provided on a set conveys some preference information about each of the set’s items, which allows us to acquire a user’s preferences for more items than the number of ratings that the user provided. Second, due to privacy concerns, users may not be willing to reveal their preferences on individual items explicitly but may be willing to provide a single rating to a set of items, since it provides some level of information hiding. This article investigates two questions related to using set-level ratings in recommender systems. First, how users’ item-level ratings relate to their set-level ratings. Second, how collaborative filtering-based models for item-level rating prediction can take advantage of such set-level ratings. We have collected set-level ratings from active users of Movielens on sets of movies that they have rated in the past. Our analysis of these ratings shows that though the majority of the users provide the average of the ratings on a set’s constituent items as the rating on the set, there exists a significant number of users that tend to consistently either under- or over-rate the sets. We have developed collaborative filtering-based methods to explicitly model these user behaviors that can be used to recommend items to users. Experiments on real data and on synthetic data that resembles the under- or over-rating behavior in the real data demonstrate that these models can recover the overall characteristics of the underlying data and predict the user’s ratings on individual items.
Economic factors in drug law enforcement decisions

Forfeiture of assets has become an important tool in drug interdiction. Forfeiture provides substantial funds to law enforcement agencies and can produce goal displacement. A survey was conducted of all members of three task forces dedicated to drug interdiction in the Miami, Florida area regarding the goals and the value of asset forfeiture. While all subjects endorsed the goals relating to the punishment of drug dealers as most important, federal officers not assigned to joint task forces valued economic benefits to the agency less than federal agents assigned to joint task forces who, in turn, valued economic benefits less than non‐federal task force agents.
What drove the 2003–2006 house price boom and subsequent collapse? Disentangling competing explanations

Abstract Ten years after the financial crisis, the central question of what explains the rise and fall in house prices remains unresolved. We provide a unified framework to examine four excess credit supply variables and three speculation variables that have been proposed in the literature. Credit supply variables, particularly subprime share and worse originator share, strongly relate to future zip-code-level house price changes in the boom and bust, whereas none of the speculation variables consistently relate to house prices within MSAs. Pre-trends, supply elasticity, and depressed areas suggest these relations are not driven by lenders anticipating house price growth.
Radical isomerization of borylated allylic sulfones

We report a preliminary study of the radical isomerization of borylated allylic sulfones to their more thermodynamically stable isomers. This reaction is important as it provides access to structurally unique vinyl boronates not easily accessible by other means.
Ru-Pyrochlores: Compositional Tuning for Electrochemical Stability as Cathode Materials for IT-SOFCs

Using XRD, impedance spectroscopy, and XPS, it was shown that both Bi2Ru2O7 and Pb2Ru2O6.5, generally announced as attractive electrode materials for IT-SOFCs, chemically react with CGO. In addition, a never-mentioned time-instability under electrochemical measurements with YZS as electrolyte mediates the polarization tests. For Pb2Ru2O6.5, long time experiments (stabilization time > 900 h, previously to complementary electrochemical tests), yields strong increasing of the resistance polarization. Concerning Bi2Ru2O7, a partial transformation into Bi3Ru3O11 is observed after impedance measurements. The investigation of the Bi2−xMxRu2O7−δ (M = Sr, Pb) solid solutions was performed with the aim to improve the catalytic/electric properties. For low x values, it shows a time and chemical stabilization of the electrode/electrolyte cells, able to preserve high electrode performances of these materials. For higher substitution, the chemical/electrochemical instability reappears. According to our polarization mea...
Coordination Chemistry of Phosphorylated Calixarenes and Their Application to Separations Science

Calixarenes are macrocyclic compounds with four to eight repeat units formed by the condensation of p-alkylated phenols with formaldehyde. Substitution with ion-complexing ligands can allow for the synthesis of a wide array of selective coordinating compounds. Phosphorus-containing ligands have been found to complex a large number of metal ions with selectivity being determined by the precise ligand structure. The coordination chemistry that results when calixarenes are phosphorylated is reviewed to emphasize the unique potential of such molecules for selective metal ion separations and in ion sensor technology. The three sections of this review are (a) transition metal complexes of phosphorylated calixarenes (e.g., phosphino, phosphinite, and phosphine-functionalized calixarenes), (b) application of phosphorylated calixarenes as selective metal ion complexants, and (c) immobilization of calixarenes onto inorganic and organic polymers.
Enantioselective synthesis of benzocyclic α,α-dialkyl-amino acids: New insight into the solvent dependent stereoselectivity of the TMSCN addition to phenylglycinol derived imines

Abstract Different benzocycloalkane-1-amino-1-carboxylic acids 1a–e have been synthesized via an asymmetric Strecker reaction using (S)-α-methylbenzylamine and (R)-phenylglycinol as chiral auxiliaries. The Zn2+-catalyzed addition of HCN to (S)-α-methylbenzylamine derived ketimines of 1-tetralone (8a) and 1-benzosuberone (8b) yielded mixtures of diastereomeric aminonitriles (1S,1′S)-10a/(1R,1′S)-10a (10:1 ratio) and (1R,1′S)-10b/(1S,1′S)-10b (56:44 ratio), respectively. These aminonitriles are converted to amino acids 1a,b in two steps. The addition of TMSCN to the (R)-phenylglycinol derived ketimines of 8a, 8b, 1-indanone (8c), 7-fluoro-1-tetralone (8d), 7-fluoro-1-benzosuberone (8e) yielded mixtures of diastereomeric trimethylsilylated aminonitriles (1S,1′R)-14a–e/(1R,1′R)-14a–e. The addition proceeded with diastereofacial selectivities ranging from 1:2.9 to 1:25. The selectivity was found to be temperature and solvent dependent. The diastereomeric ratio (dr) of aminonitriles (1S,1′R)-14a/(1R,1′R)-14a increased in different solvents in the order methanol
ICCC34 — golden edition of coordination chemistry reviews. Coordination chemistry for the neurosciences

Abstract Metal ions are integral components of numerous enzymes and proteins. Although the field of bioinorganic chemistry has not focused on the brain and central nervous system, metal ions are vital to many neurological functions and are implicated in several neurological disorders. In this review, we give a brief overview of the functions of metal ions in neurobiology and the highlight recent advances and uses of fluorescent sensors to study the neurotransmitters nitric oxide and zinc. Emphasis is placed on work from our laboratory to devise sensors for NO and Zn 2+ , a project that was initiated 3 years ago in a continuing effort to study the inorganic chemistry of the nervous system.
TOTAL SYNTHESIS OF SPATOL AND OTHER SPATANE DITERPENES

Synthese de Spatol, de Stoechospermol et de Spata-13,16-diene-5,15,18-triol a partir d'un intermediaire commun le 3a,6-dimethyl-3-hydroxy-α-methylene [perhydro] cyclobuta [1,2:3,4] dicyclopentene-1-methanol
Synthesis and spectroscopic properties of 2-ketopyrrole–BF2 complexes: a new class of fluorescent dye

Abstract The 2-ketopyrrole complexes 3 and 4 were isolated as minor products in syntheses of the corresponding 4,4-difluoro-4-bora-3a,4a-diaza-s-indacene (BODIPY®) dyes 1 and 2. Compounds 4 were shown to be highly fluorescent having emissions between 504 and 544 nm with quantum yields between 0.52 and 0.89.
A novel redox-sensitive protecting group for boronic acids, MPMP-diol

Abstract A new boronic acid protecting group, 1-(4-methoxyphenyl)-2-methylpropane-1,2-diol (MPMP-diol), has been developed. Both protection and deprotection can be accomplished under mild conditions with quantitative conversions. The deprotection can be carried out using 2,3-dichloro-5,6-dicyano-1,4-benzoquinone (DDQ).
NEUTRAL AND CHARGED ANYON FLUIDS

Properties of neutral and charged anyon fluids are examined, with the main focus on the question of whether or not a charged anyon fluid exhibits a superconductivity at zero and finite temperature. Quantum mechanics of anyon fluids is precisely described by Chern-Simons gauge theory. The random phase approximation (RPA), the linearized self-consistent field method (SCF), and the hydrodynamic approach employed in the early analysis of anyon fluids are all equivalent. Relations and differences between neutral and charged anyon fluids are discussed. It is necessary to go beyond RPA and the linearized SCF, and possively beyond the Hartree-Fock approximation, to correctly describe various phenomena such as the flux quantization, vortex formation, and phase transition.
Ruthenium-catalyzed diyne hydrative cyclization: synthesis of substituted 1,3-diene synthons.

A novel and versatile strategy for the synthesis of highly functionalized substituted 3-sulfolenes based on [CpRu(CH3CN)3]PF6-catalyzed hydrative cyclization has been developed. A marked ketone directing effect in ruthenium-catalyzed cyclization was observed for the first time. This provides complementary chemoselectivity for the synthesis of 3-sulfolenes and other cyclic enones. The utility of this method has been demonstrated by SO2 extrusion of 3-sulfolenes to afford 1,3-dienes and the subsequent inter- and intramolecular Diels−Alder reaction.
SYNTHESIS OF PYRAZOLECARBONYLAMINOPYRIDINECARBOXAMIDES AS HERBICIDES

Target compounds from a herbicide lead area, pyrazolecarboxamides, were selected and synthesized. These targets were chosen based on 1) “structural” similarities of 2a-c with other known bleaching herbicides, and 2) the structure activity relationship previously established with analogs of the lead compound 2a. Syntheses of three target compounds were accomplished, two of which involved various transformations and regioselective additions with a pyridine nucleus to afford novel pyridine derivatives. These targets were tested in whole plant assays with the herbicidal data reported.
Synthesis and Relative Stability of 3,5-Diacyl-4,5-dihydro-1H-pyrazoles Prepared by Dipolar Cycloaddition of Enones and α-Diazoketones

An unusual reaction process that produced unexpected heterocyclic systems by a fragmentation−recombination mechanism is described. Thus treatment of the triketone, 3-acetyl-2,6-heptanedione, 1, with methanesulfonyl azide gave, in addition to the expected α-diazo ketone 3a, the dihydropyrazole 3c and its oxidation product, the pyrazole 3d. We propose that the initially formed α-diazo ketone 3a fragments into the simple α-diazomethyl ketone and methyl vinyl ketone which then undergo an intermolecular [2,3]-dipolar cycloaddition. Analogous treatment of the trifluoromethyl trione 2 again afforded a pyrazole 4c. Further experiments were carried out to lend evidence to our mechanistic hypothesis. Thus α-diazoacetophenone 5 and MVK underwent a [2,3]-dipolar cycloaddition under mild conditions to give the two regioisomeric dihydropyrazoles 6a and 6b. Interestingly these were formed in a 2:1 ratio, which suggested that 6a was more stable than 6b. The structures of 6a and 6b were optimized by using the B3LYP densit...
Lewis acid assisted reactions of N‐(α‐ aminoalkyl)benzotriazoles and unactivated alkenes for the facile synthesis of 4‐, 2,4‐, and 3,4‐substituted 1,2,3,4‐tetrahydroquinolines

A range of substituted tetrahydroquinolines have been synthesized from benzotriazole derivatives and unactivated alkenes in the presence of a Lewis acid. These reactions utilize readily available starting materials and mild reaction conditions, and give high yields. The reaction mechanisms are discussed.
Mild and room temperature C-C bond forming reactions of nucleoside C-6 arylsulfonates.

Palladium catalyzed cross coupling of nucleoside arylsulfonates and arylboronic acids has been accomplished under mild conditions and at room temperature. Among three structurally similar ligands that differ in their steric and electronic properties, one yielded an effective catalyst in conjunction with Pd(OAc)2. Of the nucleoside arylsulfonates evaluated, the O6-(2,4,6-trimethylphenyl)sulfonate proved optimal, but other alkyl and alkoxy derivatives were also reasonably reactive. On the other hand, a 2-nitrophenyl and a 2-thienyl derivative were ineffective substrates. PhMe and THP were suitable as solvents, yielding good results in several cases, although reactions of some arylboronic acids were faster in PhMe. In contrast, reactions of arylboronic acids bearing strongly electron-withdrawing groups proceeded more successfully in THP. Interplay between several factors that include substituents on the nucleoside arylsulfonate, ligand substituents, and solvent is responsible for successful cross coupling. U...
Rates of karyotypic evolution in Estrildid finches differ between island and continental clades

Reasons why chromosomal rearrangements spread to fixation and frequently distinguish related taxa remain poorly understood. We used cytological descriptions of karyotype to identify large pericentric inversions between species of Estrildid finches (family Estrildidae) and a time-dated phylogeny to assess the genomic, geographic, and phylogenetic context of karyotype evolution in this group. Inversions between finch species fixed at an average rate of one every 2.26 My. Inversions were twice as likely to fix on the sex chromosomes compared to the autosomes. A high repeat density on the sex chromosomes may increase mutation rates, but other explanations via mutagenic input are not supported, as the number of inversions on a chromosome does not correlate with its length or map size. Inversions have fixed 3.3× faster in three continental clades than in two island chain clades, and fixation rate correlates with both range size and the number of sympatric species pairs. These results point to adaptation as the dominant mechanism driving fixation and suggest a role for gene flow in karyotype divergence. A review shows that the rapid karyotype evolution observed in the Estrildid finches appears to be more general across birds, and by implication other understudied taxa.
Investigation of stereoselectivities in the coupling reactions of 1-O-methyl-3, 5-di-O-p-toluoyl-2-deoxyribofuranoside with purines and pyrimidines

Abstract Stereoselectivities in the coupling reaction between 1-O-methyl-3, 5-di-O-p-toluoyl-2-deoxyribofuranoside and suitably protected purine and pyrimidine derivatives have been examined in acetonitrile with varying equivalents of SnCl4. The best result in α-nucleoside formation was obtained when the coupling reaction was carried out in the presence of ten equivalents of SnCl4.
Robust Zero-Shot Cross-Domain Slot Filling with Example Values

Task-oriented dialog systems increasingly rely on deep learning-based slot filling models, usually needing extensive labeled training data for target domains. Often, however, little to no target domain training data may be available, or the training and target domain schemas may be misaligned, as is common for web forms on similar websites. Prior zero-shot slot filling models use slot descriptions to learn concepts, but are not robust to misaligned schemas. We propose utilizing both the slot description and a small number of examples of slot values, which may be easily available, to learn semantic representations of slots which are transferable across domains and robust to misaligned schemas. Our approach outperforms state-of-the-art models on two multi-domain datasets, especially in the low-data setting.