cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Nonlinear boundary dynamics and chiral symmetry in holographic QCD

In a hard-wall model of holographic QCD, we find that nonlinear boundary dynamics are required in order to maintain the correct pattern of explicit and spontaneous chiral symmetry breaking beyond leading order in the pion fields. With the help of a field redefinition, we relate the requisite nonlinear boundary conditions to a standard Sturm-Liouville system. Observables insensitive to the chiral limit receive only small corrections in the improved description, and classical calculations in the hard-wall model remain surprisingly accurate.
Lower Bounds on Assumptions Behind Indistinguishability Obfuscation

Since the seminal work of Garg eti¾?al. FOCS'13 in which they proposed the first candidate construction for indistinguishability obfuscation iO for short, iO has become a central cryptographic primitive with numerous applications. The security of the proposed construction of Garg eti¾?al. and its variants are proved based on multi-linear maps Garg eti¾?al. Eurocrypt'13 and their idealized model called the graded encoding model Brakerski and Rothblum TCC'14 and Barak eti¾?al. Eurocrypt'14. Whether or not iO could be based on standard and well-studied hardness assumptions has remain an elusive open question. In this work we prove lower bounds on the assumptions that imply iO in a black-box way, based on computational assumptions. Note that any lower bound for iO needs to somehow rely on computational assumptions, because if $$\mathbf {P}= \mathbf {NP}$$ then statistically secure iO does exist. Our results are twofold: 1.There is no fully black-box construction of iO from exponentially secure collision-resistant hash functions unless the polynomial hierarchy collapses. Our lower bound extends to separate iO from any primitive implied by a random oracle in a black-box way.2.Let $${\mathcal P}$$ be any primitive that exists relative to random trapdoor permutations, the generic group model for any finite abelian group, or degree-O1 graded encoding model for any finite ring. We show that achieving a black-box construction of iO from $${\mathcal P}$$ is as hard as basing public-key cryptography on one-way functions. In particular, for any such primitive $${\mathcal P}$$ we present a constructive procedure that takes any black-box construction of iO from $${\mathcal P}$$ and turns it into a construction of semantically secure public-key encryption form any one-way functions. Our separations hold even if the construction of iO from $${\mathcal P}$$ is semi-black-box Reingold, Trevisan, and Vadhan, TCC'04 and the security reduction could access the adversary in a non-black-box way.
The Influence of Age, Health Literacy, and Affluence on Adolescents’ Capacity to Consent to Research:

While adults are assumed to have the capacity to consent to medical research, and young children to have no capacity, adolescents' capacity to consent is not well described. Adapting the MacArthur Competence Assessment Tool for Clinical Research (MacCAT-CR), we describe adolescents' capacity to consent to medical research and factors influencing that capacity. Our pilot study included a community-based sample of 30 adolescents, 14 to 21 years of age, who completed the MacCAT-CR after undergoing a simulated informed consent process. We found that adolescents' capacity to consent to research was associated with age, health literacy, and family affluence. These findings suggest that investigators and institutional review boards should be aware that factors other than age may influence capacity to consent, and, for modifiable factors, such as health literacy, consent processes for medical research with adolescents can be modified.
Development and validation of a composite score for excessive alcohol use screening

This study was undertaken to develop a composite measure that combines the discriminant values of individual laboratory markers routinely used for excessive alcohol use (EAU) for an improved screening performance. The training sample consisted of 272 individuals with known history of EAU and 210 non-alcoholic individuals. The validation sample included 100 EAU and 75 controls. We used the estimated regression coefficients and the observed marker values to calculate the individual's composite screening score; this score was converted to a probability measure for excessive drinking in the given individual. A threshold value for the screening score based on an examination of the estimated sensitivity and specificity associated with different threshold values was proposed. Using regression coefficients estimated from the training sample, a composite score based on the levels of aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase, per cent carbohydrate-deficient transferrin and mean corpuscular volume was calculated. The areas under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) value of the selected model was 0.87, indicating a strong discriminating power and the AUC was better than that of each individual test. The score >0.23 corresponded to a sensitivity of 90% and a specificity of nearly 60%. The AUC value remained at a respectable level of 0.83 with the sensitivity and specificity at 91% and 49%, respectively, in the validation sample. We developed a novel composite score by using a combination of commonly used biomakers. However, the development of the mechanism-based biomarkers of EAU is needed to improve the screening and diagnosis of EAU in clinical practice.
Integrated Assessment of Aircraft and Novel Subsystem Architectures in Early Design

The aerospace industry’s progressive transition toward More Electric subsystem architectures presents some unique challenges for the early design stages: in part, due to the unavailability of histo...
Soft-Talk Management Cash Flow Forecasts: Bias, Quality, and Stock Price Effects*

We exploit a novel feature of management cash flow forecasts (MCFFs) to investigate how managers’ discretion over forecast precision, clarity, and verifiability affects the bias, quality, and stock price effects of such forecasts. Many MCFFs are issued with an equivocal definition of the cash flow number being forecasted. We refer to such forecasts as “Soft-Talk” MCFFs and predict, due to their lower precision and clarity, potential for bias, and low ex-post verifiability, that they will have lower disclosure quality and lower credibility with investors when compared to “GAAP-Based” MCFFs. “GAAP-Based” MCFFs are those whose cash flow definition is associated with a GAAP cash flow measure (e.g., OCF or NCF), one that can be derived from GAAP cash flow measures (e.g., free cash flow, FCF), or one where management explicitly discloses the definition of cash flow. We find that “Soft-Talk” MCFFs are optimistically biased and that managers’ decision to issue “Soft-Talk” MCFFs is related to economic factors including litigation risk, actual cash flow performance, industry concentration, and the issuance of prior cash flow forecasts. As predicted, “Soft-Talk” MCFFs have lower disclosure quality than “GAAP-Based” MCFFs. Finally, while MCFFs in general affect stock prices, consistent with the low precision and clarity, and potential for optimistic bias in “Soft-Talk” MCFFs, they have no effect on stock prices. Our findings document how and why managers’ discretion over forecast precision, clarity, and verifiability affects the bias, quality, and stock price effects of such forecasts.
Synthesis of (±)-Bisavenanthramide B-6 by an Anionic Anhydride Mannich Reaction

Bisavenanthramide B-6 (2) is a highly substituted γ-lactam derived from oat leaves. Development of a new base-promoted anhydride Mannich reaction with N-sulfonylated imines that forms the core structure of 2 in a single step is presented. Further elaboration allows for a facile one-pot double Buchwald N-arylation to install the final rings onto the densely substituted γ-lactam core. This route provides the natural product in a longest linear sequence of nine steps.
Diisocyanate-Linked Polymers. II. Mechanical and Swelling Properties of Some Polyurethane Elastomers

A study was made of the mechanical and equilibrium swelling properties of five series of polyurethane elastomers prepared from polyoxypropylene glycol 2025, dipropylene glycol, trimethylol propane, and either toluene diisocyanate (TDI) or hexamethylene diisocyanate (HDI). The study included the dependence of the properties on the ratio of isocyanate to hydroxyl groups, the concentration of urethane groups, [U], and the triol concentration; the triol concentration and [U] were varied independently in four series of elastomers. It was found that the glass transition temperature for both the TDI elastomers and HDI elastomers increased linearly with [U]. For elastomers having a constant [U], the quasi-equilibrium elongation at a given value of T − Tg increased linearly with the reciprocal of the number of effective chains per unit volume, but the tensile strength depended only slightly on this quantity. For elastomers having the same triol concentration, the ultimate properties over a wide temperature range were compared at equal values of T − Tg and were found to depend on [U], especially for elastomers having the largest [U]-values. Several factors that might contribute to this behavior are considered. No major differences between TDI and HDI elastomers were observed except in Tg values. The equilibrium swelling ratios in benzene were used along with equilibrium modulus data to calculate the polymer–solvent interaction parameter χ1. This parameter was found to be independent of crosslinking density, but it increased with [U] and was slightly less for the HDI elastomers than for the TDI elastomers.
Electoral manipulation as bureaucratic control

Bureaucratic compliance is often crucial for political survival, yet eliciting that compliance in weakly institutionalized environments requires that political principals convince agents that their hold on power is secure. We provide a formal model to show that electoral manipulation can help to solve this agency problem. By influencing beliefs about a ruler's hold on power, manipulation can encourage a bureaucrat to work on behalf of the ruler when he would not otherwise do so. This result holds under various common technologies of electoral manipulation. Manipulation is more likely when the bureaucrat is dependent on the ruler for his career and when the probability is high that even generally unsupportive citizens would reward bureaucratic effort. The relationship between the ruler's expected popularity and the likelihood of manipulation, in turn, depends on the technology of manipulation.
Visual-spatial sequence learning and memory in trained musicians:

Previous research has shown that musicians have enhanced visual-spatial abilities and sensorymotor skills. As a result of their long-term musical training and their experience-dependent activities, musicians may learn to associate sensory information with fine motor movements. Playing a musical instrument requires musicians to rapidly translate musical symbols into specific sensory-motor actions while also simultaneously monitoring the auditory signals produced by their instrument. In this study, we assessed the visual-spatial sequence learning and memory abilities of long-term musicians. We recruited 24 highly trained musicians and 24 nonmusicians, individuals with little or no musical training experience. Participants completed a visual-spatial sequence learning task as well as receptive vocabulary, nonverbal reasoning, and short-term memory tasks. Results revealed that musicians have enhanced visual-spatial sequence learning abilities relative to nonmusicians. Musicians also performed better than nonmusicians on the vocabulary and nonverbal reasoning measures. Additional analyses revealed that the large group difference observed on the visualspatial sequencing task between musicians and nonmusicians remained even after controlling for vocabulary, nonverbal reasoning, and short-term memory abilities. Musicians' improved visualspatial sequence learning may stem from basic underlying differences in visual-spatial and sensorymotor skills resulting from long-term experience and activities associated with playing a musical instrument.
Global and blow up solutions to cross diffusion systems on 3D domains

Necessary and sufficient conditions for global existence of classical solutions to a class of cross diffusion systems on 3-dimensional domains are studied. Examples of blow up solutions are also given.
HAPTICALLY GUIDED ROBOTIC TECHNOLOGY CAN ACCURATELY POSITION ACETABULAR COMPONENTS IN TOTAL HIP ARTHROPLASTY

Introduction The longevity of total hip arthroplasty (THA) is dependent on acetabular component position. We measured the reliability and accuracy of a CT-based navigation system to achieve the intended acetabular component position and orientation using three dimensional imaging. The purpose of the current study was to determine if the CT-guided robotic navigation system could accurately achieve the desired acetabular component position (center of rotation (COR)) and orientation (inclination and anteversion). The postoperative orientation and location of the components was determined in 20 patients undergoing THA using CT images, the gold standard for acetabular component orientation. Methods Twenty primary unilateral THA patients were enrolled in this IRB-approved, prospective cohort study to assess the accuracy of the robotic navigation system. Pre- and post-operative CT exams were obtained and aligned 3D segmented models were used to measure the difference in center of rotation and orientation (anteversion and inclination). Patients with pre-existing implants, posttraumatic arthritis, contralateral hip arthroplasty, septic arthritis, or previous hip fracture were excluded. All patients underwent unilateral THA using robotic arm CT-guided navigation (RIO Makoplasty; MAKO Surgical Corp). Results Mean age was 59.25 years (±8.65 years), 55% of patients were female (11/20). Root mean square (RMS) errors between the intended intraoperative and actual postoperative COR position was measured in the medial/lateral (M/L), superior/inferior (S/I), and anterior/posterior (A/P) directions to quantify the accuracy of the CT-based robotic navigation system. The error in COR was variable (Fig. 4). The M/L distance error was 1.29 mm (SD: 1.18 mm; range: −2.61 – 1.13 mm). The S/I distance error was 1.81 mm (SD: 1.56 mm; range: −2.19 – 3.0 mm). The A/P distance error was 1.50 mm (SD: 1.50 mm; range: −3.53 – 2.23 mm). The mean difference between the intraoperative intended anteversion and postoperative actual anteversion was 2.2° ±1.6° with an RMS error of 2.73°. The mean difference in intraoperative intended inclination and postoperative actual inclination was 3.3° ± 1.7° with an RMS error of 3.71°. The robotic navigation system was more reliable in achieving the intended anteversion than intended inclination. The ICC for anteversion was 0.92 (95% CI 0.91–0.97), compared to ICC 0.74 (95% CI 0.49–0.89) for inclination. Conclusion Our results suggest that CT-based navigation for THA is accurate for achieving intended cup center of rotation and both reliable and accurate in reproducing the intended cup orientation. Future research will focus on the use of a CT-based robotic navigation system to assist surgeons in the execution of a kinematic-based plan to eliminate impingement to reduce THA instability while maximizing range of motion.
Monoselective o-C–H Functionalizations of Mandelic Acid and α-Phenylglycine

Pd-catalyzed C–H functionalization of mandelic acid and α-phenylglycine is reported. We have developed different protocols for the arylation, iodination, acetoxylation, and olefination of these substrates based on two different (Pd(II)/Pd(IV) and Pd(II)/Pd(0)) catalytic cycles. Four crucial features of these protocols are advantageous for practical applications. First, the α-hydroxyl and amino groups are protected with simple protecting groups such as acetates (Ac, Piv) and carbamates (Boc, Fmoc), respectively. Second, these protocols do not involve installation and removal of a directing group. Third, monoselectivity is accomplished. Fourth, no epimerization occurs at the vulnerable α-chiral centers.
Factors Influencing the Spread of Cancer

Many people are beginning to believe that cancers are developing continuously in all of us. We have to be very careful not to destroy the immunologic resistance of the host. Immunosuppressive therapy with cytotoxic agents may sharply reduce or completely abrogate any immunity that a patient may have to his cancer. Corticosteroids may have the same effect. By removing uninvolved regional lymph nodes or subjecting them to radiation, one may remove the patient's immunity to spread of cancer.
Staggered Chiral Perturbation Theory for Neutral B Mixing

I describe a calculation of B meson mixing at one-loop in staggered chiral perturbation theory, for the complete set of Standard Model and beyond-the-Standard Model operators. The particular lattice representation of the continuum operators used by the Fermilab Lattice/MILC collaborations (and earlier by the HPQCD collaboration) turns out to be important, and results in the presence of "wrong-spin" operators, whose contributions however vanish in the continuum limit. The relation between staggered and naive fermions also plays a key role.
Dynamics of dark-bright vector solitons in Bose-Einstein condensates

We analyze the dynamics of two-component vector solitons, namely, dark-bright solitons, via the variational approximation in Bose-Einstein condensates. The system is described by a vector nonlinear Schr\"odinger equation appropriate to multicomponent Bose-Einstein condensates. The variational approximation is based on a hyperbolic tangent (hyperbolic secant) for the dark (bright) component, which leads to a system of coupled ordinary differential equations for the evolution of the ansatz parameters. We obtain the oscillation dynamics of two-component dark-bright solitons. Analytical calculations are performed for same-width components in the vector soliton, and numerical calculations extend the results to arbitrary widths. We calculate the binding energy of the system and find it to be proportional to the intercomponent coupling interaction and numerically demonstrate the breakup or unbinding of a dark-bright soliton. Our calculations explore observable eigenmodes, namely, the internal oscillation eigenmode and the Goldstone eigenmode. We find analytically that the number of atoms in the bright component is required to be less than the number of atoms displaced by the dark soliton in the other component in order to find the internal oscillation eigenmode of the vector soliton and support the existence of the dark-bright soliton. This outcome is confirmed by numerical results. Numerically, we find that the oscillation frequency is amplitude independent. For dark-bright solitons in $^{87}\mathrm{Rb}$ we find that the oscillation frequency range is 90 to 405 Hz and therefore observable in multicomponent Bose-Einstein condensate experiments.
On random trees obtained from permutation graphs

A permutation w gives rise to a graph G w ; the vertices of G w are the letters in the permutation and the edges of G w are the inversions of w . We find that the number of trees among permutation graphs with n vertices is 2 n - 2 for n ź 2 . We then study T n , a uniformly random tree from this set of trees. In particular, we study the number of vertices of a given degree in T n , the maximum degree in T n , the diameter of T n , and the domination number of T n . Denoting the number of degree- k vertices in T n by D k , we find that ( D 1 , ź , D m ) converges to a normal distribution for any fixed m as n ź ∞ . The vertex domination number of T n is also asymptotically normally distributed as n ź ∞ . The diameter of T n shifted by - 2 is binomially distributed with parameters n - 3 and 1 / 2 . Finally, we find the asymptotic distribution of the maximum degree in T n , which is concentrated around log 2 n .
Re-editing Non-Shakespeare for the Modern Reader: The Murder of Mutius in Titus ANDRONICUS

It has long been suspected that Titus Andronicus is a co-authored play, though it has never been edited as one. A century and more of attribution scholarship has determined that George Peele is the author of the long opening scene of the play, but no recent editor of the play has treated the issue of co-authorship seriously and edited the opening scene with Peelean, rather than Shakespearean, parallels in mind. However, all editors of the play must confront the many difficult editorial cruces in the scene, not least those involving staging. One particularly troublesome passage involves Titus’s killing of his son, Mutius. Building upon evidence for Peele’s authorship of the opening scene, Brian Boyd proposed that this murder was a late addition by Peele after Shakespeare had written the rest of the play. This essay challenges Boyd’s late addition theory, offers new evidence about Shakespeare’s light revision of the opening scene, and provides an account about how these issues impact upon editorial decision-making.
Effects of multilateral support on infrastructure PPP contract cancellation

This paper examines the relationship between multilateral support and contract cancellation in long-term infrastructure public-private partnerships. The analysis draws on a large data set and employs a multi-level econometric model to define propensity scores and matching estimators to compare rates of cancellation between projects with multilateral support and a comparison group of public-private partnership projects without multilateral support. The results suggest that multilateral support has a positive effect on the survival of long-term public-private partnership infrastructure contracts. Whereas observed the data suggest that multilateral support has no effect on cancellation rates, a quasi-experimental approach shows that the cancellation rate for projects with multilateral (6 percent) would have been about 48 percent higher without support from multilateral development organizations.
Temperature of neutron stars

We start with a brief introduction to the historical background in the early pioneering days when the first neutron star thermal evolution calculations predicted the presence of neutron stars hot enough to be observable. We then report on the first detection of neutron star temperatures by ROSAT X-ray satellite, which vindicated the earlier prediction of hot neutron stars. We proceed to present subsequent developments, both in theory and observation, up to today. We then discuss the current status and the future prospect, which will offer useful insight to the understanding of basic properties of ultra-high density matter beyond the nuclear density, such as the possible presence of such exotic particles as pion condensates.
Nation of Islam

The Nation of Islam is a black nationalist and religious movement started in the 1930s. It demanded justice, freedom, and equality for African Americans by advocating the religious, social, economic, and political separation for blacks and whites. Central to this goal was a unique racialized formulation of Islam. Keywords: African American; Islam; race; religion
Interactive multimedia lessons for education

Development of multimedia modules and courses for engineering education present a significant opportunity to modernize curricula and improve effectiveness of teaching and learning. We review the various hardware and software components required to develop multimedia lessons and discuss the role of each component in the structure of a multimedia module. Examples of multimedia lessons developed for CD-ROM distribution by the Center for Multimedia Education and Technology (CAEME) at the University of Utah are described. These include the multimedia lessons in electromagnetics, the Calculus Castle, and the Physics Museum. It is shown that although extensive resources and expertise are often needed to develop these modules, development software and associated technologies are readily available and educators are encouraged to take advantage of these opportunities to reform, restructure, and improve engineering education.
Chronic MPTP treatment produces hyperactivity in male mice which is not alleviated by concurrent trehalose treatment

The chronic MPTP+probenecid treatment paradigm has been used to successfully model the neurochemical, neuropathological, and behavioral effects associated with Parkinson's disease. Here, adult male C57Bl/6 mice were injected ip with 25 mg/kg MPTP and 250 mg/kg probenecid (MPTPp) or saline twice weekly for a total of 10 injections. Behavioral assessments included motor coordination, grip strength, spatial learning/memory, locomotor activity, and anhedonia. Those assessments were repeated up to 8 weeks post-treatment. In a subsequent experiment, adult male mice were treated with saline or MPTPp as described above. One-half of each group was allowed access to 1% trehalose in the water bottle. Trehalose intake averaged 1.90-2.34 g/kg. Behavioral assessments included locomotor activity, olfaction, motor coordination, grip strength, and exploratory behavior. Those assessments were repeated 4 weeks post-treatment. The strongest MPTPp effect was hyperactivity as exhibited in the open field. This increased activity was apparent in both experiments and occurred at all time points post-treatment. Assessments of grip strength, water maze performance, olfaction, and exploratory behavior did not indicate MPTPp-related alterations. When the specifications for the motor coordination test were made somewhat easier in the second experiment, there were deficits exhibited by the MPTPp group, the MPTPp+trehalose group and the trehalose group. The addition of trehalose did not alleviate any of the MPTPp-induced behavioral alterations; however, trehalose treatment significantly attenuated the striatal decreases in DA, DOPAC, HVA and 5-HIAA. These results provide a more comprehensive description of the behavioral alterations resulting from the chronic MPTPp treatment regimen and suggest that trehalose at this concentration does not act as a complete neuroprotectant.
Does Self-promotion on Social Media Boost Career? Evidence from the Market for Executives

Our paper studies the impact of reputation management on executives career using the evidence from their usage of Twitter. This self-promoting behavior has both a direct influence of the barging powers in negotiating compensation and sorting in the hiring process, which helps an executive to increase the chance of finding a job. Our structural model based on a Two-Sided Matching model is able to exploit the characteristics of the other candidates to separately identify influence in barging power and sorting in getting a job. We model the assignment of executives to firms and the pay as endogenously determined. Both effects are found to be significant but in different ways. While self-promotion increases CEO compensation, in the recruiting process, only past very unsatisfactory CEO candidates benefit from reputation management. The results show more salient positive assortative matching of reputation management in Chief Marketing Officer market than the CEO market.
A new architecture for optimization modeling frameworks

We propose a new architecture for optimization modeling frameworks in which solvers are expressed as computation graphs in a framework like TensorFlow rather than as standalone programs built on a low-level linear algebra interface. Our new architecture makes it easy for modeling frameworks to support high performance computational platforms like GPUs and distributed clusters, as well as to generate solvers specialized to individual problems. Our approach is particularly well adapted to first-order and indirect optimization algorithms. We introduce cvxflow, an open-source convex optimization modeling framework in Python based on the ideas in this paper, and show that it outperforms the state of the art.
Activity flow over resting-state networks shapes cognitive task activations

Resting-state functional connectivity has helped reveal the brain's network organization, yet its relevance to cognitive task activations has been unclear. The authors found that estimating activity flow over resting-state networks allows prediction of held-out activations, suggesting activity flow as a linking mechanism between resting-state networks and cognitive task activations. Resting-state functional connectivity (FC) has helped reveal the intrinsic network organization of the human brain, yet its relevance to cognitive task activations has been unclear. Uncertainty remains despite evidence that resting-state FC patterns are highly similar to cognitive task activation patterns. Identifying the distributed processes that shape localized cognitive task activations may help reveal why resting-state FC is so strongly related to cognitive task activations. We found that estimating task-evoked activity flow (the spread of activation amplitudes) over resting-state FC networks allowed prediction of cognitive task activations in a large-scale neural network model. Applying this insight to empirical functional MRI data, we found that cognitive task activations can be predicted in held-out brain regions (and held-out individuals) via estimated activity flow over resting-state FC networks. This suggests that task-evoked activity flow over intrinsic networks is a large-scale mechanism explaining the relevance of resting-state FC to cognitive task activations.
When Are Welfare Guarantees Robust

Computational and economic results suggest that social welfare maximization and combinatorial auction design are much easier when bidders' valuations satisfy the "gross substitutes" condition. The goal of this paper is to evaluate rigorously the folklore belief that the main take-aways from these results remain valid in settings where the gross substitutes condition holds only approximately. We show that for valuations that pointwise approximate a gross substitutes valuation (in fact even a linear valuation), optimal social welfare cannot be approximated to within a subpolynomial factor and demand oracles cannot be simulated using a subexponential number of value queries. We then provide several positive results by imposing additional structure on the valuations (beyond gross substitutes), using a more stringent notion of approximation, and/or using more powerful oracle access to the valuations. For example, we prove that the performance of the greedy algorithm degrades gracefully for near-linear valuations with approximately decreasing marginal values; that with demand queries, approximate welfare guarantees for XOS valuations degrade gracefully for valuations that are pointwise close to XOS; and that the performance of the Kelso-Crawford auction degrades gracefully for valuations that are close to various subclasses of gross substitutes valuations.
The limits of weak selection and large population size in evolutionary game theory.

Evolutionary game theory is a mathematical approach to studying how social behaviors evolve. In many recent works, evolutionary competition between strategies is modeled as a stochastic process in a finite population. In this context, two limits are both mathematically convenient and biologically relevant: weak selection and large population size. These limits can be combined in different ways, leading to potentially different results. We consider two orderings: the $$wN$$ limit, in which weak selection is applied before the large population limit, and the $$Nw$$ limit, in which the order is reversed. Formal mathematical definitions of the $$Nw$$ and $$wN$$ limits are provided. Applying these definitions to the Moran process of evolutionary game theory, we obtain asymptotic expressions for fixation probability and conditions for success in these limits. We find that the asymptotic expressions for fixation probability, and the conditions for a strategy to be favored over a neutral mutation, are different in the $$Nw$$ and $$wN$$ limits. However, the ordering of limits does not affect the conditions for one strategy to be favored over another.
Algunos aspectos de la actividad empresarial del Estado

Sumario Introduccion I. Actividad empresarial del Estado y servicio publico II. Actividad empresarial del Estado a traves de instituciones de derecho privado III. Aplicacion del derecho publico a la actividad empresarial del Estado sujeta al derecho privado IV. Ambito propio del derecho publico en sociedades mercantiles en que el Estado participa
Moist Formulations of the Eliassen-Palm Flux and Their Connection to the Surface Westerlies

AbstractThe Eliassen–Palm (EP) flux is an important diagnostic for wave propagation and wave–mean flow interaction in the atmosphere. Here, two moist formulations of the EP flux are compared with the traditional dry EP flux, and their links to the surface westerlies are analyzed using reanalysis data and simulations with GCMs. The first moist formulation of the EP flux modifies only the static stability to account for latent heat release by eddies, while the second moist formulation simply replaces all potential temperatures with equivalent potential temperatures. For reanalysis data, the peak upward EP flux in the lower troposphere is farther equatorward and stronger when the moist formulations are used, with greater changes for the second moist formulation. The moist formulations have the advantage of giving a closer relationship over the seasonal cycle between the latitudes of the peak surface westerlies and the peak upward EP flux. In simulations with a comprehensive GCM, the dry and moist upward EP f...
Fast wideband search for spurious responses

A technique for quickly searching frequencies in a signal path to find and measure low-level spurs is described. It couples a wideband tuned receiver with a tuned digital, parallel filter bank analyzer to greatly reduce spur testing times. The receiver is step-tuned across the region of frequencies to be searched, and at each step the filter bank is step-tuned across the IF output. An example system is described, and search time and sensitivity are discussed. >
IllumiRoom: peripheral projected illusions for interactive experiences

IllumiRoom is a proof-of-concept system that augments the area surrounding a television with projected visualizations to enhance traditional gaming experiences. Our system demonstrates how projected visualizations in the periphery can negate, include, or augment the existing physical environment and complement the content displayed on the television screen. We can change the appearance of the room, induce apparent motion, extend the field of view, and enable entirely new physical gaming experiences. Our system is entirely self-calibrating and is designed to work in any room.
EZH2 or HDAC1 Inhibition Reverses Multiple Myeloma-Induced Epigenetic Suppression of Osteoblast Differentiation

In multiple myeloma, osteolytic lesions rarely heal because of persistent suppressed osteoblast differentiation resulting in a high fracture risk. Herein, chromatin immunoprecipitation analyses reveal that multiple myeloma cells induce repressive epigenetic histone changes at the Runx2 locus that prevent osteoblast differentiation. The most pronounced multiple myeloma-induced changes were at the Runx2-P1 promoter, converting it from a poised bivalent state to a repressed state. Previously, it was observed that multiple myeloma induces the transcription repressor GFI1 in osteoblast precursors, which correlates with decreased Runx2 expression, thus prompting detailed characterization of the multiple myeloma and TNFα-dependent GFI1 response element within the Runx2-P1 promoter. Further analyses reveal that multiple myeloma-induced GFI1 binding to Runx2 in osteoblast precursors and recruitment of the histone modifiers HDAC1, LSD1, and EZH2 is required to establish and maintain Runx2 repression in osteogenic conditions. These GFI1-mediated repressive chromatin changes persist even after removal of multiple myeloma. Ectopic GFI1 is sufficient to bind to Runx2, recruit HDAC1 and EZH2, increase H3K27me3 on the gene, and prevent osteogenic induction of endogenous Runx2 expression. Gfi1 knockdown in MC4 cells blocked multiple myeloma-induced recruitment of HDAC1 and EZH2 to Runx2, acquisition of repressive chromatin architecture, and suppression of osteoblast differentiation. Importantly, inhibition of EZH2 or HDAC1 activity in pre-osteoblasts after multiple myeloma exposure in vitro or in osteoblast precursors from patients with multiple myeloma reversed the repressive chromatin architecture at Runx2 and rescued osteoblast differentiation.Implications: This study suggests that therapeutically targeting EZH2 or HDAC1 activity may reverse the profound multiple myeloma-induced osteoblast suppression and allow repair of the lytic lesions. Mol Cancer Res; 15(4); 405-17. ©2017 AACR.
Leveling the Playing Field: How Campaign Advertising Can Help Non-Dominant Parties

We examine how campaign advertising affects electoral support. We propose a simple model where advertising disproportionately benefits non-dominant political parties, because voters are uncertain about and biased against such parties. We test this argument in Mexico, where one of the three main parties dominates in many localities. To identify the effects of exposure to campaign advertising, we exploit differences across neighboring precincts in campaign ad distribution. These differences originate from cross-state media coverage spillovers induced by a 2007 reform that equalized access to ad slots across all broadcast media. We find that, on average, ads on AM radio increase the vote shares of the PAN and the PRD, but not the previously hegemonic PRI. Consistent with our model, campaign advertising is most effective in poorly informed and politically uncompetitive electoral precincts, and against locally dominant parties of intermediate strength.
A five-year study of file-system metadata

For five years, we collected annual snapshots of filesystem metadata from over 60,000 Windows PC file systems in a large corporation. In this paper, we use these snapshots to study temporal changes in file size, file age, file-type frequency, directory size, namespace structure, file-system population, storage capacity and consumption, and degree of file modification. We present a generative model that explains the namespace structure and the distribution of directory sizes. We find significant temporal trends relating to the popularity of certain file types, the origin of file content, the way the namespace is used, and the degree of variation among file systems, as well as more pedestrian changes in sizes and capacities. We give examples of consequent lessons for designers of file systems and related software.
Robust Local Scaling Using Conditional Quantiles of Graph Similarities

Spectral analysis of neighborhood graphs is one of the most widely used techniques for exploratory data analysis, with applications ranging from machine learning to social sciences. In such applications, it is typical to first encode relationships between the data samples using an appropriate similarity function. Popular neighborhood construction techniques such as k-nearest neighbor (k-NN) graphs are known to be very sensitive to the choice of parameters, and more importantly susceptible to noise and varying densities. In this paper, we propose the use of quantile analysis to obtain local scale estimates for neighborhood graph construction. To this end, we build an auto-encoding neural network approach for inferring conditional quantiles of a similarity function, which are subsequently used to obtain robust estimates of the local scales. In addition to being highly resilient to noise or outlying data, the proposed approach does not require extensive parameter tuning unlike several existing methods. Using applications in spectral clustering and single-example label propagation, we show that the proposed neighborhood graphs outperform existing locally scaled graph construction approaches.
Interaction information for causal inference: The case of directed triangle

Interaction information is one of the multivariate generalizations of mutual information, which expresses the amount of information shared among a set of variables, beyond the information shared in any proper subset of those variables. Unlike (conditional) mutual information, which is always non-negative, interaction information can be negative. We utilize this property to find the direction of causal influences among variables in a triangle topology under some mild assumptions.
T-branes at the limits of geometry

Singular limits of 6D F-theory compactifications are often captured by T-branes, namely a non-abelian configuration of intersecting 7-branes with a nilpotent matrix of normal deformations. The long distance approximation of such 7-branes is a Hitchin-like system in which simple and irregular poles emerge at marked points of the geometry. When multiple matter fields localize at the same point in the geometry, the associated Higgs field can exhibit irregular behavior, namely poles of order greater than one. This provides a geometric mechanism to engineer wild Higgs bundles. Physical constraints such as anomaly cancellation and consistent coupling to gravity also limit the order of such poles. Using this geometric formulation, we unify seemingly different wild Hitchin systems in a single framework in which orders of poles become adjustable parameters dictated by tuning gauge singlet moduli of the F-theory model.
CAN YOU AVOID DISLOCATION? THE INFLUENCE OF POSTURAL CHANGE

Dislocation and accelerated wear have been the nemesis of hip surgeons. No study has been able to correlate cup position to instability. In recent years the influence of the spine-pelvis-hip construct has emerged as important to understand the shift in component position with postural change. Using measurements familiar to spine surgeons, we have correlated the pelvic incidence (PI), a static measurement of pelvic width and hip position; the static tilt, a dynamic measure of pelvic-spine mobility. For THR we have measured the sagittal cup position as the fixed angular change of the cup shifts with pelvic tilt, and this is named anteinclination; and the sacral acetabular angle (SAA) which is the relationship of the acetabulum to the absolute value of sacral tilt (ST) in both standing and sitting. The pelvic femoral angle (PFA) is a measure of femur/hip flexion/internal rotation correlated to pelvic mobility. Dislocation is most common in patients with low PI combined with an ST change
Accountability and the public benefit corporation

Abstract Can benefit corporations be held accountable for delivering requisite public goods? An oft-cited criticism is that they cannot, but little empirical research exists to support that claim. Based on an in-depth case study of the oldest corporation to amend its governing documents as a public benefit corporation (PBC) under Delaware law, this article suggests that a company can be held accountable for delivering requisite public goods when external mechanisms are accompanied by an organization’s internal commitment to self-awareness, learning, and measurement. In the case in question, the company established a three-pillar structure focused on professional engagement, community support, and charitable giving built on a 6-year-old sustainability initiative, accompanied by an adaptive learning culture, and driven by top-down and bottom-up efforts. Current challenges include measuring impact and branding the PBC to grow the company’s business.
Answer to August 2016 Photo Quiz.

Answer: Streptobacillary rat bite fever or Haverhill fever. A presumptive identification of Streptobacillus moniliformis was issued upon the basis of the isolate's morphology, cellular arrangement, and relative biochemical inertness. Sequencing of a 1,442-bp 16S rRNA gene fragment of the isolate
Understanding data center traffic characteristics

As data centers become more and more central in Internet communications, both research and operations communities have begun to explore how to better design and manage them. In this paper, we present a preliminary empirical study of end-to-end traffic patterns in data center networks that can inform and help evaluate research and operational approaches. We analyze SNMP logs collected at 19 data centers to examine temporal and spatial variations in link loads and losses. We find that while links in the core are heavily utilized the ones closer to the edge observe a greater degree of loss. We then study packet traces collected at a small number of switches in one data center and find evidence of ON-OFF traffic behavior. Finally, we develop a framework that derives ON-OFF traffic parameters for data center traffic sources that best explain the SNMP data collected for the data center. We show that the framework can be used to evaluate data center traffic engineering approaches. We are also applying the framework to design network-level traffic generators for data centers.
When are overcomplete topic models identifiable? uniqueness of tensor tucker decompositions with structured sparsity

Overcomplete latent representations have been very popular for unsupervised feature learning in recent years. In this paper, we specify which overcomplete models can be identified given observable moments of a certain order. We consider probabilistic admixture or topic models in the overcomplete regime, where the number of latent topics can greatly exceed the size of the observed word vocabulary. While general overcomplete topic models are not identifiable, we establish generic identifiability under a constraint, referred to as topic persistence. Our sufficient conditions for identifiability involve a novel set of "higher order" expansion conditions on the topic-word matrix or the population structure of the model. This set of higher-order expansion conditions allow for overcomplete models, and require the existence of a perfect matching from latent topics to higher order observed words. We establish that random structured topic models are identifiable w.h.p. in the overcomplete regime. Our identifiability results allows for general (non-degenerate) distributions for modeling the topic proportions, and thus, we can handle arbitrarily correlated topics in our framework. Our identifiability results imply uniqueness of a class of tensor decompositions with structured sparsity which is contained in the class of Tucker decompositions, but is more general than the Candecomp/Parafac (CP) decomposition.
A Rapid Total Synthesis of Ciprofloxacin Hydrochloride in Continuous Flow.

Within a total residence time of 9 min, the sodium salt of ciprofloxacin was prepared from simple building blocks via a linear sequence of six chemical reactions in five flow reactors. Sequential offline acidifications and filtrations afforded ciprofloxacin and ciprofloxacin hydrochloride. The overall yield of the eight-step sequence was 60 %. No separation of intermediates was required throughout the synthesis when a single acylation reaction was applied to remove the main byproduct, dimethylamine.
Expectations, Networks, and Conventions.

In coordination games and speculative over-the-counter financial markets, solutions depend on higher-order average expectations: agents' expectations about what counterparties, on average, expect their counterparties to think, etc. We offer a unified analysis of these objects and their limits, for general information structures, priors, and networks of counterparty relationships. Our key device is an interaction structure combining the network and agents' beliefs, which we analyze using Markov methods. This device allows us to nest classical beauty contests and network games within one model and unify their results. Two applications illustrate the techniques: The first characterizes when slight optimism about counterparties' average expectations leads to contagion of optimism and extreme asset prices. The second describes the tyranny of the least-informed: agents coordinating on the prior expectations of the one with the worst private information, despite all having nearly common certainty, based on precise private signals, of the ex post optimal action.