cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Background modeling using adaptive pixelwise kernel variances in a hybrid feature space

Recent work on background subtraction has shown developments on two major fronts. In one, there has been increasing sophistication of probabilistic models, from mixtures of Gaussians at each pixel [7], to kernel density estimates at each pixel [1], and more recently to joint domainrange density estimates that incorporate spatial information [6]. Another line of work has shown the benefits of increasingly complex feature representations, including the use of texture information, local binary patterns, and recently scale-invariant local ternary patterns [4]. In this work, we use joint domain-range based estimates for background and foreground scores and show that dynamically choosing kernel variances in our kernel estimates at each individual pixel can significantly improve results. We give a heuristic method for selectively applying the adaptive kernel calculations which is nearly as accurate as the full procedure but runs much faster. We combine these modeling improvements with recently developed complex features [4] and show significant improvements on a standard backgrounding benchmark.
Gender Based Differences of Performance and Pay Among Agricultural Economics Faculty

In 1998, the Committee on Women in Agricultural Economics (CWAE) began a tracking project to more closely examine and report on issues and trends in the agricultural economics profession. This study presents results on performance and pay among academics, focusing on differences across genders. Experience and refereed journal articles appear to have the greatest affect on salary differences. Discussion on several academic issues of debate, including nine- versus eleven-month appointments and workload expectations, is also presented. erit evaluations and pay raises may be the most critical decision points for academic administrators and faculty who hope to equitably treat colleagues and maintain high morale. It is not clear that all agree on what constitutes superior academic performance. Aside from differential expectations, there may be significant differences in salary based on the appointment mix of professionals (research, teaching, extension, and administration). This study presents salary and performance findings from the 1998 Committee on Women in Agricultural Economics (CWAE)/American Agricultural Economics Association (AAEA) Tracking Survey, focusing on academic agricultural economists by rank, experience and gender. Since 1998 was the first sampling in the tracking survey, there is no analysis of trends, progress, or retention. Rather this study presents a snapshot of the current status of the profession. As a benchmark, generalized position, performance, and salary data are presented for the entire sample of agricultural economists.1 The American Agricultural Economics Association Employment Services Committee of the (AAEA-ESC) conducts regular surveys of all academic departments to determine important trends (Etheridge; Marchant and Zepeda; Zepeda and
The Pomeron beyond BFKL

Conformally invariant reggeon interactions derived from t-channel unitarity are discussed and progress towards understanding the {open_quotes}physical Pomeron{close_quotes}, via massless quark reggeon interactions, is briefly out-lined.
Solution Chemistry Synthesis of Intermetallic Gold–Lithium Nanoparticles

Colloidal nanoparticles of a prototype polar intermetallic compound, Au3Li, were synthesized by reacting Au nanoparticle seeds with n-butyllithium. X-ray and electron diffraction data are consistent with the L12 (Cu3Au) structure type expected for Au3Li. Composition analysis indicates a stoichiometry of approximately Au3Li0.7, which is within the reported composition range of the Au3Li phase. The Au3Li nanoparticles decompose in water to regenerate Au. The successful synthesis of Au3Li as colloidal nanoparticles demonstrates that polar intermetallic compounds containing highly electropositive elements are accessible by using low-temperature solution chemistry routes and that they are also amenable to nanostructuring.
A Modified Ebers-Moll Transistor Model for RF-Interference Analysis

This paper develops analytical techniques for the study of nonlinear RF and microwave effects in semiconductor devices. Rectification in p-n junctions is discussed, and a novel large-signal transistor model is developed, based upon modifications to standard Ebers-Moll formulations for bipolar transistors. Use of the models in worst-case analysis is discussed, with ranges of parameters given based on a simplified analysis of rectification in ideal diodes.
Approaching throughput-optimality in distributed CSMA scheduling algorithms with collisions

It was shown recently that carrier sense multiple access (CSMA)-like distributed algorithms can achieve the maximal throughput in wireless networks (and task processing networks) under certain assumptions. One important but idealized assumption is that the sensing time is negligible, so that there is no collision. In this paper, we study more practical CSMA-based scheduling algorithms with collisions. First, we provide a Markov chain model and give an explicit throughput formula that takes into account the cost of collisions and overhead. The formula has a simple form since the Markov chain is "almost" time-reversible. Second, we propose transmission-length control algorithms to approach throughput-optimality in this case. Sufficient conditions are given to ensure the convergence and stability of the proposed algorithms. Finally, we characterize the relationship between the CSMA parameters (such as the maximum packet lengths) and the achievable capacity region.
Electrodynamics of correlated electron matter

Infrared spectroscopy has emerged as a premier experimental technique to probe enigmatic effects arising from strong correlations in solids. Here we report on recent advances in this area focusing on common patterns in correlated electron systems including transition metal oxides, intermetallics and organic conductors. All these materials are highly conducting substances but their electrodynamic response is profoundly different from the canonical Drude behavior observed in simple metals. These unconventional properties can be attributed in several cases to the formation of spin and/or charge ordered states, zero temperature phase transitions and strong coupling to bosonic modes.
The Road to Gender Equality: Global Trends and the Way Forward

International organizations have expressed widespread agreement that gender equality is an important social and economic goal. Well-being is a multidimensional measure of material status and encompasses income, health, education, empowerment, relative economic and social status, and security, although precise definitions and emphases on the individual components vary. Since the early 1980s, a number of international agencies have produced analyses of gendered trends in well-being. This paper compares and critically assesses the contribution of some of these studies to understanding the state of gender equality and the causal mechanisms that inhibit or promote such a goal.
Infrared survey of the carrier dynamics in III-V digital ferromagnetic heterostructures

We report on the electromagnetic response of digital ferromagnetic heterostructures sDFHd: systems with d-doped MnAs layers separated by GaAs spacers of variable thickness syd. The gross features of the infrared conductivity of DFH samples are consistent with the notion that these digital structures are GaAs/ Ga 1˛xMnxAs superlattices. This conclusion is supported by a combination of spectral weight analysis and effective medium theory. The optical properties of DFH also provide insights into the evolution of their critical temperature with GaAs spacing. In DFH a low-lying gap materializes in the energy dependent conductivity, which is interpreted as a mobility gap resulting from Anderson localization.
Cultural Differences in Business Communication

There is no better arena for observing a culture in action than business. Cultures tend to reveal themselves in situations where much is as stake, because it is here that their resources are most needed. Marriage, family obligations, and such stressful experiences as illness and the death of a loved one bring out much of what is distinctive and fundamental in a culture. The same is true of business, because economic survival is at stake. Business practices are shaped by deeply-held cultural attitudes toward work, power, trust, wealth—and communication.
N-Substituted Imines by the Copper-Catalyzed N-Imination of Boronic Acids and Organostannanes with O-Acyl Ketoximes

Catalytic quantities of copper(I) or copper(II) sources catalyze the N-imination of boronic acids and organostannanes through reaction with oxime O-carboxylates under nonbasic conditions. This method tolerates various functional groups and takes place efficiently using aryl, heteroaryl, and alkenyl boronic acids and stannanes.
Contentious Issues as Opportunities for Diversionary Behavior

Scholars have long been fascinated by the potential for leaders to engage in diversionary behavior, where leaders use militarized force abroad to distract their publics from various forms of domestic economic and political turmoil. While there is some evidence that diversionary behavior depends on contextual factors such as regime type, opportunities to use force, and interstate rivalry, we do not know whether and how diversionary strategies are used by states to resolve contentious issues. In fact, most diversionary studies compare the initiation of militarized disputes or crises to non-initiation cases, without considering the slew of interstate interactions in between these extremes, where states have an ongoing contested issue that gets managed with both peaceful and militarized conflict management tools. In this article, we extend theories of diversionary behavior to the context of issue claims, including competing claims to territory, maritime areas, and cross-border rivers as coded by the Issue Cor...
Temporal change in the extinction coefficient of snow on the Greenland ice sheet from an analysis of Seasat and Geosat altimeter data

The extinction coefficient of snow k/sub e/ along the central portion of the Greenland ice sheet is mapped using data from the Seasat (1978) and Geosat (1985-1989) altimeters. The extinction coefficient is obtained by fitting altimeter waveforms with a surface/volume scattering model. The authors find that in the lower latitudes the Seasat and Geosat extinction coefficients are very nearly the same, while in a specific higher latitude region of the ice sheet the Seasat k/sub e/ values exceed the Geosat values by over 100%. By analyzing 18 months of the Geosat data, the author quantified the variability inherent in the extinction coefficient measurements. The results show that the observed temporal variation in the extinction coefficient from 1978 to 1985 is three times larger than the measured variability. This indicates that the average grain size of the near surface snow in this region may have decreased during the time span between the two altimeter datasets. The temporal change in extinction coefficient found in this study demonstrates the important contributions that time-series analysis of satellite datasets can make to the study of the polar ice sheets. In addition, these results have important implications for the study of long-term elevation change over the ice sheets using altimeter data. The author's study demonstrates that significant biases could be introduced into ice-sheet elevation change estimates because of temporal variations in the surface conditions of the ice sheet. Future investigations of ice-sheet mass balance using altimetry data should be aware of this possibility.
Normalizers of tori

We determine the groups which can appear as the normalizer of a maximal torus in a connected 2–compact group. The technique depends on using ideas of Tits to give a novel description of the normalizer of the torus in a connected compact Lie group, and then showing that this description can be extended to the 2–compact case.
Uhlenbeck Compactification As a Functor

We give a definition of a functor compactifying the functor of bundles on a surfaces. Earlier different authors have defined similar spaces as either images under a morphism or a quotient by an equivalence relation. We use the technique of multiplicative functors to explain what kind of objects are parameterized by the points of this compactification.
Details of the plasma-spreading process in thyristors

In this paper, an exact two-dimensional numerical model is used to analyze the plasma-spreading process in detail. The exact model offers the advantages that no assumptions have to be made about the nature of the spreading process as well as allowing all aspects of the device operation to be carefully examined. From careful study of the carrier densities, voltage distributions, and lateral current densities it is conclusively shown that the plasma-spreading process occurs as a result of the spread in the area of the injecting (active) portion of the n emitter. It is also shown that the start of the plasma spread occurs when the lateral base resistance becomes conductivity modulated by the carrier buildup at the emitter periphery. The factor controlling this is as well as the spreading velocity is the excess hole charge available in the p base. Using these concepts an approximate theory is developed which suggests that (d/dt) \ln (X) \propto J^{1/n} , where X is the size of the active region. This proposition is tested with good success on the devices under study and on data available from a literature source.
Coherent two-dimensional infrared spectroscopy: Quantitative analysis of protein secondary structure in solution

We present a method to quantitatively determine the secondary structure composition of globular proteins using coherent two-dimensional infrared (2DIR) spectroscopy of backbone amide I vibrations (1550-1720 cm(-1)). Sixteen proteins with known crystal structures were used to construct a library of 2DIR spectra, and the fraction of residues in α-helix, β-sheet, and unassigned conformations was determined by singular value decomposition (SVD) of the measured two-dimensional spectra. The method was benchmarked by removing each individual protein from the set and comparing the composition extracted from 2DIR against the composition determined from the crystal structures. To highlight the increased structural content extracted from 2DIR spectra a similar analysis was also carried out using conventional infrared absorption of the proteins in the library.
Access to Financial Capital among U.S. Businesses: The Case of African American Firms:

Using data from multiple sources, including the Characteristics of Business Owners Survey, the authors trace out the relationship between wealth and access to financial capital and the African American—owned business. African Americans are found to have levels of wealth that are one-eleventh those of whites. Starting with this disparity, blacks are much less likely to start businesses than are whites, which results in a substantially lower rate of business ownership. Even for those black entrepreneurs who are successful in starting businesses, the authors find that they invest much less capital at start-up on average than white entrepreneurs. Lower levels of start-up capital among black businesses appear to also limit their ability to grow and succeed. Racial disparities in start-up capital contribute to higher failure rates, lower sales and profits, less employment among black-owned businesses, and less survivability of the business.
Reproducing Kernel Hilbert Spaces Supporting Nontrivial Hermitian Weighted Composition Operators

We characterize those generating functions \({k(z) = \sum_{j=0}^\infty z^j/\beta(j)^2}\) that produce weighted Hardy spaces H2(β) of the unit disk \({\mathbb D}\) supporting nontrivial Hermitian weighted composition operators. Our characterization shows that the spaces associated with the “classical reproducing kernels” \({z \mapsto (1 - \bar{w}z)^{-\eta}}\) , where \({w \in \mathbb D}\) and η > 0, as well as certain natural extensions of these spaces, are precisely those that are hospitable to Hermitian weighted composition operators. It also leads to a refinement of a necessary condition for a weighted composition to be Hermitian, obtained recently by Cowen, Gunatillake, and Ko, into one that is both necessary and sufficient.
Design of supercritical cascades with high solidity

The method of complex characteristics of Garabedian and Korn was successfully used to design shockless cascades with solidities of up to one. A code was developed using this method and a new hodograph transformation of the flow onto an ellipse. This code allows the design of cascades with solidities of up to two and larger turning angles. The equations of potential flow are solved in a complex hodograph like domain by setting a characteristic initial value problem and integrating along suitable paths. The topology that the new mapping introduces permits a simpler construction of these paths of integration.
Statistical modeling and conceptualization of visual patterns

Natural images contain an overwhelming number of visual patterns generated by diverse stochastic processes. Defining and modeling these patterns is of fundamental importance for generic vision tasks, such as perceptual organization, segmentation, and recognition. The objective of this epistemological paper is to summarize various threads of research in the literature and to pursue a unified framework for conceptualization, modeling, learning, and computing visual patterns. This paper starts with reviewing four research streams: 1) the study of image statistics, 2) the analysis of image components, 3) the grouping of image elements, and 4) the modeling of visual patterns. The models from these research streams are then divided into four categories according to their semantic structures: 1) descriptive models, i.e., Markov random fields (MRF) or Gibbs, 2) variants of descriptive models (causal MRF and "pseudodescriptive" models), 3) generative models, and 4) discriminative models. The objectives, principles, theories, and typical models are reviewed in each category and the relationships between the four types of models are studied. Two central themes emerge from the relationship studies. 1) In representation, the integration of descriptive and generative models is the future direction for statistical modeling and should lead to richer and more advanced classes of vision models. 2) To make visual models computationally tractable, discriminative models are used as computational heuristics for inferring generative models. Thus, the roles of four types of models are clarified.
Family Control and the Rent-Seeking Society

A high level of trust within a small elite, like a low level of trust in society at large, may be a serious impediment to economic development. This is because such concentrated high trust among the elite promotes political rent seeking, known to retard growth. We propose that entrusting the governance of a country's great corporations to a few wealthy families promotes this undesirable distribution of trust. Preliminary empirical evidence and arguments grounded in game theory support this view.
Numerical Study of Quantum Resonances in Chaotic Scattering

This paper presents numerical evidence that in quantum systems with chaotic classical dynamics, the number of scattering resonances near an energy E scales like ??(D(KE)+1)/2 as ??0. Here, KE denotes the subset of the energy surface {H=E} which stays bounded for all time under the flow generated by the classical Hamiltonian H and D(KE) denotes its fractal dimension. Since the number of bound states in a quantum system with n degrees of freedom scales like ??n, this suggests that the quantity (D(KE)+1)/2 represents the effective number of degrees of freedom in chaotic scattering problems. The calculations were performed using a recursive refinement technique for estimating the dimension of fractal repellors in classical Hamiltonian scattering, in conjunction with tools from modern quantum chemistry and numerical linear algebra.
On the role of continuum-driven eruptions in the evolution of very massive stars and Population III stars

We suggest that the mass lost during the evolution of very massive stars may be dominated by optically thick, continuum-driven outbursts or explosions, instead of by steady line-driven winds. In order for a massive star to become a Wolf-Rayet star, it must shed its hydrogen envelope, but new estimates of the effects of clumping in winds from O-type stars indicate that line driving is vastly insufficient. We discuss massive stars above roughly 40-50 M☉, which do not become red supergiants and for which the best alternative is mass loss during brief eruptions of luminous blue variables (LBVs). Our clearest example of this phenomenon is the 19th century outburst of η Carinae, when the star shed 12-20 M☉ or more in less than a decade. Other examples are circumstellar nebulae of LBVs and LBV candidates, extragalactic η Car analogs (the so-called supernova impostors), and massive shells around supernovae and gamma-ray bursters. We do not yet fully understand what triggers LBV outbursts or what supplies their energy, but they occur nonetheless, and they present a fundamental mystery in stellar astrophysics. Since line opacity from metals becomes too saturated, the extreme mass loss probably arises from a continuum-driven wind or a hydrodynamic explosion, both of which are insensitive to metallicity. As such, eruptive mass loss could have played a pivotal role in the evolution and ultimate fate of massive metal-poor stars in the early universe. If they occur in these Population III stars, such eruptions would also profoundly affect the chemical yield and types of remnants from early supernovae and hypernovae thought to be the origin of long gamma-ray bursts.
The implication and finite implication problems for typed template dependencies

Abstract The class of typed template dependencies is a class of data dependencies that includes embedded multivalued and join dependencies. It is shown that the implication and the finite implication problems for this class are unsolvable. An immediate corollary is that this class has no formal system for finite implication. It is also shown how to construct a finite set of typed template dependencies whose implication and finite implication problems are unsolvable. The class of projected join dependencies is a proper subclass of the above class, and it generalizes slightly embedded join dependencies. It is shown that the implication and the finite implication problems for this class are also unsolvable. An immediate corollary is that this class has no universe-bounded formal system for either implication or finite implication.
Giant Davydov splitting of the lower polariton branch in a polycrystalline tetracene microcavity

We demonstrate strong exciton-photon coupling of Frenkel molecular excitons at room temperature in an all-metal microcavity containing a thin film of crystalline tetracene, with micron scale domains. In contrast to previous reports of strong coupling in organic microcavities containing localized excitonic states, here we observe large Davydov splitting of the lowest excited state, indicating strong, intermolecular interactions. The angle-resolved reflectivity of the microcavity is measured and understood in terms of the anisotropic dielectric constant of tetracene single crystals. The anisotropy leads to the formation of additional normal modes, and a giant splitting of the lower polariton branch is observed due to birefringence along both Davydov components.
Chemistry of dicationic electrophiles: superacid-catalyzed reactions of amino acetals.

Amino acetals are shown to form highly electrophilic systems in Bronsted superacids. It is proposed that amino acetals give dicationic electrophiles, and this proposal is supported by the direct observation of a dication by low-temperature 13C NMR. When reacted with C6H6 and superacidic CF3SO3H, amino acetals are shown to provide 1-(3,3-diphenylpropyl)amines and 1-(2,2-diphenylethyl)amines as condensation products in good yields (50−99%).
Design of distributed controllers with constrained and noisy links

In this paper we consider some design aspects of distributed controllers that guarantee a ℋ∞ performance level. In particular, we consider two design problems. First, is the case where, without loss of generality, there are two distributed subcontrollers connected to a (generalized) plant and the interest is placed in minimizing the number of noise-free (and dynamics free) communication channels between the subcontrollers needed to provide a given performance. The second is the case where, given a distributed controller designed in the first case, communication noise is present and we seek an optimal choice of the communication signals to guarantee a performance level while keeping the communication signal to noise power limited. We take a linear matrix inequality (LMI) approach to provide solution procedures to these problems and present examples that demonstrate their efficiency. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Nonlinear observer design using Lyapunov's auxiliary theorem

Abstract The present work proposes a new approach to the nonlinear observer design problem. Based on the early ideas that influenced the development of the linear Luenberger observer theory, the proposed approach develops a nonlinear analogue. The formulation of the observer design problem is realized via a system of singular first-order linear PDEs, and a rather general set of necessary and sufficient conditions for solvability is derived by using Lyapunov’s auxiliary theorem. The solution to the above system of PDEs is locally analytic and this enables the development of a series solution method, that is easily programmable with the aid of a symbolic software package.
Dissecting the bond profitability premium

In contrast to prior equity market results, we document that corporate bonds issued by low profitability firms outperform bonds issued by highly profitable firms. This performance difference is primarily driven by low profitability, low credit rating firms. This profitability premium is consistent with compensation for default risk and can be explained by default risk factors that include speculative-grade bonds. The impact of profitability on equity returns depends on the relative importance of default risk and the risk of the firm׳s investments when solvent, consistent with higher profitability signaling both lower future distress and riskier investments resulting in higher discount rates.
Synthesis and antibacterial activities of chiral 1,3-oxazinan-2-one derivatives

We report here the design, synthesis, and antibacterial activities of novel classes of compounds containing chiral 1,3-oxazinan-2-ones and oxazolidinones as the basic core structures. These compounds are tertiary amines containing the core structures and two aryl substituents. Several of these molecules exhibit potent antibacterial activities against the tested Gram-positive bacteria, including Staphylococcus aureus, Enterococcus faecalis, and Bacillus subtilis. These compounds represent new structure scaffolds and can be further optimized to give new antibacterial agents with structures significantly different from those of existing classes of antibiotics.
Synthesis of naturally occurring pyridine alkaloids via palladium-catalyzed coupling/migration chemistry.

The palladium-catalyzed cross-coupling of 3-iodopyridine, long-chain terminal dienes, and benzylic amines or tosylamides provides a novel route to key intermediates for the synthesis of the naturally occurring, biologically active pyridine alkaloids theonelladins C and D, niphatesine C, and xestamine D. This process involves (1) oxidative addition of the heterocyclic iodide to Pd(0), (2) carbopalladation of the least hindered carbon−carbon double bond of the diene, (3) palladium migration, and (4) π-allylpalladium displacement by the nitrogen nucleophile with simultaneous regeneration of the Pd catalyst. Subsequent hydrogenation and deprotection affords good yields of the natural products. The Pd-catalyzed coupling of 3-iodopyridine and 2-methyl-11-dodecen-1-ol provides a convenient synthesis of a long-chain aldehyde by an analogous palladium migration process, which is easily converted to the pyridine alkaloid ikimine A.
Femtosecond Radiation Experiment Detector for X-Ray Free-Electron Laser (XFEL) Coherent X-Ray Imaging

A pixel array detector (PAD) module has been developed at Cornell University for the collection of diffuse diffraction data in anticipation of coherent X-ray imaging experiments that will be conducted at the Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS) at the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory. The detector is designed to collect X-rays scattered from monochromatic femtosecond pulses produced by the LCLS X-ray laser at framing rates up to 120 Hz. Because X-rays will arrive on femtosecond time scales, the detector must be able to deal with instantaneous count-rates in excess of 1017 photons per second per pixel. A low-noise integrating front-end allows the detector to simultaneously distinguish single photon events in low-flux regions of the diffraction pattern, while recording up to several thousand X-rays per pixel in more intense regions. The detector features a per-pixel programmable two-level gain control that can be used to create an arbitrary 2-D, two-level gain pattern across the detector; massively parallel 14-bit in-pixel digitization; and frame rates in excess of 120 Hz. The first full-scale detector will be 1516 x 1516 pixels with a pixel size of 110 X 110 microns made by tiling CMOS ASICs (Application Specific Integrated Circuits) that are bump-bonded to high-resistivity silicon diodes. X-ray testing data of the first 185 X 194 pixel bump-bonded ASICs is presented. These are tiled to make the final detector. The measurements presented include confirmation of single photon sensitivity, pixel response profiles indicating a nearly single-pixel point spread function, radiation damage measurements and noise performance.
A STEREOCONTROLLED SYNTHESIS OF MONOFLUORO KETOMETHYLENE DIPEPTIDE ISOSTERES

Abstract A simple, stereocontrolled synthesis of monofluoro ketomethylene dipeptide isosteres has been developed. The method is short (6 steps) and diastereoselective (85–95% de) and enantioselective (>95% ee).
Folded Petersen cube networks: new competitors for the hypercubes

We introduce and analyze a new interconnection topology, called the k-dimensional folded Petersen (FP/sub k/) network, which is constructed by iteratively applying the Cartesian product operation on the well-known Petersen graph. Since the number of nodes in FP/sub k/ is restricted to a power of ten, for better scalability we propose a generalization, the folded Petersen cube network FPQ/sub n,k/=Q/sub n//spl times/FP/sub k/, which is a product of the n-dimensional binary hypercube (Q/sub n/) and FP/sub k/. The FPQ/sub n,k/ topology provides regularity, node- and edge-symmetry, optimal connectivity (and therefore maximal fault-tolerance), logarithmic diameter, modularity, and permits simple self-routing and broadcasting algorithms. With the same node-degree and connectivity, FPQ/sub n,k/ has smaller diameter and accommodates more nodes than Q/sub n+3k/, and its packing density is higher compared to several other product networks. This paper also emphasizes the versatility of the folded Petersen cube networks as a multicomputer interconnection topology by providing embeddings of many computationally important structures such as rings, multi-dimensional meshes, hypercubes, complete binary trees, tree machines, meshes of trees, and pyramids. The dilation and edge-congestion of all such embeddings are at most two.
Beyond naïve cue combination: salience and social cues in early word learning

Children learn their earliest words through social interaction, but it is unknown how much they rely on social information. Some theories argue that word learning is fundamentally social from its outset, with even the youngest infants understanding intentions and using them to infer a social partner's target of reference. In contrast, other theories argue that early word learning is largely a perceptual process in which young children map words onto salient objects. One way of unifying these accounts is to model word learning as weighted cue combination, in which children attend to many potential cues to reference, but only gradually learn the correct weight to assign each cue. We tested four predictions of this kind of naive cue combination account, using an eye-tracking paradigm that combines social word teaching and two-alternative forced-choice testing. None of the predictions were supported. We thus propose an alternative unifying account: children are sensitive to social information early, but their ability to gather and deploy this information is constrained by domain-general cognitive processes. Developmental changes in children's use of social cues emerge not from learning the predictive power of social cues, but from the gradual development of attention, memory, and speed of information processing.
A novel class of tunable zinc reagents (RXZnCH2Y) for efficient cyclopropanation of olefins.

A class of zinc reagents (RXZnCH2Y) generated with an appropriate organozinc is very effective for the cyclopropanation of olefins. The reactivity and selectivity of these reagents can be regulated...
A novel approach to phosphonic acids from hypophosphorous acid

Abstract A novel access to phosphonic acids via Pd-catalyzed tandem carbon–phosphorus bond formation–oxidation processes was developed. The procedures involve atom-economical and environmentally friendly functionalization reactions of hypophosphorous acid (H 3 PO 2 ) and H -phosphinic acids [RP(O)(OH)(H)].
Does population ecology have general laws

There is a widespread opinion among ecologists that ecology lacks general laws. In this paper the author argues that this opinion is mistaken. Taking the case of population dynamics, the author points out that there are several very general law-like propositions that provide the theoretical basis for most population dynamics models that were developed to address specific issues. Some of these foundational principles, like the law of exponential growth, are logically very similar to certain law of physics (Newton's law of intertia, for example, is almost a direct analogue of exponential growth). The author discusses two other principles (population self-limitation and resource-consumer oscillations), as well as the more elementary postulates that underlie them. None of the "laws" that the author proposes for population ecology are new. Collectively ecologists have been using these general principles in guiding development of their models and experiments since the days of Lotka, Volterra, and Gause.
Spectral action for Bianchi type-IX cosmological models

A rationality result previously proved for Robertson-Walker metrics is extended to a homogeneous anisotropic cosmological model, namely the Bianchi type-IX minisuperspace. It is shown that the Seeley-de Witt coefficients appearing in the expansion of the spectral action for the Bianchi type-IX geometry are expressed in terms of polynomials with rational coefficients in the cosmic evolution factors w_1(t), w_2(t), w)3(t), and their higher derivates with respect to time. We begin with the computation of the Dirac operator of this geometry and calculate the coefficients a_0 ,a_2 ,a_4 of the spectral action by using heat kernel methods and parametric pseudodifferential calculus. An efficient method is devised for computing the Seeley-de Witt coefficients of a geometry by making use of Wodzicki’s noncommutative residue, and it is confirmed that the method checks out for the cosmological model studied in this article. The advantages of the new method are discussed, which combined with symmetries of the Bianchi type-IX metric, yield an elegant proof of the rationality result.
Optimizing Static and Adaptive Probing Schedules for Rapid Event Detection

We formulate and study a fundamental search and detection problem, Schedule Optimization, motivated by a variety of real-world applications, ranging from monitoring content changes on the web, social networks, and user activities to detecting failure on large systems with many individual machines. We consider a large system consists of many nodes, where each node has its own rate of generating new events, or items. A monitoring application can probe a small number of nodes at each step, and our goal is to compute a probing schedule that minimizes the expected number of undiscovered items at the system, or equivalently, minimizes the expected time to discover a new item in the system. We study the Schedule Optimization problem both for deterministic and randomized memoryless algorithms. We provide lower bounds on the cost of an optimal schedule and construct close to optimal schedules with rigorous mathematical guarantees. Finally, we present an adaptive algorithm that starts with no prior information on the system and converges to the optimal memoryless algorithms by adapting to observed data.
An Analysis of Transit Bus Driver Distraction Using Multinomial Logistic Regression Models

This paper explores the problem of distracted driving at a regional bus transit agency to identify the sources of distraction and provide an understanding of factors responsible for driver distraction. A risk range system was developed to classify the distracting activities into four risk zones. The high risk zone distracting activities were analyzed using multinomial logistic regression models to determine the impact of various factors on the multiple categorical levels of driver distraction. The models demonstrated that the highest source of driver distractions was due to passenger-related activities and the level of distraction was influenced by driver demographics, driving hours, and location. The model results were validated by simulation over an entire range of random input variables. The model and results could assist in mitigating distraction and improving transit performance.
Are face and object recognition independent? a neurocomputational modeling exploration

Are face and object recognition abilities independent? Although it is commonly believed that they are, Gauthier et al. [Gauthier, I., McGugin, R. W., Richler, J. J., Herzmann, G., Speegle, M., & VanGulick, A. E. Experience moderates overlap between object and face recognition, suggesting a common ability. Journal of Vision, 14, 7, 2014] recently showed that these abilities become more correlated as experience with nonface categories increases. They argued that there is a single underlying visual ability, v, that is expressed in performance with both face and nonface categories as experience grows. Using the Cambridge Face Memory Test and the Vanderbilt Expertise Test, they showed that the shared variance between Cambridge Face Memory Test and Vanderbilt Expertise Test performance increases monotonically as experience increases. Here, we address why a shared resource across different visual domains does not lead to competition and to an inverse correlation in abilities? We explain this conundrum using our neurocomputational model of face and object processing ["The Model", TM, Cottrell, G. W., & Hsiao, J. H. Neurocomputational models of face processing. In A. J. Calder, G. Rhodes, M. Johnson, & J. Haxby Eds., The Oxford handbook of face perception. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press, 2011]. We model the domain general ability v as the available computational resources number of hidden units in the mapping from input to label and experience as the frequency of individual exemplars in an object category appearing during network training. Our results show that, as in the behavioral data, the correlation between subordinate level face and object recognition accuracy increases as experience grows. We suggest that different domains do not compete for resources because the relevant features are shared between faces and objects. The essential power of experience is to generate a "spreading transform" for faces separating them in representational space that generalizes to objects that must be individuated. Interestingly, when the task of the network is basic level categorization, no increase in the correlation between domains is observed. Hence, our model predicts that it is the type of experience that matters and that the source of the correlation is in the fusiform face area, rather than in cortical areas that subserve basic level categorization. This result is consistent with our previous modeling elucidating why the FFA is recruited for novel domains of expertise [Tong, M. H., Joyce, C. A., & Cottrell, G. W. Why is the fusiform face area recruited for novel categories of expertise? A neurocomputational investigation. Brain Research, 1202, 14-24, 2008].
Learning about bilingual, multicultural organizing

Based on the authors' synthesis of the multicultural literature, this article proposes that for organizing to succeed in bilingual multicultural environments, three roles-organizer, interpreter, and multicultural mediator-must be filled Moreover, the authors consider it difficult and unwise to have the functions of all three roles filled by the same person, as this can lead to conjlicts of interest and a concentration of power in one person that can threaten democratic processes and lead to gatekeeping. The case of the organization of a federation offive housing cooperatives in a multi-ethnic district of Los Angeles is presented to examine how residents and the cooperatives' leadership grappled with the organization problems and learned to solve them through recognizing the importance of the organizers, interpreters, and multicultural mediators and the need for keeping these roles separate.
Running non-minimal inflation with stabilized inflaton potential

In the context of the Higgs model involving gauge and Yukawa interactions with the spontaneous gauge symmetry breaking, we consider $$\lambda \phi ^4$$ inflation with non-minimal gravitational coupling, where the Higgs field is identified as the inflaton. Since the inflaton quartic coupling is very small, once quantum corrections through the gauge and Yukawa interactions are taken into account, the inflaton effective potential most likely becomes unstable. In order to avoid this problem, we need to impose stability conditions on the effective inflaton potential, which lead to not only non-trivial relations amongst the particle mass spectrum of the model, but also correlations between the inflationary predictions and the mass spectrum. For concrete discussion, we investigate the minimal $$B-L$$ extension of the standard model with identification of the $$B-L$$ Higgs field as the inflaton. The stability conditions for the inflaton effective potential fix the mass ratio amongst the $$B-L$$ gauge boson, the right-handed neutrinos and the inflaton. This mass ratio also correlates with the inflationary predictions. In other words, if the $$B-L$$ gauge boson and the right-handed neutrinos are discovered in the future, their observed mass ratio provides constraints on the inflationary predictions.
Jet Hadronization via Recombination of Parton Showers in Vacuum and in Medium

Abstract We introduce a hadronization algorithm for jet parton showers based on a hybrid approach involving recombination of quarks and fragmentation of strings. The algorithm can be applied to parton showers from a shower Monte Carlo generator at the end of their perturbative evolution. The algorithm forces gluon decays and then evaluates the recombination probabilities for quark-antiquark pairs into mesons and (anti)quark triplets into (anti)baryons. We employ a Wigner phase space formulation based on the assumption of harmonic oscillator wave functions for stable hadrons and resonances. Partons too isolated in phase space to find recombination partners are connected by QCD strings to other quarks. Fragmentation of those remnant strings and the decay of all hadron resonances complete the hadronization process. We find that our model applied to parton showers from the PYTHIA Monte Carlo event generator leads to results very similar to pure Lund string fragmentation. We suggest that our algorithm can be readily generalized to jets embedded in quark-gluon plasma by adding sampled thermal partons from the phase transition hypersurface. The recombination of thermal partons and shower partons leads to an enhancement of pions and protons at intermediate momentum at both RHIC and LHC.
Diffuse electroencephalogram slowing in psychiatric patients: a preliminary report.

Abstract Diffuse slowing constitutes 40% of all electroencephalogram (EEG) abnormalities in psychiatric patients. Correlations have been demonstrated between the degree of slowing of the EEG and impairment of functions such as awareness, attention, memory, and comprehension. We conducted the current study in order to determine whether diffuse EEG slowing in hospitalized psychiatric patients correlated with hospitalization indices. Twenty-five patients with diffusely slow EEGs were selected for the study, and 25 patients with normal EEGs were matched to these subjects. Medical records were reviewed for each patient's diagnosis, length of stay, number of medications, and the dosages. Length of stay was significantly longer in the slow EEG group. The number of psychotropic medications used and the dosages of antipsychotic medications were also significantly higher in the slow EEG group. We concluded that the longer length of stay and the increased number of medications and dosages in the slow EEG group may be a reflection of increased illness severity.
Nonlinear transfer in heated L-modes approaching the L–H transition threshold in Alcator C-Mod

Nonlinear transfer processes between large-scale edge flows and the ambient broadband fluctuations have been shown to play a significant role in the dynamics of edge turbulence, including spreading power from coherent modes and suppressing turbulence at the formation of edge transport barriers. In order to predict thresholds of confinement regimes, both the transition dynamics and the parametric dependence of the nonlinear energy transfer must be studied. Since the expected flow damping terms depend on ion collision rates and local safety factors, recent experiments aimed also to explore the nonlinear drive at various values of the plasma current, density and amount of auxiliary heating. Nonlinear interactions between zonal flows and turbulence in L-mode are estimated using bispectral as well as time-resolved methods based on gas-puff-imaging in Alcator C-Mod [1].
On the definition of differentiated products in the real world

This paper proposes an abstract model of commodity differentiation that incorporates manufacturing imprecision and dimensioning and tolerancing standards. The potential consistency of such a model based on engineering consideration is analyzed. For a large pure exchange economy, competitive equilibria exist and are Pareto optimal. Production issues such as the derived demand for intermediate products, continuity of cost functions, and product selection and technology issues such as mass customization, agile manufacturing, and manufacturability are discussed.
Salvaging Pyrotechnic Data with Minor Overloads and Offsets

Data are sometimes presented with serious flaws, such as saturation, over-range, zero shifts, and impulsive noise, including much of the available pyrotechnic data. Obviously, these data should not be used if possible. However, we are sometimes forced to use these data as the only data available. A method to salvage these data using wavelets is discussed. The results must be accepted with the understanding that the answers are credible, not necessarily correct. None of the methods will recover information lost due to saturation and over-range with the subsequent nonlinear behavior of the data acquisition system. The results are illustrated using analytical examples and flawed pyrotechnic data.