cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Porous Silicon Oxycarbide Glasses

High-surface-area silicon oxycarbide gels and glasses were synthesized from mixtures of methyldimethoxysilane (MDMS) and tetraethoxysilane (TEOS) through acidic hydrolysis and condensation. A surface area of ∼275 m2/g and an average pore size of ∼30 A was obtained for a 50% MDMS-50% TEOS glass at 800°C under a flowing argon atmosphere. The average pore size was increased by aging the precursor gels in ammonium hydroxide. The increased average pore size and the higher strength of the mesoporous gel network enhanced the surface-area stability of the glasses; in this case, surface areas >200 m2/g were retained at 1200°C under an argon atmosphere. 29Si MAS NMR spectra revealed that an oxycarbide structure was established in the mesoporous glasses obtained after pyrolysis of the aged gels. The role of carbon was demonstrated by comparing the surface-area stability of the oxycarbide glasses with that of pure silica and that of oxycarbide glasses where all the carbon groups were removed through low-temperature plasma-oxidation treatments. In the absence of carbon, the thermal stability of the surface area decreased dramatically.
Settlement at Policy Limits and the Duty to Settle: Evidence from Texas

All liability insurance policies have coverage limits, and insurers usually control whether a case is settled or tried. If the insurer rejects a within-limits settlement offer, the insured bears the risk of an above-limits verdict. In response, virtually every state has imposed a “duty to settle” on insurers, which creates incentives for plaintiffs to make at-limits offers and for insurers to accept those offers when expected damages exceed limits. We study the association between the duty to settle, settlement at limits, claim duration, and defense costs using detailed data from Texas for 1988–2005 on closed, commercially insured personal injury claims. We focus principally on medical malpractice suits against physicians, but find consistent evidence for other types of cases. We find strong evidence that the duty to settle affects settlement dynamics. Essentially, all physician-defendant cases that settle at limits are preceded by an at-limits demand. Roughly 20 percent of physician-defendant cases settle at 90–100 percent of policy limits (broad at-limits) and 13 percent settle exactly at limits (exact at-limits). Broad- and exact-at-limits cases close about five months faster than similar “below-limits” cases—a roughly 20 percent shorter time from suit to settlement, controlling for payout and type of harm. Broad- and exact-at-limits cases also have substantially lower defense costs, controlling for case duration and complexity. More broadly, as the payout/limits ratio approaches 1 from below, duration declines (controlling for payout) and defense costs decline (controlling for payout and duration). Payouts above limits are uncommon; when they occur, insurers are the primary payers. Policy limits alone cannot explain these results; most likely they reflect a combination of policy limits and the duty to settle.
Utilizing de Bruijn graph of metagenome assembly for metatranscriptome analysis

Motivation: Metagenomics research has accelerated the studies of microbial organisms, providing insights into the composition and potential functionality of various microbial communities. Metatranscriptomics (studies of the transcripts from a mixture of microbial species) and other meta-omics approaches hold even greater promise for providing additional insights into functional and regulatory characteristics of the microbial communities. Current metatranscriptomics projects are often carried out without matched metagenomic datasets (of the same microbial communities). For the projects that produce both metatranscriptomic and metagenomic datasets, their analyses are often not integrated. Metagenome assemblies are far from perfect, partially explaining why metagenome assemblies are not used for the analysis of metatranscriptomic datasets. Results: Here, we report a reads mapping algorithm for mapping of short reads onto a de Bruijn graph of assemblies. A hash table of junction k-mers (k-mers spanning branching structures in the de Bruijn graph) is used to facilitate fast mapping of reads to the graph. We developed an application of this mapping algorithm: a reference-based approach to metatranscriptome assembly using graphs of metagenome assembly as the reference. Our results show that this new approach (called TAG) helps to assemble substantially more transcripts that otherwise would have been missed or truncated because of the fragmented nature of the reference metagenome. Availability and implementation: TAG was implemented in C++ and has been tested extensively on the Linux platform. It is available for download as open source at http://omics.informatics.indiana.edu/TAG. Contact: ude.anaidni@eyy
Fuzzy extensions for relationships in a generalized object model

Numerous approaches for introducing and managing uncertainty in object-oriented models have been proposed. This paper examines various semantics of uncertainty and the interaction with three kinds of relationships inherent to object models: for instance-of, a-kind-of, and a category. A generalized object model incorporating the perspective of semantic data modeling, artificial intelligence, and database systems is the basis for the recommendations for fuzzy extensions to these three kinds of relationships. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Fairness, risk preferences and independence: Impossibility theorems

The most widely used economic models of social preferences are specified only for certain outcomes. There are two obvious methods of extending them to lotteries. If we do so by expected utility theory, so that the independence axiom is satisfied, our results imply that the resulting preferences do not exhibit ex ante fairness. If we do so by replacing certain outcomes with their expected utilities for each individual, so that individual risk preferences are preserved, then ex ante fairness may be preserved, but neither the independence axiom nor ex post fairness is satisfied. Both ex ante and ex post fairness can be satisfied but then the individual does not have well defined preferences over own lotteries.
Mindless eating: The 200 daily food decisions we overlook.

How aware are people of food-related decisions they make and how the environment influences these decisions? Study 1 shows that 139 people underestimated the number of food-related decisions they made—by an average of more than 221 decisions. Study 2 examined 192 people who overserved and overate 31% more food as a result of having been given an exaggerated environmental cue (such as a large bowl). Of those studied, 21% denied having eaten more, 75% attributed it to other reasons (such as hunger), and only 4% attributed it to the cue. These studies underscore two key points: First, we are aware of only a fraction of the food decisions we make. Second, we are either unaware of how our environment influences these decisions or we are unwilling to acknowledge it.
A Harmonic-Rejecting CMOS LNA for Broadband Radios

The local oscillator harmonics corrupt the desired signal in broadband RF receivers by downconverting interferers. This paper proposes the notion of harmonic rejection in the front-end low-noise amplifier so as to relax the stringent matching required of harmonic-reject mixers. Described are frequency response shaping techniques by feedforward and unilateral Miller capacitance multiplication for a signal bandwidth of 100 MHz to 10 GHz. A calibration algorithm is also proposed for the tuning of the frequency response. An experimental prototype fabricated in 65-nm digital CMOS technology provides at least 20 dB of rejection while consuming 8.64 mW with a 1.2-V supply.
Tricolor DAGs for Machine Translation

Machine translation (MT) has recently been formulated in terms of constraint-based knowledge representation and unification theories, but it is becoming more and more evident that it is not possible to design a practical MT system without an adequate method of handling mismatches between semantic representations in the source and target languages. In this paper, we introduce the idea of "information-based" MT, which is considerably more flexible than interlingual MT or the conventional transfer-based MT.
Relations in the cohomology ring of the moduli space of rank 2 Higgs bundles

paper is to characterize the rational cohomology ring of 7-n when the rank is 2 and the degree is odd. In fact, we have given a complete set of generators for this ring in another paper [14]. So it is now a question of finding the relations between these generators. Even though this is a natural companion to the generation problem, the ideas and methods with which it is studied have quite a different flavor. In particular, there is much more explicit calculation. What makes the rank 2 case tractable is that the number of generators is man-
Densification Behavior of Single‐Crystal and Polycrystalline Spherical Particles of Zirconia

Micrometer size polydispersed spheres of zirconia were produced via electrostatic atomization and pyrolysis of aqueous zirconium acetate-yttrium acetate precursors. Varying the precursor composition in the ZrO{sub 2}-rich region of the ZrO{sub 2}-Y{sub 2}O{sub 3} binary system resulted in the production of either single-crystal (0 and 10 mol% Y{sub 2}O{sub 3}) zirconia spheres of similar size distribution for densification studies. Powders of either the single-crystal or the polycrystalline particles exhibited contrasting densification behavior; viz., powder compacts composed of polycrystalline particles obtained significantly higher end-point densities than their single- crystal counterparts. Microstructural observations showed that while necks between single-crystal particles reached a stable size, necks between polycrystalline particles continued to grow.
Reconstruction of SPECT images using generalized matrix inverses

Generalized matrix inverses are used to estimate source activity distributions from single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) projection measurements. Image reconstructions for a numerical simulation and a clinical brain study are examined. The photon flux from the source region and photon detection by the gamma camera are modeled by matrices which are computed by Monte Carlo methods. The singular value decompositions (SVDs) of these matrices give considerable insight into the SPECT image reconstruction problem and the SVDs are used to form approximate generalized matrix inverses. Tradeoffs between resolution and error in estimating source voxel intensities are discussed, and estimates of these errors provide a robust means of stabilizing the solution to the ill-posed inverse problem. In addition to its quantitative clinical applications, the generalized matrix inverse method may be a useful research tool for tasks such as evaluating collimator design and optimizing gamma camera motion. >
Test of the Fluctuation Relation in Lagrangian Turbulence on a Free Surface

The statistics of velocity divergence are studied for an assembly of particles that float on a closed turbulent fluid. Under an appropriate definition of entropy, the two-dimensional Lagrangian velocity divergence of a particle trajectory represents the local entropy rate ${\dot{S}}$ , a random variable in time. The statistics of this rate, measured in the Lagrangian frame, are collected over a wide range of values. This permits a severe test of the fluctuation relation (FR) over a range that exceeds prior experiments, out to a regime beyond which the FR no longer holds. Notably, the probability density functions (PDF) of the dimensionless divergence σ τ are strongly non-Gaussian.
Escape of a Uniform Random Walk from an Interval

We study the first-passage properties of a random walk in the unit interval in which the length of a single step is uniformly distributed over the finite range [−a,a]. For a of the order of one, the exit probabilities to each edge of the interval and the exit time from the interval exhibit anomalous properties stemming from the change in the minimum number of steps to escape the interval as a function of the starting point. As a decreases, first-passage properties approach those of continuum diffusion, but non-diffusive effects remain because of residual discreteness effects.
The loss-averse newsvendor problem

Newsvendor models are widely used in the literature, and usually based upon the assumption of risk neutrality. This paper uses loss aversion to model manager's decision-making behavior in the single-period newsvendor problem. We find that if shortage cost is not negligible, then a loss-averse newsvendor may order more than a risk-neutral newsvendor. We also find that the loss-averse newsvendor's optimal order quantity may increase in wholesale price and decrease in retail price, which can never occur in the risk-neutral newsvendor model.
Vortex methods for slightly viscous three-dimensional flow

Vortex methods for slightly viscous three-dimensional flow are presented. Vortex methods have been used extensively for two-dimensional problems, though their most efficient extension to three-dimensional problems is still under investigation. A method that evaluates the vorticity by exactly differentiating an approximate velocity field is applied. Numerical results are presented for a flow past a semi-infinite plate, and they demonstrate three-dimensional features of the flow and transition to turbulence.
One-dimensional nanostructure-guided chain reactions: Harmonic and anharmonic interactions

We have performed a parametric study of self-propagating chain reactions along a one-dimensional bead-spring array. The coupling between beads is modeled using harmonic and anharmonic Fermi-Pasta-Ulam (FPU)-$\ensuremath{\beta}$ and ${\ensuremath{\varphi}}^{4}$ potentials. The parameters that define the system are the activation energy $({E}_{a})$ of the reactive group and the fraction $(\ensuremath{\alpha})$ of the reaction enthalpy that is converted to the kinetic energies of the reacted products. The mean conversion for a 100-bead lattice was investigated as a function of these handles. Assemblies of pristine chains with reactive groups having ${E}_{a}l25\text{ }\text{kcal}/\text{mol}$ are shown to be inherently unstable. At loads of 3\char21{}4 energetic molecules/bead $({E}_{a}=35\text{ }\text{kcal}/\text{mol},\text{ }\ensuremath{\alpha}=0.7)$, the FPU and harmonic lattices behaved similarly with reaction velocities ranging between 8 and 8.5 km/sec. The ${\ensuremath{\varphi}}^{4}$ lattice exhibited lower conversions along with the formation of a reaction initiation zone where the velocity was at least half of the bulk value at the aforementioned loads. Fourier analyses of the kinetic energy traces of the ${\ensuremath{\varphi}}^{4}$ lattice revealed that only high-frequency excitations led to viable wave propagation, which explains the prominence of the start-up zone at lower loadings of the energetic molecules. High velocity reaction waves are only observed in perfect crystal arrays. The presence of defects in the chain, i.e., beads with weaker force constants, hampers the progress of the wave.
First Observation of Planet-Induced X-ray Emission: The System HD 179949

We present the first observation of planet-induced stellar X-ray activity, identified for the HD 179949 system, using Chandra / ACIS-S. The HD 179949 system consists of a close-in giant planet orbiting an F9 V star. Previous ground-based observations already showed enhancements in Ca II K in phase with the planetary orbit. We find an ∼30% increase in the X-ray flux over quiescent levels coincident with the phase of the Ca II enhancements. There is also a trend for the emission to be hotter at increased fluxes, confirmed by modeling, showing the enhancement at ∼1 keV compared to ∼0.4 keV for the background star.
An Oblivious O(1)-Approximation for Single Source Buy-at-Bulk

We consider the single-source (or single-sink) buy-at-bulk problem with an unknown concave cost function. We want to route a set of demands along a graph to or from a designated root node, and the cost of routing x units of flow along an edge is proportional to some concave, non-decreasing function f such that f(0) = 0. We present a polynomial time algorithm that finds a distribution over trees such that the expected cost of a tree for any f is within an O(1)-factor of the optimum cost for that f. The previous best simultaneous approximation for this problem, even ignoring computation time, was O(log |D|), where D is the multi-set of demand nodes. We design a simple algorithmic framework using the ellipsoid method that finds an O(1)-approximation if one exists, and then construct a separation oracle using a novel adaptation of the Guha, Meyerson, and Munagala[GMM01] algorithm for the single-sink buy-at-bulk problem that proves an O(1) approximation is possible for all f. The number of trees in the support of the distribution constructed by our algorithm is at most 1+log |D|.
OLG Life Cycle Model Transition Paths: Alternate Model Forecast Method

The overlapping generations (OLG) model is an important framework for analyzing any type of question in which age cohorts are affected differently by exogenous shocks. However, as the dimensions and degree of heterogeneity in these models increase, the computational burden imposed by rational expectations solution methods for nonstationary equilibrium transition paths increases exponentially. As a result, these models have been limited in the scope of their use to a restricted set of applications and a relatively small group of researchers. In addition to providing a detailed description of the benchmark rational expectations computational method, this paper presents an alternative method for solving for equilibrium transition paths in OLG life cycle models that is new to this class of model. The key insight is that even naive limited information forecasts within the model produce aggregate time series similar to full information rational expectations time series as long as the naive forecasts are updated each period. We find that our alternate model forecast method reduces computation time by 85 percent, and the approximation error is small.
Arctic sea ice thickness loss determined using subsurface, aircraft, and satellite observations

Abstract. Sea ice thickness is a fundamental climate state variable that provides an integrated measure of changes in the high-latitude energy balance. However, observations of mean ice thickness have been sparse in time and space, making the construction of observation-based time series difficult. Moreover, different groups use a variety of methods and processing procedures to measure ice thickness, and each observational source likely has different and poorly characterized measurement and sampling errors. Observational sources used in this study include upward-looking sonars mounted on submarines or moorings, electromagnetic sensors on helicopters or aircraft, and lidar or radar altimeters on airplanes or satellites. Here we use a curve-fitting approach to determine the large-scale spatial and temporal variability of the ice thickness as well as the mean differences between the observation systems, using over 3000 estimates of the ice thickness. The thickness estimates are measured over spatial scales of approximately 50 km or time scales of 1 month, and the primary time period analyzed is 2000–2012 when the modern mix of observations is available. Good agreement is found between five of the systems, within 0.15 m, while systematic differences of up to 0.5 m are found for three others compared to the five. The trend in annual mean ice thickness over the Arctic Basin is −0.58 ± 0.07 m decade−1 over the period 2000–2012. Applying our method to the period 1975–2012 for the central Arctic Basin where we have sufficient data (the SCICEX box), we find that the annual mean ice thickness has decreased from 3.59 m in 1975 to 1.25 m in 2012, a 65% reduction. This is nearly double the 36% decline reported by an earlier study. These results provide additional direct observational evidence of substantial sea ice losses found in model analyses.
Fine-grain concurrency

I have been interested in concurrent programming since about 1963, when its associated problems contributed to the failure of the largest software project that I have managed. When I moved to an academic career in 1968, I hoped that I could find a solution to the problems by my research. Quite quickly I decided to concentrate on coarse-grained concurrency, that does not allow concurrent processes to share main memory. The only interaction between processes is confined to explicit input and output commands. This simplification led eventually to the exploration of the theory of Communicating Sequential Processes. Since joining Microsoft Research in 1999, I have plucked up courage at last to look at fine-grain concurrency, involving threads that interleave their access to main memory at the fine granularity of single instruction execution. By combining the merits of a number of different theories of concurrency, one can paint a relatively simple picture of a theory for the correct design of concurrent systems. Indeed, pictures are a great help in conveying the basic understanding. This paper presents some on-going directions of research that I have been pursuing with colleagues in Cambridge—both at Microsoft Research and in the University Computing Laboratory. Copyright © 2007 C.A.R. Hoare. Revised version of Hoarce CAR. Fine-grain concurrency. In McEwan AA, Schneider S, Ifill W, Welch PH (eds). Communicating Process Architectures 2007. IOS Press: Amsterdam. Published with permission from IOS Press.
Dynamics of open source movements

This paper considers a dynamic model of the evolution of open-source software projects, focusing on the evolution of quality, contributing programmers, and users who contribute customer support to other users. Programmers who have used open-source software (OSS) are motivated by reciprocal altruism to publish their own improvements. The evolution of the open-source project depends on the form of the altruistic benefits: in a base case the project grows to a steady-state size from any initial condition; whereas adding a need for customer support makes zero-quality a locally absorbing state. We also analyze competition by commercial firms with OSS projects. Optimal pricing policies again vary: in some cases the commercial firm will set low prices when the open-source project is small; in other cases it mostly waits until the open-source project has matured.
Application of a three-carbon ring expansion process to bridged bicyclic systems

Abstract Experimental data in combination with MMFF94 and AM1 calculations offer a model for predicting the viability of Trost's three-carbon ring expansion on bicyclic systems.
Selecting Distinctive 3D Shape Descriptors for Similarity Retrieval

Databases of 3D shapes have become widespread for a variety of applications, and a key research problem is searching these databases for similar shapes. This paper introduces a method for finding distinctive features of a shape that are useful for determining shape similarity. Although global shape descriptors have been developed to facilitate retrieval, they fail when local shape properties are the distinctive features of a class. Alternatively, local shape descriptors can be generated over the surface of shapes, but then storage and search of the descriptors becomes unnecessarily expensive, as perhaps only a few descriptors are sufficient to distinguish classes. The challenge is to select local descriptors from a query shape that are most distinctive for retrieval. Our approach is to define distinction as the retrieval performance of a local shape descriptor. During a training phase, we estimate descriptor likelihood using a multi-variate Gaussian distribution of real-valued shape descriptors, evaluate the retrieval performance of each descriptor from a training set, and average these performance values at every likelihood value. For each query, we evaluate the likelihood of local shape descriptors on its surface and lookup the expected retrieval values learned from the training set to determine their predicted distinction values. We show that querying with the most distinctive shape descriptors provides favorable retrieval performance during tests with a database of common graphics objects
Efficient iridium-catalyzed C-H functionalization/silylation of heteroarenes.

As a consequence of their unique chemical, physical and biological properties, silyl-substituted arenes have attracted wide interest from the synthetic,[1] material science,[2] and pharmaceutical sectors.[3] Traditionally, silyl substituents have been introduced via addition of aryl lithium or magnesium reagents to silicon electrophiles, although this often necessitates the use of protecting groups.[4] Consequently, transition metal catalyzed cross couplings of aryl halides with disilanes or hydrosilanes have grown in popularity, especially if base-or nucleophile-sensitive functionality are present.[5] More recently, direct C-H functionalization[6] has emerged as a conceptually and economically attractive alternative for the direct silylation of arenes. It is evident, however, that challenges remain and the general utility of this strategy is restricted in many instances by, inter alia, (1) poor regioselectivity, (2) stringent structural requirements, (3) noncommercial/expensive reagents, (4) harsh reaction conditions (typically 120°–200°C), and/or (5) impractical ratios of arene to silicon reagent (10:1 to 60:1).[7–9] Herein, we report an efficient, regioselective protocol for the bipyridine-ligated, iridium-catalyzed[9] C-H functionalization/silyation of a wide variety of heteroarenes under comparatively mild conditions. Importantly, the reaction does not require protection of N-H groups and uses only a small excess (3 equiv) of inexpensive triethylsilane (eq 1).
Understanding silica-supported metal catalysts: Pd/silica as a case study

Abstract Supported metal catalysts, particularly noble metals supported on SiO 2 , have attracted considerable attention due to the importance of the silica–metal interface in heterogeneous catalysis and in electronic device fabrication. Several important issues, e.g., the stability of the metal–oxide interface at working temperatures and pressures, are not well-understood. In this review, the present status of our understanding of the metal–silica interface is reviewed. Recent results of model studies in our laboratories on Pd/SiO 2 /Mo(1 1 2) using LEED, AES and STM are reported. In this work, epitaxial, ultrathin, well-ordered SiO 2 films were grown on a Mo(1 1 2) substrate to circumvent complications that frequently arise from the silica–silicon interface present in silica thin films grown on silicon.
Estimation and Welfare Calculations in a Generalized Corner Solution Model with an Application to Recreation Demand

The Kuhn-Tucker model of Wales and Woodland (1983) provides a utility theoretic framework for estimating preferences over commodities for which individuals choose not to consume one or more of the goods. Due to the complexity of the model, however, there have been few applications in the literature and little attention has been paid to the problems of welfare analysis within the Kuhn-Tucker framework. This paper provides an application of the model to the problem of recreation demand. In addition, we develop and apply a methodology for estimating compensating variation, relying on Monte Carlo integration to derive expected welfare changes.
Globalization, International Organizations, and Telecommunications

Since the 1990s over 158 countries established pro-market reforms in telecommunications—a fast pace for such a drastic change. For example, Sweden and Botswana, two nations vastly different across multiple dimensions, both liberalized their telecom sectors. Why did so many countries adopt liberal reforms in such a short period of time? Conventional wisdom highlights the role of global markets and technology, powerful states, global diffusion, and domestic politics. I argue that contrary to these claims, diffusion through key international organizations is the critical and overlooked factor in explaining rapid global convergence of pro-market telecom reforms. Using an original dataset for 189 countries between 1970 and 2003 and event history analysis, I demonstrate that membership in key liberal trading organizations, especially the WTO and the OECD, increases the likelihood that countries will adopt liberal pro-market reforms in telecommunications. These results speak directly to current public policy debates about the reregulation of global markets and bridges the literatures of policy diffusion, institutional design, and regulatory regimes.
Micro-pixel accuracy centroid displacement estimation and detector calibration

Conventional centroid estimation fits a template point spread function (PSF) to image data. Because the PSF is typically not known to high accuracy, systematic errors exist. Here, we present an accurate centroid displacement estimation algorithm by reconstructing the PSF from Nyquist-sampled images. In absence of inter-pixel response variations, this method can estimate centroid displacement between two 32×32 images to sub-micropixel accuracy. Inter-pixel response variations can be calibrated in Fourier space by using laser metrology. The inter-pixel variations of Fourier transforms of the pixel response functions can be conveniently expressed in terms of powers of spatial wavenumbers. Calibrating up to the third-order terms in the expansion, the displacement estimation is accurate to a few micro-pixels. This algorithm is applicable to a new mission concept of performing mirco-arcsecond level relative astrometry using a 1 m telescope for detecting terrestrial exoplanets and high-precision photometry missions.
Dynamic aperture of the ALS booster synchrotron

Effects of the anticipated lattice imperfections on the dynamic aperture of the ALS (Advanced Light Source) booster synchrotron were studied using a particle tracking method. The dynamic aperture was found to be sufficiently large at the selected operating points and at the designed repetition rate. Measurements of the Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory engineering model magnets confirm that magnets meet the design specifications conservatively. Based on the tracking computations, it is concluded that the expected lattice imperfections of the ALS booster synchrotron are acceptable for the selected operating conditions. Repetition rates below 2 Hz are definitely acceptable, and operations up to 4 Hz may be possible depending on the accuracy of the injection orbit. A thinner vacuum chamber is required if a higher repetition rate is desired. Power suppliers for the booster magnets are being designed for a repetition rate of 1 Hz. >
Generalized giant lymph follicle hyperplasia of lymph nodes and spleen; a hitherto undescribed type.

T HE clinical picture of a general adenopathy associated with enlargement of the spleen is encountered in a variety of disease conditions. The chronic diseases in adult life in which this association of symptoms is dominant are the leukemias, the infectious granulomas (under which are included Hodgkin’s disease, syphilis and tuberculosis) and lymphosarcomatosis. However, in the last ten years we have accumulated three instances of a general adenopathy with splenomegaly which do not represent any of the groups just mentioned, and furnish examples of a condition which we believe has escaped recognition or at least, if seen, has not been reported or recorded as a disease entity. We base this statement on the fact that a diligent and conscientious search of the literature has failed to reveal more than one instance identical with, or even similar to, the group that is presented here. This case was reported by Becker’ in 1901. A lymph node was removed during life, three years after onset of the disease, and considered as hyperplastic by the pathologist. The adenopathy and splenomegaly subsided somewhat after arsenic medication. We have assumed the responsibility of naming this condition splenomegalia lymphatica hyperplastica. Localized hyperplasia of lymph nodes of long standing (so-called lymphomas) has been re-
Concise version vectors in WinFS

Conflicts naturally arise in optimistically replicated systems. The common way to detect update conflicts is via version vectors, whose storage and communication overhead are number of replicas × number of objects. These costs may be prohibitive for large systems. This paper presents predecessor vectors with exceptions (PVEs), a novel optimistic replication technique developed for Microsoft’s WinFS system. The paper contains a systematic study of PVE’s performance gains over traditional schemes. The results demonstrate a dramatic reduction of storage and communication overhead in normal scenarios, during which communication disruptions are infrequent. Moreover, they identify a cross-over threshold in communication failure-rate, beyond which PVEs loses efficiency compared with traditional schemes.
Mortality from asthma.

Since 1979 there has been a progressive increase in rates of death from asthma in the United States. This increase in mortality has been most extreme among blacks. It has occurred in all regions of the U.S. as well as some other countries. The problem requires further study to identify the cause.
From Cost Sharing Mechanisms to Online Selection Problems

We consider a general class of online optimization problems, called online selection problems, where customers arrive sequentially, and one has to decide upon arrival whether to accept or reject each customer. If a customer is rejected, then a rejection cost is incurred. The accepted customers are served with minimum possible cost, either online or after all customers have arrived. The goal is to minimize the total production costs for the accepted customers plus the rejection costs for the rejected customers. These selection problems are related to online variants of offline prize collecting combinatorial optimization problems that have been widely studied in the computer science literature. In this paper, we provide a general framework to develop online algorithms for this class of selection problems. In essence, the algorithmic framework leverages any cost sharing mechanism with certain properties into a poly-logarithmic competitive online algorithm for the respective problem; the competitive ratios ar...
Iridium-Catalyzed, Diastereoselective Dehydrogenative Silylation of Terminal Alkenes with (TMSO)2MeSiH†

Depending on the reaction conditions, this silylation method yields either Z- or E-silyl-alkenes (III) or (IX).
Hypersurfaces that are not stably rational

A fundamental problem of algebraic geometry is to determine which varieties are rational, that is, isomorphic to projective space after removing lower-dimensional subvarieties from both sides. In particular, we want to know which smooth hypersurfaces in projective space are rational. An easy case is that smooth complex hypersurfaces of degree at least n + 2 in P are not covered by rational curves and hence are not rational. By far the most general result on rationality of hypersurfaces is Kollar’s theorem that for d at least 2d(n + 3)/3e, a very general complex hypersurface of degree d in P is not ruled and therefore not rational [13, Theorem V.5.14]. Very little is known about rationality in lower degrees, except for cubic 3-folds and quintic 4-folds [4], [19, Chapter 3]. A rational variety is also stably rational, meaning that some product of the variety with projective space is rational. Many techniques for proving non-rationality give no information about stable rationality. Voisin made a breakthrough in 2013 by showing that a very general quartic double solid (a double cover of P ramified over a quartic surface) is not stably rational [23]. These Fano 3-folds were known to be non-rational over the complex numbers, but stable rationality was an open question. Voisin’s method was to show that the Chow group of zero-cycles is not universally trivial (that is, the Chow group becomes nontrivial over some extension of the base field), by degenerating the variety to a nodal 3-fold which has a resolution of singularities X with nonzero torsion in H3(X,Z). Colliot-Thelene and Pirutka simplified and generalized Voisin’s degeneration method. They deduced that very general quartic 3-folds are not stably rational [6]. This was striking, in that non-rationality of smooth quartic 3-folds was the original triumph of Iskovskikh-Manin’s work on birational rigidity, while stable rationality of these varieties was unknown [11]. Beauville applied the method to prove that very general sextic double solids, quartic double 4-folds, and quartic double 5-folds are not stably rational [1, 2]. In this paper, we show that a wide class of hypersurfaces in all dimensions are not stably rational. Namely, for all d ≥ 2d(n + 2)/3e and n ≥ 3, a very general complex hypersurface of degree d in P is not stably rational (Theorem 2.1). The theorem covers all the degrees in which Kollar proved non-rationality. In fact, we get a bit more, since Kollar assumed d ≥ 2d(n + 3)/3e. For example, very general quartic 4-folds are not stably rational, whereas it was not even known whether these varieties are rational. The method applies to some smooth hypersurfaces over Q in each even degree. Section 3 gives some examples over Q which are not stably rational over C. The idea is that the most powerful results are obtained by degenerating a smooth complex variety to a singular variety in positive characteristic, rather than to a sin-
Optimal decision fusion with applications to target detection in wireless ad hoc sensor networks

Decision fusion is a decentralized decision making process where local decisions are combined to reach a global decision. In this work, we propose a complementary optimal decision fusion (CODF) method to the target detection task that arises in wireless ad hoc sensor network signal processing. We conduct extensive comparative study using real world sensor signal data, and observe superior performance of CODF when compared with state-of-the-art decision fusion methods. In addition to distributed sensor network applications, the proposed CODF algorithm can be applied to numerous multi-modality, multi-agent, multi-media signal processing problems.
Mixing chiral polytopes

An abstract polytope of rank n is said to be chiral if its automorphism group has two orbits on the flags, such that adjacent flags belong to distinct orbits. Examples of chiral polytopes have been difficult to find. A "mixing" construction lets us combine polytopes to build new regular and chiral polytopes. By using the chirality group of a polytope, we are able to give simple criteria for when the mix of two polytopes is chiral.
On determining symmetries in inputs of logic circuits

We propose a method for computing maximal sets of symmetric inputs in large circuits, using a test generation procedure for single stuck-at faults. The method is enhanced by heuristics that can be used to identify non-symmetric inputs, and reduce the number of inputs for which test generation has to be carried out. We show the relevance of the problem to input matching for design diagnosis and for technology mapping, and show that the input patterns produced by one of the heuristics can be used for input matching as well. Experimental results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed procedures. We also introduce an extended definition of input symmetry that helps in effectively solving the design diagnosis and technology mapping problems. >
Technology Shocks in the New Keynesian Model

In the New Keynesian model, preference, cost-push, and monetary shocks all compete with the real-business-cycle model's technology shock in driving aggregate fluctuations. A version of this model, estimated via maximum likelihood, points to these other shocks as being more important for explaining the behavior of output, inflation, and interest rates in the postwar U.S. data. These results weaken the links between the current generation of New Keynesian models and the real-business-cycle models from which they were originally derived. They also suggest that Federal Reserve officials have often faced difficult trade-offs in conducting monetary policy.
Microphysical and radiative evolution of aerosol plumes over the tropical North Atlantic Ocean

[1] Over the tropical North Atlantic Ocean in the summer, plumes of aerosol extend from Saharan Africa to the Caribbean. The microphysical and radiative evolution of such plumes is studied using a Lagrangian column model and measurements obtained near the west coast of Africa (during the second Aerosol Characterization Experiment [ACE-2]) and the Caribbean Sea (during the Passing Efficiency of the Low Turbulence Inlet [PELTI] experiment). Mass and scattering in the plumes can be separated into two layers that overlay one another over much of the Atlantic Ocean. Mineral dust dominates in the lower free troposphere, and sea-salt aerosol dominates in the boundary layer. Carbonaceous, sulfate, and nitrate (CSN) aerosols are a minor component of mass but contribute significantly to total column optical depth. Combined, CSN aerosols and sea-salt contribute to more than half of total aerosol clear-sky shortwave forcing associated with such plumes. Satellite and model data suggest that the reduction of plume forcing between the African coastline and the Caribbean is less than � 20%. The reduction is due principally to settling of large dust particles and atmospheric subsidence; however, the reduction of forcing remains small because (a) boundary layer trade winds provide a steady source of sea-salt, (b) dust particles are initially elevated 2.5–5.5 km from the surface and therefore have long settling distances before removal, and (c) small CSN and dust particles in the free troposphere have high specific extinction and lack significant removal processes. Measurements and climatology suggest that the CSN aerosols in the free troposphere are anthropogenic pollution from Europe. INDEX TERMS: 0305 Atmospheric Composition and Structure: Aerosols and particles (0345, 4801); 3337 Meteorology and Atmospheric Dynamics: Numerical modeling and data assimilation; 3359 Meteorology and Atmospheric Dynamics: Radiative processes
Selective synthesis of 5- or 6-aryl octahydrocyclopenta[b]pyrroles from a common precursor through control of competing pathways in a Pd-catalyzed reaction

The Pd/phosphine-catalyzed reaction of 1 with aryl bromides leads to the selective synthesis of either 6-aryl octahydrocyclopenta[b]pyrroles (3), the corresponding 5-aryl isomers 5, diarylamine 2, or hexahydrocyclopenta[b]pyrrole 4 depending on the structure of the phosphine ligand. These transformations are effective with a variety of different aryl bromides and provide 3−5 with excellent levels of diastereoselectivity (dr ≥ 20:1). The changes in product distribution are believed to derive from the influence of Pd-catalyst structure on the relative rates of reductive elimination, β-hydride elimination, alkene insertion, and alkene displacement processes in a mechanistically complex reaction. The effect of phosphine ligand structure on product distribution is described in detail, along with analysis of a proposed mechanism for these transformations.
Public Capital and Economic Growth: Issues of Quantity, Finance, and Efficiency

Over the past decade, a large body of theoretical and empirical research has considered the importance of the quantity of public capital for economic growth. For the most part, the empirical results point to a positive role for public capital in determining steady state levels of output per capita and transitional growth rates. At the same time, other work has pointed out the importance of the means of financing government spending for economic growth, with the empirical results indicating a negative influence of higher government spending (proxying for a higher rate of taxation of private sector economic activities) on economic growth. Finally, there is a budding literature on the importance of the effectiveness, or efficiency, of public capital to the growth process; the limited results in the literature suggest that the effectiveness of use of the public capital stock has a meaningful positive influence on growth. This paper develops a common framework to investigate the importance of all three of these aspects of the provision of public capital for growth in output per worker. The paper includes a simple extension of the neoclassical growth model of Solow (1956) and Swan (1956), and a consideration of the relative importance of the three aspects of public capital: "how much you have," "how you pay for it," and "how you use it."
Roots and polynomials as Homeomorphic spaces

We provide a unified, elementary, topological approach to the classical results stating the continuity of the complex roots of a polynomial with respect to its coefficients, and the continuity of the coefficients with respect to the roots. In fact, endowing the space of monic polynomials of a fixed degree n and the space of n roots with suitable topologies, we are able to formulate the classical theorems in the form of a homeomorphism. Related topological facts are also considered. 2005 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved. MSC 2000: primary 30C15; secondary 26C10
An analog VLSI chip with asynchronous interface for auditory feature extraction

We present an analog VLSI chip intended to serve as a front end of a speech recognition system. The chip architecture is inspired by biological auditory models common to humans and primate vertebrates. We include experimental results on a 1.2-/spl mu/m CMOS custom analog VLSI implementation and speech recognition results obtained from software simulations of the hardware on the TI-DIGITS database.
Ties of dependence: AIDS and transactional sex in rural Malawi.

In sub-Saharan Africa, the exchange of sex for material support—labeled “transactional sex” by Western observers—is claimed by some to be a major driver of the AIDS pandemic. Transactional sex is described as akin to prostitution, a degraded form of sexual expression forced on vulnerable women by economic desperation. Using evidence from rural Malawi, we demonstrate that patron–client ties and a moral obligation to support the needy, which are fundamental to African social life, are central elements of transactional sex. We argue that the exchange of sex for money is better understood as one of the many ties of unequal exchange in which Malawians and other Africans engage, an exchange in which the patrons are as important as the clients.
Improving the Process-Variation Tolerance of Digital Circuits Using Gate Sizing and Statistical Techniques

A new approach for enhancing the process-variation tolerance of digital circuits is described. We extend recent advances in statistical timing analysis into an optimization framework. Our objective is to reduce the performance variance of a technology-mapped circuit where delays across elements are represented by random variables which capture the manufacturing variations. We introduce the notion of statistical critical paths, which account for both means and variances of performance variation. An optimization engine is used to size gates with the goal of reducing the timing variance along the statistical critical paths. We apply a pair of nested statistical analysis methods deploying a slower more accurate approach for tracking statistical critical paths and a fast engine for evaluation of gate size assignments. We derive a new approximation for the max operation on random variables which is deployed for the faster inner engine. Circuit optimization is carried out using a gain-based algorithm that terminates when constraints are satisfied or no further improvements can be made. We show optimization results that demonstrate an average of 72% reduction in performance variation at the expense of average 20% increase in design area.