cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Theory is Out There: The Use of ALPHA-2 Agonists in Treatment of Septic Shock

The sympathetic nervous system plays an important role in the initial response to sepsis. This response enables the host to respond to invading pathogens; however, prolonged activation can become pathological. The potential for unregulated sympathetic tone to become detrimental in the septic patient has fueled interest in the role and impact of sympathetic manipulation, including the selective inhibition of sympathetic tone to return and augment vascular reactivity. While conventional understanding of alpha 2 agonists activity is depletion of sympathetic outflow, novel evidence suggests mitigation rather than depletion. The mechanism by which these agents exert these properties remains controversial and appears to be condition-specific. The hypothesis by which alpha agonists affect the pathology of sepsis is multifactorial, but includes influence on inflammatory regulation, coagulopathy, dynamic flow, as well as vascular responsiveness and integrity. Theory and basic science evidence supports the use of α agonists in the septic population. The clinical evidence shedding light on this topic is limited and confounded by intention or trial design. Future evidence should focus on adjuvant therapy in patients progressing to or at high risk of shock development.
Pituitary Growth Factors

Growth factors act on neighboring or autologous cells to effect specific cellular responses. These include regulation of the cell cycle and cell growth, induction of cell-specific unique proteins or regulation of a differentiated cell function (1). The latter function of growth factors is mediated by a direct regulation of phenotypic gene expression. The pituitary gland has been shown to contain increasing numbers of specific growth factors, most of which are listed in Table 1. These pituitary-derived factors have been isolated to varying degrees of purity (2).
Ceramic Molds for Mixtec Gold: a New Lost-Wax Casting Technique from Prehispanic Mexico

The basic principles of lost-wax casting, a metallurgical technology invented independently in the Old and New World, are relatively well understood. Yet researchers across the globe still struggle to explain technological variability in this process, which has important ramifications for understanding the origin, development, and spread of lost-wax casting. This paper reports the discovery of an assemblage of ceramic molds that were utilized to make internal clay cores for lost-wax casting at Tututepec, a Late Postclassic (AD 1100–1522) capital located in the southern Mexican state of Oaxaca. The molds enabled artisans to make highly standardized hollow metal artifacts, such as beads and ornaments, that served as adornments for high status individuals. Lost-wax casting, including internal core technology, initially spread to Mesoamerica from the Isthmo-Colombian Area, yet no molds similar to those found in Oaxaca have been reported from these “donor” regions. Interestingly, core technology was also an important component of lost-wax casting in many areas of the Old World. Thus, the analysis presented here will contribute to comparative studies of lost-wax casting worldwide. Furthermore, this study introduces evidence for metal production from household excavations to examine the social context of metalworking in Oaxaca. The results challenge the once prevalent assumption that Oaxacan metallurgy was the exclusive domain of rulers, and instead strongly suggests that elites and commoners collaborated in this enterprise. Finally, the evidence presented here also confirms Tututepec’s role as an important goldworking center in Postclassic Mesoamerica.
Couples viewing marriage and pregnancy through the lens of the sacred: A descriptive study.

This chapter explores several ways that faith can be experienced and expressed in family life, using a sample of married couples on the verge of giving birth to their first child. It highlights one constructsanctificationand suggests that it offers a promising starting point for advancing theory and research on the roles of religion and spirituality in family life. The chapter provides descriptive data on how common it is for married men and women to view their marriage and first pregnancy as being sanctified. It examines how such perceptions relate to three other ways that spiritually can be integrated with marriage or pregnancy, namely spiritual behavioral investment, spiritual emotions, and positive spiritual coping. The chapter demonstrates that linkages between perceived sanctification and these three spiritual constructs are not merely a reflection of global levels of religiousness, including the frequency of religious attendance and private prayer, and conservative views of the Bible. Keywords: Bible; family life; marriage; pregnancy; sanctification; spiritual emotions
Security surveillance applications utilizing parallel video-processing techniques in the spatial domain

We present several solutions to security surveillance and their applications while utilizing parallel processing of video streams for improved performance. The algorithms presented in this article are explained in detail and their implementations are provided for educational purposes. These algorithms with their implementations are being taught in our Parallel Processing course utilizing NVidia’s CUDA language and framework. We chose the topic of security surveillance in our Parallel Processing course because the results are visual and applicable in many situations such as surveillance of parking lots (e.g., monitoring our car), dormitory rooms, offices, etc. Image-processing techniques and algorithms are discussed in this article, and extended to real-time high-definition video-processing focusing on security surveillance.
MODEL STUDIES OF MULTICELL CURVED BOX-GIRDER BRIDGES

A model study on the static response of curved box-girder bridges is presented, and a close agreement is found between the test and analytical results. The prototype bridge was a four-cell reinforced concrete design, 33 ft 10 in. (10.31 m) wide, 4 ft 10 in. (1.47 m) deep, and had a radius of curvature of 282 ft (86 m). A 1/29 scale aluminum model was studied for spans of 60 in. (1,500 mm), 45 in. (1,140 mm), and 30 in. (760 mm), with or without a midspan radial diaphragm. The quantities measured were: (1) Boundary reactions; (2) strains at a radial section close to midspan; and (3) deflections at selected points. The data were reduced by computer, and distribution graphs of tangential plate forces, radial bending moments, and deflections were plotted by Calcomp plotter. Based on the model data, some general observations are made regarding the behavior of curved box-girder bridges.
Bone Mineral Density Adult Age Estimation in Forensic Anthropology: A Test of the DXAGE Application.

Estimating age-at-death of individuals represented only by skeletonized human remains is a fundamental aspect of forensic anthropological casework. Recently, several researchers have proposed that bone mineral density (BMD) is a useful predictor of age-at-death in forensic contexts. Navega et al. (JFS 63(2):497-503) developed an online application called DXAGE for calculating age-at-death from BMD parameters. This study tests the utility of DXAGE by utilizing data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). BMD data from a female subsample (n=470) of the NHANES 2007–2008 dataset were analyzed, and the relationship between predicted age and real age was examined. Inaccuracy was 14.25 years, and bias was -7.20 years. Results show that there is a weak correlation between predicted and actual age (r=0.47) using the DXAGE application. While BMD data are potentially useful for predicting age age-at-death, the DXAGE application should be used cautiously in forensic anthropological contexts.
A high-order flux reconstruction method for 3D mixed overset meshes

Abstract The use of overset meshes can significantly simplify grid generation for complex configurations, and is particularly desired for moving boundary problems as remeshing is often unnecessary. In the present study, we develop a high-order flux reconstruction (FR) solver for mixed overset meshes including the near-body, and background meshes. The main objective is to achieve uniformly high order accuracy in the entire computational domain on both the near body and the background grids. Two different approaches to handle the overset interfaces are evaluated for accuracy, efficiency and robustness. Waves passing across the overset interfaces are tested with both smooth and discontinuous waves. In the present study, we focus on non-moving boundary problems, and demonstrate the overall methodology for steady and unsteady flow problems.
Centralization and decentralization in ICT: Duality and complementarity

A simple parable, which I will refer to frequently, illustrates the duality of centralization and decentralization. One day, two umbrella vendors set up shop on a beach, one located a quarter of th...
Integrating Animal Husbandry With Crops and Trees

Per capita intake of animal protein is expected to increase globally through 2050, and the rate of increase will be more in emerging economies than that in developed countries. Global meat consumption between 1980 and 2050 is projected to increase from 133 million to 452 million tonnes, of which 86% (279 million tonnes) of the global increase will occur in developing countries. Animal-based agricultural systems occupy 45% of the global land area and contribute 18% of anthropogenic emissions. In addition to being a major source of nitrous oxide (N2O), methane (CH4) and other greenhouse gases (GHGs), livestock also use 8% of the global water withdrawal. The animal sector is dominated by resource-poor and small landholders of developing countries. Adverse effects of livestock on the environment are caused by the way animal husbandry is practiced, and animals are not integrated with other agricultural and forestry-based practices. Thus, improving and sustaining the livestock sector is critical to advancing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations, especially SDG #1 (No Poverty), SDG #2 (Zero Hunger), SDG #6 (Clean Water and Sanitation), and SDG #13 (Climate Action). Separation of the raising of livestock from that of the cultivation of seasonal crops and perennial trees has decoupled the biogeochemical/biogeophysical cycling of carbon (C), water (H2O), nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and sulfur (S). This decoupling is a causative factor of the increase in emissions of N2O and CH4, eutrophication and contamination of water resources, degradation of rangelands, and decline in its biodiversity. Therefore, identification and a widespread adoption of integrated systems of livestock with that of crops and trees are critical to reduce the environmental footprint of animal-based dietary products. Incorporation of pastures/forages in the rotation cycle along with controlled grazing, called ley farming, and agroforestry, such as alley cropping, are examples of integrated farming systems. Other strategies of reducing the environmental footprint comprise the following: reducing enteric fermentation by precision feeding and matching dietary protein to animal need, processing CH4 and N2O emissions for other uses, and managing manure and other animal waste prudently. Other considerations include multiple GHG perspectives and SOC sequestration.
Ocular Cicatricial Pemphigoid

Mucous membrane pemphigoid is a chronic autoimmune disease that mainly affects mucous membranes. Skin lesions occur in 10–43% of patients. The conjunctiva is involved in about 70% of patients. The component of the disease that affects the conjunctiva, regardless of involvement of nonocular sites, is commonly called ocular cicatricial pemphigoid. It is a bilateral, asymmetric, sight-threatening disease characterized by progressive conjunctival cicatrization associated with trichiasis, eyelid entropion, symblepharon, secondary corneal neovascularization, and scarring. It is characterized by IgG, IgA, or C3 (complement component) deposition in a linear fashion along the epithelial basement membrane zone. The disease usually presents between the ages of 30 and 90 years; it affects males twice as often as females.
Increasing Cardiometabolic Disease Burden Leads To Worse Outcomes In Patients with HFpEF: A TOPCAT Analysis

Introduction Heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) is an increasingly prevalent disease which is strongly associated with cardiometabolic disease (CMD). Type 2 diabetes (DM2) is associated with worse outcomes in this patient population; however, it is not clear if the addition of other cardiometabolic risk factors further increases this risk. Hypothesis We expect that an increasing number of CMDs will correlate with worse outcomes in this population. Methods We analyzed 1767 subjects from the Americas subgroup of the Treatment of Preserved Cardiac Function Heart Failure with an Aldosterone Antagonist (TOPCAT) database and stratified patients into 4 groups based on number of CMDs (hypertension, DM2, hyperlipidemia, and obesity). The association of these groups (0-1, 2, 3, and 4 CMDs) with the primary outcome in TOPCAT (composite of cardiovascular death, HF hospitalization, and aborted cardiovascular death) were compared using Cox proportional hazards modeling. Results Of the 1767 subjects, 347 had 0-1 CMDs, 579 had 2 CMDs, 503 had 3 CMDs, and 338 had 4 CMDs. After adjusting for covariates*, there was a significant increase in the primary outcome in groups with 3 (HR: 1.26, p = 0.03) or 4 CMDs (HR: 1.59, p = 0.0003) when compared to patients with 0-2 CMDs (Fig 1A). Notably, groups with 3-4 CMDs had more patients with DM2 (greater than 70%) than those with 0-2 CMDs (less than 15%). Among subjects with DM2, additional CMDs did not increase the risk of the primary outcome (Fig 1B). Conclusions Increasing burden of CMDs is associated with poor outcomes in patients with HFpEF, driven by the presence of DM2 in higher CMD groups. The addition of CMDs to DM2 did not confer increased risk in these patients.
The Declining Trade Credit Ratio Puzzle

Despite the importance of trade credit as a source of financing there is a significant and persistent decline in this form of short-term borrowing and lending over the 1979 to 2018 interval. We find that the median firm’s accounts receivable ratio decreased by 52 percent while accounts payable ratio fell by 47 percent. The decline in firms’ trade credit over time is systematic as it is present in most industries and sub-samples of firms classified on different characteristics. Further, firms’ trade credit ratios are significantly less than predicted ratios based on firm-specific characteristics and industry factors and this deficiency is becoming larger, that is, more negative, over the sample period. The pattern in trade credit ratios persists after controlling for changes in macro factors implying that the declining trade credit ratio represents a puzzle.
Removal of natural organic matter by ion exchange: Comparing regenerated and non-regenerated columns.

Abstract Dissolved organic matter (DOM) in water has adverse impacts on the water treatment process and is effectively removed by ion exchange (IEX). Some researchers have proposed the term biological ion exchange (BIEX) for the process of continuous DOM removal by ion exchange without the need for chemical regeneration that results in brine waste. Surface water with moderate dissolved organic carbon (DOC) concentrations (4–6 mg/L) and high sulfate concentrations (80 – 120 mg/L) was fed to two regenerated and two non-regenerated columns for 12,500 bed volumes (9 months) with the goal of investigating the effects of chemical and possibly biological regeneration on long-term IEX operation. Chemically regenerated columns achieved between 60 and 80% DOC removal for the entirety of the experiment, while non-regenerated columns achieved steady DOC removal of ~50%. Inorganic ion analysis showed that biological activity had minimal impact on DOC removal, and the main mechanism of removal was secondary IEX between sulfate (SO42−) and fractions of DOC with high affinities for ion exchange. Fluorescence and specific UV absorbance at 254 nm (SUVA 254) data showed that fractions of DOC with higher SUVA 254 values (terrestrial-like fractions) were better removed by secondary IEX than those with lower SUVA 254 values (aquatic/microbial-like fractions). Scanning electron microscopy showed that biofilms on non-regenerated resins covered 5–15% of the resin surface and are composed of numerous species of bacteria with varying functions, with some protozoa present.
Development of a clinical assay to measure chlorinated tyrosine in hair and tissue samples using a mouse chlorine inhalation exposure model.

Chlorine is a toxic industrial chemical with a history of use as a chemical weapon. Chlorine is also produced, stored, and transported in bulk making it a high-priority pulmonary threat in the USA. Due to the high reactivity of chlorine, few biomarkers exist to identify exposure in clinical and environmental samples. Our laboratory evaluates acute chlorine exposure in clinical samples by measuring 3-chlorotyrosine (Cl-Tyr) and 3,5-dichlorotyrosine (Cl2-Tyr) using liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). Individuals can have elevated biomarker levels due to their environment and chronic health conditions, but levels are significantly lower in individuals exposed to chlorine. Historically these biomarkers have been evaluated in serum, plasma, blood, and bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid. We report the expansion into hair and lung tissue samples using our newly developed tissue homogenization protocol which fits seamlessly with our current chlorinated tyrosine quantitative assay. Furthermore, we have updated the chlorinated tyrosine assay to improve throughput and ruggedness and reduce sample volume requirements. The improved assay was used to measure chlorinated tyrosine levels in 198 mice exposed to either chlorine gas or air. From this animal study, we compared Cl-Tyr and Cl2-Tyr levels among three matrices (i.e., lung, hair, and blood) and found that hair had the most abundant chlorine exposure biomarkers. Furthermore, we captured the first timeline of each analyte in the lung, hair, and blood samples. In mice exposed to chlorine gas, both Cl-Tyr and Cl2-Tyr were present in blood and lung samples up to 24 h and up to 30 days in hair samples.
Mapping Disasters & Tracking Recovery in Conflict Zones Using Nighttime Lights

The capability to map disasters and track recovery thereafter has seen substantial enhancement from the development of connected communication and imaging technology. In this work, we demonstrate a series of techniques for assessing the damage and the recovery process from the humanitarian crisis in Sana’a, Yemen. In particular, we make use of the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer (VIIRS) Day/Night Band (DNB), which produces nightly data on illumination levels globally at 750m resolution. While nearly all work that has previously been performed using the VIIRS DNB dataset uses monthly or annual composite data, we develop novel methods that leverage the nightly availability of this data source, particularly for mapping the scale and extents of illumination changes, accurately identifying the day when bombing occurred and illumination conditions changed, characterizing electricity outage patterns, and tracing the recovery of nighttime lighting both spatially and temporally. For each of these methods, we compare with publicly-available datasets to verify the accuracy of our observations. In total, these data, available only 1 day after an event, and the resulting analyses can be especially valuable for disaster response as well as targeting and tracking investments in recovery.
Persuasive or polarizing? The influence of entrepreneurs' use of ingratiation rhetoric on investor funding decisions

Abstract We add richness and depth to investor decision-making research by exploring the influence of entrepreneurs' use of ingratiation rhetoric in their investor pitch presentations on investor funding decisions. Drawing on ingratiation theory, we model the effects of flattery, self-deprecation, opinion conformity, and self-promotion as distinct forms of ingratiation rhetoric. We do so independently and in tandem, conceptualizing the confluence of ingratiation forms as driving an overall aggregate effect on the amount of funding allocated by investors. We then theorize that entrepreneur charisma and entrepreneur performance are moderators of the aggregate effect. We test our model in the angel investment context with data from 789 entrepreneur pitch presentations to 27 investors on the Shark Tank television program from 2009 through 2020. We find that on their own, the different forms of ingratiation rhetoric have mixed effects, with flattery and self-deprecation negatively impacting investor funding amount and opinion conformity and self-promotion positively relating to funding amount. When used together, we find an overall negative effect, and this effect is positively moderated by entrepreneur charisma and entrepreneur performance. These findings shed new light on ingratiation rhetoric as a powerful force in entrepreneurs' efforts to secure funding.
Genetic variation in ALDH4A1 predicts muscle health over the lifespan and across species

Environmental stress can negatively impact organismal aging, however, the long-term impact of endogenously derived reactive oxygen species from normal cellular metabolism remains less clear. Here we define the evolutionarily conserved mitochondrial enzyme ALH-6/ALDH4A1 as a biomarker for age-related changes in muscle health by combining C. elegans genetics and a gene-wide association study (GeneWAS) from aged human participants of the US Health and Retirement Study (HRS)1-4. In a screen for mutations that activate SKN-1-dependent oxidative stress responses in the muscle of C. elegans5-7, we identified 96 independent genetic mutants harboring loss-of-function alleles of alh-6, exclusively. These genetic mutations map across the ALH-6 polypeptide, which lead to age-dependent loss of muscle health. Intriguingly, genetic variants in ALDH4A1 differentially impact age-related muscle function in humans. Taken together, our work uncovers mitochondrial alh-6/ALDH4A1 as a critical component of normal muscle aging across species and a predictive biomarker for muscle health over the lifespan.
Private database queries using somewhat homomorphic encryption

In a private database query system, a client issues queries to a database and obtains the results without learning anything else about the database and without the server learning the query. While previous work has yielded systems that can efficiently support disjunction queries, performing conjunction queries privately remains an open problem. In this work, we show that using a polynomial encoding of the database enables efficient implementations of conjunction queries using somewhat homomorphic encryption. We describe a three-party protocol that supports efficient evaluation of conjunction queries. Then, we present two implementations of our protocol using Paillier's additively homomorphic system as well as Brakerski's somewhat homomorphic cryptosystem. Finally, we show that the additional homomorphic properties of the Brakerski cryptosystem allow us to handle queries involving several thousand elements over a million-record database in just a few minutes, far outperforming the implementation using the additively homomorphic system.
Progressive nature of paroxysmal atrial fibrillation. Observations from a 14-year follow-up study.

Background Atrial fibrillation (AF) is believed to occur first as paroxysmal, then be gradually perpetuated, and finally become chronic as the end result. However, this presumed clinical course has not been well confirmed. Methods and Results The clinical course of recurrent paroxysmal AF (PAF) from its onset was examined in 171 patients (mean follow-up period: 14.1±8.1 years). This study population consisted of patients with no structural heart disease (n=88), ischemic heart disease (n=28), dilated or hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (n=17), valvular heart disease (n=35) or other cardiac diseases. The mean age at the onset of AF was 58.3 ±11.8 years old. During the mean follow-up period of 14.1 years, PAF eventually developed into its chronic form in 132 patients under conventional antiarrhythmic therapy (77.2%, 5.5% of patients per year). The independent factors for early development into chronic AF were aging (hazard ratio (HR) 1.27 per 10 years, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.06-1.47)), dilated left atrium (HR 1.39 per 10 mm, 95% CI 1.11-1.69), myocardial infarction (HR 2.33, 95% CI 1.13-4.81), and valvular diseases (HR 2.29, 95% CI 1.22-4.30). Conclusions The present long-term observations definitely and quantitatively revealed the progressive nature of PAF. (Circ J 2004; 68: 568 - 572)
Hierarchical Auctions for Network Resource Allocation

Motivated by allocation of cloud computing services, bandwidth and wireless spectrum in secondary network markets, we introduce a hierarchical auction model for network resource allocation. The Tier 1 provider owns all of the resource, who holds an auction in which the Tier 2 providers participate. Each of the Tier 2 providers then holds an auction to allocate the acquired resource among the Tier 3 users. The Tier 2 providers play the role of middlemen, since their utility for the resource depends entirely on the payment that they receive by selling it. We first consider the case of indivisible resource. We study a class of mechanisms where each sub-mechanism is either a first-price or a second-price auction, and show that incentive compatibility and efficiency cannot be simultaneously achieved. We then consider the resource to be divisible and propose the hierarchical network second-price mechanism in which there exists an efficient Nash equilibrium with endogenous strong budget balance.
Financial Derivatives Pricing: Selected Works of Robert Jarrow

This book is a collection of original papers by Robert Jarrow that contributed to significant advances in financial economics. Divided into three parts, Part I concerns option pricing theory and its foundations. The papers here deal with the famous Black-Scholes-Merton model, characterizations of the American put option, and the first applications of arbitrage pricing theory to market manipulation and liquidity risk.Part II relates to pricing derivatives under stochastic interest rates. Included is the paper introducing the famous Heath-Jarrow-Morton (HJM) model, together with papers on topics like the characterization of the difference between forward and futures prices, the forward price martingale measure, and applications of the HJM model to foreign currencies and commodities.Part III deals with the pricing of financial derivatives considering both stochastic interest rates and the likelihood of default. Papers cover the reduced form credit risk model, in particular the original Jarrow and Turnbull model, the Markov model for credit rating transitions, counterparty risk, and diversifiable default risk.
Description of Requirements Analyses to Support Development of an FAA Position on Use of GPS as a Primary Means of Navigation in Oceanic and Remote Airspace

The U. S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) recently investigated the use of GPS as a primary means of navigation in oceanic and remote airspace prior to the implementation of the Wide-Area Aug...
A mechanism for the dynamo terms to sustain closed-flux current, including helicity balance, by driving current which crosses the magnetic field

An analysis of imposed dynamo current drive (IDCD) [T.R. Jarboe et al., Nucl. Fusion 52 083017 (2012)] reveals: (a) current drive on closed flux surfaces seems possible without relaxation, reconnection, or other flux-surface-breaking large events; (b) the scale size of the key physics may be smaller than is often computationally resolved; (c) helicity can be sustained across closed flux; and (d) IDCD current drive is parallel to the current which crosses the magnetic field to produce the current driving force. In addition to agreeing with spheromak data, IDCD agrees with selected tokamak data.
Synthesis of Vinyl Chlorides via Triphosgene-Pyridine Activation of Ketones.

Herein, we describe a mild method to prepare aliphatic and aromatic vinyl chlorides from their corresponding ketones via triphosgene–pyridine activation in dichloromethane at reflux. The mechanism of this reaction is proposed to involve formation of a putative α-chloro pyridinium carbamate intermediate, which appeared to readily undergo E2 elimination in the presence of pyridine.
On the Incommensurability Phenomenon

Suppose that two large, multi-dimensional data sets are each noisy measurements of the same underlying random process, and principal components analysis is performed separately on the data sets to reduce their dimensionality. In some circumstances it may happen that the two lower-dimensional data sets have an inordinately large Procrustean fitting-error between them. The purpose of this manuscript is to quantify this "incommensurability phenomenon". In particular, under specified conditions, the square Procrustean fitting-error of the two normalized lower-dimensional data sets is (asymptotically) a convex combination (via a correlation parameter) of the Hausdorff distance between the projection subspaces and the maximum possible value of the square Procrustean fitting-error for normalized data. We show how this gives rise to the incommensurability phenomenon, and we employ illustrative simulations and also use real data to explore how the incommensurability phenomenon may have an appreciable impact.
The Mellon Fedora Project Digital Library Architecture Meets XML and Web Services

The University of Virginia received a grant of $1,000,000 from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation to enable the Library, in collaboration with Cornell University, to build a digital object repository system based on the Flexible Extensible Digital Object and Repository Architecture (Fedora). The new system demonstrates how distributed digital library architecture can be deployed using web-based technologies, including XML and Web services. The new system is designed to be a foundation upon which interoperable web-based digital libraries can be built. Virginia and collaborating partners in the US and UK will evaluate the system using a diverse set of digital collections. The software will be made available to the public as an open-source release.
Authorization Based on Evidence and Trust

Developing authorization mechanisms for secure information access by a large community of users in an open environment is challenging. Current research efforts grant privilege to a user based on her objective properties that are demonstrated by digital credentials (evidences). However, holding credentials is not sufficient to certify that a user is trustworthy. Therefore, we propose using the notion of trust to characterize the probability that a user will not harm an information system. We present a trust-enhanced role-mapping server, which cooperates with RBAC (Role-Based Access Control) mechanisms to together implement authorization based on evidence and trust. A prerequisite for this is our proposed formalization of trust and evidence.
New bounds on the capacity of multi-dimensional RLL-Constrained systems

We examine the well-known problem of determining the capacity of multi-dimensional run-length-limited constrained systems. By recasting the problem, which is essentially a combinatorial counting problem, into a probabilistic setting, we are able to derive new lower and upper bounds on the capacity of (0,k)-RLL systems. These bounds are better than all previously-known bounds for k ≥ 2, and are even tight asymptotically. Thus, we settle the open question: what is the rate at which the capacity of (0,k)-RLL systems converges to 1 as k → ∞? While doing so, we also provide the first ever non-trivial upper bound on the capacity of general (d,k)-RLL systems.
Litigation with Symmetric Bargaining and Two-Sided Incomplete Information

We construct game theoretic foundations for bargaining in the shadow of a trial. Plaintiff and defendant both have noisy signals of a common-value trial judgment and make simultaneous offers to settle. If the offers cross, they settle on the average offer; otherwise, both litigants incur an additional cost and the judgment is imposed at trial. We obtain an essentially unique NE and characterize its conditional trial probabilities and judgments. Some of the results are intuitive, e.g., an increase in trial cost (or a decrease in the range of possible outcomes) reduces the probability of a trial. Other results reverse findings from previous literature. For example, trials are possible even when the defendant’s signal indicates a higher potential judgment than the plaintiff’s signal, and when trial costs are low, the middling cases (rather than the extreme cases) are more likely to settle.
Acousto-ultrasonic characterization of fiber reinforced composites

The advantageous aspects of acoustic emission and ultrasonic methodologies are combined in a technique which operates by introducing a repeating series of ultrasonic pulses into a material. The waves introduced simulate the spontaneous stress waves that would arise if the material were put under stress as in the case of acoustic emission measurements. These benign stress waves are detected by an acoustic emission sensor. The physical arrangement of the ultrasonic (input) transducer and acoustic emission (output) sensor is such that the resultant waveform carries an imprint of morphological factors that govern or contribute to material performance. The output waveform is quite complex, but it can be quantitized in terms of a "stress wave factor". The stress wave factor, which can be defined in a number of ways, is essentially a relative measure of the efficiency of energy dissipation in a material. If flaws or other material anomalies exist in the volume being examined, their combined effect will appear in the stress wave factor.
General equilibrium effects of land market restrictions on labor market : evidence from wages in Sri Lanka

Taking advantage of a historical quasi-experiment in Sri Lanka, this paper provides evidence on the effects of land market restrictions on wages and its spatial pattern. The empirical specification is derived from a general equilibrium model that predicts that the adverse effects of land market restrictions on wages will be less in remote locations. For identification, the study exploits the effects of historical malaria prevalence on the incidence of land restrictions through its effects on crown land. During the 16th to early 20th centuries, areas severely affected by malaria were abandoned by households and the land was taken over by the government. These lands that were later distributed through resettlement programs are subject to sales, rental, and mortgage restrictions. The variations in the amount of crown land resulting from different intensity of historical malaria provide a source of exogenous variations in the incidence of land restrictions in a sub-district. The results show that land restrictions reduce wages substantially, and this effect is smaller in remote locations. A 1 percent increase in land restrictions reduces wages by about 6.6 percent at the median travel time from an urban center, and the effect becomes effectively zero after 6 hours of travel time.
Business environment, economic agglomeration and job creation around the world

Based on a comprehensive worldwide firm survey, this paper looks at how the business environment and economic agglomeration affect job creation, holding constant conventional determinants of firm growth, such as firm ownership, size, and age. The analysis finds that economic agglomeration is most important, especially modern telecommunications, access to export markets, concentration of economic activity in large cities, and capacity agglomeration (the concentration of large firms in a city). Although the business environment affects job growth less than agglomeration does, some elements of the business environment matter, such as labor flexibility, unionization, and local skill levels. There is strong heterogeneity in job creation across firm size and age.
VoxBoox: a system for automatic generation of interactive talking books

We present the VoxBoox system, a system for making digital books accessible to visually impaired individuals via audio and voice. This is accomplished by automatically translating a book published in HTML to VoiceXML, and then further enhancing this VoiceXML rendering of the book to enable listener-controlled dynamic aural navigation. The VoxBoox system has the following salient features: (i) it leverages existing infrastructure since the book that is to be made accessible need only be published digitally using HTML on the visualWeb, (ii) it is based on acceptedWeb standards of HTML and VoiceXML and thus books can be made accessible inexpensively, and (iii) it is user-centered in that the listener (the user) has complete control over (aural) navigation of the book. In this paper, we present details of the technologies that make the VoxBoox system possible, as well as the details of the system itself. A prototype of the VoxBoox system is operational.
Discharge power control for fusion splice of optical fiber

This paper concerns a novel method of minimizing loss and stabilizing fusion splicing performance under any atmospheric conditions. A feedback loop is used to relate the luminosity of the splice with arc current and time.
Tuning Order in Cuprate Superconductors

Cuprate superconductors are able to transport electrical current without substantial resistance at relatively high temperatures. However, the mechanism through which they are able to do so remains incompletely understood. In their Perspective, Sachdev and Zhang highlight Hoffmann et al .9s scanning tunneling microscopy study of vortices caused by an applied field. This study provides insights into how spin and charge densities change as a function of applied field in competition with superconductivity.
The Degraded Poisson Wiretap Channel

Optical and near-optical band communication systems are known to be intrinsically more secure than comparable RF channels, due to their narrow beamwidths and, in some cases, their high atmospheric absorption. The use of coding against wiretapping for such channels is investigated. For the degraded Poisson wiretap channel model, the secrecy capacity is determined exactly. Moreover, a complete characterization of the rate-equivocation region is presented. For achievability, an optimal code is constructed explicitly by using a code designed by Wyner for the Poisson channel. The converse is proved in two ways: the first method leverages the low-SNR nature of the channel and relies only on simple properties of conditional expectation and classical information inequalities. The second method uses a link recently established between minimum mean square error estimation and mutual information over Poisson channels.
On the local-global conjecture for integral Apollonian gaskets

We prove that a set of density one satisfies the local-global conjecture for integral Apollonian gaskets. That is, for a fixed integral, primitive Apollonian gasket, almost every (in the sense of density) admissible (passing local obstructions) integer is the curvature of some circle in the gasket.
Migration, sex bias, and child growth in rural Pakistan

Temporary economic migration is undertaken largely in response to resource constraints. This is evident in the volume of remittances sent back by migrants to their families of origin. In agricultural settings, where those left behind are likely to face considerable exposure to uninsured income risk, such resource flows should translate into better risk bearing capacity. In this paper the author takes up this question by asking whether economic migration allows households to avoid costly risk coping strategies. She focuses on early child growth since there is considerable epidemiological evidence that very young children are particularly vulnerable to shocks that lead to growth faltering, with substantial long-term health consequences. The data come from rural Pakistan, where, as in the rest of Asia, son preference is substantial and there are large gender gaps in most developmental outcomes. As such, the interest is in examining also whether migration-induced resource flows allow households to extend better nutrition and health care protection to girls. Recent work on the intra-household allocation of resources and risk has also shown that gender differences in the relative burden of risk may be important and that the allocation of resources to daughters is often one margin along which poor households adjust to uninsurable transitory income shocks. After accounting for selection into migration, the results indicate that migration has a substantially larger positive impact on growth outcomes for young girls. And the growth advantage is sustained among older girls, suggesting potential intergenerational benefits of averting nutritional and other health shocks for girls in early childhood. These results are further validated by restricting the sample to migrant households and comparing the growth outcomes of siblings before and after migration.
Model-driven ontology engineering

W3C’s Semantic Web provides a common framework that allows data to be shared and reused across application and enterprise. As the Semantic Web shapes the future of the Web, it becomes more and more important in software engineering and enterprise application development. While existing ontology engineering tools provide a stack of ontology management support and are used successfully in certain domains, there still remains a gap between the ontology engineering tools and the traditional software engineering. For several decades, software engineering has been established on different modeling languages and methodologies such as Unified Modeling Language (UML). The differences in modeling languages and methodologies cause difficulties in enterprise application development involving the Semantic Web technologies. The existing ontology engineering tools provide only an ad hoc approach to bridging this gap with limited functionality and performance. The primary objective of our work is to bridge this gap between two different, but complementary engineering disciplines with a systematic approach. Our approach leverages Model-Driven Architecture (MDA) and Ontology Definition Metamodel (ODM), which enable model transformation. This approach allows seamlessly supporting existing models in UML and other languages in Semantic Web-based software development. In addition, it allows exploiting the availability and features of UML tools for creation of vocabularies and ontologies. Furthermore, MDA enables code generation and facilitates software tool development. This paper presents an MDA-based system for ontology engineering. In addition, it presents the entire stack of individual components of the developed ontology engineering tool.
CHARACTERIZING PROPERTIES OF STOCHASTIC OBJECTIVE FUNCTIONS

This paper develops tools for analyzing properties of stochastic objective functions that take the form ( , ) ( , ) ( ; ) Vu dF ≡ ∫s xx s s θ θ . The paper analyzes the relationship between properties of the primitive functions, the utility function u and probability distribution F, and properties of the stochastic objective. The methods apply when the utility function is restricted to lie in a set of functions which is a "closed convex cone" (e.g., nondecreasing functions, concave functions, or supermodular functions). Approaches previously applied to characterize monotonicity of V (that is, stochastic dominance theorems) can be used to establish other properties of V as well. The first part of the paper establishes necessary and sufficient conditions for V to satisfy "closed convex cone properties," such as supermodularity, in the parameter θ. Then, we consider necessary and sufficient conditions for monotone comparative statics predictions. A new property of payoff functions is introduced, called l-supermodularity, which is shown to be necessary and sufficient for comparative statics predictions. The results are illustrated with applications.
When do sudden stops really hurt

This paper analyzes the drivers and consequences of sudden stops of capital flows. It focuses on the impact of external vulnerability on the depth and length of sudden stop crises. The authors analyze 43 developing and developed countries between 1993 and 2006. They find evidence that external vulnerability not only significantly impacts the probability of a sudden stop crisis, but also prolongs the time it takes for growth to revert to its long-term trend once a sudden stop occurs. Interestingly, external vulnerability does not significantly impact the size of the instantaneous output effect in case of a sudden stop but prompts a cumulative output effect through significantly diminishing the speed of adjustment of output to its trend. This finding implies that countries financing a large part of their absorption externally do not suffer more ferocious output losses in a sudden stop crisis, but take longer to adapt afterward and are hence expected to suffer more protracted crises periods. Compared with previous literature, this paper makes three contributions: (i) it extends the country and time coverage relative to datasets that have previously been used to analyze related topics; (ii) it specifically accounts for time-series autocorrelation; and (iii) it provides an analysis of the adjustment path of economic growth after a sudden stop.
Influence of Valence Electron Concentration on Laves Phases: Structures and Phase Stability of Pseudo-Binary MgZn2-xPdx

A series of pseudo-binary compounds MgZn2–xPdx (0.15 ≤ x ≤ 1.0) were synthesized and structurally characterized to understand the role of valence electron concentration (vec) on the prototype Laves phase MgZn2 with Pd-substitution. Three distinctive phase regions were observed with respect to Pd content, all exhibiting fundamental Laves phase structures: 0.1 ≤ x ≤ 0.3 (MgNi2-type, hP24; MgZn1.80Pd0.20(2)), 0.4 ≤ x ≤ 0.6 (MgCu2-type, cF24; MgZn1.59Pd0.41(2)), and 0.62 ≤ x ≤ 0.8 (MgZn2-type, hP12: MgZn1.37Pd0.63(2)). Refinements from single-crystal X-ray diffraction indicated nearly statistical distributions of Pd and Zn atoms among the majority atom sites in these structures. Interestingly, the MgZn2-type structure re-emerges in MgZn2–xPdx at x ≈ 0.7 with the refined composition MgZn1.37(2)Pd0.63 and a c/a ratio of 1.59 compared to 1.64 for binary MgZn2. Electronic structure calculations on a model “MgZn1.25Pd0.75” yielded a density of states (DOS) curve showing enhancement of a pseudogap at the Fermi level as a result of electronic stabilization due to the Pd addition. Moreover, integrated crystal orbital Hamilton population (ICOHP) values show significant increases of orbital interactions for (Zn,Pd)–(Zn,Pd) atom pairs within the majority atom substructure, i.e., within the Kagome nets as well as between a Kagome net and an apical site, from binary MgZn2 to the ternary “MgZn1.25Pd0.75”. Multi-centered bonding is evident from electron localization function (ELF) plots for “MgZn1.25Pd0.75”, an outcome which is in accordance with analysis of other Laves phases.