cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Effect of Demographic, Economic, and Nutrition Factors on the Frequency of Food Away from Home

Food away from home, especially fast food, is often cited as contributing to obesity and other nutritional problems. This negative publicity can affect demand. Models explaining visits to table service and fast food restaurants are estimated, with nutrition variables added to standard demographic measures. Demographic effects are similar to those in past studies. Nutrition factors have little impact on table service, but nutrition-orientated consumers tend to have lower fast food consumption.
Natives, the foreign-born and high school equivalents: new evidence on the returns to the GED

We explore the labor market returns to the General Education Development (GED) exam for US natives and the foreign-born. We find that foreign-born men with a GED who received all of their formal schooling abroad earn significantly more than either foreign-schooled high school dropouts or graduates. In contrast, among US natives, GED recipients earn less than high school graduates but significantly more than dropouts. The returns for natives become larger over the life cycle and are not due to cohort effects. Our findings indicate that the GED may be more valuable in the labor market than some previous research suggests.
PRECISE THROUGHPUT DETERMINATION OF THE PanSTARRS TELESCOPE AND THE GIGAPIXEL IMAGER USING A CALIBRATED SILICON PHOTODIODE AND A TUNABLE LASER: INITIAL RESULTS

We have used a precision-calibrated photodiode as the fundamental metrology reference in order to determine the relative throughput of the PanSTARRS telescope and the Gigapixel imager, from 400 nm to 1050 nm. Our technique uses a tunable laser as a source of illumination on a transmissive flat-field screen. We determine the full-aperture system throughput as a function of wavelength, including (in a single integral measurement) the mirror reflectivity, the transmission functions of the filters and the corrector optics, and the detector quantum efficiency, by comparing the light seen by each pixel in the CCD array to that measured by a precision-calibrated silicon photodiode. This method allows us to determine the relative throughput of the entire system as a function of wavelength, for each pixel in the instrument, without observations of celestial standards. We present promising initial results from this characterization of the PanSTARRS system, and we use synthetic photometry to assess the photometric perturbations due to throughput variation across the field of view.
Intensity-Based 2D-3D Spine Image Registration Incorporating One Fiducial Marker

In this paper, we propose a hybrid similarity measure for 2D-3D image registration that is a weighted combination of an intensity-based image similarity measure and a point-based measure incorporating a single fiducial marker. We evaluate its accuracy and robustness using gold-standard clinical spine image data. The use of one fiducial marker substantially improves registration accuracy and robustness.
A “virtual-interferometer” technique for surface metrology

We demonstrate a novel technique for performing aberration-corrected surface metrology within existing wavefront-feedback systems. Our technique uses several phase measurements to calculate phase differences that directly reveal the surface gradients of an object under test, due to orthogonal displacements of that object between measurements. We then apply a least-squares algorithm for surface reconstruction using the gradient information. This approach also removes static system aberrations, providing an absolute measurement of the surface profile. To date, we have profiled a number of test optics with 20- to 40-nm RMS error, where the accuracy is determined by the amount of angular crosstalk over the system aperture.
Reaction of N-acetylimidazole With Enamines

N-Acetylimidazole is a commonly used acylating reagent. When it is allowed to react with several typical enamines, amides are produced rather than the expected acylated enamines.
Questions, answers, and responses: interacting with knowledge base systems

The purpose of this chapter is to examine the character of information-seeking interactions between a user and a knowledge base system (KBS). In doing so, I advocate that a clear distinction be made between an answer to a question and a response. The chapter characterizes questions, answers, and responses, the role they play in effective information interchanges, and what is involved in facilitating such interactions between user and KBS.
Invasive Testing for Coronary Artery Disease: FFR, IVUS, OCT, NIRS

Coronary angiography is the gold standard for the diagnosis of coronary artery disease and guides revascularization strategies. The emergence of new diagnostic modalities has provided clinicians with adjunctive physiologic and image-based data to help formulate treatment strategies. Fractional flow reserve can predict whether percutaneous intervention will benefit a patient. Intravascular ultrasonography and optical coherence tomography are intracoronary imaging modalities that facilitate the anatomic visualization of the vessel lumen and characterize plaques. Near-infrared spectroscopy can characterize plaque composition and potentially provide valuable prognostic information. This article reviews the indications, basic technology, and supporting clinical studies for these modalities.
Effects of temperature and concentration in some ring closing metathesis reactions

Ring closing metathesis (RCM) has emerged as a powerful tool to construct macrocyclic ring systems. However, the product distribution of monomer and oligomers is often a problem in the formation of medium to large rings. In the course of synthetic studies on the natural product radicicol and its analogs, we have found that the reaction temperature, along with concentration, has significant impact on the outcome of the product ratio. Specifically, carrying out the RCM reaction in refluxing toluene (110°C) at higher dilution affords improved yields of the monomeric macrocycle. Similar observations for another family of macrolactone natural products, the epothilones, are also reported.
Real-time video mosaicking of the ocean floor

An approach was developed for real-time creation of video mosaics of the ocean floor. The approach uses visual correspondence during both image acquisition and consolidation to insure that there are no gaps in the mosaic. The use of visual information for mosaic creation offers an accuracy previously unachievable in real time. A complete mosaicking approach was developed, including a technique for image registration and several strategies for image acquisition control. The approach was implemented and tested experimentally. Ocean-floor mosaics were created in real time using a remotely-operated vehicle. In addition, extensive mosaicking experiments were conducted in a test-tank environment using a semiautonomous underwater robot. >
Implications of autonomy for the expressiveness of policy routing

Thousands of competing autonomous systems must cooperate with each other to provide global Internet connectivity. Each autonomous system (AS) encodes various economic, business, and performance decisions in its routing policy. The current interdomain routing system enables each AS to express policy using rankings that determine how each router in the AS chooses among different routes to a destination, and filters that determine which routes are hidden from each neighboring AS. Because the Internet is composed of many independent, competing networks, the interdomain routing system should provide autonomy, allowing network operators to set their rankings independently, and to have no constraints on allowed filters. This paper studies routing protocol stability under these conditions. We first demonstrate that ldquonext-hop rankings,rdquo commonly used in practice, may not ensure routing stability. We then prove that, when providers can set rankings and filters autonomously, guaranteeing that the routing system will converge to a stable path assignment imposes strong restrictions on the rankings ASes are allowed to choose. We discuss the implications of these results for the future of interdomain routing.
Effect of 9,10-cyclic acetal stereochemistry on feasible operation of the α-ketol rearrangement in highly functionalized paclitaxel (taxol) precursors

The convergent, stereocontrolled synthesis of enantiopure stereoisomeric 9,10-cyclic acetals, whose designed role was to serve as potential precursors to Taxol, is reported. These advanced intermediates are multiply functionalized and carry a bridgehead α-ketol array which was key to isomerization into the proper framework. In agreement with relative strain energy values obtained by MM3 calculations, a dichotomy was observed between these two families. While the trans-fused acetals failed to undergo bridge migration, their cis counterparts did so efficiently. In fact, isomerization was sufficiently rapid that oxygenation at C2 was now precluded. The operation of several unusual transannular hydride shifts is also detailed.
Characterizing and prototyping genetic networks with cell-free transcription–translation reactions

A central goal of synthetic biology is to engineer cellular behavior by engineering synthetic gene networks for a variety of biotechnology and medical applications. The process of engineering gene networks often involves an iterative ‘design–build–test’ cycle, whereby the parts and connections that make up the network are built, characterized and varied until the desired network function is reached. Many advances have been made in the design and build portions of this cycle. However, the slow process of in vivo characterization of network function often limits the timescale of the testing step. Cell-free transcription–translation (TX–TL) systems offer a simple and fast alternative to performing these characterizations in cells. Here we provide an overview of a cell-free TX–TL system that utilizes the native Escherichia coli TX–TL machinery, thereby allowing a large repertoire of parts and networks to be characterized. As a way to demonstrate the utility of cell-free TX–TL, we illustrate the characterization of two genetic networks: an RNA transcriptional cascade and a protein regulated incoherent feed-forward loop. We also provide guidelines for designing TX–TL experiments to characterize new genetic networks. We end with a discussion of current and emerging applications of cell free systems.
Backstepping boundary control for first-order hyperbolic PDEs and application to systems with actuator and sensor delays

Abstract We consider a problem of boundary feedback stabilization of first-order hyperbolic partial differential equations (PDEs). These equations serve as a model for physical phenomena such as traffic flows, chemical reactors, and heat exchangers. We design controllers using a backstepping method, which has been recently developed for parabolic PDEs. With the integral transformation and boundary feedback the unstable PDE is converted into a “delay line” system which converges to zero in finite time. We then apply this procedure to finite-dimensional systems with actuator and sensor delays to recover a well-known infinite-dimensional controller (analog of the Smith predictor for unstable plants). We also show that the proposed method can be used for the boundary control of a Korteweg–de Vries-like third-order PDE. The designs are illustrated with simulations.
An alternative approach to designing stabilizing compensators for saturating linear time‐invariant plants

We present a new methodology for designing low-gain linear time-invariant (LTI) controllers for semi-global stabilization of an LTI plant with actuator saturation, which is based on the representation of a proper LTI feedback using a pre-compensator-plus-static-output-feedback architecture. We also mesh the new design methodology with time-scale notions to develop lower-order controllers for some plants. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
FERN: A unifying framework for name resolution across heterogeneous architectures

A key problem in all name resolution protocols today is that no one protocol performs well across all network architectures. In addition, DNS, the most widespread solution today, depends on a static and connected network layer and faces significant challenges in dynamic wireless networks. We introduce FERN (Federated Extensible Resolution of Names), the first framework designed to enable efficient name resolution across heterogeneous systems operating in dynamic or static networks. FERN organizes nodes into name resolution groups and allows each group to perform name resolution independently and in a manner best suited for that group. FERN arranges these name resolution groups into a hierarchy and allows these groups to communicate efficiently, discover each other’s presence, and resolve each other’s names. We demonstrate the flexibility and interoperability of FERN by deploying and evaluating it across heterogeneous environments, including a MANET, an infrastructure-based wireless network, and the Internet. We show that FERN performs at least as well as DNS, and yet extends name resolution to networks in which DNS is inadequate.
Carbonyl Methylenation and Alkylidenation Using Titanium‐Based Reagents

Alkylidenation of the carbonyl group of ketones and aldehydes is among the most useful reactions of organic synthesis. The Wittig reaction of phosphoranes is probably the most widely used method of alkylidenation, although a variety of other approaches have been developed to accomplish this transformation. The observation that titanium-based reagents can accomplish such a transformation has provided a new approach to alkylidenation. Not only do these reagents accomplish alkylidenation of the carbonyl group of aldehydes and ketones, but they are also effective with esters, lactones, amides, thioesters, and certain other carboxylic acid derivatives. Alkylidenation of the carbonyl group of carboxylic acid derivatives cannot normally be accomplished by the Wittig reaction. Initial interest in the reaction focused on methylenation using the titanium–aluminum complex known as the Tebbe reagent. Reactions of the Tebbe reagent with carboxylic esters and observed their conversion to enol ethers in high yield. Furthermore, the Tebbe reagent was also found to methylenate aldehydes and ketones, sometimes more effectively than the Wittig method. The related titanium metallacycles, which are prepared from the Tebbe reagent and an alkene in the presence of a Lewis base, accomplish similar alkylidenations. During the same period a still undefined reagent was prepared from zinc, a dihalomethane, and titanium tetrachloride that was shown to methylenate aldehydes and ketones. Modification of this mixture provides a reagent that accomplishes methylenation and alkylidenation of carboxylic acid derivatives. An alternative preparation of this reagent has also received wide use. Reagents for carbonyl alkylidenation involving titanium–magnesium, zirconium, tantalum, tungsten, molybdenum, boron, and chromium have also been studied, but none has found such broad use in synthesis. Keywords: carbonyl methylenation; alkylidenation; mechanism; titanium catalysts; carboxylic acid derivatives; ketones; aldehydes; functional group selectivity; Tebbe reagent; experimental procedures; esters; amides; amides; experimental procedures; scope; limitations
A new index measure and its use for describing US agriculture: Some initial findings and suggestions for monitoring and reporting

A new indicator of farm income dependence is developed for identifying differences in resource allocation among farm households. Analysis of farm household data between 1996 and 2006 identifies the index as being more informative and indicative of structural responses than the typical reliance on shares of farm income in the total for the representative household. Extensions of the index and complementarities with other measures are straightforward and offer potential valuable insight into coming trends in U.S. agriculture as the farm household population responds to higher prices induced by the biofuel boom.
Competition in Corruptible Markets

Firms seeking business opportunities often face corruptible agents in many markets. This paper investigates the marketing strategy implications for firms competing for business, and for the buyer in a corruptible market. We consider a setting in which a buyer (a firm or government) seeks to purchase a good through a corruptible agent. Supplier firms that may or may not be a good fit compete to be selected by the agent. Only the agent observes whether a firm is a good fit. Corruption arises due to the agent’s incentive to select a nondeserving firm in exchange for bribes. Intuitively and as expected, a sufficiently large monitoring of the agent eradicates corruption. Interestingly, however, increasing the monitoring from an initial low level can backfire, making the agent more likely to select a nondeserving firm. This nonmonotonic agent behavior makes it difficult for the buyer to reduce corruption. The implication is that the buyer should choose either to be ignorant or to take drastic measures to limit ...
The Impact of Income Tax Withholding Position and Stock Position on the Sale of Stock

The objective of this study is to investigate the effect that stock position (gain or loss) and income tax withholding position (tax payment or tax refund) have on the sale of stock at the end of the year. Prior investigations of stock position have shown that individuals are more likely to sell gain stocks and hold loss stocks (e.g., the disposition effect). However, studies also have found this pattern of behavior to reverse at year‐end in an effort to reduce tax liabilities. We conduct two experiments (baseline and primary) to compare the sell or hold decision of participants with either a gain or loss stock. Results of the baseline experiment confirm the disposition effect. However, when participants become more sensitive to tax considerations, the results of the primary experiment support the tax‐loss selling hypothesis. That is, participants tend to sell loss stocks and hold gain stocks. These results, while consistent with the tax‐loss selling hypothesis, are contrary to the disposition effect, ind...
Improved Structure and Function in Autosomal Recessive Polycystic Rat Kidneys with Renal Tubular Cell Therapy

Autosomal recessive polycystic kidney disease is a truly catastrophic monogenetic disease, causing death and end stage renal disease in neonates and children. Using PCK female rats, an orthologous model of autosomal recessive polycystic kidney disease harboring mutant Pkhd1, we tested the hypothesis that intravenous renal cell transplantation with normal Sprague Dawley male kidney cells would improve the polycystic kidney disease phenotype. Cytotherapy with renal cells expressing wild type Pkhd1 and tubulogenic serum amyloid A1 had powerful and sustained beneficial effects on renal function and structure in the polycystic kidney disease model. Donor cell engraftment and both mutant and wild type Pkhd1 were found in treated but not control PCK kidneys 15 weeks after the final cell infusion. To examine the mechanisms of global protection with a small number of transplanted cells, we tested the hypothesis that exosomes derived from normal Sprague Dawley cells can limit the cystic phenotype of PCK recipient cells. We found that renal exosomes originating from normal Sprague Dawley cells carried and transferred wild type Pkhd1 mRNA to PCK cells in vivo and in vitro and restricted cyst formation by cultured PCK cells. The results indicate that transplantation with renal cells containing wild type Pkhd1 improves renal structure and function in autosomal recessive polycystic kidney disease and may provide an intra-renal supply of normal Pkhd1 mRNA.
Polarization dependent switching of asymmetric nanorings with a circular field

We experimentally investigated the switching from onion to vortex states in asymmetric cobalt nanorings by an applied circular field. An in-plane field is applied along the symmetric or asymmetric axis of the ring to establish domain walls (DWs) with symmetric or asymmetric polarization. A circular field is then applied to switch from the onion state to the vortex state, moving the DWs in the process. The asymmetry of the ring leads to different switching fields depending on the location of the DWs and direction of applied field. For polarization along the asymmetric axis, the field required to move the DWs to the narrow side of the ring is smaller than the field required to move the DWs to the larger side of the ring. For polarization along the symmetric axis, establishing one DW in the narrow side and one on the wide side, the field required to switch to the vortex state is an intermediate value.
The effects of the business cycle on oligopoly coordination: Evidence from the U.S. rayon industry

Recent game-theoretic studies of the effects of the business cycle on oligopoly coordination predict that coordination is weakest when demand is high and expected future profit is lower. An empirical model that uses a conjectural elasticity term to measure the degree of coordination is developed to test for these two effects. The rayon industry of the 1930s is one that exhibited significantly non-competitive conduct that appears to have varied, in degree, with fluctuations in demand. Application of the empirical model to data from this industry produces results that support the predictions of recent theoretical models.
Policy levers to increase jobs and increase income from work after the Great Recession

The depth of the Great Recession, the slow recovery of job creation, the downward trend in labor force participation, high long-term unemployment, stagnant or declining wages for low-to-medium skill jobs owing to adverse labor demand shifts, and a greater rebound in low-wage than mid- or higher-wage jobs raised concerns that the normal business cycle dynamics of recovery from the recession will be insufficient to offset the diminished labor market prospects of many workers. These concerns have spurred serious consideration of policies to encourage job creation and higher income from work beyond the more immediate countercyclical policies that were adopted in response to the Great Recession. Among the policies generating continuing or renewed interest are hiring credits, higher (sometimes much higher) minimum wages, and a more substantial earned income tax credit (EITC) for childless individuals. This paper discusses these policy options, what we know about their likely effects and trade-offs, and what the unanswered questions are; the focus is on US evidence. JEL codes: J2, J3, J6
Power Structure and Cardinality Restrictions for Paretian Social Choice Rules

Let f be a multiple-valued Paretian social choice rule for n voters and an outcome set X. The preventing sets for f are shown to form an acyclic majority when |X| n, and a filter when f also satisfies a binary independence condition. These results are then shown to yield inequalities relating |X|, n, and certain preventing sets. In particular, if every coalition of q voters constitutes a preventing set, then |X|≤[(n-1)/(n-q)]. Other n-q inequalities are obtained if strong equilibria are present for every preference profile.
Prediction and Quickening In Perspective Flight Displays for Curved Landing Approaches

In an empirical test of various prediction and quickening display algorithms, 18 professional pilot-subjects made four curved-path landing approaches in a GAT-2 simulator using each of 18 dynamically different display configurations in a within-subject design. Results indicate that second- and third-order predictor displays provide the best lateral performance. Intermediate levels of prediction and quickening provide best vertical control. Prediction quickening algorithms of increasing computational order significantly reduce aileron, rudder, and elevator control responses, reflecting successive reductions in cockpit work load. Whereas conventional crosspointer displays are not adequate for curved landing approaches, perspective displays with predictors and some vertical dimension quickening are highly effective.
Rating Exotic Price Coverage in Crop Revenue Insurance

Revenue insurance is the most popular form of insurance available in the US federal crop insurance program. The majority of crop revenue policies are sold with a harvest price replacement feature that pays out on lost crop yields at the maximum of a realized or projected harvest price. The authors introduce a novel actuarial and statistical approach to rate revenue insurance policies with exotic price coverage: the payout depends on an order statistic or average of prices. The authors examine the price implications of different dependence models and demonstrate the feasibility of policies of this type.,Hierarchical Archimedean copulas and vine copulas are used to model dependence between prices and yields and serial dependence of prices. The authors construct several synthetic exotic price coverage insurance policies and evaluate the impact of copula models on policies covering different types of risk.,The authors’ findings show that the price of exotic price coverage policies is sensitive to the choice of dependence model. Serial dependence varies across the growing season. It is possible to accurately price exotic coverage policies and we suggest these add-ons as a possible avenue for developing private crop insurance markets.,The authors apply hierarchical Archimedean copulas and vine copulas that allow for flexibility in the modeling of multivariate dependence. Unlike previous research, which has primarily considered dependence across space, the form of exotic price coverage requires modeling serial dependence in relative prices. Results are important for this segment of the agricultural insurance market: one of the main areas that insurers can develop private products around the federal program.
Fiscal policy in unionized labor markets

Abstract This paper investigates the effects of fiscal policy on economic activity, public finances, welfare, and income distribution in a dynamic general equilibrium model with a unionized labor market. The paper shows that debt-financed increases of public employment, wages of public sector employees, unemployment benefits, and labor taxes put pressure on unions’ wage claims, leading to higher private sector wages, lower employment, capital, and output. In addition, increases of public employment, public wages and unemployment benefits increase workers’ utility relative to the pre-policy change equilibrium during the transition, but not in the long-run. Instead, workers’ utility decreases at any time horizon when labor taxes increase. Capitalists always benefit from increases in taxes on labor but their welfare decreases when public spending goes up. Finally, the paper investigates the extent to which the way the government balances its budget affects these results.
Interfacial effects in multilayers

Interfacial structure and the atomic interactions between atoms at interfaces in multilayers or nano-laminates have significant impact on the physical properties of these materials. A technique for the experimental evaluation of interfacial structure and interfacial structure effects is presented and compared to experiment. In this paper the impact of interfacial structure on the performance of x-ray, soft x-ray and extreme ultra-violet multilayer optic structures is emphasized. The paper is concluded with summary of these results and an assessment of their implications relative to multilayer development and the study of buried interfaces in solids in general.
WHICH IMPLANT SHOULD I PICK? SATISFYING THE PATIENT PATHOLOGY

There are a multitude of choices and implant varieties for primary total knee arthroplasty (TKA). TKA implant systems differ in a number of design characteristics intended to either improve performance through optimizing kinematic function (such as the medial pivot, mobile bearing, gender-specific or high-flexion designs) or by increasing the durability of the TKA by minimizing long-term failure modes, such as wear and osteolysis with highly cross-linked polyethylene. Further adding to the complexity of choice, is the re-emergence of cementless fixation in response to improve longevity in the progressively younger TKA patient population. The patella creates additional decision-making in TKA, as while most surgeons in the US resurface the patella, there are some who routinely do not which is a much more commonly accepted practice outside of the US. Finally, metal hypersensitivity is a controversial, yet unavoidable issue, which forces the consideration of “nickel-free” or ceramic-coated implants. Unfortunately, there is paucity of outcome data to support one implant choice over another, which is problematic in the modern arena of value-based cost reductions in healthcare. Further confounding the issue is the inability of current outcome measures to accurately assess the differences in performance of the various TKA designs. This talk will provide the latest evidence particular to the major TKA component choices as they relate to patient pathology.
The cumulative distribution transform and linear pattern classification

Abstract Discriminating data classes emanating from sensors is an important problem with many applications in science and technology. We describe a new transform for pattern representation that interprets patterns as probability density functions, and has special properties with regards to classification. The transform, which we denote as the Cumulative Distribution Transform (CDT), is invertible, with well defined forward and inverse operations. We show that it can be useful in ‘parsing out’ variations (confounds) that are ‘Lagrangian’ (displacement and intensity variations) by converting these to ‘Eulerian’ (intensity variations) in transform space. This conversion is the basis for our main result that describes when the CDT can allow for linear classification to be possible in transform space. We also describe several properties of the transform and show, with computational experiments that used both real and simulated data, that the CDT can help render a variety of real world problems simpler to solve.
A high-performance parallel algorithm for nonnegative matrix factorization

Non-negative matrix factorization (NMF) is the problem of determining two non-negative low rank factors W and H, for the given input matrix A, such that A a WH. NMF is a useful tool for many applications in different domains such as topic modeling in text mining, background separation in video analysis, and community detection in social networks. Despite its popularity in the data mining community, there is a lack of efficient distributed algorithms to solve the problem for big data sets.We propose a high-performance distributed-memory parallel algorithm that computes the factorization by iteratively solving alternating non-negative least squares (NLS) subproblems for W and H. It maintains the data and factor matrices in memory (distributed across processors), uses MPI for interprocessor communication, and, in the dense case, provably minimizes communication costs (under mild assumptions). As opposed to previous implementations, our algorithm is also flexible: (1) it performs well for both dense and sparse matrices, and (2) it allows the user to choose any one of the multiple algorithms for solving the updates to low rank factors W and H within the alternating iterations. We demonstrate the scalability of our algorithm and compare it with baseline implementations, showing significant performance improvements.
Virtual videography

Well-produced videos provide a convenient and effective way to archive lectures. In this demonstration, we present a new way to create lecture videos that possess many of the advantages of well-composed recordings without the cost and intrusion of a video production crew. The videos are produced by an automated system called Virtual Videography that employs the art of videography to mimic videographer-produced videos, while being unobtrusive when recording the lectures. The system uses the data recorded by unattended video cameras and microphones to produce a new edited video as an offline post-process. By producing videos offline, our system can use future information when planning shot sequences and synthesizing new shots. Using syntactic cues gathered from the original video and a novel shot planning algorithm, the system makes cinematic decisions without any semantic understanding of the lecture.
To grow is not enough: impact of noise on cell environmental response and fitness

Quantitative single cell measurements have shown that cell cycle duration (the time between cell divisions) for diverse cell types is a noisy variable. The underlying distribution is mean scalable with a universal shape for many cell types in a variety of environments. Here we explore through both experiment and theory the response of these distributions to large environmental perturbations. In particular, we discuss how the stochasticity of the ensemble may be related to the response. Our findings show that slow growing, noisy populations are more adaptive than those which are fast growing. We suggest that even non-cooperative cells in exponential growth phase may not optimize fitness through growth rate alone, but also optimize adaptability to changing conditions. In this work, we wish to emphasize that in a manner similar to genetic evolution, noise in biochemical processes may be important to allow for cells to adapt to rapid to environmental changes.
Price Mean Reversion, Seasonality, and Options Markets

Options on agricultural commodities with maturities exceeding one year seldom trade. One possible reason to explain this lack of trading is that we do not have an accurate option pricing model for products where mean reversion in spot-price levels can be expected. Standard option pricing models assume proportionality between price variance and time to maturity. This proportionality is not a valid assumption for commodities whose supply response brings prices back to production costs. The model proposed here incorporates mean reversion in spot-price levels and includes a correction for seasonality. Mean reversion and seasonality are both observed in the soybean market. The empirical analysis lends strong support to the model.
A Pressure-Line Concept for Inelastic Bending

The concept of the pressure line, useful for arches and rigid frames, is developed for quickly estimating the effects of plasticity on the behavior of structural elements subjected to axial and fle...
Temporally Robust Global Motion Compensation by Keypoint-Based Congealing

Global motion compensation (GMC) removes the impact of camera motion and creates a video in which the background appears static over the progression of time. Various vision problems, such as human activity recognition, background reconstruction, and multi-object tracking can benefit from GMC. Existing GMC algorithms rely on sequentially processing consecutive frames, by estimating the transformation mapping the two frames, and obtaining a composite transformation to a global motion compensated coordinate. Sequential GMC suffers from temporal drift of frames from the accurate global coordinate, due to either error accumulation or sporadic failures of motion estimation at a few frames. We propose a temporally robust global motion compensation (TRGMC) algorithm which performs accurate and stable GMC, despite complicated and long-term camera motion. TRGMC densely connects pairs of frames, by matching local keypoints of each frame. A joint alignment of these frames is formulated as a novel keypoint-based congealing problem, where the transformation of each frame is updated iteratively, such that the spatial coordinates for the start and end points of matched keypoints are identical. Experimental results demonstrate that TRGMC has superior performance in a wide range of scenarios.
Measuring ecosystem nitrogen status: a comparison of proxies

4� 6� 7� Abstract. There are many proxies used to measure nitrogen (N) availability in watersheds, but 8� the degree to which they do (or do not correlate) within a watershed has not been systematically 9� addressed. We surveyed the literature for intact forest or grassland watersheds in which several 10� metrics of nitrogen availability have been measured. Our metrics included: foliar δ 15 N, soil δ 15 N, 11� net nitrification, net N mineralization, and the ratio of dissolved inorganic to organic nitrogen 12� (DIN:DON) in soil solution and streams. Not surprisingly, the strongest correlation (Kendall's 13� tau) was between net nitrification and N mineralization (τ=0.61, p 0.05). To our surprise, the only significant 17� correlation we found between terrestrial- and water-based metrics was that of net N
Structural properties of the price-to-earnings and price-to-book ratios

We examine the structural properties of a firm’s price-to-earnings (P/E) and price-to-book (P/B) ratios and the relation between these two ratios. A benchmark result is obtained under the hypothesis that firms use replacement cost accounting to value their operating assets, so that the P/B ratio coincides with Tobin’s q. The firm’s P/E ratio can then be expressed as a convex combination of the P/E ratios suggested respectively by the permanent earnings model and the Gordon growth model, with the relative weight to be placed on these two endpoints determined entirely by Tobin’s q. Under current financial reporting rules, the accounting for operating assets is likely to be more conservative than replacement cost accounting. Our findings characterize how the magnitude and behavior of the P/E and P/B ratios are jointly shaped by several key variables, including both past and anticipated future growth, economic profitability, and accounting conservatism
Counting rational points near planar curves

We find an asymptotic formula for the number of rational points near planar curves. More precisely, if $f:\mathbb{R}\rightarrow\mathbb{R}$ is a sufficiently smooth function defined on the interval $[\eta,\xi]$, then the number of rational points with denominator no larger than $Q$ that lie within a $\delta$-neighborhood of the graph of $f$ is shown to be asymptotically equivalent to $(\xi-\eta)\delta Q^2$.
Representations of affine superalgebras and mock theta functions II

Abstract We show that the normalized supercharacters of principal admissible modules, associated to each integrable atypical module over the affine Lie superalgebra s l ˆ 2 | 1 can be modified, using Zwegers' real analytic corrections, to form an SL 2 ( Z ) -invariant family of functions. Using a variation of Zwegers' correction, we obtain a similar result for osp ˆ 3 | 2 . Applying the quantum Hamiltonian reduction, this leads to new families of positive energy modules over the N = 2 (resp. N = 3 ) superconformal algebras with central charge c = 3 ( 1 − 2 m + 2 M ) , where m ∈ Z ≥ 0 , M ∈ Z ≥ 2 , gcd ⁡ ( 2 m + 2 , M ) = 1 if m > 0 (resp. c = − 3 2 m + 1 M , where m ∈ Z ≥ 0 , M ∈ Z ≥ 2 gcd ⁡ ( 4 m + 2 , M ) = 1 ), whose modified supercharacters form an SL 2 ( Z ) -invariant family of functions.
2,3,2-Tetramine—A Potent Cupruretic Agent:

SummaryThe 2,3,2-tetramine is a potent cupruretic agent which may prove to be useful in management of disorders characterized by excessive copper stores.
Rutherford backscattering with heavy ions

The mass resolution capabilities of heavy ion Rutherford backscattering spectrometry (HIRBS) have been explored. A generalized prediction has been made of the maximum mass resolution that can be obtained in HIRBS. The experimental mass analysis capabilities of three heavy ion beams, 24 MeV 16O, 23 MeV 20Ne, and 38 MeV 40Ar was investigated in detail. Using these beams, a mass difference of 1 amu can be determined at a target mass of 25 amu; a mass difference of 2 amu can be determined at a target mass of 65 amu. For each beam, the energy differences necessary for qualitative and quantitative analysis were determined. For the 16O beam the corresponding experimental values are 250 and 350 keV, respectively, for qualitative and quantitative determination. For the 20Ne beam the values are 275 and 425 keV, for the 40Ar beam the values are 700 and 1200 keV. From these experimental ?E values the mass resolution achievable with each beam is estimated. HIRBS is potentially capable of resolving neighboring masses for 50 < M < 100 and appears well suited for detecting such species on the surface of low Z substrates.
Special Treatment — The Story of Medicare's ESRD Entitlement

In 1972, through a last-minute provision of the Social Security Amendments, Medicare coverage was extended specifically to people with end-stage renal disease requiring hemodialysis or kidney transplantation — an entitlement that has had significant consequences.
Out of the oil bath and into the oven—microwave-assisted combinatorial chemistry heats up

The application of microwave irradiation to expedite solid-phase organic reactions could be the tool that allows combinatorial chemistry to deliver on its promise—providing rapid access to large collections of diverse small molecules. Herein, several different approaches to microwave (MW)-assisted solid-phase reactions and library synthesis are introduced, including the use of solid-supported reagents, multicomponent coupling reactions, solvent-free parallel library synthesis, and spatially addressable library synthesis on planar solid supports. The future impact of MW-assisted organic reactions on solid-phase and combinatorial chemistry could prove to be immense, and methods for further improvement of this strategic combination of technologies are highlighted.
Chemoselective Formation of Unsymmetrically Substituted Ethers from Catalytic Reductive Coupling of Aldehydes and Ketones with Alcohols in Aqueous Solution

A well-defined cationic Ru–H complex catalyzes reductive etherification of aldehydes and ketones with alcohols. The catalytic method employs environmentally benign water as the solvent and cheaply available molecular hydrogen as the reducing agent to afford unsymmetrical ethers in a highly chemoselective manner.
Solidification of Highly Undercooled Silicon: Bulk Nucleation and Amorphous Phase Formation *

Recent experimental and theoretical work suggests that bulk nucleation occurs in highly undercooled liquid silicon formed by the pulsed laser melting of amorphous layers. In this paper we discuss the dynamics of solidification of undercooled liquid silicon in terms of results from melting model calculations and from the theory of homogeneous bulk nucleation. The relationship between the occurrence of bulk nucleation and the ability to induce a liquid-to-amorphous phase transition by large undercoolings of the liquid is considered. It is concluded that the observed liquid-to-amorphous transition in silicon cannot be explained by an equilibrium thermodynamic approach.
CNVkit: Genome-Wide Copy Number Detection and Visualization from Targeted DNA Sequencing

Germline copy number variants (CNVs) and somatic copy number alterations (SCNAs) are of significant importance in syndromic conditions and cancer. Massively parallel sequencing is increasingly used to infer copy number information from variations in the read depth in sequencing data. However, this approach has limitations in the case of targeted re-sequencing, which leaves gaps in coverage between the regions chosen for enrichment and introduces biases related to the efficiency of target capture and library preparation. We present a method for copy number detection, implemented in the software package CNVkit, that uses both the targeted reads and the nonspecifically captured off-target reads to infer copy number evenly across the genome. This combination achieves both exon-level resolution in targeted regions and sufficient resolution in the larger intronic and intergenic regions to identify copy number changes. In particular, we successfully inferred copy number at equivalent to 100-kilobase resolution genome-wide from a platform targeting as few as 293 genes. After normalizing read counts to a pooled reference, we evaluated and corrected for three sources of bias that explain most of the extraneous variability in the sequencing read depth: GC content, target footprint size and spacing, and repetitive sequences. We compared the performance of CNVkit to copy number changes identified by array comparative genomic hybridization. We packaged the components of CNVkit so that it is straightforward to use and provides visualizations, detailed reporting of significant features, and export options for integration into existing analysis pipelines. CNVkit is freely available from https://github.com/etal/cnvkit.
Spatial competition, innovation and institutions: the Industrial Revolution and the Great Divergence

This paper advances a theory in which the intensity of inter-city competition determines both the incentives of rms to adopt labor-saving technologies and the incentives of specialized workers to resist them. By providing historical evidence of the relation between spatial competition, guild resistance and innovation in England and China, it argues that the theory is plausible for understanding the timing of industrialization in both countries. Using data on inter-city competition, it shows that the theory calibrated to England in the pre-1600 era is consistent with an end of guild resistance and a start of industrialization in England by the beginning of the nineteenth century. The calibrated model also correctly predicts economic stagnation in China through the early twentieth century. The theory can therefore account for both the Industrial Revolution and the Great Divergence.
Non-Malleable Extractors for Entropy Rate <1/2

Dodis and Wichs [DW09] introduced the notion of a non-malleable extractor to study the problem of privacy amplification with an active adversary. A non-malleable extractor is a much stronger version of a strong extractor. Given a weakly-random string x and a uniformly random seed y as the inputs, the non-malleable extractor nmExt has the property that nmExt(x, y) appears uniform even given y as well as nmExt(x,A(y)), for an arbitrary function A with A(y) 6= y. Dodis and Wichs showed that such an object can be used to give optimal privacy amplification protocols with an active adversary. Previously, there are only two known explicit constructions of non-malleable extractors [DLWZ11, CRS11]. Both constructions only work for (n, k)-sources with k > n/2 and thus they also only achieve optimal privacy amplification protocols for k > n/2. In this paper, we give the first construction of non-malleable extractors for k 0, and a conditional construction that can potentially achieve k = αn for any constant α > 0. Using our non-malleable extractor, we also obtain the first optimal privacy amplification protocol for min-entropy k = (1/2 − δ)n, with an active adversary. Our constructions mainly use the bilinear property of the inner product function, and involve appropriate encodings of the seed y as well as ideas from additive combinatorics. ∗Partially supported by NSF Grants CCF-0634811, CCF-0916160, THECB ARP Grant 003658-0113-2007, and a Simons postdoctoral fellowship. ISSN 1433-8092 Electronic Colloquium on Computational Complexity, Report No. 166 (2011)
Organotellurium Chemistry: Remarkably Facile Preparation of Benzo‐1,3‐tellurazoles

Benzo-1,3-tellurazoles carrying alkyl or aryl substituents in position 2 were prepared in a facile two-step sequence, starting with readily available 2-haloanilines. This approach relies on the preparation of bis(2-aminophenyl) ditellurides by nucleophilic halide displacement from 2-haloanilines with sodium telluride in N-methylpyrrolidone. Subsequent reductive cyclization with carboxylic acid halides or carboxylic anhydrides furnished benzo-1,3-tellurazoles in good yields.